I'd Do Anything For You: Take It, Or Leave It
Author's Note: Thanks for all those reviews last time! All you guys are super-super cool! Feedback is a wonderful thing... Okie-dokie, read on!
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Previous chapter...
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Gohan felt himself coming close to a black out as the thought turned over in his mind. If he gave up, then he would still get the prize money for his family, and he'd get enough recognization. And many people wouldn't be put down to see their so-called hero lose to an adolescent. It would be better for him if he just gave up.
Struggling, he began to choke out his response.
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End of chapter
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"Don't count on it."
Gohan grabbed Hercule's arms and, with a sudden burst of power, flung the older man over his head onto the platform's surface. Jumping up so that he hovered, Gohan snarled quietly as he powered up quickly, increasing his ki level as fast as possible.
Hercule stood, a surprised look on his face that changed to one of eager overconfidence.
"I was sort of hoping you'd say that, kid. I've been needing a way to let out some stress."
Gohan ignored his comment and continued powering up, feeling himself coming to the brink of his strength. As he closed his eyes, a golden aura exploded around him, and he felt the transformation to Super Saiyan take place. His hair shot up as they formed blonde spikes, and his eyes glowed as his muscles flexed under the loose gi. For several seconds he kept his head bent and arms to the sides as he let the final stages of the transformation wash over him. Once he knew it was completely over, they slid open again, revealing a surprised Hercule.
"What! You look just like those guys... yellow..."
The man stopped in midsentence as his eyes started to bulge out of his head. Gasping, he tried to regain his composure before the audience thought anything was wrong. He shook his head and stanced again, roaring loudly.
"Those were just tricks! Don't think you're going to use tricks to get past me!"
Gohan's mouth slowly turned up in a small smirk. Without warning, he shot forward, a flash of gold. His fist lightly grazed Hercule's cheek. Then, turning, he lashed out his foot into the man's stomach, making him keel over in pain.
The chemicals were still affecting him, but he'd still be able to fight better in this stage. Even if his aim was off, he could managed a few hits now and then.
Squinting slightly, he saw Hercule's fist come flying at him, a counterattack. Gohan caught it neatly with his palm, then started to slowly apply pressure to it, grinning from ear to ear as he heard the surprised gasp and cursing which was coming from Hercule.
Relaxing his hand, he released Hercule's fist, then stepped forward, drawing his hand back then whipping it out again, hitting Hercule in the chest with a palm strike. Stepping forward again, he placed his foot behind one of Hercule's legs then elbowed him in the chest again as he straightened his leg, his shin hitting the inside of the man's knee.
Falling forward as he cursed wildly, Hercule caught himself on his hands, then scrambled forward to narrowly avoid a punch that could've broken his spinal cord.
Gohan raised his head and slowly pulled his fist out from the large indentation he'd made on the arena's surface, then smiled again, satisfied by the look of utter terror on Hercule's face.
What was really scaring the man who had supposidly defeated Cell was that the kid was grinning all the time. Maybe if it looked like he was actually trying or something, or if he was at least not looking so damn happy, he wouldn't be scared. But the kid looked like he had a few differences to settle. And it looked like he wouldn't mind settling it over Hercule's disembodied form.
Stumbling to the side, Hercule found himself on the defensive as Gohan whipped punches in his direction. Gohan realized that they probably wouldn't hit; but until his vision cleared for a little, he wanted to keep Hercule on his toes so that he wouldn't be able to sneak up on him and get in a hit.
There, the chemicals were partially cleared from one eye. Closing the other and opening the cleared eye wider, he growled as he grabbed Hercule by the shoulders and yanked him forward, then brought up his knee to connect with the man's stomach. Releasing him, he shot out his hand to uppercut him on the chin, sending him flying backwards. His vision went back to being unclear then.
With a grunt, Hercule felt himself landing on his stomach on the platform. He coughed as he started to slowly pull himself to his feet, trying to ignore the fact that he wasn't going to win. His stomach felt like it was on fire, and was slowly dulling into a numb pain. His chin had already gotten to the numb stage, fortunately. From the traces of blood on the platform's surface, it looked like he had lost a tooth or something. Finally standing, he turned, wiping the blood off of his mouth. One more trick would have to save him. Just one more, maybe, if he could get it past that kid.
Slipping his hand into his shirt, he started to run forward, roaring all the way.
Gohan watched the man run towards him, at what he believed was an incredibly slow pace. That man's ego allowed him to do the stuff that would kill him in a fight to the death. Fortunately for him, Gohan wasn't the kill-whoever-annoys-you type. Even though he wanted to smash his skull in for doing whatever he did to Videl. He couldn't help the nagging suspicion that her dad was the reason for why she was suddenly avoiding him, and he remembered when she had been crying, and he came, yelling at her.
