"Could you please tone it down Erasa?"
Irritation and frustration was apparent in her voice as Videl gruffly reprimanded her bubbly friend. The blonde, in statement, was too cheerful for this time of the day.
And why wouldn't she be?
The blonde bombshell, also known as Erasa, was being fawned at by all the popular jocks in class. She was being pampered with all sorts of lavishness as\ a girl would like, such as chocolates, flowers and many other delicacies..
Was it some special event or day?
Precisely. It was the 14th of February, Valentine's Day, and that's what the origin of all trouble was, for the brunette crime fighter. Having being ignored by her friend, she huffed in exasperation and turned away from Erasa to rest her head on the desk.
There was so much love in the air that she wanted to jump at the first excuse of evading all this and go fight crime. Not any assistance in that direction either as it seemed that even the criminals decided to take a day off. Ironic, how they had their own love lives too.
This thought made her groan even more. Whose idea was it anyway to reserve a day to display one's affections? It was all nonsensical in Videl's opinion.
It was all the more excruciating for her this year in particular, because her mind was clouded with the thoughts of a spiky haired teen. She was for sure that Gohan was completely at peace, in respect to the Valentine's Day affair. Not that the girls ignored Gohan. As a matter of fact, unlike her, Gohan had received a number of chocolates and greeting cards on this occasion. He just didn't seem to care much which made people assume that he wasn't much interested. Even Videl, too, presumed the same and that's why stepped back from speaking her heart out.
Little did she know that the said boy fared no better than her, at least in this regard.
xXx
Son Gohan was panicking.
Not over any evil space tyrant, a biologically mutant green grasshopper or any super-powered android.
Not even the fact that a certain redhead, Angela, had been on his back ever since he started with high school, though he supposed that it was the least of his concerns.
Was it Chichi's 'Frying Pan of Doom' that he was panicking over?
Or was he threatened to death?
Then again, being threatened to death was nothing new, so why bother panicking?
What was new and exceedingly hard for Gohan to swallow was the fact that he didn't have the guts to ask a girl to be his Valentine.
What made it worse was the fact that he wasn't sure if the girl he wanted to ask would even agree to be his Valentine. He wasn't sure if the girl in question had noticed him as a potential boyfriend.
He dreaded the thought of having her hesitantly tell him that she just didn't think of him in 'that way'. That would just be excruciating.
Being caught up in daydream, he never saw the girl of his dreams leave the classroom and go for lunch.
By the time he snapped out of his daze, the class was empty since everyone had left for break. Astounded, that he was out of his mind for so long, he exited the room without any further deliberation.
Slowly and steadily he made his way to the school grounds, where students sit, either individual or in packs, as per their choice and have lunch. But the scene that was before his eyes today surprised him. Instead of sitting in groups, chatting and laughing merrily, each and every one of them were in pairs, with their significant other. Some were hugging; some snogging and some of them even went to the extent of taking their hand exercises to the next level.
Utterly flabbergasted by all the scenes that unfolded before his eyes, he flushed as he lowered his head in embarrassment. It was then that his eyes briefly landed upon a lone girl who seated herself under the shades of a tree, quite far away from the Valentine's Day humdrum. His heart skipped a beat. Said girl was having lunch all by herself. It was all too clear that the girl had no Valentine for the day which was more so apparent from the look of utter dejectedness on her visage.
Gohan slowly trotted his path all the way to that tree and stood in front of it. After a minute, without any response from the girl in front of him, he started, "Can I join you for lunch, Videl?"
The girl in question stirred up a bit in surprise, not expecting this sudden intrusion. Videl glanced up at the black-haired boy, frowning in concern. There was already so much in her mind since this morning that she failed to acknowledge that someone had been standing there. "Uhh… su..sure." she hesitatingly replied. After having noticed who the person was, she apologetically grinned, "Oh! It's you Gohan. I'm sorry I never saw you come over."
"It's fine, anyway." The reply of Gohan felt off-place and far-away.
Then seeing the look of discomfort, under the same breath she asked "Are you alright Gohan?"
Gohan shrugged. "Fine," he replied as he took a seat by her. That was a lie of the highest order. And unfortunately for Gohan, he was a terrible liar.
