Disclaimer: I don't own HP or DBZ.
Ch.7: The Wrackspurts in Your Brain
Andres gave his heart-broken friend a sympathetic look. Gohan sighed for seemingly the hundredth time as he halfheartedly ate his food, the Saiyan barely eating, that in itself alarming.
Rumors spread quickly and today was not an exception to this rule. Gohan had confirmed the rumors when Andres had confronted him about the matter. The Spanish boy knew not to press further, unless he wanted to further upset his friend.
Half an hour ago, Ginny tore through Gohan, rendering him speechless throughout her livid tirade. She had called him countless awful names. Every single irate word thrown at the Saiyan had made him more dejected, more depressed, and more ashamed. Guilt overflowed and his depression worsened when he realized that Ginny was right.
People came up to Gohan, prodding him to speak up about the disaster. Andres defended his friend and told all of them to buzz off because Gohan clearly was not in a state to discuss the incident. Snickers and finger pointing were relatively common throughout breakfast, and every one of them was met by a ruthless Spanish glare that quickly shut up the offender.
Andres couldn't take Gohan's dejection anymore so he spoke up, hoping he could comfort his friend at least a bit. "Dude, I know you must feel like complete shit." Andres paused and looked at the somber expression on Gohan's face; he was seemingly listening, at least. "And you should rightfully feel guilty for acting like an asshole. Hell, I feel guilty for coming up with the idea in the first place.
"I understand if you want to be by yourself for a few days, but don't take this too far. Don't act like this week after week. You have to let it go eventually, acknowledge your mistake, and apologize to Ginny. I don't want to see you like this, wallowing in misery over one mistake. You made a mistake, but don't hold yourself accountable for it too long. Mistakes come and go, and forgiveness lasts until the next one."
Andres sighed in relief when Gohan's dark features softened. Still, the Saiyan kept his gaze on a distant window rather than Andres. "Andres, do you think that what I did makes me no better than the rest of the Slytherins? I blackmailed Videl and tried to trick Ginny. It seems exactly like what the stereotypical Slytherin would do."
"Hell no. Just from the few days I've known you, I can say with one hundred percent certainty that you aren't a piece of shit. I know you're a great person, but like me sometimes your faults can make you make bad decisions. One mistake does not make you a bad person."
Gohan nodded, trained his gaze on Andres, and gave his friend a weak smile. "You're right, Andres. Thanks. I have to apologize to Ginny as soon as possible. She probably and rightfully won't accept my apology, but hopefully with time I can mend our ties."
Andres gave his friend a reassuring nod and smile. They made some conversation about their upcoming DADA class. They weren't exactly excited about being in a room with a bigheaded wizard and rabid fangirls. "Don't you hate it that every time he gives his creepy smile, the girls act is if they're about to faint from joy? It's maddening!"
Gohan nodded. "It's absurd. He might be a great wizard, but he's still an arrogant twat."
Whispers all of the sudden filled the hall much to the two's confusion. They turned around and saw another irate Weasley, Ron Weasley to be exact. Gohan tried to calm himself for the situation by half humorously noting that Weasleys looked like ripe tomatoes when they were angry. I have a strange craving for french fries all of the sudden. Stupid magic laws don't let me conjure french fries.
Andres shouldered his friend. "You stepped in shit with your right foot, why oh why did you have to step in more shit with your left?"
Gohan shrugged. "I was stupid for a few seconds and the shits were right next to each other."
"At least you have some protection from this Weasley. His friends are tagging along so maybe they'll be rational and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
Gohan nodded when he saw that behind Ron were a worried Harry and Hermione. As they approached, the Saiyan braced himself for an ear-wrenching diatribe.
There stood a fuming Ron Weasley, slowly boiling over, about to burst. "I warned you! Now you've blown your last chance and you've made yourself an enemy, you bloody git!" Ron snarled.
All eyes were locked on the scene. Gohan peripherally glanced to see whether Ginny was also looking. To his dismay, she wasn't even at the Gryffindor table.
Ron continued dogging him. "You acted exactly like the slimy Slytherin you are. You shouldn't have forced my sister in the first place to be your girlfriend!"
