Chapter 14: Vacation
*DAY BEFORE FALL BREAK – OSH*
"So you guys, what are we going to do? I mean, it's Friday, we've got a week off of school starting tomorrow, and we don't have anything planned!" said Erasa excitedly.
It was lunch period, and the gang was all out by their usual tree, minus Lime. The brunette was a short distance away talking to someone on her phone in hushed tones. It was a gorgeous day out, still warm enough for everyone to be out in short sleeves and shorts, and the world took on an orange hue with the change of seasons. It was beautiful to Gohan. He was leaned back against the tree, hands clasped behind his head as he relaxed.
"Well to be honest I have no Idea what we should do! I mean next Friday is Halloween, but we're all a bit old to go trick or treating." replied Videl earnestly. Gohan could hear the whine from the blonde well before it actually came out, "Oh Videl, you're no fun! We can still go trick or treating!"
Gohan smirked and cracked one eye to watch the two girls talk back and forth. He had really grown quite close to his little group since Videl's birthday party. Erasa remained the little bubble of happiness that managed to make him feel better no matter what sort of mood he was in. Sharpener was the only guy friend he really had since he seemed to have spooked off the rest of the male population around him, and the two of them were constantly in a state of argument about the most mundane things. Just the other day, they had a heated debate about which Mortal Kombat woman was the hottest. Their conversations were something he was always looking forward to now, and he admitted he liked being able to let loose with his vocabulary without worrying about his mother overhearing him.
Most interesting to him though was the change that had come between himself and Videl. Especially in the last couple weeks, he had noticed that she seemed to grow quite attached to him. They spoke a lot whenever everyone was together, and she seemed to have come to an understanding about his mood swings and emotional tells that was disproportionate to the short amount of time they'd known each other. She stepped in often in the weeks after the party to defend him if anyone gave him a hard time, which he was thankful for since he had lost his temper so badly before. She had developed a concern for him that he had never expected to receive from her, and he frankly didn't know how to respond to it. He still avoided being one on one with her if he could help it, even whenever he had to go out as Bardock to assist her. But now it was because he was afraid to really let her get too close, as opposed to outright discontent with her parentage.
He constantly fought with himself, forcing himself to keep her distant from him. He wasn't blind to her advances, subtle though they were, and he really wanted to just accept them. But he couldn't allow himself to let it happen. He was dangerous, prone to violence when his temper snapped, and anyone he was close to was a target for any villains who wanted him out of the picture. He cared for the girl, more than he ever said out loud, and was determined to keep her just as a friend for that very reason. If he was honest with himself, he was scared to lose her.
So, he kept her where she was, as just a friend. It was an equitable arrangement to him, and she didn't push herself on him. He was happy, happier than he had been in a very long time. It was days like this that made everything worth it, just sitting around with his friends and chatting and enjoying the day. He watched a formation of waterfowl flying overhead, and nostalgia washed over him as he remembered a day just like today: The same day that Lime had given him the ring he still wore around his neck. He smiled and closed his eyes.
"Well, nerd boy is sure in a good mood. I bet he's got this whole break planned out and isn't telling!" prodded the only other male of the group. Gohan raised an eyebrow without opening his eyes and shrugged, knowing that Sharpener was just trying to get something out of him.
"Nah sharpie," he said with a contented sigh, "I'm just enjoying the weather. I don't actually have any plans to speak of. I was hoping you guys would come up with something."
Lime returned at that moment, settling herself next to Gohan and poking him in the side, jerking him out of his serene state. He gave her a hurt puppy look. "Oh hush up. I think I just got something for us all to do", she said with a serious tone, then added towards Gohan, "but you might not like it."
He immediately focused on her, a twinge of dread settling in his gut. He sat up, setting his hands firmly against the ground. She took a deep breath, glancing at the other three, trying to find the words to say. "Your mother is taking the kids to your Godmother's house for the next week. Said something about needing to get out of the house, change of scenery or something like that." she said with a nonchalant wave. "She asked that you join her there, and asked to see if these three wanted to come along for the week. She wants to meet them still, you know?" she finished hesitantly.
Gohan paled and stared at her incredulously, glancing at the quizzical looks the other three were sending him. "She what?" he asked.
"Oh come on Gohan, don't be like this. They can be trusted with this one I think." said Lime, almost begging him with the tone she used on him. He shook his head. Sure, the other three could probably deal with the knowledge of who his godmother was, but having them at Capsule Corporation with the demon trio and Vegeta at the same time?
"I'm not worried about trusting these three." he said, making it plain that he wasn't holding out on his new friends. He lowered his voice and asked, "Did you stop and think about Vegeta? What do you think he'll do when three unknown teens show up on his doorstep, including – no offense Videl – the Daughter of the man who he thinks is the funniest Joke this side of the galaxy?"
Lime opened her mouth to say something, but Sharpener cut her off, "Hold up! You've got to be kidding me, someone actually thinks that Hercule Satan is a joke? Why I oughta –", he began before Lime deadpanned at him, "Sharpie, for your own sake, don't finish that sentence." He looked around at the other teens incredulously. To his surprise, Videl didn't even try to defend her father's reputation.
"You're kidding me." he said, defeated. He turned to his raven-haired friend and held a hand out pleadingly towards her, "Videl, I don't get it why aren't you sticking up for your old man here? I know you two had your differences but –".
But Videl was having none of it. "Sharpener, just shut up." she said grumpily. She fixed him with a glare out of the corner of her eyes, her mouth set into a firm scowl.
