Chapter Thirteen
Overpaid and Underage
xxxx
With Stanley Coyne's murder officially under investigation, Videl had informed the young saiyan that she would attempt to find out more about Borbonne's whereabouts before doing anything rash. They both agreed that not catching the criminal mastermind sooner could result in more brutal deaths.
Although he was slightly miffed at the girl when she had proposed that she would just call him when she needed him, he couldn't help but feel a little relieved. Working full time was certainly more gruelling than school, despite the fact that he had no homework to come back to. He hadn't even had chance to catch up with Bulma about her rival's murder, though he had managed to inform Piccolo on the strange goings on.
His mentor agreed that he had every right to be vigilant, though maybe he should leave the majority of the work to the police, The Gold Fighter wasn't there to serve as a detective after all. Though Gohan couldn't help but feel a little responsible, he had let Borbonne leave Chazke Village unscathed all those years ago, apparently, the young super saiyan hadn't scared him enough into leaving his life of crime.
Despite his troubles as The Gold Fighter, the teenager found that he was settling into his role at Capsule Corporation rather well. After only being there a few weeks did he already knew almost everyone's tea and coffee order.
Autumn had arrived in West City, and Gohan hadn't realised just how cold the bunker got at work. He was constantly supplying people with hot drinks, and fixing heaters that had packed in due to overuse. He would sit with the interns at lunch and found he got on with them best out of anyone, they had even invited him to a New Year's party in the student digs in West City.
Other than the prospect of a party with his new friends in the near future, the only other truly exciting thing to happen was that of the birth of Bulma and Vegeta's second child.
A little girl, Bulla, that was the spitting image of her mother, right down to the blue eyes and blue wisps of hair. Though it seemed she had inherited Vegeta's scowl, which Gohan had quickly found out when he had first held her. Apparently, she was already rather attached to her father and didn't like being held by many other people.
Gohan thought this was hilarious, especially when he had caught the saiyan prince and princess in a rather disgruntled game of peek-a-boo when he had gone to visit one time on his lunch break - he had nearly gotten his eyebrows singed off by a Galic Gun for laughing so hard.
It seemed that Goten was more excited than Trunks about the arrival of the new baby, as every time Goten would ask a question about it, the other boy would scold him for interrupting the game they were playing or film they were watching. Though he was just as annoyed as Gohan was when they had been hurriedly awake on a crisp October morning by their mother when Bulma was in labour.
The addition of the newest saiyan was celebrated with a party by the Z-Fighters, though Gohan wasn't as excited as he hoped he would be.
At a time of peace, when the Z-Fighter's had settled with their families, it was only obvious that people would get married and babies would be born. He wouldn't put it past Tien and Launch having a kid soon.
Gohan couldn't help but feel as though he had missed out somehow, being born a lot earlier than the rest of the Z-Fighter's children. He was born too late in some respects, having a more 'uncle' and 'aunt' relationship with his father's friends, and too early to join in with the kids. They looked up to him as a big brother, which was nice, but he was certain that they would all have a strong bond with each other in the future. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous of them, but then again, as he had watched the children laugh and play at Bulla's welcoming party, he realised he would never want for them to have a childhood like he had.
Bulma had only taken a short maternity leave, and was back at work by the end of October, the saiyan princess firmly attached to her bosom as she filed through the built up papers on her desk.
Which is exactly how Gohan had found her when he had come to collect his first pay slip from the heiress that morning.
"Oh Gohan give me a minute," she said with a rather flustered smile when he had asked about it, "here, hold the baby."
The young halfling fumbled slightly as baby Bulla was thrust into his arms, causing her to let out a disgruntled squawk.
"Bulma, I can come back later-" he offered, as she sifted through a few documents, her stained shirt untucked and a pencil tucked behind her ear.
He had to owe it to her, for a woman who just gave birth two weeks ago, she was certainly determined.
"Don't be silly," Bulma tutted, biting her lip in thought, "Now where - aha! Here it is, sorry its not in an official envelope or anything, been a bit rushed off my feet."
"Er, thats okay Bulma," he smiled, as he swapped the now squirming baby for the piece of paper she held out to him.
As Bulla was settled by her mother, he quickly scanned the numbers on the bottom of the page, and what he saw caused him to swear loudly.
"Gohan! Not in front of the baby!" Bulma scolded.
"Sorry," he said hurriedly, his eyes darting from the slip to his boss, "But Bulma, this can't be right!"
"Of course it's right Gohan," Bulma insisted, "I may have a severe case of 'baby brain' due to the lack of sleep, but I think I can remember to put you on the payroll properly."
"But that's way too much for a tea boy!" he protested, "You can't be serious!"
"I am serious," she sighed, "and you're not just a tea boy, your a general lab assistant, how many times do I have to tell you? Capsule Corp. is renowned for paying it's employees well you know. Do me a favour and stop worrying!"
He nodded, the slip weighing heavily in his palm, he had never had that much money to spend in his life. He didn't count the money he received off the Mayor, his mother had firmly shut that away in savings.