That was over the line for Gohan. Ron had been correct up until that point. Gohan's guilty eyes quickly grew cold. "I did act like a slimy git, but I would not stoop so low as to force your sister to be my girlfriend, ok? I apologize for my deplorable actions, and I want to apologize to Ginny. I'll understand if you both don't accept my apology, but I will always cling to the hope that someday we can, if not be friends, be on at least good terms."
Ron simply scowled. "Stop trying to hide behind a nice demeanor. I know what's really behind your façade, Son, and I'm going to make sure you pay for trying to trick us all! Eat Slugs!"
"Protego!"
The jet of green light was reflected back toward Ron, propelling him five to six feet.
"Ron! Ron! Are you alright?" Hermione squealed. Harry and Hermione couldn't help but scowl angrily at Gohan despite knowing he was just protecting himself.
Ron opened his mouth to speak but instead of words, he gave a resonant belch and several slugs trickled out of his mouth onto the floor.
The Slytherin table was spell bound with laugher at the embarrassing situation a Slytherin brought on a Gryffindor.
"Harry, we have to go take him to Madam Pomfrey!" Hermione said, anxious. Harry curtly bobbed his head.
"That is not necessary, I will take him," Professor McGonagall's stern voice declared. "Mr. Weasley, I'm ashamed you could not control your temper. Fifty points from Gryffindor and a detention."
"But Professor..." Ron croaked out and subsequently vomited more slugs.
"No buts Mr. Weasley! Now come on. I'll take you to Madam Pomfrey." Ron complied and left without a second glance.
After Ron left, Hermione shifted her gaze onto Gohan. "You, mister, are going to have a lot of explaining to do during lunch."
"Ok, ok, I'll do it." With a satisfied nod, Hermione and Harry left.
"Things aren't exactly looking up, are they?"
"No Andres, things are spiraling down to hell. I'll have to build one damn good staircase to get out of there."
"First you should clean up the shits you stepped in."
"Yeah, start with the small things I guess."
The first DADA class was a complete farce. Lockhart had really outdone himself in the arrogance department. Nearly the entire class time was spent on taking a stupid quiz about Lockhart's books that were, well, just about Lockhart. And Lockhart? He was of no substance whatsoever, so the quiz was meaningless, ridiculous, and plain bullshit. Three pages of bullshit to be exact.
Andres cupped his mouth. "Pss, Gohan, can you give me the answers to this god forsaken quiz. I know you're secretly in love with Lockhart and know all the answers."
"I'm not secretly in love with Lockhart!" Gohan growled.
"You told everyone but your best buddy?"
"No! I'm not in love period!"
"More like exclamation mark."
"Stop being a smartass."
"But I'm the one asking for answers," Andres said with mock pain.
"You're doing it again!"
"Whatever do you speak of? I simply want answers."
"Well you're not getting them because I've got a little problem with a thing called cheating. Ever heard of it?"
Andres smirked. "Yeah, I've heard of it."
"And what do you think of it?"
"It's pretty bad unless it's on a bullshit quiz like this."
Gohan scowled. "Cheating is wrong in any circumstance."
"Stop being a goody two-shoes, Gohan."
"Hey! You know I'm not a goody two-shoes."
"I know. I just want to get some answers."
"If it's so dumb why do you care?"
"Because it's a quiz."
"But didn't you tell me fudge Lockhart, I don't give a fudge about his class."
"No."
"Yes you did," Gohan accused.
"No I didn't. I said 'fuck Lockhart, I don't give a fuck about his class.'"
Gohan grimaced. "Same thing," he said flatly.
"It's not the same thing. Your version was the goody two-shoes version." Gohan groaned.
"It's kind of weird that the only curse word you don't drop is the f-bomb by the way."
"It's just… bad."
A few minutes passed. "Oh listen to this one, Gohan," Andres whispered. "Who was my first girlfriend?"
"I feel sorry for the girl that dated him."
"Don't be. It's pathetic she couldn't see through his bullshit facade because of that oh so dreamy smile of his!" Andres feigned love towards Lockhart. "Honestly, if I had a say in his personal life, I would not allow him to breed. Imagine a mini-me Lockhart."
Gohan shuddered at the thought.
A few minutes of silence passed. "Lookie here, Gohan. Question 34. When anyone meets me, what's the first thing they think?
