Hello. Thanks for still being there. Thank you Kalebxdd
Chapter 12
While sitting in his bathtub and studying the bubble floating at the surface of the water, Gohan couldn't stop wondering how Videl was doing. He could still picture her face smeared with blood and ashes. She'd been wounded in the fire and although he had been convinced it was nothing serious, he couldn't help but feel concerned. He'd left her behind in the deserted park and he wasn't even sure if she'd had her phone to call for help.
Truth to be told, the way she'd trapped him had scared him away. He'd been so stupid to believe that his T-shirt and scarf would be enough to fool her. Not to mention his sneakers. What a moron. Despite his experience as a liar, he hadn't stood a chance against her clever eyes. She had caught him so easily, it was a shame.
He closed his eyes with a sigh. Now he needed to figure out what he would tell her tomorrow for he had no doubt that she would go back to the topic and he couldn't keep denying the evidence. He just hoped she wouldn't confront him publicly.
He hadn't turned back to school after leaving the park. He'd felt too restless and he'd headed straight back to the Capsule. Fortunately enough he hadn't met anyone on his way and he'd locked himself into his small house. He'd been seriously shaken up by the events and he craved for stillness and comfort. A hot bath had been the best plan coming to his mind and he'd been soaking in there for an hour or so now, feeling like all his stamina had been drained into the steaming water.
He could have gone back to the fire to give the rescuers a hand. Actually, that was exactly what he should have done. That was what his father would have done. Had he been there, Goku would have dragged him along and they would have both helped until the fire was put out. Some years back Gohan wouldn't have had a second thought about turning back but today he'd even hesitated to rescue the kids, urging to save Videl first.
It felt as if helping people no longer interested him. It wouldn't provide him the same satisfaction as before. He was weary of giving and who could blame him after all? He'd given so much already. He'd given his childhood, his father and he was still giving away some pieces of his soul as he kept getting rid of some rats for everyone's sake.
Of course, he didn't regret the choice he'd made to save the little girls but he couldn't prevent a thrill at the thought that things could have turned out otherwise. He wasn't sure how he would have reacted if the building had collapsed with Videl still inside.
He chased that idea away from his mind and sat up to get out of the bath. He had to make sure that the rain had been enough to bring the fire under control. He dried himself and got dressed. There was no TV in his place so he made his way to the Briefs' house to watch the news at Bulma's.
Paying the rain no mind, he crossed the garden and knocked at the Briefs' backdoor. He entered before getting an answer and found Trunks and Vegeta standing in front of the television in the living room. The boy called him happily as soon as he showed up. "Gohan! Look! You're on TV!"
Trunks was overexcited and pointing at the screen as if Gohan had been awarded for some outstanding performance. Gohan gave him a weak smile and looked up at the TV. He recognized the cameraman's point of view in the helicopter. His own figure was surging from a cloud of smoke holding the sobbing girls in his arms.
Standing a few feet from him with his arms crossed, Vegeta gave Gohan a swift glance and the young man glimpsed some kind of disbelief in the Saiyan's eyes.
"Why did you cover your face though? Nobody can recognize you," Trunks complained in disappointment.
"That's the point, Trunks. I don't want anybody to recognize me. Don't tell anyone at school you know me, will you?" Gohan replied.
Trunks stared at him in puzzlement.
"I just want to be left alone so promise me you won't say anything to anyone. Can I trust you?" Gohan insisted.
"Whatever. If that's what you want," Trunks muttered with a shrug.
They kept listening to the news. They were talking of a Golden Ninja, the words causing a contemptuous pout on Vegeta's face. Then, the journalists ended up explaining that the fire was finally under control and might be put out at night. They claimed an amount of victims that was to be confirmed and hardly mentioned Videl's help.
"It reminds me of your father," Bulma's voice suddenly said.
She had showed up unnoticed behind Gohan's back with a cup of tea in her hand.
"His father wouldn't have hidden his face," Vegeta snorted.
"That's for sure. He wouldn't even have thought about it," Bulma retorted with a roll of eyes.
