Brought to you by Kanotari and DarkVoid116
Disclaimer: TDS does not own Dragon Ball Z.
When his sobs began to fade away, Gohan realized that the girl who held him as he wept had fallen asleep, clutching him loosely. The teenage boy wiped away the wetness under his eyes and slowly, but shakily rose to his feet. He then sighed, mentally berating himself for his continuous displays of weakness. The teenage boy felt an unimaginable amount of shame over the fact that he had actually almost forgotten what his late mother looked like. Good people don't forget what their mothers look like, dead or alive, he silently mused to himself. But wasn't he a good person?
Gohan had wallowed in his own self-pity for the better part of his teenage years, only recently awakening from his hollow shell. He had started to look past his own problems and stopped being so damn useless all the time. Quietly exiting the room, Gohan stepped out of his front door and began to aimlessly fly. Flashbacks to the past day flooded his memory bank. Videl nearly getting killed, catching the sniper who nearly killed said girl, discovering the bastard responsible for his mother's assassination could possibly be residing near his childhood home, returning to his quaint family home for the first time in seven years, breaking down in the lap of his feisty "girlfriend".
He scowled at that. Sure, he felt a little bit better about this situation now that Videl knew exactly why stopping Coco was such a priority to him. He had essentially ripped the girl from her comfort zone, and forced her into becoming a target for an assassination plot he didn't even know for sure was going to work. She had a right to know everything about why she was currently in this predicament.
Gohan's flight came to an unexpected halt when he flew over his adoptive great-grandfather's house. He wondered if it was possible that Coco was using his father's Grandpa Gohan's house as an outpost for himself or for other members of RabitGrass. Deciding he'd wait until he actually got more concrete information and that he'd left his make believe girlfriend unguarded long enough, even with Piccolo in close vicinity, the teenage half-Saiyan shot in the direction of his childhood home.
Inaudibly landing near the front door, the dark-haired teen entered the door and picked Videl up into his arms, carrying her to what was his room, intent on having her sleep in his old bed while he kept watch for any possible hitmen. As he gently cradled the sleeping girl, he couldn't help but notice the way her face was relaxed, gentle, without worry. It was a sharp contrast from her perpetual scowl. She looked, dare he say, attractive without her trademark expression hiding her delicate features.
Shaking away those thoughts, Gohan put the sleeping girl down and tucked her in before retiring to the couch where he once again allowed himself to be absorbed in his self-loathing.
Slowly opening her eyes, brightness seeped in from outside, momentarily blinding her. Blinking a few times to collect her thoughts, Videl ran through yesterday's events, from the incoming bullet, to Gohan miraculously catching it, to discovering her "boyfriend" was the missing Ox Prince. It was overwhelming and she decided to plop herself right back down on the bed in order to gather her thoughts. Gohan - or Saiya, or whatever he wanted to call himself - completely broke down and bawled his eyes out into her shirt. It was a completely different side to him; it was a side she had never seen before and probably would never see again. He looked so innocent and broken like that- it was an image she wanted to rid her head of, and as soon as possible.
Reaching for a change of clothes, the Satan girl propped herself onto her heels and stood upright. She glanced back towards the photo album she had found the previous day and sighed again. She felt horrible for treating Gohan badly for even a single day. But, she reasoned, who would have known he had endured such trauma at such a young age? He seemed emotionally scarred, sure, and he obviously had a very personal bone to pick with Coco, but never in a million years would she have ventured to guess she was in the company of the most famous prince in history.
The self-proclaimed champion's daughter then thought back to how vulnerable and heartbroken the black-haired teen had looked when the topic of his brother, Goten, came up. She really wished she could just resolve this Coco situation so her new friend could finally be reunited with his long-lost brother. The raven-haired girl then began to formulate a plan. She realized that Gohan - much like most antisocial teens - would never accept help or pity. She more than likely would not be able to convince the spiky-haired teen to agree to a meeting with his younger brother, regardless of how badly the teen wished to see him. Videl's expression transfigured into a smirk. She had a plan.
Videl pulled on a white shirt and some shorts, a perfect outfit for a day of physical activity. She mulled over the finer details of her plan as she laced her shoes tightly. It was going to take some serious luck to pull this off, and of course, a little help from her self-appointed protector.
"Hey Gohan!" she called, sticking her head into what she presumed was his bedroom. "Gohan?"
