Summary: In a medieval-like fantasy world, Son Gohan meets a young woman, Videl, who comes to West City in search of medicinal herbs to develop a cure for a mysterious illness which is killing people in Orange Star, her home. Will she achieve her goal before it's too late? Who will help (or delay) her? Gohan/Videl
Disclaimer: Do I own DBZ? HA! I wish… (sigh) A story partly-inspired by Game of Thrones, which I do not own either.
*By the way, for some time now I've been meaning to apologise for also using bits and pieces from other TV series (let's formally call them 'inspirational sources', it sounds a lot cuter, right?) like Breaking Bad or House M.D.
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Previously…
"Erasa," Videl said with worry. "are you sure you wanna do this? Are you nuts?! We will hear you! Can't you just wait until the rain is over, for the Gods' sake?!"
Gohan chilled out as soon as he heard Videl's logic plea because he thought that Erasa might actually come to her senses – but she didn't. Erasa just giggled freely.
"Nonsense! People hear us all the time!" Erasa said with joy, pushing Sharpner on her bed and sitting on top of his hips.
Then, Videl just remembered that a few days ago Gohan told her something about them being specifically loud during intercourse – and she blushed.
"You choose:" Erasa said decisively. "you stay here in the main room and watch rock our hips, or go to the other room and get some privacy, or… out in the rain. You choose."
Erasa had summed it all up for them. Then, she proceeded to undress that clingy guy whom she detested so much.
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Chapter 6: The Red Ribbon soldiers' attack
"The other room, please." Videl replied half angry at Erasa, half relieved that Gohan, Nimbus and her could physically escape from such an explicit sex scene and also that mad, hellish storm outside.
She went straight to Gohan and pushed him to the other room. Sharpner just chuckled and shook his head. Gohan didn't resist it – he would've agreed to the same option, even though it wasn't the best. As soon as she had shut the door closed, neither she nor Gohan could meet each other's eyes. Both were blushing far too much.
That other room was a lot smaller. It was a small dressing room/bathroom. Sharpner and Erasa started giggling lightly, but soon enough, that giggling became a series of playful moans and grunts. The bed started making funny noises as well, as if the thing was complaining of their brutal, careless activity on it.
"Now this is going to be uncomfortable." Videl whispered to Gohan with a nervous smile on her face.
"You bet." Gohan replied whispering while staring at a small window, giving her his back. He had thought this was for the best of both of them. Nimbus was there, near his legs.
"You said they are usually loud. What do you do to block the sound out of your head?" She asked him whispering, still unable to look his way even though he displayed only his back to her.
"I can't. I've tried to put a pillow over my head, but it doesn't work." He replied calmly.
"No pillows in here anyway." She whispered feeling uncomfortable. "Should we try to talk about something? Anything, just to try and block those sounds."
Gohan chuckled once, very feebly. And then, silence.
Well, not really.
Moaning. Tons and tons of moaning filtering through the fissures on the surface and the sides of the door. It almost felt as if there was no door at all. Besides, the storm outside was far from gentle, as well. The thunders and the heavy raining never seemed to stop.
"I'll try anything, please." Gohan whispered.
"OK, what… have you done today so far?" Videl asked him, trying to chat casually, daring to look at him for the first time in that little room.
"Not much, really." He went on, turning around and also daring to look at her, finally. "The highlight of the day has been what you've done for little Suno. That was amazing, by the way." He said warmly, hinting a smile at her.
She blushed.
"I want to ask you something." Gohan whispered back at her, trying to ignore Erasa's loud, totally and stupidly fake by the way, moaning.
"Sure." She whispered back at him.
"Why didn't you tell me that your father was ill?" He asked fearing that he shouldn't be asking such things so straightforwardly.
"It's… complicated. I feel… It…" She hesitated, feeling a tsunami of sadness overwhelming her.
"You can tell me. I'm not gonna mock you, or…" He tried to soothe her.
"I know, I know, but it's hard, you know. It hurts so bad…" She replied sadly.
He regretted having come up with such a topic. Right after that, he regretted falling silent again, since the moaning from the other room felt louder and louder. On top of that, Sharpner's grunts were not welcome either.
"You don't want to talk about it. It's fine." He whispered back at her with kindness. "I get it. I won't force you to."
"OK." She whispered back, feeling mildly relieved.
"But I'm still amazed that you're willing to go on such a quest on your own." He added unable not to worry about her well-being.
"What wouldn't you do if it was your father, Gohan?" She asked whispering, with an unbearable sadness clouding her beautiful voice.
"There are a lot of risks. West City is full of dangerous people." He insisted, worrying a bit too much then, and he knew it. Ever since she had taken care of Sharpner at the brothel, Gohan had found it hard to cope with the idea that Videl could handle the roughest parts of that blood-thirsty world. "But you're a dangerous woman, I get it."
