Title:Keeping
in the Family
Disclaimer:...Yeah,
because this would ever happen.
Rating:PG-13
( T ), for angst, violence, lust and a young Saiyan hybrid learning
the value of naughty words.
Summary: "If 'Nii-san won't marry you, will you marry me instead?" With a misplaced wish on the dragonballs, this could turn into a problem. Post-Buu, GV – but which G?
Nope, don't feel like doing a prologue.
Chapter One: Pop! Goes the Question
"Don't hold your arms so tense, relax your joints," Gohan instructed, slumping his shoulders for emphasis. "You have to be loose or you'll hurt yourself."
"I am being loose!" Videl growled through clenched teeth. She held her arms out straight before her, elbows locked into position as she attempted to force her chi outward. She dug her heels into the lawn as her power grew, burdening the muscles of her petite figure with dense energy, and struggled to keep her posture.
Gohan ran his fingers through his messy spikes, at a loss. How many ways could you tell someone to relax? "Videl-san, if you don't loosen up your joints you won't be able to release your chi. It's like kinking a hose."
Videl ignored him and flared her blue aura, curling her fingers tightly over her palms. She squinted her eyes shut to block out her instructor's well-meaning advice and focused solely on forcing intangible energy from her body. Her palms seared as the power bled to the surface, clinging to every nerve like dust to static.
Bolts of blue electricity spawned from her fingertips as the chi finally began to break through physical barriers. The energy gathered in the cup of her hands in the form of a flickering orb, swelling to larger proportions as its creator fed it her own life.
'Come on...come on!'
"Augh!"
The bubble of chi burst, sending it's particles flying into oblivion. As the blue faded away, so too did the similar hue in Videl's eyes. The iced periwinkle shade darkened as her consciousness wavered and she slipped into the dreamless oblivion of one with no more energy to spare on frivolous fantasy.
Videl fell forward as her own stubborn will abandoned her to the dark world of unconsciousness, leaving her in the care of her concerned instructor.
"Videl-san!" Gohan shouted, heart fluttering in instantaneous panic. He rushed to catch her as she fell, her blue energy flickering and fading away as she descended to the ground, and swept his arms beneath her so that he might catch her before she hit the earth. She collapsed into them, face first, limp and panting. Gohan landed backward on the grass, cradling his felled student in his lap as he inquired after her condition; "Videl-san, are you alright?"
At first, Videl didn't answer, panting heavily into his bare chest from the exertion of her mistake. "F-fine...," she muttered finally. She dug her bloodied nails into his biceps, face scrunched in frustration. "Goddamnit!"
Taking her inclination to curse as a good sign, Gohan allowed all the muscles in his body to relax. "Hey, you're doing well. Nobody gets the hang of this on the first day," he assured her, smiling as he reached up to pat the crown of her head.
Videl snorted and turned her face away from his optimism. "It's been six days," she replied bitterly.
Gohan sighed, again running his fingers through his hair; something he found he did when he felt helpless and frustrated. "Yeah, well, shooting ki blasts is more difficult than flying," he explained honestly. "I had to spend six months in training before I could do it." 'Of course, I was four years old and too busy catching dinosaur for dinner to learn, but she doesn't have to know that.'
Videl lifted her blue eyes toward him reluctantly. "Really?"
"Really," Gohan agreed, pleased with himself for finally saying something right. "And at the time I was already stronger than you, so – "
"So you're saying that this is going to take me longer than six months!" Videl interrupted, eyes narrowed over a deepening frown.
'Damnit,' Gohan thought, refraining from touching his hair this time lest he pull it out. "Well, I was only four years old and had never had training before, so – "
"YOU COULD DO THIS AT FOUR YEARS OLD?"
The teenage demi-Saiyan prodigy winced at the volume of her voice. "W-well, yeah..."
He was pushed onto his back by the fuming Videl as she struggled to her feet. She wobbled unsteadily but, apparently refusing to be outdone by a four-year-old Gohan, remained standing. Gohan laid on the ground, far too frightened to get up himself, and waited for her to have a "eureka" and blast him into oblivion. Instead, her shadow stretched and disappeared.