Gohan furrowed his brow, confused at her actions. She doesn't care that we just announced that someone thinks her father is a joke? he questioned internally. In fact, she seems to agree… It couldn't be that she knows… No, she would have said something before now if she knew her father hadn't done it… Though, that would explain a lot.
Erasa piped up, breaking the silence that had settled over the group, ignoring the tense stares going around and saying excitedly, "Well don't leave us all hanging, where are we going, and who is your Godmother? We've known you for months and none of us have been over to your guys' place! What's the big secret?"
Gohan exchanged a look with Lime and sighed, nodding his consent. She gave an ecstatic smile, and still looking at him, started the conversation that would bring the three teens before them into the small circle of people who knew the Brief's family personally.
"Tell me, how much do you guys know about Capsule Corporation?" she asked. The question was loaded with an almost haughty tone. The three teens gave the two of them identical confused looks.
Videl shook her head and stared at Gohan quizzically. "What does Capsule Corporation have to do with your Godmother? I mean, they're based out of West City, where you've been staying, but…" she trailed off, her brow furrowing like it always did when she got lost in thought. Her eyes snapped open and she glanced between Gohan and Lime, dumbfounded. "No way… There's no way…" she breathed quietly.
The two blondes looked at her with the same confused looks they were wearing before, not making the same connection she just had. Gohan sighed and nodded, "Yea, you got it Videl. Bulma Brief is my godmother.".
*THE NEXT MORNING – SATAN MANSION*
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Smack!
Videl groaned and rolled herself over, cracking her eyes open to look at her alarm clock. Ugh… Six thirty, she thought irritably, Why did I get up at six thirty? It's the weekend.
She pushed herself into the sitting position, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as a dim light from the sun just past the horizon lit her room with a soft twilight glow. She looked around, trying to remember why she was awake so early, and noticed that her backpack was full and propped up against the door, ready for her to leave. She stared at it in confusion for a second until the previous day's conversation came flooding back to her.
Capsule Corp! Gohan is Bulma Briefs' godson! He and Lime have been living there the entire year and they didn't tell us! I can't really say I blame them, but still! Oh, why do I care? I get to stay there for a week!
She flung the covers from herself and rushed into her bathroom, washing quickly and dressing herself in her usual bicycle shorts and white t-shirt. She couldn't dampen her excitement if she wanted to as she rushed out her door, bag in hand, running down the hall. She paused in the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee and say goodbye to her father, who she noted was beginning to get himself back into shape since he had kicked his alcohol problem a month prior. Shoot, he might even be ready to fight in the tournament next at the end of next month, she thought as she left.
Finished with her hasty breakfast, she ran out her front door, noticing that there was already a limo waiting for her just outside the front gate of her property. As she neared, the window rolled down to reveal an excited looking Erasa, who had gotten herself all dressed up for the occasion of meeting the world's most influential and wealthy woman. Videl waved and smiled wide at her best friend, "Hi Erasa! Is Sharpie in there?".
"Yea he's here, and conked out!", she said with a giggle. She saw the girl shift in her seat and heard a muffled cry as she kicked the boy across from him. Videl laughed and made to open the door, only for it to open before she could touch the handle. She "eep"ed and jumped back, retracting her hand and earning a giggle from the Blonde on the other side. "It got me too! Sharpie got hit full on in the face when he went for it!".
Videl recovered from her shock quickly and settled herself into the back of the car, settling her backpack between her legs on the floor and signaling to the driver that she was set. There was no reply through the tinted window, but the door shut and the car took off, surprising her by lifting off into the air. She clutched onto the chicken handle and grimaced, trying to settle her stomach. True to Erasa's word, Sharpener was dozing in the seat across from them, his head lolling to the side.
"Gosh, you'd think he never slept or something?" said Videl dully. She snickered when a bead of drool dropped from the corner of his mouth. Shaking her head, she turned to Erasa, "Anyways, what do you think Gohan's family is going to be like?"
The blonde next to her paused in her applying of mascara and smiled back at her. "Honestly? Pretty crazy if I had to guess," she said excitedly, "I mean, his mother is a former world champion fighter, he calls his little brother, sister and their friend the 'demon trio', and his godmother is the world's most famous woman! Talk about an interesting life. I tell you what girl, I'm almost regretting telling you I wouldn't go after him!"
Videl blushed and glared at her friend, who didn't realize how much her statement actually meant. After all, Videl was very careful about not letting her crush on Gohan show. But to keep up her image, she denied it, "I already told you, there's nothing between me and Gohan! We're just friends!" The blonde rolled her eyes and smirked, but didn't respond.
It didn't take long for the trip to end, and soon they were cast in shadow as the limo settled on the private landing pad within the Capsule Corp compound. Erasa and Videl looked out the windows excitedly, taking in their surroundings and waking Sharpener in the process. His eyes snapped open as he realized where they were, and immediately pushed a button on the inside of the door, opening it outwards. The three teens disembarked into the early morning sun, and stared in awe towards the three huge domes that made up Capsule Corporation headquarters. They were nearest the smallest of the three large domes, which was lined with windows.
As soon as they had left the Limo, it pulled away and circled around the domes, leaving the three teens standing there watching after it. Erasa's eyes widened and she stared at the ground by her feet. "Oh no!", she exclaimed after a moment, looking towards where the limo had disappeared with a pout, "I forgot my bags in the trunk! Oh darn where did he drive off to!".
"Don't worry about it Erasa, your bags will be moved to your room automatically. He's programmed to do that too."
