Stay a while. Chapter 010. Catch the earthling.
Disclaimer: Do not own DBZ. ):
Everything hurt. That was all she could think as she struggled to open her eyes later that night. With a groan, she kicked at the blanket twisted around her feet. It was hot and she needed to breathe. "Here, let me help you," a familiar voice said as the weight of the blankets around her lightened.
"Erasa?" She questioned, voice raspy from sleep. Receiving an affirmative, she forced her eyes open to get a good look at her best friend. Worry was evident in her face and she gave her a small smile. "What happened?"
Erasa bit her lip. "You and Sharpner got into an accident," she explained, helping the dark haired girl sit up against her pillows. "Are you hungry? I've got dinner here for you. Gohan said you'd be hungry." Before she had a chance to answer, her stomach answered for her with a rumble that could rival Gohan's. "I'll take that as a yes," Erasa giggled as she placed a tray on the table in front of her friend.
Videl wasted no time before digging in. She was shoveling food down her mouth. How could she be so hungry? Shoving away her questions for the moment, she focused on the food set in front of her. She would have to see if Bulma would give her the recipe for the food so she could give it to the cook at home. A satisfied sigh passed through her lips as she finished up the soup.
"Are you feeling better?" Erasa asked as she moved the tray aside. Amusement danced in her blue eyes. The girl did a fairly good imitation of Gohan at during lunch period at school.
"Loads, my muscles just feel a little weird, but no pain," Videl answered as she slowly stretched out her arms. Moving around was easing the weight of her limbs.
"Gohan said it takes a bit of getting used to, especially for you since you sustained quite a bit of injuries and your body has never done the speed healing the regeneration tanks do," Erasa explained matter-of-factly.
"How do you know so much about this?" Videl raised an eyebrow at her best friend.
Erasa shrugged indifferently. "Gohan and I had a lot of time to talk while we sat waiting for you and Sharpner to get better." Well, there was the half hour they spent sitting in front of the tanks. Then once Videl was back in her room, Erasa kept Gohan company for a bit before shooing him away.
"Gohan?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.
"He probably would still be here if I didn't kick him out a few minutes ago." Videl shot her an inquisitive look. "He barely left your side since the accident, except to cook your dinner." A sly smile formed on the blonde's lips. "Now try to tell me the boy doesn't like you."
Videl suddenly felt her face burning. "He's just being nice. You said so yourself. Gohan's a sweetheart," she pointed out quickly. There was just no way that Gohan Son would actually like her. It wouldn't make any sense.
A perfectly arched eyebrow rose in question. "So you think he's a sweetheart?" Erasa mused, clearly reveling at the constant influx of color to her friend's face.
"I…uh…I…" She spluttered before heaving a heavy sigh and crossing her arms over her chest. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance at her best friend. "Stop twisting my words," Videl grumbled, scrunching her face together.
Erasa erupted in a fit of giggles. This was just too rich. The great Videl Satan flustered because of a nerdy mountain boy. If only she really knew who Gohan Son was, she would have an aneurysm. Ohh, she could not wait for that day to happen and the thought brought up another round of laughter.
Deciding she had enough of being ridiculed, Videl grabbed her pillow and threw it at the blonde. Erasa froze as the fluffy object connected with her face. Pulling it off, she stared at Videl. "I cannot believe you just did that," she stated, gripping the pillow tighter, "It is on, Satan!"
Cue pillow fight.
They were a mess of feathers and laughter minutes later, but that was no reason to end the impromptu war. The soft knock on the door went unheard as Videl managed to get control of the last pillow still in tact.
"Bad time?" Gohan's voice startled both girls and they froze before turning to look at him. His rubbed the back of his neck with one hand as he offered a small smile. "Sorry, I knocked a few times," he murmured, quickly averting his eyes as a blush rose to his cheeks.
