37

Gohan awoke from his bed to find that his weakness from the previous day. For the whole day, Gohan had felt sharp, stabbing pains in his stomach and had experienced extreme fatigue, forcing him to take the day off. Gohan was very puzzled over what had happened the day before and wondered what could have caused the pain and exhaustion he had felt. Then a certain thought popped into his mind.

Gohan asked himself, his whole being filling with worry for his beloved mate as he suddenly felt the need to leave the Room of Spirit and Time to see if Videl was ok. A couple of seconds later, Gohan shook the thought out of his head, realizing the irrationality.

"He wasn't lying when he said he could handle this room," Gohan whispered, walking slowly to the outer part of the room, over to the unending whiteness that still unnerved Gohan despite the year and month and a half he'd spent in there. Shaking off his uneasiness, he used his ki to lift himself off of the ground and flew towards where his grandfather was, thinking about the time he'd spent in the Room of Spirit and Time so far.

Gohan continued, rapidly approaching his grandfather. It wasn't too much longer until Gohan visually spotted Bardock, practicing forms by himself in the middle of nothingness. Bardock stopped as soon as Gohan approached. For the past year, Gohan had been training Bardock to sense ki, but Bardock was having a hard time picking it up. Gohan just figured that old habits died hard and it would be a little while yet until Bardock learned the full art of sensing the ki of others.

"Hello Gohan," Bardock said as Gohan stopped in front of him, "I see you're feeling normal today. Any thoughts as to why you were so weak yesterday?" Gohan nodded.

"Yeah, one theory I have is that something happened to Videl and I just happened to feel it through our bond, even though I can't feel her now. But, I know my dad wouldn't let anything happen to Videl, so that shoots that theory out the window. So, other than that, I really don't know what could have caused me to feel so weak yesterday. I mean, I was so weak, I couldn't get out of bed to do anything, Grandpa. I don't like feeling that way." Bardock grinned.

"Of course you don't. You're a Saiya-jin. To a Saiya-jin, feeling weak is the worst thing in the universe," Bardock explained, "In a society where strength and dominance are everything, being weak puts you at the bottom of the hierarchy." Gohan nodded, understanding. He wanted to continue talking to his grandfather, but he had a burning desire to fight with someone. His lips pulling into a tight smile, Gohan met Bardock's eyes, challenging him with his stare.

"I thought you'd never ask, Gohan," Bardock said, falling back into a fighting position. Gohan assumed much the same position and the two powered up, preparing to fight. The two launched themselves at each other, both of them pitting skill against skill, throwing rapid punches, kicks, and ki blasts at the other, both set on winning.

As the two sparred, Gohan was surprised at how well Bardock was keeping up. For what Bardock lacked in speed, he made up for in experience in combat. Bardock had many years on Gohan in the experience factor of fighting, pulling off techniques that Gohan had never seen before. His resourcefulness was giving him an edge in battle, constantly keeping Gohan on his toes.

Gohan, so wrapped up in thinking about Bardock's skill, let down his guard for Bardock's swift punch in the stomach. The moment Bardock's fist connected with Gohan's middle, Gohan was jarred back into the battle, gasping for air for the briefest moment before landing a hard punch in Bardock's jaw, causing the older man's head to snap back with the force of it. Bardock straightened himself, wiping the blood off of his face as he looked at his grandson. Bardock smirked.

"That's more like it, Gohan," Bardock said before the two resumed their fighting, each vying for dominance over the other. After many hours of fighting, Bardock finally claimed defeat.

"Gohan, I just don't have the strength to beat you right now. As much as I hate to admit it, you are the stronger man in this room. I concede," Bardock said, gasping for breath. Gohan ran a hand over his forehead, wiping off the beads of sweat that lingered there.

"That still doesn't change the fact that you're the stronger Saiya-jin here, Gohan. I'd like you to know that, while I'm proud of you, I'm extremely envious as well." Gohan nodded.