"Videl-san?" he called, sitting up. An unsteady Videl was weaving her way back toward the Son house, seeming very much as if she'd just come home from clubbing instead of training.
Coming home.
'As if, Gohan.'
Gohan fell backward onto the grass heavily, muffling his frustrated scream with a clenched fist.
"Girls. I don't...get...girls."
--- --- ---
"Videl-chan, are you sure that you're feeling alright?" Chi-Chi asked, kneeling down next to the couch with a cool washcloth. Videl was stretched out upon it, the back of her hand shading her vision from the harsh light streaming in from the living room window.
Videl's eyes were blurred and unfocused as she turned to the woman who went beyond mother of the year. She lowered her hand to more effectively meet Chi-Chi's gaze as she replied, "I'm fine, Chi-Chi-san. Just a little woozy."
"You shouldn't tense up. You need to stay relaxed," Goku interjected wisely. "It's kinda like trying to force water through a kink in a hose."
"Yeah, I figured...thanks."
Goku grinned from the kitchen table and dove back into his bowl of rice.
Chi-Chi swept Videl's short bangs to the side and placed the washcloth to her forehead lightly. She sighed heavily as she pulled back, shaking her head. "I still don't know why you want to learn this, Videl-chan. Isn't it bad enough that my husband and sons are getting themselves into danger?"
Videl smiled meekly at Chi-Chi's implication. "I just...don't want to be left behind."
Chi-Chi laughed. "Yes, my boys are good at leaving people behind, aren't they?"
Goku glanced up, but chose not to comment.
"Where's Gohan, anyway? Didn't he come in after you?" Chi-Chi queried, narrowing her eyes in disapproval. Her own son didn't want to take care of the future mother of his children? How shameful.
Videl shrugged, doing her best to mimic an unconcerned demeanor."Nope, guess not." She knew Gohan wouldn't follow her when she was upset, he never did. A small, nasty part of her conscience couldn't blame him, either.
"Well, he'll come in as soon as he gets hun – Goku! Don't eat it all, save some for the boys!"
A cowed Goku pulled his hand away from the pot at the center of the table. "But, Chi-Chi," he whined. "I'm still hungry..."
"You can wait until dinner for more food. Now, get out of my kitchen!"
"Chi-Chiii..."
"NOW!"
"Aww..."
The middle-aged mother of two – and, sometimes, three – swatted at her husband with her iron skillet, which always seemed to be strangely on hand. "Go on! Go find your sons, while you're at it."
"Yes, dear...," Goku acquiesced, pouting as he slumped out of the kitchen with a hand to the new lump in his skull.
'If Goku-san were anyone else, I'd have to arrest Chi-Chi for domestic abuse,' Videl thought as she fought to suppress her giggles. Chi-Chi threw the dented frying pan into the sink and started scrubbing.'Or murder.' Videl grimaced.
"'Kaaaaa-saaaaan...," someone whined. Videl inclined her head slightly, sure that she would see Goku standing in the doorway again for one final beg at food. Instead, the next best thing tugged at his mothers hand pitifully. "I'm hungry, 'Kaa-san."
"Lunch is on the table, Goten. You can get it yourself."
"But it tastes better when you do it..."
Chi-Chi turned on the faucet and soaked another washcloth. "You're just going to have to eat your own servings today, Goten. Videl-chan isn't feeling well."
Goten squawked in horror. "What's wrong with 'Nee-chan?"
"I'm fine, Goten. I just overdid my training today, is all," Videl reassured him from her prone position on the couch. She tried to sit up to prove it to him, but failed miserably and set her throbbing head back onto the pillow.
Goten sidestepped his mother and, with Super Saiyan speed, was at Videl's side instantaneously. "Did 'Nii-chan hurt you again?" he asked, his large, sympathetic eyes swelling with crocodile tears.
Water from the wrung washcloth suddenly stopped hitting the bottom of the sink.