The three teens started at the familiar voice and turned in the direction of a smaller building that was nestled next to the dome behind them. Gohan strode over to them dressed in his Navy fighting gi with the red long sleeve shirt. He looked slightly ruffled, like he had been working out, though there wasn't a bead of sweat on his forehead and his hair stuck out in its usual careless style. Videl felt her stomach stir again at the sight of him in a fighting uniform.
Dammit! Why does he have to look so good in literally everything I see him wear?, she thought out of frustration. He approached casually, rolling his shoulders as he neared. She noticed him wince as his left shoulder popped when he rolled it and he raised his right hand to massage it. He smiled nervously at the group and raised his hands out to his sides.
"Well…", he started anxiously. "Umm, welcome to Capsule Corporation! I should warn you now, Bulma's husband is an extremely short-tempered man, and he doesn't like trespassers. So for now, you guys should probably stick with m-"
"BRAT! WHO THE HELL ARE THOSE PEOPLE?", Interjected a gruff voice from behind Gohan. He sighed and glared skyward, begging Dende to strike the short man with lightning. Knowing that the bolt would not come, he stood to the side as the prince approached with a mean scowl on his face and his arms crossed in front of his bare chest. He was wearing his usual training clothes of a pair of shorts and sneakers.
Kami that guy is completely ripped! thought Videl incredulously. Not even my dad in his prime had muscles like that!... Oh damn, I bet that Gohan is just as defined as him! Videl's stomach twisted in a knot at the thought, and she shook her head to rid herself of the image. Now wasn't the time for her to be fantasizing about the tall teen.
"These, your highness, are my friends from school", said Gohan with clear defiance, making a gesture to the three of them, "Videl, Erasa, and Sharpener. Guys, this egotistical airhead is Vegeta. He's Bulma's husband and my training partner.". Vegeta growled angrily and spat at him, "Shut your trap Brat, unless you want to get back in the GR.".
Gohan simply smirked and crossed his arms, knowing that he could take the prince whenever he wanted to. No matter how hard the prince trained, or how much better his technique was, he was unable to surpass Gohan's raw strength in the last seven years. The prince returned his glare to the three teenagers who all had different expressions on their faces.
Erasa was staring at him with nothing short of open lust in her eyes, her hands clasped firmly in front of her. Sharpener was sizing him up, obviously confused as to how such a short man could possibly think that Hercule, the world's savior, was a joke. The blonde held his tongue however, remembering the warnings of both Gohan and Lime the day before in regards to "muscle bound midget", as he had dubbed him in his mind. Videl kept her face as neutral as possible, barely able to hide her contempt for the short man's attitude. His gaze lingered on her for a moment, and she swore she saw him sniff the air around her and glance at Gohan next to her.
"Fine, so be it.", he said arrogantly. "Just keep them away from the woman's work areas and my training room. You know the drill.". He turned on his heel and walked back towards the small building that he and Gohan had emerged from. Gohan shook his head and sighed, "Right Veggie, just remember not to touch any of them. You remember what happened when Lime came here the first time, right?".
Videl smirked when the older man tensed and glared over his shoulder at the teens, but didn't say anything in response. He merely grunted and walked into the building, shutting a heavy metal door behind him and locking it.
Gohan planted his hands on his hips and cleared his throat, getting the other's attention. "So yea, that's Vegeta", he said, and Videl thought he sounded relieved. With that introduction out of the way, he gestured towards the dome building they were standing next to, "Anyways, let's get you settled in. Lime will probably be getting up soon and Bulma is likely already out and about.". He turned and started to lead the way towards a pair of double doors in the side of the dome, grabbing Videl's and Sharpener's bags, one in each hand.
"What about your mother and your little siblings?", asked Erasa curiously. He didn't immediately respond, pausing as they reached the door. He stood slightly off to the side and leaned forward to speak into a microphone set in the wall, "Voice verification. Gohan Son, and three guests", he said, almost mechanically. The wall slid to the side to reveal an eye piece, which Gohan set his face next to before finally answering, "The others will be getting here sometime around lunch according to Bulma, so you guys will just have to wait to meet them.".
The scanner flashed, taking a picture of his iris and verifying it against the data on record. With a light ding and a hissing sound, the two doors swung inwards revealing a long hallway that ran a significant way into the building before ending in a tinted glass door. Gohan hefted the bags and began the trek into the building. The three others followed him, soaking up all the details they could take in as they walked past picture after picture.
Most of them were pictures of the Briefs family, occasionally mixed in with some celebrity or another, and on multiple occasions a slightly younger version of the man walking before the teens with his facial scar and all. Videl couldn't help but notice several older pictures of Bulma when she had to have been in her early twenties, accompanied by a younger Yamcha Bandit and a tall man that looked startlingly like Gohan, though his hair stuck out in a much wilder fashion. The man wore a bright orange gi and a carefree grin. He had his bare arm thrown around her shoulders and was flashing the camera with a victory sign.
That's got to be Goku there, thought Videl solemnly. Man, Gohan looks just like him when you take away the scar.
Her thoughts were interrupted as they walked through the tinted glass doors at the end of the hall and emerged in a huge open area with early morning sunlight pouring in from the domed windows at the top of the room. The three teens collectively gasped at the sight before them. It seemed that they had just walked into an enormous resort. In the center of the open space was a large pool and Jacuzzi combo, nestled into the ground next to a full gym and a sparring ring roped out on a grassy patch. Further down on either side there was open grassy space, enough to play a game of football on. There were trees and vegetation scattered about here and there, but the room felt anything but crowded. It was as if it was its own little isolated world.
