EDITED - 05/01/2014

…

Hey, guys!

It's freedom day here in Portugal, so I've decided it's the best day for a new chapter. :D

This one is rather small (about half the size of the last), as will be the next chapter. So, just a head's up. :D (I'm not made of words you know?! :D)

I wanted to thank every single one of you who took the time to review and offer their opinion regarding the Rick business. I've got some great ideas from you guys, and I think I have it sorted out in my head on how it's going to happen. So thank you. :D

Enjoy!

Twenty-three, fifty-six. Four minutes to midnight, as according to the green digits of the alarm clock on his bedside table. With a quiet sigh, Gohan's gaze returned up to the darkened white ceiling, not really happy about but not exactly fighting the random thoughts lurking inside his head either.

It was New Year's eve, a Thursday, and everyone was sound asleep in the Son household. Well, everyone but him, obviously. They used to celebrate the holiday, back then, but ever since his father died, "minor" celebrations like these were soon forgotten.

Dad loved celebrations of any kind with a passion, of course, since they normally meant even steeper mountains of food, and the all-time favorite excuse "it's a special occasion", which he'd keep on the tip of his tongue in case anyone bothered to comment on one of his frenzies. New Year's was amongst his favorites if only for the fact that it usually ended much later in the night than the rest, and that in itself meant more food, of course.

The last New Year's party his father had attended came crawling back into his mind, since there was a great deal of interesting things he had learned on that specific occasion. That his dad could dance just as poorly as himself, for instance, and that Vegeta was actually a pretty nice guy once decently inebriated. And it taught him something about himself too, like how good at poker he really was, so long as the threat of his mother finding out he was playing such a game was assuredly distant.

Dad, on the other hand, couldn't bluff his way out of hell, and so Gohan, Vegeta, and every other player would pillage through his Monopoly money with ease and ferocity. That didn't put him down one bit, however, because after he had lost his share, he would unofficially team up with Gohan, distracting everyone around the table with the child-like ramblings that characterized him, knowing well the level of his son's concentration and that it wouldn't be affected. It was so cool… Team Son, for the win!

The feeling of belonging whenever the guys would let him hang out and participate in their activities - more licit than poker, for the most part - was one of the greatest he could remember from his childhood. For a kid who had been basically sheltered from civilization and studied for a living, this kind of camaraderie had been intoxicating, one of the main precursors of his rebellious character at the time, right along with the need to help out in any puny way he could.

A deep breath replenished him, but the sadness remained.

The corner of his lip curled infinitesimally for a mere second after a while, as yet another memory popped up within his sleepless brain. His parents had always insisted on kissing right at midnight, adamant on it being the first thing they'd do in the new year. He assumed it had been his mother's idea at first, but Dad would always go find her when the clock started counting down the last seconds, so it had become their mutual ritual over the years.

A small snicker escaped him when he remembered Bulma's attempts to do the same with her mate. Apparently, the Prince of all Saiyans was overly-shy when it came to displays of affection - if you could call them that - so after attempting a public kiss during Vegeta's first New Year's here on Earth, and after the Prince had returned home from the three or so days he'd spent away somewhere as a result, Bulma had decided to respect his wishes and only "celebrate" in private from there on out. As far as Gohan was concerned, though, just being at the New Year's party was a huge achievement for Vegeta, considering the murderous bastard he'd been just a few months prior, back on Namek, and that by itself was a reason to celebrate in his book.

Anyway, it was behind them now. Bulma's eagerness to gather up the crew on every possible occasion had managed to impose itself a couple of times, and the Son's had attended the Capsule Corporation's fabled New Year's party as a result, but as time went by, they'd all decided to discard this in favor of a new ritual: the "first day, first dinner" celebration, working title. Instead of going out to the tiring party until the late hours of the night, they would come together for a special dinner the next day. It was much better than a crowded gathering full of unknown influential people back at Bulma's, and the fact that she'd be obligated to stick to the President Briefs persona most of the night, not to mention the way he'd always have to hold on to his mother come midnight so some drunken stranger wouldn't come kiss her, were all very important grounds for his preference on the new ritual.