"Tell you what," said Bulma with a smile, "Why don't you put some away as savings, and just go and blow the rest on something you want? Enjoy it while you're young kid and don't have bills and babies to pay for."
So that was when Gohan spent the afternoon after work wondering around West City, trying to figure out if there was anything he wanted.
Cigarettes he already brought with his pocket money, though it didn't stretch far. He brought them from a small establishment in East City where he never got asked for any form of ID, however, they weren't cheap. He supposed that was something he didn't have to worry about now.
Crossing through the busy shopping district, the young saiyan couldn't decide. He could get some new clothes he supposed, a nice leather jacket wouldn't go amiss, he had been eyeing one up online for months. He could get some new black shirts, ones that had arms long enough to cover up his scar when he was out and about.
Huh.
Something that Lime had said a while ago sprung to the forefront of his mind as he passed by a small tattoo parlour. It's doors and window frames were darkly painted, with various artwork and drawings of tattoo pieces stuck to the windows.
It looked a little grimy inside, but the teenager was fascinated, and had his face pressed up against the pane before he knew it, his tail unravelling from his waist and wagging behind him in excitement.
Lime had always said he should cover up his scar with tattoos, it would look wicked. And Gohan couldn't help but agree with her. He didn't really care what his mother thought of it any more. it was his body after all.
He also had the money to do it.
But the young saiyan didn't know where to start, there were too many to choose from. There were a lot of skulls, some with daggers in their teeth and roses in their eyes, but that just wasn't his taste. More feminine ones were displayed, like butterflies, dolphins and other animals that just weren't him.
He jumped, as the door to the left of him opened with a soft tinkering, and out stepped a large bearded man, tattoo's covering his hands, fingers and forearms, right the way up to his neck from what Gohan could see poking out of his t-shirt. He had a bright red mohawk and a beer belly, a large metal ring dangling from his nose and his ears stretched to twice the size of Gohan's.
"You alright kid?" he spoke in a surprisingly kind tone.
"Yeah um," said the teen, trying to act cool and pointing to a random skull and crossbones, "How much is that one?"
"Depends what you want done with it, how big?," he said gruffly, eyeing him.
Gohan sighed, "I dunno, I just want something to cover this up."
The man's eyes widened, as the halfling took his arm out of the sleeve of his jacket, revealing his long jagged scar.
"Blimey, that looks nasty," the man mustered, "How'd you manage that?"
"Accident when I was younger," he replied simply.
"Say no more," he waved off, giving him a smile, "Cover ups are a speciality of mine. Looks like you'll be needing more than one though. A sleeve might be an idea, you could even start with a half sleeve, thought it depends on how much you wanna spend. Don't have to pick off the board if you don't want, could design you something…just how old are you?"
The man sighed, as Gohan's face dropped.
"Sorry kid, you have to be eighteen legally. Unless you've got an adult's consent."
The young saiyan huffed as he walked away, but not before thanking the man; Scab, for his time. He was annoyed that he was deemed too young for most things.
He knew Bulma would never agree to allowing him to get a tattoo, let alone a sleeve of them. He sighed, he really liked the idea too. Maybe he could get Yamcha to take him? He was sure he wouldn't mind if he got a tattoo, although the ex-bandit would probably be afraid of what his mother would say.
Adults consent? He scoffed, it wasn't fair! He had seen and done more in his fifteen years than most adults had in their lifetime, including saving the planet. And still, people treated him like a child!
Taking out a cigarette as he walked, he popped it in between his lips in frustration.
He stopped suddenly, the unlit cigarette dangling loosely from his mouth.
It was true, Son Gohan wasn't like any other fifteen year old kid, the check he had just deposited in his bank account was already proof of that.
He smirked with an idea coming to mind, and then, he spun on his heel and made his way back down the street.
xxxx
"Whatever you do, don't freak out."
Dende frowned slightly, as Gohan stood before him upon The Lookout.
"Oh no, what have you done now?"
The young saiyan grinned triumphantly, pulling up his shirt to reveal his left arm.
He had headed to The Lookout straight after he was done, eager to show someone who wouldn't blow a gasket at the ink that had defaced his body. In all honestly, Lime would have been his first choice, but seen as they weren't on speaking terms, there was only one other person he could think of.
Dende stared at him with a curious expression, placing down the ancient textbook he was reading on the step beside him, before getting to his feet and approaching to the young saiyan.
"Wow," Dende gasped, inspecting the arm that was slightly inflamed and wrapped in cling film, "It is rather beautiful Gohan."
It had only taken a few minutes for Scab to draw up the design Gohan wanted, after the halfling had bribed him with three times as much as the asking price of course. Luckily, the man liked the teen enough to accept.
Scab was particularly surprised just how much pain the teenager could take, and ended up completing the tattoo of a dragon that ran from his elbow and up to his shoulder, twisting around his bicep as it went. It looked remarkably like Shenron, and Gohan couldn't wait to get another, he was already thinking of ideas to add to his sleeve.