Gohan gave Bulma an uncertain glance. Of course he was nothing near his father. His father would still be fighting the fire by now, looking for more people to save.
"You saved those children, Chichi will be proud of you," Bulma added with a loving look at him. She stretched her hand out as to pat his hair affectionately, but she changed her mind at the last minute as she remembered that he was no longer a little boy.
Vegeta turned away from the TV. "The Golden Ninja. How pathetic," he grunted on his way out of the room.
His comment had Gohan rub his head in embarrassment but Bulma rested her hand on his arm and smiled at him. "Don't listen to him, Gohan. You can be proud of yourself. What you did was risky and yet you didn't hesitate to save these kids. Why don't you stay and have dinner with us tonight? I'll fix you a good meal," she claimed in a comforting tone.
He accepted the invitation but he lacked his usual appetite. He was still thinking of Videl and wondering what he would tell her when they would meet at school.
The night didn't help his brooding over the situation and the next day, while standing before his locker and ready to take his things for his first class, he still hadn't the slightest idea of the story he should tell Videl.
He sighed and opened the locker with a weary gesture. A picture fell to the ground as soon as he flipped the door open. His blood froze at once. The photo was face down and all he could see was a white square lying on the floor. Hearing Erasa's coming closer, he picked it up hurriedly and put it in his pocket.
"Hello, M. Genius. Going to the ball with Videl?" she chanted cheerfully, a delighted grin stretching her lips.
"Huh, yes," he admitted with a shy smile.
"Sharp is awfully good at convincing people," she added playfully.
Gohan couldn't help but chuckle at the statement. "And still, you won't go with him," he pointed out, "I heard you're going with a third year."
Erasa squinted in disbelief and Gohan knew at once he'd said something wrong. "Why would Sharp want to go with me? He has a girlfriend, remember? You got weird ideas sometimes."
"Excuse me, I think I misunderstood something," Gohan stammered while taking his books out of his locker.
Erasa didn't look affected by his remark though and she went back to her careless mood. "By the way, did you see the Golden Ninja is back?" she squirmed, "I really thought we wouldn't see him again. He's still as sexy as ever, I think I'm in love."
"You're getting old with that guy, Erasa." Sharp grumbled as he joined them and opened his locker next to Gohan's.
Erasa had a playful pout. "Jealous. I still wonder who he is. I would love to meet him for real."
"It could be me," Sharp offered with a smirk.
Erasa just gave him a skeptical stare.
Sharp stopped rummaging his locker and opened his arms like an invitation to take a closer look at him and consider his suggestion. "With some gel in my hair and a black scarf over my nose, what do you think? We have the same muscles after all."
Erasa rolled her eyes. "Bullshit. Tell me, isn't today the day your mother is supposed to come and meet the intendant?"
Sharp's smirk went even deeper. "Exactly, dear. This afternoon. She'll have to move her appointment with her hairdresser and it means she'll be all the more pissed," he replied while gathering his belongings.
Erasa couldn't help but giggle at the thought but her chuckle was interrupted by an authoritarian voice snapping across the hall. "James!"
The three students quieted at once and they turned around as to see where the call came from. A blonde woman, wearing a tight, sophisticated dress was heading their way with a determined step. The general supervisor was trotting meekly behind her. The sound of her heels clacking on the floor and her hair pulled into a flawless bun gave her a military bearing.
Gohan had no doubt she was Sharp's mother. Just like Sharp said, whenever someone cared to utter his first name, it reeked of trouble. Erasa was right though. The woman was beautiful. The other students gawked at her but she wouldn't pay them any mind.
She stopped right in front of her son and Sharp looked down in annoyance. "Hi, Mum," he mumbled halfheartedly.
"I had our appointment brought forward as I had other… things to do," she announced with a wolfish grin.
Only then, she looked up at Gohan and Erasa. "Hello, sweet Erasa. How are you, honey?" she greeted.
"I'm fine, thank you," Erasa replied shyly.
"I haven't seen you in a while. You should come visit us some day," Sharp's mother suggested. She paused when her eyes fell on Gohan. "And you are Gohan Son, aren't you?"
