Stay a while. Chapter 24. I'd put my money on Gohan.
Dislcaimer: Do not own DBZ. ):
The walk to the garden dome had both teenagers as bright as tomatoes. Perhaps it was a good thing no one in their class were early risers. Pan had insisted on holding both of their hands, pulling her parents along while singing a song Videl found oddly familiar.
"Well, isn't this a perfect portrait," Mirai snickered as he noticed the new arrivals at the garden dome. "You do realize that my mother will be printing a picture of this from the security cam and sending it to your mother, don't you?"
The question was met with a groan of dismay from his best friend. "Don't want to talk about it," Gohan grumbled, scrunching his face together in distaste. Oh, he knew quite well just what kind of field day his mother would have with such a portrait. It was bad enough that he'd overheard Bulma's side of the conversation about different cellphone models. Naturally, Mirai was being a helpful son and giving suggestions. "By the way, you traitor," he grumbled, narrowing his eyes at his best friend, "you were raised by Bulma, you know how she and my mom get when they've got one of their missions!"
Mirai shrugged carelessly. "Yeah, I was raised by my mom. I know that," he agreed then grimaced, "but I also know that if they stop focusing on you, I'm the next target. Sorry, bro. I'll stand up against lizard-shaped alien tyrants hell bent on destroying the Earth in revenge for you, but I am not going to throw myself in front of our mothers."
Gohan could not fault him for that. It was an unspoken agreement between the half-saiyans that being locked in the hyperbolic time chamber with Vegeta for a year would be preferable to facing their mothers.
Pan giggled as she jumped onto Mirai's shoulders. "Even against overgrown grasshoppers, sensei?" She quipped, patting his head to smooth out the ruffled hair she disturbed with her acrobatics. If there was a story Pan liked hearing about Mirai's travels back in time, it was definitely about her twelve year old father's big battle.
Videl eyed the trio curiously as the guys broke out into laughter. What lizard-shaped alien tyrants and overgrown grasshopper? Clearly she was missing a joke here. Before she could ask, she bit the insides of her cheeks to stop herself. If he wants me to know, he'll tell me, she reminded herself, despite the urge to fire off question after question.
"Okay, so let's get started," Gohan finally said as he took a few steps back. "Come on, Panny, let's see what Mirai's taught you." He slid into his stance easily, watching carefully as the child bolted off her mentor's shoulders and landed gracefully into her own stance. "How long did you say you've been teaching her?" The question was directed towards the purple haired teen.
Mirai shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. "About two months. She was more interested in flying than proper fighting," he answered with a roll of his eyes. "Her mom definitely showed her a thing or two though." Oh, Videl Son definitely did.
A cheeky grin formed on the child's lips as she glanced over at Mirai briefly. That tone was familiar. "You were asking for it," she exclaimed, sticking her tongue out at him. Mirai had been taunting her about being allowed an extra bowl of ice cream and, well, she was her father's daughter. Before she was even aware of what happened, her fist was planted between his eyes.
Gohan raised an eyebrow at the two. "I don't think I want to know," he murmured with a shake of his head. His gaze returned to his daughter and he grinned. "Okay, come at me, Pan." There wasn't a moment of delay before she shot forward at a speed that surprised the teenager.
Videl sighed as she watched the father and daughter work. It was mind blowing to see how advanced the child was. If she wasn't careful, she was sure Pan could easily take her down in a spar. Despite the training from Mirai and her ability to fly, even Videl could find flaws and openings in the girl's fighting style. She was strong and quick, but she still lacked the experience and discipline. Then again, Pan couldn't have been training for more than a few months. The years she spent training were the only things that kept her up to par with the child, if that.
"Still think it's all tricks?" Mirai asked, leaning against the same tree Videl sat under. With most of her self-righteousness gone, Videl was tolerable. She was a long way from the woman Mirai respected in his time, but she wasn't as bad as she coud have been.