Videl put down her half-eaten sandwich, and gave Gohan her full attention. "No you are not fine. Something's been bothering you. Tell me what it is." She pressed on even more, having seen through Gohan's apparent lie. Any previous thoughts of V-day flew out of her mind as her interrogative instincts kicked in. Ah! That's our Videl.
Gohan hesitated. He looked around furtively to ensure that no one else would be able to overhear. Gohan looked around a bit to see no one in their vicinity. This part of the grounds was quite desolated and that's why Videl decided to sit over here in the first place. Gohan sighed. At least this way, it was quiet for Gohan's confession.
Videl leaned forward in anticipation.
Taking a deep breath, Gohan asked, "How do you go about asking a girl to be his Valentine?"
As for her instantaneous reaction to Gohan's sudden statement, a feeling entirely new to her coursed her body as she shivered slightly. This was an emotion undecipherable to her. Was it a mix of happiness … pain and a tinge of jealousy?
Happiness out of the fact that this girl could probably be her! But… that was highly unlikely. What if it wasn't her? Supposedly, it was somebody else. A wave of jealousy coursed her, which in turn made her sad.
Unwilling to show this weak side of herself, Videl gave into forced hysterical fits of giggles, hoping that this would mask the pain in her voice. She bit her lower lip and breathed in through her nose, trying desperately to compose herself. Gohan was obviously struggling with this and if she laughed at him she would definitely not be asked something this sensitive ever again.
"A date for Valentine's Day?" she repeated, trying to buy a moment of time.
"Uh-huh," Gohan nodded meekly without looking in her direction.
The brunette nodded contemplatively. Gohan must have set his sights on Angela, the attractive redhead. Videl might not have particularly liked Angela, but Gohan probably liked the girl, seeing as Gohan went on a date with her early when they started with high school. Even this morning too she saw Angela approach Gohan.
While this made her jealous to no end, still she wanted to help her friend wholeheartedly "Alright...well, there are a few things you could do."
Gohan looked up expectantly, like a guard dog ready to receive instructions. Videl tried not to break into laughter all over again.
"First...well, be romantic. Most girls like flowers. As long as they aren't allergic to them of course. That could be a little embarrassing."
Gohan swallowed nervously. "Do you know that from personal experience?"
"No. My mother was allergic, and Daddy tried to court her with lilies. It didn't go so well," Videl explained.
"If your mum's allergic does that mean you are too?" Gohan asked curiously.
Videl shook her head. "No, thank Dende. Anyway, flowers aren't a bad way to go with most girls."
Gohan added 'flowers' to his to-do list.
"I've seen some of the older boys giving girls chocolates, so that could work," Videl suggested.
"What if they're allergic to chocolate?" Gohan asked.
Videl smiled. "I doubt they would be. After all why do you think everyone gifts chocolate on this occasion? Plus even if chocolate fails you have the option of ice cream. Ice creams are a way to girl's heart. Personally, I would lean more towards the latter 'coz it's just not only the dessert that I love, it's ice itself. The white snow … ah...I would love to explore such places and enjoy myself out there in the serenity of the calm snow."
Gohan sighed in relief. This was a lot more complicated than he'd expected. But this particular piece of information was very relevant.
"When do you plan on asking her?" Videl asked, curiosity taking the better of her. Though she tried her best to refrain herself from asking as to who the girl was.
Gohan shook his head despondently. "I don't know. Should I try and get her alone, so that if she does say no, I'm not going to be completely embarrassed? Or should I do it in public? Would she be less likely to say no in public?"
The giggling was trying to return, but Videl carefully swallowed it down.
"Well, if you do it in public it would show her that you weren't afraid of rejection. Of course, it does put a bit of pressure on her to say 'yes'. But, if she really doesn't want to go with you, or she already has a date, then I'm certain she'd say 'no'. But this is a lot hassle, and some girls prefer things to be done in private. For me, asking out in 'public' is a definite no." Videl kept on answering to Gohan's question with utmost honesty from her point of view, unknown to the fact that it was making someone's task drastically easy.
Gohan nodded. 'privacy' was added onto his list.
"Do I have to lead up to the question itself? Should I make small talk first?" Gohan asked.
Videl shook her head emphatically. "Gohan, you are terrible at small talk. Don't try it. You'll stress yourself out. Straight to the point is best."
Gohan breathed in deeply, feeling a little more confident. "Alright. Thanks Videl. I owe you one."
