TO HAVE AND TO HOLD [modplot]

[letsgolegion]

Who| Anyone who wants in
What| "To Have and to Hold" plot
Where| The planet Olum, Matihara Temple
When| Set vaguely the same time as "Gods Among Us" and "Other Mother"
Warnings/Notes| N/A

The planet Olum is a genuinely welcoming place. While the clothes they have to wear for the rituals are a bit...odd (provided they don't opt for coverups), they are comfortable, especially with such a balmy climate. Despite the Olumites allowing outsiders into their ceremonies, there's a distinct lack of tourist-ey elements; no gift shops, no merchants selling anything, just a spirit of genuine unity and celebration. The Olumite marriage guides seem to genuinely care about helping people with their relationships, and seem happy to share their cultural traditions with other species.

As far as missions go, it's definitely a nice vacation from the usual life or death struggles.

It means the Legionnaires have no distractions. They have to settle in and try to navigate this while faking sincerity as best as they can.

[ooc: All information about the setting can be found on the infopost.]

Comments

[superscholar]

Gohan may have been stronger than his father, but he wasn't as skilled as his father was. He only ever kept up with his father and his friends because his power could make a difference, because it was needed for their lives to keep going. If it was up to Gohan, he would've never trained, he would've just continued to stick to his studies...

But he didn't have that luxury. He never really had it, when he thought about it.

The guy who was filming everything never really... came to us, I think. They were mostly sticking by Mr. Satan, which I guess makes enough sense. I didn't really care, I was kind of... distracted, for obvious reasons.

And said reasons made themselves clear as his younger self took his shoulder pads off, letting them drop to the ground with an extremely heavy thud. Hovering down to the battlefield, fists clenching as he hesitantly prepared himself to fight. Gohan couldn't help but look at himself, his gaze alternating between himself, and Cell.

The briefest image of Pan standing down there flashing through his mind, a sickening shiver shooting up his spine.

I should've never been down there.

[saltsweet]

Videl flinched as the younger Gohan dropped his training armor on the ground. Unlike her husband, she was watching Goku and the other fighters as the young Gohan descended toward Cell. She could no longer hear what they were saying as the young Gohan moved out of earshot, since the memory was limited by his perception, but she was dying to know what was going through their minds. Goku seemed so calm about sending his son into a battle that could spell his death and Videl couldn't fathom how. She thought of Pan and how she would feel if Gohan sent her to fight a monster like Cell. Videl knew she'd react like Piccolo was doing now, disbelief spiking immediately into anger. It was unthinkable; Videl would rather die in an unwinnable fight than pit her daughter against such a cruel opponent, no matter how strong Pan was.

Her husband's last sentence brought her attention back to his younger self, facing down Cell. No, he shouldn't have been there. Videl had thought that years ago, when Gohan first told her this story. Fighting Cell was a necessary sacrifice for Gohan, Videl could not deny, but it was a sacrifice he shouldn't have needed to make.

For the moment, she watched in silence.

[superscholar]

Gohan didn't say a word as he watched himself prepare to fight Cell, his younger self dropping into a combat stance. A tense expression on the older man's face, as the two fighters simply stared each other down. He knew this wasn't going to be pleasant, so he was trying to do his best to be objective, to take his feelings out of this. But he could already feel his frustrations bubble to the surface the more he watched, years of hindsight picking away at him.

Right now, all they could hear was from Gohan's perspective. His family and friends completely inaudible, all the while the reporter was clearly commentating, but the words coming out of his mouth were muffled, completely incomprehensible. Gohan knew what was coming though, his gaze turning back to his father. nd as much as he wanted to be mad at what came next... it was so unquestionably like his father, that he couldn't bring himself to.

Goku could've never known how things would've played out from here.

"Hey Cell!" From the cliffside, Goku threw a small bean at Cell. The green monster catching it, a confused expression on his face. "It's called a Senzu Bean! Eat up!"

"IS YOUR BRAIN ON VACATION?!" Krillin screamed, loud enough that Gohan could actually hear it. "WHY THE HELL DID YOU GO AND DO THAT?!"

Remember the bean I fed you during the World Tournament, when we were teenagers? The one that healed you completely? Well... that's what dad just gave Cell.

Cell chuckled then, low and amused. Staring at the bean with mild curiosity, before it turned into sadistic amusement. "Incredible. With everything at stake, you still can't help but be a slave to your better nature. Sickening." Cell's smirk grew wider then, gaze turning to Goku. "All the same, I gladly accept this token of good sportsmanship. But mark my words..."

Cell's tone took a darker turn.

"I'll see to it that you regret the gesture."