Luckily, Gohan had been able to get some major time off from his lab work to spend these holidays at home, and since this was also a year in which Trunks would be joining them, the family would feel complete, all six of them. It was awful when the little prince was missing from their get-togethers, but he guessed Bulma's parents also had the right - and the duty - to spend some time with him. The kid probably didn't mind it too much anyway, since Dr. and Mrs. Briefs had also ritualized the first day of the year with their own "cater to their only grandson's every wish" jamboree or whatever they called it. Still, it was nice to have him around, and Gohan was determined that this would finally be the year he'd beat him on that stupid downhill drift in Need for Speed Underground.

When that boy became old enough to get behind the wheel of a car... God help us.

The dim moonlight shadows sketched a series of patterns across his and Goten's bedroom, and he focused on them now, trying to wrap his head around the one other thing that had taken over the majority of his thoughts for the last two weeks. The entire Christmas gala was more and more a blur in his mind, apart from some singled out bits and pieces he was sure would never leave his memory for as long as he should live. Like the moment he'd seen her in the hotel lobby, and when they'd danced together. And when she kissed him.

"Do you like her?" Bulma's question kept echoing in his head, wherever he was, whatever he did. If the mere idea of Videl was any indicator, her image in his mind, then he couldn't refuse a "yes" to that question. But what did he know about... this, whatever this was? Was he actually "in love"? As far as he knew, it could be only attraction that drew him to her, not any sort of romantic emotion she might be stirring in him. "Only"... as if it wasn't enough.

That couldn't be right... He cared about her. Truly and deeply.

There was no way he could deny these feelings, but that didn't mean he knew what to make of them either. And more importantly than that, did she feel the same way? The rational side of his brain kept telling him she would never have kissed him like that if she didn't, but he'd watch the news on television and he read plenty, and what was socially accepted these days might not be the most reasonable course of action in his opinion.

Just the other day on the morning newscast, some journalist was reporting a bunch of kids as young as ten years-old, having sex with each other in the bathrooms at school, or on the back of the bus on their way to and from home. Mia was turning nine this upcoming year! What the fuck...? And if that was "normal" nowadays, then what in the world was he supposed to make of his situation? Was it normal for a girl to kiss a guy just because? Well, if fifth graders were expected to put out...

His mind knotted, letting out an exasperated exhale via his lungs.

Normal or not, the damage was done, he guessed. Vi had become a part of his daily routine just as much as his coffee, so much so that he'd now find himself adding a touch of milk to his daily fix just so its color didn't keep reminding him of her ebony hair. He'd eat all the green apples in sight simply because their scent was excruciating to be around, and the sky... Well, he couldn't really hide from it, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the rest, since it was normally a few shades off of her sapphire-blue eyes.

There was no rest for him, everything always drawing him back to her, like an undertow, pulling him in, pulling him under, and he wasn't exactly sure if he wanted to swim against it. That night at the gala... His brain had to reassure him every now and then that it hadn't been just a dream, but a part of him still refused to believe it. It didn't help that he hadn't been with her ever since, given the holiday break; it felt like something was missing.

And then there's that...

Sixteen whole days and nights had passed since he'd last seen her. Sixteen! And in that time... not one single nightmare.

For the first time in seven years and seven months, he'd managed to sleep full nights, eight hours or more, without a single interruption. Did she have anything to do with it? Because... how could she not? Nothing else had changed since then, and... she was the one that filled in the void.

He didn't dream a lot, but whenever he did, she was always there, waiting for him to return to their private paradise in his subconscious. They were so real too, the dreams, some alternate perspectives or different outcomes of their memories together, and others just those completely incoherent and jumbled figments of his messed up imagination. Either way, she was there, so... they were beautiful.

Where was she right now, he wondered?

Over the phone the other day, she'd told him that every New Year's eve for the last seven years had been spent with her father, at a huge party he'd throw back at their mansion, invitation only. It was one of the two occasions they'd still make an effort of spending together, right along the man's birthday, upon Videl's insistence. Not even Christmas anymore, a day that was supposed to be for family, and which the Saviour ditched entirely over a long distance travel to somewhere warm and exotic. And with "some lucky bimbo" in his arm, as Vi had put it.

It'd hurt him more than expected to have learned she'd spent her Christmas alone, still kicking himself internally to this moment for not having asked about it a day or two earlier, because he'd certainly had forced her to come celebrate it with them had he known, back at his place with Mom, Bulma, Grandpa, and the kids.

No one should be alone on Christmas, much less his Videl.

