Title: Letters From Camp Boraupa
Disclaimer: F!#& off. How's that?
Rating: PG ( K+ ) – for a bit of pre-teen action.
Spoilers: If you haven't seen anything past the Cell Games, then you probably don't even know who Videl is anyway. Shoo!
Summary: TwoShot. "Daddy kinda...showed up at the wrong moment and caught me with Gohan-kun. He really freaked out." Implied GhVi.
Come to think of it, I've never been to sleepover camp (I've been to daycamps, though).
(Ooh, my first entry for SweetestIrony's June contest! Theme Vacation.)
Part One: Thinking of You
Erasa,
You wouldn't believe how boring it is here. Not only am I forced to use snail mail instead of e-mail to send you letters, but they also expect me to do girly crafts as some sort of "art therapy." How stupid. Aren't camps supposed to have archery, canoes and stuff like that? All these losers want to do is make popsicle stick houses and mope.
I still can't believe that Daddy sent me here in the first place. Do I seem depressed, or something? Besides, it's already been over seven years since Mom died so what's with the sudden concern for my psyche? Wouldn't a camp for kids who lost parents be more useful to people who actually remember their moms? I can't even picture her face anymore...
Anyway, write me back. I'm practically dying of boredom.
Signed,
Videl.
— — —
Dear Videl-chan,
I'm sorry you're not enjoying camp, girl. It's pretty dull around here without you, too...not only do I not have my best friend to talk to, but there haven't been any newscasts on about you kicking butt for the cops lately! They show a few old clips sometimes when the news is slow, but nothing everyone hasn't seen a million times already. The entire city misses you, girlfriend! Plus, Sharpener-kun is getting a little out of line lately. The girls and I need you to put him back in his place!
Popsicle stick houses? That's so lame! Don't they let the teens do different stuff? Skits, dances, nature hikes...stuff like that. Crafts are so lame and...Elementary school! Oh, but if they let you make bracelets, bring me back one?
So, have you met any cute, tragic boys up there, at least?
Love,
Erasa :-)
— — —
Erasa,
If I could, I'd come home right this second. Unfortunately, Daddy wants me to stay for the whole camp, which means I'm stuck here for another two weeks. Don't worry, though, because I'll thrash Sharpener within an inch of his life when they finally let me out of here! In the meantime, just tell him that you think you see a bald spot in the back of his head. That should keep him busy for awhile :-D
Is that all you can think about? Boys? If you're so interested, why don't you come out here and check them out yourself!
Signed,
Videl
— — —
Dear Videl-chan,
Haha, it worked! I told Sharpener-kun that his hairline was receding on Monday and I haven't seen him since! Angela-chan reported that she saw him go into a hair salon yesterday crying! Do you think we might've been a little harsh...?
Well, soooorry! I was hoping that you at least had good scenery up there (you know, aside from trees and rocks and stuff). Besides, finding a boyfriend might help you pass the time. I just found a new one and I hardly miss you anymore (no offense)!
Have you at least started doing outdoors-y stuff yet?
Love,
Erasa :-)
— — —
Erasa,
Ha ha ha...what an idiot! Don't bother feeling bad for him, Erasa-chan. As soon as you show him pity, he'll take it as encouragement and won't leave you alone. Just let him worry until his hair falls out (for real this time :-D ).
Gee, thanks. So glad that I'm replaceable...:-P Seriously, though, I'm glad that you're having some fun without me. One of us has got to.
There haven't been any organized outdoor activities yet, but I've done some stuf on my own. The only thing is, I have to sneak out after dinner to do anything and I've nearly been caught three or four times already. I've...kind of got a friend to help me now, though. Between the two of us, we can usually get away without any problems. He's kind of weird, but really nice anyway.
Signed,
Videl
— — —
Dear Videl-chan,
"He's kind of weird"? OMG, your friend is a boy?! I thought you said you weren't interested in getting a boyfriend up there! Tell me all about him. Is he cute? What's his name? How old is he? Where's he from? Have you kissed him yet?! C'mon, Videl-chan, spill!
Love,
Erasa :-)
— — —
Erasa,
This is why I didn't tell you about Gohan-kun in my previous letters. I just knew you'd get the wrong idea about us...
Oh, well, since I know you won't stop bugging me until I tell you about him, here goes: his name is Son Gohan, he's our age, he says he's from a little town the next mountain over, and I guess he's kinda cute (what do I know, though?). His dad died last year, which is why his mom sent him to this hell hole. NO, I haven't kissed him and, DOUBLE NO, I don't plan to. It's not like that, okay? He's just a friend.