"Thanks Dende," said Gohan, pleased at his friends' reaction, "I knew you'd agree!"
"Such spectacular artwork," the young Namekian nodded, "Did it hurt?"
"Well I-"
"Did what hurt?"
The teenager's jumped as Piccolo came out of the shadows behind them. It was already dark out, the steady glow of lamp light drifting out of the temple and out onto the tiles.
"Nothing!" Gohan exclaimed, attempting to pull down his shirt.
But it was too late.
Piccolo frowned, "Isn't that skin dyeing illegal for someone your age?"
The young saiyan rolled his eyes, "It's called a tattoo Piccolo."
"You didn't answer the question," his mentor growled, before turning to Dende, "Tell me Dende, is a fifteen year old getting a tattoo legal in the eyes of the law of this planet?"
Dende shifted uncomfortably as Gohan glared at him, "Um, no sir."
"Well it seems like you've been paying attention to your studies," Piccolo smirked.
"You actually have to learn that sort of stuff?" the teen saiyan blurted.
Before Dende could open his mouth, Piccolo answered for him, "Yes, he does. And it seems like Dende has been paying more attention to the laws than you have."
The teenager scoffed, motioning to the sky with his thumb, "Oh come off it, what are you going to do? Dob me in to the big guy upstairs?"
Piccolo narrowed his eyes, "Your mother is going to kill you."
"I'm positively shaking in my boots."
"This isn't funny Gohan," he shot back, "you should know better."
"I just wanted to cover my scar," Gohan told him honestly, his mentor's eyes softening slightly at his words.
He smiled, holding up his arm, "Besides, it looks awesome! Dende likes it, don't you Dende?"
Dende vigorously nodded his head until Piccolo gave him a pointed look.
"Fine, if it makes you happy," Piccolo sighed in defeat, "But you're on your own when your mother finds out, I could do without her screeching in my ears."
"Don't worry about it Piccolo," he grinned, "I'm a master of disguise remember? She wont suspect anything until I've at least got half a sleeve done, then she can't do anything about it!"
"I beg to differ," his mentor snorted.
"Come on, I got expelled, there's not much else she can do to me," said Gohan.
"You seem almost proud of that fact," said Piccolo.
He shrugged, "Well it gives me more time to help out as The Gold Fighter, and I actually earn money now…"
"That you spend on tattoo's and cigarettes."
The young saiyan pouted childishly, "I thought you said you wanted me to be happy."
His mentor scoffed, "It's late, shouldn't you be getting home?"
"Alright, alright," the teen said with a roll of his eyes, "I know when I've outstayed my welcome, I'll see you around!"
"Bye Gohan!" Dende called as he lifted into the air, "Good luck with Chi-Chi!"
Raising a hand in farewell, the teen blasted down Korin's tower and away from the sacred lands. He didn't understand why Piccolo was a bit miffed with him, it was only a tattoo after all.
Gohan bit his lip in thought, maybe he was having trouble with his training.
Still, it wasn't exactly his problem, Vegeta and Piccolo could train as much as they wanted, as long as he didn't have to get involved.
The sun had disappeared hours ago, and true to form he had had numerous missed calls from his mother. He was about to give her a quick call back when his wrist watch started to bleep. His flight slowing, he saw that the call was coming from Videl, the signal emitting from near the centre of Satan City.
The young saiyan immediately pressed the button on his watch, his clothes quickly replaced by the costume of his alter ego. Powering up to his super saiyan form, he shot towards the city, knowing it would take him at least twenty minutes to get there.
High over the skyscrapers he flew, past the huge park that was the only greenery for miles, until he followed Videl's Ki to a row of large estates with gated driveways.
Gohan had never visited this part of Satan City before, the paved streets were lined with neatly planted trees that ran symmetrically all the way up the roads. The trees were bare due to the season, but he predicted it would have looked rather bountiful in the spring and summer months.
Modern street-lamps lit the entrances to the enormous houses, and it didn't take the teenager long to spot where Videl's Ki was coming from.
He should have known really, he chuckled to himself, it was the largest house on the street, with golden plated gates and bronze statues of the Champ himself displayed amongst the rose bushes in the grounds. Four stories high, with several flash cars parked on the long driveway, they were so shiny that they looked like they had never even been driven. A fountain sat in the centre of the drive, directly in front of white marble steps leading up to the double faced front door.
Videl's Ki was coming from around the side of the building on the top floor, and Gohan couldn't help but smile when he caught sight of her. She was dressed in a pair of silk, full length pyjamas, her hair loose around her shoulders. It blew in the slight breeze as she lifted her face to look up at the stars.
The young saiyan had never seen the girl so contented, she had a warm mug of something cradled in her hands as she leaned against her balcony. Several floor to ceiling length windows stood behind her, and he could just catch a glimpse of her bedroom, which would have been pristine were it not for the small pile of dirty training clothes lying on the floor.