She shook her head with a sigh. "I don't think I ever really did," she admitted, "but I had to. My dad is all I have. We're all each other has. He had no reason to lie to me." Silence reigned before them as they watched the pair continue to spar. Pride showed on Gohan's face as Pan came closer and closer to hitting him with each attempt. The girl's eyebrows furrowed in concentration and frustration as her father slipped away for the umpteenth time and Videl couldn't help but chuckle. She was adorable.
A cry of surprise escaped her lips as Videl watched her daughter skid across the grass, creating a trail across the green. "Pan!" She shot to her feet but found herself restrained before even managing a step. "Damn it, Mirai, let me—"
"She's fine," Mirai stated, nodding towards the hole that the four year old was climbing out of. "And she's mad." The scowl on the child's face was menacing as the wind picked up around her small form. Her parents stared in disbelief. Videl never fathomed that her daughter would be that strong and Gohan didn't realize the extent of her training. "He's in trouble."
As if on cue, the child shot forward with a vengeance. Gohan's eyes were wide as he increased his ki level to match the girl's output. This was certainly far more advanced than he'd anticipated. He yelped in surprise as her tiny fist brushed against his cheek, forming a small cut in the smooth skin.
Impressed, Gohan easily caught her arm in his hold and twisted the child around to capture her in a tight embrace. Pan scowled as she squirmed in the vice-like grip. "Lemme go, lemme go!" She whined, twisting this way and that in hopes of loosening his hold. "Awh, poppa, this isn't fair. I had you!"
"Not quite, Pan," he chuckled, ruffling the girl's hair as he kept her restrained with one arm. "Mirai's trained you well."
She beamed in pride. "Uh huh, but I still can't beat momma when we spar. She says I'm almost there, though. Am I, poppa?" Her excitement sped up her words. Even though Mirai was the one formally training her, her mother still took some time in the day to help her out.
Gohan hesitated, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't know, Pan. How strong is your momma?" He sighed as the child glanced at Videl in confusion. "Videl hasn't learned how to use ki. Remember, it's different here."
"So teach her," came the petulant reply as the little girl rolled her eyes. Clearly, that was the obvious solution. "Really, poppa, momma said you were brilliant."
Letting out an indignant huff, Gohan scrunched his face at his daughter. "That's hardly fair. She's the one that refused!" Honestly what was it with his mother and daughter instantly blaming him for this? That wasn't fair at all.
Pan frowned, shaking her head. "No way, no way. Momma liked training with you and getting stronger so she could protect people. She wouldn't say no." Wiggling free of her father's grip, she hopped over to the teenage girl. "Momma, why isn't poppa teaching you?"
"It's a bit complicated, Pan," Videl explained slowly as she knelt to be at eye level with the child.
With a huff, Pan crossed her arms over her chest. "No it's not. Do you want to learn?" She asked and at Videl's hesitant nod, she tugged her father forward. "So then poppa will teach you!" It was a simple solution. Why grown-ups tried to make things so hard was beyond her.
Videl met Gohan's eyes briefly before turning to the child again. "It's not that simple, Pan."
"Well why not?" She frowned, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "You want to learn and Poppa can teach you. What's not simple about that?"
Gohan couldn't help but chuckle at the look of complete bafflement on Videl's face. "That is definitely from you," he commented, allowing a smirk to form on his lips as she glared at him. The stubborn persistence was definitely a trait their daughter inherited from Videl. He had the past month of high school to show as proof.
Turning back to her daughter, her annoyance faltered at the wide-eyed, full pout expression the girl held. Okay, that was definitely Gohan's side! Not fair at all. Throwing her hands up in defeat, Videl fell back onto the ground. "Okay, okay. If Gohan is willing to try to teach me again, I'm not opposed to it," she conceded, pursing her lips in quiet defiance.
The change was instant. All too quickly, the pout was replaced by a triumphant grin as small arms wrapped around Videl's shoulders. "Yay, okay! You can start now!" She tugged her father down to sit as well. At their confused expressions, Pan shrugged and turned to her mentor. "This is what momma said they did, right?"