He didn't answer. There was an obvious reason, of course; he wasn't there. She checked the bathroom as well. No sign of him. It was then that she heard a soft, rhythmic noise. The sound was coming from the couch, where she spotted two feet upon the arm rest. Gohan's feet. Did he spend the whole night out here? Videl wondered, standing over the sleeping form of the prince-in-hiding. Awkwardly, she cleared her throat, but he didn't stir. She gave a loud, fake, rasping cough. Gohan snored and rolled over. The crimefighter tapped her toe; she needed a fresh approach.
"Wake up!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Her pretend-boyfriend fell off the couch, landing on the wooden floor with a thump.
He yawned, scratching the back of his head. "Geez! What was that for?"
"I need your help," she explained vaguely, grabbing hold of his forearm and dragging him behind her. Sure, he could have stopped her had he wanted to, but she didn't know that he was simply too tired to muster up the energy. She grinned as he blinked violently when the bright sun temporarily blinded him.
"With what?" he queried as his eyes adjusted.
"I want to learn how to fly, and you're going to teach me."
"And if I refuse?" The question was left unanswered. Gohan knew she had a plethora of information at her disposal, so he resigned himself to teach her. "Okay, you win. I'll teach you how to fly. But I teach and you listen, got it? No interruptions." With that, Gohan pulled his arm out of her firm, delicate grasp and walked back toward the house.
"Where do you think you're going, Gohan? Start teaching! I want to learn while I'm still young!" she protested, crossing her arms and stomping her foot.
Gohan came to a stop before turning around to face her. "Alright. So first, you have to bring out your ki-" the teen began, only to be interrupted.
"This 'ki' business. What is it?" Videl asked, a curious expression etched on her face.
"You don't know..." Gohan started to say disbelievingly, before realization dawned on him. He sighed. "That's right, of course you don't. Fine, I guess I'll have to teach you what ki is and how to generate it. You need to be patient, though, or we stop. Understood?" Videl meekly nodded, suddenly feeling insignificant in the presence of the teenage boy's sudden seriousness. "Good, now sit down on the ground." Gohan sat down as he crossed his legs beneath him; Videl copied his pose. "Ki is a physical manifestation of the energy within your body, and-"
"Who are YOU to talk about my body?" she began, her face contorting with rage. "I don't care if we are supposedly boyfriend and girlfriend!" She immediately regretted her statement when her teacher abruptly stood and turned around, beginning to walk away. "Gohan! Wait! Where are you going?" she called after him, hoping beyond belief he'd come back to continue her flight training. How the hell was she going to make her plan work otherwise?
The teenage prince spun around and shot an icy glare at Videl. "I don't know if you've forgotten about the predicament we're currently in, but I sure as hell haven't, and I don't need this distraction if you're going to be ungrateful. It's bad enough I have to protect your weak ass."
Videl was silent, knowing he was right. She had, after all, blackmailed him into teaching her how to fly, then subsequently overreacted when he mentioned her body. It was just a mention, not a leer. He hadn't made any sexual references. The crimefighter shook her head in a vain attempt to rescue her mind from the gutter.
"Now," Gohan continued, "I need you to focus." He took a deep, relaxing breath, which Videl found odd. Nevertheless, she mimicked his action, blissfully unaware of their true purpose.
"Take calm, even breaths, and clear your mind," he instructed. Videl closed her eyes and did as she was told. In, out, in, out went her breaths.
Then, boredom struck with a vengeance. Nothing is happening, she thought, frustration building. How does clearing your mind even relate to flying?!
"You're not focusing," Gohan noticed, without even glancing in her direction. "I can go back to sleep, if that's what you want." Silence, again, was Videl's best course of action.
How did he even know? she wondered. The girl forced the question out of her mind. With that, her attention wandered, finally settling on her heartbeat. It seemed unusually fast. Could she be...nervous? Videl violently shook her heart, dispelling that thought. Taking a deep breath, she tried to pay attention to the task at hand. There was only one slight hitch in that plan. The heavy, steady wind was making it awfully difficult to concentrate. Wind? I didn't notice any wind before. She cracked one eye open and did her best to hide her surprise. The teenage male had his face positioned mere millimeters away, observing her every move; his heavy breaths masked everything else.
Videl closed her eyes again in an attempt to zone out her sensei's rhythmic breathing. She heard him lecturing about how she needed to feel completely at ease and allow her muscles to unwind and feel less tense. The dark-haired girl tried to close off her mind and have an empty, clear head; she quickly slipped into a trance-like state. She didn't know how long she had spent like this, but eventually she heard Gohan's voice rupturing the barrier to her mind. Her eyes instinctively shot open to meet the intimidating, onyx orbs of the nomadic Ox Prince.
