Hey, hey. Thanks for all the nice things.
Chapter 3
"Gohan! We've been looking for you to eat with us."
Erasa's cheerful voice dragged Gohan out from his magazine. He looked up at her walking to him with Videl and Sharp chatting together in her wake.
Gohan had settled down at a picnic table in the school's park as to eat a sandwich. He gulped down his mouthful and greeted the group with a smile.
Sharp sat next to him on the bench and leaned toward him. "We couldn't find you in the cafeteria. I was very sad. Are you sulking, darling?" he moaned by blinking seductively.
Gohan chuckled nervously. He could never say exactly when Sharp was serious and when he wasn't. "Not at all, I – I just felt like picnicking today. It's sunny and I can't find my tickets for the canteen either way."
"Really? What a scatterbrain," Videl pointed out.
Sharp had an amused pout. "At least, he's dressed up normally today. I'm not far from believing that he picked up his folk clothes on purpose to shame us yesterday."
Gohan shrugged absently at the remark. He'd mulled over the best way to fit in the school's dress code without upsetting his mother and he'd decided that he would change his clothes each day on his way to school. It meant starting earlier in the morning but he felt more at ease among the other students all by avoiding endless argument with Chichi. He was glad to hear that he looked more normal in Sharp's standard. "Talking about it, how did your hostage-taking turn out yesterday, Videl?" Gohan asked as to change the subject of conversation.
"Don't you know?" Erasa exclaimed.
"Don't you even watch TV? Man, you should let go of your books once in a while," Sharp berated, "A super strong guy showed up out of the blue and saved the day. Videl had no time to do anything at all."
"Really?" Gohan feigned bewilderment.
"The golden ninja," Erasa added with a cheesy grin and gleam in the eyes.
"Golden what? What's that, 'golden ninja'?" Gohan choked.
"That's what the journalists named him. You really don't know anything about that, Gohan?" Videl resumed. Her disbelieving tone made Gohan uncomfortable and he just shook his head.
"He saved Videl by shielding her with his own body, can you believe it? Everything was filmed," Erasa carried on, her voice tinged with overdone admiration.
"I have to admit it's true but still, it was a crazy move. People could have got wounded or killed. Even though he did a good job, he was damn fearless," Videl stated.
"And - Do we know who this superman is?" Gohan asked hesitantly.
Videl sat down beside him on the bench and leaned sideway to him. Stuck against Sharp on the other side, Gohan couldn't dodge her closeness as she gave him a suspicious stare. "Why? Do you have an idea about his identity?" She mumbled.
"Me? Of course not! Why would I? I just heard of him for the first time," he objected.
She looked him straight in the eyes and took a deep breath before backing away from him.
He frowned. Why was she doing this? Torturing him and suspecting him. He'd saved her life yesterday. He could have contented himself with staying quietly at school, listening to Erasa's babbling and feeding his starving stomach. Yet, he'd come to help her and if truth to be told, she was having a hard time with the robbers when he'd showed up at the bank. He'd fixed up things in a heartbeat. There had been no wounded, no endless wait and no time for stress. Like each time he'd given a hand to help the world, things turned against him while he only craved for a normal and tranquil life.
"Look! There you have a picture of him. Isn't he the most handsome thing you ever seen?" Erasa said by slamming a newspaper on the table.
Gohan studied carefully the photo on the front page. He was relieved to find out that it was utterly impossible to recognize him. The picture was blurry and his black chech hid most of his face, not to mention his silver shaggy hair.
"Damn, stop it Erasa. He's masked. How can you assume he's good-looking? It's stupid," Sharp growled in annoyance.
Erasa remained unaffected by the harsh remark. She looked down at the picture with dreamy eyes. "You can't get it, Sharp. I just feel it. It's obvious," she argued. She turned to Videl. "You were so close to him, Videl. What do you think? Could I be wrong?"
"I don't know, Erasa. I don't know if he's handsome but don't worry, I'm doing my best to find out what he looks like," Videl spelled out.