A look of thoughtfulness crossed Gohan's expression. "That question is interesting because it made me realize that Lockhart is the type of person that when you first meet, you immediately don't like. But when you get to know him, you end up hating him."
"So true."
"Excuse me boys but please be quiet. I know you both want to know the answers to my wonderful life, but you can't go around cheating," Lockhart merrily said with his usual beaming smile. The boys feigned crying at the sight of it.
"My eyes, my beautiful eyes," Andres whimpered.
"Don't worry Andres, I'll save you from that monster."
"Monster? More like a pink teddy bear."
A few moments later Gohan turned in his quiz, the first one to do so out of the entire class. Lockhart gave him a proud smile, delighted that a student knew him so well that he finished so quickly. Gohan did his best to return a smile, but it ended up being quite pathetic and insincere. Nonetheless to Lockhart it was filled with adulation. Gohan walked back to his seat, confident he got all the answers correct. He was so confident of this that he was disgusted that he knew all the squalid filth in Lockhart's books, hence why he had left Lockhart a little surprise toward the end of the quiz.
When Gohan returned to his seat, Andres gave him a disapproving look. "What?"
"You're such a nerd, Gohan."
Gohan scowled.
Five minutes later Andres finished and turned in the quiz. "I can't wait till Lockhart sees mine," Andres whispered to Gohan.
Gohan glanced at his friend inquisitively.
"You know the questions we discussed?"
Gohan nodded.
"Well, I put our flattering conclusions on there."
Gohan snickered.
After all the students had handed in the quizzes, Lockhart looked at them with disappointment strangely mixed with his usual jovial disposition. Even when it's obvious no one gave a damn about reading his books, he still can look happy. What the hell?
After scanning a few papers, Lockhart stopped at one and his smile flipped upside down. Andres and Gohan snickered. "Mr. Perez! Detention this evening!"
"What'd he do?" Jacob, their dorm mate, asked Lockhart.
"Nothing that should concern you."
"Nonsense, Professor Lockhart. Don't be so modest!"
"You will not tell anyone or I will send you to the headmaster for punishment."
Andres innocently smiled at him. "Don't worry, Professor. I'm good at keeping secrets!" he said a little too enthusiastically. "Yeah right," he said under his breath. Gohan tried his best to suppress his snickers.
Lockhart brightly smiled again, clearly believing Andres. What a fool! Gohan sourly thought.
"Very well, Andres. I hope you've learned your lesson." Lockhart kept grading the rest of the quizzes while the class whispered to each other.
"Look at Videl."
"She's glaring at me, what's new?"
"But are you going to apologize?"
Gohan shrugged. "I guess, and I'll burn the pictures in front of her face if I have to. She was actually nice to me for once and then I treated her like crap."
"I'm proud of you, not letting such hard feelings get in your way of proper judgment! My boy is finally growing up," Andres sardonically exclaimed, then proceeded to feign tears.
"Oh shut up you melodramatic wuss."
Andres looked at him indignantly. "I object! I'm not a wuss. I'm as macho as they get."
"Sure..." Gohan trailed off and rolled his eyes. "I'm sure that's exactly what your girlfriend tells you."
"How'd you know?"
"Just a feeling. What house is your girlfriend in anyway?"
"Ravenclaw."
"She's got brains, but what about beauty?" Gohan humorously asked.
The Spanish boy smugly smirked. "She's got beauty alright. Have you heard of Cho Chang?" Gohan gawked at his friend. "Gohan Son is speechless! I will forever remember this momentous moment! "
"I wish you were speechless sometimes. Hell, sometimes I wish you were mute for the entire day."
"Hey!"
"Now, picking up where we left as if nothing ever happened, of course I've heard of her. She's the most popular third year in school. I've seen her too and she is quite the looker. Congratulations my suave Andres, I never would have imagined that you were this good!"
Andres sexily raised his eyebrows, then looked at his scrunched up hand nonchalantly, examining it for any possible imperfections. "Ahh it was nothing, I just worked my magic and bam, she's my girl."
"Silence now, children." Lockhart gave the two a weak scolding look.
Andres whispered, "That's a weak sauce glare."
"With sprinkles on top." The boys snickered.