Videl sat back, letting her best friend up from under her. "No, it's fine," she assured him, cerulean eyes fixed on the boy fidgeting by the entrance. He looked nervous. "What's wrong with you?" Okay, not exactly the most tactful way, but direct questions were always the best way to go in her mind.
Before Gohan could reply, Erasa threw the blanket over her best friend. "You can look now, Gohan," she stated, clearly amused.
"What the he—" Videl started to yell but froze as she realized the state of her clothes. Or rather, lack of. "What the hell!" She screeched, clutching the blanket closer to her chest. "Why didn't you tell me!" She demanded as her scowl turned on her best friend.
Erasa raised her hands in surrender. "It's not my fault you were comfortable enough being half naked that you didn't realize it," she pointed out, only to earn another glare. Erasa let out an uneasy laugh and shrugged. "Oh, come on, it's just Gohan anyway."
Videl was about to snap that it was not okay even though it was just Gohan, but froze as she realized one thing. She was down to her undergarments. Gohan had been there the whole time. "Oh god," she breathed, turning slowly towards the teen standing by her door.
"Videl, I'm going to help you up, okay?"
"He barely left your side since the accident, except to cook your dinner."
Gohan gulped as her cerulean eyes focused on him. This was not going to be good. As if on cue, he cringed as she suddenly jumped up and pointed at him. "You took off my clothes!" She yelled, clutching the robe close as she glared.
If he was pink before, a tomato had nothing on him now. "I can explain?" He tried, taking a cautious step back towards the door. That didn't seem to be the best idea as she started stomping towards him. "Vi-videl, come on. You shouldn't be out of bed."
"I'll show you who shouldn't be out of bed, Gohan Son," she snarled.
"Is that my cue to leave?" Erasa interjected, waltzing up to stand between her two friends. The cheeky smile on her lips caused both brunettes to blush furiously and she bit back a laugh. This was too much fun. Satisfied that inflicting bodily harm wasn't the first thing on Videl's mind, Erasa placed a hand on her waist. "Now, Vi, chill out. You can't blame Gohan for that. You were unconscious and I'm sure sneaking a peak at your goodies was the last thing on his mind while you were in critical condition."
Much to her delight, their faces lit up like a christmas tree again. "E-E-Erasa!" Gohan spluttered, clearly unsure of what to say at this point. She was clearly trying to help. The problem was he wasn't sure if it was to help him get out of this unscathed or into an early grave.
Videl let out a frustrated groan. Why was Erasa doing this? Wasn't she supposed to be her best friend? "Traitor," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.
Gohan licked his lips nervously before looking at the shorter girl again. "Uhm, anyway, I just came by to get the dishes if you were done," he said uncertainly. Spotting the empty tray on the table, he quickly picked it up and made his way towards the door. "Get some more sleep and you should be feeling completely yourself tomorrow."
Once he was gone, the two girls turned to each other. Erasa had a knowing smirk on her lips and Videl scowled. "Get out," she grumbled, finally fed up with being ridiculed about Gohan Son.
Erasa chuckled but complied nonetheless. Best friend or not, even she knew not to push Videl Satan too far.
The class buzzed with excitement as they gathered after breakfast. They were going to the gravity room today. As fun as it was to fly a jet and race on motorcycles, those were things they could do on their own. Trying out the gravity room, though, that was a once in a lifetime chance.
"Will you lighten up?" Erasa sighed as she turned to the scowling brunette next to her. "Gohan was right about you being back to yourself in the morning. Grouchy."
"Where is nerd boy anyway?" Sharpner asked, leaning back in his seat to stretch out. That was a good breakfast and he was surprised Gohan was missing. The guy usually never missed meals.
Videl scowled at the mention of the object of her interrogations. "Who cares," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. Quite honestly, she wouldn't have minded if he didn't show up at all that day. How was she supposed to face him anyway? The guy had seen her practically naked!
Erasa leaned towards her, examining the brunette with bright blue eyes. "Wow, you're as red as a tomato. What are you thinking about? Gohan?" She asked, smirking as the girl seemed to get even redder.