"Hey, don't blame me." She shot back with mild pride, smiling at him, a smile he'd love to drown in. "I live in a dangerous world, too… Got to learn fast. And you look quite dangerous yourself." She whispered a bit coyly.
"Dangerous?!" Gohan whispered with amazement. "Me?!"
"That dark look in your eyes when you faced Sharpner the day we met..." She went on rather sheepishly. "I would never want to anger you like that."
His heart started to race madly. He never thought he was a fearful thing to behold, much less to a woman like her.
"But I've already done so once, remember?" She said whispering with shame, biting her lower lip once she had said those words.
"Just… forget it ever happened." He replied whispering, also feeling ashamed, staring at her lovely sea shell necklace instead of her beautiful, charming eyes.
'How could I?' She thought hopelessly. 'Honestly, Gohan, how could I ever forget those sinful yet spurring eyes of yours? I would've died for a kiss right there, right then!'
All of a sudden, Nimbus decided to "help" them. That was why he went right next to Gohan and, while he pretended to ask to be petted, he slid his head to Gohan's legs to push him to Videl, who was standing not far from him, of course, since the room had minimal space in which to move. It felt like a big wardrobe instead of a small room, actually – with two people and a yellowish wolf in it.
Half a step and Gohan was already leaning over Videl because there wasn't much space left. He tried to stop Nimbus's plan by putting his hands on either side of the room, that is, one hand on the surface of the door and the other on the wall facing it. He could stop Nimbus's motion towards her – and then Nimbus let out a small pleading grunt. He was displeased, of course.
"Nimbus," Gohan grunted back at him a bit angry. "what do you think you're doing?"
He didn't answer of course, but then he just decided to lie down on the floor while occupying the majority of the free space left.
"I hate you so much sometimes…" Gohan concluded whispering.
Videl was looking at both of them and seemed amused by what she had just seen. Gohan loved that expression on her face and stared at her intense eyes for some time, until she locked her gaze with his and time froze. They blushed while the moaning escalated more and more in the other room. Sharpner and Erasa were insatiable!
"They are doing it on purpose, you know." Videl whispered.
"Yeah, I know." Gohan whispered back tenderly.
"How's it going in there?!" Sharpner yelled at them, making fun of Gohan, while his angry thrusts could be heard through Erasa's hopeless moaning fits. "Do you know where to put it or shall I come and teach you?!"
Both Gohan and Videl blushed wildly, but Gohan's blush died as soon as his rage was set free. He clenched his fists until they started trembling. Videl gasped silently when she saw his dark, killer eyes once more, so close to her face.
"Come on!" Erasa yelled. "It's not as though you're engaged, aren't you? Join us!"
"His stupid honour wouldn't let him anyways." Sharpner added with cheek.
Gohan was about to lose his temper, and Videl began to panic. That was when she took both his clenched fists into her hands with tenderness. At that, Gohan's anger-driven mind snapped out of its trace and stared silently at her.
"Gohan," Videl whispered very lowly and slowly. "don't answer. Don't even listen. That's what they want. You have to ask yourself something: do you want it?"
Gohan felt her words soothing him all and he hugged her all of a sudden. He couldn't take it anymore. He leaned his head on her left shoulder. He could smell her hair – another relaxing token of her presence. He remembered the last time he had smelled her hair, in Kami's study room, when her dislocated shoulder needed immediate attention. Videl blushed but loved the contact. And then her heart started racing madly within her chest, like his was already doing. The contact between both of them was beginning to feel unbearable, and mother nature was demanding Gohan to act accordingly to the situation.
Out of the blue, she saw the window at which Gohan had been staring before, when they had entered the small room. It was big enough to escape through it, except for Nimbus, who was far too big for it.
"Gohan," She whispered as if she had just had a wild, crazy idea, which made him look straight at her. "I think I've got it." She pointed at the window. "Fancy getting a bit wet? Literally, of course."
Outside the rain was mercilessly falling from the skies above, and several lightnings were rolling above and under the dark clouds over and over again.
"Only a bit you say?" He whispered back to her smiling.
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Gohan and Videl entered the study room in a rush, giggling and wet all over. The storm was wilder and wilder, the thunders kept roaring in the skies.
"Wow… That was crazy! Do you think they noticed we're gone?" Videl asked him almost out of breath and giggling freely. They had madly run all the way.
"They were too busy to care, I'm afraid." Gohan whispered back, smiling, while closing the huge door.
"I think I should've gone out the second Sharpner entered. I should've known better." Videl acknowledged, still with a smile on her face.
