The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
(A Stowaway from the Heart: Part 2)
A.N: Soooooooooo… hi there ^.^ It's been a long, long, long time since I updated (Wow, was it really July 2010!), but alas, I only have a combination of life and writer's block to blame and none of that is very interesting at all.
So! If you've stumbled upon this fic, and you're wondering what the heck I'm rambling on about, then please let me explain before you delve any further:
! This fan fiction is a continuation of events / sequel to 'A Stowaway from the Heart' which I highly suggest you read before going any further here. !
Yup, rather than continue the story within that thread though, I felt like a nice, clean slate might encourage me to finally finish the story completely. New year, new start and all that jazz.
For any new readers that do want to brave the second part of the story without reading stowaway, please be forgiving of non-canon characterisations that have developed. Goku is probably the biggest change as far as canon persona's go. Also, be aware of the mature subject matter that will inevitably creep in somewhere. It's rated 'M' for a reason people!
You may have also stumbled across 'Beyond Science', another incomplete pet project in this alternate fanfic universe. It's still very much a work in progress that I do intend to finish, but putting that fic before this one turned out to be a slight failure on my part. More of a huge failure in fact. Writer's block really does suck. So I guess I've realised that I always wanted to finish this story rather than get bogged down in perfecting prequels. I'll finish Bulma and Vegeta's prequel when the timing is feels better. Right now, it's just not happening as easily as I'd like it to.
Well then, with all that said, here it is at long last. A promise is a promise, and I really hope that at least one of my original readers manages to find their way back here! I can't promise quick updates (I am currently sick with the flu which prompted me to actually sit down properly and start writing again - yay!), but I can promise an eventual finale to the story. So once again, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I (hope to) enjoy writing it.
~ Anorelei
x
Chapter 1: Hostile Ground
Earth, like many planets throughout the Universe, had been subject to many 'visitors' over the years. Once upon a time, there was the arrival of a strange, green humanoid creature - who certainly fit the bill of any stereotypical alien description. His oval white spacecraft may have been spotted by the avid star watcher's telescope, or detected by astrologist's computers across the globe that would spark a deeper interest in the watchers beyond the stars. But only a select chosen few would know how, after a much lesser known 'war' across the planet, ironically; this so-called 'Namekian' would come to be known as the Earth's great Kami deity. There would be others who mostly drifted by, too cowardly or anxious to penetrate the Earth's atmosphere any further than required. Peaceful watchers who were simply curious of the Galaxies far, far away from their own home. Yet unfortunately, following the more recent, world-wide invasion of hostiles capable of turning into great Ape-like monstrosities; humans no longer welcomed the idea of 'visitors'. To visit the skies unannounced, was to step onto human territory without permission. To visit, was to invade. To invade, automatically labelled the offensive party an enemy.
So, when the Red Ribbon Army satellites detected the impending presence of an unidentified object approaching Planet Earth one late Friday afternoon; naturally a 'Code Yellow' status was immediately activated. Soldiers almost robotically leapt from their cabin bunks to be instantly armed to the teeth in the latest armour and weaponry. Meanwhile, mechanical beasts stirred with the whirling of digital commands imputing 'stun target!' and 'kill the hostile!' orders. But those yellow warning signals would soon turn blood red as the scientists zoomed in on the approaching ship. In unison, they identified it as a similar design to those that adorned the pages of history books. More importantly; the ship evoked the more recent and painful memories of survivors seeking revenge.
"It's S-S-S-Saiyan!" Stammered one, leaning back in his chair in wide-eyed disbelief. Another was quick to hammer his palm down on the large, appropriately coloured button.
"RED ALERT!"