"What about me?" The topic of their discussion asked as he walked up behind them, munching on some bread.
Sharpner raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that all you're going to eat?" He asked, dubious. There was no way Gohan Son could be satisfied with a single slice of bread. Knowing his appetite, that was probably barely even the equivalent of a cracker for a normal person to the saiyan.
Gohan shrugged. "I was a guinea pig for one of the experiments this morning so I'm stuffed," he explained, not bothering to go into detail. It wasn't as if they would actually understand. Glancing at the clock, he finished off the bread and called for everyone's attention. "Bulma is a bit busy at the moment but she said she'll meet us at the gravity room so if you'll all follow me, we can get going."
Mirai, Lime, and the terrible two were in the dome when the class got there. The half saiyans were playing tag (with Mirai chasing) as Lime manipulated the gravity from the observation room. It was a little game they came up with on the off times that Vegeta wasn't training. Not only was it fun, but it was a good way to train as well. The constant change in gravitational pull had quite an affect on their movements.
The class watched for a bit before two thuds sounded from the room as the younger boys found themselves on the ground. Mirai laughed, pulling them up by their waist as they scowled. "That's not fair! You guys know we can't move in this gravity," Trunks scowled as he struggled to keep himself upright.
"Hey, don't look at me. I'm not the one controlling gravity here," Mirai pointed out with a smirk. That didn't seem to appease either boy.
Gohan was laughing as he moved up to the controls. "I'm turning it back to normal gravity," he announced before slowly allowing the force of gravity to decrease in the chamber.
Videl craned her neck to see over his shoulder. What gravity level had those two boys nearly pancaked? Her eyes widened as she caught sight of the decreasing numbers. 200x and decreasing. That couldn't be right.
Before she could say anything, Gohan turned to face the class. "Lime is going to operate the gravity from here. We're going to start off with 0 gravity so everyone can try then those that want to challenge themselves, can give increased gravity a go." He looked at the sea of faces before him and sighed at seeing some skepticism. Seeing the two kids struggling seemed to put some students at ease. "Trunks, Goten, and Mirai are going to demonstrate 0 gravity for you."
Without bothering to warn the half-saiyans, Lime turned the settings as instructed. "Hey! What!" Goten let out a surprised yelp as he rose, flailing his arms. The two Briefs laughed, using their energy to stabilize themselves.
"You really need to learn to fly, Goten," Trunks stated, smirking smugly at his best friend.
Goten glared at the other boy, but the look lost its effect as his feet came up from under him. "Ah, no fair!" He cried out, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting. Both Mirai and Trunks were swimming in circles around him and he did not appreciate it one bit. "Big brother! You better get over here and teach me how to fly!"
"Okay, okay. Goten, relax. I'll teach you soon, all right?" Gohan tried to appease the seven year old. Please don't ask, he thought to himself as he felt a certain girl move closer towards the chamber. Clearing his throat, Gohan signaled to Lime for normal gravity. "So, who wants to give it a go?" He asked, turning to the awe struck faces of his class.
No one needed to be told twice as they scurried off towards the entrance to the chamber. "Okay, 0 gravity in 3…2…1" A chorus of gasps was heard as bodies started to lift. It took a few minutes before the class was laughing in delight. Some students were attempting to do flips and move themselves around, succeeding in the same awkward flailing as Goten.
Seeing the dejected expression on the seven year old's face, he smirked and grabbed the boy around the waist before he had a chance to attempt to flee.
Goten pouted at him, eyebrows furrowing in frustration. "No fair, Gohan. How are you so good at this?" He grumbled.
The older Son chuckled, ruffling his brother's hair. "Want to know the secret, Goten?" The reply was over enthusiastic nodding. Leaning forward, he whispered, "use your energy." He looked confused for a second then his eyes widened. Gohan grinned, letting the boy go. "Got it?" He didn't get an answer as his little brother started flapping away towards his best friend.