Gohan paused and set the two bags off to the side of the hall and turned towards his friends, saying, "This is the rec-room. There's tons of things in here you can do, but I think I'm going to have to let you explore to find out just how much. From this room you can get anywhere in the family dome, which is this building."
He pointed a finger on each hand towards both sides, indicating a single door nestled into the wall on either side of the one they had just emerged from. "Those doors go to the Son and Brief's wards of the building. They're marked, so don't worry, you won't accidentally walk into the wrong one", he paused and scratched at the back of his neck. "You'll be staying in the Son ward by the way, I'll get you access codes to get in there in a minute.".
He smiled at their looks of awe and pointed over his shoulder at the opposite wall, where there were three doors. The one on the left had a large sign over it that said, "Guest Ward", the center said "Kitchen", and the one on the right said, "Entertainment Room".
"Those three go off to the other sections of the building, and they're unsecured. You can go in whenever you want, though you won't be able to access any of the hotel rooms without a key.", he said before shrugging and adding, "Not that you'll really need to get into any of those rooms. The kitchen is running twenty-four-seven, and the Entertainment room has a theater, several game systems, and things like that. That door at the end of the room down there goes to the main building. Don't try to get through that without access, you'll fail.", he finished warningly. Videl wondered what was in there, but deciding it wasn't worth the risk to find out.
He gestured for them to lead the way into the large room. Videl took in as much as she could. It was amazing, a marvel of architecture and engineering considering there was little to no support holding anything up in the cavernous room they were in. The walls gracefully arced together towards the top of the room, forming the top of the dome. The walls had windows in rows on both sides, overlooking the rec-room. They walked by the pool, which Videl noticed was a whopping twenty-eight feet deep at one end, and the hot tub bubbled invitingly. I'm definitely going to need to spend some time in there, she thought longingly.
"Let's head on over to the kitchen guys. I think that it's time you met your hostess.", he said with a hint of apprehension in his voice. The two blondes exchanged excited looks and smiled at each other. Videl could feel excitement bubbling in her as well, and felt her cheeks begin to warm with an excited flush. She fought to keep herself composed, but ultimately failed to hide the smile that shone on her face. Gohan chuckled and shook his head, stepping forward as they reached the door and pulled it open.
He barely managed to open it a foot before the doors burst outwards from his hands, and they were greeted by a very loud and angry voice screaming, "TRUNKS BRIEF! YOU GET YOUR BUTT BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!".
Gohan was suddenly flung backwards with a loud grunt and landed on his back behind the three stunned teens. They blinked down at him, trying to understand what they were seeing. There appeared to be a very dazed and confused lavender haired child laying across his broad chest, clutching a computer chip in his small hand. Videl recovered from her shock and glanced back towards the kitchen door.
Where the hell did he come from?, she thought, completely bewildered. I swear I didn't see him run into Gohan. Kami, how fast was he moving? Gohan shook his head and grabbed the little boy by the back of his t-shirt, lifting him to hang in the air in front of his face as he sat up. "Umm… Gohan?", asked Videl tentatively, slightly worried by the look Gohan was giving the kid. "Are you okay?".
At Videl's words, Trunks seemed to realize exactly what it was he had run headlong into, and looked around quickly for his mother, panic written across his face. He kicked his feet frantically for a moment before realizing he was stuck, and stared at Gohan with fear filled eyes, clutching the chip to his chest. He gulped when Gohan gave him an evil smirk that could have rivaled Vegeta's.
Trunks found his voice, but was barely able to let out more than a whisper, "H-Hi Gohan. Sorry, I didn't see you there. Could… Could you let me go? Please? She's gonna kill me!". Gohan chuckled and pushed himself up from the ground, still dangling the child in front of his face, his smirk persisting devilishly.
"Oh I don't know Trunks, you did just knock the wind out of me.", he teased, causing the young boys pale complexion to drain of even more color. "What did you take this time?".
Trunks gave a fake laugh, "Heh… Heh heh… nothing?". He tried to conceal the chip in his hands, a nervous smiled on his face. The voice that had rung out moments before sounded right behind him, catching the attention of the three teens and Trunks, who blanched and froze completely in Gohan's grasp.
"If 'nothing' translates into 'the control board for the food module in the kitchen' in any language you speak Gohan, then he's telling the truth."
The three new teens stared in open wonder at Bulma as she strode out of the kitchen dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. She hadn't done anything with her hair, which frizzed out lazily in her short haircut she had taken up, and she wore an irritated glare that was directed at her son. Videl laughed inwardly at her careless appearance, amused that in a moment she had shattered the image in her mind of the blue haired woman all pressed and polished like in her press conferences. It was nice to see that the older woman liked to relax when not in front of the camera.
Gohan chuckled evilly and held his hand out, palm up in front of the boy's face. Trunks averted his eyes and placed the chip in his hand, then quickly withdrew his hand and twiddled his thumbs together, staring at the ground below him. Gohan said tauntingly, "Trunks, you've got guests in the house. Try to behave okay? Just remember that when the twins get here I won't hesitate to make you and Goten look like cross-dressers again. Got it?".