As sirens and alarums spread like wildfire throughout the red ribbon army base, deep down in the more top secret depths of the compound however, was a far more alarming calm. A smartly dressed secretary moved through a silent, empty corridor to the board room at the very end. Her black, patent heels clattering on the polished, red and white marble floor. The sealed red envelope in her right hand contained important new documents that were sure to sway the mood of the meeting held within the room. As the double doors opened to reveal the usual, long table in polished red marble, so too was it apparent how the most prestigious members of the base were already conveniently gathered. Each row of seats occupied by various officials whose eyes dared not stray from the current speaker at the north end of the great table. Similarly, her cold and calculating blue eyes refused to register the arrival of the secretary. Instead, her smooth speech was uninterrupted save for the pause of her pale, slender long fingers brushing several sleek, platinum blonde strands away from her left, angular cheek.
"In conclusion: Public support may be down by 3.84%, but we anticipated at least point 6% more on average. I therefore propose that we plan a new strategy that will raise the percentage in order to attain our overall target mass."
"Here here!" The board room chorused in a variety of male tones followed by the clap of at least eight palms together. Only now, did the speaker address the outcast of the meeting.
"Yes?"
"Sorry to disturb," the woman simply said. Only after an accepting nod did she move towards the female authority to who she presented the sealed envelope. With her delivery complete, the secretary made her swift exit. But only when the doors were sealed shut again, did the speaker tear open the message with the slide of one, immaculately polished red nail down the seal. A single, white A4 paper was pulled out to the tune of anxiously still silence. One man cleared his parched throat, while another scratched at a knotted muscle behind his ear. Only one other remained as calm as the woman in charge; a dark-haired male at the southern end of the table.
"It would seem," the woman finally spoke after scanning abnormally fast down the length of the document. "That our new strategy comes to us, rather than us, to it." The riddle met with varied frowns and unsure glances, but all that mattered from then on, was the knowing stare shared between two almost identical twins.
"What news, sister?" Unknown to the rest, the pair spoke only to each other through means that went beyond their human appearance. The only tell-tale sign of their mental discourse was the glazing of their eyes like reflective glass. No souls to be found behind those empty windows.
"Their Planet may be gone, but they yet live."
"Saiyans?"
"Yes."
"What to do with a pest that refuses extermination?"
"The only thing we can do; use it to our advantage -"
" - Until further means reveal themselves." The pair mentally chuckled in unison at their shared thoughts.
"Precisely." Disconnecting the mind link, the blonde female re-addressed the rest of the board.
"You must excuse me, but Doctor Gero must know of these developments immediately." Extending her hand, she gestured to the young man sitting directly opposite her. "Please allow Doctor Ju Nan to continue in my absence."
The Generals and other officials nodded. The woman had a way about her that few, if any, dared to question.
Back on the upper levels where standard workers and soldiers awaited authorisation to continue with Code Red, a signal was finally given. With the alarms silenced as suddenly as they'd started, the bewildered navigators now stared at their still blinking screens.
"A.. b-blip?" Questioned one.
"No," her neighbour corrected. "I still have the ship in range."
"I don't understand!" Cried another, hammering commands into his unresponsive console. "The ship will break orbit any second! Why? - Why don't we act?"
"Wait! Direct orders from below incoming." Silence immediately spread throughout the previously chaotic room. Only the casual yet repetitive 'bleep' of computers lamented the anxieties of each listener.
"It says: c-continue to monitor the craft and ensure it's… ensure it's safe landing."
"Is everyone okay?"
The so-called 'safe landing' hadn't exactly been her finest to date, but to Bulma Brief's defence; it was only 3% her fault. The rest was down to the Saiyan Elite who managed the yokel as poorly as he managed interaction with humans. Fortunately, it wasn't a crash landing per se, but she was pretty sure that the spacecraft wasn't meant to wind up sitting so perfectly on-top of what used to be a wooden cabin in the middle of nowhere…
"GOKU you Baka!" At least someone was more than okay, as the shrill voice of one very angry dark-haired woman shook the cockpit. "I said you could land by my house not ON IT! Baka - Baka - BAKA!"
With each raging insult from the unstoppable ChiChi came a thump to the back of 'Goku's' head. Whether the Saiyan truly felt pain or not was neither here or there; the sheer fact that he allowed the human woman to strike him was strange enough. Gohan, the unlikely pair's first born son, could only watch in wide-eyed disbelief. His father, the great Kakarot, reduced to being battered by a human woman! It was sheer comedy, and it seemed he wasn't the only onlooker biting back their amusement at such a sight. The other Earth woman sitting in the navigator's chair was fervently biting her lower lip hard enough to almost draw blood.