"Tut, tut – hardly any of you remembered that my favorite color is lilac. I say so in Year with the Yeti (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Rowling 100). But very good, Mr. Son, it seems like you've got all the questions right." Lockhart's voice was full of praise.
"Too bad," Gohan said under his breath. More Spanish snickers.
"Yes my favorite muggle singer is Celine Dion. Now let's look at the last question. Yes my birthday is 1955 March 2. Let me read the last part as you wrote it. 'Your ideal gift would be a new set of posh French curlers to fulfill your dreams of beautiful golden locks of girly hair, not that there's anything wrong with that mind you.' That's exactly right Mr. Son."
An uproar of laugher filled the class, perplexing Lockhart. He reread what Gohan wrote and blushed madly. For the first time ever, his smile was gone and in it's place was a menacing scowl.
"Holy shit, Gohan! That's not a weak sauce scowl with sprinkles on top!"
"Gohan Son! Detention and fifty points from Slytherin!" Lockhart said, his forget-me-not blue eyes fixed firmly on the Saiyan.
Gohan gave Lockhart a superfluous sulking frown. "But I only got one question wrong!"
"Insulting a teacher is not allowed!"
"Does that mean I can't give you the curlers I was going to buy for your birthday?"
Another uproar of laugher filled the room. Lockhart attempted to calm the boisterous class but it was to no avail. He was fraught with embarrassment and was glad that the bell rang almost immediately after the question.
"Good one, Gohan, good one!" Andres clumsily said through his bubbling mirth.
"Thanks, it was worth the detention. But I have to get going, I need to apologize to Videl. I'll see you for dinner, ok?"
"Yeah that's fine. Good luck, though. You'll need it."
"Thanks for being sunshine and lollipops."
Andres gave him a sheepish grin. "I'm right and you know it."
"Yeah, I know. See you soon Andres."
"Yup, see yuh."
Gohan departed and went jogging towards Videl's ki signature. "Wait Videl!" Videl tensed up at the sound of her enemy's voice and refrained from turning around. She sped up her stride, alongside her friends. A few seconds later, she felt his hand clasp firmly on her shoulder.
"What do you want?" She snarled and whipped around.
Erasa glared at Gohan. "Stop bothering Videl, you jerk!"
"Yeah dweeb, or I'll kick your ass!'
Gohan awkwardly chuckled. "I just want to say I'm sorry. I did a terrible thing and I understand that you're angry."
"I'm not forgiving you," Videl said, her tone flat.
"And I understand that. All I wanted to do was apologize to you and inform you that I'll give you the pictures."
Videl eyed him suspiciously, but then shrugged and held out her hand. Gohan gave her the pictures, and immediately the trio left without a word.
Why did I have to act like such a dick?
The young Saiyan had found an empty classroom after dinner.
He sat at a creaky desk and then pulled out his Magic Veggie Ball. "Vegeta!" Gohan yelled at his MVB. He waited patiently, but over a minute elapsed and nothing happened. "VEGETA," he yelled louder. Nothing. Damn it! Out of nowhere, he heard a roar.
"STOP YOUR DAMN LAUGHING, WOMAN. GET THIS PINK DRESS OFF OF ME... AN EFFECT FROM THE HELL BALL FOR NOT CONSOLING THE BRAT? WHAT! NO ONE MAKES ME STOP MY TRAINING!"
What the hell? Gohan fell out of the desk and started laughing madly. A pink dress! Oh Kami, I'll never let him forget this! For once, thank you Dende. Gohan tried to compose himself when he heard a snarl and realized that Vegeta was huffily standing in the black background of the ball.
"What do you want, brat? And why are you laughing?" the image of Vegeta, slick with sweat, growled as Gohan smirked at him
"Oh, Veggie Head, what's this about you in a pink dress?"
A vein popped out on Vegeta's head and pulsated with anger. "Nothing! You must've become crazier than I thought you would become with all those whack jobs around," he scathingly replied.
"Please, Vegeta, I heard you from my Magic Veggie Ball. Isn't this thing great? Frankly, I think it's a nice change from those awfully dull spandex you walk around in all the time. I'm sure the dress accentuates your slim curves and ample bottom quite well."