Trunks cringed, his eyes belaying his unpleasant memories of the last time it had happened. He squirmed against Gohan's grasp, and as soon as the tall teen let go he shot off in the opposite direction, leaving Bulma and Gohan in a fit of laughter and the three new teens in a state of bewilderment. Bulma recovered from her laughter and walked over to Gohan to take the chip from his hand, stepping up and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek in the process. She noticed the three out of the corner of her eye and turned her gaze upon them, inspecting the three friends that she had heard so much about from Lime.
"Well Gohan, are you going to introduce me?", she asked expectantly. Gohan shuffled nervously and cleared his throat, turning to his friends and saying, "Guys, this is my godmother; Bulma Brief. Bulma, this is Sharpener, Erasa, and Videl.". He indicated to each of them in turn as he said their names, and finished with an apprehensive look on his face.
She inspected the three quickly as they were introduced. The tall blonde guy was watching her with a wide-eyed expression she attributed to lust. She congratulated herself inside her head, glad that even at her steadily advancing age she could still catch the attention of the younger crowd. The other – extremely attractive, she thought – blonde in the group looked like she was about to burst with fan-girlish excitement, and Bulma knew that she was in for a long conversation with her. When Gohan introduced the short raven-haired girl however, she was momentarily stunned.
My gosh, she's the daughter of Hercule Satan?, she thought incredulously, remembering her from a long time before. She's grown into a beautiful woman, hasn't she? Last time I saw her she was still only a child. Hell, both of these girls are very good looking! I'm amazed that Gohan hasn't made a move on either of them… Damn, I can already hear the conversation with Chi-Chi. 'GRANDBABIES!' or such…
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Brief!", said Videl, breaking the somewhat awkward silence left in Gohan's wake. She bowed slightly to the older woman respectfully, and the two blondes followed suit. Bulma smiled brightly at them, blushing slightly at the unusual display of respect, saying, "Please you three, just call me Bulma. You're all friends of Gohan's and Lime's, and therefore friends of mine. Now come on, I'm sure you all need some food. After you've eaten Gohan can show you to your rooms.".
The three righted themselves and followed after the blue haired genius, picking up an excited conversation about subjects as mundane as the weather, just excited to be speaking to her. Gohan chuckled and followed them, knowing that his godmother was loving the attention.
They entered the kitchen, and Bulma strode over to a large juke-box like machine that had a conveyor belt emerging from a hole in the side that. She opened a panel, leaning into the machine for a moment while she replaced the chip her son had removed earlier. A quiet click could be heard from within the box, and it powered up with a soft whirring noise as the cooling fans spun into life. The blue-haired hostess emerged from her work and shut the panel with a smile, dusting off her hands and turning to the teens. Gohan stood off to the side with his arms crossed, a small smile on his face.
Bulma indicated towards the machine with a proud grin, "This is my answer to the insane appetite of some people I know.", she directed her statement pointedly at Gohan. "My husband, son, and godchildren all have a tendency to wipe out whatever eating establishment they go to, and my kitchen is no exception. Gohan, if you would be so kind as to demonstrate how it works? That is, if my son didn't do any permanent damage to it…", she added under her breath.
The three teens turned to watch Gohan curiously, wondering how the little box in front of them had anything to do with food, or Gohan's ridiculous appetite. The boy strode past them, uncrossing his arms and pressing a little red button on the front face. A little red light lit up at the top of the machine, and Gohan leaned in to speak into a microphone jutting out of the front panel.
"The usual Gohan breakfast. No biscuits please.", he said clearly and firmly. He released the button and stood straight while the machine processed his request. Bulma stood to the side, watching it expectantly. The machine flashed a green light at them twice and whirred into life. Bulma raised her voice to be heard over the hum of the machine, "So this thing works by taking food that has been cooked in the kitchen and then capsulized in stasis, and decapsulates it right onto the belt, plates, bowls and all! The whole process takes about ten seconds for a meal the size these boys eat, and even less for us normal people. It even does cappuccino", she added dully, receiving a peculiar look from the others, "My dad's idea.".
She giggled, remembering the time that her father had nearly prevented Goku from flying to Namek on the grounds that his ship didn't have a cappuccino machine installed on it.
Some things never change.
The machine started up the conveyor belt motor, and three large trays of food emerged from the hole in the side, gliding out smoothly and stacked with all sorts of food for the tall teen. The three newcomers, already knowing of their friend's unusual eating habits, instead marveled at the machine before them. While Gohan collected his food, and left to begin eating, Videl peered around the side of the machine as best she could, trying to figure out the intricacies of it.
"Hey Bulma, just curious; you said the food was capsulized?", she asked curiously. "How does it get heated when it's decapsulated, and where are all the capsules stored? Your regular marketed one-time-use storage capsules leave behind shells when they open don't they?".
The blue haired genius grinned at her, gesturing to the teen behind them who was now digging into his breakfast with Gusto, "Credit for that one goes to Gohan! He came up with the idea for a one-time-use capsule that leaves no residue, doesn't contaminate food, and flash-burns away when you open it, heating the contents within! He built the prototypes and everything, but it's still too pricey to put on the live market yet. So, it's more of an 'in-house' project until resources and manufacturing get cheaper.".
Gohan paused his eating as the three teens stared at him with dumbfounded expressions. He swallowed and blushed lightly, struggling with his voice for a moment, "What? It's no big deal really, it just occurred to me last year through a failed experiment.".