Mirai chuckled, ruffling the girl's hair affectionately. "Yes, that's how he taught her since she already knew martial arts," he answered as he looked to his best friend. "She should be familiar enough with her body that a bit of meditation could probably help her with controlling ki."
With a grunt of surprise, blue eyes narrowed at Mirai. "Who are you to be talking about my body?!" she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.
Mirai cringed. Okay, probably not the best choice of words. A scandalized Videl was not something he was going to deal with. At catching Gohan's stern glare, he rolled his eyes. "Relax, that's not what I meant! Videl was the one that told me about her training." He held his hands up in mock defeat as he took a few steps back. "Whatever. Meditation. That's what she said. Just passing it along and now that I have, I'm out of here." He was at the exit of the dome before he turned back, head tilted slightly to the side. "You coming, Pan?" The little girl didn't need to be asked twice before taking off after him.
Left alone, Gohan sighed as he turned towards the crime fighter sitting in front of him. "Right, so ki control," he mumbled under his breath, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. After taking a deep breath, he held his hands in front of him. "This is ki." As he spoke, he felt the familiar tingle of energy escaping through his palms and manifesting as a small ball of light between his hands. "It's energy that circulates within your body and with training, you can manipulate it to assist you in a fight."
Mesmerized, Videl leaned forward to get a better look at the bright glow between his hands. Her eyes were wide with awe as she reached forward. All too quickly, it disappeared and she blinked in confusion before looking up to find Gohan considerably closer than he was just moments ago. Clearing her throat, she scooted back to give her space to breathe. "Okay, that's ki. How do I get some?"
The bluntness of her question brought a smile to his lips as Gohan lowered his hands. "You've always had it. You just need to learn how to control it."
"And how do you suppose I do that?" She grumbled, making a very good imitation of her four year old daughter.
Gohan grinned at the sight. She really was cute when she got all red and huffy. Noticing his train of thought, the half-saiyan shook his head to clear his mind. Nope. There was absolutely no thinking of Videl in that way allowed. At all. So what they had a daughter in some other timeline? It wasn't this one and she would no doubt attempt to kick his arse if she ever caught wind of him thinking anything along those lines.
…Then again, she was really cute when she got angry.
Videl frowned as she noticed his mind trail off. Seriously, for someone so smart, he could really be such a space case. After waiting a good five seconds for her supposed teacher to come back to Earth and seeing no signs of his mental spaceship coming back into orbit, she huffed and reached forward to knock some sense into him (literally).
Noticing the fist headed towards him, Gohan reacted out of instinct. His hand gripped her wrist just before she made contact. Her eyes widened in surprise for a moment before her momentum caught up to her. As if anticipating her loss of balance, Gohan reached out to steady her with a hand on her waist. "What the HFIL, V?" He asked, bewildered at her sudden attack.
She scowled, attempting to step out of his hold. "Stop spacing out. This isn't Mr. Yamamoto's class," she grumbled sourly, her gaze determinedly fixed on the grass. What was with this guy and grabbing on to her? Well, okay, she probably caused it by lunging at him, but he could let go! When he simply stared at her with a raised eyebrow, she scrunched her face together. "You can let go now."
As if just realizing his hold on her, Gohan's eyes widened and he immediately let her go. Unfortunately, Gohan doing anything too quickly never led to very good consequences for the female crime fighter as she found herself pushed back a good feet. "Oh, crap, sorry, V," he winced as he stood to offer her a hand.
Videl glared up at him from her spot on the ground. "Damn it, Gohan, I know you're so much stronger but did you have to throw me back?" He gave her a sheepish grin, keeping his hand held out. Videl eyed the offered appendage warily as she rubbed her bottom. There was a pause before she grudgingly accepted the help. "So you were talking about this ki business."
