I do NOT own Dragonball, Z, GT, or Super...
First off I want to apologize for the super long wait for a new chapter. I changed jobs and a ton of things came up that prevented me from updating sooner. I don't know if I still have any readers or if people forgot about this story but I am going to finish it. Hopefully I can update faster in the upcoming months and I'll try to not take so long to update again. So sorry about the wait but here's chapter 12. Please let me know what you think and enjoy.
Chapter 12: The Calm...
A few weeks had passed since the group had returned from their trip and it was now time for students of Orange Star High School to return to school. During this time, Videl and Gohan had visited each other as often as possible just like Videl promised. The couple mainly hung out around each other's houses and other places in nature that Gohan had discovered while sneaking out of the house over the years. They had agreed to put off all media attention they would (unfortunately) gain from their relationship for as long as possible and just enjoy the rest of their break. During the discussion, the two agreed that school would be the best place to make their relationship public. Rip it off like a band aid. Some couples would get bored of doing the same thing every time they hung out, but to Gohan and Videl these moments were what they lived for. They took time really getting to know each other. They shared everything from just common facts about each other, to their deepest secrets. They were really and truly happy.
The half saiyan's alarm clock (also known as Goten) became active in the 439 Mountain area at 6am. Gohan opened his eyes only to find his happy little brother jumping up and down on his abdomen. It was finally here, the day he had waited anxiously for. It was time for his relationship with Videl to become public knowledge. As Goten zipped downstairs to see if breakfast was ready, Gohan made his way to the bathroom to shower. After a few minutes the bathroom door opened releasing a small amount of steam into the hallway. His mind was filled with the countless scenarios and outcomes that today would bring, some of which made him uneasy.
He stepped out of his room as he pulled a black t-shirt over his head. At the bottom of the stairs he found his family sitting around the dinner table waiting for him before they dug into their breakfast. Seeing his family so happy made him smile. His brother was getting to grow up in a relatively peaceful world, his dad was back for good, and the gleam of happiness in his mother's eyes that had dulled over the past few years had finally returned. Making his way to his chair with a smile on his face he sat down. No matter what today threw his way he knew that with the help of his friends and family there was nothing he couldn't face.
After Gohan devoured his abnormally large breakfast he said goodbye to his family and grabbed his leather jacket and backpack and headed out the door. He looked down at his watch... 7:00. He had half an hour to meet Videl at her house. "Wow I'm actually on time for a change. Maybe today won't be so bad..." he reasoned out loud. The warmth of his breath escaped into the crisp cold air like smoke.
He turned his attention in the direction of Satan City and prepared to take off until the door busted open. "GOHAN! WAIT!" Goten screamed as he ran out to his big brother with what appeared to be something in his hand.
Gohan was confused, "Whoah Whoah! Where's the fire squirt? Haha."
Now it was Goten's turn to be confused. "Fire? Theres no fire?" he obliviously stated as he looked around the mountain side.
Gohan chucked and ruffled the little tike's hair. "Never mind false alarm. Whatcha got there?" he gestured to the tiny but mighty balled up fist of his little brother.
The tiny half breed looked at his closed fist and seemed to suddenly recall why he was outside. "Oh yeah! Mom said for me to give you this money so you and Videl could go out on a date. I asked if I could go but she said there would probably be kissy-kissy stuff so me and dad are gonna train instead."
Gohan gratefully took the money despite the slight bit of embarrassment. "Thanks buddy! I'll see you later Goten!" then Gohan took off into the sky.
Videl sat in front of her bedroom mirror wearing a white hoodie, black pants and a nervous expression on her face. She sighed as she stared at herself in the mirror. She had no idea how people were going to react to her new relationship. She had no doubt that the student body of Orange Star High School would go absolutely nuts, she was more concerned about the press. Though she would never admit it, she felt guilty for dragging Gohan into the public eye. She knew how much he valued his privacy. Suddenly there was a knock at her bedroom door.
"Yes?" she answered. 'Probably just one of the maids making sure I'm awake for school.' she deduced. Sometimes this life style was just way too much for her.
Rather than receiving a verbal response, her bedroom door opened slightly, earning her attention. A large strong looking hand pushed the door open a little more and Mr. Satan peered into his daughter's room.
"Come in daddy."