"You don't owe me anything, Gohan, and I'm glad I could be of any help. Anyway, wish you all the luck," Videl said sincerely, though it pained her deeply to say those words.
Gohan smiled, feeling much better about his next task, all the while unbeknownst to the emotional turmoil coursing inside of Videl. He was glad he had such a friend as Videl. If only he could take their friendship to the next level; Gohan sighed.
Suddenly he was hit with the thought that it was lunch-time and that he hadn't even touched his lunch up until now. So without any further ado, he dug out a capsule from his pocket. He pressed the trigger and tossed it onto the table, salivating as a huge feast appeared. Videl shook her head at Gohan's childish antics. She still hadn't gotten over the fact as to how he could eat this much.
Videl, on the other hand, was in deep contemplation. From what she could make of this conversation with Gohan so far, he was hinting towards being in love with someone.
Love … with someone; most probably not her, otherwise she could have known it by now. As much as it hurt her, she ought to know of the girl who made him feel this way.
"By the way Gohan, whom are you gonna ask to be your Valentine?" She blurted out randomly. She tried to go for subtlety, but something inside her wrenched as she said the words. It was as if someone forced her to speak those words, and she reluctantly complied.
Gohan was slightly taken aback. He never anticipated the question to be thrown towards him out of the blue. He coughed up on the piece of meat he was devouring. He had to hit himself hard on the chest, twice, to regain his composure.
Having steadied himself, he thought about it. Gohan felt like this might just be his best chance to speak his heart out to the girl he was so crazily in love with.
He put his arms behind his head and looked at the sky. He was blushing ever so slightly in that endearing way she had come to love. Oddly, this comforted her instead of making her envy the person who could make him blush.
He parted his lips but the words caught in his throat. He just didn't have the requisite confidence. A part in him was skeptic of the outcome. What if this sudden confession of him would put their beautiful friendship in jeopardy?
Seeing the dilemma of the boy in front of her, she felt pity for him. Hoping to make things a little easy for Gohan, she proposed, "Well, if you don't wanna actually say the name of the person, it's absolutely fine. At the very least you can talk about some of her traits which might help in getting a hint on, as to what kind of a girl she is … hmm?"
The son of Goku felt slightly uncomfortable, because he'd never discussed this kind of thing with Videl, but if she wanted to…. "Well," he said reluctantly. "She is intelligent, of course. That's a good thing indeed because I don't think I could relate to someone that couldn't keep up with me."
Videl nodded eagerly, fighting the urge to whip out a pen and start taking notes. She then thought back on Gohan's words. 'He said that the girl is intelligent. Hmm… who might that be? As far as intelligence is concerned, for all that comes to my mind is Bulma, but … she is married so that can't be.
Is it Erasa … hmm, that's highly unlikely! Or is it Angela? Grrhh…that bitch! Duh, what am I even thinking?' Videl smirked, 'the words Angela and intelligent doesn't even come up close.'
'The only girl who fits the 'intelligent' shoe from our class is the valedictorian – May. Though she is nowhere near Gohan's standards, but is undoubtedly one of the best in OSH. If that's what Gohan means by intelligent.' She frowned. 'But for all I know, the two of them didn't even have any interaction. Ever. Let alone the thoughts of dating her. But who knows what Gohan has in his mind. Maybe he does like her.' She thought sadly.
Gohan watched the different expressions that flashed across Videl's face with amusement. One moment she looked excited; at another instant she was smirking which finally settled to a somber look. To say the least, Gohan was confused by all these mood swings.
He was contemplating on whether to drop the second clue or not. In his mind, the second clue was enough to rightly able to identify the girl of his liking. But the way Videl was acting made him kind of think otherwise. Nevertheless he started, "I always have an inclination towards strong women-"
"Huh what?" interrupted Videl midway as she was not able to follow what Gohan said for being lost in her own train of thoughts.
"I said, strong women have always intrigued me. Maybe because I've grown up around two of them," Gohan said ruefully, thinking of his mother and Bulma, two women strong in different ways. Gohan glanced at Videl; she seemed really absorbed in what he was saying. He went on, taking advantage of the moment; it wasn't often that he was the center of their conversation. "And we'd have more in common if she was a fighter."