He mentally slapped himself. Then, he just liked her. A lot. He even remembered trying to say it, but was cut short as the balcony's door slammed shut, and the screaming fest began. Shuddering a bit, his Super Saiyan form wavering, he realized that he had moved on from like to another stage. Gohan couldn't fully identify it yet, but he knew it was something that he should try to figure out, later.
The Great Saiyaman was jarred out of his thoughts as he focused on the battle again, seeing Hercule was about to hit him. He smirked and crossed both arms and stood tall, eyelids falling partially closed. Closed enough so that it looked like he wasn't watching, but open enough that he noticed the small package in Hercule's hand.
So, the world's savior was going to try and use chemicals to beat him again.
He let the man continue to charge, and he let himself be hit with one of the punches. But before the other hand could make contact, the one holding the pack of chemicals, his hand shot out, grabbing it and stopping it in midair.
Hercule roared again, trying to push forward with his fist as his mind raced furiously.
::*Damn kid! He caught on! I can't let everyone know what I've been doing--*::
Gohan yanked the hand forward and used his other hand to pry Hercule's fist open. Once it was, he grabbed the package and slipped it into his belt. He couldn't let the audience know that Hercule was cheating the entire time, otherwise Videl's family name would become a mockery at school.
Twisting to the side, Gohan grabbed Hercule from behind and stanced, the man's balance unsteady. With a grunt, Gohan yanked up on Hercule's hand and flung him towards the perimeter of the platform.
::*I think I threw him hard enough... well, if I didn't, I'll just go over there and knock him out.*::
Hercule landed on a horde of screaming, adolescent girls, who immediately grabbed him and started cooing sympathetically over his injuries. The crowd stayed silent for several seconds, then started to scream wildly.
Half of the crowd was concerned about Hercule, the other half was more interested in the contester who had defeated him.
The announcer, still shocked, stared at the Great Saiyaman who was still standing on the platform, returning to his usual character; the boy was blushing and waving with one hand as the other was tucked behind his head, flashing a big Son smile for all the crowd to see. Some girls fainted at the sight; he could tell by the thunks that sounded from the audience.
"Ah... um..."
The announcer yanked the loudspeaker up to his mouth.
"And there you have it, folks! The new champion of the Satan Tournament is the new superhero on the block! First prize winner, who gets one million dollars in cash along with a luxery cruise for up to ten people--yes, ten people!--is no one but the Great Saiyaman himself!"
The crowd continued to roar and cheer, some giving a standing ovation as roses and other things were thrown down to the platform. Gohan smiled again, a bit shyly this time, then turned, jogging back into the training room. He wanted to see if Videl was alright with everything that had happened. She would be happy about it, right?
Wait, he just beat the living crap out of her dad. And he had just made him look like a dumbass. Videl was going to hate him for life! It would ruin her reputation of having the dad that saved the world! Actually, everyone would believe that, but no one would think he was strong and stuff anymore, considering that some "new guy" beat him! And that new guy wasn't even hurt! Dull pains came to life all over the Saiyans body, and he winced.
Okay, so maybe, *before* he'd powered up, he did get banged up a bit.
Now completely miserable and oblivious to the slaps of palms on his back from other contenders that were happy for him, Gohan trudged forward and leaned against a wall, his forehead resting against it as he stared at its rough surface.
"Gohan.. you okay?"
Gohan blinked as he heard his name whispered. No one was supposed to know who he really was! Only one person besides his lifetime friends and family knew--
Turning his head, Gohan looked at Videl, surprised written over his face that soon changed to one that Videl couldn't identify. Tilting her head to the side, she watched him, then poked him in the chest.
"Really, are you okay? Maybe you should go home. I saw you get bashed up out there."
The Saiyan caught his breath in his throat then nodded, turning to run out of the room to jump into the air, immediately flying towards home as his thoughts tried to focus only on getting there. It didn't help when he realized that Videl was following him--he could sense her ki over a mile away.
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"Go--Er, I mean, Great Saiyaman won! This is go awesome!"
Bulma squealed as she shot both fists into the air, grinning as she saw Chichi doing the same. Goten and Trunks were having a yelling fest. Fortunately for Goten's older brother, both remembered that the "normal people" weren't supposed to know who he really was, and were screaming his superhero name as they ran in circles around the adults that walked out of the stadium, heading towards Bulma's large jet.
