Hey guys, wow, this took forever, I know, but here it is, an update

Disclaimer: The best I can do is stick figures, so, no, I couldn't possibly own anything as awesome as dbz, it's all akira and FuNi and Toei and those peeps

Thank you to my beta DevilsDocry for graciously taking on this project. Thank you for putting up with me Gue, even after all the old jokes.

And a special thank-you to MindyK for giving me reasons to get back to this story.

Chapter 8

"I want that AMULET!" the director of TB roared, grabbing his desk by the edge and toppling it over. He was sick and tired of hearing excuses. With Tuku hiding in his home country, his chances of finding the damn thing seemed to be dwindling.

Didn't anyone understand the pain he was in? Didn't they understand what it was to be a shadow of yourself? This arthritis had reduced him into a weak, useless paper-pusher, and he was sick of it.

"We have searched each crevice of her penthouse sir, there's no sign of it" the agent reported.

"FIND IT! FIND IT! STOP BRINGING ME EXCUSES!" he grabbed on to the wall to support himself, too proud to reach for his walking stick.

"But sir..."

"It's called stepping outside the box agent, try whatever you have to try, just bring me the damn thing!" his knees throbbed, forcing him back down to his chair.

"Give me one milligram of vasopressin!" Dr Octave yelled at the nurse, his own heart about to stop at the inactivity of the patients monitor. That incessant flat beep was making him sweat; even though he was a trained professional and completely used to these kinds of scenarios.

She was Videl Satan.

He watched the syringe of vasopressin empty into the patient and practically willed the new heart to react. He could hear the pregnant blonde sobbing hysterically in the background, the blonde lawyer cursing in horror, and he could very well feel more than hear Dr Son's panic. Unfortunately he didn't even have time to engage him in a screaming match, for that is exactly what he knew would happen if he tried to kick him and the rest of the 'friends'out.

When this was all over, he would never take a case in this Institute again.

"Increase it to….beep" tiny little v's began to flutter about on the screen, indicating that the drug had done its job; the heart was experiencing some promising fibrillation.

He moved expertly, and grabbed the pads of the defibrillator, placing them expertly over the patient's chest.

"Clear!" he yelled, the current making Videl's chest jerk momentarily from two hundred volts of electric shock.

"Increase it to two-fifty!" He yelled over the loud beeping.

"CLEAR!" He pressed again, no change. The slight fibrillation from the vasopressin had already disappeared. They were back to square one.

'Fuck' he sweated some more, if Videl Satan died in his care, his career was toast 'come on Videl, don't ruin my life'

"Increase it to..." He didn't get to finish his sentence, because he was tossed aside from the patient by the battered Dr Son, who shocked the underpants out of the med team, the crying pregnant blonde and the swearing young lawyer, by releasing a golden ball of light from his hand and slamming it into the patient, causing her tiny body to jerk violently, and the line on the screen to make rapid vertical ziz-zags, giving the occupants of the room false hope, before it flat-lined one final time.

The shrill sound rang in their ears as they stood staring, their hearts in their throats. None of them moved, none of them dared to breathe.

Dr Octave couldn't even express shock at what Dr Son had just done with his bare hands, his life's work, his prestigious career, it had just ended, it was all over.

Videl Satan was dead.

"C-Call it" a nurse moved to place a sheet over the still body.

His throat raw, his voice raspy Dr Octave began to pull off his gloves as he spoke "Time of death…"

"DON'T!" Gohan grabbed the doctor by the throat, preventing him from talking. His eyes were wild and hollow and red, he was more beast than man at this stage, and Dr Octave could do nothing but quiver in his grip.

"D-Dr S-Son we have to…" the nurse on call stammered.

"You will do nothing. Nothing at all. She's not dead. Her body temperature hasn't even dropped yet. I will try one more procedure. Now. Get. Out" he snarled, shoving the cardiothoracic surgeon to the wall.