'Fighter … strong women … love,' were the words reverberating in her mind. She was racking her brain to join the dots and find the suitable candidate that fulfilled all the conditions. A picture of Android 18 flashed in her mind. 'Duh! She is married, she can't be it. Then again, there isn't anybody who is a fighter other than 18. At least from what I know so far.'
She stole a glance at Gohan who had a curious look on his face and was looking at her expectantly. She was confused.
What was even more humorous was the fact that it was clear as stream water that the attributes were a direct reflection of her and despite that she wasn't able to relate to it. Was she in some kind of a dilemma? Did Videl consider herself too good for Gohan?
'This isn't working … there's gonna be some notable traits and besides, why is he riddling with me, he can just speak out the name straight off.'
Gohan felt her intense gaze on him and shivered involuntarily. "Physical traits - what about the physical traits of the girl?" Videl asked intently.
"Umm … short black hair," Gohan offered, smiling. He was thinking back to their conversation when he was just starting to teach her to fly. Those were one of the best memories he had made with her. These were the days when he fell for this beautiful raven-haired crimefighter.
He fell in daze thinking back on the sweet memory.
...
Before she left, Gohan had told her that she should cut her hair. "Umm…your hair! Maybe it would be better….short," were his exact words. For some odd and unfathomable reason, Videl had begun to blush as she'd gently held one of her black pigtails in her hands as she absentmindedly ran her fingers through the strands, asking him with if he liked girls with short hair.
For some reason, her heart had begun pounding like crazy. It was then that he'd said that he just thought that it'd be more beneficial for her in a fight. Not that he thought that she'd look better with shorter hair.
Videl had raged at him after that, her face flushed red as she yelled at him. Who did he think he was?
"Why don't you just leave me alone and get out of my hair your hair you big JERRRRK!" Her response was none too pleasant either. After all she would do whatever she wanted to do with her hair, and he couldn't make her do anything that she didn't want to!
However, there was something oddly endearing in that particular statement of Gohan that gave her some different sensations and propelled her to cut her hair.
...
Those were Gohan's thoughts. But the case with Videl was something really else. She wasn't at all thinking on that. The 'short black hair' statement of his sounded way too familiar. She had heard him say that before as well. It was a trait that she presumably identified in a certain someone and very much alike someone she knew. It sounded like …. her?
Things were slowly beginning to come to light and the more she delved into it, the more it got crystal. All the while Gohan's been trying to give her a message – a subtle hint through those cryptic puzzles. Intelligent women, strong fighters, short black hair were undeniably her traits. She felt foolish for not being able to catch on that and that it took her so long.
And it was then that she realized the worth of those implications and it hit her like a speeding train. All this time it was her! Gohan liked her and wanted her to be his Valentine. As for Videl it was almost like a dream come true. Should this be for real there wouldn't be any limits to her joy.
To top it all off Gohan looked straight into her eyes with that same intoxicating look that weakened her at her knees and dropped his last bomb. "Beautiful cerulean eyes!"
It was all too obvious now. And it was only a matter of time before someone would man enough to confess their bottled up emotions for one another.
Struck suddenly by how Gohan was looking at her, Videl opened her mouth to the say something. But as they say, destiny decides …..
' RINNNNNGGGGGGGG'
The bell chose what could possibly be the worst moment to ring. Gohan felt like screaming and blasting the noisy thing into oblivion.
Videl growled through her teeth. The moment was so ruined now! She wished she could ignore school and go on like they had been. 'So clooooose …' she screamed internally.
"Well, happy now?" Gohan tried to say lightheartedly, but he was still seething. "Is my ideal girl who you thought she'd be?"
"Err…no."
"No," Gohan looked at her confused.
"I mean, you didn't even say the name." Videl replied flatly.
Gohan was flabbergasted. He gave her a "after all this, you ask for the name" look. Well it seemed like Videl who was playing with him this time, and that was apparent from the mischievous glint in her eyes. "Hmm…I see. If that's the case," Gohan went thoughtful for a moment, as if contemplating over something. As his train of thought came to an end, he gave her an amused look which, slightly, freaked Videl out.
"Hey Videl, for once, care to ditch classes. I wanna take you some place."
Videl was shocked beyond belief upon hearing that. She looked at him stunned, mouth agape slightly. It was none other than the resident nerd proposing to ditch class on Valentine's Day and that too with her, of all people. Having lost the inability to verbally respond to this, she nodded her head meekly.