Vegeta was incredibly close to blasting the MVB to Hell, but he controlled himself, an arduous task for the Saiyan Prince. The Prince of Saiyans simply huffed and firmly crossed his arms. "What do you want, brat? I don't have time for your foolishness. I have to return to my training as soon as possible."
Gohan's smirk evaporated. "Truthfully, I don't know where to go to, Vegeta, and I've argued with myself over this for quite a while. I'm not sure whether I should follow Mirai's advice on this matter or –"
Vegeta glared at him, irritated by his lack of straightforwardness. "Hurry up brat!"
"Jeez, Veggie head, are you sure your not PMsing? You're a little bitchy today."
Vegeta's hair turned blonde and eyes teal. "SHUT UP YOU DAMN BRAT AND TELL ME WHAT THE HELL YOU WANT!"
Gohan pouted. "Fine then, Vegeta. You ruin all the fun."
Vegeta scoffed and went back to his base form. "I make all the fun."
"Sure Veggie Head, keep telling yourself that. Ok, so I wanted to ask you about a girl that I really like."
Vegeta arrogantly smirked. "Girl trouble? Oh, you've definitely come to the right place."
"Not just possibly the right place, but our situations are kind of similar. Bulma thought you were an evil bastard when we came back to earth after Freeza, right?"
"Yes, she was afraid to even live in the same house as me!" Vegeta cackled. "Good times, good times. I never had more power to strike fear in her than I did then."
"Reminiscing Veggie Head now that you're her monkey bitch?"
BOOM!
Alright! Super Angry Saiyan transformation, he'll say something like 'if you screw with me again, I'll blow some shit up and teach your halfbreed ass a lesson in respect blah blah blah.'
"IF YOU SCREW WITH ME AGAIN, I'LL BLOW THIS FUCKING BALL, GO OVER TO YOUR DAMN SCHOO, AND TEACH YOUR HALF BREED ASS A LESSON IN RESPECT!"
Gohan yawned, further enraging the Saiyan. "Honestly Vegeta, you're becoming predictable. It gets kinda boring, you know?"
Vegeta calmed down a bit. He knew if he continued with his diatribe, he would be playing right into the cunning half-Saiyan's hands.
"Now that we are back to our previous civil conduct..." Vegeta scoffed again. "I'll tell you about my problem. If I simplify it, it's like this. I tricked a girl and she got pissed off at me and doesn't want to be with me anymore because she thinks I'm an asshole. So, what do you recommend I do?"
"I say don't waste your time with the girl. If she gets pissed off over a stupid trick, who knows what it'll be like living with her."
"It wasn't just a trick. It was worse."
Vegeta raised an eyebrow at him. "So the saiyan in you has finally emerged."
"Not that bad! Let's just say she has a right to feel how she's feeling. This is similar to your previous situation with Bulma, correct?" Vegeta nodded. "Then what did you do to get Bulma?"
A dark grin crept up on Vegeta's hard face. Gohan gulped nervously. I knew this was a bad idea!
"I got the woman in my bed that's what. In the beginning, she tried to slap, bite me, smack me, whatever she could to get out of my grasp. But a few minutes in, extraordinarily aroused, soaking wet from my absolute dominance, she ravished me with sex. Are you planning to employ my method, boy?" Vegeta eerily smirked at him.
"Oh Kami, why did I have to ask you Vegeta? Even Trunks's advice is better than yours."
Vegeta snorted. "Nonsense. The only action he gets is from slutty fangirls."
Gohan chuckled. "I know. I met them one time and it was..." Gohan shuddered.
"God awful."
"I never thought there could be anyone stupider than your father but I was proven wrong when I met them."
Gohan glared at Vegeta. "Screw you, Vegeta. Remind me to kick your ass the first time I see you when I come back for the holidays."
Vegeta cackled and repeatedly nodded. "What a ludicrous statement! Sure, whatever brat."
"So I've gained nothing, except bonding time with my favorite person in the whole world. Bye Vegeta. Thanks for nothing."
Vegeta sneered. "It's your fault brat for not following my advice."
Autumn took hold as summer lost its grip. Hot and humid days became chilly and dry. The days winded down sooner, and the dark nights lengthened accordingly.