The bell ringing the end of the lunch break interrupted them and they had to move to the sport class to Gohan's deep relief.
Sport was the class Gohan had dreaded the most. He knew he would have to be very careful so that no one could suspect any of his abilities. When he'd joined the school, he'd asked if he could skip sport but the headmaster had been very firm about this option. It was impossible unless he had medical reasons.
As the group made his way through the school Gohan figured out that the place was even bigger than he'd thought at first. It was impressive and he felt grateful to his classmates for guiding him through this maze.
The amazing size of the school was up to its cost though and although Gohan had a scholarship, he still had a lot of expenses out of his pocket. He'd paid thanks to the money he'd spared over the years serving M and he told his mother that he had been offered a second scholarship in addition to the one he really had.
Chichi had been the one insisting on him attending Satan Highschool because it was renowned as the best school of the town. And what could fit better than the best school for the best student? She would never have brought herself to give it up for a question of money. As always, Gohan had found a solution. Since he earned far more than the mere part-time waiter he was supposed to be at Barney's, he'd always kept part of his money away from Chichi's prying eyes. Thus, he had a small fee at disposal and he used this hidden money to complete the bills.
Now was the first sport class of the year and he wasn't allowed to screw up.
They started with a short jog. The teacher placed himself in the middle of the stadium as to spy on the sluggish runners. His relentless eyes were watching for any attempt to slow down or stop and he would blow his shrill whistle each time he would spot a reluctant student.
Gohan took great care of ruling his pace and he was able to keep a quite slow speed. At first he tried to keep up with Erasa's pace. However, she was striving and even though she could hardly keep a regular breath, she wouldn't lose an opportunity to chat with whoever was running by her as soon as the teacher looked away. Thus, she was lagging behind so much that Gohan couldn't stay next to her unless ending up walking.
Videl proved to be something of a quick, tough runner and she was far away ahead of everyone. Gohan didn't want to draw unwanted attention by running with her. Sharp was a fair middle option. Gohan decided to use him as standard and he stayed on his heels all along. As a matter of fact, it happened to be quite amusing since it ignited Sharp's vivid competitive spirit. He couldn't bear with the idea that Gohan could overtake him and spent most of his time glancing over his shoulder in order to check out if Gohan was coming closer to him.
Gohan enjoyed the situation as a little revenge on Sharp's usual sarcasms but he didn't really care about the jog though. If anything, he was willing to keep the role of the awkward nerd and he was mostly concerned by the sports that would demand strength or quickness. Those could betray him, especially with a suspicious Videl around. Like Erasa had pointed it out, Videl had been very close to him during the hostage-taking, and she might have registered any little detail that could blow out his cover. She was a snooper and she was smart. Definitely dangerous.
When they were done running, the teacher noted everything he'd observed about each of them. Then, he gathered them and brought them to a gymnasium where a dojo had been settled down. The sight triggered Gohan's instant frown. He needed to avoid any sport involving struggle whatsoever. It was way too risky. Truth was he'd hoped that this kind of sport wouldn't be taught at school but as he saw the tatami, he understood that he'd been wrong. He felt a knot forming in his guts.
"Now kids, I have a surprise for your first class with me," the teacher claimed.
He was a middle-aged man and his manners had been somewhat military so far - cold and bossy. However, his tone had suddenly changed and he sounded very excited now - something like a kid about to meet Santa Claus. The detail aroused the student's curiosity as well as their wariness. A tense silence replied the announcement.
"The great Satan will honor us with a demonstration of martial arts!" the teacher added proudly.
Murmurs of astonishment echoed as the Champion himself showed up at the door, his goofy, triumphant face wearing a stupid confident beam.
"Videl, you could have told us," Sharp muttered.
"I didn't know," Videl whispered in confusion.
Satan stepped up to the middle of the tatami and raised his hands as a greeting until the group of students was back to quietness. "For this first class, I agreed to give you a little demonstration of Martial Art. I hope it will inspire you and motivate you for the whole year. And if you work hard enough, I'll be back to visit you at the end of the year. Don't expect to reach my level though. It requires too much talent and training!"
