A/N: Accidentally started a love rectangle. Whoops! At least it isn't a harem. I hate harems.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything affiliated with it.
-MalRev
Lethal
7: Be Afraid
A couple hours later, Gohan was feeling well enough to teach me how to fly. It was hard to hide my excitement as we walked off toward the lake together where I had first learned about energy. Chi-Chi gave us a picnic lunch complete with a checkered blanket and happily watched us until we disappeared behind the line of trees. I knew she meant well but it was kind of creepy how she actively encouraged her son and me to be alone together. It wasn't like Gohan and I were dating or anything.
The lake was even more gorgeous in the sunlight. I fanned out the blanket on the ground and Gohan set aside the basket of food to sit on it cross-legged, already positioned to remind me how to summon my energy. The air was thick and insects buzzed past us heading in all different directions; it as hard for me to focus. Sweat beaded on my brow and was dripping down my cheek before I managed to generate a flickering ball of light between my hands.
Gohan smiled when I started running the ball of light between my fingers. "Good, now that you can control it well enough we can work on redirecting it underneath your body. It becomes second nature after a while but for now you'll need to focus pretty hard. And don't float too high up in the sky because it's gonna hurt if you get distracted and fall."
Flying was just as easy as it looked. Learning how to move the energy underneath me was confusing at first but when I figured it out, I never wanted to walk on my two feet again. Floating in the sky feeling my pulsating energy was ethereal: it felt like a wonderful dream I wanted to stay in forever. I soared up above the treetops to see the Son house nestled in the forest a distance away. Even more impressive was the sprawling city that looked miniature from such a length.
We went for a little trip over the mountains, flying alongside birds that weren't quite sure what to make of us. It opened up a whole new world for me, one where I wasn't restricted by the confines of gravity. Now I was free to go where I wanted whenever I wanted. Gohan had liberated me from my earthly prison and I was tremendously grateful, yet I knew I had no way to repay him. Keeping his dirty secrets could count if I stretched things.
Eventually, my energy ran dry and we returned to the lake for our picnic. Gohan was healing very rapidly but I didn't press him with questions: there were many things I might never know about him. He thanked me when I offered him a sandwich and we ate in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the warm sunshine and birds chirping in the trees. If I had my way, I would drop out of school and live in the wilderness like Gohan's family did. It seemed peaceful.
It wasn't until I was cleaning up our trash when I noticed Gohan's eyes focused intently on my neck. He didn't hesitate even though I tried covering it with what little hair I had after the cut. Maybe they were vampire-werewolves. That would explain the obsession with the throat area and why they didn't like the full moon. I cleared my throat a few times until Gohan snapped out of his trance and returned to staring at the ground. I liked it better when he was meek.
"Do you want to make a deal?" Gohan asked, tugging at the grass.
"What kind of deal?"
He glanced up at my neck again and his cheeks turned pink. "Let me bite you. I want to know what all the fuss is about. I'll tell you whatever you want to know after."
"You're not biting me. It won't do anything but make me bleed."
"Then what's the big deal? It'll take a few seconds and you can know whatever you want." Gohan leaned forward on his hands and knees, all traces of shyness gone. "Then dad will trust you and we can hang out whenever you want. So if you just let me try it once—"
"What about you keeping me after? That was what you told me last night. You're trying to trick me into letting you so I won't leave. Besides, we already had a deal about you telling me all your secrets. Remember? I know I do and I won't forget until you tell me everything. Including why you healed so fast and survived being attacked by a bear."
"I'm a descendant from an alien warrior race called the Saiyans," Gohan said without looking away from me. "It makes me heal rapidly and gives me an ingrained desire to fight. Being half-blooded, I was unluckily born with a tail which would normally make me transform into a giant gorilla under the full moon. My mentor from when I was a kid tore it off, but the blood still runs through me. I get so many different urges at once that I don't know—oh, never mind."
Gohan closed the remaining space between us and kissed me full on the lips, quickly pushing me onto my back. My mind was racing with even more questions when he deepened the kiss and I wasn't quite sure how I would get myself out of the awkward situation. He made a growling noise when I shifted a little under his weight and pulled away, panting like he had run a mile. His eyes were doing the same erratic movements from when I had found him in the woods.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
I scowled up at him. "You can't tell me things like that and kiss me right after. That's not really an opportune moment. And there's still some stuff I'd like to know."
"We can talk later." Gohan cradled my head in one of his huge hands and kissed me again even more eagerly than before. His other hand was propping him up so all of his weight wasn't resting on my body, but I could feel him struggling to keep from pushing up against me. He was wildly excited.