"Like I said; if you'd just let me steer -" One steel glare from the victim however, and Capsule Corp's rightful heiress to raise her palms defensively and stray away from causing any further argument instead. "Okay - Okay! Whatever."
"That's enough ChiChi," the so-called elite tried to reason with his wife. Catching her next blow by the wrist, he tentatively chuckled at her wild growls. "We made it here safely, right? I'll… build you a new house!"
Gohan could only blink in further astonishment. Maybe one of those feeble thumps had actually done some harm to his father's head after all?
"Y-You will?" The only half-sure, almost dopey nod was suddenly answered by an ecstatic, heartfelt cry. "OOOOOH!" Followed by arms being flung around Goku's neck and merry laughter all around. "My dear, sweet sweet Goku! You're so so good to meeee."
At which point, both Gohan and Bulma took the more amorous squeezing of poor Goku's neck as their cue to very swiftly leave the cockpit. A still slightly dazed Bulma made a beeline for her own son's cabin where she was sure to find both Trunks and Goten no doubt up to some mischief. That left Gohan to follow his keen senses further down the corridor.
It came to no surprise to him when he found the door to the cabin he shared with one other, left recently open. The material contents within disturbed by the rough landing, but devoid of any biological, living and breathing presence. Instead, he only need follow the distinctive smell of fresh and cool air seeping rapidly into the ship. Then, the closer he got to the target, the more his senses picked up. First the tweeting of birds, and then, the roar of the wind across rollicking waves below his very feet. Soon enough, he only need step down the slope, past the open gape of the cargo bay doors, until crisp blades of rich, emerald green grass welcomed the soles of his boots.
But no sight was more beautiful however, than the female figure standing at the very edge of the cliff face ahead of him. Hair like ink being written amidst a clear blue sky, spelling teasing and tantalising words to him. In silent seconds he crossed the gap, until aching palms reached to cup the curving of hips that fit so perfectly in his grasp. He heard her smiling sigh as the arch of her back felt the touch of his chest. Hands circling round then to complete the embrace, joining together at her stomach where he could pull her closer against him.
"I should've known you'd be out here already," he spoke his thoughts out loud in his usual, smoothly gruff voice. She didn't protest to his claim over her. Instead, she rested her head back and closed her eyes once more. Of course she'd ran down the corridor and bolted out the cargo doors once she was sure the ship had landed on the Earth's soil. She needed to breathe fresh air again; and she didn't care how corny that made her seem.
"Gohan," her euphoric tone almost sung his rather human name. Her mere voice forced him to squeeze tighter while firm lips snuck a pressing kiss against the exposed, slightly strained arch of her neck. "Mmm… Please tell me I'm not dreaming."
The light graze of his teeth oddly tickled, but her light giggle was short-lived. "Because if I am, then I really don't want to wake up."
"It's no dream Videl," he finally replied, enjoying the shape of her name upon his tongue. In an ecstatic twirl, her body twisted from the waist and feet until she faced him properly. Her joy transferred as they locked lips to fill him with the swell of happiness she felt at being home again. A place that he soon hoped to call 'home' as genuinely as she did.
While the young lovers enjoyed their first moments reunited on Earth together, two other natives of the planet found their feet on the beloved home soil again. The plan had been to take refuge in the mountains until further plans were made. ChiChi had offered her childhood home at Fry-Pan Mountain as that temporary refuge, but also with the ulterior motive of salvaging what remained of her human life there. Material things that could never truly be replaced. For example; the frying pan she'd used to assault the Saiyan invader who came to be her life-long mate. Or the quilt that had been passed down from mother to daughter for generations, which she'd hoped to pass down to her own daughter some day.