Her clothes were too wet and, therefore, they displayed ever single curve of her delicately sinuous body, especially those areas which were meant to be hidden. Gohan noticed it immediately and swallowed. Some water drops were still dripping from her long, dark hair as she moved.
"You didn't know, did you?" He said with a progressively huskier voice.
"That they'd end up fucking?" She remarked feeling a bit embarrassed. "That they do it almost every day and that they are specifically loud? We already knew it. And, to be honest, I thought they'd be able to control themselves. We're not beasts, but human beings. Besides, you had already told me they're loud."
They fell silent all of a sudden as they remembered that early morning conversation the morning after Videl had helped Erasa and the girls make those Orange Star-inspired dresses and taught them how to dance in their style. Gohan had come to her bedroom door very early, when she wasn't even awake – not to mention dressed. And later they had been talking about precisely that.
Gohan's clothes were also soaking wet and, thus, Videl couldn't help but notice his well-built chest and arms beneath his black clothing. His dishevelled, wet spiky hair almost made her shiver. She had to divert her gaze to the floor.
"Anyway," Videl changed the subject, trying not to show the blush on her cheeks too much. "I think I've got some towels over here."
As she went to a large wardrobe, she tried to consciously chill out, breathing in and out as slowly as she could manage. She opened the wardrobe and started to get some towels for them. In the meantime, he was still staring at her from behind – and she could feel every inch of his penetrating gaze on her. She knew her wet clothes were not helping.
"I don't think anyone will bother to come over here today bearing in mind this awful weather. We'll have plenty of time to ourselves today." She said cheerfully passing a towel to Gohan, trying to sound normal, but the second she had said those words she realised she may have invited him to make a move – and her heart couldn't help but heating up.
He took the towel from her. She bit her lower lip, facing the wardrobe again, as he took it. She just got another towel for herself and started to dry her hair industriously. So did Gohan. A few minutes later, since none of them had said a single word, Videl shyly turned around only to find Gohan giving her his back while leaning a bit on the table, still trying to dry his hair.
Right when she opened her mouth to say something, he turned around and raised a hand to her face, with his forefinger up almost on her lips as if he was asking her to be silent. He tried to listen carefully, and so did she, expecting something to happen since his facial expression had suddenly changed to one of worry and anger.
They could hear a metal sound from outside and a grunt. Later, a dead thud. That was when Gohan silently let his towel on the table and carefully went to one of the windows to check what was going on outside, but what he saw was far worse than he had expected: some Red Ribbon soldiers had succeeded in entering the walls of West City, taking advantage of the lack of guards due to the heavy raining. The few guards that they had actually found were killed, their corpses laying by the side of the small bonfires they had lit in a dry corner of a stable while trying to find some refuge from that hellish rain. Those soldiers had been West City's sworn enemy for years on end. They were rogue soldiers who came from north of the Demon Realm Doors. Some of troops might have found a way to defeat the Door's guards, get past them and come to West City to cause upheaval. General White, their ruler, must be more than pleased with that.
"Red Ribbon soldiers…" Gohan whispered to Videl with worry, his levels of testosterone rising while checking on his sword, hanging from his belt. "I've got to warn our soldiers and fight back. Videl," He told her serious as hell while holding both her arms to make her pay attention to his words. "don't go out. I mean it. Stay inside and try not to move or lit anything. Make as if there's no one in here, all right? Lock all windows and the door once I've gone out. Don't ever answer the door. Hide in the wardrobe or something. I'll be back when this is over, I swear."
"Be careful, Gohan." She replied whispering while his fingers were still sinking in the wet, soft cloth of the sleeves of her dress.
He swallowed as he stared at her for some blissful seconds in complete silence. He suddenly thought of what other men would do in such a situation, but he soon shook the thought out of his head. He had no right to kiss her as if there was no tomorrow. He could get killed, sure – and then there would actually be no tomorrow for him. But he couldn't do it. That was why he decided to gently close his eyes for a second, stop holding her and rush to the door and leave altogether. Videl had immediately felt his hesitation, but didn't dare to say anything further.
When Gohan's hand was on the doorknob, he grunted lowly, just once, and his lips drew a mockery of a smile. He actually looked like in pain, but for once in his life he decided to be reckless about it. Reckless. Something he had never been. That was when he turned around and rushed back to her, who was still staring at him – and then he kissed her. He pushed his body towards her in a desperate attempt to melt with her, holding both her cheeks while his lips were mercilessly reaping their first kiss. Little wet locks of her hair had glued to her cheeks.
"Lock the door." He whispered back at her seriously once his lips had parted from hers with a dark, husky voice.
She was left with throbbing, parted lips, as if she was waiting for more to come. He rushed back to the door and fled to battle before she could even complain about it.