"Good idea," Bardock said, following his grandson back to the living quarters of the vast room. The minute the two arrived, Gohan fished around the room for two jugs of water, handing one over to Bardock, who had already sat down at the small table that sat in the middle of the covered room. Bardock opened the jug, taking huge gulps of water in order to sate his thirst, his throat muscles constricting as they helped the water on its way down his throat. After a few minutes, Gohan, who had also been drinking deeply from the container of water, put the jug down and looked at Bardock seriously.

"Grandpa," Gohan said, "What was Vegetasei like?" Bardock, still drinking, lowered the jug slowly, setting it down on the table as he swallowed the clear liquid. Bardock looked at Gohan, his gaze questioning.

"I'm just curious. I know a little about Vegetasei from Vegeta, but he never talks about his home much because he doesn't really remember a lot. But, you grew up on Vegetasei and know a lot more about the culture than Vegeta does, for all that he is the prince of the Saiya-jins." Bardock gave a slow nod, considering Gohan's words, before he began speaking.

"Well, Vegetasei is very different from Earth," Bardock said slowly, "Every rule, every custom was clearly outlined and strictly followed. For what many races considered to be a bunch of barbarians, the Saiya-jin race had a clearly defined class system, a ruling government, and set of laws that every Saiya-jin followed or suffered the consequences.

"On Vegetasei, men highly outnumbered women, a ratio of about 6 or 7 to 1. Because of that, women tended to go into the areas of science, research, and medicine because they were less expendable, while men tended to become warriors. Now, this isn't to say that there weren't female warriors or male scientists; it's just that the genders generally stuck to certain professions.

"And, because there were far fewer females than males, bonding wasn't a regular occurrence in the Saiya-jin culture, except for in the third-class. It sometimes occurred among second-class Saiya-jins and rarely among the royalty. This is why I was so shocked to find out that Vegeta had a mate here on Earth for bonding was something to be thought extinct in the royal bloodline. Well, needless to say, most of the third-class Saiya-jins found bond mates and my family was no exception. In fact, my family had a history of finding bond mates. And the mating ritual was something that was instinctually known to every Saiya-jin." Gohan suddenly spoke up, interrupting his grandfather.

"Well, first off, two bond mates mark each other by biting them, as I'm sure you already know about. Then, there's the exchanging of memories, which is followed by the establishment of the telepathic link between mates. The final stage is the consummation of the bond, after which the mental, emotional, and physical bonds have been established and the two Saiya-jins are bonded for life. Does this answer your question, Gohan?" Bardock said. Gohan nodded, his next question already burning in his mind.

"Grandpa, what was your past like on Vegetasei? You've started to go into it many times, but you've always changed the subject. Was your life bad?" Gohan asked, curiosity flaming in his eyes. Bardock gave a small, sad smile, his mind going over the years he spent before his death.

"No, Gohan, my life wasn't bad...just unfulfilled. My life, for the most part, was spent in happiness. I had a mate, a steady profession, and children, one of whom, your father, who I never got to know. I had an odd upbringing for a Saiya-jin child, however. While most children either went to school or trained, I did both and I loved both, thought I was more inclined towards school than training. Much to my family's disappointment, I chose a career in science instead of going into the military and becoming a warrior like my older brothers and my father.

"But, I didn't care what they thought. I liked what I was doing and I was good at it. I worked in labs for most of my young life, constantly experimenting with organic materials, metals, technology...you name it, I experimented with it in the lab. I made several experiments during my career as a scientist and quickly rose within the system until I was appointed Head Advisor to King Vegeta in the area of scientific and technological affairs. My job was to explain to His Majesty the advances in the areas of science and technology and discuss with him how each advance would better our growth and society. Part of my job was that I worked in the laboratories on each advance, understanding how they worked and fine-tuning them. I can't begin to tell you how many inventions or discoveries I made or took part in.

"Anyway, I worked there happily for 3 years until, when I was 24 year old, my family started goading me about finding a mate. I ignored them and their worries about me living alone for the rest of my life, and I continued working feverishly. Until, one day, I met Celipa, a new scientist in the Royal Laboratories. Celipa and I worked side by side for many months, growing closer all the time, until we bonded.