Sharpener laughed and clapped him on the shoulder, "Oh, come on nerd-boy! Give yourself some credit, that's brilliant!". Gohan just shrugged and returned to his food. Bulma rolled her eyes and smirked, leaning over to the two girls standing next to her and muttering behind her hand, "Boy needs to give himself some credit for something at least. Don't tell him I said it, but he's way beyond what I could have ever hoped to be intellectually at his age.". Gohan chose that moment to drop his fork, and in his attempt to pick it up, smacked the back of his head on the underside of the table, sending food and drink spilling all over him.
Sharpener burst into uproarious laughter. "However," Bulma began again, snorting hard while trying to suppress a giggle, "the kid is as dense as a rock sometimes.". The three of them laughed at the comical situation and Videl swore she saw him give his godmother a glare as he started cleaning up while simultaneously continuing to eat.
Bulma gained control of her laughter and gasped out, "Anyways, you three get some food, and then Gohan will show you to your rooms. Don't worry about your luggage, the bots have already moved it all. Feel free to roam about the place, but please don't go in the main building or into the smaller room outside labeled GR. That's where you'll usually find my husband, and he's not overly fond of guests.".
Gohan snorted and rolled his eyes, having finished cleaning up his mess and resumed his assault on his breakfast.
"And Gohan", she added, looking towards her godson, "just so you know, your family will be arriving a little later than planned today. Chi said something about an 'alternative mode of transportation' or something like that. I think the kids hid the keys to the car or something. Whatever the case may be, I'm leaving these three in your care. Unfortunately, I have to do work until this evening since someone decided it would be a good idea to allow one of the interns to work on our newest space-craft – unsupervised mind you –, and somehow the kid managed to fry half of the control console.".
Gohan paused and quirked an eyebrow at her in silent question. She shook her head and scowled in response, "Believe me, you don't want to know. Anyways I'll see you all later! Watch out for my son, and have fun while you're here okay?". With that she waved at them and disappeared out the door that they had come in, leaving the teens to their breakfast and playing twenty questions with their onyx-eyed friend about what there was to do at Capsule Corporation.
Ten minutes into their breakfast, the door opened again and Lime walked in, stretching with her hands behind her head and yawning. Her usually neat auburn hair was down and quite frizzy, and she was only clad in pajama pants and a tank top. She halted in the doorway, blankly staring at them for a moment before realizing who it was she was looking at. She glanced over at the clock above the fridge and laughed nervously, catching their attention, "You guys are nuts! I thought you were kidding when you said you wanted to be here before seven-thirty! I'd have gotten dressed if I knew you were actually going to be here.".
Gohan laughed and rolled his eyes at her, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at the food machine, "Lime, just hush and get your coffee. It's just us, not the media.". She smirked and stuck her tongue out at him, but did as he said and joined them moments later, plopping down heavily in the chair next to her adopted brother.
"So guys, what do you want to do first?", she asked, settling her elbows on the table and looking over her hands at them. "I mean you've got a week here to do literally whatever you want!". Videl felt her eyes drawn once again to the tall onyx-eyed teen who sat across from her.
'Hear that Videl? Do whatever you want!', suggested the voice at the back of her mind in a lewd imitation of hers. Oh shut up! Would you stay out of my head?!, she thought angrily. Never mind what I may want! There's a time and place for that sort of stuff, and I highly doubt this is it!
'Why not? You're in his home, on vacation with nobody but friends around and so many places to get him alone with you.', rationalized the voice, and Videl wondered if maybe she had spent too long around Erasa and her silly obsession for dirty novels. He's not interested!, she thought furiously, though she felt a little bit of a let-down as she did. He's just a friend, and I don't think that he'd be alright with it if I made a move on him!
She kicked herself in her mind, trying to rid it of the thoughts she was having. She hated that she was so attracted to the tall boy, but she'd be damned if there was anything she could do about it. Especially since she had learned of his past, the guy had just seemed so imperfectly perfect. She just wanted to comfort him, to be there in his life and have him there in return for her. On top of that, she thought he was just down-right sexy, and that was with the clothes still on.
"Well I'll tell you what I want to do!", said Erasa haughtily. "That pool looked amazing, so did the Jacuzzi. I noticed Videl was eyeing it hopefully too.". Erasa grinned slyly at her raven haired friend, making her cheeks flush with color. She didn't notice that across the table from her, Gohan was also blushing furiously, remembering the last time he had seen Videl in swim-wear.
Sharpener clapped him on the back excitedly, his face composed into a grin and showing no signs that he had noticed his friend's blush either. "Yea, I'm down! Gohan you in?", he asked. Gohan anxiously gulped and only managed to squeeze out, "Ummm I don-" before Lime cut him off by smacking his arm lightly.
"Pshht! Come on Gohan it's just these three!", she said. "Hell, they've all seen you in those t-shirts you wear under your normal clothes and those don't hide that much!". He frowned, furrowing his brow and staring at the table while saying quietly, "Lime. You know exactly why I don't go around shirtless. What're they going to think?".
Sharpener's jaw dropped at his question, flabbergasted that his friend would ask such a thing. "Oh come on man! What've you got to hide from us? We're your friends!" Across from him, Erasa smirked and crossed her arms. "Besides! From what I've seen, you've got no reason to hide that bod!", she said with a giggle, making Gohan turn a brilliant shade of pink. Videl's eyes widened and she tried to look anywhere but at the teen, trying to push the heat in her face away.
Oh he's got a lot he's hiding from us, she thought ironically, some scars to say the least. But it's true he really shouldn't be ashamed of that body. Just the little bit's I've seen…
He groaned and ran a hand through his midnight black hair, looking nervously out of the side of his eyes at Lime, who was giving him a "Just do it" sort of glare. For a few seconds he just gazed at her, contemplating what he should do. Finally making up his mind, he sighed and rested his head on his hand, propping it up on the table and glaring at his now empty trays in defeat, "Fine, but don't be surprised when I get to say I told you so.".
