Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. If I did, Gohan would've finished Buu once and for all.
DBZ and all names, characters, and like thereof, is the property of Akira Toriyama.
Author's Notes: I'd like to take this time to invite my readers to discuss this fic on its OFFICIAL FORUM! The link is on my profile page! I would definitely love some reader input!
- AHC -
Chapter 7: A Day of Firsts, Part 2
"Here goes nothing…" Gohan whispered to himself before pulling the door open and walking in. The first thing he noticed was the sheer size of the room. He was convinced that his entire house could easily fit inside. That wouldn't be such a big deal…if this were Capsule Corp. This was merely a high school!
Mrs. Inoue and the students collectively sweat dropped while Gohan silently stood in the center of the room. The teacher cleared her throat. Gohan snapped out of his marveling and blushed immediately, muttering a small apology.
Chuckling softly, she glanced around the room for an empty seat. Spotting one, she whispered almost inaudibly, "Well, now, I believe I've found you a seat, Mr. Son."
"Where?" He responded, turning his head toward her slightly.
Taken aback by the young man's amazing hearing, she pointed to an empty seat, near a blonde girl.
"Yoo-hoo!" The blonde girl waved to him. "You can sit up here cutie!" She pointed to a vacant seat next to her on the end of the row.
'Cutie?' Gohan smiled, blushing a little, and walked up the stairs. Gohan sat down and placed his books on the desk. The blonde girl who had waved him up had her head on her hands and was staring at him. "Hi."
"Hey there." She grinned, batting her eyelashes. Her bright blue eyes flashed. "I'm Erasa."
"Uh, I'm Gohan." 'Gee, nervous much Gohan?'
Erasa held her right hand out to the two people next to her. "This is Sharpener, and the girl next to him is Videl."
"Huh?" He said. If there was another person, he couldn't see her past Sharpener. He craned his neck to see past the blonde boy, and finally saw the other girl, Videl, looking down at the teacher, attempting to pay attention. She looked very familiar to him, but he could not place the memory.
"Nice to meet you both." Gohan said.
Sharpener ignored him, instead placing his hands behind his head and leaning back in the chair. Videl only 'hn'ed' in reply, her eyes never leaving the front of the room.
'Why does she seem so familiar?' I swear I've seen her somewhere before…'
"Any particular reason you're staring at me?" She growled.
"Umm…Sorry?" he replied in a questioning tone. 'How long have I been staring!' "It's just that you just remind me of someone, and I must've spaced out there for a minute."
"I should…" She responded.
"Why's that?" He asked.
"You mean you don't know?" Erasa asked incredulously.
"Know what?" He asked, irritation threatening to creep into his voice. 'I'm tired of the question game! Just say what you have to!'
"She's trying to say that Videl here is the only daughter of the world's hero, geek boy." Sharpener said, annoyed.
'The world's hero! Who could that-'
"N-No way! Hercule?" He said slowly.
"Yep!" Erasa replied airily. "Satan Videl: the pride and joy of Orange Star High!"
Gohan had to clench his jaw to keep it closed. 'She's Hercule's daughter? Wow, that's pretty crazy. He had a kid and she's just my age. What are the odds…Wait! The girl I saved three years ago! That was Hercule's daughter! She can't be the same…She has to be. Sharpener said that she was his only daughter.'
"So, Gohan, what do you think about the Gold Fighter?" Erasa asked.
"Huh? Gold Fighter?"
Erasa nodded. "Yeah, you mean you haven't heard? This awesome glowing...gold man that showed up at a robbery today and saved Videl."
Gohan's eyes went wide. 'So it was her! She was the one fighting all those crooks. Oh no, does she know who I am? I don't think so. My Super Saiyan transformation changes my appearance pretty dramatically. I don't think she knows…' "I've been in Principal Nitor's office most of the morning. I haven't heard any news really."
"He didn't save me." Videl grumbled. "I could have handled them."
'Sure you could have.' Gohan thought with a small smirk. "So, uh, Videl, what were you doing fighting a bunch of crooks? I mean, aren't there cops around to do that sort of thing?"