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An hour later, it was still raining and Videl was still alone in Kami's study room, pretending no one was there while trying to peep out of a window. While men were being slaughtered outside and the pouring blood mixed with the water drops and the mud, she was dying to see Gohan, whether he was safe and sound or not. But he was nowhere to be seen. The yelling was the worst. She didn't care that he'd told her to hide – she was brave enough to handle that kind of trouble. The only thing that kept her in a constant state of distress was the fact that she was worried about Gohan's welfare.
She sighed every now and then, hoping that the battle would end soon enough, that Gohan would come back.
'But…' She thought with crimson on her cheeks. 'what will I do when he comes back? What will he do? Oh, dear Gods…That kiss was not meant to happen. Neither of us can afford it. Now what? It's not as though I can fake it has never happened!'
Out of the blue, an arrow was shot against her window and it broke the glass. It scared the hell out of Videl, but it didn't hurt her. She took advantage of it: since she was also a good archer herself, she got her bow and some arrows and tried to be useful using the broken hole in the window to shoot arrows through it. If Gohan saw her, he'd be mad at her. But she didn't care.
'At least I'll have something to talk about with him which isn't that heated kiss…' She thought with some sort of relief.
Then, she saw Trunks fighting a Red Ribbon soldier who was far taller than him on top of the city walls. It looked as if that man was about to beat the hell out of him. Trunks was having a hard time defending himself from those ill-meant blows with the sword. Then, another Red Ribbon soldier appeared out of nowhere right behind Trunks. He would have to fight both at the same time in an unfair battle.
Videl gasped briefly and didn't hesitate one bit when she shot an arrow at the second man when he was about to wound Trunks with his sword. She had aimed at the man's shoulder with an unbeatable precision, so much so that the guy fell off the wall and painfully landed on the other side. Since the city walls were quite high, falling meant a certain death. Trunks instantly knew someone had helped him and shot his gaze at his saviour down below – that was when he saw Videl staring from the broken window of the study room with a bow in her hands. He smiled warmly at her while the rain kept falling madly from the skies over him and the men kept fighting fiercely around him. His well-built outline against the grey sky and those hellish blue lightnings was quite impressive. His dishevelled hair battled against the harsh wind.
But Videl got paler and paler: she had never killed a man before. She had never aimed to kill, only to wound or distract. In the meantime, Trunks could successfully deal with his initial, rough opponent and kill him. A few minutes later, the Red Ribbon troops were backing off and they eventually fled, although the vast majority had been killed.
Remorse was eating Videl from within when there was a loud knocking on the study room's door. It was Trunks.
"Videl!" He pleaded almost out of breath. "Videl! Open up, please!"
She went straight to the door and unlocked it. Apparently, Trunks was extremely grateful for what she had done to save him, so much so that the second she'd opened the door to him he rushed to her and hugged her as if he would never part from her in their entire lives. She could feel his wet purple hair on her left cheek as he embraced her tightly. His wet clothes were soaking hers, which were just mildly dry then. She was feeling cold, but being hugged with such vehemence was somehow making her feel hot.
Then, over his shoulder she could see Gohan right outside, standing frozen under the rain while witnessing that unfathomable scene before him. His pose was still mighty and blood-thirsty from the battle, but since there were no opponents left, he was trying to cool down. His well-built frame was reflected on the large pools of water on the muddy and bloody floor. His chest was still heaving due to the exercise but trying to calm down, but his heart was drumming louder and louder due to what his eyes were seeing. His sword was still drawn, but it was hanging lower and lower as his right arm seemed to lose all its strength. Yet the fingers around the hilt were tense and tight, marking the whiter lines where the bones lay underneath. Videl felt a cold chill within her when his eyes darkened.
"I'm so so so so grateful to you, Videl!" Trunks told her with joy, still hugging her. "I could've died up there! You've saved me!"
His thrill and gratefulness was overwhelming.
"Don't mention it." She whispered back trying to sound neutral. "It was the least I could do."
She saw how Gohan suddenly put his sword back in the sheath and walked slowly towards them. That was when she suddenly felt an urgent need of being released from Trunks' arms. She moved just lightly, and Trunks understood that the hugging had to come to an end.
"What would we do without you?" Trunks whispered back to her with love.
"You're too kind. You don't need me that much." She replied. "Anyone would've done it instead of me."
"Nonsense. I'll tell my father. When he knows, he'll…" Trunks said with pride while Gohan stopped by the door and remained there, listening.
"No, no, no…!" She rushed to cut Trunks' train of thought before it was too late. "No, please, don't. It's… too…much… already." She didn't really know how to voice her concerns to him. She was in panic, and felt as if she was about to cry. They had never shared any degree of intimacy – unlike with Gohan.