The affirmation was all he needed. Taking her in surprise, he pulled her by the hand and rose high up in the air. "Gohan wha…!" she fumbled out as she tried to gain her composure. It took her a moment to steady herself.
She wanted to say something, but a shooing motion and a finger pressed to her lips from Gohan indicated that he wished her to follow. So without saying anything further she flew behind Gohan towards destination unknown to her.
xXx
It was getting colder and colder the more they went ahead. Videl had no idea where Gohan was leading her but in any case it had to be a very cold place. By this point even the velocity of wind increased further and it whipped against her face and chilled her body producing a faint sensation of numbness.
After another half an hour of bumpy flight across the oceans and through the rough storms and black clouds they reached a place of which Videl at first glance was unable to describe its magnificence. From the aerial view, it looked like a expanse of snow-capped mountains and pure white glaciers kissing the sea-bed. Despite the climate being considerably cool, the weather over here was at its top notch. The presence of clear blue skies, swift blowing gales produced an effect of tranquility and peace around them.
They flew some distance further ahead and this time mainland was in their line of vision. It appeared as a gigantic chunk of land covered with thick layers of ice and the from the looks of it, the island had considerable vegetation too. There was greenery due to the presence of mosses and lichens and some sparse fir and mountain larch scattered at some of the foothills of the snow-capped mounts.
Gohan began to take his descent at the foothill of one such mountain; Videl copied this. For a few seconds after of landing, they just bathed themselves in the scenic beauty of the serene and sublime Arctic region.
Despite the heavenly presence, all this silence was killing her. She had to say something. "Gohan ! Why did you bring me here? I'm not complaining, in fact I'm glad you brought me here; I am already in love with this place. It's just that I'm confused."
"Nothing much. I just wanted to explore the place and search for something and also spend some time with you." Gohan replied smiling.
'Spend time with me!' Videl literally screamed in her mind in delight. She was now for certain that Gohan had a thing for her.
"And what about the thing that you wanted to search, that you came all the way up to here?" She enquired.
"It's a flower."
"Oh okay. I see."
"Come follow me. We have got to scale the mountain on foot 'coz I am not in the mood to fly any more. The flower Blue Arctic Tundra, scientifically known as the calliergon giganteum, probably grows near the peak of this hill where the filtered Sunlight can reach for the enrichment of the flower and –"
'BAM!'
Gohan couldn't complete his sentence as he was hit with a large chunk of ice ball by Videl. She was now in fits and giggled hard at the baffled face of Gohan adorned in white snow that stuck out very oddly from off his face. "That's what… haha… you will get for … haha … being a nerd." She managed to utter as she clutched onto her stomach to control her laughter.
Gohan was stupefied, though a small smirk eventually curved up his lips. "If that's how you want to play it, Videl?"
Before she could anticipate what was about to happen, Gohan pounced upon her with grace and agility. She could feel the coldness dripping down her scalp. It was all wet. And now she was on the receiving end of snowballs.
However Videl Satan wasn't the one to give up without a fight, she crouched and picked up some snow which she packed it into a tight ball and threw towards Gohan. This time being on guard, Gohan could actually dodge them. He too threw snowballs of his own.
The two were having such a fun time together, lost in this different world with no worries in their head. They found themselves enjoying it like little kids. The barrage of snowballs went on for some more time until Videl hit Gohan with a particular snowball which instead of breaking upon impact, crashed against his head with a loud clang sound.
Eh…they were confused as to what that was?
Gohan picked up the snowball from the ground out of curiosity and examined it carefully as he rotated the ball with his palm to scrutinize it from all angles.
"What was that Gohan?" huffed Videl as she ran all the way up to Gohan to see what the matter was.
"Uhh … I dunno." He said while scratching the back of his head with his free hand.
"My! Did I just hear Mr. Perfect Scores say he doesn't know? Lol, let's celebrate on this occasion." Teased Videl.
"Haha so funny, ain't it Videl?" Gohan commented sarcastically.
She simply rolled her eyes and reverted her gaze back to the snowball in Gohan's palm. "Hey, why don't you try to remove the layer of ice enveloping it? Maybe there's something else inside of it." Proposed Videl.