The afro haired man accepted the spoken invitation and entered the room and sat down on her bed. "So today's the big day huh?"
"Yeah..." Videl said as her voice shook a little.
"Are you nervous?" The large man asked even though he had a feeling that he already knew the answer.
"A little bit." she admitted.
Mr. Satan may not be the smartest man in the world, but the man was no fool (when it came to his daughter anyway). "You're worried about how Gohan will handle all the attention aren't you?"
The young lady sighed and nodded slightly, her eyes glued to the floor.
Mr. Satan felt like he needed to say something. He could tell she needed someone right now. "Ahem.. Uh Videl..."
She took her eyes off the floor and looked at her father but said nothing.
Her father looked her in the eyes. "Now, I've seen that boy fight and defeat, the biggest threat to humanity when he was just a kid. I watched him stand face to face with Majin Buu. And he is one of the sharpest people I've ever talked to. If a person like me can handle the media, then I have faith that a person like Gohan can too, one hundred percent. Besides, your old man is giving an important announcement to the world today on live television so I'm sure that will distract a large number of the press today." he said as he winked at his daughter.
She smiled. Sometimes her father really surprised her.
Mr. Satan said goodbye to his daughter and exited the room. Just as her bedroom door shut, there was a tapping sound against the glass of her balcony door. Videl's smile grew wider. Eagerly, she jumped up to let the half saiyan in from the cold.
When she opened the door she was met with a signature "Son grin" and she couldn't help but giggle. She looked down at her watch. "Well well well," she said in her matter-of-fact tone, "someone's actually going to be early for school for once."
Gohan scratched the back of his head. "Miracles do happen every once in a while I guess."
Videl led Gohan into her room so he didn't have to wait in the cold while she gathered everything she would need for the school day. After a few minutes of hunting and gathering, she zipped up her backpack.
"So are you ready to go?" Gohan asked.
"Yep! All set! Do you wanna take my jet copter so we can relax a little on the way?" Videl proposed.
"Sure that sounds fine." Gohan replied.
The two teens once again exited Videl's room through the balcony door, both teens each immediately feeling the bitter cold wash over them like an ocean wave before warming themselves up with their ki. Videl had the perfect view of her back yard from her balcony. It was colossal to say the least and was filled with many expensive statues, fountains, stone walkways, hedge mazes, out door pools, a few jet copter pads, and even a smaller house within its extravagant borders.
Gohan took a few steps forward, his eyes locked in the direction of the farthest jet copter pad. "Think you can hit the far one today?" He asked.
Videl smirked at the hint of challenge in his voice and raised her power level slightly. "Come on thats too easy." she replied as she removed a capsule from her pocket.
Gohan chuckled slightly. He was really starting to get good at appealing to his girlfriend's competitive nature. It was one of the many things about her that he admired. "Give it a shot and we'll see."
"Hmph. Alright. Here goes nothing." she said as she reared back and sent the capsule hurling towards the far edge of the back yard.
Gohan whistled in awe at the distance of her throw.
The two watched as Videl's jet copter appeared dead center of the launch pad she was aiming for.
"Thats quite an arm ya got there." Gohan said with pride.
"Ehh.. It was nothing. But thanks." she said as she placed a small peck on his cheek.
The two jet black haired teens took off from the balcony and headed towards the jet copter at a brisk pace. Climbing into the huge machine, they strapped themselves in. After Videl hit a few buttons, the large yellow copter began to ascend slowly before they darted off in the direction of Orange Star High School.
Videl looked over at Gohan who was making sure he had everything he needed for the school day. "So are you nervous about today?" she asked him with a slight hint of worry in her voice.
Gohan quickly looked up from his bag. "Not really. Why do you ask? Are you okay?"
Videl felt a small amount of relief wash over her. "Yes Gohan, I'm fine. I just feel bad that you are giving up your privacy for me." Shortly after saying this, she felt him rest his hand on top of hers.
"I'd do anything for you Videl. Don't worry, I can handle this." he said as he gave her a reassuring smile.
The relief upon hearing those words of comfort from her boyfriend was visibly noticeable. "Videl, how long has this been bothering you?"
She lightly sighed. There was just no hiding anything from him. "A couple of weeks." she admitted, "I just know how important your family's privacy is to you. Not to mention that some of your secrets also affect our other friends like Krillin or Bulma."