"Yes? What were you saying?" She honestly had no idea what he had was trying to get at. He was the one who wanted her to tune out her surroundings! Ugh!
"I said, we're going to try to locate your ki now that you can completely relax your mind. In order to do so, I must first explain to you the basic principle of ki. As I was saying before you interrupted me earlier, ki is the physical manifestation of energy in your body." Videl couldn't help but blush once more at this. She didn't know why, but she hoped beyond hope that Gohan hadn't noticed.
"Every living being possesses some quantifiable amount of ki," Gohan informed her. "You just need to find it. I'm not a very patient person these days, so I'll explain it to you, then I'm going to leave Piccolo to watch you while I go gather some food. Got it?" All the Satan girl could do was nod. She assumed Gohan understood since he proceeded to continue lecturing her on the finer points of ki. "I need you to return to your relaxed state."
Videl did so immediately, finding it much easier to reach a state of nirvana than before. She could feel the expansion and contraction of her muscles, the pumping of her heart, and the blood rushing through her veins all at the same time. It was a new sensation. A few moments later, she faintly heard Gohan's voice on the outside.
"Now that you are at ease, I need you to search for the center of your body. Look deep within your essence. You should eventually feel slight tugs one way or another. Once you can differentiate between the tugs you should be able to conjure a sphere of ki. It will likely take several tries since you have never worked with your ki before, but you'll get it. I'm going for a flight. I'll be back later."
Videl sat cross-legged on the grass, sweat bursting from her brow. It had taken nearly ninety minutes, but she finally produced a shimmering orb of ki. It had all clicked the moment she felt the tugs, the ones Gohan had discussed earlier. Following their insistent prodding, she channeled her life force into the shape she wanted. Two hours later, the teenaged crime fighter was still in the same spot, struggling to sustain the flow of energy. She flopped down on her back exhausted. For not moving, it sure had taken a lot of effort. The girl decided to take a break and gather her strength. If Videl Satan was one thing, she was determined, and if her new friend was able to use this ki thing at will, then she would be too!
The raven-haired girl also knew that the ability to fly was a vital cog in her ultimate plan. Plus, she always wanted to fly as high as the birds and soar across the sky. Sure, her father had always said flying was a trick for gullible children, but now she knew her father was nothing but a liar. She sighed deeply at that thought. It was unbelievable to think that just a few short weeks ago, she didn't believe it was possible to fly. She believed she had reached the pinnacle of her physical strength. Apparently though, the dark-haired girl hadn't even begun to tap into her well of potential. It was infuriating to think that years of unyielding determination might as well have been for naught.
After a few minutes, Videl felt some of her strength return to her, so she resumed her meditative pose, and cleared her mind. She was able to summon her energy much faster than before, and was even able to sustain a physical manifestation of her ki a bit longer. It completely drained her though, leaving her far more exhausted than before. She immediately fell unconscious from lack of energy.
Flying through the clouds, Gohan felt the wind whipping against the creases of his forehead. He just needed to get away from Videl for a little while. The girl was like a damned viral disease; the more time he spent with her, the more likely he was to feel the urge to regurgitate. All of this "friendliness" and "kindness" made him sick to the pit of his stomach. It was a simple mission: force her to be bait, protect her, find Coco. There were not supposed to be any attachments. He shouldn't have been surprised that the stubborn girl managed to pry some of his secrets out of him, especially given that he took her to his childhood abode, but how in the world did she manage to get him to teach her how to fly? He wanted to think it was because she knew he was Oxander Mao, the missing heir to the Ox Kingdom, but he knew himself better than that.
Sensing a familiar energy signal, Gohan stopped his flight, glaring at the spot where he knew his longtime mentor was waiting. As he approached the green warrior, he adopted an expectant look. He knew for Piccolo to abandon Videl that he a) must have a serious breakthrough and b) found somebody to watch over the mostly defenseless girl.
"What is it, Piccolo?" Gohan went jumped straight to the point, not wanting to leave Videl alone for too long, especially with her weakened by ki training.
"Hello to you too, kid," was his gruff response. The teenage boy gritted his teeth at that, knowing time was of the essence with his mother's killer potentially nearby.
He narrowed his coal eyes at his ex-mentor, and barely suppressed an annoyed growl as he begrudgingly dignified Piccolo's cold greeting with a retort, "Why are you here and not watching Videl? Who is watching her?" Gohan didn't actually care about the girl's well-being, but he'd be damned if Coco struck while neither he nor his ex-mentor were guarding the Satan girl. The entire plan would collapse upon itself if that were to happen.