Sharpener was in-between despair and shock. Videl was dead and he couldn't handle it. He wanted to throw himself at her body and beg her to wake up, he wanted to bury his face in Erasa's arms and sob, he wanted to go home to his mother and beg her to make the pain less, but at the same time, what Gohan had just done with his hands - that shooting light, what he was still able to accomplish, dangling the surgeon in the air with ease, despite the fact that he was more broken that whole, was just…

Erasa remained on the chair with her tears flowing freely down her cheeks, one hand on her stomach, and the other covering her mouth. It all happened so quickly, so suddenly. One minute she was talking and moving and now...she looked away from her face. It still bore the look of surprise from Gohan's declaration and she briefly wondered if his words were too much for a new heart to handle.

At this stage she was only prepared to listen to Gohan, he was the only one saying what she needed to hear. That Videl Satan, her best-friend, her hero and her inspiration was alive, even though she could see it with her own eyes that the truth was otherwise.

"GET OUT NOW!" Gohan roared through his bruised and broken face. With his wild hair and crazed eyes, his look was right there alongside the definition of deranged.

Dr Octave and his team hesitated until the ground beneath them began to shake, rattling every little thing in sight, as what could only be described as a white wind began to twirl and circle around the enraged Dr Son. Sparks began to fly from the equipment as some items fell, and if they were not all seeing it with their own eyes they would never have believed the tale of the growling doctor. He sounded worse than a wild animal and they were terrified for their safety. The patient was already dead; there was nothing they could do. So with self preservation kicking in, they turned tail and ran.

Gohan ignored the remaining occupants of the room and lifted Videl's body from the bed, cradling her gently in his arms, as he began to levitate into the air, paying no heed to the shell shocked expressions on Sharpener and Erasa's faces.

"Sleep Videl." He murmured affectionately "I'll see you when you wake up" he whispered, kissing her still frame gently on the forehead, right before kicking down the window, shattering the shatterproof glass, dislocating the burglar bars, and shooting out the window and into the sky.

"Oh Fuck. Oh Fuck. Oh my fuck'n…fuck" Sharpener ran his hands through his hair as he began to pace, trying, but failing to process everything that had just happened.

Videl stared at the fluff of cloud that was her lower body and began to tremble as the truth of her whereabouts began to choke her.

She had already done this before, and it was something she had hoped she wouldn't have to do again for a very, very long time.

"You're up next, hurry along please" a polite voice rang out. Videl glanced at the speaker and was powerless to stop the first tear that cascaded down her face. She remembered this particular blue one-horned species from her first death. In fact, if she wasn't mistaken, it was the same well-dressed, well-mannered ogre who had escorted herself, Chichi and Bulma before King Yemma when they had all died together at the hands of Majin Buu.

"This way please," the ogre grabbed her by the arm, as gently as possible, and Videl marvelled at the miracle of her floating body as it gravitated towards the check-in station, despite the fact that she wasn't controlling it.

King Yemma looked just as large and just as impressive as the last time in his blue striped suit. And without Chichi here to threaten him, and tell him off, Videl really felt the monumental difference in their sizes.

"Ms Satan, it does not please me to see you back here so soon," King Yemma looked down on her.

"King Yemma, please, I…there has to be some kind of mistake, I'm not dead, I have a new heart," she pleaded shakily, a painful lump in her throat making it almost impossible to breathe.

"You wouldn't be here if you weren't, I'm sorry Videl," his voice was gentle, yet firm. "You may proceed to heaven" he declared, without even looking through her record.

"No. I don't want to go to heaven. I want to go back. I want to live! I want to LIVE!" her voice began to rise hysterically

"Make sure she gets on the plane, and secure her properly please." King Yemma addressed one of his helpers, shaking his head. "NEXT!" he banged down on his desk and prepared to pass judgment on to the next soul entering the check-in station.

"NO! I'm not ready yet. Don't you know how important this moment is? I'm not ready. He said he loves me and I…I want to go back, I want Gohan, I…let me GO!" she began to pummel the ogres as they dragged her away, literally kicking and screaming.