"Well sometimes I am the police, Gohan." She reached into her pocket to fish something out. Videl tossed it over to Gohan, who caught it in his left hand. "I'm a deputized crime fighter for the Satan City Police Department."
He examined the badge a moment before tossing it back to her. "Why do you do that? Isn't that dangerous?"
Videl sat back in her chair and stared at the front of the room. "Someone has to do it."
He could hear the sad tone lacing her words. Gohan decided then that Satan Videl was a little more than meets the eye. Maybe someday he could ask her about it.
"Alright class!" Mrs. Inoue piped up. "Turn in your math books to page 58"
She was beginning the lesson, so Gohan opened his books and listened in.
- AHC -
It was finally lunchtime at Orange Star High. Gohan, who foolishly skipped breakfast in his haste to leave this morning, was absolutely famished by the time the bell rang. It was almost as if time slowed down in an effort to prolong his suffering. He just thanked Dende that his stomach didn't make a public proclamation of its emptiness.
As soon as the bell rang he bolted for the door, trying to get to a table so he could eat. To those who didn't know him, (which in this case, was everyone,) seeing the new kid bolt for the cafeteria was a little…strange. After all, who would be in such a rush for school food? Those were the thoughts of his three new classmates when they saw Gohan make a hasty exit. All three sweat dropped, and then trudged to the door themselves.
Gohan, after quickly dropping by the main office to get a map, and being stopped by three different teachers warning him to slow down, finally made it to the cafeteria to notice it was full, and began to walk away dejectedly when he noticed Erasa's voice echoing in a hallway nearby. Looking down it, he noticed the trio of Erasa, Videl, and Sharpener heading toward the courtyard outside. He walked casually up to the people he called new friends (and Sharpener).
"Hey, guys!" Gohan called.
"Oh great, bookworm spotted us." Sharpener drawled.
'Alright, that's strike one, pretty boy' Gohan thought with a slight frown.
Erasa elbowed him forcefully in the ribs, earning a shocked gasp from the blonde. "Hey Gohan! We were just heading outside for lunch. Wanna join us?"
"Sure!" He replied enthusiastically. He followed the three to the courtyard, and they settled down at a picnic table nestled in the shade of a tall tree. Sunlight boldly streamed through the branches, giving it a very peaceful look.
"Gorgeous day, isn't it?" Gohan asked, while fishing through his pockets.
"Yeah, it is" Videl replied softly. She glanced at Gohan, his almost desperate search efforts catching her eye. "What are you looking for?"
"The capsule I keep my lunch in…" he answered. "AHA! Here it is!" He pulled his hand from his pocket, gripping the pod in his left hand triumphantly. He activated it and dropped it on the ground in front of himself. With a loud "BOOM!" Another picnic table appeared, completely stacked with food.
The others didn't know what to make of this sudden revelation. No one could eat that much…could they?
"I'm so going to enjoy this!" Gohan said excitedly, and without warning, began to tear into the mountain of food before him, and the others stared on, half in shock, and half in disgust, as Gohan continued to down the monumental portion of food.
Finding that she could still move, Videl acted on impulse, and reached toward Gohan's food, unaware that that was almost a crime of the highest degree to a Saiyan.
"MINE!" Gohan warned in a flat voice. His voice almost resembled a rumble of thunder which shook Videl to her core, and she recoiled instinctively as if her hand had been burned. About two minutes and forty seconds later, Gohan burped loudly, signifying that he was done. The others stared slack-jawed at the now clean table and then at Gohan, and then back at the table.
"Th-that's INCREDIBLE!" Sharpener exclaimed, being the first one to find his voice.
"UNREAL!" Erasa squealed.
"Disgusting" Videl muttered, beginning to look a little green.
Gohan blinked. "Aren't you guys going to eat?"
The three looked at on another, and simultaneously pushed their lunches away.
"…So you guys aren't going to eat those?" He asked.
They all shook their heads, and closed their eyes tightly. Gohan took that as an invitation, and quickly downed their lunches as well.