"It was a year after we bonded that our first child was born, Raditz. We were so happy, just the three of us. But, our financial situation wasn't the greatest. Although I had a high ranking, I wasn't making enough money to support my family. So, I sacrificed my career as a scientist and became a warrior, a better paying job than that of a scientist. I made some of the best friends of my life when I joined the military, particularly within my squadron.

"My crew and I quickly rose in the ranks as well, our paychecks increasing continually. But, things were changing on Vegetasei. The changes were so gradual that we didn't even notice we'd begun working for someone other than our king. Frieza's empire was quickly taking over our own world and, much to our surprise, our king was going along with it. But none of us said anything about it. How could we, any of us, speak against our king? So, we went along with it as well. Frieza's empire was doing us no harm, so we had no reason to complain.

"About 5 years after the birth of Raditz, Celipa and I had a second child, Kakarot, your father. I barely got to know him though. Shortly after his birth, my crew was killed by Frieza's top men. That's when I started to doubt Frieza's intentions. During a routine mission, I was somehow given the power to see the future. I saw what was going to happen to our planet and I knew my sons were going to get off alive. Frieza was planning on destroying Vegetasei and I had planned to stop him.

"But, my efforts were useless. No one would believe me, so I had decided to stop him myself. He killed me, many of his own men, and destroyed Vegetasei all in one attack. Kakarot, I knew, had gotten off the planet...I saw his space pod fly off and I knew he was going to live. I don't know how Raditz survived and I never sought him out in Hell to ask him either. Well, after Vegetasei was destroyed, that's where I went: to Hell. To my great dissatisfaction, Celipa had gone to the Otherworld and she had lost her body. I never got to see her again," Bardock finished, his tone quiet and sad.

Gohan looked at Bardock, respect in his eyes as he understood how it must have been for Bardock when he was young, torn between science and fighting. Gohan's life had been much the same. Not only were his parents on opposite sides of the issue, Gohan's being was as well. Part of him, the part that his mother sided with, wanted to live the peaceful life of a scientist or a scholar, accomplishing great things, things he knew he could do. But, the other, rival part of him, the part that his father sided with, wanted to fight, train, and increase his strength.

Gohan fought for an equilibrium and felt that he had achieved it after years of practice. But, sometimes it was hard for Gohan to maintain that equilibrium. Gohan sighed sadly as he thought about his own life before looking at Bardock, erasing the sad look from his face.

"Well, Grandpa, what do you say we get back to training?" Gohan asked. Bardock smiled; training would provide a distraction for the memories he had just brought up.

"That's fine," Bardock said, giving a brief nod of his head. The two stood up out of their chairs and walked out into the emptiness that was the Room of Spirit and Time.

Gohan thought to himself. That was the reason for his excitement. He would finally be able to see his mate again. Gohan had no possessions to bring back out with him. The clothes that he had gone in wearing had been destroyed by a stray ki blast that found its way into the inner sanctum. The combat suits he brought with him had been destroyed over time, so all he had with him was the torn combat suit he was wearing, holes and tears littering its surface. Bardock looked at his grandson, noticing his anxious attitude.

"That's right," Bardock said, "I'm going to stay in here for the rest of my two years. I think I'm close to becoming a Super Saiya-jin. I can feel it. Training with you has proved most helpful, Gohan, and for that, you have my eternal gratitude." Gohan blushed slightly at Bardock's praise.

"I know. Well, as much as I love this little chat we're having, I think it's about time you were going. Give your father my regards and I'll see you when I get out." Gohan smiled.