"Relax, kid, I sent Vegeta to watch over-"
"YOU WHAT! Why? Why Vegeta?!" Gohan was literally besides himself. Of all the people, why Vegeta?! The man was likely the scariest living being on the entire planet.
"Relax, kid. I think I might have some information regarding Coco's whereabouts. Figured you'd be interested." Without another word, the Namekian warrior turned his back and blasted off at breakneck speeds towards the Lookout, knowing his former protege would follow hastily.
Gohan glanced back in the general direction of Mount Paozu, deciding to briefly explain himself to Videl first. He had, after all, left her alone when he was supposed to be protecting her.
It was exhilarating. That was the only possible way to describe the feeling. Videl stared down at the ground she was floating above in awe. It had taken her hours and Gohan had been gone for all of them! She was frustrated beyond belief with that boy, prince or not! Her reverie was suddenly broken by a grouchy sounding voice.
"Get down from there, idiot girl!" it called from the ground. "Do you want to be seen?"
Videl let out a blood-curdling shriek. A strange, evil-looking man had just sprung from the bushes. She felt it was an understandable reaction, especially given the past week.
"Who the hell are you?!" the Satan girl demanded in a firm yet shaking voice. She was Videl Satan, she didn't normally get scared, but with all of the stress of late, she didn't feel like Videl Satan of old.
"Foolish girl, are you trying to kill yourself? You are expending more energy than your body can handle. Stop trying to fly," the intruder retorted. "Would you like a sniper to spot you? You're acting like a newborn bird."
"Why don't you make me?" Videl dared him. Forget secrecy! She had just learned to fly, and it was wonderful. There was no way she was landing now. Besides, there was a potential assassin waiting for her on the grass below. No, she would stay up here where it was safe.
"Ignorant woman," the stranger swore through clenched teeth. "You're lucky I'm not allowed to hurt you."
"Why? Because Coco wants information from me?" she insisted.
"I wouldn't work for anyone with a name as ridiculous as that," the man sneered. "The green bean sent me to protect you."
It took the girl a second to work out just who he was referring to. Videl snorted. "You're lying."
"Don't be preposterous," the grounded man retorted.
"Prove it. What is the green guy's name?" Videl taunted. He wouldn't know. He couldn't know.
"Piccolo," he spat. "That bastard blackmailed me into babysitting you." Videl swore to herself. He knew. That meant that the strange man staring angrily up at her actually was here to help, and she had made an ass of herself.
"Underhanded trick to ask me in front of my wife," the man muttered under his breath, kicking the ground.
"Thank you for guarding me," Videl said with a smile, her attitude doing a complete 180.
"Silence brat," the formerly-presumed assassin shot back. The girl's smile faded.
"Will you at least tell me your name?" she asked.
"I am Vegeta, the prince of all -"
"Yes, yes, we know Vegeta," a new voice interjected, the owner of it landing on the grass beside him.
Videl turned to face the newcomer, subconsciously smiling when she saw her self-appointed protector standing there in the flesh. "Gohan, where did you go? You're supposed to protect me! How can you do that if you're not here?!
"Vegeta was here," the teenage boy protested.
"And the old man was supposed to help how?" she demanded to know. Vegeta visibly flinched at her choice of words.
"Control the brat or I will beat you in her stead," the violent man threatened Gohan.
"Bulma forbid you from beating up Videl, didn't she?" Gohan smirked, knowingly.
"No!" Vegeta lied, cheeks turning a delicate shade of purple.
"No need to fabricate some story for me, Vegeta, I won't tell anyone," the teen spoke, before turning to Videl. "Vegeta is a bit rough around the edges, but he's plenty strong enough to hold off any unwelcome visitors."
"His wife has him whipped..." Videl protested. Vegeta took to the air and flew straight to the teenage girl. His nose was mere inches from hers.
"My wife does not control my actions," he growled, ki hissing around his hands. Gohan snorted with laughter, and Vegeta changed targets dropping to the ground to stand in front of the boy.
"I can still beat you within an inch of your life, brat. Do not forget that." He poked the boy's chest threateningly. Gohan was unfazed.
"I'm stronger than you and you know it, Vegeta," he said, staring straight into the flame-haired warrior's onyx pools.
"When was the last time you trained, boy?" Vegeta said, with a hint of disappointment and anger lacing his words.
"It doesn't matter, you know how my strength operates. My power fluctuates with my emotions," the teenage boy contested, "And I'm simply not in the mood."