Gohan burped again. "That was wonderful. I skipped breakfast this morning, and thought I was gonna die…"
As he rambled on, the parties who had never seen a Saiyan eat before were all thinking the same thing:
'Where does he put it all!'
A cell phone ringing snapped them out of their stupor. After they checked their phones and discovered that it wasn't the source of the disturbance, three pairs of eyes turned to the Demi-Saiyan.
"Answer your phone Gohan." Videl said, it sounding more like an order than a request.
"Huh? Oh yeah! I'd forgotten about this thing. I'm not used to having one." He said sheepishly, flashing the 'Son Grin' and rubbing the back of his neck.
Flashback: Two days before at Capsule Corp.
"Here Gohan!" Bulma Briefs, President of Capsule Corporation, and close friend of Son Goku and his family said excitedly, her blue-green hair bouncing wildly. She handed Gohan a box
"Thanks Bulma!" Gohan said appreciatively. "What is it?"
"Open it!" She replied, her blue eyes flashed impatiently.
Gohan complied. "Cool! A Cell Phone!"
"Yep! The latest model. I figured, with you going off to school, Chichi would need a way to contact you if she needed something. Don't worry about numbers, either. All of the gang's phone numbers are already programmed into it."
"Thanks, Bulma, but I can't afford the bills for a phone…"
"What are friends for, kid?" She asked incredulously. Since you're testing the phone out, I'll handle the bill."
'That must be why she was so eager' Gohan thought. "Alright, cool. Thanks again" he said, wrapping the older woman in a big hug.
End Flashback
"Hello?" Gohan said.
"Hey, Gohan. It's Bulma."
"Oh, hey Bul-" He stopped when he noticed his friends trying to nonchalantly eavesdrop on his conversation. He stood and walked about fifty paces away, his eyesight never leaving them.
"Hey, Bulma, what's up?" He asked.
"Well…"
Flashback: Five minutes ago, Capsule Corp.
Bulma shut off the TV and sighed. Vegeta was behind her, arms crossed and leaning against the wall as he always did. They were both in shock. A mysterious golden haired fighter performs superhero acts to save Satan Videl and stop a robbery. Neither one of them had to guess who it was.
"Has that brat become so lax in these years of peace that he feels the need to stomp on weaklings?"
"I actually think it's very befitting." Bulma countered. "You of all people know how bad the crime in that city is, Vegeta. Just how many of those weaklings have you put down yourself? Maybe you ought to be out there knocking heads."
Vegeta ignored her question. "Need I remind you that both you and Chichi were the ones who told the boy to keep his powers and abilities a secret?" He grunted. "A Saiyan concealing his power is an absurd thought as it is."
"You're just sore because he won't go all out in your spars."
His eyes seemed to flare as she brought up a sensitive subject. Vegeta uncrossed his arms and walked over. He grabbed the remote out of her hand and turned the TV back on. The picture of Gohan was still on the screen as the reporters repeated information. "Years ago Gohan did something incredible; something that made him a legend as one of our race's great warriors. But now, whatever respect I may have had for his strength is gone now. He's sloppy, unfocused."
"How do you know that?" There was no answer to her question. There never was. When Vegeta made up his mind about a person, the only thing that could change his opinion was action, not words. He tossed over the remote and left the room.
Bulma turned the volume down and just stared at the image. She smiled to herself. Gohan the hero. 'You know, I think I could get used to that idea.' Clicking the set off, she grabbed a couple things off a table and headed to the Capsule Corporation garage. The idea was swimming in her head already. Bulma nearly felt giddy.
'Gohan the superhero.'
End Flashback
"Do you mind swinging by my place after school?" She asked.
"Sure" he replied. "What's up?"
"You'll find out when you get here" She responded. "See ya then!" She hung up.
'Weird' He thought, and then jogged over to his new friends.
- AHC -
Authors Notes: Gohan's friends have been introduced to his eating habits, and what's this secret Bulma has for Gohan? Only Time will tell, as soon as Part Three of 'A Day of Firsts' s up! Please review, and visit this fic's official forum! Later days!