	LOVES TRIALS CHAPTER 37 Gohan awoke from his bed to find that his weakness from the previous day. For the whole day, Gohan had felt sharp, stabbing pains in his stomach and had experienced extreme fatigue, forcing him to take the day off. Gohan was very puzzled over what had happened the day before and wondered what could have caused the pain and exhaustion he had felt. Then a certain thought popped into his mind. Gohan asked himself, his whole being filling with worry for his beloved mate as he suddenly felt the need to leave the Room of Spirit and Time to see if Videl was ok. A couple of seconds later, Gohan shook the thought out of his head, realizing the irrationality. Gohan said to himself, pushing the blanket off of his weary body as he got out of bed, exposing himself to the harsh climates of the Room of Spirit and time. Gohan thought as he walked away from his bed, sensing his grandfather's ki off in the distance, obviously training by himself. Gohan smiled wryly. "He wasn't lying when he said he could handle this room," Gohan whispered, walking slowly to the outer part of the room, over to the unending whiteness that still unnerved Gohan despite the year and month and a half he'd spent in there. Shaking off his uneasiness, he used his ki to lift himself off of the ground and flew towards where his grandfather was, thinking about the time he'd spent in the Room of Spirit and Time so far. Gohan said to himself as he neared his grandfather. Gohan continued, rapidly approaching his grandfather. It wasn't too much longer until Gohan visually spotted Bardock, practicing forms by himself in the middle of nothingness. Bardock stopped as soon as Gohan approached. For the past year, Gohan had been training Bardock to sense ki, but Bardock was having a hard time picking it up. Gohan just figured that old habits died hard and it would be a little while yet until Bardock learned the full art of sensing the ki of others. "Hello Gohan," Bardock said as Gohan stopped in front of him, "I see you're feeling normal today. Any thoughts as to why you were so weak yesterday?" Gohan nodded. "Yeah, one theory I have is that something happened to Videl and I just happened to feel it through our bond, even though I can't feel her now. But, I know my dad wouldn't let anything happen to Videl, so that shoots that theory out the window. So, other than that, I really don't know what could have caused me to feel so weak yesterday. I mean, I was so weak, I couldn't get out of bed to do anything, Grandpa. I don't like feeling that way." Bardock grinned. "Of course you don't. You're a Saiya-jin. To a Saiya-jin, feeling weak is the worst thing in the universe," Bardock explained, "In a society where strength and dominance are everything, being weak puts you at the bottom of the hierarchy." Gohan nodded, understanding. He wanted to continue talking to his grandfather, but he had a burning desire to fight with someone. His lips pulling into a tight smile, Gohan met Bardock's eyes, challenging him with his stare. "Hey Grandpa...wanna spar?" Gohan asked, fully knowing the answer. Bardock grinned. "I thought you'd never ask, Gohan," Bardock said, falling back into a fighting position. Gohan assumed much the same position and the two powered up, preparing to fight. The two launched themselves at each other, both of them pitting skill against skill, throwing rapid punches, kicks, and ki blasts at the other, both set on winning. As the two sparred, Gohan was surprised at how well Bardock was keeping up. For what Bardock lacked in speed, he made up for in experience in combat. Bardock had many years on Gohan in the experience factor of fighting, pulling off techniques that Gohan had never seen before. His resourcefulness was giving him an edge in battle, constantly keeping Gohan on his toes. Gohan, so wrapped up in thinking about Bardock's skill, let down his guard for Bardock's swift punch in the stomach. The moment Bardock's fist connected with Gohan's middle, Gohan was jarred back into the battle, gasping for air for the briefest moment before landing a hard punch in Bardock's jaw, causing the older man's head to snap back with the force of it. Bardock straightened himself, wiping the blood off of his face as he looked at his grandson. Bardock smirked. "That's more like it, Gohan," Bardock said before the two resumed their fighting, each vying for dominance over the other. After many hours of fighting, Bardock finally claimed defeat. "Gohan, I just don't have the strength to beat you right now. As much as I hate to admit it, you are the stronger man in this room. I concede," Bardock said, gasping for breath. Gohan ran a hand over his forehead, wiping off the beads of sweat that lingered there. "Don't sell yourself short, Grandpa. You gave me a run for you money just now. You're stronger than you think," Gohan said. Bardock grinned. "That still doesn't change the fact that you're the stronger Saiya-jin here, Gohan. I'd like you to know that, while I'm proud of you, I'm extremely envious as well." Gohan nodded. "I can understand that," Gohan said, turning around to begin flying back to the center of the Room