King Yemma shook his head at the sight.

What was it with mortals? Heaven was the ultimate paradise, she should be grateful to have retained half of her body, grateful to be going to heaven, but instead, she was resisting it like a condemned soul, fighting to stay out of hell.

"Porunga! Hlaha o mamele likopo tsa rona!" Moori yelled to the heavens with his arms outstretched.

Gathered were the Namekians, Goku and Gohan with a very still and now cold, Videl Satan in his arms. They stared at the giant orange spheres as they began to take on a golden glow, just before said glow shot out like a gust from a broken pipe and began to rise and twirl and expand in shimmering golden energy, brewing darkness in the always bright Namekian skies; as they brought forth tremors and gusts of wind in their path.

Everybody shielded their eyes and stepped back as the energy began to take on the form of the majestic Porunga.

"You have collected all seven dragonballs. Choose your words wisely and I will grant you any three wishes as it is written" his voice boomed loud and strong, everything you would expect from a creature of such grandeur.

"Can you ask him to bring Videl Satan back to life please," Goku addressed the elder Moori, his eyes bleak at the sight of his son's distress.

"Kopo ea pele. Tsosa Videl Satan bafung!" Moori yelled, his neck cranked up to the sky where Porunga hovered with his muscular and green splendor.

With a flash of red, his eyes sealed the deal.

"It is done. Now name your second wish!"

Videl swung her fist at the ogre trying to restrain her and winced when it connected with something hard – Gohan's face.

"Ow!" she yelped, shocked to see the very face she was tearing heaven apart to see, softly staring down at her with one good eye. She blinked and widened her eyes when they settled on the hovering dragon in the dark sky. This one gave her the chills even more so than Shenron ever did.

"Welcome back," Gohan smiled weakly, his features softening immeasurably, his body pulsing with tremors of pain from every which direction. Now that he was no longer functioning on autopilot, now that his adrenaline levels were levelling, the brunt of his injuries began to take their toll.

"Oh Gohan" a sea of emotion washed over her, as she buried herself into him, pressing herself as much as she could against his chest, aggravating his fractures, which in turn sent stabs of shooting pains all over his body, a pain he welcomed more than the air he breathed, just to have her so close to him, her previous stillness now pulsing with warm, mobile life.

"Your second wish?" Porunga's voice began to take on a tint of irritation, when nobody spoke up.

"Gohan," Videl pulled away from his chest after burying herself there for a few minutes. Now that she was certain that he was real, that the dragon was real, and that she was alive once more, she didn't want to waste another second.

"What you said to Sharpener in the hospital…?" she had to be sure; she just had to be sure of what she'd heard.

"I meant it Videl," His words came out without hesitation, his voice raw and gruff, untamed like the flap of his wild hair in the Namekian breeze, with his eye squinting down at her. "The case against me is solid. Each allegation against me is true. I could care less what the world leader had to say. I did what I did because I'm hopelessly in love with you. Always have been," he admitted without reserve, making her heart ache and soar all in one flutter as the spectators tried to contain their shy smiles, if not cast their eyes down to their feet.

She dared not waste another second, lest she die again before she ever knew what it would be like.

She kissed him.

Gohan failed to breathe when her lips gave him no warning. He parted his on instinct and groaned out in pain and pleasure when she sucked on his split lip, it hurt to move his mouth this way, with his broken jaw throbbing. He eased his own tongue in and ran it leisurely inside her mouth, a hot tension building in his stomach. He tightened his hold on her and allowed her to explore him, her mouth hot and urgent and demanding. The cuts inside his mouth opened and bled, the copper taste of blood mingling with their combined saliva as they lost themselves further and further into the painful bliss of their kiss.

"STATE YOUR SECOND WISH!" Porunga lost his patience, and Gohan found himself smiling against Videl's mouth. How could he possibly have a second wish when everything he ever wanted was held securely in his arms, moving and breathing?