A soft beep signaled the hour then, and he turned his gaze back to the side, just for a moment. All zeros on the display.

"Hurray..." he spoke under his breath, completely devoid of any kind of determination or emotion.

Another year. At least this last one had been rather productive for the most part. He had three whole friends now - brand new! - a barely-but-still-pretty-much-active social life, the beginning of a college education, and was even living somewhat on his own. Not bad for four months.

Bulma had been right all along, not that it surprised him. This step of coming to OSPU - not to mention moving to campus - had been a much needed one in his life, and in the long run, it'd been the best thing he'd ever done with it. Being by himself was starting to make him feel less and less lonely, as weird as it might seem. His confidence was returning, and with it some sort of joy in life which he had thought was long lost and forgotten. It was making him a better person overall, and most importantly, a better role-model.

His head rolled to the side again, taking an eyeful of his little brother and sighing when he felt his adorable quiet snoring lull him into relaxation. They were growing up so damn fast, the kids, and he couldn't allow them to end up thinking it was okay to just... survive. He was still struggling with the idea himself, but how was life worth anything if you're not willing to live it to the fullest?

Like Dad. Prepared to die because he'd always been prepared to live.

A low buzz made him frown with curiosity then, and he immediately reached for his cellphone, tucked under his pillow. The corners of his lips rose when he acknowledged the name on the screen. A text message from Vi, and its contents promoted his features into a full-out smile, emerging from the deepest center of his being. Two single characters, and yet their power was immense, exponentiated by the specific moment she'd chosen to send them. A colon and an asterisk; a kiss at midnight. His head shook absentmindedly, side to side.

No, definitely not just attraction.

The night was cold and unforgiving, a complete contradiction from the lively atmosphere inside, and yet it was with it that she found solace.

The Satan mansion was buzzing a bit louder now than in the previous hours, rumbling in the aftermath of the midnight chimes heralding the new year, but still Videl paid it no attention. From her seat in one of the more secluded balconies of the top floor, she could see the front of the vast manor, filled with the million zeni rides of almost every VIP in existence, but none of them the one who truly mattered.

She felt her phone vibrate in her hand and rushed a look to check its statement, smiling like a silly little girl when she did. A colon and an asterisk; he'd kissed her back.

A gust of cold wind took her long black hair, slightly curled for the occasion, and tossed it around before letting it fall back around her shoulders. The purple blanket was wrapped a little tighter around her body and her legs brought a little closer up to her chest. Gradually, Videl let her head fall to the side against the wall, a sigh of surrender leaving her lungs from the realization that Gohan had basically ruined blankets for her, since hers was not nearly warm enough when compared to his arms, his chest. She closed her eyes and wished for his scent.

There was something growing inside her, something she thought she knew about but felt so incredibly new it overwhelmed her. She had tried her best to translate it in the course of the past couple of weeks, wanting nothing more than to put a name to it, define it so there could be an explanation of what it was, but she didn't even recognize the language it was speaking. It was definitely not just friendship, but… it wasn't love either, was it? Her past relationships had had love and they'd been nothing like this, so it couldn't be. Or maybe… Maybe what she'd felt before wasn't love at all. It wasn't this enveloping, this consuming. It'd never made her feel so empowered around a man and so miserable when away from him. This had passion, a carnal desire just as much as an emotional one.

Maybe it simply didn't have a name, but whatever it was... it was aching.

That night came back to her, sixteen long days ago, and she giggled to herself while remembering how she and Gohan had stumbled around the dance floor before calling it quits and anchoring themselves to a spot on the ground; the best decision she could have ever made, that's for sure. His uneasiness when she'd leaned her head towards his chest and began swaying against his body was so refreshing and sweet, a wonderful reminder that not all guys wanted a free pass down her pants. It'd made her feel just as innocent as he was, like a schoolgirl blushing for her first crush.

The next second took that candid feeling away, though, when she was reminded of how his strong hand, slowly but surely, had slid down from her waist to the small of her back, igniting a fiery path that culminated in a chill up her spine. The way he'd forced her closer to his body was such a minuscule act that she couldn't help but feel stupid it'd had such an effect on her. But what an effect...

Even miles away, days in the past, he was still warming her up with his presence. Her head shook slightly and she smiled, berating her dirty mind while trying to push back the dirty, dirty memories of a couple of her latest dreams, since this was hardly the place for them. Maybe bedtime would come sooner than usual tonight.