"Ah! That's it. Brilliant Videl. Why couldn't I think of it?"
"Eh… maybe because you are a nerd." She shrugged.
"Ouch that hurts, V." Gohan feigned to look hurt, though he terribly failed at it which made Videl further crack up.
"Payback's a bitch, Gohan"
He gave her an are-you-joking look and then focused his attention back on the ball. He brought his free palm above the ball and sent a concentrated beam of invisible energy onto the ball. The heat from the beam slowly melted the ice to reveal a sparkly orange spherical object. As the snow totally got off the object, it revealed itself to be none other than a Dragonball. Also a quick glance at it showed that it had four stars over it.
It was the four star Dragonball in all its glory. But the question that stymied their minds was, "What's a four star Dragonball doing over here?" Both spoke at the same time, a gasped surprise look playing their faces. "Uhh…isn't it supposed to be over by your house Gohan?" Questioned Videl.
"I am thinking the same thing, as well. They are always supposed to be over at our house. I don't recall Shenron being awakened in the past couple of months," he replied as best he could, even though he was equally confused.
The mention of Shenron lit up a fuse in Videl's brain. "Yesss! I got it," she screamed clasping her hands together. She went to add, "Remember Shenron was summoned only a few months ago to erase the memory of Buu from everyone's mind. Maybe after the wish, the balls scattered and no one bothered to search for it."
Videl smiled triumphantly, proud of her detection skills. Gohan looked at Videl incredulously, mouth agape slightly. "Have you taken extra spiked punch today, Videl?" he asked meekly, all the while afraid of her reaction.
"What?!" Roared Videl furiously. "Buddy, don't know about the drinking punch but you are, for sure, gonna get a punch from me on that cute face of yours."
Despite her starting off with a scowling exterior she ended up bursting into a fit of giggles. 'Ugh I can't believe I just said that out loud.'
'Gosh! I can't believe Videl just said my face looks cute.'
An unwarranted silence fell between the two of them. Someone had to say something to break the awkward moment. Gohan took the initiative, "Guess we should climb the hill-top now, we have already used up enough time here." And with that he used a ki blast to carve a way for them to tread on. He began to ascend.
" 'Kay I'm right behind you. Hold on a second, I'm gonna take the Dragonball along with us as well." And she followed on his trail – for a journey up to the peak of the hill.
Needless to say things were a bit awkward between the two after that small slip-up. They both trudged their path up the hill without uttering a single spell or for that matter even sparing a glance. They were just too embarrassed to do so. The first half of the climb passed uneventfully.
Though things weren't looking too good as they went on to climb further up. The rough terrain was taking its toll on Videl. They had been scaling for the last thirty minutes and Videl was spent by this time and she was feeling dizzy. She gave out a startled moan which garnered Gohan's attention. He looked behind to see Videl holding onto her head and lose her balance. Before she could fall off the cliff, Gohan rushed at her, "Videl!" and caught her by the waist.
"Are you alright Videl?" Gohan asked, his voice dripping in concern and his eyes showing a look that was a blend of worry and care.
"I am alright Gohan. Just a bit fatigued and maybe feeling a little cold due to hypothermia. Don't worry much. You can go ahead without me." Videl weakly managed to let those words out, as she gave a small smile.
Gohan held onto her even more tightly. "Don't you ever say that Videl!" His voice was full of authority. He raised his body ki to release energy waves that warmed up the air in their vicinity. That did it. It provided Videl the necessary warmth she needed. He caught her by surprise by lifting her bridal style and walk the rest of the path up the hill on his own. "G…Gohan what….?!"
"Shhh Videl, do you really think I would leave you down below like that?" Gohan said. She beamed and snuggled even closer to Gohan's chest. Even though he blushed hard at the action, he had a goofy, contented smile etched on his face.
He could see the peak approaching. He sped up even more though taking every precaution as to not bring about any discomfort to Videl.
A few steps more, he had to trudge and he eventually reached the hilltop. "Videl, we have reached the peak of the hill." He gave her a slight shake.
"Mhmm, 'kay have we?"
"Yes," said Gohan as he gently placed her on the ice-floor on the peak of the mountain.