"What are you talking about?" Trunks asked her with worry seeing her unusually sad face.
"I shot an arrow at that man and I killed him. It's bad enough as it is!" She complained breathing hard and frowning with worry.
Trunks raised an eyebrow at her. He didn't get it.
"Trunks, I'm a doctor." She insisted. "I don't kill people,… quite the opposite." She whispered back at him with remorse. Her hands started to shake uncontrollably and he knew what was going on inside her head: she couldn't take it. She had done something which went against her morale and usual behaviour, and she couldn't stand it. Both Trunks and Gohan felt sorry for her.
"I'm… I'm sorry." Trunks whispered back at her and hugged her again, this time with more softness and very, very carefully. She hid her face under his neck while Gohan was getting a lot tenser. He didn't like Trunks' physical insistent contact with her.
"I aimed at his shoulder precisely because of that. That's what I usually do." She whispered full of regret. "But he's fallen down the city walls. He must've died."
"You did well. You had good intentions. Besides," Trunks tried to soothe her with a gentle tone of voice. "I've seen him. He's fallen on a large group of bushes out there. He was limping his way out of battle."
Gohan raised an eyebrow at his brother's comment. He didn't like this one bit.
"Really?" She whispered back trying to hold back the tears.
"Yes, he's not dead. At least not yet. That depends on whether he found an enemy or a friend on his way." Trunks tried to comfort her.
"All right." She whispered back believing him.
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A few minutes later, Gohan ambushed Trunks in a corridor.
"What do you think you're doing by lying to Videl about that man's death?!" Gohan asked him enraged while pushing one of his shoulders.
"I did what had to be done. Don't you get it, Gohan?!" Trunks shot him back those anger-driven words. He spoke as if he was defending the love of his life. "She couldn't handle it. She shouldn't be held responsible for this. I was the one in trouble; therefore, I'm responsible for his death – not her. What would you have done?"
"You've lied to her. She's smart. Too smart." Gohan insisted with anger. "She'll know soon enough and then she'll break down again. On top of that, she'll be mad at you."
"That's why I've commanded that the area should be burnt together with the dead Red Ribbon soldiers' bodies." Trunks told him seriously and darkly. "That way she can't find out the inexistence of those bushes I've just mentioned. The area will be burnt. Now, stop it and step aside."
Gohan froze. He couldn't believe that his brother could be such a smart and dark liar.
"But before I go and speak with our father about all this and Videl," Trunks said with a deadly serious tone of voice. "tell me something, Gohan."
Gohan was still gaping at him.
"Do you like her, Gohan?" Trunks asked him with a threatening expression in his eyes.
"I like her according to my rank and position, not more, not less." Gohan said dryly and left.
Trunks didn't believe a word of it, of course. They had known each other long enough to know when he was lying to him.
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In the meantime, Videl and Kami were attending the wounded. The sombre wake of war had crossed the fate of many that day, and it could be seen on their scarred faces, their deep wrinkles of worry and the ice-cold tears of children. Their piercing wailing tore Videl's heart.
Some of the wounded could actually walk and come to the study room, and they were healed there, but the majority had to be treated in situ, where they had been badly hurt. Therefore, Videl and Kami spent the rest of the day from one hut to the next, finding wailing people who begged for urgent medical attention in almost every corner. Luckyly, Sharpner, Erasa and the girls had not been involved in that messy battle. That was why Videl could ask the girls for help while attending the wounded while Sharpner was helping to bury the dead.
When Kami's and Videl's job was over, Lord Son Goku summoned them in his private chambers. Exhausted as they were, their only thoughts were for peace, quiet, something to eat and rest. But rest had to be postponed if Lord Son Goku wanted to speak to them.
"Videl and Kami, how undoubtedly grateful I am to have you both!" Lord Son Goku was pleased to say. "Especially you, young lady." He added with a broad smile on his face.
"I assume that Trunks may have mentioned something about me and…" Videl tactfully said. She knew that Trunks would spill the beans and that Lord Son Goku would be amazingly generous and mysterious again.
"Of course he has! And I'm very grateful to you for saving him. He's my heir… my eldest son. I care for him a great deal. And I'm relieved to find out that someone else is also taking care of him when I'm not looking."
For a second she thought that Lord Son Goku would offer her his hand in marriage, bearing in mind his amiable tone of voice and the stresses he had made, but the mere thought of it made her feel stupid. Lord Son Goku felt in debt with her, but that didn't automatically mean that she could marry Trunks. She was not even a member of the nobility.