"Err…I think that's it Porunga," Goku stated with a big grin, his index finger scratching into his scalp.

"Very well, I bid you farewell." Porunga declared as he began to turn into a swirl of energy

"Wait!" Videl yelled a little too late, because the dragonballs had already shot out in random directions.

"You big LUNE!" Videl yelled at the Son holding her in his arms, "You could have asked him to heal you!"

"Oh yeah!" Goku grinned even louder "Oops…heh he heh…"

"Gohan, you can put me down now, in your condition, I should be carrying you," Videl pointed out

"Videl," he pressed his forehead against hers "You're right. Vegeta didn't pull his punches, everything…hurts," he took a sharp intake of breath, his face contorting in pain.

"Are you guys ready to go?" Goku asked cheerfully.

"Yes" Videl nodded.

"No" Gohan shook his head.

"Err…right. Okay then. Come Moori, let's give these two a few minutes alone," He clamped on the elder Namekian's shoulder as he began to guide him away from the duo "I've actually been meaning to ask how you guys do that technique with the clothes and stuff ?, you know my wife always gets annoyed after when I get all heated up and just kinda rip off her clothes and stuff, especially the purple outfits, those are really difficult to get off, and when the moment is right, you just don't wanna bother with buttons and zips and all that other stuff so, if I can just point my finger and materialize a new one, it would save my ears a LOT!" he ran his mouth as he disappeared with a mortified Moori.

"I guess your dad hasn't changed much," Videl shook her head, grinning.

Gohan chuckled and adjusted her weight in his arms. "Dad will never change, I wish, I could have taken after him more, both of my parents actually, like Goten has," He finished that sentence with a groan, his body protesting against the weight he was carrying.

"I'm jumping down," Videl declared, only to feel him tightening his hold on her "Gohan..."

"Do you love him?" he cut her off.

"Moss?" her voice softened as she looked away from his searching eyes.

"Yes, Moss," he tried to say the name without any of the resentment he felt, and failed.

"I..." she faltered, a pang of guilt springing up on her. Moss had just proposed, and here she was kissing another man. "Just this morning, I was thinking about marrying him".

"He p-proposed?" his voice weakened.

"Last night, it wasn't planned," she told him truthfully.

"I hope you say no," he spoke from his heart "I know he loves you, I read it in his ki and saw it in his eyes, but I have to be selfish here and ask you to break his heart instead of mine," His words caught in his throat as the possibility of Videl marrying Moss began to torment him.

"Stay here with me. On Namek. Stay here and give me a chance to resuscitate the feelings you once had for me, please Videl, I know you had feelings for me once, just…give me a chance. I know I can make you happy."

Catching him by surprise for the second time, she kissed him again, harder, and with more fervor, until he started to bleed into her again, making him wince and reluctantly pull back.

"King Yemma just sent me to heaven Gohan," she sucked on her lower lip, nipping it slightly with her teeth "…he sent me to heaven and all I wanted was to come back to you. I don't need time," she placed her palm against his face "I've had eight years to mull it over…I don't need time," she couldn't stop herself from kissing him again, it was either that or cry, and she definitely didn't want to cry. She pressed her tiny body against his injured one with more fervor than she ever thought she was capable off, marveling at the tingling sensations running down her body, making her tighten her hold, in turn, making him cry out in pain for the pleasure of finally having her in his arms.

Sharpener fell out of the moving van and hit the pavement. He looked no better than Gohan had that morning, battered and bruised, the men that had taken him and Erasa had really done a number on him. He struggled to rise to his feet, but there was really no choice, he coughed and spit, placing his hands on certain parts of his injuries, but he dragged himself forward, just as he'd witnessed Gohan soldiering on earlier that day, coming to work, facing legal proceedings with his own abominable injuries.

Unsteadily he began to run, determined and desperate.