"It's so beautiful from all the way up here." It was almost dusk and in the arctic region she could vividly see the deep red hue of the Sun enveloping the entire sky in a magnificent shade of crimson. The sight in which the Sun kissed the horizon left her breathless. Videl was too busy caught up in marveling at the sight of nature's beauty that she failed to track onto Gohan's movements till the time they came here.
In the meanwhile, Gohan had actually managed to find the flower for which he took all these difficulties – the Blue Arctic Tundra. He held the flower shakily in his right hand and stood behind Videl feeling nervous. With the way he was feeling, he could never fulfill the purpose he so wanted to do.
Suddenly a wave of confidence and determination coursed his body and in impulse he spoke-out-loud, "Though not as beautiful as you, Videl."
The said girl, stunned, turned around to see Gohan crouched on his one-knee and hold out a blue flower to her with his right hand. Even a five year old girl could have said what Gohan wanted to convey with that action of his.
Videl looked at Gohan once and then back at the flower on which she looked for the first time. Only one word exclaimed her lips, "Wow.". She took the flower from his right hand and pressed it against her heart. Her eyes were moist with tears of happiness.
Gohan got up and took Videl's hand in his. Videl looked at him expectantly with moist, blue eyes. This was the moment he had prepared himself for. "Maybe before today if someone asked me as to how to ask a girl out, I'd be sporting as blank a face I could muster. But you, Videl, have taught me so much. And just like you wanted. We are on our own, with not a single soul in sight to interrupt us or embarrass us. You love ice as you said to me earlier, hope this place was not a letdown. I know of your love for flowers, I mean, what better flower could there be than blue tundra which is a pure reflection of your eyes. And the exquisiteness of this flower is, it is rare … just like you. You taught me how to be romantic, how to not beat around the bush and go straight to the point. Videl," he stared into her pool of cerulean blue eyes that was going to burst with tears any moment now, "I love you Videl. Would you be my Valentine?"
That was the limit. The dam broke and Videl's tears finally began cascading down her cheeks.
"You idiot," she mumbled as she wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled his head down to meet his lips in a warm kiss. Their lips met and despite their numbness due the cold, electricity struck. The kiss felt so right. It was as if they were meant to be together.
Videl shivered, burying her fingers into his spiky locks and shutting her eyes. The kiss was soft and gentle at first, then all of a sudden Gohan's arms were around her waist, tightening. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip sensually, silently pleading, and her mouth opened involuntarily.
She gasped at the sensation when his tongue darted into her mouth and claimed it as its own. Feelings and emotions were whirling through her, and she felt slightly heady. She was getting weak her knees.
They continually kissed liked that for the next two minutes. After they broke off the kiss, they stared lovingly into each other's eyes and subsequently wrapped themselves in a warm, heartfelt embrace. They remained like that for another ten minutes.
Gohan was the first one to respond. He spoke to her in a caring voice, "Think we should go home Videl."
"Is it time already?" She mumbled.
"Oh I am pretty sure by now your dad and my mom have pretty much thrown a tantrum."
Gohan shivered slightly at the thought of the frying pan crashing against his head.
"Meh … who cares! It is our day, right?" she replied lazily.
"Hmm. Indeed! Right you are. But it would be better if we get home." He said as he once again picked her up in the same bridal way, and blasted into the skies. "I am totally spent tonight, Videl. Barely have the energy to drop you off and fly back home."
"Moments you wish your father would have taught you the Instant Transmission." Videl said with a shimmer in her eyes.
"Nope. I don't wish for that." He replied looking ahead of him, a smile adorning his lips.
"Why?" She asked, confused.
" 'Coz then the moment I could spend with you would be lost and I don't ever want to lose the moment. This is a moment I would like to live with you in forever and make memories to cherish for times to come…" And just like that, Videl smiled at her soul-mate in the same endearing way he had so fallen in love with.
~They say that one requires Seven Dragonballs to fulfill a wish … but far away from the human civilization, out here in this cold terrain, two soul mates witnessed that all it requires is conviction and a true belief in oneself to have one's wish come true.
~While the Blue Arctic Tundra and the four star Dragonball were only an impetus in that direction; quests that simply strengthens their unbreakable bond of unity. Love is what joins them together.
~'Coz they are one eternal Valentine…
-fin-
*You can check out for the pictures of 'blue arctic tundra flower' on Google images.
They look pretty cool indeed!
Hope you liked the fic,
~GoHaNViDeLSoN :)