"Oh hush you big baby.", Lime replied mockingly. She turned towards the others and asked, "You three got bathing suits?". Sharpener and Erasa both nodded excitedly, eager to try out the entire rec-room they had been eyeing only a short while before.
Videl laughed nervously and scratched her cheek in embarrassment, trying to hide her still flushed face, "Nope, didn't really think about it when I was packing my bag. You have one I can wear Lime?".
The brunette laughed good-naturedly and waved off the question, "Of course I have one you can wear! After all, you let me borrow one when we were at your house! It's the least I could do for you.".
Gohan sighed heavily and stood, pushing his chair back and collecting up the trays scattered about the table while saying, "Well, let's get you all moved into your rooms then. I'll have to dig for my swim trunks a bit, so I'll be late coming down. Lime, can you get Videl her codes and show her to her room once you're done with her?".
Lime nodded excitedly, not saying a word as she grabbed her raven-haired friend by the hand, dragging her away from the table with a small "eep" and running off to the Son ward.
*LIME'S ROOM*
Lime burst through her door, dragging a slightly exasperated Videl behind her and all but slamming the door behind them. Immediately, she began rummaging through a large dresser while Videl took in the room around her. It was beautiful, yet not overly decorated. Simple, yet very refined and extremely comfortable looking. Across from the dresser lime stood at was a large queen size bed with a fluffy looking comforter and several pillows. A simple pair of night-stands held a couple of pictures of what Videl guessed was Lime's family, and one of her and Gohan.
The Gohan in the picture was much younger, and she could only tell it was him by the scar on his face. They must have been around the age of twelve or thirteen, and he was dressed in a traditional white shirt and black trousers. He carried his adopted sister in his arms, and she noticed with a start that his hair was a bright blonde, and his eyes were teal.
His gold fighter form! I already knew I was right thanks to 18, but still… To see it for myself? Ahhh I wish I were able to just talk to him about this! I just want to be able to talk to him! Is that so much to ask?
She stared hard at the picture, feeling a twinge of resentment towards the teen behind her, and then an immediate feeling of regret for it. Behind her, Lime was tossing articles of clothing about, calling over her shoulder, "Hey Videl, what color do you want? I got blue, yell-…". She slowed down and looked over her shoulder when she got no response. "Videl?", she asked nervously.
Videl continued to stare at the picture, lost in thought. She wasn't ignoring the girl, but there was so much she wanted to ask, even though she knew she couldn't. Lime traced her gaze, and blanched when she noticed which picture the raven-haired beauty was staring at. She opened her mouth to say something, but Videl cut her off, "How did you do it?".
Lime furrowed her brow and shut her mouth, looking at the picture hard in search of the meaning of her friend's question. How had she done what? The question she had been expecting was more along the lines of "why is Gohan's hair blonde?". She tore her gaze from the picture when she noticed that Videl was now sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at her knees with an expression filled with confusion and sorrow. Lime's heart nearly broke at the sight of her friend looking so down, but didn't know what to say.
She was so lost at her question. Instead she just strode over and sat on the bed next to her, dropping the swimwear back in the drawer and picking up the photo to examine it. "How did I do what?", she asked gently. Videl laced her fingers together nervously, gazing at the picture again with obvious longing.
"Well I mean…", she started hesitantly, "He's just so… Well… Happy in the picture. He's so open with you, and I know that you know everything there is to know about him. How did you gain his trust when he's so… So…"
Lime nodded in understanding and finished the thought for her, "Distant? Videl I knew him before he lost his…", she hesitated, catching herself, "the person he loved more than any other at the time, and he wasn't like this back then. He was happy, outgoing, but very nervous around new people. I've been with him the whole way through this transformation he's taken. "
Videl nodded, her frown unwavering, but didn't respond. Lime replaced the picture and tried to think of what to say to the girl when a thought occurred to her. She paused momentarily, narrowing her eyes at the girl as she gazed at her hands. Slowly, the corners of her lips curled upwards and her eyes twinkled as she started connecting the dots. "Videl, there's more to this than you're letting on isn't there?", she asked deviously.
Her cerulean eyes jerked up from their unseeing gaze and widened. Her face blushed a brilliant scarlet as she stared at her friend. Her mouth hung slightly agape and she was struggling to make her voice work through her nervousness. Lime shushed her and laid a hand on top of Videl's, ecstatic at what she had just learned from her reaction, "It's okay girl, don't be nervous about it! It's hard not to be attracted to him, I know!", she said knowingly, thinking back to immediately after he had fought Broly. "You want to know how to get closer to him because you want him for yourself right?".
Videl sighed in defeat, glancing down nervously, "Well… Yea, I can't help it really. He's just so… You know…"
Lime giggled and held up her hand to number off his attributes on her fingers, "Strong. Sexy. Mysterious. Hard-to-get. Sexy. Did I mention; definitely sexy."
"Lime! That's not what I was getting at and you know it!", Videl shrieked defensively. Lime laughed at her friends frustration and stood again, striding back over to the dresser and tossing a blue bikini top and bottom over her shoulder at the girl before grabbing her own red one and striding to the bathroom to change. Videl sat patiently on the edge of the bed, gnawing on her lower lip nervously before glancing towards the door.