[saltsweet]

Videl felt a solid weight drop in the pit of her stomach as she watched what transpired. Her brows furrowed as she looked between Cell and Goku, mind whirling as she tried to process what had just happened.

He...

Gohan's narration called up her own memory of lying on a gurney at the World Tournament, grappling with unbearable pain and certain that she was about to die. At some point, Gohan's soothing voice broke through the din of her pain, gently instructing her to eat something he pushed into her mouth. Videl could still vividly recall her unquestioning trust in him at that moment; even at death's door, she would have done anything for him right then. The next second, a soothing warmth spread from her gut through the rest of her body, an internal balm that repaired every inch of damage from her fight.

The weight in Videl's stomach lurched and her expression transformed from disbelief to rage. Shrieking with fury, she leapt from her husband's side and flew up to the cliffside where Goku and the others were standing.

You idiot!! Videl threw a left hook straight for Goku's jaw. Unfortunately for Videl, her attempt to influence the memory was ignored and her fist flew harmfully through Goku's face. How could you do that to your son?! Do you want Gohan to die?!

Punch after punch she threw, each as worthless as the last. All around her and through the memory, all motion was frozen. The very air warbled threateningly, a sound like the far off rumbling of thunder, as though the memory itself were a porcelain dish wobbling uncertainly at the edge of a table.

[superscholar]

Yes, the memory was definitely frozen now. And so was Gohan, as he watched his wife leap up to his father and throw punches at the man's face. It was... both completely unexpected, and not even slightly unexpected, all at the same time. The idea that Videl would punch his father not something that ever crossed Gohan's mind, but then, in retrospect... he knew better than to doubt that Videl would do something like that, given her fiery temper.

It was enough that he couldn't help but imagine what it would be like if one of those punches connected. And in that very moment, Goku's face became incredibly solid, her punch connecting and sending the man flying through the air, landing on his side and skidding along the ground. Everyone else reacted, looking down at the man in shock, before looking up at Videl.

And right there, everything shattered.

Videl!

Gohan flew at her, trying to grab her. The entire landscape becoming a dark void, surrounded by shattered glass, as Gohan flew as fast as he could, but somehow not fast enough.

Videl, grab my hand!

He reached forward, trying to reach her. But somehow, the closer he got, the farther away he got. No matter how fast he flew, it just wasn't enough to reach her. But he kept trying, and trying, and trying--

"VIDEL!"

Gohan was grabbing her shoulders, trying to shake her out of the memory. Standing in the stone array, his grip so tight that he would've been concerned about bruising if he wasn't so worried about her not waking up. "Videl, it's not real! Wake up!"

[saltsweet]

For a moment, the anger was knocked right out of Videl as one of her futile punches connected with Goku's jaw and sent him flying. She gaped at him, then at her fist, remembering right then that none of this was actually real. She was about to turn back to Gohan to apologize for her outburst when the ground below her suddenly cracked. She looked down just in time to see everything shatter like glass beneath her feet.

She screamed as she plunged into a black pit, suddenly unable to fly.

Gohan! she cried in panic, reaching up for him with both hands. Somehow she was falling faster than he could fly. A wave of terror rippled through her. Gohan!!

Then he was gone and everything was black. There was no sound either and, when she tried to draw in a breath, found that there was no air. She tried to reach up to grab at her throat, but couldn't move her arms. Couldn't feel her arms. Panic gripped her tighter.

A firm pressure in the center of Videl's forehead suddenly captured all of her attention, drawing all of the flailing parts of her together, like a magnet collects metal shavings. Her eyes snapped open wide and she was greeted by the elegant blue face of the Olumite memory guide. Seeing Videl conscious, the guide leaned back and smiled, removing her thumb from Videl's forehead.

"Here now, she is safe," the Olumite said to Gohan as she stepped back to give the couple space. "I must say, it has been some time since I met a pair that lost control of a memory so quickly."

Still in Gohan's arms, Videl coughed pathetically and tried to offer an apologetic smile. "Sorry I punched you dad, dear," she said with a slight rasp, still catching her breath.

[superscholar]

The moment Videl's eyes opened, Gohan couldn't help but exhale the breath he wasn't aware he was holding. The man's shoulders visibly sagging, as the tension completely left them. He closed his eyes, resting his head against her forehead. An amused smile tugging at his lips, especially once she uttered the apology, and he realized that he really should've expected something like this to happen.

"Don't worry, my dad was pretty dumb back then..." He muttered, the relief practically audible. Gohan was just glad Videl was okay, and it showed. "The senzu bean was probably excessive... but it worked out, so just try to remember that."

Then, after a pause. "... Ready to go again?"