'So much for that idea,' thought the now older woman as she stepped down from the Saiyan craft. How Goku had managed to land the ship completely on her house was beyond her, but she was convinced that it wasn't on purpose. She'd come to see that he didn't really possess a single malicious or evil bone in him. Accidents were bound to happen and well, she'd long since learnt to always look on the bright side. Therefore, the destruction of her old house was no exception to that rule.
'Well, I suppose it was going to be too small for all of us anyway.' Smiling to herself, the calmer woman tucked windswept dark tresses behind her ear and begun to appreciate the fact that she was still breathing along with the rest of her reunited family. At long last, she felt like the mother she was meant to be. Being back on Earth was just the icing on top of one, very large cake.
Bulma meanwhile, had other more pressing matters to think about than what the breeze felt like on her skin. Or that familiar smell of the sea and untouched nature - not like she'd ever really cared for all that 'stuff'. How could she appreciate it now either, when two scrappers shot out from behind her to run dangerously close over to the cliff edge.
"Trunks! I told you to be careful already! And that means you too Goten - What will I tell your mother if you fell?"
It was no use though; the boys were at an age where they'd do what they wanted to sate their juvenile curiosities. In a way, Bulma envied them their carefree innocence. Once upon a time, she too, was able to roam effortlessly without consequence. Now, she had a whole checklist of things to do before even thinking about trying to settle back into her old lifestyle again. The sooner she started to cross off those items on the list, the more at peace she hoped she'd feel. Right now, she could only feel like a bag of nerves, and that was never an attractive feeling.
A tentative Goku was the last to tread on human soil, and no doubt the least happy to be on planet Earth for the third time. Each visit had formed very distinctive and yet also very different memories. The first had brought him a family. The second had extended that family. Both however, had also bred trouble. Looking to the horizon now, where the sun was starting to dip low beneath a blanket of azure and lilac clouds, he could only ponder to himself the troubles that awaited them now that they intended to stay here indefinitely.
"I'll scout ahead," came the abrupt announcement that gained everyone's attention. Gohan was quick to break away from emotional release and adorn his soldier's mask instead.
"Then I'll come wi-"
"No son," the father instantly corrected. "I need you to stay here. Watch over everyone while I'm gone."
"You'll be quick?" It was as close to a question as the usually demanding ChiChi could manage. At first, Goku simply nodded, but one glance out to the horizon again had him expanding with short words.
"As quick as I need to be." Then, in a flash of exploding ki propelling him forwards; he was out of sight.
"I have to admit," Videl came up behind Gohan, wearing a light frown on her own brow to match his. "I was expecting some kind of resistance from Red Ribbon. I mean, you'd think that maybe, just maybe, they would've learnt their lesson by now about alien space crafts and all that."
"We should be glad they haven't," Bulma interjected more seriously. Her palm patting the bruised shell of the spacecraft. "There's no way this baby could've taken much of a beating. We took a chance and we made it through unscratched, 'kay? So like, let's not think about all the ifs and the maybes anymore. All I care about now is getting off this damned rock and getting back to my life. Is that really so much to ask for around here?"
With an exasperated sigh, her eyes suddenly shot to the two young Halflings sparring still dangerously close to the cliff edge. "And for the love of Kami… TRUNKS!"
Even ChiChi jumped at the sudden projection of a very angry mother's voice overpowering the waves below to cracking against the very rocks in place of rushing water.
"YOU GET AWAY FROM THERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"
As ChiChi joined in with the usual mother's chorus, both Videl and Gohan swiftly snuck back inside the sanctuary of the ship. Once away from prying ears, Gohan was able to relax with light-hearted chuckles.
"How Prince Vegeta ever put up with that woman will forever be a mystery."
Although Videl smiled in unison at such an accurate observation, she had other things on her mind. For one, it felt oddly strange to feel such sanctuary in a place that had initially served as her prison. Similarly, despite Bulma's many annoying flaws, Videl could still understand and appreciate her desire to just get her life back on track. But was it really going to be that simple? Maybe returning to their old ways wasn't really the answer. The sheer thought of going back home and showing up for school tomorrow, was even more scary than all the 'ifs' and 'maybes' that Bulma refused to acknowledge.