Surprisingly, she didn't yell at him for taking so long, instead, she gave him a small smile as he landed on the balcony beside her.
"Nice mansion," he said with a sly grin.
"Thanks," Videl replied, taking a sip of her drink.
Gohan raised an eyebrow, "Did you call me here just to brag or something?"
"About what exactly?" she smirked, "I would have thought you would have your own super sized mansion by now what with all the The Gold Fighter merchandise."
"Ah, I'm afraid I don't see any of that money," he explained with a wry smile, "The toils of having a secret identity you see."
She quirked an eyebrow, "What about all that money you had from the mayor?"
Gohan tapped the side of his nose with a finger, "That's for me to know and you to find out Miss Satan."
"Maybe I will find out one day," she said ominously, "Don't think that just because we're working together that it doesn't mean I've forgotten about unmasking you."
"Wouldn't dream of it," he grinned, "So why have you called me here, if not to unmask me?"
"We've got a lead," she stated, her eyes twinkling, though Gohan couldn't tell if it was just due to the starlight's reflection, "We think we know where Borbonne is hiding."
The young saiyan's green eyes widened, "That's great! How'd you manage that?"
"Infiltrated a drug deal," Videl said rather smugly, "One of Borbonne's lesser projects. Turns out he's got people everywhere, right down to the scum on the streets. This stoner who told me about his possible whereabouts was just a kid, he had no idea what kind of mess he was getting himself into."
"Cool," said the halfling, feeling fired up, "So what are we waiting for? Let's go hunt him down!"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Videl snarled, hitting him on his left arm and stopping him in his tracks.
She blinked, when he inhaled a sharp breath of pain, "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Training injury," he said through gritted teeth as he held his bicep, "Did you have to hit me that hard?!"
"We can't just rush into these things!" she tutted, ignoring him, "I was only told that Borbonne's hiding somewhere in East City. Luckily for us that means we can be in the know if anything goes tits up. We need to pin point exactly where he is, get in and get out without anyone getting hurt."
Gohan scoffed, "Sounds a bit boring if you ask me, can't we just blast in there and fuck shit up as usual?"
"Certainly not!" she cried, "There will be no fucking up of any shit! Not when they've got some of that Ki stuff!"
The young saiyan blinked, "I'm not even going to begin to tell you what was wrong with that sentence."
"Oh shut up," she growled, "All I'm saying is that we have to be careful. I'll work out a plan with the police, all we need you for is the man power. You can do Ki can't you?"
"Yes I can 'do Ki', I just flew here! You literally just watched me arrive!" he sighed, exasperated, "I'm going to have to give you the low down on this stuff eventually."
"Well that will have to wait," said Videl with a sadistic grin, "I've got a mafia to catch."
xxxx
Winter arrived with a blanket of heavy snow across the East, the air bore a chill that caused the hairs on Gohan's tail to stand on end as soon as he ventured outside.
Luckily for him, the freezing weather had allowed him the excuse to wear long sleeved tops around the house, and his mother still had no clue about his building sleeve of tattoos. He and Scab had become rather friendly, and had even shared a couple of beers over his last session at the parlour.
But with winter came the festive holiday of Christmas time, and Gohan was subjected to baby sitting Goten, Trunks and Bulla whilst his mother and Bulma went Christmas shopping in West City.
So far, the teenager had spent the last three weekends leading up to the holidays looking after the three mischievous halflings. He couldn't understand just why his mother needed to go shopping so many times. He usually got presents for his family all in one shopping trip with Lime in East City, but this year, all he had time to do was to nip out on one of his lunch breaks to buy some perfume for his mother, a new edition Gold Fighter figurine for Goten - complete with cape, and some colourful designer ties for his grandfather.
Usually, he and Lime would make a night of their Christmas shopping. Last year, they had managed to sneak a bottle of whiskey into his rucksack whilst Lime was buying something at the counter - she had slipped in the money for it of course, they weren't into shoplifting.
They had spent the entire night making snowmen, until Gohan got considerably drunk and gave his snow-person an enormous pair of boobs before writing his name in the snow with pee, and then proceeded to throw up everywhere.
Ah, good times.
He couldn't believe just how different this Christmas was turning out to be, especially when he had spent an entire afternoon listening to Trunks and Goten pelt snowballs off the window pane when trying to get Bulla down for a nap.
He was greeted with a face full of snow when he had finally opened the window to yell at them, which only added to his frustration when he had to haul his mother's mountain of shopping all the way home when she returned, soaking wet.
In no time at all, it was Christmas Eve, and Gohan was subjected to peeling a large bucket of sprouts ready to take over to Bulma's the next day.
He was sat nestled on the sofa in his pyjamas with the bucket in between his legs, a mountain of unpeeled sprouts beside him. His mother and Goten were sat in front of the roaring log fire, which cast an amber glow around the cosy living room. The brightly decorated pine tree stood proudly in the corner, which the brother's had chosen and chopped down themselves in the woods. Glistening baubles adorned it's branches, a replica of the four star dragonball perched on top.