Gohan was standing in the back rows of the little crowd. He pressed his back against the wall and folded his arms while the other students before him were listening to the Champion with an overdone respect.
"So? Who does volunteer to be my partner?" Satan asked.
Several students raised eager hands. The Champion's gaze wandered on the group.
Half hidden behind his classmates, Gohan was studying him in disapproval. All this guy could do to look brilliant was to beat teenagers without any notion of fight and any training. Still, Gohan knew it would earn him glory and admiration whereas he'd been a complete coward at the Cell Game, whining for his life all the fight long. Seeing him again reminded Gohan of the terrible battle and of everything he'd lost then.
"You! Don't be afraid! You're shy but I can see you crave for it!" Satan exclaimed suddenly, pointing at Erasa.
"Me?" she murmured with a backlash. "Uh - No, no, Mr. Satan, I –"
"Yes, you! Come on! I'm not going to hurt you, come on," the Champion insisted.
The girl took an unwilling step back and bumped against Gohan right behind her. He gritted his teeth in repressed disgust. Choosing Erasa sounded the height of cowardice to him. He rested his hand on her shoulder and pulled her gently aside.
"I'll go in her place, Mr. Satan. Erasa hates fighting," Gohan claimed. Her eyes met his over her shoulder, and she gave him a grateful nod. Satan had a slight frown.
"I'm not scaring you, am I?" Gohan asked with a fake joking tone.
The Champion blurted out a loud laugh. "Of course not, boy! Come on. You want it so badly, it seems," he replied.
Everyone kept silent as Gohan walked to him. He knew he had to hold back. He even had to go very smoothly and it wouldn't be easy. Yet, the opportunity to scratch the champion's confidence had unleashed a mighty jubilation in him.
The two fighters got into position. Satan looked Gohan right in the eyes and something on the Champion's face changed. He cringed faintly.
Gohan didn't wait longer and throw a slight kick, sending his opponent straight to the ground. The Champion fell flat on his back with a loud thud.
Gohan raised his eyebrows in feigned astonishment. He could hear the shocked whispers of the other students on the edge of the tatami.
"Gohan! What the hell are you doing? Wait for the signal!" the teacher yelled angrily.
"Sorry," the young man replied sheepishly while raising his hands as an excuse.
"Your teacher's right, young man. There are rules," Satan coughed as he struggled to his feet. "Besides, it's just a demonstration. Now, wait for the signal."
The champion took his time dusting himself and doing some more stretching to warm up. Gohan was repressing his amusement while watching his pathetic attempt to gain time. Satan eventually went back to his fighting stance. "How did you say your name was, boy?" he asked then.
"Gohan, sir. Gohan Son."
Satan's features drooped at once and a nervous twitch stirred the corner of his lip. "Right, Gohan. So, we're waiting for your teacher's signal," he reminded after a silent while.
When the signal echoed, the young man kept still. After a second thought, Hercules threw a punch at him. Gohan blocked it in his palm and, whirling around with the Champion's fist imprisoned in his hand, he had him slide over his shoulder and sent him again straight to the floor. Satan's back hit the tatami with a resounding slam. This time, the audience stirred frankly and some girls let out shouts of surprise and dismay.
Gohan stared at his opponent lying at his feet. The Champion gazed back in disbelief and at that moment, Gohan could read in his eyes that he'd definitely recognized the boy who'd defeated Cell years ago.
"I can't believe it," someone whispered in the crowd. Gohan pinpointed Videl's voice and it sounded like a sudden reminder of where he was and who was there with him. Although he'd hold back his strength, he realized he'd done too much already. He enjoyed playing with Satan but it was a dangerous game and Gohan couldn't allow himself to get carried away.
He leaned over Satan and stretched his hand out as a help for him to stand up. "Go ahead. I promise your next blow will go straight to the point," Gohan murmured to him as the fighter grasped his hand.