"It can't be that simple," she loyally begun to divulge her more random concerns to an ever-attentive Gohan on route back to their dorm.
"I'll say," he chuckled again, not realising the sudden change in conversation topic.
"Oh, no. Erm, wh-what I mean is; I think I understand why Bulma is so… well, acting like she is. I mean, we were all so excited to be back here. But now that we're here, it just feels so…. Strange."
The honest declaration brought Gohan to a brief standstill. "I thought you were all for the idea of coming back here?"
"I was! And, I still am. But, now that we're here I… I dunno. It's just, really overwhelming. The idea of trying to reclaim an old life seems overwhelmingly impossible."
"We'll figure it out." To him, it still just seemed as easy as continuing to walk down the corridor. But though Videl followed in his wake, her frown had grown considerably stronger.
'We,' she sighed to herself in private solace. 'Yeah, right. That's the problem.'
Before even ChiChi could properly start to worry about Goku's absence, he returned to find the camp still very much in tact. Though not quite as he'd left it. Clearly someone thought it would be a good idea to literally build a camp fire rather that stay put inside the ship where he presumed it would be a whole lot safer. But no; ChiChi sat with the boys who attentively listened to her stories, while Gohan and Videl seemed comfortable enough under a single blanket, staring at the fire in silence. Only Bulma was missing, but was sure to be nearby, no doubt employing her skills within the ship. For a moment, Goku merely hovered above them; a slain young dinosaur slung over his shoulders. Only when an intrigued Gohan followed the stationary energy signal and looked up at his father, did the elite descend to be welcomed back by the rest of the gang. Soon enough; various growling stomachs both Human and Saiyan alike, eagerly awaited the meat that slowly cooked over the fire. Even an unusually silent Bulma seemed hungry enough to sit down with everyone and their unavoidable discussion of both what to do, and where to go next. The two boys meanwhile, played on the beach nearby, oblivious to plans that would inevitably include them.
"We'll be safe enough here for now," Goku announced. "But I wouldn't bet on it remaining that way for long. I sensed a large collection of weak ki further south across the ocean."
ChiChi nodded sombrely. "South Capital, I think?"
Her father had always said bad people lived there, forbidding her to venture off the mountain top. Ironically, she'd met Goku when she tried to travel there across the sea on her hand-made raft. Now, she wanted nothing to do with the fabled city of sin.
"It's not the best location," Goku continued. Clutching a stick, he began to draw out the situation in the dry dirt like a military commander sharing combat tactics.
"We're here," he drew an X over various scribbled lines. "We may be in the mountains but we're still easy to spot from up there." To which, he both pointed and looked up at the open skies. Gohan nodded; they had no cover except for the ship itself.
"Maybe we can find a cave or forest cover? But then, what about the ship?"
"We take what we need, and leave the rest here." Apparently Goku had already done a lot of thinking, but so had another.
"Well then, I'll be taking the pod and leaving at dawn." Attention quickly shot to Bulma, ever the drama queen despite having apparently grown up over the turbulent years.
"See, I've been re-collaborating the co-ordinates all afternoon, but I can only get one pod to work properly. There's barely room for one in those damn things, so I'll just have to leave Trunks with you guys until everything's back on track."
Videl's jaw dropped; the heiress was just full of surprises. "And that's that," she boldly added in a finalised manner. Yeah, right, as if anyone was going to settle for that!
"You can't be serious?" ChiChi wasn't sure if she should laugh at the woman, or just slap some sense into her.
"I'm quite serious actually. More serious than ever. And don't try to change my mind. We already agreed before we even got here that you'd all help me get Capsule Corp back. Well then, no time like the present!"
The chirpy attitude of the heiress continued to allude everyone, especially an irate ChiChi whose voice was beginning to rise with her reddening cheeks.. "You can't just leave Trunks behind! That's ridiculous - you're supposed to be his mother!"