Vegeta grumbled as Krillin prodded him in the chest, smiling all the way as Android 18 affectionately mussed up his hair.
"Hey, smile every once in awhile! We all know you're happy about Gohan winning--"
"What, you think I'm pleased that the brat of Kakkarot won some silly battle against mere humans?"
scoffed Vegeta in return. Krillin continued to grin at him, a knowing look in his eyes. No matter what Vegeta did, he knew that he was happy about the win.
"Speaking of Gohan.. where is he?"
Chichi's overjoyed attitude turned to one of worry, as Bulma blinked then nudged her on the arm with her elbow.
"Chi, don't forget, he's a teenager! Knowing him, he's probably out partying somewhere. He'll probably be home sometime later this evening!"
"Well, okay... as long as he gets home before midnight! That boy is going to start up his studies again as soon as he gets home!"
Chichi blinked as she watched Goten go flying past her head, then slam into a tree, screaming all the way.
"GOTEN AND TRUNKS! STOP IT THIS INSTANT!"
"Sorrrr---y!"
~*~
Gohan landed on the grass in front of his house then turned, watching Videl land behind him. He had purposely gone at a relatively slow pace so that she wouldn't lose him. If she knew that he was trying to get away from her, she would've been steamed. And he didn't think her being mad about something else would exactly help the position he was already in.
"Gohan! What is with you?"
Videl jogged up to him and stopped, watching her friend as he continued walking forward. He looked kind of upset--well, more than kind of, he looked crushed. Sighing, she grabbed an envelope from her pocket and presented it to him. He eyed it warily, then looked at her, eyes downcast.
"Take it! It's not like you to leave *one, million dollars..." she spoke each word slowly, to make her point-- "along with tickets for ten to a cruise with those people. Fortunately, after I convinced them that I'd give it to you, they let me take it. I know your mom really wanted the money, so don't tell me that you didn't need it or whatever excuse you might use."
She watched him, locking her eyes with his, forcing him to look at her. Gohan's cheeks flared, and he turned back towards the house, walking in.
"Come in if you'd like,"
he mumbled, without missing a step. Videl fell into pace behind him, confused. He was acting really weird, like he didn't want her there. Son Gohan had way too many mysteries that she wanted to find out.
Videl pulled the door closed as she looked at Gohan, who was sitting on the couch. He was still in the Golden Warrior form, however he got to that.
The girl sat on a chair opposite the couch, still watching Gohan as he leaned forward, resting his face in his hands. She had a lot of questions for him.
"Okay, first question. Why didn't you tell me you were the Golden Warrior?"
Gohan winced as he let out a small sigh.
"I--same reason that I didn't tell you I was the Great Saiyaman."
"Oh, eh, yeah... right..."
Videl grinned sheepishly as she tilted her head to the side, then returned to her serious expression.
"Well then, what was with that Appan or whatever guy and those six green things? That didn't look like it was supposed to happen..."
Gohan paled, then immediately stood, grabbing a radio and putting it on the coffee table as he turned on the volume as high as it would go.
"Would you like to listen to some music? American music is just the new thing these days!"
he choked out as he wiped off a sweatdrop from his forehead.
Videl facefaulted and decided to humor him for the time being. She leaned back in the chair, listening to the music while she watched Gohan out of the corner of her eye. He was getting an upset look about him, and she could tell he wasn't even paying attention to anything around him. Lost in thought, again.
Gohan let his thoughts drown out the music. Videl hated him, didn't she? He ruined everything. He even embarassed her father publically. And that fight was probably going to be broadcasted over most of the world. He could imagine the headlines already; "Local SuperHero Defeats World's Savior in Satan Tournament! Satan Videl Put To Shame". He continued to kick himself mentally. All chances of her possibly loving him back--was he sure he loved her?--were gone.
He was too deep in conversation with himself to notice that Videl had switched the radio off and was now leaning towards him, watching him intently.
Videl searched his eyes for any answer to what he was thinking of, and couldn't find anything. Damnit, she wanted to know a lot, and he wasn't letting her. Must've been something that he was embarassed about, or something else of the like.
Getting up, she sat next to him and nudged him gently with an elbow. Obviously it wasn't hard enough; he was still staring off into space. Muttering under her breath, she drew her fist back and punched him solidly on the shoulder, snickering a bit as she watched him yelp and keel over to the side.
Gohan gasped and rightened himself, trying to put on an act of normalcy. He couldn't shake the fact that Videl was sitting next to him, a little close for comfort.
"Um.."
Videl coughed, breaking the silence as she scooted closer to Gohan.