of Spirit and Time. "Come on, Grandpa," Gohan said as he slowly began flying away, "Let's take a break for a while and get something to drink." "Good idea," Bardock said, following his grandson back to the living quarters of the vast room. The minute the two arrived, Gohan fished around the room for two jugs of water, handing one over to Bardock, who had already sat down at the small table that sat in the middle of the covered room. Bardock opened the jug, taking huge gulps of water in order to sate his thirst, his throat muscles constricting as they helped the water on its way down his throat. After a few minutes, Gohan, who had also been drinking deeply from the container of water, put the jug down and looked at Bardock seriously. "Grandpa," Gohan said, "What was Vegetasei like?" Bardock, still drinking, lowered the jug slowly, setting it down on the table as he swallowed the clear liquid. Bardock looked at Gohan, his gaze questioning. "Why do you want to know?" Bardock asked. Gohan shrugged. "I'm just curious. I know a little about Vegetasei from Vegeta, but he never talks about his home much because he doesn't really remember a lot. But, you grew up on Vegetasei and know a lot more about the culture than Vegeta does, for all that he is the prince of the Saiya-jins." Bardock gave a slow nod, considering Gohan's words, before he began speaking. "Well, Vegetasei is very different from Earth," Bardock said slowly, "Every rule, every custom was clearly outlined and strictly followed. For what many races considered to be a bunch of barbarians, the Saiya-jin race had a clearly defined class system, a ruling government, and set of laws that every Saiya-jin followed or suffered the consequences. "On Vegetasei, men highly outnumbered women, a ratio of about 6 or 7 to 1. Because of that, women tended to go into the areas of science, research, and medicine because they were less expendable, while men tended to become warriors. Now, this isn't to say that there weren't female warriors or male scientists; it's just that the genders generally stuck to certain professions. "And, because there were far fewer females than males, bonding wasn't a regular occurrence in the Saiya-jin culture, except for in the third-class. It sometimes occurred among second-class Saiya-jins and rarely among the royalty. This is why I was so shocked to find out that Vegeta had a mate here on Earth for bonding was something to be thought extinct in the royal bloodline. Well, needless to say, most of the third-class Saiya-jins found bond mates and my family was no exception. In fact, my family had a history of finding bond mates. And the mating ritual was something that was instinctually known to every Saiya-jin." Gohan suddenly spoke up, interrupting his grandfather. "What is the mating ritual?" Gohan asked. Bardock looked taken aback by the question, unsure of how to answer it, before clearing his throat. "Well, first off, two bond mates mark each other by biting them, as I'm sure you already know about. Then, there's the exchanging of memories, which is followed by the establishment of the telepathic link between mates. The final stage is the consummation of the bond, after which the mental, emotional, and physical bonds have been established and the two Saiya-jins are bonded for life. Does this answer your question, Gohan?" Bardock said. Gohan nodded, his next question already burning in his mind. "Grandpa, what was your past like on Vegetasei? You've started to go into it many times, but you've always changed the subject. Was your life bad?" Gohan asked, curiosity flaming in his eyes. Bardock gave a small, sad smile, his mind going over the years he spent before his death. "No, Gohan, my life wasn't bad...just unfulfilled. My life, for the most part, was spent in happiness. I had a mate, a steady profession, and children, one of whom, your father, who I never got to know. I had an odd upbringing for a Saiya-jin child, however. While most children either went to school or trained, I did both and I loved both, thought I was more inclined towards school than training. Much to my family's disappointment, I chose a career in science instead of going into the military and becoming a warrior like my older brothers and my father. "But, I didn't care what they thought. I liked what I was doing and I was good at it. I worked in labs for most of my young life, constantly experimenting with organic materials, metals, technology...you name it, I experimented with it in the lab. I made several experiments during my career as a scientist and quickly rose within the system until I was appointed Head Advisor to King Vegeta in the area of scientific and technological affairs. My job was to explain to His Majesty the advances in the areas of science and technology and discuss with him how each advance would better our growth and society. Part of my job was that I worked in the laboratories on each advance, understanding how they worked and fine-tuning them. I can't begin to tell you how many inventions or discoveries I made or took part in. "Anyway, I worked there happily for 3 years until, when I was 24 year old, my family