"Relax," I said, blushing furiously when he abandoned my mouth to kiss my neck. "We're out in the open; I don't want anyone seeing us. Especially one of your parents. That would be awkward…"
"You're really small, Videl. I'm afraid I might break you."
"Is… that a threat?"
"No!" Gohan stopped the assault of my neck to look at me intently, but he quickly broke down and started turning red. Even the tips of his ears got a hint of extra color. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be so loud and rude. I'm just saying, you're tiny and I'm big." To prove his point, he closed his hand over one of mine, easily obscuring it.
"Kakarot's son finally proving to be a man. I never thought I'd see the day."
We both turned to see a rather short man with black hair that stood on end sitting in a tree several feet away, casually dangling on leg down and smirking at Gohan and me. Gohan unwillingly got off me and helped me sit up. There were all sorts of twigs and leaves stuck in my hair. The blanket had become a crumpled, dirty mess and I wasn't sure how we would explain it to Chi-Chi. My skin looked pinkish and I felt extremely hot—the lake was looking very attractive.
The stranger leaned back against the tree trunk. "Trunks told me you'd be here, Gohan. You will all be joining us at Bulma's for dinner tonight. If you two are too busy rolling around in the grass, my wife will be very unhappy. So I suggest getting your things, going home, and cleaning up."
"This is Vegeta," Gohan said. "He's a pure-blooded Saiyan like my father. Trunks, Goten, Bulla and I are all half-blooded. So our race is going to end in a few generations."
"I wouldn't worry about that," Vegeta said, giving me an odd look.
"Are all of you long-lived?" I asked. It was better to avoid the creepy stares instead of addressing them. "Goku and this guy look really young but I'm guessing they're older. How old are you, Gohan? You're not thirty or something, are you?"
"No. I'm your age. My father was granted immortality but that's a really long story." Gohan looked up at Vegeta and smiled icily. "We're all set now that you've delivered your message. We'll be down to Capsule Corp in a couple of hours. Thanks for all your help."
"You're leaving now," Vegeta said. "I know you've just discovered women, but you have your entire life to waste your time with them."
Gohan grumbled something about Vegeta being a buzz kill while he gathered up the blanket. Once everything was packed, we flew into the air behind Vegeta, who would occasionally turn to make sure we were still following. I knew he interrupted us for more than one reason. It was nice to see an actual adult Gohan could turn to in times of need. Goku acted like more of an older brother, encouraging his son to do what his body told him. Chi-Chi was blinded by her excitement.
We landed outside the Son house where Chi-Chi was straightening up her garden outside. She glanced between the three of us and quickly put the puzzle together. It was easy to tell she had been a fighter in her younger days. Gohan accepted a kiss on the cheek from her and she pulled me in to a hug, apparently under the impression we had done more than just making out. Vegeta leaned against another tree with his arms crossed and closed his eyes. He was awfully cocky.
Once inside, Gohan offered me the shower first which I gladly accepted. I hurried upstairs to their small bathroom, shut and locked the door, then turned to figure out how to get the thing started. I immediately ran face-first into a familiar orange training outfit…
"Hi!" Goku said, grinning from ear to ear. "I heard you and Gohan are coming to Bulma's for dinner."
"What in Kami's name are you doing in the bathroom?" I hissed.
"Just uh… hanging out. How'd the flying lessons go? I was actually training Goten when Vegeta showed up demanding to know where you two had gone. Guess he really wants us all there for dinner."
"Your mood swings are giving me whiplash."
"Well now that you probably know everything about us I guess there's no reason for me to be rude. Funny how we keep running into each other like this." He glanced down at his shirt where I had bumped into him. "Literally running into each other. Anyway, hope to see you at dinner. It's too bad Gohan still hasn't told you a couple things, though. I guess he will sooner or later."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked. "No, wait, I'm not asking. You're trying to egg me on."
"Come with me and I'll give you a little history lesson."
It seemed like a terrible idea. The last time I had been alone with Goku he nearly broke my neck. But Gohan had left some holes open in his explanation that desperately needed filling. I tapped my chin thoughtfully before finally agreeing to go with Goku. He smirked and took my wrist then placed two fingers to his forehead again. We disappeared in a flash of otherworldly light.
Reviews/comments/questions
super saiyan 4 chichi- Is it bad I could tell they were yours? I think it is... I always wondered when exactly Gohan completely spilled everything to her about his family. She gets pieces here and there but the full story doesn't come together in the anime.
Kanosina- Yes, very rocky. But that always makes things more interesting!
TFSrules- It's looking like that but I'm gonna try to stay away from everyone being head over heels for her. Yet love rectangles are so fun.