The Saiyan turned and looked at her, confused. He was still tense and full of energy, and Videl doing that just made it worse.
Giggling, Videl reached up and tugged lightly on one of Gohan's golden spikes of hair, startling him.
"Do you really need to stay like that now? Not like daddy's going to come blasting through the window looking to kill you."
"What? I--Oh,"
Gohan realized she was talking about him being in Super Saiyan. Forcing a small smile, he powered down, letting his hair and eyes change to their original color. Videl watched him, a smile of her own playing about her lips.
"That's really weird, seeing it up close. Sometime, you have to teach me how to do it! Unless it's another one of those 'only-my-family' things,"
she added, raising her eyebrow a bit.
Gohan nodded slowly, not sure of what to say. Videl sighed, then tugged on his arm, leaning her head on his shoulder. The teen pulled back slightly, unsure, then shifted his weight so that she could rest against him more comfortably. A thought popped into his mind, and he spoke, hoping that it wasn't too big of a risk he was taking.
"So.. why'd you.. you know... stop talking to me for awhile?"
"I didn't want to! You didn't think I really wanted to avoid you, did I?"
Son Gohan blinked, then recovered, surprised.
"I don't know!"
"Oh,"
was all that Videl managed before sighing. Looking up at Gohan, she realized he wanted a better answer than that.
"My dad. You know, he's half-insane when it comes to me and dating! I guess he got really upset when someone told him I was trying to hunt you down. Not you personally, I don't think, but Great Saiyaman. He went all paranoid, had these guys follow me and stuff. I tried to tell you that I wouldn't be able to talk to you for awhile, but the hired men caught up so I had to pretend I was avoiding you."
Gohan nodded slowly, remembering when she had run up to him and was trying to tell him something but couldn't finish it. He grinned a bit, remembering also that he had managed to trip both men. Apparently he was going for the right people.
"I'm really, really sorry!"
Turning his head slightly, Gohan looked at Videl and say that she really meant it. For the first time in awhile, he smiled without having to force anything.
"It's okay.. I just thought you hated me for awhile."
"No!"
She was just as upset as he was before. Laughing a bit, Gohan hugged her, surprising Videl, and was pleased when he felt her hug him back. Pulling back again, Gohan looked at her, his head leaning to the side a bit. He couldn't sense much of what was going on around him, except for the fact that Videl was in his arms, and was staring back into his eyes. It just seemed like he should, so he leaned forward, watching as Videl did the same.
His heart thudded within him as their faces inched closer together, lips almost touching.
::*I can't believe this is happening--*::
"GO--HAN!"
Both Videl and Gohan jerked back, blushing furiously as Goten banged on the door.
"Gohan! You left the tournament early! Unlock the doo---r!"
Gohan jumped up and ran to the door, fumbling with the lock. After several seconds of randomly hitting it, it clicked, unlocking, and the door burst open as Goten and Trunks charged in, running upstairs.
Videl stood, still blushing, and ran to hide behind Gohan as Chichi, Bulma, Krillin, Vegeta and Android 18 walked in.
"Briefs Trunks and Son Goten! Get your sorry butts down here this instant!"
Bulma yelled, before waving cheerfully at Gohan.
Chichi muttered under her breath as she came in, the last one, and closed the door behind her.
"I swear.. those two.. Oh, Gohan! You did great, dear! I'm so proud.. *sniff*.."
The woman grabbed her son and hugged him tightly as she squeezed her eyes shut, not noticing when he started to cough and gasp from lack of oxygen. She opened her eyes and saw Videl standing behind him, a nervous look on her face.
"Oh, Videl! You're here too! Why don't you two go get some food at the shop for me? I'm going to make a big dinner for all of us! Plus, it'll give you some time to be alo--"
"Mom!"
"Yes, dear, here's the list, see you later!"
Chichi grinned slyly as she shoved the pair out the door, slamming it shut behind them. Gohan and Videl looked at each other hopelessly and shrugged, both jumping into the air as they headed towards the city's main grocery center.
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To be continued...
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Geesh, you guys really thought I was going to let Hercule talk Gohan into that deal? Heck no! It was bad enough he did that in the WMAT! ::sticks tongue out at Hercule:: And.. ehheh... with the kissy thing... sawwwi! I just think it's a little early. Well, okay, maybe chapter 10 isn't early. But since I like happy, kawaii endings, expect a happy kawaii ending when I get around to finishing this fic! Besides, not everything's happy happy yet *cough*Nappa*cough* so.. yeaah! Thanks for all those reviews again!! When I finish this, I'll try to list all the people who reviewed with a biiiiiig thank you thing.... Ja ne, minna-san!