"I really appreciate the concern Videl, but I promise that everything will be fine. Heck, the media only freaked out for a few weeks when I revealed myself as Saiyaman at the tournament. How bad could it possibly be?" Gohan mused out loud, trying to put her at ease.
Videl chuckled. "You know they only left you alone because, literally, the apocalypse happened the same day."
Gohan snickered. "Yeah, plus the fact that they couldn't find my house that one time probably helped too."
This earned him an arm punch from Videl.
"What was that for?" Gohan whined to which the pig tailed crime fighter only smiled innocently as if nothing ever even happened.
The next few minutes were spent talking about how they should deal with the possible scenarios today could present to them. Before they knew it, Orange Star High School came into view. Videl looked at the digital clock on the control panel which read 8:00 a.m.
"Hey we still have a few minutes before class starts. Wanna go grab some coffee and let the hallways die down a bit before we go in?" she proposed as she pointed down in the direction of his favorite coffee shop.
"Yeah that sounds like a great idea!" he said and Videl began to land the copter. The two walked down the deserted sidewalk hand in hand. At this time of day most of everyone was either at work or in school with the exception of a few people who were rushing due to tardiness.
Both Gohan and Videl were practically jogging to get into the shop and out of the cold, but when Gohan looked through the glass wall of the shop he immediately recognized the girl standing at the register... It was Lizzie.
All of the sudden Gohan slowed his pace down to a stop. Videl turned and looked at him with confusion. "You okay Gohan?"
"Um V-Videl, I-uh kinda gotta tell you something before we go inside." he said as he instinctively and nervously raised his hand to his neck. He wasn't sure how exactly his girlfriend (a hot tempered, fiery, crime fighting badass) would deal with this situation. He contemplated not telling her but he was sure Lizzie would start gushing over him as soon as he walked in the door. 'Well here goes nothing.' he thought.
"What is it?" she asked him as she tilted her head to the side in both confusion and concern.
"Um.. Well.. Do you remember the last day of school before the holiday break?"
Videl thought back. It seemed so long ago now but in reality it had only been about a month or two. "Yeah I do. Why?"
Gohan began to scratch his head. This was a nervous tick that was quickly learned by his girlfriend in the early days of their relationship. Videl took a few steps closer to him. She could tell he was thinking hard about what to say.
"You know you can tell me anything right? You don't have to worry." she said as she rested her hand gently on his shoulder.
He stopped scratching his head and sighed. "Do you remember the whole coffee cup-lipstick incident?"
Videl didn't even have to think back... She knew what he was referring to. It was the very situation she realized that she had just as much insecurities and jealousy inside as anyone else. (But unlike most, she was mentally strong enough to control the impulse to incapacitate everyone who wrote on that cup. Hey, nobody is perfect.)
"Yeah. What about it?" she asked calmly.
"Well... Um... The girl at the counter in there may have had a hand in that whole ordeal." he said as he pointed his thumb at the large window.
Videl turned her attention in the direction of his thumb. She immediately recognized the girl with long brown hair also known by her and Erasa as "A popular, bratty, Daddy's spoiled little girl cliché come-to-life."
She grit her teeth. "Ew it's Lizzie."
Gohan's eyebrows raised. "You know her?"
"Yeah, she graduated last year." She responded in a miffed tone.
"Sounds like you aren't her biggest fan."
Videl turned her attention back to her boyfriend. "I'm not." she stated plainly. "She's rude, snobby, and mean to anyone she feels superior to. Not to mention her ego is almost as big as Vegeta's."
Gohan's eyes widened.
Unknown to the couple talking outside the shop, Lizzie had noticed Gohan and was practically running towards the door.
"You know I wouldn't be mad if we just skipped the coffee and went on to school." Gohan offered.
"I hate to say it but I think that would be best. I'm not great at controlling my temper when she-"
"Videl Satan."
Gohan and Videl both snapped their heads in the direction of the new voice only to find Lizzie with her arms crossed and a nasty look on her face (unmistakably targeted towards Videl).
"I see you cut your hair off..." She closed her eyes and a smug smile made its presence known. "It really brings the whole tom boy thing together."
Gohan saw exactly where this was going. 'Oh boy.'