A click and the motion of the sliding door to her back made her glance over her shoulder. "Hi, Daddy."

"What in the world are ya doin' out here, Videl? It's freezin' cold!" her father asked in his booming voice, crossing his arms and concealing his hands under them. His breath reeked of alcohol, as expected; Daddy didn't really know when to stop drinking.

"It's not that bad," she told him, returning her gaze back to the view ahead.

"Not that bad?" He snorted. "That blanket must be really warm." Videl bit her lip so as not to laugh, given her previous thoughts.

There was silence after that, only Dad's dress shoes echoing in the night air as he stepped a little further into the balcony. Then he pointed ahead and towards the ground. "See that car?" he asked. "The red one? That's the one I told ya about. The one I wanted to buy for ya."

What red one? There was only the one, way out in the back, but its features were still distinct enough to make out what it was, and her left eyebrow rose at the realization. "Daddy, I don't need a Ferrari."

"Ya need a car, Sweetpea. Why not a Ferrari?"

"I don't really need a car," she argued. "I have the bus, and Erasa lets me borrow hers if I need it for something."

"You're my daughter, Videl. Ya can't keep borrowin' Erasa's car. What'll people think?"

She let out a smile at the completely unsurprising response. "People don't care about me, Daddy. You're the hero."

"That's true," he said after a second of consideration, nodding thoughtfully. "But ya still have a reputation to keep, ya know?"

"Daddy," she stated curtly, staring his way with intensity so he'd understand what she was saying. "I don't want a Ferrari." That was just what she needed, to bring attention to herself so all the people in college realized who she actually was. Some of them already did, of course, but she'd rather not have a parade thrown in her name every time she aced a test or something. For the Saviour and his daughter there was no limit on the ass-kissing, so it wouldn't surprise her one bit, ludicrous as it might seem.

"Okay, fine," Daddy said, sighing in defeat. "I'll keep lookin'." There was a pause after that, but not too long. "How's Ricky doin'? Haven't seen the boy in a while."

Her ex's name made her frown in disgust and in anticipation. Even if she didn't owe the big man any explanations regarding her life - college life, personal life, and much less love life - she knew Rick had a special place in her father's fame-driven heart, so she was going to tell him about the breakup eventually. But at the same time, that was exactly the reason she hadn't yet; it would probably bum him out once he knew. "Rick and I broke up, Daddy," she told him solemnly. Hopefully it wouldn't spoil the rest of his night too much.

"What?" her father shrieked.

"Yeah, it wasn't working out." No need to get into further explanations, she reckoned, mostly because she didn't want to spare another second of her thoughts on that bastard.

But Daddy wasn't satisfied with just that, apparently. "Whaddya mean 'it wasn't workin' out'?"

Okay, she knew he wouldn't be happy about the situation, but there was no need to be that loud, was there? Videl felt him stare at her, waiting for an actual answer, but she couldn't be bothered with one, so she shrugged a shoulder instead. Her mind had better places to be right now, like the veil of black above them, speckled all over with a glittery mist. The designer light fixtures spread across the front yard were way too intense, polluting the dark with their brightness, but she was still able to make out a handful of stars twinkling in the distance. Beautiful…

She wondered about their names, which constellations they drew. Gohan would know.

"Since when?" her father insisted on the subject.

"A few months."

The silence that ensued was welcome but heavy, in a way, and so were the words that followed a while after. "Ya should've told me sooner. I've the right to know."

The right? Oh, hell no! Harshly, Videl shot her head over her shoulder, meeting his intense frown with one of her own, though Daddy's spelt disappointment through and through. "It's my relationship, not yours. I told you because I wanted to tell you, not because you have the right to-"

"I'm sure ya can work things out," he interrupted, disregarding her words completely.

"There's nothing to work out, Dad," she admonished, trying to contain the irritation brewing up inside her. "It's over between us. For good."

With a petulant click of his tongue, he swatted a hand onto the air as if her words deserved no heed, spoken by her five-year-old self instead of the grown-up woman she was. "You're just sayin' that 'cause you're hurt. If ya just-"

It was her turn to interrupt. "He tried to hit me! I'm not hurt, I'm done."

That surprised him, eyes stretched wide. "He tried to hit ya?"