"Hey Lime, could you not tell anyone about this conversation please?", she asked anxiously. "Erasa likes to play matchmaker with me, and I don't want Gohan to push me away because she blabbed to him, which is inevitable to be honest."
The reply came loudly from behind the closed bathroom door, "Hey, why would I tell anyone? I think it's great that you're into him! He's been so isolated from people that he's never even had a girlfriend before! He's a master of fighting, but in the department of love, he's a complete newbie! I swear if he wasn't so stubborn, he could go for any girl he wanted! All he would have to do is take his shirt off in public and they'd be all over him!".
Videl considered her words, making a mental note that he should probably avoid doing that if she ever wanted to stand a chance. But the mental image she had been having of the boy returned in full force as Lime opened the door and strode out, donning a t-shirt over her bikini and smiling brightly at Videl. The raven-haired girl felt her face grow hot, and nervously glanced over at her friend, stumbling over her words as she asked what was on her mind, "I've had my suspicion that he's… extremely muscular and whatnot", she said nervously, "but he says he's got something to hide. Just how… umm… what's he hiding? I mean, the only thing he would need to hide that I can think of is that he's too hot or something.", she stammered out finally.
Lime quirked an eyebrow at her, a devious grin playing on her face. She chuckled viciously and leaned up against the dresser, "Oh girl, you have no idea. Tell you what, get changed and he'll show you himself down by the pool. Just try to remember to hold onto your jaw, kay?".
*TWENTY MINUTES LATER – AT THE POOL*
Videl coughed and sputtered, blinking the water out of her eyes and glaring hard at the spot where Sharpener had just cannon-balled into. She swam her way to the edge of the pool and pulled herself up so that she was sitting on the edge. Erasa walked over from her spot near the edge of the pool, clad in her lime-green bikini that revealed so much of her curvy figure, and sat next to her best friend. She smiled and glanced at the scar on her shoulder, poking at it and making Videl look down at the wound.
"That healed up really nice!", she said happily, "Much better than the one on your leg. It's too bad though, you've got such smooth skin, and here you are with scars that mess it up.". Videl pouted and subconsciously rubbed her left shoulder with her right hand, giving her friend an offended look. Sharpener swam over towards them with a sly grin on his face, and he tread water just out of arm's reach from Videl.
"Oh come on Erasa, it doesn't make her look any worse! I still think you're hot!", he said confidently, though remained well out of reach of her. Videl rolled her eyes before giving him a "do you really want to continue this conversation" type look. He laughed nervously and backpedaled a few more feet before halting and waving to someone behind the two girls. Videl turned around to see Gohan striding towards them, clad in a loose-fitting black t-shirt and a pair of red swim trunks. He looked nervous, and his skin was slightly paler than normal. He gave them a half-hearted wave and walked part way to the pool before sitting on the edge of a tanning chair.
"Come on brains! Get in, the water is great!", yelled Sharpener, to which Gohan didn't respond. Lime sighed from her seat in one of the reclining lawn chairs next to the pool and opened her eyes to glare at her adopted brother, frustration clear on her face. Can't he just get over it and get in the damned pool? She took a deep breath and yelled, "Gohan! Just do it already! Kami, nothing bad is going to happen! I swear, you can be such a worry-wart sometimes!"
Videl watched his expression change from worry to annoyance and then to defeat and then anxiety in a split second. He sighed heavily and stood, crossing his arms in front of his stomach and grabbing onto the bottom of his shirt. Videl held her breath, not daring to take her eyes off the young man. He pulled his arms up, removing the shirt in one motion and dropping it on the chair he had been occupying seconds before.
Oh my…
She could practically hear Erasa's jaw crash to the deck next to the pool, and she let out a tiny "wow" as she openly stared at him. Sharpener let out a low whistle of amazement and continued to tread water. Her own shock matched theirs. She had seen Vegeta that morning in nothing but a small pair of shorts, and she had imagined that Gohan looked as impressive. But this?
Every muscle on his body was swollen with the results of years of hard work, and each one was toned to perfection. His well-muscled chest rippled with every motion he made, and his wash-board abs were defined with an emphasis that made Videl's stomach churn with a desire the likes of which she'd never felt before. His shoulders were broad and sharp with definition, and she felt a pang of recognition at the huge white scar that covered his left shoulder down to his perfectly sculpted bicep.
Of course, dad said he was hurt bad on his shoulder, She thought through her shock, feeling a wave of guilt at the sight of it. There's no way he would have not gotten a scar, but Kami that thing is huge!
She studied him for what felt like an hour, observing every detail she could. She noticed that like her, his body was covered in scars and signs of abuse, though his collection of scars made hers look like she'd gotten maybe a paper cut or two in her time. She hated her scars, knowing that each one represented a mistake, and believed that hey marred her appearance like Erasa did. But on him, she couldn't think anything but how much more amazing it made him look. It made him look even stronger than his sculpted muscles ever could on their own, and she could feel the desire to run her hands over him and explore emerge again.
She felt her stomach churn, and blushed furiously when she realized that her mouth was hanging wide open. She felt a heat run from her core to her heart, which was pounding in her chest, and all the way back down to between her legs. Suddenly thankful that she wasn't a guy, she slid herself quickly into the cool water of the pool in an attempt to calm down, leaving a still stunned Erasa and Sharpener at the edge of the pool.
Holy shit!, she thought as she sunk to the bottom of the pool, practically feeling the water around her boil with the heat she was letting off. Lime wasn't kidding when she said I had no idea...