To Gohan, the occasional wind was like a dirge, a constant reminder of his mistakes. His cheerfulness was flaccid, lacking the color and complexity of genuine happiness.
His Spanish friend was never convinced that Gohan had gotten over Ginny. Andres, however, did not make any attempts to help his friend overcome his gloom. A storm no matter how strong died out eventually was his rationale. Who was he to possibly spur the storm? What else could he do to help that he hadn't already done? Why risk it when there was a definite conclusion?
But Andres didn't know exactly what Gohan felt. Gohan still felt guilt of course, still missed Ginny, but he was also worried. Gohan, unlike Andres, noticed Ginny's strange aloofness. Ginny had rarely been going to the suppers. Many times, her ki signature would disappear without a trace, completely baffling Gohan. Her usual bright color had been replaced by an unhealthy pallor.
A few weeks ago Gohan had asked himself if it was his fault. Was she not going to dinner because of him? His suspicions were shot down when he realized that she wasn't avoiding him. A few days after their break up, she had tried her best to avoid the Saiyan, completely ignoring him whenever he tried to talk to her. That attitude took a U-turn two weeks later. He now often times sat with her during breakfast (the one meal she usually showed up to) whenever Andres wasn't around and she would not object. She would murmur a few words of conversation but nothing more. No spiteful feelings were now ever present. Her once warm eyes were now callous. All it seemed she felt for Gohan now was apathy.
Gohan knew there was something terribly wrong. As much as he thought, he couldn't figure it out.
He stopped his sparing with his mirror image. Looking deep into her eyes felt like being engulfed by darkness, a foreign darkness, not belonging in a young girl's eyes. Gohan sighed as he thought over the situation again, and walked through the Forbidden Forest deep in thought. Videl's crew still assailed him with vehement glares whenever he was near them. Harry and Hermione were cautiously accepting of him, even after the Ron incident. The conversation with the two during lunch that day went well. Hermione scathingly scolded him but didn't hold hard feelings when Gohan told her exactly how he felt about what he did to Ginny. 'I was a stupid, arrogant, vengeful jerk and I wish that I had never done that because I really like Ginny.' Harry and Gohan would share the occasional laugh whenever Ron wasn't around. Ron hadn't said a word to him since the incident.
After several minutes, he snapped out of his thoughts when he felt an unfamiliar ki. It didn't alarm him, however, since the person had a low ki, even for most humans. Still, he was worried for the person. Surely, he/she would realize it wasn't safe to be in the forest without company this late at night.
He looked at his tattered gi skeptically, now mulling over what to do. He couldn't go out and help the person without the possibility of being questioned about his gi's condition, despite the fact that it didn't look that bad since he was wearing long-sleeves tonight, his body well covered. He would have to do something. Glamour Charm!
Gohan expertly produced a glamour charm to make it appear as if he were wearing his robes. At his age, he really shouldn't have been capable of that, but he was something else. He was a prodigy so advanced, that according to his teachers, no one had ever known of any wizard or witch so good at such a young age. Dumbledore had inquired how he could cast a Protego shield after the Ron incident. The Saiyan had nonchalantly shrugged and told him he learned it from the books he read. Dumbledore had stared at him wide-eyed and then had chuckled. The blunt way Gohan put it had amused him to no end.
Gohan walked toward the source of the ki. He was surprised to see a small girl, about the age of a first year, serenely lying down, her protuberant silver eyes gazing at the glowing stars without a care in the world. She had long, straggly, silver blond hair and very pale skin. Gohan couldn't help but smile at the scene. The girl looked so peaceful and free.
He continued walking toward her. When he arrived just a few feet away from her, she didn't seem to notice him, her gaze on the stars unwavering. Gohan spoke up. "Hi, I'm Gohan Son."
The girl trained her dreamy eyes on him. "Hello, Gohan Son. I'm Luna Lovegood. If you would like to stay, you can sit here," she said—her voice filled with an otherworldly dreaminess—while patting on the soft grass, motioning for him to accompany her.
He decided to take up her invitation, sitting down on the exact spot she had patted. Her name lingered in his mind for a few moments. He was sure he had heard the name before. He shook off the feeling and redirected his thoughts to the present situation. "It's nice to meet you Luna, but I would like to ask why you're here alone. It can get very dangerous here this late at night."