Gohan flushed at once as he was taken aback by the fact that she knew his name. She was gauging him, her face still wearing a wicked smile. "Right, it's me," he stammered in unease.
She turned to the general supervisor now standing next to her. "I assume he is the Gohan Son. The one who passed all the tests so brilliantly although he'd never set a foot in a school before?" she asked while pointing at Gohan.
"It's him. A very promising boy," the supervisor confirmed.
"Thinking that some kids wouldn't be able to get half of his results even though they had the best teachers since their early childhood, I'm impressed," she commented with a pout.
Had it been possible, Gohan would have turned even more crimson than he already was. He felt awfully embarrassed and he couldn't even bring himself to look up at Sharp.
"You should tutor my son, Mr. Son. Be sure I can be very grateful," she added.
"Yeah, sure, boy. She can afford it," Sharp growled.
"That's right. Glad you acknowledge that the problem has never been about my financial possibilities, honey, and sometimes I wonder whether it's not just about intellectual possibilities," she retorted coldly.
The supervisor cleared his throat in disapproval. "James' problem has nothing to do with his capacities, Mrs Misk. It's all about motivation." He was obviously bothered by the tension between mother and son.
Sharp's mother cocked her eyebrows in disbelief. "I'd love to believe you."
She turned back to Gohan and Erasa and gave them a thrilling smile, having them cringe at once. "Let's go, James. See you soon, kids."
She walked away, her stressful heels clacking on the floor. The supervisor hurried in her wake while Sharp followed much more reluctantly.
Gohan and Erasa watched them bleakly for a while. "It doesn't look good," Erasa sighed absently.
Videl was still missing when the first class started. Gohan watched her empty seat. He was unable to focus on the teacher's speech. In a way Videl's absence gained him some time but on the other hand he found himself worrying about her. Erasa was sitting too far from him to ask her anything but maybe Videl had indeed been seriously wounded. Or maybe she just took a well deserved day off, after all.
Sharp didn't show up either and Gohan realized that the sentence of temporary exclusion had eventually taken effect. His mother had likely been forced to leave with him. Gohan calculated that it meant he wouldn't see him before Savior's Day.
A firm knock at the door eventually interrupted the last class of the morning and Videl came in apologizing for being late. Relief washed over Gohan as he found out that she was fine save for a few stitches on her forehead and a wrist bandage.
"You should be resting today, Videl. It wasn't necessary for you to come," the teacher pointed out in a soft voice.
"I'm fine, Sir, thank you. I really wanted to attend my classes today as I already missed my Math test yesterday," she replied.
As she made her way to her desk, she glanced at Gohan. He immediately focused back on his book, pretending he hadn't noticed her. She smiled at his behavior and sat down wordlessly.
As soon as the bell claimed lunch break, a crowd of students eagerly gathered around her as to ask for more details. Gohan saw her disappearing behind a living wall of restless students. He seized the opportunity to get up and leave the room unnoticed. Erasa went out with him but she had to attend her usual music class and she left him behind. He had no other choice but to go to the cafeteria alone.
He was served with an undefinable dish and he chose a lonely table to eat away from prying eyes. He feared Videl would tell everyone about him, so he studied his classmates heckling around. Yet, no one paid him any mind and he deemed it to be a good sign. For now, it seemed that no one was considering him as a Golden Ninja. He was still an anonymous second year, a newbie with few friends. He finished his meal in haste and left the cafeteria to go back to his favorite bench behind the gym.
It wasn't raining anymore but the air was damp and the grass of the lawn was still soaked. The clouds were fading away, allowing sunshine once in a while.
He sat down on the bench and took out his book about the whale. He peered at his watch as to check how much time he still had left, then he let the sailor's story hook him.
"I was sure I'll find you there," Videl said, as a whale finally loomed on the horizon.
He jumped and looked up at her. He hadn't heard her coming. She walked to him and before he knew it she grabbed gently a lock of his hair. She studied it with a pout. "You burned your hair," she stated.
With a move of his head, he snatched the strand out of her grip. "Are you hurt?" he asked while closing his book.