"I told you I had a treat for you." Lord Son Goku went on. "I haven't forgotten. But now it seems that I'll need something more…"
"Lord Son Goku, if I may speak on this matter, I'd love to say something." She was beginning to sweat. She didn't like being treated like a goddess, hailed for her work at such a divine level.
"Speak, young lady."
"You don't owe me anything, Lord Son Goku. I'm glad to help when I'm needed. I don't need any sort of reward, or treat, or… anything. I'm happy as long as no one suffers or dies." She humbly said.
"That's very sweet of you, but I insist, young lady, that you accept my gift. Give me a couple of days… and let me surprise you, like I promised."
"Fair enough." She gave in with a sigh because she knew there was no way out of that one. Besides, she was tired.
So there he was again, talking rainbows of gratitude… and that mysterious gift also into the bargain. She wondered what it could be.
"Now I need to speak with Kami alone." Lord Son Goku said. "If you excuse us…"
At that, Videl bowed and left the room immediately.
"Are you sure about this, m'lord?" Kami inquired, displaying that he already knew what was going to happen.
"Absolutely." Lord Son Goku replied with a warm smile on his face. "More than I ever was."
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Gohan had decided to wait for her in the study room. She might come back a bit later, since he knew she had been summoned by Lord Son Goku at that hour. Seeing her couldn't wait anymore. He couldn't wait anymore. He was impatient. He had spent far too many days undergoing that torture. He needed some sort of closure.
Since he knew he was too shy and clumsy with words, he had to try a different approach to her – something more striking, unavoidable, and primal… like their first kiss. Unexpected and undeniable. He began to undo his jacket and shirt and left them resting on a nearby wooden chair. His trousers still had some blood stains of his fallen enemies on them. At least, he had washed his hands so that the blood would be washed away from his skin.
He was sure about how to do it. She'd come in and face him bare-chested, waiting. For a second he was sure that that strategy didn't fit him, that she'd feel threatened, that she'd shy off or try to get him back to common sense – and yet he hoped with unjustified joy that what she'd face would be so radical a change that she wouldn't be able to use her mind the way she was used to. Would she be able to unsheathe her swordish mind if she faced the glory of his half-naked body? Would it paralyse her as much as her half-naked body had paralysed him when he had to cure her aching dislocated shoulder that fine morning?
And yes, he was feeling joy at the prospect of melting into her even though he hadn't wooed her properly, that is, the way a regular man would – because he couldn't. Despite the fact that she'd treated him like a normal person, he couldn't.
Accidentally, he thought of Trunks and his tender hugging of her body when she had most needed it. That had triggered the worst pang of jealousy that he had ever felt in his entire life. He could flirt with her openly and freely if he chose to. Their last conversation ended with a confirmation of his awful state of affairs in social terms and, therefore, his unsuitability for her. In spite of that, he was willing to risk everything just to have a temporary reprieve before it was too late.
A few minutes later, Videl opened the door of the study room thinking there was nobody in it – and she gasped when she saw a bare-chested Gohan giving her his back, peacefully waiting with his hands lying on the large, wooden table, his arms spread on either side so that his biceps and triceps would stand out, outlined thanks to the evening light of the orange setting sun shed from the window which stood right in front of him. His unruly spiky hair seemed to glow like a ghost or a god – or both at the same time. Once he'd heard her coming in, he had turned his head slowly towards her, spying her from over his left shoulder. His spine was glorious, like a strong tree-trunk which holds a million leaves.
She froze and the thick door gradually closed on its own. When the soft, closing click sound filled the air, she got scared that Gohan may have been waiting for her to return because he may have suffered an injury on the upper part of his body or something during the battle. How careless had she been! Or so she thought. Videl was always looking for the most plausible explanation, even though she knew there was something weird going on – her guts were practically screaming it to her, but as usual she turned a deaf ear to that gut-based information. That was why she rushed to him with a worried face, ready to help him.
That struck Gohan as strange. Videl? Rushing to his arms? No words? No remarks? No questions asked? No lecture on common sense? As simple as that? Impossible. He shot a raising eyebrow at her while his aching heart began to speed dangerously. What he was about to do was reckless, but it would sure be worth it.
As she got nearer him, her long-eyelashed eyes roamed over his flawless body in their usual analytical style, searching for an inexistent wound. His chiselled chest and abs were outlined with the precision of a professional sculptor, who had wickedly devised a demigod in flesh and bone with a wide chest and a narrow, manly waist. And she could be endlessly staring at him. At that, Gohan blushed but suspected something was the matter with her, no doubt.
"Are you OK? Where is it? Where does it hurt?" She pushed those words out of her delightful lips in a rush, pushing him to tell her where it hurt him.