Author's Note: Thanks for all those reviews last time! All you guys are super-super cool! Feedback is a wonderful thing... Okie-dokie, read on!
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Previous chapter...
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Gohan felt himself coming close to a black out as the thought turned over in his mind. If he gave up, then he would still get the prize money for his family, and he'd get enough recognization. And many people wouldn't be put down to see their so-called hero lose to an adolescent. It would be better for him if he just gave up.
Struggling, he began to choke out his response.
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End of chapter
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"Don't count on it."
Gohan grabbed Hercule's arms and, with a sudden burst of power, flung the older man over his head onto the platform's surface. Jumping up so that he hovered, Gohan snarled quietly as he powered up quickly, increasing his ki level as fast as possible.
Hercule stood, a surprised look on his face that changed to one of eager overconfidence.
"I was sort of hoping you'd say that, kid. I've been needing a way to let out some stress."
Gohan ignored his comment and continued powering up, feeling himself coming to the brink of his strength. As he closed his eyes, a golden aura exploded around him, and he felt the transformation to Super Saiyan take place. His hair shot up as they formed blonde spikes, and his eyes glowed as his muscles flexed under the loose gi. For several seconds he kept his head bent and arms to the sides as he let the final stages of the transformation wash over him. Once he knew it was completely over, they slid open again, revealing a surprised Hercule.
"What! You look just like those guys... yellow..."
The man stopped in midsentence as his eyes started to bulge out of his head. Gasping, he tried to regain his composure before the audience thought anything was wrong. He shook his head and stanced again, roaring loudly.
"Those were just tricks! Don't think you're going to use tricks to get past me!"
Gohan's mouth slowly turned up in a small smirk. Without warning, he shot forward, a flash of gold. His fist lightly grazed Hercule's cheek. Then, turning, he lashed out his foot into the man's stomach, making him keel over in pain.
The chemicals were still affecting him, but he'd still be able to fight better in this stage. Even if his aim was off, he could managed a few hits now and then.
Squinting slightly, he saw Hercule's fist come flying at him, a counterattack. Gohan caught it neatly with his palm, then started to slowly apply pressure to it, grinning from ear to ear as he heard the surprised gasp and cursing which was coming from Hercule.
Relaxing his hand, he released Hercule's fist, then stepped forward, drawing his hand back then whipping it out again, hitting Hercule in the chest with a palm strike. Stepping forward again, he placed his foot behind one of Hercule's legs then elbowed him in the chest again as he straightened his leg, his shin hitting the inside of the man's knee.
Falling forward as he cursed wildly, Hercule caught himself on his hands, then scrambled forward to narrowly avoid a punch that could've broken his spinal cord.
Gohan raised his head and slowly pulled his fist out from the large indentation he'd made on the arena's surface, then smiled again, satisfied by the look of utter terror on Hercule's face.
What was really scaring the man who had supposidly defeated Cell was that the kid was grinning all the time. Maybe if it looked like he was actually trying or something, or if he was at least not looking so damn happy, he wouldn't be scared. But the kid looked like he had a few differences to settle. And it looked like he wouldn't mind settling it over Hercule's disembodied form.
Stumbling to the side, Hercule found himself on the defensive as Gohan whipped punches in his direction. Gohan realized that they probably wouldn't hit; but until his vision cleared for a little, he wanted to keep Hercule on his toes so that he wouldn't be able to sneak up on him and get in a hit.
There, the chemicals were partially cleared from one eye. Closing the other and opening the cleared eye wider, he growled as he grabbed Hercule by the shoulders and yanked him forward, then brought up his knee to connect with the man's stomach. Releasing him, he shot out his hand to uppercut him on the chin, sending him flying backwards. His vision went back to being unclear then.
With a grunt, Hercule felt himself landing on his stomach on the platform. He coughed as he started to slowly pull himself to his feet, trying to ignore the fact that he wasn't going to win. His stomach felt like it was on fire, and was slowly dulling into a numb pain. His chin had already gotten to the numb stage, fortunately. From the traces of blood on the platform's surface, it looked like he had lost a tooth or something. Finally standing, he turned, wiping the blood off of his mouth. One more trick would have to save him. Just one more, maybe, if he could get it past that kid.
Slipping his hand into his shirt, he started to run forward, roaring all the way.
Gohan watched the man run towards him, at what he believed was an incredibly slow pace. That man's ego allowed him to do the stuff that would kill him in a fight to the death. Fortunately for him, Gohan wasn't the kill-whoever-annoys-you type. Even though he wanted to smash his skull in for doing whatever he did to Videl. He couldn't help the nagging suspicion that her dad was the reason for why she was suddenly avoiding him, and he remembered when she had been crying, and he came, yelling at her.
