Title: For Better or Worse
Author: Kat-Lady04
Rating: PG-ish? This is probably the cleanest thing I've ever written.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
//Sending//
-----
"If any man has a reason why these two should not be wed, speak now, or forever hold your peace."
Gohan and Videl, not expecting anyone to say anything, allowed themselves to get lost in each others eyes reveling in the fact that the ceremony was almost over. Considering that Gohan was the current strongest being in the entire universe, nobody in their right mind would object to his marriage.
"I object!"
Ok, so maybe one idiot would. Every head in the room turned with stunned expressions to look at the smirking idiot…er…Hercule. Hercule stood with his arms crossed over his puffed out chest in his "intimidation" pose, and a huge pleased smirk on his face.
"Tousan!" Videl hissed. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm saving you from making the biggest mistake of your life Sweet Pea. You wouldn't listen to me when I told you I didn't want you two to get married and if I have to make my objections stand now then I will. I will not allow you to marry some little punk that wouldn't even be able to protect and defend himself, let alone you."
Videl was livid as she stared at her father in disbelief. How could he do this to her, and to Gohan. Not only embarrass them both by waiting until during the ceremony to throw a hissy fit, but then to insult Gohan in front of all of his family and friends. She was not going to stand for this.
"Tousan!" Videl snarled through gritted teeth, ready to beat his afroed head in.
//Hey Videl, wait a minute, let me try something first okay?//
Videl looked at Gohan with questioning eyes. //What? Do you want me to let your mom have a go first or something?//
//Kami, no. I don't want him dead, I'm just going to…talk to him and convince him that I would make a good husband for you.//
//Alright Gohan, but if that doesn't work I'm turning her loose on him.// Videl mentally pointed to a raging Chi Chi who was being forcibly held back by a cringing Goku. Goku had his hands full trying to dodge both of her frying pans, the Frying Pan of Doom and the Frying Pan of Eternal Pain and Torment. Chi Chi was just a tad upset.
Gohan chuckled softly //Boy you're vicious when you don't get what you want.//
//Better get used to it buster. Now go set my idiot father straight.//
//Yes ma'am!// Turning, Gohan stepped off of the dais and walked to where an, oblivious of the danger he was in by a pan wielding mad-woman, Hercule stood. Ever respectful to his elders, Gohan asked quite politely and calmly. "Mr. Satan, if you would come with me for a moment please so we can talk about this like civilized adults." 'And away from witnesses.' He mentally added, not so respectfully.
Hercule, thinking that the 'scrawny punk' was going to beg and cry for he, the Great Hercule, to allow this marriage to go on, pointed to a door leading to a small room in the back of the church. "Let's go in there to talk." He said with, what he thought, a menacing glare, to Gohan it looked like he had something in his eye.
The two walked to the back room and Gohan could hear Yamcha, Krillin and Tien betting on how long it would be before Gohan came out for a senzu for the idiot. As the door closed Gohan turned to Hercule and his calm, polite demeanor dropped a little. "Now, Mr. Satan, what exactly is your problem with me marrying Videl?"
"Because you're weak! You're too scrawny and you wouldn't be able to protect my little girl. Even though she is the daughter of the man that saved the world from Cell she still needs to be protected. She is a girl after all." Hercule said belligerently.
"Okay, two things Hercule." Gohan said with a slight chuckle in his voice, which Hercule took as a quiver of fear. "First of all, if Videl ever heard you say that she would beat the crap right out of you, and she could do it too. She is so much stronger than you it's not even funny." By now Hercule's face rivaled that of a tomato he was getting so mad. Before he could bluster anything in protest though Gohan continued on.
"And secondly, I know for a fact that you didn't defeat Cell. All you did was get smacked around a bit and steal the credit for what somebody stronger than you did." During Gohan's declaration, Hercule's face had lost it's color so fast it looked like someone had pulled the plug and it was a miracle that he hadn't passed out already.
"Wha…what do you mean? Of course I defeated Cell. You weren't there, you can't prove anything!" Hercule's voice got a tad strained at the end.
"Oh? Cant' I? You sound nervous Hercule." Gohan gave an evil smirk that would have done Vegeta proud as he took a step towards the now sweating and shaking Hercule. "There was a boy there too Hercule, do you remember him? You should. He was about eleven years old, pretty hard to forget actually, gold hair, green eyes, could fly, beat Cell. You know, the usual."
"H-how d-do you know ab-about him?" Hercule asked, stuttering so hard even Gohan's Saiyin hearing had trouble picking out what he was saying.
"I know more about that boy than you think Hercule. You see, that little boy was me." Hercule looked faint for a moment as this new information processed. But he jumped all over the lie he thought he saw in Gohan's words.
"What kind of an idiot do you take me for? That kid had gold hair and green eyes. He was also extremely powerful and could do all sorts of light tricks." Gohan chuckled to himself thinking that Hercule was going to find out just what kind of idiot.
"You want proof? Ok, that's easy enough." Gohan replied with a lopsided smile that showed off his canines a bit more than Hercule was comfortable with at the present time as with the barest nudge to his power Gohan went Super and looked at the now dead-fish white Hercule through his green eyes.
---
Meanwhile, back out in the chapel Videl and Erasa were talking quietly with each other to pass the time as Goku and Bulma tried to keep Chi Chi from running into the little anteroom and killing the brides father. "Calm down Chi, Gohan will take care of it. You'll get your grandkids, just give him a minute." Goku was desperate, he'd willingly use the grandchildren card as often as he had too to get her to put the dreaded pans away. Bulma leaned over and whispered something into Chi Chi's ear. Goku thought he could make out the words "…You kill Hercule…Videl…mad…Gohan…letting you." And the all important "No grandchildren." The tension drained from Chi Chi and both frying pans disappeared back into the acursed dimension from whence they came. At least that was what all of the Saiyins called the subspace pocked Bulma had made for Chi Chi and given to her as a Christmas present. All of the assembled Z-fighters breathed a sigh of relief at the disappearance of the pans as Chi Chi had been known to get fwhap happy and not particularly care who got hit as long as the guilty party got it too.