"Hm. I have some scratches and I coughed all night but most of all I had the scare of my life. You saved me…"
"Are you going to tell everyone?" he cut off nervously.
She sat next to him and looked him right in the eyes, mulling over the question for a while. "I don't know. Not for now, anyway. Why all these secrets, Gohan? You saved those girls, you saved me. You are a hero."
She sounded truly puzzled. He sighed. He was about to reply that he wouldn't have gone to the fire if it hadn't been for her, that he had hesitated to save the girls knowing that she was endangered and that he hadn't even cared to go back save more people the moment he'd been sure she was safe in the park. Yet, her eyes were gleaming with a blissful awe and he didn't feel like disappointing her. "I'm no hero, Videl. I just can do things that most people can't and that's it," he said instead.
He could read the disbelief in her aquamarine eyes. She would still consider him like someone amazing.
"I want to be left alone. I don't want people to look at me like a freak, can you understand that?" he resumed.
She nodded slowly. "These things you do…Like ... flying or ... changing the color of your hair, how do you do that?"
"It's all about mastering your ki," he explained although he doubted she knew what he was talking about.
"Mastering your ki," she repeated thoughtfully.
She was staring at him with some fascination, and he felt that her gaze at him had changed. That was exactly what he'd dreaded. "Don't look at me that way. I'm the same as yesterday."
"I already knew who you were yesterday," she pointed out mischievously. "I was just wondering what you're still hiding."
He had a slight frown at her words. "You found out everything that was to be found out in my opinion."
"I am not so certain of that," she claimed.
He flinched. His guts were twisted by her merciless scrutiny. She would never let go and he was wary about everything she could still do to learn even more about him. He grabbed her arm firmly. "Videl, if you speak to anyone... I'll have to leave the school. I'll have no choice."
She blinked at his statement. He was meaning it. He would really leave the school and maybe she wouldn't even see him again. She became aware of how much he cared for his secret. Truth to be told, unmasking him had been a game for her but it had never been a game for him, she saw that now. It felt like all his extraordinary abilities were painful to him and yet she couldn't understand why.
She had always thought that everything would be over the moment she would be able to unveil his identity as the Golden Ninja but it was quite the opposite. Things were far from clear if not more obscure. Gohan was still a total riddle in her eyes. He said he had no desire to be a hero, or a Golden Ninja while she would dream to have half of his skills.
A sunbeam fell from the sky through the fluffy clouds and straight on them. As the light touched Gohan's face she realized how handsome he was despite his wary sadness. She gave him a comforting smile. "I'll hold my tongue. You're still going with me to Savior's Day, aren't you?"
He was caught off guard by the question. "Huh, yes, sure."
"Good. You're my true savior now after all," she whispered. She leaned closer to him and placed a kiss on his temple. Her lips lingered on his skin and he closed his eyes. As she pulled away and grabbed her bag, he had an instinctive move to stop her but he repressed his gesture.
"I have to go see the Math teacher about yesterday," she claimed in a low voice while standing up.
She was doing her best not to look at him while he wouldn't unlock his eyes from her. He kept quiet and watched her all along when she walked away. When she was gone he realized he craved to take her in his arms. He cursed himself for being so dumb and missing the opportunity.
The touch of her lips was still tickling his skin and he could still feel her clothes brushing his arm and her scent lingering in his nostrils. He wanted her back. He wanted her close to him.
The thrill bell claiming the end of lunch break resounded all of sudden, snatching him from his bliss. He closed his eyes and sighed. Some things were definitely about to spiral out of control. His cunning lies and his art of concealment were crumbling down when Videl was around. On top of it he was becoming unable to keep her at distance. All this was getting to end badly.
He packed his book back in his bag and made his way to his classroom. As he put his hands in his pocket, he felt the picture he'd found in his locker in the morning. He'd completely forgotten about it. One more picture. He toyed with it for a while but he couldn't bring himself to take it out of his pocket. The feeling of the small square between his fingers was more than enough to darken his mood as the sweetness of the moment with Videl was already fading away.
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