His brother's laughter reached his ears, as he lovingly placed a mince pie for Santa and a carrot for Rudolf on the hearth.
"Like that Mummy?" the little boy asked, tugging at his own pyjamas that had blue and red snowmen dotted all around them.
"That's wonderful Goten," Chi-Chi smiled, "I'm sure Santa will be very pleased when he comes down the chimney."
"And bring me lots of presents?!" He asked excitedly, his obsidian eyes widening.
"Well, we'll see about that," she said carefully, "Santa has to decide if you've been a good boy all year first, remember he has to check his list twice-"
"He's gonna find out whose naughty or nice!" Goten sang loudly, causing Gohan's ears to ring, "SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWWWWWN!"
"Very nice sweetheart," Chi-Chi grimaced after he had finished, "But don't work yourself up, you need to go to bed nice and early so that Santa can make his way here."
Goten pouted slightly at the mention of his early bedtime, whilst teenager rolled his eyes and picked off a few more sprout leaves before chucking them in the bucket.
"But I wouldn't worry," she smiled lovingly, ruffling his spikey mane, "I bet Santa will bring you lots of presents, I think you've been a very good boy this year."
"Really?" he beamed, his eyes twinkling, "'Cause I wrote him a humongous letter with Trunks and he helped me put it in the big red post box with his! Trunks had a really big list and said that Santa always gets him everything on it 'cause he's extra good. But Trunks thought I was silly not to ask for lots but I only really wanted one thing."
Chi-Chi blinked, "Just one? And what was it?"
Goten beamed, puffing out his chest proudly, "Daddy of course! I asked Santa to see if he could get Daddy home for Christmas!"
Gohan almost cut his finger with the knife he was using.
"Oh sweetheart," his mother smiled sadly, pulling the little boy to her chest.
A sharp pang of guilt shot through the teen's chest. He hated Christmas. With every year that passed and his little brother got older, the notion that the boy would never meet his father got harder to explain.
Everyone else seemed to be able to put on a brave face, as every year without fail after his father's death they would gather at Capsule Corp. for a celebratory feast. But despite the amount of people that surrounded him, the teenager never felt more alone at the festive season, which is why he always spent most of it running around the village with Lime.
She had always understood. He couldn't talk to Piccolo or Dende about how he really felt, it would put a downer on the whole occasion.
It was then did Gohan realise just how much he missed his best friend. They had both been stupid and stubborn. Weren't they grown up enough by now to reconcile after a stupid fight? He figured that maybe now was just as good a time as any to try to make things right, it was Christmas after all.
His mother jumped as he abruptly got to his feet, the bucket toppling off his lap and sending sprouts rolling across the carpet.
"I'm going out," the young saiyan stated as his mother opened her mouth.
"But Gohan!" Goten called, pulling himself away from Chi-Chi's grasp, "Santa's coming! You have to go to bed or else he won't bring you any presents!"
"I don't care," he replied sharply, without thinking, causing his sibling to gasp in horror.
"Son Gohan do not speak to your brother like that!" Chi-Chi growled, getting to her feet, "And you're not going anywhere! It's Christmas Eve for goodness sake!"
Gohan ignored her. Instead, he made his way to the front door, shoving on his boots and grabbing his coat and scarf from the coat rack.
"If this is any Gold Fighter nonsense young man-!"
"It's not," he interrupted, throwing on his coat and tying the scarf around his neck.
"Oh?" she retorted, "Then where on Kami's great Earth are you going?!"
"Just out," he shot back hurriedly, he wanted to speak to Lime before she went to bed, "I'll be back later, alright?"
"No its not alright young man and you can think again if I'm just going to let you just up and fly out of this door-!"
She was abruptly cut off, as the teenager opened the front door and quickly shot off into the night sky. The wind was cold and bitter against his cheeks as he flew. It was still snowing out, and snowflakes rapidly began to land on top of his ebony hair.
It only took him a few seconds to realise that he was still wearing his pyjamas underneath his coat. He shivered, the thin fabric did nothing to conceal him from the cold night air. He wrapped his tail around his middle for more warmth, and sped up towards the twinkling lights in the distance.
As the sleepy village came into view over the mountain, Gohan's nerves began to set in.
His sudden rush of adrenaline leaving him altogether, the young saiyan decided to take a walk through the village first instead of landing directly onto Lime's balcony.
Considering the way the girl had last spoken to him, he wouldn't want her to cause a scene if he appeared suddenly in the middle of her bedroom, so he thought it best to knock at the shop door.
Hopefully, he may be able to get a word in edgeways as Lime wouldn't be as ready to yell at him in front of her grandfather.
With his stomach twisting into knots, Gohan landed in one of the dimly lit alleyways not far from the village centre. Shaking his spikey fringe away from his face, and shoving his fists into his coat pockets, the teen began to trudge through the thick snow, his boots crunching with every step.