Like I said before, he's a little weird, though. I know we're up in the mountains and all, but it's still the dead of summer and the boy wears long sleeves every day. If I wear anything but a tank top around here, I think I'd pass out! He won't even take his shirt off when we go swimming...I asked him about it and all he could come up with was this lame excuse about burning easily. His face is plenty tan, so what gives?
Oh, and he tries to hide it, but I get the feeling that he's a lot stronger than he looks (he's kinda skinny, btw). I swear I caught him lifting the counselor's cabin off the ground the other day when our baseball rolled underneath it...I confronted him about it and he told me I was seeing a mirage (nevermind that we're nowhere near the desert).
I think he's hiding something – something big – but I don't know what. What do you think?
Signed,
Videl
— — —
Dear Videl-chan,
Not your boyfriend, huh? That's a shame...if you change your mind, you might want to do it soon. You're coming home next week and long distance relationships are a pain.
Maybe he doesn't want to take his shirt off because he's got some sort of weird skin condition or disfigurement. If that were the case, I might lie about why I want to stay covered up, too. Or maybe he's allergic to bees and doesn't want to leave too much skin exposed? That's what my cousin does.
You think he lifted a cabin?! Videl-chan, that's just silly! It was probably a trick of the light, or something. Nobody can do that, not even your dad! And maybe mirages can happen outside of the desert. You never know...
If you hang out with him again, be sure to tell me every. Single. Detail. I'll be waiting!
Oh, and Paper-kun – my boyfriend – says hi. He's looking forward to meeting you when you get back, since you're so famous and all. He doesn't believe me when I tell him that you're not all snotty, though, hehe.
Love,
Erasa :-)
— — —
Erasa,
I don't think the disfigurement/skin condition thing is it. I snuck into his cabin the other night during dinner and looked through his stuff and couldn't find any creams or ointments or whatever. No allergy medications, either, so I don't think it's the bees...I just can't figure it out.
And maybe the cabin thing can be explained away, but what about the fact that he can fly? I know it sounds crazy, but I saw him FLOATING OFF THE GROUND last night! I couldn't sleep, so I snuck out of my bunk to go take a walk around the lake. When I was passing by the soccer field, I began wondering why it was suddenly so bright out (it's not like there's a moon around anymore and it was already about an hour past light's out). When I looked up, I saw Gohan-kun hovering about twenty-five feet above me, glowing like he was on fire! I know it sounds like a dream, but I swear I was awake the whole time! I was so freaked out, though, that I ran all the way back to my cabin and stayed there the rest of the night.
Now, though, I'm dying to know how he did it. Should I ask him straight out? Or hint around for the answer? I can't exactly force him to tell me anything since I don't have any proof, but...I've got to know. You know how to handle boys, right? Any suggestions?
Signed,
Videl
— — —
Dear Videl-chan,
Are you feeling alright? You haven't been eating any weird berries out in the woods, have you? 'Cause I hear some of those things can cause some pretty wild hallucinations...
If you really want to try and interrogate him, though, I think you should use your feminine wiles. If he's from the sticks like you say he is, he probably doesn't have any experience with girls yet. Try smiling at him a bit more, dressing a little nicer, maybe even ask him out for a romantic picnic, or something. Trust me, he'll cave and tell you anything you want to hear.
Oh, and stop breaking into his cabin. That's kinda stalker-ish.
Love,
Erasa :-)
— — —
Erasa,
I told you, it was real! I know it seems impossible, but he was flying, just like those weird guys at the Cell Games! (Hey, do you think he could be one of them? It could be some kind of bizzare cult, or whatever...)
Are you kidding? I can't flirt with him for answers! Not only would anyone with a brain not fall for it, but I don't want to give him the wrong idea. Gohan-kun seems kinda...sensitive about stuff like that. A bunch of idiots were teasing him last week about being my boyfriend and he turned so red that I thought he was going to pass out! Don't you have any other ideas?
Oh, lighten up. It's not like I stole from him, or anything. I just took a peek in his trunk to see if there was any explanation for the long sleeves thing. I didn't find anything, but he's sure got a lot of books with him...college books, too. I knew he was some kind of genius, but man...
Signed,
Videl
— — —
Dear Videl-chan,
Sorry, girl, but that's the way to handle a man. You've got to dangle the bait in front of him and wait for him to take it (at least, that's what my mom says). You don't have to make out with him, or anything, just turn on the charm. From what it sounds like, he's got a thing for you already, so it should be really easy ;-D
Wow...does he, like, go to private school, or something?