Her eyes remained dreamy, bewildering Gohan. He had never seen anyone appear so serene. "I could ask you the same thing and in addition ask why your clothes are torn." Gohan attempted to cover up his surprise, but was unsuccessful. "I have a sort of a second sight that allows me to see through certain charms."
The shocked Saiyan looked at her frostily. "Don't probe any further than that, and don't tell anyone about this." His icy face died down at the sight of the unaffected faraway expression of Luna Lovegood. That should've been good enough to even make Vegeta feel nervous, but here she is so... detached, almost as if she didn't hear me.
"Since you don't seem to have any better reason to be out here, I guess that means you can't justify why I shouldn't be here," she said conversationally, paying no heed to his icy demands. Gohan wasn't sure if she was digressing from the topic of his torn clothes purposely or unconsciously. That still didn't ease the anxiety he felt about the possibility that she would grow suspicious of him. He couldn't allow any more slip-ups around this odd girl.
"Yes I do! I..." Gohan trailed off, not sure what to say. Telling her about his inhuman martial arts prowess was not the answer.
"Oh dear, it seems like the Wrackspurts invaded your brain," Luna conversationally said.
Gohan stared at her, perplexed. "Wrackspurts invading my brain?"
"They're invisible things that float through the air and go inside the victim's ears, making their brain fuzzy."
Gohan looked at the dreamy girl incredulously. "That's not possible. I've never heard of them and I've read books about magical creatures and they've never been mentioned."
"It seems like you haven't read the Quibbler."
"The Quibbler?"
"It also seems like you love reflecting what I've said. The Wrackspurts must have disabled you more than I had initially thought!" She giggled a little at his derisive scowl.
"I'll explain. The Quibbler is a magazine that my dad produces. He writes about a variety of magical creatures that aren't officially recognized as existing, but my dad and I know they do. People are simply too narrow-minded to believe so and scorn us for having faith in that which has not been disproven." Her voice was serene, lacking any edge to it. Gohan couldn't get over her fascinating calmness. She was something else.
"I guess I can't tell you that they don't exist when there's no evidence to prove they don't," he happily exclaimed, a warm smile on his face, despite him knowing about who the burden of proof rested on. He liked this girl. He was going to support her, despite the logical fallacy she was committing. Anyway, she was entitled to believe what she wanted to believe, without having to deal with someone else's condescension or scorn.
Luna beamed at him, her face very cheerful. She had never had another kid accept her beliefs so easily.
"So, do you have any tips on getting rid of Wrackspurts?"
Her smile grew brighter and she nodded. "Yes. I've read that to get rid of them someone has to blow in the other person's ear and they will leave, repelled by the turbulence."
Gohan grinned at her. "Really? Well get on with the blowing, Luna. I don't want my brain fuzzy anymore."
"Very well." She scooted closer toward him and lightly grasped his shoulder to better position herself. She blew into his ear, attempting rid his brain of Wrackspurts. Her warm breath tickled Gohan's ear like the tips of flowers on his skin, and he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was really enjoying himself. "There. It seems like they're all gone. Feeling better?"
It was Gohan's turn to dreamily stare at her. "Much better."
She looked at him with bemused confusion. "You really should cut that out; people might think you're a little odd." Gohan couldn't help but laugh at the irony of the comment. His brusque laugh startled Luna, her dreaminess dissipating slightly, but she then dreamily smiled at him again. "So now that I have driven out the Wrackspurts, can you coherently state why you are more capable than I am at staying safe here?"
He would have to go with his famous (already known throughout the school), prodigal, magical abilities. "I am very well capable of defending myself with my magical abilities."
A different dreamy smile crossed Luna's features. Gohan couldn't discern whether it was a mocking or friendly smile. "Ah yes, your amazing magical talent. A talent so astounding, not one child in our age group has possessed such talent throughout all the history of magic. I've heard the professors speak of you with both praise and concern. Very well. It seems you are more than capable of protecting yourself. Nevertheless, it does not matter too much here. I've been out by the lake since the beginning of the school year, and nothing bad has ever happened. Admittedly, the occasional turbulence and strange flashes of flight are quite startling, but don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
Gohan tensed up at that. So she had in some way observed the things he did. Of course, he knew she hadn't seen him, but he also knew that if he slipped up anymore, she could easily derive a conclusion. Thankfully, the thoughts racing through his head did not translate to his appearance. He reluctantly agreed with her. "Fine, you can keep up your evening routine, but I'm keeping you company tonight," he firmly said.