"No, Goten, Gohan-kun didn't hurt me." She smiled, stroking the little Saiyan hybrid's hair. "I tried to force water through a kinked hose."
The splashing in the kitchen sink resumed.
Goten tilted his head in confusion and Videl laughed. "It's an expression."
"Ohh...," Goten replied, nodding his head vigorously in understanding. "Will 'Nee-chan be alright?"
Chi-Chi glided around the side of the couch, shooing Goten away so that she might take his position next to Videl's shoulder. Removing the warm, drying washcloth from Videl's forehead, Chi-Chi replaced it with a cool one. "She just needs rest, Goten. Now go eat your lunch before your father sneaks back in to eat the rest of it."
Videl sent him a reassuring wink before leaning back and closing her eyes, taking Chi-Chi's motherly advice to heart. Chi-Chi collected the used rag and disappeared to someplace that didn't seem to matter for the moment. Meanwhile, Goten fidgeted near Videl's feet, anxiously trying to think how to fix his 'Nee-chan.
His stomach rumbled with inspiration. "I know! I'll bring you lunch, 'Nee-chan. That always makes me feel better!"
Heeding his mother's parting orders to remain quiet, Goten hopped over the couch with a small leap and raced to the kitchen on tip-toe. With great care and only a few spills, Goten compiled a towering stack of plates laden with his mother's excellent cooking and, balancing with both hands and his head, proceeded to walk around the kitchen table and into –
CRASH
– Gohan's legs.
Losing their precarious balance, the plates crashed to the linoleum and scattered to the far reaches of the kitchen, breaking into hundreds of smaller pieces.
Goten cracked open an eye, peeking through splayed fingers, and sobbed at the mess. Gohan, holding him above the chaos, scolded, "You need to be careful, squirt. That's why 'Kaa-san won't let you eat in the living room."
The tears he had been holding back since Videl's accident burst forth with a loud wail. "Y-you wrecked 'N-Nee-chan's lunch! N-now she won't f-feel any b-b-better!"
Gohan, startled, nearly dropped Goten on a pile of broken dishes. "W-wha?"
"'N-Nee-chan's lunch! Y-you r-r-ruined it!" Goten accused between sobs. "N-now she c-c-can't feel better!"
"Gohan-kun? What's going on over there?"
Gohan gulped and looked into the living room where Videl struggled to keep her head above the back of the couch. "N-nothing, Videl-san! We just had a little accident, that's all."
"Y-you r-ruined it, 'Nii-san!"
Videl, alarmed, tossed the sopping washcloth to the floor with a wet "smack" and fought to get to her feet and rush to the youngest Saiyan's aid. "Gohan, what did you do?" she screeched, wobbling into the kitchen.
Gohan winced and held his hand out, holding Videl by the shoulder at arms length. "Be careful, there's broken glass!" he shouted over Goten's wails.
Videl smacked Gohan's hand away and reached out for Goten, tugging him away from his elder brother. She pulled Goten to her chest and stroked loving fingers through his thick hair. "It's okay, little guy. It's okay...we can fix it, I promise." She glared at Gohan over Goten's head, nestled safely beneath her chin.
Gohan looked down at his feet in shame.
"What's going on in here?" Chi-Chi called, poking her head through the open door that Gohan had forgotten to close. She held a full laundry basket, topped with a pair of teddy bear boxer shorts, between her arms.
"Gohan-kun broke some dishes," Videl supplied, narrowing her accusing eyes at Gohan.
"W-wait, it wasn't totally my fault!"
Goten sniffled into Videl's collar. "'N-Nii-san r-ruined 'Nee-chan's lunch..."
"Gohan, if you wanted to eat, you could have gotten your own plate," Chi-Chi reprimanded, setting the basket down in the hall as she went to retrieve the broom. Videl spun on her heel and returned to the couch, wary of collapsing again, and coddled Goten until he stopped crying.
Gohan banged his head into the kitchen wall. "Great, I'll bet Otou-san's going to be mad at me for wasting food next."