It never failed to snow heavily in the Eastern mountains, leaving the roads treacherous. Not many visitors came to the mountains from the surrounding towns and cities in the winter, so it was always blissfully quiet. It was very much secluded, the inhabitants of the small villages in the mountains were in their own little peaceful world, no tourists or visitors swamped the streets over Christmas.
They were empty, with only a few local stragglers hurrying back indoors.
Everything was closed by now, save a couple of pubs which cast warm shadows over the snow from the brightly lit windows. Laughter and music reached his ears as he made his way past an establishment known as 'The Drunken Monkey', one man almost bumping into him as he stumbled out the doorway, slurring a Merry Christmas to Gohan before he headed home.
The young saiyan wondered around, taking his time to walk up the crooked hill towards the Lao's green grocers. The little thatched roofs were covered in a blanket of snow, a wreath of holly was nailed to almost every door, Christmas lights blinking at him from the windows.
The bells of the old village church had begun to chime nine when he thought he should just man up and face the music, he didn't want to be rude and turn up too late. The snow had started to fall more gently now, and tickled his cold cheeks as he reached the old shop building. The sign was almost completely covered with snow, so much so it failed to sway in the breeze that suddenly swept through the village street.
With the freezing temperature becoming almost too much to bare, Gohan attempted to swallow the large lump in his throat, raising his fist and rapping his knuckles hard upon the wooden door.
He waited patiently for a few moments, his tail flickering behind him anxiously. His heart skipped a beat when he heard footsteps making their way down the stairs, the sudden glow of the shop light illuminating under the doorway.
The teen couldn't help but be a little disappointed, when it was Lime's grandfather that answered the door.
The shop bell chimed as the door opened inward, but Mister Lao did not open the door fully. Instead, he all but poked his head and torso through the crack as he stared outwardly at the young saiyan. Surprise greeted the old man's features at first, until his brow contorted into a deep frown.
"Merry Christmas Mister Lao," the teenager smiled kindly, "Is Lime in?"
"Yes, she is," Mr Lao replied shortly.
Gohan shifted a little on his feet, Mr Lao's blue eyed stare was making him feel uncomfortable all of a sudden.
Usually, the man would break into a winning smile at the mere sight of him, engulfing him into a hug and offering him the prospect of a nice cup of tea. The young saiyan had interrupted the Lao's Christmas Eve numerous times, and the old man usually made no hesitation to invite him in. Judging by his strange behaviour, he could only guess that he knew about the argument between Lime and he.
"Er, would it be alright if I could speak to her?" Gohan asked nervously, the knots beginning to twist in his stomach.
The old man's stare wavered for a moment as let out a heavy sigh, "I don't think that's wise Gohan, not right now."
The teenager blinked, "Oh."
"You should go home son," Mister Lao continued, "Your mother is probably wondering where you are, it's Christmas Eve."
The halfling frowned, but refused to give up that easily, "I know sir, I'm sorry to bother you, but I really, really need to speak with her."
Mister Lao sighed again, his palm resting on the door frame, "You should go."
"Look, I don't know what Lime's told you," Gohan said boldly, starting to get agitated, "But this is between me and her, and if you don't let me in-!"
"She knows you're here Gohan, she doesn't want to see you."
His throat ran dry as Mister Lao interrupted him. He could gather as much from the fact that she hadn't text him back in months, but he would have thought she would have least acknowledged the fact that he had made the effort to come and reconcile in person.
"I could sense you in the village earlier," Mister Lao explained, "I knew you'd come here sooner or later, so I told her."
At his words Gohan looked up just to see a flicker of curtains from the upstairs window. He could feel her Ki hovering above them, that Ki that usually made him feel so warm inside, but all it did now was made him feel horribly sick.
"Please sir," the teenager said helplessly, "I know what I did was stupid, but I thought it was right at the time! If I could just explain to Lime, if I could just do something-!"
"I think you've done enough," Mister Lao said stiffly, giving him one last look before shutting the door in his face.
The young saiyan was left in the snow, staring at the wooden door in disbelief. He stayed there for about a minute, staring as the light went out in the shop and he was stood alone on the dark porch.
Gritting his teeth, Gohan made his way down the stone steps and back onto the street. People had begun to filter out of the pubs, and joyous laughter reached his ears.
Standing outside the Lao's, he slowly turned his head to see that the curtains upstairs were no longer twitching. A mixture of anger and sadness pooled at the pit of his stomach. Lime had officially shut him out, without even attempting to hear his apology.
His tempter getting the better of him, the young saiyan kicked a nearby dustbin leaning up against the shop, breaking it clean apart and sending it's rotting contents spilling out onto the ground. Several dogs started to bark at the sudden clatter that echoed down the street, the switching on of the neighbour's bedroom light illuminating the pavement.
"What's going on out there?!"
Swearing under his breath, Gohan ran to the edge of a dark alleyway, before kicking off from the ground and hurtling himself through the sky. He really didn't want to have to face any more angry villagers.