He mentally slapped himself. Then, he just liked her. A lot. He even remembered trying to say it, but was cut short as the balcony's door slammed shut, and the screaming fest began. Shuddering a bit, his Super Saiyan form wavering, he realized that he had moved on from like to another stage. Gohan couldn't fully identify it yet, but he knew it was something that he should try to figure out, later.
The Great Saiyaman was jarred out of his thoughts as he focused on the battle again, seeing Hercule was about to hit him. He smirked and crossed both arms and stood tall, eyelids falling partially closed. Closed enough so that it looked like he wasn't watching, but open enough that he noticed the small package in Hercule's hand.
So, the world's savior was going to try and use chemicals to beat him again.
He let the man continue to charge, and he let himself be hit with one of the punches. But before the other hand could make contact, the one holding the pack of chemicals, his hand shot out, grabbing it and stopping it in midair.
Hercule roared again, trying to push forward with his fist as his mind raced furiously.
::*Damn kid! He caught on! I can't let everyone know what I've been doing--*::
Gohan yanked the hand forward and used his other hand to pry Hercule's fist open. Once it was, he grabbed the package and slipped it into his belt. He couldn't let the audience know that Hercule was cheating the entire time, otherwise Videl's family name would become a mockery at school.
Twisting to the side, Gohan grabbed Hercule from behind and stanced, the man's balance unsteady. With a grunt, Gohan yanked up on Hercule's hand and flung him towards the perimeter of the platform.
::*I think I threw him hard enough... well, if I didn't, I'll just go over there and knock him out.*::
Hercule landed on a horde of screaming, adolescent girls, who immediately grabbed him and started cooing sympathetically over his injuries. The crowd stayed silent for several seconds, then started to scream wildly.
Half of the crowd was concerned about Hercule, the other half was more interested in the contester who had defeated him.
The announcer, still shocked, stared at the Great Saiyaman who was still standing on the platform, returning to his usual character; the boy was blushing and waving with one hand as the other was tucked behind his head, flashing a big Son smile for all the crowd to see. Some girls fainted at the sight; he could tell by the thunks that sounded from the audience.
"Ah... um..."
The announcer yanked the loudspeaker up to his mouth.
"And there you have it, folks! The new champion of the Satan Tournament is the new superhero on the block! First prize winner, who gets one million dollars in cash along with a luxery cruise for up to ten people--yes, ten people!--is no one but the Great Saiyaman himself!"
The crowd continued to roar and cheer, some giving a standing ovation as roses and other things were thrown down to the platform. Gohan smiled again, a bit shyly this time, then turned, jogging back into the training room. He wanted to see if Videl was alright with everything that had happened. She would be happy about it, right?
Wait, he just beat the living crap out of her dad. And he had just made him look like a dumbass. Videl was going to hate him for life! It would ruin her reputation of having the dad that saved the world! Actually, everyone would believe that, but no one would think he was strong and stuff anymore, considering that some "new guy" beat him! And that new guy wasn't even hurt! Dull pains came to life all over the Saiyans body, and he winced.
Okay, so maybe, *before* he'd powered up, he did get banged up a bit.
Now completely miserable and oblivious to the slaps of palms on his back from other contenders that were happy for him, Gohan trudged forward and leaned against a wall, his forehead resting against it as he stared at its rough surface.
"Gohan.. you okay?"
Gohan blinked as he heard his name whispered. No one was supposed to know who he really was! Only one person besides his lifetime friends and family knew--
Turning his head, Gohan looked at Videl, surprised written over his face that soon changed to one that Videl couldn't identify. Tilting her head to the side, she watched him, then poked him in the chest.
"Really, are you okay? Maybe you should go home. I saw you get bashed up out there."
The Saiyan caught his breath in his throat then nodded, turning to run out of the room to jump into the air, immediately flying towards home as his thoughts tried to focus only on getting there. It didn't help when he realized that Videl was following him--he could sense her ki over a mile away.
~*~
"Go--Er, I mean, Great Saiyaman won! This is go awesome!"
Bulma squealed as she shot both fists into the air, grinning as she saw Chichi doing the same. Goten and Trunks were having a yelling fest. Fortunately for Goten's older brother, both remembered that the "normal people" weren't supposed to know who he really was, and were screaming his superhero name as they ran in circles around the adults that walked out of the stadium, heading towards Bulma's large jet.
Vegeta grumbled as Krillin prodded him in the chest, smiling all the way as Android 18 affectionately mussed up his hair.