Goku's insulted voice called from the doorway, "You're wasting food, Gohan?"
Kill me.
--- --- ---
"I really think you should spend the night, Videl-chan. It's not safe for you to fly home in your condition," Chi-Chi admonished softly, passing Videl a large bowl piled high with rice.
Videl accepted the bowl, stomach grumbling at the loss of her would-be lunch, and declined politely. "I can't, Chi-Chi-san. 'Tou-san would have a fit if I spent the night at a boy's house."
"I could give him a call and explain, if you like," Chi-Chi offered, looking hopeful.
"No, thank you, Chi-Chi-san. I'd better go home," Videl refused, lowering her bowl to the table and twisting a guilty smile onto her face.
Goten swallowed a large bite with a gulp. "You could sleep with me, 'Nee-chan," he offered with a grin.
Videl smiled as she dribbled soy sauce on her rice. "Thanks, Goten, but 'Tou-san will be worried about me if I tell him I can't make it home tonight." 'And he'll probably die trying to kill Gohan.'
She glanced at Gohan, who was silently shoveling food into his mouth with eyes downcast. Goku sat to his left, leaning back casually in his seat, eating in much the same, sloppy fashion. Chi-Chi managed to save the napkin dangling from Goku's shirt before he inhaled all of it and set it in her husband's lap before returning daintily to her food. Goten was the only one who spared Videl his full attention, taking slow bites in an obvious effort to impress her with his good manners.
"But, when I'm tired, I sleep over at Trunks-kun's house all the time. 'Kaa-san doesn't mind." Goten whined, pouting around his chopsticks.
Videl mixed the dark, salty sauce into her food as she smiled at the youngest Son child. "It's a little different this time, Goten. I'm sorry."
Goten puckered his lower lip. "Why?"
Gohan coughed into his bowl across the table, but remained otherwise silent.
Videl weighed her options and settled on a half-truth; "Well, because boys and girls who aren't married shouldn't sleep together." Goten opened his mouth to ask the dangerous question again, and Videl elaborated; "It's the rules."
"Oh."
Conversation was suspended for a few awkward minutes, long enough for Goten to finish his meal and Goku to go in for thirds (only to be swatted away with Chi-Chi's frying pan again). As Goten swallowed the last bite of his second helping, he was struck with sudden, curious inspiration.
"'Nee-chan could marry Nii-san," the youngest Saiyan suggested to his suddenly-still dining companions. "Then she could sleep over whenever she wanted!"
Gohan fell off his chair across the table, choking violently on a piece of food. Goku paused long enough in his own feasting to help his son up, patting him roughly on the back to dislodge the alien object blocking his windpipe, as the two women turned to look at the youngest member of the table.
Videl coughed into her closed fist, considering her possible answers. "Well – "
"N-no!" Gohan interrupted, voice strained from his recent struggle with death. Videl frowned across the table at him.
"Don't sound so enthusiastic about the idea, Gohan-kun," she hissed through clenched teeth, wishing his shin were still in range to kick beneath the table. "You might hurt yourself."
'Unless she gets to it first.'
'Save me the trouble.'
Gohan struggled with a less volatile response. "Ah, w-what I meant was – "
"The answer is no, Goten. I'm not going to marry Gohan-kun," Videl interrupted spitefully. Chi-Chi glanced fearfully between her son and her self-appointed candidate for the mother of his children.
Goten looked to his brother for answers. "Why don't you want to marry 'Nee-chan?"
Gohan pushed his chair away from the table, putting more distance between himself and Videl. "I-it's not that, Goten. I-I just...we-we're not..."
"Not what, Gohan-kun?"
'Oh, boy.'
'Try me.'
Gohan could feel himself sinking deeper and deeper into his self-dug grave. "W-well, you have to be um...ah...intimate to get married."
Videl's eyes were smaller than hardly anyone had ever seen them and shrinking with every passing second. Beneath her narrowed lids, her blue cornea were brightly glowing slits of offended malice. "Intimate?" she repeated, emphasizing the word in a way that implied extreme caution was to be taken in reply.