Deciding it was probably best to get back to the listen, Gohan nodded and sat back down. "Yeah, Mirai suggested meditation and he's probably right. It's most likely the safest way." At her dubious expression, he shrugged. "I could try what my sensei did for me, but I doubt you want me to throw you into a mountain." She stared at him, slack-jawed. He was kidding. He had to be kidding. Her silence brought a wry smile to his lips. "Don't worry. We're in no rush. We've got time to slowly teach you to get a handle on your ki."
"How old were you?" She asked when she could finally make her mouth form words. After seeing those articles, she had a guess, but it didn't seem plausible.
"Four," he admitted and sighed as she looked simply outraged.
"Four?!" She demanded, eyes wide. "What in the world was anyone doing throwing a four year old into a mountain? Who cares how strong you supposedly are! It's not -wait," she paused and lunged forward, grabbing his arms with both her hands as she stared him in the eye. "Pan. She's four. Don't tell me Mirai did that with her because so help me, Gohan, ki or not, I am going to k—"
"She trains for fun, not necessity, so no he never threw her into a mountain." He cut off the girl's tirade and found her staring at him in suspicion. "Pan likes to spar and train. Mirai and I'm sure you or future you would never put her in a situation where she would ever need to fight for her life so no, her training was not as rushed rigorous as mine was."
Calmer now, Videl sat back to study him. That's right. He did admit to being that little boy present in the video of that … slaughter all those years ago. "I still don't understand why you had to fight back then," she said as cerulean eyes fixed on his.
Gohan shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "Those two aliens were a threat to the planet and only a handful of us even stood a chance against them. They could have destroyed Earth with a flick of their finger and I could have done something. I wasn't about to run away from that. This is my home, Videl, and I will fight to protect it."
His gaze was unwavering as he spoke and she found herself forced to look away. Well, didn't she feel like a complete and total bitch? Licking her lips nervously, Videl looked up at him through her bangs. "About the other day in the infirmary," she started, cringing as he raised his hand.
"Don't sweat it," he assured her with a wave of his hand. "You're right. I gave you information for speculation, not hard evidence. But you have to understand, Videl, this can't get out. Anything you've found out about me can't be repeated anywhere." She nodded mutely. "It's not just my life that would get turned upside down if the public knew everything." Before the conversation could get any more in depth, Gohan nodded for her to take a seat again. "Come on, let's get you caught up with Sharpner. He's been working on his ki for the past few days."
That reminder seemed to get her back into focus as she hurriedly settled herself on the ground in front of him again. "Okay, shoot." She stated as she waited for instructions.
Gohan bit back a grin at that. So the ever obstinate Videl Satan could be compliant. This was a shock. "Okay, most of this is going to depend on you," he admitted, "you need to clear your mind and make yourself completely calm." He demonstrated by holding his hands out in front of him. "And you listen. Listen to the center of your body until you feel a pull." The small ball of light started building again and Videl leaned forward for a better look. As she started moving closer, Gohan let out an uneasy chuckle and scooted back. When she blinked, he rubbed the back of his head. "Okay, you try."
She tilted her head slightly to the side and blinked. Try? Try wha—oh right, energy business, she thought to herself as she settled down again. Holding her hands out in front of her, she focused. She had to get this. As minutes passed and nothing occurred, frustration began to seep into her features. Her eyebrows furrowed as she bit her lip. If Gohan—heck, if Sharpner could do this, so could she. The thought had her focusing harder. Her arms shook as she dug for the pull he talked about.
"You've got to relax your muscles. You're never going to make it work if you're all tensed up like that, V."
His voice broke her out of her concentration and she tilted her head back to look at him standing over her. The surprised gasp he gave brought her attention to the light sting in her eyes. Oh jeez, was she really crying again? With a grunt, she hastily wiped at the tears. "I have to get this, Gohan," she murmured, staring at the empty space between her palms again.
Resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder, he brushed his thumb across her cheek to catch a tear she missed. "And you will, V. Just give it some time. Relax and focus," he murmured encouragingly as he settled in front of her. His large hands cupped hers, bringing her attention back to them. "Breathe slowly and calm yourself down. I'll help you, okay?" At her nod, he slowly urged his own energy forward, allowing the warmth to envelope her hands. "Feel that? That's the energy you're looking for."