Love,
Erasa :-)
— — —
Dear Videl-chan,
Is everything okay, girl? You never replied to my last letter...did everything go alright with Gohan-kun? Please write back.
Love,
Erasa :-)
— — —
Dear Videl-chan,
I'm starting to get a little worried about you...did you get my last two letters? Did something happen between you and Gohan-kun? If anything's wrong, you can tell me about it and I'll do my best to help. Please, please, please write back!
Love,
Erasa
— — —
"Hello?"
"...Erasa-chan?"
"Videl-chan? Is that you? Omigod, girl! I was so worried about you!"
"Yeah, it's me. Sorry I never wrote back, but I'm home now."
"You are? I thought you weren't getting back until, like, Sunday! It's only Friday!"
"I wasn't, but Daddy decided to take me home early."
"What for?"
"Well...there's this family night at camp so that the counselors can give the kid's remaining parent an update on their progress in group. I didn't think that Daddy was going to come, so I kinda wandered off with Gohan-kun while his mom got his progress report thingie."
"Okay...so what happened?"
"Daddy kinda...showed up at the wrong moment and caught me with Gohan-kun. He really freaked out."
"What for? You weren't, like, doing anything naughty, were you?"
"NO! Geeze, we were mostly just...talking."
"Mostly?"
Silence on the line.
"Videl-chan, what do you mean by 'mostly'?"
"I...I was trying that...that suggestion you had..."
"You mean the flirting thing?"
"Yeah, that. Anyway, I thought it was working pretty well – he was telling me all about himself, how his father was a famous martial artist who once won the Budokai, how he'd been training since he was real little, that kind of thing – and then..."
"And then...what?"
"He...he kss'd mre..."
"He what?"
"He...kissed me."
"Omigod, Videl-chan! That's so awesome! How was it? Was he good? Did he use his tongue?"
"No! I mean, it was okay, but there wasn't any tongue...how the hell should I know if he was good or not?"
"Don't tell me...that was your first kiss?"
Silence on the line.
"OMIGOD! It was your first time! How cute!"
"Would you shut up about it? Geeze...like it matters."
"But it does matter, Videl-chan! A first kiss is a big deal for girls!"
"Whatever...do you want to know why I came home early, or not?"
"Yeah, so what happened?"
"Like I said, I didn't think that Daddy was going to come to family night, but I guess he changed his mind..."
"Oh, no...don't tell me..."
"Yeah...he found me with Gohan-kun down by the lake. I didn't even realize he was there until he started yelling at us."
"Yeowch...I hope Gohan-kun runs fast..."
"Well...um...we were both a little...distracted at the time, so he didn't get the chance to run. I thought Daddy was going to kill him, but Gohan-kun..."
"He didn't try to fight Mr. Satan off, did he?"
"No, not really. It was so weird...he blocked a couple of Daddy's punches and then his mom showed up – "
"VIDEL! ARE YOU ON THE PHONE WITH THAT BOY?! GET OFF RIGHT THIS INSTANT! DON'T MAKE ME COME UP THERE!"
"Sorry, I've got to go!"
Click. Dial tone.
— — —
Author's Note: At the very astute suggestion of Lychee Green Tea, I've changed my summary. Thanks so much, I really owe you! n.n;
Well, this is new for me. Can't say that I've ever written a story with letters before...I think it's kinda neat, personally. I like branching out.
Also, I don't usually use underlining in my writing, but I figure that handwritten notes would use it for emphasis instead of emboldening/italicizing words. Also, I figure the italics work for Erasa b/c I picture her having girly handwriting, so that's why I did that.
I was going to add a bit more about Goku's death (since this takes place approximately a year or so after the Cell Games), but I couldn't find a good place to put it...not in letters between Videl and Erasa, anyway. Even if Gohan had confided such things to Videl, I can't really see her laying them all out on paper to someone else, even if that someone else happens to be a good friend. It would seem like a breech of confidence.
Comments and suggestions are most welcome. Specifically, I want to know if my pacing/flow is okay. Tell me what you think, please.
Oh, and anybody know where I got the name "Boraupa" from? I'll give you a couple of hints: it's comprised of two names, both characters are from Dragonball and they have something to do with Korin tower...if you know your Dragonball, it should be easy to guess now n.n
. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) .
– Who's your daddy? GohanVidel.