"Why can't I? He's safe with you, right? Besides, it's going to be hard enough doing this by myself without his welfare to think about too. Can you imagine it? The Bulma Briefs, not only coming back from the grave, but also bringing a half-breed Saiyan back with her. Ugh… The press will have such a field day with a story like that!"
"Don't be so ridiculous! They won't know that unless you tell them."
It was almost like watching a tennis match between the two women, but it was both Goku and Gohan's silence that was most worrying. Videl merely bit her lower lip, trying to rationalise both sides of the argument. Bulma was certainly giving a nobel prize winning performance, but so far, her reasoning seemed more shallow than anything else.
"True." And then, for the briefest moment, it actually seemed like Bulma was starting to see sense again. "But then again, it all makes perfect sense when you start to think about it. I disappear with the Saiyans, and then, I miraculously return several years later together with a child. All the maths adds up. It won't take a rocket scientist to fill in the gaps of such a scandal. No, my mind is made up. You see, once I've got my home and company back, I can be the perfect mother to Trunks! He needs me to be strong now, and this is the only way I know how to be."
Now even ChiChi was rendered speechless, as the core of the argument was finally revealed. Despite how selfish and immature Bulma initially sounded, at the root of it all, was her basic desire to be a better mother in the only way she knew how. No one had the heart to argue with that, or even begin to try to prove her wrong. The fact was, her mind was resolved.
"Don't worry Bulma," a unified resolve came from the most unlikely observer. A young woman who knew nothing of motherhood, but in this case, didn't need to. "We'll look after Trunks while you figure everything out. Shouldn't take long for a genius like you, right?"
The heiress looked to Videl and shared a rare, warm and relieved smile with her. It felt good to be understood and respected again. Once upon a time, her opinions had been craved by many. Over time, she'd been patronised and overlooked. Now, she needed to feel both in-charge and in-control of her own life again. She shouldn't need to explain her every move to people who could never understand what she'd been through. All that mattered, was where she wanted to be; not how she got there.
"Thank you Videl," she finally nodded, lower lip quivering slightly. But she'd be damned if anyone saw her shed anymore tears. "So! That's that sorted. What's next?"
While Goku went back to the agenda of discussing possible new locations to the east of their current camp, Videl zoned out to her own thoughts. Was abandoning Gohan the key to resolving her own problems too? Her uneasy glance caught his at various intervals throughout the remainder of the evening, but she was sure that he was oblivious to her feelings. Did he just expect her to follow him and his family to the ends of the Earth? Why should Bulma alone be granted that get out of jail free card? None of them willingly signed up for any of this. At the root of it all, they were each taken from their homes and forced to adapt to a new life in the scary depths of outer space. So a more scornful glare sought Gohan this time; maybe it was his turn to adapt now.
The meal was relatively silent followed by another calm as the evening closed into night. The first night sky of many was greeted in varying ways: A bedtime story for an exhausted Goten watched on by a fatherly Goku - it even seemed like he was equally enthralled by ChiChi's tale. Meanwhile an emotional Bulma took Trunks aside within the ship to explain that she'd be gone for a short while. Videl didn't care to listen to that anyway. All she cared about was the resting man by her side; her mate, lit like an Adonis in the light of the campfire. It wasn't fair that he always looked so good! Nor that he was content to grant her a bigger share of the blanket and lie on the bare earth instead, while sharing his natural body warmth in an entanglement of limbs. Indeed, it was hard to stay mad at him. She could toss and turn all night, trying to remember how they'd first met but even still, it would become irrelevant compared to where their relationship was now. Strangely enough, without all the bad stuff, she wouldn't be here, trapped beside him.
'Trapped…' Videl bit her lip a little too hard. 'Am I trapped?' Well, there was only one way to find out. Maybe had it not been for Bulma's speech, Videl would actually be content where she was now. Or maybe being back on Earth again meant that her thoughts were inevitably waiting to reach this conclusion.
"Gohan?" She poked his ribs with her index finger despite knowing that he couldn't possibly be asleep yet. As suspected, one dark eye opened while his lips curved into a mischievous grin that sent tingles down her spine.