"Yeah, Dad. He did. Right in the middle of the street." His silence deluded her into a false sense of closure, one which allowed her to return eyes to the sky instead of the toxic conversation in the form of her father, but he was fast to bring her back to reality.

"What did ya do?" His voice was firm and accusing, words uttered slowly as if in a serious scold or even a threat, and certainly not the tone Videl had expected. What he was implying was fast and sharp to stab her gut with the betrayal. She stood up to face him, relinquishing her blanket for the fire that was growing inside her.

"What? Are you serious right now?"

"Ya must've done somethin'," he spoke, undeterred. "Ricky wouldn't just hit ya like that."

It just proved how little he knew about his precious Ricky, 'cause with the way her ex had always been so possessive of her, so aggressive on having his way, he most likely wouldn't stop at just one slap. Like a gateway drug, the first assault would most definitely lead to much more serious offenses. Thank the heavens she got out when she did. "I didn't do anything!" she tried not to scream. "But even if I did, it's not okay to simply go out and slap a person in the face!"

"Oh, c'mon, Videl. Ya can take a slap."

Her eyes stretched to the point of twinging her skin. "That's not the point!"

"No, the point is ya shouldn't break up with him just because of a puny lil' slap."

Puny little…? It was like he'd dislocated his damn shoulder with the amount of force he'd put into that fling! At the very least it'd give her a nasty shiner, so there was nothing puny about it. "That was just the last straw!" she argued. "He was awful to me! He was disrespectful, and controlling, and..." Her resolve was quickly giving way to frustrated anger, but she reminded herself of Gohan's words, once again boosting her spirit like they had countless times before. She was right about this! And there was no way anyone could convince her otherwise, so she invoked them like a mantra, just as seriously as Gohan had uttered them. "I can't be with someone that makes me feel worthless."

"Whaddya mean 'worthless'? I know for a fact he took ya out to all sorts of fancy restaurants and clubs. His father owns most of 'em!"

"Yes, I know, Dad." She couldn't be bothered to hear this shit again, and her tone showed it. There was no way she could tell when it'd happened, but somewhere along the line, her father's fame took first place in his list of priorities, and maintaining it became a full-time job. Rick's father had opened a lot of doors around town for him, but that didn't mean she was to be payment for that pleasantry.

"Then stop makin' stuff up about him. Go make things right with the boy!" His words increased in volume, clearly intending to show that, adult or not, his daughter was to obey his orders and be happy about it. Well, she wouldn't.

"That's not going to happen!" she yelled. "He's a terrible boyfriend and an even worse human being! I'd rather be alone!"

"Good, 'cause that's exactly what's gonna happen! Do ya really think there's someone else out there who can live up to my rule? Even Ricky barely made a dent in your ol' man! You're gonna end up all alone until ya finally come around, and then I wouldn't blame him if he didn't take ya back, as much as he loves ya."

She snorted internally at his stupid rule. Please… As if she'd ever really followed the "Satan's Rule of Engagement". He'd be better off strapping a chastity belt on her, 'cause that would scare guys away. Being the Saviour's daughter would only entice the horny bees with a sweeter honey, not scare them away like the man had intended. Rick had been her first official boyfriend because of the damn rule, but even if he'd lasted longer than the others, he'd certainly not been the first one. Had she known just how awful he really was, he wouldn't have been the first one inside her pants either. If regret could kill ya... "You don't get it, Dad. I don't want him back! And I don't care what you call it, that is not love! I'd die alone before settling for someone like Rick."

"Oh, the reporters would love that one!" he mocked. "Read all about it: 'Mr. Satan's girl, the lonely spinster'. Ya can't embarrass me like that, Videl! Life's no movie, and love's not butterflies and rainbows all the time!"

"I don't want to be 'Mr. Satan's girl'." She air-quoted the words. "I want to be myself."

"Well, tough break. Ya can't expect a life of riches for free. You're gonna call Ricky tomorrow and beg him to forgive ya, got it? And that's that!"

"Call him yourself," she seethed. "You two are great for each other! And if you behave properly, maybe he'll just end up marrying you so you can finally stop whoring around with every barely-of-age bimbo you see!"

This time she never even saw it coming. Videl tried not to see her father take the appearance of the ex-boyfriend, but how could she not, when he'd succeeded in doing what Rick had failed to accomplish: A slap to the face. She refused to wish Gohan was there to stop this one as well, too proud to allow for such a damsel-in-distress demeanor, but the truth was she would've given anything for him to be there. His presence would've made the stab in the back a little more bearable.