"Look, Trunks, I'm a birdie. I'm a little birdie!"
Videl scowled as she noticed the ease the seven year old could move around in the air. What secret did Gohan tell him? Before she could ask, though, she groaned as a certain blonde came crashing into her. "Erasa!" She cried out, placing an arm around her best friend.
"What's got you so mad, Vi?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. Everyone had been having fun, but the brunette didn't seem so ecstatic. When she saw that, she had Sharpner help her get to Videl. The only way the jock could think of to do that, however, was to launch the blonde across the room.
She shrugged. "It's nothing," she mumbled then froze as she realized they were still moving. As if reading her mind, Erasa squealed in surprise. "I don't suppose you know how to stop, huh?" Videl asked, glancing behind her at the wall they were quickly approaching. Well, at least they weren't moving too fast.
"Watch out!" Goten cried as he propelled towards them at a rather fast pace. "Trunks, you threw me too hard!" He called out, willing his energy to stop himself before colliding with the girls.
"Got you," Gohan said, snatching his brother by his belt and placing an arm around Videl's shoulders to stop the two girls' collision course with the wall. Looking up, Gohan smirked and called Mirai. "Catch!" He yelled, launching his brother towards his best friend. The miniature Goku squealed in delight before groaning when he collided with the steel wall that was Mirai's chest.
Trunks grinned, clinging onto his future counterpart. "Me next," he exclaimed. That looked like it had been fun.
Mirai snickered and launched the eight year old before calling Gohan's name. Startled, Gohan groaned as the saiyan sized bullet hit its target. Trunks shook his head to get his bearings straight then cried out when he found himself soaring through the air again.
"Gohan, you can't just throw children in the air! They could get hurt!" Videl cried out in surprise as Trunks crashed into Mirai's outstretched arm. Then again, considering what she saw that other day, the wall would probably suffer more than the child would.
He looked down at the two girls next to him as if just realizing they were still there. "Oh, they'll be fine," he stated carelessly. Hell, Goten got a daily dose of flying across a room when the youngest saiyan attempted to wake him for school. "It's pretty fun. You could try if you want," he suggested, nodding towards Mirai who was watching them.
Erasa squealed in excitement. "Let me try!" She volunteered, raising an arm in the air.
Gohan looked over at his friend who shrugged carelessly. Well, a game of catch the earthling seemed like it could be interesting. Yes, it could be very interesting. A smirk crossed his lips as Mirai gestured for the two boys to come closer. The color drained from Gohan's face. This couldn't be good.
"Okay, ready, Gohan!" Mirai called out, raising his arms over his head. Gohan sighed and easily launched Erasa through the air towards his friend. Mirai caught her with ease then grinned. "Trunks, catch!" He called, launching the girl towards the eight year old.
Trunks grinned, wrapping his arms around Erasa's waist to catch her. Instead of spinning to stop, Trunks accelerated then released her. "Your turn, Goten!" He called out and the seven year old giggled in delight before catching the blonde.
Erasa's screams stopped once she was safely on the ground again. Gohan cringed and ran over to her. "You okay, E?" He asked, leaning forward to get a better look at the girl. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair was a mess, and a large grin was on her face.
"Oh my god, you guys have got to try that!" She cried out, turning to the class whose attention was on them now. "That was insane!" It took a while for the class to form a line, each person struggling to move the direction they wanted. Even the jocks stood with excitement. It wasn't every day that you could get tossed around like that without getting hurt, after all. Or anyone ridiculing you.
Once most of the class was through, Gohan turned to the one person that had yet to take a turn. She was glaring at him and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what this was about now, especially if she was still angry about the night before. "Ergh…do you want to try, Videl?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
"Stop being a slow poke, big brother!" Goten called out as he noticed the stream of humans flying at him had stopped.
Trunks flew to his best friend and grinned. "Hey, isn't that the scary girl from yesterday?" He whispered behind his hand, nodding towards the one standing next to Gohan.