Earlier that day, after the shocking events at the Institute, he had gathered Erasa up the pregnant Erasa and escorted her out. They had huddled together, going to great pains to dodge all the reporters that had tried to make him or her give a comment about the allegations flying around - that Videl Satan had died.

He had called his usual transport service for a discreet pick-up, and then…and then the nightmare had really begun.

"Sharpener help ME!" he turned a corner, letting his fingers linger slightly for support against the wall, as he tried to quell down the bile rising in his throat at the memory of how the men had held down Erasa, beating her with their fists as they did the same to him, and eventually…

"Nooo! Sharpener! Sharpener HELP ME!" they had gone as far as cutting her stomach open.

The blood was everywhere as her body trembled uncontrollably by the shock of the pain, as the knife penetrated through three layers of tissue, no sterilization, no anesthesia…nothing at all, but blinding terror.

"Tell Videl the terms of the trade are simple, have her hand over the Serame Amulet and we'll stitch up her friend here, and keep this baby nice and snug in the incubator"

Sharpener burst into the first café he found and begged for a phone.

Videl was dead.

Erasa was lying open on a dirty table, in what appeared to be an abandoned garage, only god knew where.

He had no choice, only one man's influence could spread fast enough.

Only one man was strong enough to take on these obviously well trained mercenaries.

It was time to call the champ.

That's the chapter you guys, not my longest, but ah well…

MrBlue22: Yep, he definitely listened to Vegeta! I hope you found some enjoyment in this late chapter

Chimney leaf: definitely blunt, lol

MRM: bad time is an understatement, lol, I hope you liked this chapter, took me eons to get it out

Hmrtaylor: legal issues are the absolute worst! But as you can see Gohan doesn't really give a rat's ass! Lol, hope you like this chapter

UltimateGohan42: a bit late, but there you go!

Son Goshen: they sure do, but now it looks like they just might be? Let's see what happens!

Siobhan: that's the thing with obsession, the other person is on your mind even when you would rather they were not. Does she think about him like that? Hah hah hah, I'll bet she does! We'll just see as the story concludes

Mariefortune: I think my biggest criticism for my stories in this site is that they are too dramatic, lol, I'm always trying to tone the drama done in my writing, but I'm always glad when someone at least enjoys it. thank you for your review and I sincerely hope that you enjoyed this chapter as well

SierraLarson: Flatlined, yep! But all is good now, yay!

Girl with the dragon tattoo: thank you so much for your review, glad you have been able to enjoy the story up until now

MindyKinamoto: I must have read over your reviews a hundred times, they really helped me shape and make decisions regarding this chapter. Thank you so much, for all of them. You are truly amazing. I feel like you see Gohan exactly as I was trying to present him in this story and that just blows my mind. And your interpretation is absolutely spot on, he does love her that much, and she does continue to stun her at every turn. You've made me love this story, when I was seriously starting to have my doubts about it. Thank you so much.

Gamarabi: I want you to know that I'm going to try to update all of my stories as fast as possible, but I cannot promise once a week as I am still in Spain on vacation, which is the main reason I have hardly written, for all of my stories. Once I leave though, and get back to normal, then I can definitely provide weekly updates for everything. Thank you for still being out there, for still reading, and for continuing to inspire me. GokuxChichi are my favourite couple, so if you did venture out and read one of those stories I wrote for them, I would be super excited, and super excited to hear your thoughts as well. Thank you so much for all of your feedback, for all of my stories.

YukiraKing: An update, I know, so, so overdue! I await your thoughts on this chapter with baited breath.

Gohansgirl: HEY! I think I just read a story of yours this morning ! I'm even more excited now to get this review from you, I'm sure I expressed in my review how much I'm enjoying it.

Nsuppala: you asked so nicely, I just had to get on with finishing and posting this chapter, thank you so much for giving me that last nudge. I hope you've had fun reading this one as well. Please let me know your thoughts.

Note from Devil, Hi everyone and thank you Gue for letting me work on this and displaced, it was nice to get away from writing and back into reading for a change.