Despite the increasing probability of his mother having a complete meltdown, the teenager did not return home. Instead, he sped over the vast mountain scape, not really paying any attention to where he was going.
After a while, and realising he was just flying around in circles, the halfling slowed down, blinking through the clouded sky as he approached the bright lights of Satan City.
He wasn't entirely sure what drew him here, but he soon became rather annoyed with himself that he had managed to wind up in the most sickening place on Earth at Christmas time.
He lowered himself into the streets regardless, the air becoming too cold to bear high up in the clouds. The snow was nowhere near as thick as in the mountains, however, the festive decorations and lights were a lot more multi-coloured and obnoxious in Gohan's opinion, and he walked slightly faster through the main shopping complex to get away from the giant glowing billboards of his face above.
It was getting late now, and the streets were practically deserted, particularly when he started to make his way out of town. He walked aimlessly for about half an hour before he decided it was getting way too cold for his liking, and was about to head back when a loud shout reached his ears.
His eyes darted around him under the streetlights, he didn't see anyone around. He was in a residential area, so hadn't had many dealings in these parts as The Gold Fighter. He wasn't sure if there was a pub near by or not.
Judging by the raucous heckling that followed a loud crash, he would have thought he guessed correctly.
That is, until he heard a girlish shriek, "Just sod off and leave me alone!"
"Oh come on, don't yeh wanna come have a drink with us?" A rowdy voice called.
Just as Gohan was about to investigate, did the commotion round the corner of the street he was on. In front, was a girl about his age with bright red hair, who was hurriedly walking away from a group of four lads who looked to be a few years older than him.
She was dressed in a jumper and short skirt, complete with high heels that the young saiyan couldn't even fathom how she managed to walk in them in the snow. The group on her tail were obviously drunk, tumbling and scrambling after her. Judging by the thunderous look on her face, they had been following her for a while.
"Don't be like that! Give us yeh number at least!" one slurred.
"Or a snog! Go on, one little kiss!"
"Yeh wouldn't be dressed like that if you didn't want a little something!"
Gohan growled under his breath, seething at the sheer nerve of the group.
It seemed their words had irked the girl too, as she span around on her heel and glared at them.
"Ooh see she does want it!" another wolf whistled.
SLAP
The offender cried out, as the girl slapped him hard across the face, "Fuck off and leave me alone!"
"Bitch!" He spat, causing her to squeal as he grabbed her forcibly by the wrist.
"Let me go!" she cried, panic evident in her brown eyes.
"Only being friendly we were," the tallest member of the group spouted, "Now just for that, you'll really get what your asking for."
"OI!" Gohan yelled suddenly, startling the group as they started to advance, "Get away from her!"
"Whose this, yeh boyfriend?" The man gripping her smirked, "That's alright, he can join in as w-"
The brute of a man didn't have time to finish his sentence, when the halfling's fist slammed into his face, sending him crashing to the ground.
The girl gasped in shock and awe, holding onto her now free arm that was tinged red from the man's grip.
Gohan steadied her to stop her from falling, averting his livid gaze away from the pathetic heap below, he asked, "Are you alright?"
"I know you!" she said suddenly, her eyes widening.
Slightly taken aback, the young saiyan blinked, "Er, you do?"
"Yes!" she smiled gratefully, "You were there at Capsule Corps. ball! Remember me? Its Angela, I was with Videl and Erasa, you're Gohan right?"
Staring at her for a few seconds, his memory finally kicked in, "Oh… oh yeah! Great to see you."
"You too!" Angela grinned in relief.
"Oi! As lovely as your little reunion is, we've got a bone to pick with you!" one of the foursome growled, as the others helped up their companion who was sporting a very bruised and bloodied nose.
"Yeah, a few bones actually," another seethed.
"Angela?" asked Gohan.
"Yes?"
"Do me a favour and run, go and hide and don't come out until I find you-"
"But how will you-"
"I'll find you alright? Just go," Gohan stated boldly, staring down the brutes.
"Be careful!" she said in a harsh whisper, "There's too many of them to fight!"
"Oh Angela," he grinned wickedly, "I'm not going to fight them, I'm just going to have a little chat with them is all."
"Well… alright…" the red head mustered, and with one last worried glance, she fled up the road.
Making sure she was out of sight, the young saiyan glared at the four men, just as one of them spoke.
"Yeh little bastard, look what at you did! She got away!"
"Alright, well first of all," Gohan started, taking a step towards them, "I've got to say that your technique here is all wrong."
The foursome stared at each other, confused. "Technique? What are you on about?"
"I'm just saying," said the halfling, "You're not very good at picking up women. Like, at all."
"Eh?"
"Point one," he stated, "Girls, or women for that matter, don't take lightly to being followed around by a group of drooling mongrels."
"Two," he continued, powering up a little so that a white aura billowed around him, "It's not a great idea to call them names. It's just common sense really. If someone called you a bitch, would you really want to sleep with them? Unless, I dunno, you're into that or something."