For a moment, she swore she could sense him, her mind filling in for his actions and what he would do had he been there. He would stand by her back, preparing her for war, mirroring her death-glare and increasing it ten-fold. She would feel the arrows in his eyes, burning as they took aim, condemning her terrified enemies to the fiery confines of hell. His breaths would blow away all of her fears and his heartbeats would scare off any doubts, like battle-horn and drum roll in her army of one. His hand would grip her shoulder in an unshakable gesture of trust, armoring her entire body with his protective energy.

He would remind her of her strength. And she would feel invincible.

"V-Videl, I..." Hercule started, visibly shaken up with regret of his own action but she couldn't find it in herself to be sorry for him. He wouldn't win. Rick wouldn't win. The tears brimming at her eyes would retreat only to never return, and she would rise above in glory. Gohan's spectre smiled with pride from behind her, before vanishing in an aura of gold. She threw open the balcony door and left.

As hard as he'd try, he couldn't sense anything. Gohan knew his Ki detection abilities had not been compromised for some unknown reason, since he could not only feel Goten's signature just by his side, but also Mia's and even Mom's, all of them relaxed and steady indicating their deep slumbers.

But then… why was he feeling this in his stomach? Some kind of alarm making his heart let out a stronger beat from time to time, like he was missing something. Like he was supposed to see the threat, right there in front of his eyes, but there was just the white of the ceiling, the shadows from the trees outside.

Quietly, he kicked the covers to the side and sat up on his bed, his feet recognizing the softness of the rug beneath them, but all the rest of his body tense from anticipation. His instinct had always been his greatest weapon, ever since a little kid, ever since he understood he actually had one to begin with, so it couldn't be hyping him up right now for no reason.

Something was wrong. He needed to be somewhere, do something, meet someone, but wh-?

The very instant it crossed his mind, the pieces connected together. There was a Ki calling out for him, but because he couldn't feel it he thought it was a misconception, his mind playing tricks on him. But it wasn't, the Ki was simply too far away. He could feel it so clearly now, miles up North, because now he'd associated it to its owner.

Videl…

In a rush, he grabbed his cellphone from under his pillow, trying his mightiest to be both fast and silent with his steps, with the door opening and then closing behind him. Fast fingers selected her name from the recent calls list - the very first entry, since they'd talked just the day before - pressing the screen meticulously as he walked to the kitchen's side door. Exiting to the small porch outside and clicking the door gently so the breeze wouldn't nudge it open again, he sat on the long bench just beneath the window, but only managed to feel its hard surface for a single ringback tone out of the receiver.

Instead he stepped off the deck, nervously walking around the house towards the front door while focusing on the cool grass tickling his toes, because the low beep sound of a call waiting to be answered was just driving him crazy. "Please pick up…" he said to the device in his hand.

And then the sound produced the familiar click, the intermittent signal of doom giving way to the environment noises from wherever she was. "H-Hello?" Videl said from the other side, hesitating a bit. He wasn't expecting they'd talk until tomorrow either, but this crumpling in his gut was just too overpowering to wait that long.

"Are you okay?" he asked immediately, skipping cordialities for the sake of his sanity.

"Wh…?" she was going to reply. A "why" or a "what the hell are you talking about", he guessed, but he'd probably dumbfounded her with his idiocy for calling her number this late. Sure they both knew the other was still up, since they'd sent those text messages at midnight, not even half an hour ago, but it'd been established they'd keep actual vocal conversations for tomorrow, during a proper daytime hour.

"I-I'm sorry," he stuttered, the reality of his actions suddenly smacking him on the back of the head. Did he really have to call her over a stupid hunch? Stupid, stupid… "I just... I had a... bad feeling, and… Umm… Are you okay?" Either way, the damage was done, so might as well have her soothe him back to sleep. He'd apologize profusely for the intrusion later on.

But then… Vi kept silent. Actually, not entirely silent, since he could still hear her move from the sound of rustling fabric, though it was very muted.

"Vi…?" he called softly.

"Are you…? You're not… here," she started to say. "Where are you? How… could you know?"