Dear Gods, she was hopelessly clueless! That was when he chuckled and closed his eyes in a sudden admission that the girl he had fallen for was completely innocent and naïve like no other. He smiled tenderly at her for a couple of seconds, not daring to say a word, taking her innocence in. He had to remember that the fewer words, the better.
"Here." He softly whispered back at her while taking her right hand into his and raising it to meet the soft skin over his heart.
Her right hand still had some bloodstains from her patients: it was the blood of life, whereas the lingering blood on his clothes was the blood of death – or that was what Gohan thought at that precise moment.
His eyelids came halfway down to meet the still naïve expression on her face. He hadn't been wounded during the battle. She mildly tilted her head sideways, like Nimbus would, and raised an eyebrow. She didn't get it until he decided to take the decisive step into the void between them: he took a short step towards her and leaned his face over hers. His slow pace was calculated to let her know his intentions on her, to give her one last chance to say no if she didn't want it – but she didn't.
Therefore, as his nose got nearer hers, she knew what he actually had in mind. Then, she blushed wildly and stopped breathing. It was the moment she was expecting with nervousness and dread, and yet she wanted it to happen. She could've run away – and he'd let her. He gently made the tip of his nose rest on hers and stared directly into her eyes, still holding her hand over his heart. She felt hers skip a beat. A second later, he let his nose slip onto her cheek and his lips lightly brushed hers in a purely compassionate gesture. She could still push him away – but she didn't.
The promise that Gohan had made to himself – that he'd be patient and a gentleman – got smashed into smithereens the instant he'd touched her lips, since he could not resist temptation anymore. He let out a mildly resentful grunt and, the next thing she knew, he was wrapping her with his arms, pushing her towards the bookshelves which were right behind her, while his lips thundered all their passion over hers.
He pushed his tongue past her lips and, demanding as the kiss was, it conquered any degree of sanity and common sense within her. She just gently put her hands on his chest, wishing she had been more careful and trusted her guts when she had come into the room – but those thoughts were fading away and away. She could've still slapped his god-like face then and he would've understood – but, oh, she didn't.
That intriguing list of didn'ts was rocketing Gohan's pride like never before, like the kind path that her fingers started to trace up to his jawline and cheeks. The touch of her fingertips was electrifying. That was why he decided to play the game a bit more daringly: he took his iron-bent arms from around her body and each hand got hold of each of her hands. His fingers coiled around her palms and slid down below to both her wrists so that he could push them onto the bookshelves as well, slightly above her head, sinking his fingertips into her tender flesh in the meantime with only one hand. The other held her waist firmly towards him. His ruthless attack on her exposed, throbbing lips was no more; but, to her amazement, he went straight to softly bite her jawline and neck. That shot a shiver down her spine, scary but delicious, nonetheless. She couldn't help but releasing a meek, little moan.
A single question crossed the sky of her mind: why was he so straightforward and daring then? Why? Was he trying to compensate for the other night's tense argument after she had danced at the brothel? But, as an answer, all the kind, cosy and intimate moments that they had shared until then flashed alight in the darkness behind her closed eyelids, one after the other: a genuine smile here, a warm comment there. Every single time she'd been nice to him was being rewarded; every single time he'd released his true self became a token of love.
And she remembered her injured shoulder and his healing hands on her skin…
And later she remembered her daring dancing performance and his wild reaction…
And the touch of his lips right before the battle…
Beware the wolf…
Videl smiled at the ceiling with her eyes closed thinking of Erasa's comment while Gohan was kissing her jaw and neck. He actually was eating her alive, in a metaphorical sense of the expression, of course. They were both too loaded with easily combining and combusting emotions. She was fed up with piling them up and ignoring them – like he had also done until that moment. She wanted to abandon herself on a boat into that sea of man that Gohan was. That was when he pushed his hips onto hers again and she knew she'd drown in it soon enough. She began to feel that hungry heat that the lower part of his body was emanating.
In spite of the frenzy of that liberating, shared moment, something made them stop all of a sudden: they heard a noise coming from the corridor and they froze immediately, staring into each other's eyes in sudden, silent shame and panic. The only problem was that the noise didn't actually come from the corridor itself, but rather from the very same room… From the wardrobe on the corner, right next to the door, that sound had come. As soon as both Videl and Gohan turned their eyes to meet the intruder, they realised that the wardrobe door was ajar – and Pan was right behind it.
"Pan!" Videl exclaimed almost breathlessly.
Gohan clenched his teeth violently, closed his eyes darkly, with shame, and let out a badly repressed grunt as he disentangled himself from his recently hunted love prey. There was no easy way out of it, but there was nothing in the world that couldn't stop him from being royally pissed off at his little sister. That was why he came towards her, walking angry strides, and before she could even mumble half an apology, he angrily shut the wardrobe door closed, leaned the weight of his body on both his hands on the wooden surface, and, staring at the door with killer eyes, he professed thus:
"Don't you dare spy on us again." His voice was darker than Videl had ever heard before. "If you tell anyone on us, beware."