"What the hell?!" one of them gaped, "shut this kid up!"
With an almighty cry, did another sour brute hurtle towards him, but his fist merely stopped at Gohan's chin, causing the man to pull back his arm in agony.
"Three," Gohan smirked, taking another step as the men backed up, clutching his broken hand, terrified, "Manners lads. Manners! Didn't your mum's teach you how to treat a lady? Respect goes a long way you know."
"Who-who are you?!" came a soft whimper.
"Oh, that was my fourth point," the young saiyan grinned, pushing his Ki up a little higher and allowing his ebony hair to turn golden, his eyes turning green and his golden aura lighting up the deserted street around them. "It would be wise for me to never catch you around here again, and especially hassling that girl, or anyone else for that matter. Am I clear?"
"Y-y-yes c-crystal clear M-mister Gold F-fighter sir!"
"We're sorry!"
"We was just messin' about!"
"We promise it'll never happen again!"
"Splendid," said Gohan, stepping forwards once more so that they fell onto their backsides. "Now run along before I change my mind and give you what you're really asking for. What the hell, I'm feeling festive, I'll give you ten seconds… one…"
As soon as he began counting, did the foursome scramble to their feet, skidding on the snowy ground as they ran, sobbing as they hurtled around the corner and out of sight.
"Merry Christmas!" The teenager called after them, before exhaling and allowing his transformation to leave him.
Looking around, he cringed, he knew what he just did was risky. Anyone could have poked their head out of their bedroom window and witnessed an unmasked Gold Fighter yelling at a group of drunkards in his pyjamas. He could only hope that the men were intoxicated enough not to remember his face, and that Angela hadn't seen him transform.
Angela.
Locking onto her small Ki, he quickly found that she was squatting behind a parked car a couple of streets away. She smiled in relief as he approached, allowing him to grab her hand and pull her up to her feet.
"Oh thank the Gods!" she cried, before Gohan had to shush her for being to loud. Slapping a hand over her mouth guiltily, she let out a small whisper, "I didn't know what happened to you! I was about to call the police but my sodding phone died! Typical!"
"It's alright," he smiled, "Are you okay?"
"Fine thanks," she breathed, "Thanks to you, I mean. What did you say to them?"
"Just decided to remind them how to treat others," he explained with a wry grin, "Roughed them up a little."
"A little?" Angela scoffed, "You broke that guy's nose! Are you a martial artist or something?"
"Eh, I dabble."
"Cool," she beamed.
Gohan cleared his throat awkwardly, "Come on, we had better get out of here."
Angela obliged, and the pair walked through the dark cold streets, Angela eventually having to grab onto his arm for balance. He was right, she couldn't walk in those heels in the snow.
Being the gentleman he was, he offered to walk the girl home. She said she lived about a half hour walk from where they were, and was taking a short cut through the housing estate when she had a run in with those men.
"So, if you don't mind me asking," The halfling pipped up after around five minutes of walking, "What are you doing out so late on your own?"
"My friend Sharpener always has these massive house parties when his parents go away on holiday - on Christmas Eve, I know random right?," she chuckled, "Anyway, I didn't feel like staying even though my Dad said he'd pick me up in the morning. I was daft to think that I could get a taxi at this time on Christmas Eve. What about you?"
"Oh same, I had to go pick up some extra stuff for my Mum for dinner tomorrow and took a bit longer than I thought," Gohan lied, praying that she wouldn't realise he had no bags on him.
"Oh right, where to you live?" she asked.
"439 East District."
Angela gasped, "Bloody hell, that would have cost you a fortune in a taxi!"
"Ha ha yeah," he said nervously, "didn't really think about that, silly me…"
"Wow your Mum must be really strict if she sent you all the way out here! No wonder you've spend all night out away from her!" she scoffed.
Gohan let out an awkward chuckle.
"So… you need somewhere to crash?"
The young saiyan turned towards her as she stopped suddenly on the pavement.
Why was she looking at him like that?
"I'm just saying that you look pretty cold, you are in your pyjamas after all," she giggled, causing the halfling to blush slightly.
"Plus my parents will be in bed by now," Angela said suggestively, "And they never wake up early on Christmas Day…"
Gohan's eyebrows shot to his hairline as the girl have him a wicked smile.
She was quite attractive, especially under the soft glow of the winter stars. Angela had a very petite figure, with tanned long legs and a trim waist. He could make out that she had stuck fake eyelashes on for the party, but Gohan didn't really mind that, she had plump pink lips and a flawless complexion. She was pretty, but the young saiyan wasn't sure if she was necessarily his type. Her hair was straight, long and red, but not quite the same copper shade of red that Lime's was.
He shook himself mentally, it was about time he stopped being so hung up on the girl. It was ridiculous, pining after someone that had just about ripped out his heart and stamped on it until it shattered into a million pieces.
With another glance at the awaiting girl in front of him, Gohan made his decision.
"Angela, lead the way."