"Yes?" She swallowed back and poked him again for good measure.
"Don't give me that look!" He heard nothing but empty threats though, until she thumped her palm against his toned abdomen instead. "I mean it! We need to talk about something important."
"Okay! Okay. I'm listening." On the contrary, he yawned like a sleepy lion. But the loosening of his muscles told her he was genuinely preparing himself to hear her concerns.
"Okay," she echoed awkwardly, not really knowing where to start now she had his undivided attention. "So erm… if I erm.. What if I said that erm… that.."
"That?"
"Stop it! Ugh, I'm trying my best here, okay?" Another thump at his chest had him chuckling instead. "So just be quiet, please?"
"Then spit it out and be done with it. Say if you said what, exactly?"
"That," inhaling a deeply, Videl finally spat it all out on her next breath. "I'm leaving you behind until I get my life back."
Now, she really had his attention. No longer was he simply lounging beside her. Oh no, he was sitting up on his elbow and leaning over her in a more threatening way than she was used to.
"What." No questioning there either, just a rhetorical growl against his Adam's apple.
"In theory!" She pretty much squeaked, sinking back against the blankets as far as she possibly could. "I mean… I'm not saying I really want to or…. Well, it's, just a thought!"
Gohan didn't relax though. In fact, he couldn't believe his ears. It seemed that ever since they'd landed on the blasted Earth again, there was nothing but trouble lurking nearby. Maybe his father had been right all along. Maybe they were better off finding somewhere else. Somewhere that didn't have so many emotional attachments lingering like unwanted stowaways.
"And what is it exactly, that you need to get back?" The more level-headed question startled her slightly, to the point of staring quite blankly back at Gohan.
"Huh?"
"You heard me. At least the Brief's woman's ramblings eventually made some degree of sense. Yours, however, have yet to convince me of anything but a bad moon."
"That's hardly fair!" Yet he bit back as quickly as she had, holding her eye contact with as much intensity as she gave back.
"Then why can't you answer the question?" To that, Videl huffed. As adorable as Gohan could be, he was also, equally, a real pain in the ass sometimes.
"Because! It's th-things that you won't understand."
"Try me."
"Argh! You're so impossible!" To her further dismay, he smirked in his usual, 'I win' way.
"Fine. Go then. Do what you need to do." Mechanically, he reclined back again until he was relaxed victoriously against the dirt. "It's not like you can get very far." Only that last comment was like a final jab to the ribs.
"What!" Videl's shriek was enough to stir the waves below them, but no one else dared to disturb the lover's tiff.
"We're bonded, remember?"
"Oh, so you're going to hunt me down just like that Vegeta guy's hunting down poor Bulma. Yeah, that's really comforting Gohan!" He realised now that he'd struck a bad chord, but it was too late to try to fix it. The hormonal teen was already red-faced and finding it more difficult that usual to escape the blanket that had somehow wound itself around her thighs.
"No," he calmly retorted, just watching her scrambling this time. It was déjà vu, but he'd learnt his lesson from all the countless times when she lost her temper before. "But it's very helpful when you're always trying to run away."
"UGH!" Now that was the final straw. With a surge of emotion that fuelled her ever-growing strength, Videl launched herself from the bedding like a firecracker. "IT WAS JUST A FUCKING IDEA!" And, having reached for the blanket, she bundled it up, and threw it like a missile of temporary hate at the fellow Demi-Saiyan. "BAKA!"
Then, she was off. Gohan could only watch in mild amusement, as her hips moved to the tempo of her incredibly attractive mood swing until she was out of sight behind the cargo bay doors. Truth be told, sometimes he did tend to push her buttons on purpose. It was a mutual understanding though; a game in fact that he was sure she was very much aware of. But there were times like these where he did overstep the mark only to regret it slightly later. She'd be back though; she always was, and their reconciliation made it all even more worthwhile. If only he knew that making assumptions always spellt 'ass' first. If only he knew or had the slightly inkling that this time, things might just be a little different…
[…To be continued...]