A shiver ran through her as she felt the slight change in the air around their hands. That was his energy? Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and focused on the sensation. She could do this. He said everyone had the energy inside them. She would find hers.
Thirty minutes later, she growled as nothing happened. No progress. No pull. This was pointless. Gohan sighed as she glared at him for the umpteenth time after he explained that she had the energy, she just had to find the access panel to it. Naturally, that got the girl miffed. "I'm pretty sure I'd know if my body had some on or off switch like that," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.
"If there is an on switch somewhere on you, I'd put my money on Gohan finding it," Erasa called out as she approached, earning amused snickers from her three companions. Apparently, some time during the little trip Gohan and Videl had taken the previous day, the other four members of their survival team group had gotten well-acquainted with each other.
Videl grimaced as her four year old daughter ran up to them. "What's so funny, momma?" she asked, tilting her head to the side slightly in confusion. It seemed even in this time Aunt Erasa was making funnies, but they didn't make any sense.
"Not your Aunt Erasa, Pan," Videl answered with a shake of her head as she smoothed the child's hair. "What are you guys doing here?"
Sharpner shrugged as he approached, being sure to keep a good distance between himself and Videl. The girl did seem to be less violent around Pan, but that didn't put him in the clear. "We just wanted to see if you guys wanted to go to breakfast with us," he answered, tossing his long blonde hair over his shoulder. The strands were still damp from his shower after his work out with Mirai that morning.
Gohan's stomach seemed to answer for him as it let out a rather monstrous growl. With an uneasy chuckle, he rubbed the back of his head. "Heh heh, guess that answers that," he said before looking at Videl again, "we'll take a break then try again after eating. It'll make you feel better."
The dining hall was surprisingly full of rather disgruntled looking students decked out in bright blue the color of Bulma's hair. "What happened here?" Videl asked as she watched her classmates move around. Barely contained laughter of two little boys caught the groups' attention. "Don't tell me…"
Goten let out a howl of laughter as realization dawned on the group with his older brother. "Oh, we got them good, Trunks," he grinned, sharing a high five with his best friend. Empty bowls and plates were scattered around in front of them.
"Did you guys really have to do that to them?" Gohan asked warily as he walked over to the table occupied by the two boys. Pan, who was sitting on his shoulders, giggled behind her small hands and Gohan sighed. "No, don't laugh, Panny. It'll encourage them."
"So does reprimanding them," Mirai pointed out as he joined his own best friend. The two older half-saiyans shared a look before turning to the kids again. "You guys knew the rules. No terrorizing the students so since this prank was harmless, you only have to stay in the GR and join us for our training for an hour tonight. I'm thinking like Gohan and I feel like a good spar."
Both half-saiyans cringed at the passive threat. They liked sparring. They liked training. They were going to help save the world one day, but when it was against their older brothers? Well, they usually ended up in a world of pain.
"Can I come too?" Pan interjected as she tugged on Gohan's hair lightly. "I want to spar with everyone!"
"Absolutely not," Videl quipped as she glared at Gohan, daring him to contradict her. There was no way she was going to let her daughter in that scrimmage. Sure, she could understand that the girl enjoyed training and sparring, but from Mirai's tone of voice, tonight's training exercise was no place for a four year old.
Pan pouted as she groaned in dismay. "But why not?" Large dark eyes turned to her mother as she crossed her arms over her chest. "How come Trunks and Goten get to play but I don't?"
"Videl is probably right, Pan," Gohan answered as he lifted the girl off his shoulders and into his arms. He grimaced as he noticed the slight lip quiver, a telltale sign of the approaching waterworks. "Tonight is just for the boys. We'll take you another time. You can hang out with Erasa and Sharpner and Videl and Lime tonight. How about that?"
"But I wanna train too!" she shouted, face scrunching up in anger. It wasn't fair. Trunks always got to train with her dad when he was younger. The Trunks in this time got to train with her dad too. Why couldn't she?
