Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Home is where the heart is ❯ Meetings ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: It still don't own anything DragonBall related.

This chapter is dedicated to everybody who had a sudden severe amnesia when they had an important oral exam, like it happened to me two days ago. :-S

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I stumbled a few steps forward, trying to regain my balance.

"It's about time you finally showed up" a gruff voice said. My head jerked around to seek out the source of that comment. I admit I was terribly jumpy at that time. After all, the whole situation was a new one, one that I expected but not completely believed was real.

I saw a man wearing a frown, with dark flame-shaped hair defying gravity, glaring at me.

"What…" I started, and then blinked. I knew this one, from the images I had received from Epin. They couldn't be my own memories, I had never encountered a person like this, and I'd surely have remembered. There was only one person with that kind of hair style, white gloves and boots and tight clothes. Not to mention the stance, arms crossed, back straight and emitting pride in waves that were almost visible. And those dark indiscernible eyes in a face frowning with disapproval. Vegeta, no doubt. The prince of all Saiyans.

My eyes focused on the person standing next to him, another one I recognized from memories that weren't my own. A woman with blue hair and a figure I'd give a lot to have, slender but toned. Bulma was her name, if I remembered correctly. Vegeta's mate. The memories about her I was given by Epin weren't as definite as the ones about Vegeta, but I still had a feeling of deference and respect. She had her hand laying slightly on the prince's arm and smiled at me, though I could see signs of worry and strain in her face.

"You know why you're here, right?" she asked me. "I…uh.. kinda, I think…" I stuttered.

Wait a minute… if Vegeta was a prince, didn't that make her a princess? Which means, I was in one room with two persons of royalty? I'd never given that much value to royalty or something like that, but still, the notion somehow made me uncomfortable. But I didn't have any time mulling that over, because Bulma walked over to me and took hold of my arm, leading me to a doorway. "I imagine it's very confusing right now." she said. "But there's no time for explanations right now, that can wait. He's dying."

Everything froze for a moment. Dying? He? She didn't mean… "Epin?" I whispered, wishing with all my heart it wasn't true. It would be an explanation for the jumbled thoughts and emotions having been bombarding me during the last day, and my overwhelming urge, my absolute wish and desire to be where the source of those emotions were, to help somehow. But still, I wished otherwise.
"Yes, Epin." Bulma said and gave me a thoughtful look. "Apparently he didn't tell you everything. Idiot, he should have known you'd find out sooner or later." she muttered.
"Huh?" I asked unintelligently, receiving a shake of her head as an answer.
"Later", she said firmly, "we don't have much time now. But I'll have a word or two with him if he gets better." She cast me a glance. "When he gets better." She corrected herself.
Needless to day, that didn't really help me to understand things or relieve me of my worries. But before I could question her about it we stopped in front of a door, and my blue-haired guide opened it quickly, ushering me inside. For the first time I laid eyed on the one that had been in my mind and thoughts for what seemed like forever to me, even though it had been only a few weeks.

It was a sparsely-furnished room, a small table and a chair in a corner, and a large mattress. Bulma shrugged apologetically. "Sorry. He destroyed the furniture of three rooms he had stayed in before. When he still had the strength or motivation to do it. So we had him moved in here, I was afraid he'd hurt himself. Or worse."
The last wasn't meant for me to hear, but I caught it nevertheless, and I couldn't suppress the shiver running down my spine. I didn't even want to think what exactly she meant by that. I concentrated again on the still figure lying on the mattress. He was all I had imagined and at the same time not.

Long black skeins of hair laying limply on the pillow, surrounding a pale face that showed signs of anguish, and at the same time giving the impression of belonging to a corpse. Dark circles under closed eyes, a slightly upturned nose over a mouth that was drawn into an unhappy line. The rest of the torso was hidden from view by a blanket, all I could see were parts of his legs, partially clothed in some kind of spandex-shorts or cut-off leggings where he had kicked off the cover. All in all he gave me the impression of someone having lost any hope. A dying man. The only indication he was still alive somehow was the barely noticeable rising and falling of the blanket. To say I was shocked beyond belief would be an understatement. Being this close to him I could actually feel his hopelessness and sorrow, and it threatened to overwhelm me.

A movement from Bulma snapped me out of it, she was in the process of leaving the room and closing the door. "Wait!" I called to her desperately. "What am I supposed to do?" The notion of me being alone in that room without any clue what to do and what not scared me shitless.

She gave me a reassuring but sad smile. "Just be there." she said. "It should be enough for the moment. It has to be. Just be there, hold his hand or something. There's nothing else you or anyone could do at this stage of bond withdrawal." With that parting words and another smile that probably was meant to be encouraging she closed the door from outside, leaving me alone with my curious and worried puzzlement and unanswered questions. And my soulmate.