With that, Gohan spun around and stalked back into the house. Videl knew this would be her opportunity presented on a golden platter to enact her plan. She remembered Gohan speaking about Vegeta and his wife, Bulma Brief, while he was bawling his eyes out the previous day. If she could get Gohan away, it would do wonders.
Quickly, Videl landed on the ground and hurried after the boy. The moment she caught up to him she put on her best puppy-dog expression and said "Gohan? I miss my father. Now that I can fly, can I go for a visit? Alone?" Videl wasn't stupid. She knew Gohan would object, which is why Vegeta's appearance was so convenient.
"Why don't you want me to come, Videl?" Gohan asked, his head tilted slightly to the side in a confused fashion.
"Vegeta said Piccolo asked him to come so I assumed he had something to tell you, perhaps regarding Coco?" Videl had deduced some of that from her conversation with Vegeta, but she was purely spitballing with the rest, hoping to convince Gohan.
"You're right, Piccolo mentioned he had a lead," the raven-haired girl smirked triumphantly, "but I don't want to leave you alone. Go with Vegeta; he has a very ferocious temper as you may have noticed, but he's strong."
"Fine, Gohan. We'll go to my father's house and then return. Okay?"
Gohan could only nod in approval. As Videl turned around, he reached out and cupped her face. "Just be careful Videl. I'd never forgive myself if you got hurt when I should have been watching you. Watch your back, okay? "
Feeling his fingers lightly tracing her face, Videl was stunned. She had thought he was merely using her as bait, that she was just an annoyance, a nuisance, but he seemed to truly care for her. It almost made her feel bad for tricking him, but she was doing it for him.
"I will, Gohan. I promise. Go find out what lead Piccolo has, okay? I'll be fine. We want to catch Coco, right?"
Videl then surprised herself by wrapping her arms around Gohan's torso, bringing him in for a bone-crushing embrace. She sure was showing a ton of emotion lately. What was wrong with her! With a final glance and a smile, the black-haired vixen broke off the hug, going back outside. She heaved a sigh of relief as she stuck her head out the door. Vegeta hadn't flown off quite yet.
"Gohan mentioned that your wife is an inventor," she said casually, sauntering up to him. Vegeta grunted, which Videl took as a confirmation. "Do you think she might have anything that could help us track down someone?"
"Bulma invented a radar to locate each and every one of the Dragon Balls. A radar to track a lone person would be child's play," the warrior scoffed.
"Since you're here already, can you take me to meet her?" Videl asked.
"If it will save me another trip out to the godforsaken hut, then fine," he agreed.
Videl doubled back to inform Gohan of the situation. "Vegeta agreed. I'll be back tonight," she explained hastily, leaving before the spiky-haired teen could ask any questions.
She smirked as she ran back outside to where Vegeta was waiting, impatiently tapping his foot. Now she had an alibi for the next several hours. As she and the battle-hardened warrior shot off towards West City, the last thing she saw was a gold streak disappearing.
As they landed outside the magnificent abode of Earth's richest woman, Videl felt her nerves acting up once again. She was really going through with this crazy plan. She was deceiving two of the strongest men on the planet. It probably was not the smartest idea to do, but both of them would forgive her in the end; scratch that, she didn't care if the stubborn man next to her forgave her as long as he didn't hurt her. Videl followed behind Vegeta as the intimidating fighter barged in the front doors of Capsule Corporation Headquarters, slightly surprised at his audacity even if he was involved with Bulma Brief.
"Woman! Where are you!?" her companion hollered into the deafening silence of the building.
"What has your panties in a bunch?" his wife demanded from a room nearly adjacent to theirs. Videl watched on silently as the beautiful woman in her early forties appeared. She appeared no older than 30, though, with gorgeous, crystal blue locks, tight-fitting attire, and a beautiful necklace.
"This," he spat, pointing to a suddenly sheepish Videl. She waved awkwardly.
"Well?" the grouchy warrior asked the girl impatiently. "Didn't you have a reason for coming here?" It was clear that he wanted her to get to the point and get out.
Before Videl could respond to Vegeta's demand, two small boys walked in.
"Hey Mom, Dad, who is this?" both of them simultaneously asked the two adults, ignoring the look of brief shock plastered to Videl's face.
As the question made sense to her, the girl quickly shook off her daze and smiled at them. She dropped to her knees to be at the boys' level. Eyes fixed on the spiky-haired child, Videl addressed him calmly. "My name is Videl. You must be Goten."
Hope you enjoyed it.