Coos of awe brought the group's attention to the other students watching the display. This was definitely something to see. The cute, nerdy Gohan was good with children. He really was just racking up brownie points, wasn't he? Smart, strong, sweet. The guy definitely had it all.
Of all the days they decided to actually be around, it had to be now? Gohan sighed as he settled the little girl in one of the seats. They really had to end this before the students actually started asking questions. "And you can and you will, but not tonight. Trunks and Goten are in trouble. If you really want to go, you can watch but Videl is right. There is absolutely no way you're joining the spar tonight."
Pan's tear filled eyes raised to meet her mother's and Videl cringed, turning away. "That's not fair, Pan," she grumbled under her breath. She snuck a peak at the girl a few seconds later and sighed as the child's lips formed a full on pout. Yep, definitely not fair. Where did this girl learn this from? Crouching down to be at eye level with the four year old, Videl gently brushed her thumb against the girl's cheek. "You can train with them another night. Don't you want to hang out with me and Erasa and Sharpner and Lime? We'll watch movies and have lots of snacks."
Her eyebrows furrowed as the girl looked between her parents. Crossing her arms, she grudgingly looked away. "Fine," she sniffed, rubbing her face with the back of her forearm. She peered at her mother over the appendage shyly. "Will there be ice cream too?"
Videl chuckled as she ruffled the girl's hair. "Whatever you want, Pan, but for now we'll go have breakfast." That seemed to do the trick as the little girl grinned and hopped off the chair to get her food. Shaking her head in amusement, Videl turned to look at Gohan. "That is definitely all you."
The rest of breakfast passed without incidence, much to everyone's surprise. As soon as he finished, Gohan turned to Videl, "you ready to try again?" She didn't need to be asked twice as she went to dispose of her dishes. As she was doing that, Gohan turned to Mirai. "Mind watching Pan?"
"Nah, I was planning to anyway. I'll take her and the boys out to the mountains. Might save the rest of the class," Mirai answered with a shrug of his shoulders. His gaze flittered over to the other three teenagers. "What are you guys going to do?"
"We've still got our projects to work on. Sharpner is meeting with Brock and Lime is going to help me out with mine," Erasa answered with a grin. "So we'll meet up for lunch, then?"
It was nearly an hour after they returned to the garden that Gohan felt the change in Videl's ki pattern. She was nearly there. He had to give her credit. After the half hour mark, he thought she would have taken a break, but no, not Videl Satan. The girl refused to move until she managed to light at least a spark. "You're almost there, V. I can feel it," he murmured quietly so as to not surprise her.
Her eyebrows furrowed in further concentration at the encouragement. She could do this. She was close. Biting her lip, she focused on that tingling she felt creeping along her arms. It was completely silent when a small ball of barely visible light began to form. The wind picked up, blowing lightly against loose strands of her hair. Was this—her eyes widened as the light solidified into something much smaller and dimmer than the energy Gohan produced but was a manifestation of energy nonetheless. All too soon, the light went out and she fell forward, catching herself before face planting into the grass.
Gohan watched her carefully and was taken back as she suddenly looked up at him with a huge smile. Damn, she was beautiful. Squashing down that thought, he returned the gesture. "You did it," he affirmed, "good job."
"I did it," she repeated in awe of herself before jumping up to her feet. "So, are you going to teach me to fly now?"
"Woah, slow down there, V," he chuckled, holding his hands up. "You need to learn to control the ki first."
She scowled before rolling her eyes and placing her hands on her hips. "Well, okay, fine, don't just sit there. Teach."
He chuckled as he gestured for her to take a seat again. "Okay, before you can control it, you need to be able to recognize it. I need you to focus on your energy and use that to reach out. I told you earlier that every living thing has ki. Try to spot some things."
Videl frowned as she focused, trying to follow what he said. Every living thing had energy so he would have energy. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she came up with nothing when trying to feel for his presence where she remembered him sitting. "I don't think this is working," she mumbled under her breath. "Why can't I sen—" Her sentence cut short as she felt a spike of energy behind her.