'That came out totally wrong.'
'That better not mean what it sounds like.'
"Y-you know, ah – " Gohan had no more words left – helpful or otherwise – to follow up his latest mistake.
"So you want to try your wife out before you marry her, is that it?" Videl accused him, her voice lowered dangerously in pitch.
"What?" Gohan replied with an accompanying yelp. "No, th-that's not what I – "
'God, my foot tastes awful.'
'He'd better make room for my foot, too.'
Chi-Chi and Goku (who had learned the hard way when a woman was about to explode) distanced themselves from the danger zone as well, leaving only a seething Videl and an unconcerned Goten sitting at the table. Goten looked between his brother and potential sister, waiting for answers. Both parties squared off silently, one clenching the edge of the table with barely suppressed rage and the other tilted back in his chair against the wall.
Goten swallowed a stolen bite from his fathers plate and, leaning over the table to better fix Videl with his begging eyes, asked, "If 'Nii-san won't marry you, will you marry me instead?"
Honorifics/Words:
Chi– energy, latent power; if controlled properly, it gives people the ability to fly and/or shoot offensive beams.
Gi– training clothes.
-kun – familiar masculine form of "cute" (You can also make this honorific more formal by referring to someone by their last name. Ie, Son-kun.)
-chan – familiar feminine form of "cute" or "little" (You can also make this honorific more formal by referring to someone by their last name. Ie, Satan-chan.)
-san– formal unisexual address; can mean "Mr," "Miss," or "Mrs." Significant of respect and/or a non-personal relationship. (Ie, Chi-Chi-san, Goku-san, Videl-san.)
-sama– formal honorific used to address someone of higher stature, such as royalty or god-like stature; ie, Kami-sama. (For future reference)
Otou-san/'Tou-san – Father/Dad
Okaa-san/'Kaa-san – Mother/Mom
Onii-san/'Nii-san – older brother; a younger child can also refer to a slightly older, non-related male in the same way.
Onee-san/'Nee-chan – older sister; a younger child can also refer to a slightly older, non-related female in the same way
In Japanese, an "O" sound denotes great respect and formality. Therefore, "Otou-san" is more formal address than "'Tou-san." (Hint, hint, hint)
To refer to someone without an honorific denotes a close, extremely casual relationship. We're talkin' non-related people who have known each other for most of their lives and other such relationships. One would NEVER refer to someone by only their first name (unless asked to, of course) as only an acquaintance. This would be seen as a sign of great disrespect.
NOTE: I don't speak Japanese, nor do I pretend to, so this story will be entirely in ENGLISH. I don't insert random Japanese sentences in my writing as I think it both undermines Japanese culture/language when used incorrectly and becomes confusing. However, I use the Japanese honorific's because I think that they denote important aspects of relationships. You can tell who someone is to someone else simply by knowing which honorific they are addressed by. I challenge you, the reader, to judge the relationships of the characters by keeping up with the honorific's they use and are called by.
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Authors Note: I really hate having to leave long, instructional notes in chapters, so I'm only going to leave up the honorific's lesson for this chapter. If new ones come up later, I'll put them in at the bottom of the chapter, but I think I've got most of the basic's covered.
Anyway, I don't know if this story has ever been written before, but I promise it won't be gross or anything. If anything, I intend to make it kinda cute and fluffy...I'm not going to give away the final pairing, though All I'm gonna say is "GV" and take a poll on who y'all WANT her to end up with. (Not that I'm taking suggestions, mind you, I'm just curious )
Y'know, I only edited this damn chapter about ten times...it had better be enough.
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EDIT: I fixed up a few small grammatical things in this chapter to make it flow a little better, but it's basically the same as it ever was. I will be continuing these edits for all of the existing chapters, but none of the content will be affected; the story will continue on as was originally intended.
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. ( . Ms Videl Son . ) .
– Brothers can't share everything. GohanVidelGoten
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Next Chapter: A wish is made on the dragonballs...Gohan is chilled by the cold shoulder...and the plot is officially set in motion.