started goading me about finding a mate. I ignored them and their worries about me living alone for the rest of my life, and I continued working feverishly. Until, one day, I met Celipa, a new scientist in the Royal Laboratories. Celipa and I worked side by side for many months, growing closer all the time, until we bonded. "It was a year after we bonded that our first child was born, Raditz. We were so happy, just the three of us. But, our financial situation wasn't the greatest. Although I had a high ranking, I wasn't making enough money to support my family. So, I sacrificed my career as a scientist and became a warrior, a better paying job than that of a scientist. I made some of the best friends of my life when I joined the military, particularly within my squadron. "My crew and I quickly rose in the ranks as well, our paychecks increasing continually. But, things were changing on Vegetasei. The changes were so gradual that we didn't even notice we'd begun working for someone other than our king. Frieza's empire was quickly taking over our own world and, much to our surprise, our king was going along with it. But none of us said anything about it. How could we, any of us, speak against our king? So, we went along with it as well. Frieza's empire was doing us no harm, so we had no reason to complain. "About 5 years after the birth of Raditz, Celipa and I had a second child, Kakarot, your father. I barely got to know him though. Shortly after his birth, my crew was killed by Frieza's top men. That's when I started to doubt Frieza's intentions. During a routine mission, I was somehow given the power to see the future. I saw what was going to happen to our planet and I knew my sons were going to get off alive. Frieza was planning on destroying Vegetasei and I had planned to stop him. "But, my efforts were useless. No one would believe me, so I had decided to stop him myself. He killed me, many of his own men, and destroyed Vegetasei all in one attack. Kakarot, I knew, had gotten off the planet...I saw his space pod fly off and I knew he was going to live. I don't know how Raditz survived and I never sought him out in Hell to ask him either. Well, after Vegetasei was destroyed, that's where I went: to Hell. To my great dissatisfaction, Celipa had gone to the Otherworld and she had lost her body. I never got to see her again," Bardock finished, his tone quiet and sad. Gohan looked at Bardock, respect in his eyes as he understood how it must have been for Bardock when he was young, torn between science and fighting. Gohan's life had been much the same. Not only were his parents on opposite sides of the issue, Gohan's being was as well. Part of him, the part that his mother sided with, wanted to live the peaceful life of a scientist or a scholar, accomplishing great things, things he knew he could do. But, the other, rival part of him, the part that his father sided with, wanted to fight, train, and increase his strength. Gohan fought for an equilibrium and felt that he had achieved it after years of practice. But, sometimes it was hard for Gohan to maintain that equilibrium. Gohan sighed sadly as he thought about his own life before looking at Bardock, erasing the sad look from his face. "Well, Grandpa, what do you say we get back to training?" Gohan asked. Bardock smiled; training would provide a distraction for the memories he had just brought up. "That's fine," Bardock said, giving a brief nod of his head. The two stood up out of their chairs and walked out into the emptiness that was the Room of Spirit and Time. *** -A month and a half later in the Room of Spirit and Time- Gohan was shaking with excitement. He was finally ready to leave, ready to go back to the outside world. Gohan thought to himself. That was the reason for his excitement. He would finally be able to see his mate again. Gohan had no possessions to bring back out with him. The clothes that he had gone in wearing had been destroyed by a stray ki blast that found its way into the inner sanctum. The combat suits he brought with him had been destroyed over time, so all he had with him was the torn combat suit he was wearing, holes and tears littering its surface. Bardock looked at his grandson, noticing his anxious attitude. "Well, Gohan, I'll see you later," Bardock said. Gohan looked surprised. He thought Bardock was going out with him. "Wait," Gohan said, "You're staying in here by yourself?" Bardock nodded. "That's right," Bardock said, "I'm going to stay in here for the rest of my two years. I think I'm close to becoming a Super Saiya-jin. I can feel it. Training with you has proved most helpful, Gohan, and for that, you have my eternal gratitude." Gohan blushed slightly at Bardock's praise. "You're family, Grandpa. Family helps each other out like that," Gohan explained. Bardock gave a small smile. "I know. Well, as much as I love this little chat we're having, I think it's about time you were going. Give your father my regards and I'll see you when I get out." Gohan smiled. "See you later, Grandpa," Gohan said, walking over to the door and opening it, greeting the outside world once more. NEXT CHAPTER