I actually wondered in a detached kind of way why I hadn't been reduced to a whimpering ball of confusion. Usually I don't accept things as given, regardless how ridiculous they may appear. But not this time. I couldn't explain it, and still can't. But it doesn't matter. What mattered was that I just accepted it at face-value and acted accordingly. I don't even want t think about what would have happened if I had panicked at that moment and ran or something. But I didn't.

I was a bit unsure after Bulma left about what to do, so I just took her advice. I knelt next to the mattress, trying to find a comfortable position - I had the feeling that this would take a little more time than some mere minutes - and my hand wormed its way under the blanket to grab his hand.

I know it sounds a lot mushy, but still - that was the first time I actually and in person touched my soulmate , for real. I still get goosebumps when I remember it. Call me a hopeless romantic if you will, I don't care. You'd be right, actually, at least concerning that special moment.

When my searching fingers touched his hand I suddenly felt some kind of … I don't know how to explain it really. I just felt right, as if something had finally clicked into place, like a piece of a puzzle, finally being at the place it's supposed to be, making things a bit more clear.

My fingers tightened around his after I had wriggled my hand around until our palms met, and I suddenly felt as if my limbs were of lead. So tired… I was so dead tired. I only wanted to curl up somewhere, close my eyes and know nothing more. With a big effort I fought against that feeling, unconsciously knowing it wasn't my own. Was it what Epin felt at that moment? I couldn't be sure, but it was my only guess.

Without knowing what else to do, refusing to be sucked up into the vacuum devoid of joy but also of pain and sorrow, and acting mainly out of instinct to soothe and comfort I tried to project feelings of warmth, protection and reassurance. I think I said "I'm here, don't worry, everything will be okay" and other consoling phrases over and over in my mind, trying to reach him somehow. I really tried to get through to him. It was weird, we had actually never met in person before but I was scared to death that I would lose him. I'm not sure how long this went on, I had closed my eyes in order to concentrate and can't honestly tell you when exactly I fell asleep.

Anyway, I woke up to painful cramps in my back and neck, and the urgent need to find a bathroom. My hand was still gripping Epin's, and I shot a hurried glance at him. No discernable change yet, his breathing was still shallow, but I thought his complexion had gained a little colour. But that may also have been my imagination; after all I was now used to the diffuse light in the room.

I released my grip on his hand and stood up, wincing at the weird popping sound in my back and shuffled to the exit.
The sight that met me after opening the door wasn't exactly one I'd recommend for anyone not being a morning person or a just-having-woken-up-person. Vegeta was just walking along the corridor and stopped short when I stepped out of the room.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Gods, how could anyone sound so flat, empty of any emotion and at the same time accusing?

"Bathroom?" I mumbled and turned toward he door indicated after glaring at me for another second. I was neither in the mood nor awake enough for that kind of crap, so I just ignored him.

After I exited the bathroom feeling definitely lighter and way more relieved I made my way back to where I had come from, muttering a thanks to the Saiyan prince still standing where he had before. I closed the door and walked to the mattress, again regarding the man lying there. I wished I could speak with him….

I yawned and slumped to the floor in my original position, glancing enviously at the soft material Epin was resting on. He was still sleeping, and didn't look as if he would wake up soon… so it certainly wouldn't hurt if I'd just lay down a little on the mattress… after all, he was in the middle of the mattress, plenty of space for me to use a bit on the edge… And I just did, hoping my back would be better when I woke up next time, and grabbing Epin's hand again before I fell asleep again.

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The next time I regained consciousness was a kind of shock. I don't know what it was that woke me, but when I opened my eyes I found myself captured in a stare of two dark eyes regarding me intensely. Epin had turned sideways and looked at me, wearing a curious and slightly defeated expression.

"You know", he said in a conversational way, his voice giving me goosebumps. But not unpleasant ones. "That's one of that latest stages."
"Huh?" I answered and blinked, completely without any idea how to react, how to answer. Way to make a first impression. *snorts* I stiffened and froze all over when he reached out with the hand that wasn't gripped by me to stroke lightly over my cheek, and a fury tail appeared from under the blanket two wrap around my waist and pulled me closer.