"Hey, smile every once in awhile! We all know you're happy about Gohan winning--"
"What, you think I'm pleased that the brat of Kakkarot won some silly battle against mere humans?"
scoffed Vegeta in return. Krillin continued to grin at him, a knowing look in his eyes. No matter what Vegeta did, he knew that he was happy about the win.
"Speaking of Gohan.. where is he?"
Chichi's overjoyed attitude turned to one of worry, as Bulma blinked then nudged her on the arm with her elbow.
"Chi, don't forget, he's a teenager! Knowing him, he's probably out partying somewhere. He'll probably be home sometime later this evening!"
"Well, okay... as long as he gets home before midnight! That boy is going to start up his studies again as soon as he gets home!"
Chichi blinked as she watched Goten go flying past her head, then slam into a tree, screaming all the way.
"GOTEN AND TRUNKS! STOP IT THIS INSTANT!"
"Sorrrr---y!"
~*~
Gohan landed on the grass in front of his house then turned, watching Videl land behind him. He had purposely gone at a relatively slow pace so that she wouldn't lose him. If she knew that he was trying to get away from her, she would've been steamed. And he didn't think her being mad about something else would exactly help the position he was already in.
"Gohan! What is with you?"
Videl jogged up to him and stopped, watching her friend as he continued walking forward. He looked kind of upset--well, more than kind of, he looked crushed. Sighing, she grabbed an envelope from her pocket and presented it to him. He eyed it warily, then looked at her, eyes downcast.
"Take it! It's not like you to leave *one, million dollars..." she spoke each word slowly, to make her point-- "along with tickets for ten to a cruise with those people. Fortunately, after I convinced them that I'd give it to you, they let me take it. I know your mom really wanted the money, so don't tell me that you didn't need it or whatever excuse you might use."
She watched him, locking her eyes with his, forcing him to look at her. Gohan's cheeks flared, and he turned back towards the house, walking in.
"Come in if you'd like,"
he mumbled, without missing a step. Videl fell into pace behind him, confused. He was acting really weird, like he didn't want her there. Son Gohan had way too many mysteries that she wanted to find out.
Videl pulled the door closed as she looked at Gohan, who was sitting on the couch. He was still in the Golden Warrior form, however he got to that.
The girl sat on a chair opposite the couch, still watching Gohan as he leaned forward, resting his face in his hands. She had a lot of questions for him.
"Okay, first question. Why didn't you tell me you were the Golden Warrior?"
Gohan winced as he let out a small sigh.
"I--same reason that I didn't tell you I was the Great Saiyaman."
"Oh, eh, yeah... right..."
Videl grinned sheepishly as she tilted her head to the side, then returned to her serious expression.
"Well then, what was with that Appan or whatever guy and those six green things? That didn't look like it was supposed to happen..."
Gohan paled, then immediately stood, grabbing a radio and putting it on the coffee table as he turned on the volume as high as it would go.
"Would you like to listen to some music? American music is just the new thing these days!"
he choked out as he wiped off a sweatdrop from his forehead.
Videl facefaulted and decided to humor him for the time being. She leaned back in the chair, listening to the music while she watched Gohan out of the corner of her eye. He was getting an upset look about him, and she could tell he wasn't even paying attention to anything around him. Lost in thought, again.
Gohan let his thoughts drown out the music. Videl hated him, didn't she? He ruined everything. He even embarassed her father publically. And that fight was probably going to be broadcasted over most of the world. He could imagine the headlines already; "Local SuperHero Defeats World's Savior in Satan Tournament! Satan Videl Put To Shame". He continued to kick himself mentally. All chances of her possibly loving him back--was he sure he loved her?--were gone.
He was too deep in conversation with himself to notice that Videl had switched the radio off and was now leaning towards him, watching him intently.
Videl searched his eyes for any answer to what he was thinking of, and couldn't find anything. Damnit, she wanted to know a lot, and he wasn't letting her. Must've been something that he was embarassed about, or something else of the like.
Getting up, she sat next to him and nudged him gently with an elbow. Obviously it wasn't hard enough; he was still staring off into space. Muttering under her breath, she drew her fist back and punched him solidly on the shoulder, snickering a bit as she watched him yelp and keel over to the side.
Gohan gasped and rightened himself, trying to put on an act of normalcy. He couldn't shake the fact that Videl was sitting next to him, a little close for comfort.
"Um.."
Videl coughed, breaking the silence as she scooted closer to Gohan.
The Saiyan turned and looked at her, confused. He was still tense and full of energy, and Videl doing that just made it worse.