"Know what? What's wrong?" There was the alarm again, molding his words and infusing them with concern and urgency. Maybe it was because they were on the line together, because he was hearing the distress in her voice that had been just a figment of his intuition until the call had gone through, but it was all so palpable now it was making him sick.

And then she gasped for air, a muffled sound, low and distant.

"You're crying…" he said more to himself than to her, more in a tortured whisper than in actual words. His lungs forced a breath for air, fresh and shaky from the mental image of her tears, but instead of calming him like intended, it only made him feel queasier. "Are you home? I'm coming to meet you!" the urgency spoke for him, the haste to ditch the phone, skip the distance, and just teleport next to her. If only he had Dad's Instant Transmission…

"No, Gohan!" she told him with the very same pressing tone, but it softened right back again. "You're with your family. I'm fine." He could hear her gulping her tears so they'd stay put, surely rubbing all the rest off her face to pretend they hadn't happened. Always so stubborn, trying to seem tough, sound tough, be tougher. So damn stubborn!

"You're not fine! Please, just tell me where you are." He'd scour all of Satan City if he had to; her house couldn't be that hard to find, considering it was probably more like a palace. Maybe he could do a quick search online, but there was no WiFi for miles, so he'd have to wait until he got closer to the city limits to… Don't be stupid, you have 3G and a fucking GPS, you moron! He just needed to disconnect the call and-

"Gohan," Videl said very gently, very calmly, catching his awareness away from his plans. "I'm home, and I'm fine. I just had a fight with my dad, that's all, okay?"

It took him a moment for the words to get through, but even though they'd quenched the fire, the coals were still hot and fuming. "Promise?" he asked, trying to match her calmness and the softness in her tone, but it was hard.

"Pinky swear." He could hear her smile while she said it, imagining her little finger extended for a hook and a tug. His smile came right along, but it fainted rather quickly, only managing to slow his breaths and his heartrate a bit.

Still, he told her, "Okay." It was his problem that he had an over-sensitive piece of flesh for a brain, a proficient overthinker, and a matter of all other things "over". He'd deal with his own stress without dragging her further into it; a call scaring her like this in the middle of the night was more than enough, he reckoned. "I'm sorry, I just… I hate to see you like this."

Videl sniffled, letting out a small chuckle afterwards. "If it helps, you're technically not seeing me."

His own little chuckle came out as well, right before he whispered, "That doesn't help at all." She seemed better, though, somewhat content and peaceful. Those tears had been horrible to hear. "But I get what you're saying."

A couple of seconds were allowed before she said, "Thank you," really delicately, really sweet.

"I didn't do anything," and it made him feel like a useless piece of shit. In the back of his mind, he knew he couldn't always be hovering around her, following her everywhere just to make sure she was okay at any given time. A personal bodyguard, throwing whoever would hurt her into a wall so they wouldn't dare do it again. He knew he couldn't, but one could still wish.

"Your voice is enough," she assured him. "Thank you."

He smiled. "You're welcome."

"Can you... can you talk to me? Just for a bit. You always make me feel better."

His smile deepened, relieved to hear her voice regaining its usual spark and steadiness. "Sure. What do you wanna talk about?"

"I don't know." She paused. He could just imagine her looking up and pursing her lips to the side, creating those precious little wrinkles on the skin around them. "Do you know the names of the stars?"

His eyebrows lifted up at the unexpected subject. "The names of the stars?"

"Yeah." One last sniffle and her voice relaxed entirely. "I'm looking at them right now but don't know any of their names."

Gohan could only snicker. She was always so eager to learn, something he'd noticed from very early into their friendship. About everything, even things he'd think would be boring for a girl, or for a non-science major, at least. Like cars and mechanics, which he loved. Or genetics, evolution and natural selection, the way vaccines were produced. And astronomy, as it turned out; the names of the stars. "Well, let's see." Looking up to the darkness, he sat down on the short step that led to his front door, legs bent up and elbows on his knees. Being in the middle of nowhere had its perks, no doubt, one of which was the lack of light pollution that turned his Mt. Paozu into an astonishing observatory of the stars.

"Counting stars is much better than counting sheep," his father would say. There weren't that many opportunities for the two of them to be out together at night - they'd get tired too early in the day to power through more than an hour or so after it turned dark - and that made those moments that much more precious, reserved for special occasions only, like holidays, group celebrations, or at the very least, Gohan's birthday. He remembered teaching his father about the stars too. "Can you see those four stars that look like a rectangular box?" he asked her. "One is a little dimmer than the rest."