She vaguely nodded, almost as if she wasn't actually listening to him. Out of nowhere, he recalled where he heard her name. Ginny had told him after their break-up that she was going to talk to her friend Luna. Could this be the same Luna? Excitement welled up in him at the possibility of learning what was wrong with Ginny, like a first breath of unsullied air. "By the way, do you happen to know a Ginny Weasley?"
She tilted her head and looked at him, as if struggling to recall the name. "Yes I do. She is a friend of mine. I met her when I was a little girl. Why? Oh, wait, she spoke of you before. You were her boyfriend, correct?"
If it hadn't been Luna Lovegood asking that question, he would be nervously balancing on the thin wire of conversational civility with an ex-girlfriend's friend. Luna Lovegood was different however. There was no trace of vindictiveness in her tone. She spoke mellifluously, her soothing voice reassuring him. There was no thin wire, no balancing act when one spoke with Luna Lovegood. She was a wide sea of fresh acceptance. "Yes I was. Unfortunately, I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life and she accordingly let me go," he almost nonchalantly said. He was surprised by how easy it was to say that. Luna seemed to radiate hope of something better, something he didn't entirely comprehend. She was the flicker of light in the darkness he had thought to be unending.
"I am glad to see that you have acknowledged your mistake, but unfortunately the damage has been done."
"I realize that, but what I would like to know – you being her friend and all, I assume that you know something – why Ginny is so withdrawn and different. She's lost that cheerfulness about her that made her unique. She's lost her stubbornness, her fire. Now she's a distant, cold, apathetic mess. She's completely unrecognizable! And I know that it's not me who's changed her."
Despite the seriousness of the Saiyan's question, Luna's eyes still had a faraway, dazed look about them, as if she were on some other level of consciousness and she had no worries. "Unfortunately, I hardly know more than you do about the situation. I have caught her spending most of her time with a diary – even when she's walking she carries it. I once asked her when she bought it, and she uncharacteristically snarled at me. She was delusional, believing that I wanted to steal the diary away from her. But what could that have to do with her drastic change?"
Gohan looked downbeat by the lack of answers from Luna. No answers but more questions he sullenly noted. Luna noticed his sadness and spoke up. "I am also trying to understand what's happening with Ginny, Gohan. If you need any help, I'll gladly be there for you and help you however I can."
The Saiyan gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Luna. That means a lot to me."
She stared at him for a long period of time, seemingly deep in thought, discomforting Gohan at the awkward silence and her continuous staring. Why does she have to look at me like that? It's so uncomfortable.
Luna gave him a smile. "You are different from most people. You're more accepting and a little... dotty."
Gohan grinned. "I'm dotty! Now what does that make you?"
"People call me Loony," she bluntly said, startling Gohan with her candid comment.
Soon, anger filled him. "Why do they do that?" he asked, his voice harsh.
She shrugged. "Because of my different beliefs, but honestly I don't really mind."
"They still shouldn't call you names!"
"Don't worry, Gohan. It's nothing to concern you."
His anger subsided and he gazed caringly at Luna. He wasn't sure what, but something about this girl made him very protective of her. In half an hour, he had formed an inexplicable bond with Luna. "Yes, Luna, it does concern me. It greatly bothers me that people go around unjustly teasing someone else because they are different. It defies everything I stand for and I will not allow it to continue. If I ever hear anyone call you Loony, I'll make sure they cut it out permanently."
Luna's eyes widened, utterly shocked, a reaction Gohan felt was quite challenging to get out of the blonde girl. "You want to help me out?"
"Absolutely."
"And you want to stop the other kids from teasing me?" she airlessly questioned, unbelieving that someone actually wanted to help her out to such an extent.
"It seems like you're doing the reflecting now, Ms. Lovegood. Wrackspurts making your brain fuzzy?"
Luna giggled. "Maybe. How about you help me get rid of them, Gohan?"
"Why not?"