"The last stages of withdrawal. Hallucination. I've heard an read about it, but I didn't think it would be that real and convincing." Then he smiled at me; only a small change in facial muscle movements but changing his expression a lot. I felt like melting, but that emotion vanished as soon as he uttered the next sentence. "So I guess I'm going to die soon."
I stared at him, speechless. He was still having that adorable smile on his face, so completely in contrast to what he had just said. Before I could collect my thoughts and even attempt to formulate a halfway comprehensive sentence, his smile grew wider and he said "Oh well…. why not enjoy it while it lasts…"

And with that he extracted his captured hand and leaned over, grabbed me and with surprising strength pulled me over into his arms and on top of him, his tail tightening around me. I wasn't exactly prepared for this, to make an understatement. But all my thoughts disappeared when he pulled me even closer and pressed his lips against mine.

My mind drew a complete blank. That was something I definitely hadn't anticipated, but I didn't have time to dwell on it.

His mouth was soft but firm and warm. His lips against mine sent sensations rushing through my body I had not been aware I could feel so intense. I felt hot and cold, light-headed and dizzy, and at the same time more aware of everything surrounding me than I could remember.

He pulled back and regarded me with an expression of warmth and something I couldn't quite decipher, but that made me tingle all over. "So real…" he breathed and claimed my mouth again.

His arms tightened around me and pressed my body even closer against him, his hands stroking my back softly and the tip of his tail tickling my side. His lips became more demanding, his kisses more urgent, and when he moved to my upper lip and nibbled lightly on it I couldn't suppress a gasp.

By now most of my blood had moved to lower body parts, and all my thoughts and feelings were focused on him and what he was doing. There wasn't any room for rational thought in the intense pleasure I felt then. I can't really explain it, maybe it was the link we had multiplying both our emotions, but I can honestly say that I had never felt so much passion just because of a kiss.

I had been more passive before, mostly because of the initial shock, but that was over now. I guess Epin was a bit surprised when I started to respond, timidly at first but with rapidly increasing enthusiasm. But he didn't complain. I wanted more. Every touch of his lips and his hands on my back, every small sound coming from him as the kiss grew more wild made me want to have more, much more. Our tongues caressed each other briefly and then moved on to explore the other's mouth, tasting and feeling as much as possible.

I don't know how much time passed, it felt like an eternity to me and at the same time way too short.
We had rolled over at one time, with Epin now on top, and I was gripping him as fiercely as he did me. I only came to my senses when I realized that our hips were pressed together and what exactly the rather solid pressure of something against my belly and pelvis meant.

My eyes shot open and I pulled back panting. Shit. What the hell had just happened? I needed to do something, and fast! I felt dizzy, the addition of adrenaline into my blood that was already crowded with other hormones didn't really help. Nor did Epin who had kissed his way down to my collarbone and flicked his tongue against my skin. Letting out a hissing breath through clenched teeth I squeezed my eyes shut I tried to get control over my body again and find a way out.

I shifted my weight to one side and tried to roll over to get on top again. I wouldn't have managed on my own, but fortunately Epin willingly complied, tightening his embrace again when we stopped rolling. He started to nuzzle my neck, emitting a small sound of contentment. He seemed to like that position. Interesting. Hmmm….. Gah! Enough of it, I needed to put a stop on it right now.

I extracted my arms from around him and tried to ignore the fact that the pressure of that… solidness against my belly increased for the short amount of time it took me to support myself on my elbows. I placed my hands on each side of his head, forcing him to look at me. I gulped. There was a radical change in his appearance, for the first time I had laid eyes on him he actually looked alive. His eyes were alert and I could see a multitude of emotions flashing across them, among them curiosity and annoyance at my interruption.
"What?" he asked when I didn't say anything, and ripped me out of the process of happily drowning in his dark eyes.

Oh. Right.

Shit, how to do that…. "I have to go." "What? Why?" he asked confused.

I fumbled for words, and not finding anything I settled for what was probably the most stupid thing I could have said in the situation. "You should rest now, you know?"

Ouch… I mentally kicked myself hard. Telling a definitely turned-on guy you're currently lying on top of that he had to rest… brilliant, just brilliant.
Epin obviously thought along the same lines. "Don't want rest now." he mumbled after giving me an incredulous look and tried to get at my neck again.
"Um…. no, really, I have to go." I stuttered breathlessly and let out a squeak when he nipped at my neck. "I have... things to do, I mean I… I…." Argh… that just didn't work out. Time for a fast exit.

I gave in to the urge and planted a quick kiss on the tip of his nose. "Be right back!" I exclaimed, practically ripped myself out of his arms and tail and bolted out of the room, slamming the door shut.

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That was the first intimate scene I've ever written… I hope it was more or less tolerable. *blushes*

I'd really appreciate it if you'd tell me what you think of the chapter . Was it bad, passable, good, or something else? I want to improve my writing, so I'd be very happy about some feedback. I doesn't matter if it's about grammar, general plot, wrong expressions… just tell me. :-)