"Umm...Yeah, I think I see them."

"Okay, so those stars and the three others that form an angle away from the box are part of the 'Big Dipper'. It's almost like a spoon or something, if you consider the box to be more of a cup. The constellation itself is much bigger, but that one part can be seen throughout the year." He paused, pointing at the sky as if she was right there with him, her eyes following his finger. "Now look at the box again. Do you see those two brightest ones farther away from the dimmer stars?"

"Like the edge of the cup?"

"Exactly. If you follow a straight line from those two, you'll find one single star that's a little brighter than all the others around it."

"Oh, I see it! What's that one?" The enthusiasm in her voice warmed his heart, making him grin widely to himself.

"That one's called 'Polaris', or the 'North star'," he explained. "You can use it to guide you at night, even if you don't have a compass. It shows you the direction of the true North."

"So... if I wanted to find you... where would you be?" she spoke, very softly, like she was embarrassed to ask. Never would he think of her that way; he loved to teach her things, whatever she wanted to know.

"Well... I'm to the South of the city right now, so... look at Polaris." A small pause so she could follow the lead. "Now draw a straight line down from it to the horizon. That's your North, so I'm to its exact opposite."

He heard her sigh. "Near Mt. Paozu, surrounded by trees, next to a lake."

It made him chuckle. Probably the very same description as everything else around this place, but there was no other way to explain it, hence why she'd used the very same words he'd given her in the past. There was also the thin strip of asphalt - he wouldn't call it a road - the bus would use for his commute, but that was still about ten minutes away by foot - the slow foot of a human, at least. Then there was the dirt path from the makeshift bus-stop to his house, but that was a little too faint to spot when one flew over it, not to mention it furrowed under some big bushy trees at one point, so she probably wouldn't find it too easily. And much less by night, with no lights around or inside his home and no neighbours in sight.

But then again, she'd never have to.

"You'll never need to find me, Vi," he told her. "I'll always find you if you need me. Always." The words were his own, but the feeling they brought was still foreign and uncomfortable. Since that night, since that kiss, the pieces of the puzzle he didn't know he'd been assembling started to fit together. Certain actions he would've classified as irrational would suddenly make sense, like his protectiveness of her, his anger towards that asshole Rick. Undoubtedly, he was a whole messy mountain of inexperience, mostly in the realm of social interactions, but he was definitely not stupid. In his world, "foreign and uncomfortable" might just be synonyms for "romantic". And he definitely felt romantic around Vi.

"I know," she whispered. "Thank you." There was a pause then, a cosy silence where he'd let himself relax while listening to her breathing, the rhythm soft and paced. "When will you be coming back?"

"Sunday night," he responded. "I mean, the bus arrives at the terminal just shy of two a.m., so... technically, Monday morning."

It seemed really long now, and even longer when she said, "Three days, three nights," words filled with melancholy that made him want to fly there anyway, even if she was no longer crying. His stomach had been feeling much better, but now it was heavy again.

"I can try to take an earlier bus..." he started to say, even though he wasn't sure if there were any before midnight and after dinner - Mom would never allow him to leave home before their meal. He could always fly to the city, though.

"No, Gohan," she told him. "Your family needs you too. And I know the kids must be ecstatic to have you for the long weekend." Hyped up little monkeys, yeah. It'd be a long weekend… "I just have to... sleep it off or something."

"Okay." Sleeping it off would always help him when his head was too full, some rare times even a little better than cranking up the Gravity Room, or a full-out spar - though that'd only worked when he was younger, since no one else could fight to his level nowadays. Hopefully she'd feel better in the morning. "Do you want me to stay on the line until you fall asleep?"

A soft snicker. "You're too sweet. I can't ask that of you."

"You didn't," he said, letting himself lean backwards onto the wooden door behind him, spreading out his legs to get comfortable. "I offer the 'sheep counting' package, the 'fairytale' package, and the 'lullaby' package, though I don't recommend that last one. If you think I'm a bad dancer, wait 'til you hear me sing."

She laughed aloud, making him grin so widely his cheeks nearly popped. "I'll pass." And then there was calm again, her tone deepening, relaxed. "Thank you, Gohan."

"Anytime."

Some fluff for you guys, while I work on kicking Rick's ass to the curb. :D