Goten pursed his lips and shrugged, staring at the girl. She did look familiar and she did have that same scary look. "I don't know. I think so?" He answered, tilting his head. "Why?"
"I bet I could throw farther than you," Trunks stated smugly.
"No way, Trunks! I could throw just as far as you could!" Goten insisted, scowling at his best friend.
"Oh yeah? We'll see," Trunks said as he went back to his spot. "Come on, Gohan! We don't have all day!" He called out to the older saiyan.
Gohan gave her a sheepish smile. "So, yes or no?" He asked, holding a hand out to her. After a bit of deliberation, she took the offered hand and prepared herself. As if sensing her apprehension, Gohan squeezed her shoulder lightly. "Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."
She scowled at him. "I don't need you pro—HEY!" She yelled as she suddenly found herself in the air. "Damn you, Gohan Son!" Mirai easily caught her then launched her without missing a beat. Trunks grinned as he caught her around the waist and tossed her with all his might towards Goten. Goten's eyes widened as he noticed how fast she was coming. In a panic, he caught her, spun, then released her again.
Gohan cringed as he saw her headed his way again. Just as she was about to pass him, he reached out and pulled her back against him. Videl grunted as she felt like she was just backed into a brick wall. As soon as she regained her bearings, her eyes widened at the strong, firm hands on her chest. "You pervert!" She cried out, whipping around to face him.
"Oh Kami, I'm sorry," he said, quickly releasing her and jumping out of her reach. His cheeks were burning as he looked at her. "Let's be reasonable about this, Videl," he started to say as he slowly stepped away.
She was glaring at him, her arms crossed over her chest. "Get back here so I can beat the living day lights out of you," she yelled, pushing her feet against the floor to launch herself towards him. Gohan cursed and jumped back as she approached. "Stop moving!"
"Videl! Come on! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" He tried to reason but cringed as she came towards him again. Each time he moved back, she moved after him. How was this even possible? She shouldn't have been able to even remotely keep up with him.
Bulma raised an eyebrow as she entered the observation deck and saw the spectacle down below. The class and three half saiyans were laughing and it was no surprise why. "What's going on down there?" She asked, looking at the red head beside her in a fit of giggles.
"I am going to hurt you, Gohan Son! Will you stay still!"
"Gohan just groped Videl," she managed to say between laughs. He really was the same boy she met seven years ago, right down to the obliviousness with the opposite gender. At Bulma's look of shock, Lime laughed harder. "It was an accident. He caught her and well…" She trailed off, not bothering to finish her sentence as the blue haired scientist started laughing as well.
It's the last three weeks of the semester so I am going to be pretty busy. It's basically exams and reports and projects and presentations galore. Summer starts in the second week of May, though, so I'll definitely be working on this again by then. (:
Just for the record, I'm pretty sure you guys will be wondering why Goten and Trunks got to help toss the students around. Yes, I know that they physically should not have been able to do that because of the laws of physics. BUT we're just going to use the excuse that they were more experienced in the gravity chamber and moving around in it. Typically, the impact of the students should have sent the boys flying but they're little saiyans and they like to defy laws of kinetics.
lancecomwar: Haha, right. I think about it sometimes and wonder what the hell I got myself into. Trying to move things a long faster. It seems to be working for the most part.
Layab The Dark Saiyan: Yes and no. Lime has gotten used to pretty much being the only girl their age that hangs out with Gohan and Mirai. I've put in glimpses of her relationship with Gohan and it's taking a bit of adjusting to seeing him with other girls their age.
SeanHicks4: Ugh, I wish I were a genius. I was one of the smartest kids all throughout elementary, middle, and high school. Then came University and now I'm just….not.
Geuh: That's the plan. :D Change, change, change.
ZombieKillerLevi: You'll just have to read and find out. I aim to reveal all secrets since I don't think I'll be writing any other Gohan x Videl fic again. ;D
- Skye