The Champion gave a loud confident laugh as he turned to the bewildered students. "So. That was an amazing demonstration of self-defense, wasn't it? See, even a weak boy like Gohan can make it with the right move at the right time. I helped him a bit of course since I faked the fall," he explained.
Gohan's classmates were listening with some skepticism on their faces but Satan carried on. "Now I'm going to attack him. I'll go easy on him of course but I won't give him the opportunity to defend himself and you'll see the difference."
He turned back to Gohan and searched his eyes for a sign that he would truly play the game and feigned to be beaten. "Ready, boy?"
Gohan nodded. Satan kicked his chin. Gohan froze all his defensive reflexes and fell backward in an ungraceful and unnatural move. The Champion gazed at him in wariness until he was sure that the boy wouldn't attempt any counterattack. Only then, he beamed. The students and teachers applauded him and the winner roared with laughter.
Gohan laid on his back for a while, listening to the teacher congratulating the Champion with a warm, admiring voice. All Gohan could see was the ceiling above him and he closed his eyes, torn between a deep weariness and a muffled anger.
Yet, thanks to his contribution to Satan's glory Gohan had an excuse to skip the rest of the sport class, pretending he had now severe backaches. He even feigned limping in order to add some credit to his lie. The teacher freed him until the next class and Gohan left the gymnasium behind with relief.
After changing himself, he made his way back to the building where his classrooms were located. The teacher had allowed him to go work in the study room until the sport class was over.
He went back to his locker to take his books but as he opened the metallic door he found a white card pinned inside of it. He grabbed it with some bewilderment and turned it around to see what it was about. It was a new photo. It had been almost ten days since his last contract. The missions were given at a random rate. Sometimes he wouldn't hear of M for weeks and sometimes he would have three pictures in a month.
He looked at the guy's face. It was a filthy blonde haired man with an ugly scar running along his cheek. Gohan assumed the scar was a burn. The man looked unsympathetic, his eyes cold and aggressive.
Gohan clenched his fingers on the photo. He hardly dared imagine how M managed to slip this photo into his locker in his high school. It felt like a dreadful intrusion into his private life and he knew it was a clear sign to warn him that M could reach him wherever he was. He shivered out of wariness and anger.
All of the sudden he wondered what would happen if he didn't honor the contract. What could happen after all? What would happen for sure was that he would be short of money to pay the rest of the year in this high school, which meant that he would need an explanation for his mother. He would also have to face her disappointment. She would certainly lack money for Goten's tutor too.
Maybe, Gohan could replace him and teach his brother on his own. Was it really so important for Gohan to go through high school? Or maybe, he could find another school - a cheaper, less renowned one. He could also find a little job to feed his family. He still had some savings ahead, so maybe he would be able to - How long though? Until his father came back? Until his dead father came back? And what would he do without any qualifications? Casual jobs for the rest of his life? It wouldn't do.
"You're oddly stronger than I thought," a voice said behind his back.
He got startled and slammed the door of his locker in a hurry. Videl was standing behind him. He didn't turn around to face her and merely kept silent.
"You dealt pretty well with my father," she insisted.
"Huh, don't imagine anything. I took him by surprise the first time and he fell on purpose the second time," Gohan muttered.
"Maybe. Still, even taking him by surprise, you had him hit the ground."
Gohan whirled around with a fake smile. "I told you it's not as incredible as it seems. Your father is up to his legend though and he ruined my back," he objected.
"And yet, you sounded quite confident when you volunteered."
"I did that for Erasa in the first place. She looked frightened at your father's offer. Besides I knew that he wouldn't really attack me,"
Her icy, piercing eyes looked right through him. Each time she stared at him that way he had the puzzling feeling that she was scanning his mind. Her eyes drifted to his locker he'd shut too hastily the moment she showed up.
Noticing her suspicious gaze, he turned the key locking the door once and for all. "I have to work now. I still have a lot to do in literature." Gohan resumed, eager to end her questioning.
While walking away, he could feel her disbelieving eyes glued to him and only then, he realized that he'd forgotten to keep on limping.
ooo0ooooo0ooo