Giggling, Videl reached up and tugged lightly on one of Gohan's golden spikes of hair, startling him.
"Do you really need to stay like that now? Not like daddy's going to come blasting through the window looking to kill you."
"What? I--Oh,"
Gohan realized she was talking about him being in Super Saiyan. Forcing a small smile, he powered down, letting his hair and eyes change to their original color. Videl watched him, a smile of her own playing about her lips.
"That's really weird, seeing it up close. Sometime, you have to teach me how to do it! Unless it's another one of those 'only-my-family' things,"
she added, raising her eyebrow a bit.
Gohan nodded slowly, not sure of what to say. Videl sighed, then tugged on his arm, leaning her head on his shoulder. The teen pulled back slightly, unsure, then shifted his weight so that she could rest against him more comfortably. A thought popped into his mind, and he spoke, hoping that it wasn't too big of a risk he was taking.
"So.. why'd you.. you know... stop talking to me for awhile?"
"I didn't want to! You didn't think I really wanted to avoid you, did I?"
Son Gohan blinked, then recovered, surprised.
"I don't know!"
"Oh,"
was all that Videl managed before sighing. Looking up at Gohan, she realized he wanted a better answer than that.
"My dad. You know, he's half-insane when it comes to me and dating! I guess he got really upset when someone told him I was trying to hunt you down. Not you personally, I don't think, but Great Saiyaman. He went all paranoid, had these guys follow me and stuff. I tried to tell you that I wouldn't be able to talk to you for awhile, but the hired men caught up so I had to pretend I was avoiding you."
Gohan nodded slowly, remembering when she had run up to him and was trying to tell him something but couldn't finish it. He grinned a bit, remembering also that he had managed to trip both men. Apparently he was going for the right people.
"I'm really, really sorry!"
Turning his head slightly, Gohan looked at Videl and say that she really meant it. For the first time in awhile, he smiled without having to force anything.
"It's okay.. I just thought you hated me for awhile."
"No!"
She was just as upset as he was before. Laughing a bit, Gohan hugged her, surprising Videl, and was pleased when he felt her hug him back. Pulling back again, Gohan looked at her, his head leaning to the side a bit. He couldn't sense much of what was going on around him, except for the fact that Videl was in his arms, and was staring back into his eyes. It just seemed like he should, so he leaned forward, watching as Videl did the same.
His heart thudded within him as their faces inched closer together, lips almost touching.
::*I can't believe this is happening--*::
"GO--HAN!"
Both Videl and Gohan jerked back, blushing furiously as Goten banged on the door.
"Gohan! You left the tournament early! Unlock the doo---r!"
Gohan jumped up and ran to the door, fumbling with the lock. After several seconds of randomly hitting it, it clicked, unlocking, and the door burst open as Goten and Trunks charged in, running upstairs.
Videl stood, still blushing, and ran to hide behind Gohan as Chichi, Bulma, Krillin, Vegeta and Android 18 walked in.
"Briefs Trunks and Son Goten! Get your sorry butts down here this instant!"
Bulma yelled, before waving cheerfully at Gohan.
Chichi muttered under her breath as she came in, the last one, and closed the door behind her.
"I swear.. those two.. Oh, Gohan! You did great, dear! I'm so proud.. *sniff*.."
The woman grabbed her son and hugged him tightly as she squeezed her eyes shut, not noticing when he started to cough and gasp from lack of oxygen. She opened her eyes and saw Videl standing behind him, a nervous look on her face.
"Oh, Videl! You're here too! Why don't you two go get some food at the shop for me? I'm going to make a big dinner for all of us! Plus, it'll give you some time to be alo--"
"Mom!"
"Yes, dear, here's the list, see you later!"
Chichi grinned slyly as she shoved the pair out the door, slamming it shut behind them. Gohan and Videl looked at each other hopelessly and shrugged, both jumping into the air as they headed towards the city's main grocery center.
~*~
To be continued...
~*~
Geesh, you guys really thought I was going to let Hercule talk Gohan into that deal? Heck no! It was bad enough he did that in the WMAT! ::sticks tongue out at Hercule:: And.. ehheh... with the kissy thing... sawwwi! I just think it's a little early. Well, okay, maybe chapter 10 isn't early. But since I like happy, kawaii endings, expect a happy kawaii ending when I get around to finishing this fic! Besides, not everything's happy happy yet *cough*Nappa*cough* so.. yeaah! Thanks for all those reviews again!! When I finish this, I'll try to list all the people who reviewed with a biiiiiig thank you thing.... Ja ne, minna-san!