All at once all of the Z-fighters and Videl's heads jerked around until they were facing the anteroom as they felt Gohan's power rise to Super Saiyin level. Vegeta, Piccolo and surprisingly enough Goku got a smirk on their faces as they exchanged a knowing look.
"About time the brat showed him, now maybe the idiot will finally shut up." Vegeta said as a feminine shriek echoed throughout the church. Everyone in the church watched as the door opened and Gohan stuck his head out. Turning to Krillin he gave a small, sheepish laugh with his hand behind his head in typical Son fashion.
"Well Krillin, looks like you won the bet, we weren't even in there for five minutes. Got a senzu handy Yajarobe?"
"Of course, whenever you guys get together at least one of you end up needing one before too long." He dug out a bean from inside his coat pocket and tossed it over to the waiting demi-Saiyin. "But hurry up and get this thing over with, that reception food isn't going to last forever you know."
"Will do, just give me a second." Gohan turned and with a quick wink at the smiling Videl made his way back to the anteroom and the unconscious Hercule Satan.
Now if Hercule had just overloaded, screamed like a girl and fainted Gohan wouldn't have bothered with the senzu bean. But unfortunately for Hercule, on his way down he smacked his head on a wooden chair that was behind him, knocking him even fruit-loopier than he already was (if that is even possible).
You might be wondering what the hardest chair in the entire church was doing in the exact spot it was, which conveniently knocked the worlds biggest blowhard out. Well let's just say that Hercule wasn't Dende's favorite person in the world, especially after stopping his friend Gohan's wedding, because he knew that if anything were to mess with Chi Chi's plans for grandchildren she would come after him. Even if she had to climb Karin's tower to scream his Namekian ears off and give him a permanent dent in his head with one or more of her collection of frying pans. 'Hopefully the blow to the head will knock some sense into the big doofus.' Dende thought with a smirk. Piccolo raised one of his eye ridges and looked pointedly at Dende as he heard that thought. Dende just grinned and shrugged, nonrepentant. Piccolo almost cracked a smile.
Back in the anteroom Gohan kneeled down next to a newly awakened and whimpering Hercule. "Now, Hercule, are there going to be any more objections to my marriage to Videl? I think I've already proven multiple times that I'm strong enough to protect her." Gohan said, still in his calm and patient tone of voice.
"Y-y-yes. I mean No! N-no, of course you're strong enough!" Hercule's eyes were huge and bugging out of his head as he stared at the now black haired man before him, now more worried about his secret being let out than anything. "You're not going to tell on me now, are you? About C-c-cell I mean."
"No." Gohan leaned back and sighed. "I never wanted the fame that came with being the one who beat Cell." Hercule breathed a sigh of relief at that until Gohan's eyes became fierce once more. "But," he said sharply. "Now that I have your undivided attention, there is one thing I want you to do." Gohan's voice was hard and Hercule just about wet himself.
"W-what do you want?" He whimpered.
"I want you to stop making fun of our fighting style. No more lies about ki blasts, flying and super strength being light tricks or props. That annoys me almost as much as your rants about Cell." Gohan said with a look of irritation on his face. "You stop that and I won't tell anyone about Cell. Deal?" He asked, holding his hand out for Hercule to take.
"Deal." Hercule said, finally starting to calm down. He grabbed Gohan's hand and let the younger man help him too his feet.
"Great!" Gohan was all smiles once again. "Now that that is all taken care of, how about we go out there and finish the wedding before my mom starts hitting people with her pans."
Hercule didn't have a clue what his soon to be son-in-law was talking about but at this point he would agree to just about anything so he nodded his head in agreement and they left the anteroom.
Gohan returned to his place at Videl's side and gave her hand a squeeze while Hercule sat back down in the pew. Shin, the acting preacher (I mean really, how much higher up could you get?) cleared his throat and shook his head slightly at Gohan, 'Only a Son…' "Let's try this again, shall we?" He said with a slight smile on his lips. "If any man has a reason why these two should not be wed, speak now, or forever hold your peace." He looked at Hercule, hoping that everything had been cleared up between him and Gohan.
With a quick, nervous glance at Gohan, Hercule nodded his ascent to Shin and the wedding continued without further delays. Much to Chi Chi's satisfaction, now she wouldn't have to kill and/or maim her new daughter-in-law's father.
"Now then, by the power vested in me by all the Kais that came before, it is my great honor and privilege to announce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Both were smiling as Gohan lifted Videls' veil and they shared their first kiss as a married couple. Chi Chi, Bulma and Hercule promptly burst into tears. When their kiss was over they turned to look at their friends and family.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased and proud to introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Son Gohan!" Shin was beaming as the happy couple walked amid thunderous applause and whole-hearted congratulations back down the aisle and into the start of their new life together.
---The End---
A/N: I started this story three years ago and just now found it and finished it. Can you tell that I really didn't like Hercule back then? He was right up there with the Saiya-man poses for things that needed to be squished. Hard.
Let's pretend that somehow KioShin found a way to split back into two people, Shin was way cuter before so that's how he'll always stay in my mind.
This is my first non-GW fic that I've posted, let me know what you think, I've got more that I'm writing!
Please review. Comments, critiques and whatever are more than welcome, flames…not so much. Actually, attention is attention so, Yay barbeque, bring on the flames!
--Kat