There was a crucial pause and they could hear a tiny sob coming from the wardrobe.
"Now… I'll open the door and you'll flee IMMEDIATELY." He grunted.
That was when he opened first the door of the study room and then the wardrobe's. As soon as he'd done so, Pan fled faster than the wind. She didn't want to cross her brother ever again. He slammed the door of the study room shut.
Alone as they were, then for real, Gohan didn't dare to look back at Videl, even though he'd done far too many shameful things to her in the course of the last few minutes… and what he would've definitely done to her if he hadn't been interrupted.
"Gohan…" Her voice was shaking like a leaf, half afraid, but half hot.
His plan had been foiled; his mood, demolished. For a second he thought of getting his shirt back and storm out of the study room… and never speak of it ever again. On second thoughts, he believed she deserved that he should finish what he had started. He was hesitating.
"I-I'm… s-sorry, Videl." Gohan finally said as if he was regretting what he'd done. The restraining half of his mind was winning the battle.
"Wait… w-what?" Videl whispered back at him, unable to believe him.
"I've pushed you…" He whispered feeling shame and guilt. "I shouldn't've."
"What are you talking about?" She whispered faking she was getting indignant.
At that, Gohan dared to look back at her with wonder and excitement in his eyes. Once he had done so, she was already coming to him to hold his cheeks and kiss him. His fire gladly revived within him. Would she ever reject him? The mere thought was dumb – Videl had, from the very first day they had met, treated him like no other person ever would. It was no different then. She'd always be there, comforting him, kissing him.
The kiss was getting heated again…
… until Kami came walking down the corridor and opened the door, only to find a shaken Videl trying to focus on a book and horribly failing at it. Her cheeks were aflame and her lips, swollen for no reason at all – or so it seemed.
"Videl, I need to ask you something, uh…" Kami made a pause and then he continued thus: "Oops. Seems like a patient has forgot his jacket here." He said with a genuinely naïve smile. "Anyway, I came to fetch you. It'll be dinnertime soon."
Videl agreed to leave immediately and, once they were already crossing the threshold and closing the door of the study room, the wardrobe's door slowly opened, revealing a chest-heaving but quiet Son Gohan holding the knob.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Later, that same night, in Videl's room…
"How to please a man 101." Erasa announced with pride.
Ranfan chuckled amused while Videl raised an eyebrow.
"I don't like the title, Miss Erasa." Videl complained while raising a hand like a good student.
Erasa had come and visited Videl because Erasa had promised her she'd reveal a special kind of knowledge to her. Unfortunately, the last time Sharpner had interrupted them before Videl could make any progress at all. She had brought Ranfan over, just in case he might intrude again. He was known for his lack of tact and no respect for boundaries or closed doors.
"Very well. What do you suggest instead?" Erasa asked her with a warm smile on her face, while sitting on the bed.
"It doesn't need a title. Let's just not tag it… It's how I feel…" Videl replied hesitating and rather sad. She also sat on the bed, by her side.
"Good, because I need to be sure you feel like doing this, Videl." Erasa added whispering tenderly.
"Are you sure you want me to stay and watch?" Ranfan asked with feline, lustful eyes, but trying to keep it cool.
"No problem, girl." Erasa replied gently. "Right, Videl?"
"I'd rather have you stay and watch than have Sharpner spotting us here." Videl whispered back. "I'm ready."
That was the cue for Erasa to start the ball rolling. She raised her right hand and cupped Videl's chin with great care.
"Do whatever you want. You must remember that you're completely free, Videl." Erasa insisted whispering with tenderness. "Either meek or daring, feel free to do it to me. And it's OK if you want to think it's him and not me – or not. Do as you please. You choose. You always get to choose."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Dear readers,
One more! God, I'm in love with this chapter. Did you enjoy it?
So, will Erasa and Videl get it on? How far is Videl willing to go? Will Gohan and Videl continue where they had left off? Will Trunks interfere in their relationship? What damn surprise gift has Lord Son Goku planned for Videl? And why is he so fucking mysterious about it? (This man is killing me!) Will the Red Ribbon army strike back as revenge? Feel free to comment!
Be patient, sweethearts. Soon… in the next chapter! ;)
Love,
Denim Jean
PS: I was thinking to try and post regularly, but I've known myself long enough to know that I'm an evil procrastinator. So, if I choose to do it, I know I'll break my promise at some point. I suck so bad at keeping promises… Should I try once more? :S