"I'm not there," he answered, taking a step back to give her some room.
Videl whirled around to face him with wide eyes. "I felt you. Just now, before you spoke," she said excitedly, a large grin on her lips.
Gohan smiled as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, the higher the power level, the easier it will be for you to sense the individual." He held his hand out to help her to her feet. "I think that should be good for today. Your ki is just like any other muscle in your body and you've probably overworked yourself at this point." Before she could protest, he slung an arm around her shoulder and started leading her to the exit. "Nope, I'm the teacher and I say class dismissed. We can try again tomorrow morning."
Grudgingly, Videl allowed him to lead her away. When he didn't say where they were headed, she pursed her lips and reached out with her energy in search of who was ahead of them. A familiar spark surrounded by a few other individuals caught her attention and she gasped, looking up at the boy next to her. "I felt Pan!"
He grinned proudly. "Yep, and she's giving her uncle one heck of a work out." He'd sensed the little sparring match start a while ago and figured Videl would like to see the little girl in action against someone closer to her level. "Erasa and Sharpner are there too." He added as he picked up his pace. "Come on, it's almost over."
When they arrived in the GR, Videl wasn't surprised to find Sharpner, Erasa, and Lime in the control room. Her eyes widened in surprise as she watched the spar. Or at least, tried to. If she didn't see it with her own eyes, she probably wouldn't have believed it, but her daughter was disappearing. Erasa looked just as confused as she was but Lime and Sharpner seemed to be focused on the room ahead. "They're just moving too quickly for you to track with your eyes," Gohan said quietly as he stepped up behind her.
"She is definitely one of you guys, Han," Lime commented, shooting her best friend a grin as she turned to the fight again. She was outmatched by Goten, but that didn't seem to matter. The girl was ferocious. "Definitely a fighter."
Videl's eyebrows furrowed as she felt sparks of energy ahead of her. Was that the two kids? It was unreal. "Okay, you sense them now focus," Gohan instructed, directing her attention back to the fight. "Pan's putting up a fight, but Goten is still leagues ahead of her."
In one final strike, Pan was sent crashing into the GR floor. Goten landed a few feet away from her. His clothes were torn and the boy sported a few scratches and bruises here and there. Taking deep breaths, he willed himself to calm down before approaching. "You okay, Pan?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to the side as the girl sat up.
"Fine, but I lost," she answered with a pout as she let Goten pull her up to her feet.
Goten grinned, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess, but you were really tough!" He praised as he slung an arm around her shoulder. "I bet you'd have Trunks on his toes too."
Her eyes widened in delight at that. "You think so, Uncle?" She asked, beaming with pride as Goten nodded. With a grin, she scampered off towards the control room. "Did you see me, poppa? Did you? Did you?"
Gohan laughed as he entered the gravity room, easily catching the child in his arms. "You were great, Panny, but I think you gave your momma a heart attack for a second there," he answered, carrying her into the control room where Videl was leaning against the console. "Go tell her you're okay," he whispered quietly before urging the child over to Videl.
Videl sighed as her daughter approached looking a little ruffled but otherwise unharmed. "You were great, Pan," she said, kneeling down to be at eye level with the girl. Concern filled the dark eyes as Pan looked her mother over. As if sensing the child's discomfort, Videl offered a smile. "No, it's okay. It's just taking a while to get used to all of this." Pan tilted her head slightly to the side in confusion and Videl shook her head. With a kiss to her daughter's forehead, Videl stood again. "Okay, why don't you go get cleaned up? I think Trunks and Goten already ran off."
"kay!" she agreed before following the direction her Uncle and younger mentor went.
With that settled, Videl looked up to find three sets of eyes staring at her in amusement. Before she could tell them to shut up, she grunted as she found herself pulled into a tight hug. "Aren't you adorable?" Erasa cooed, "you go from thinking of only beating people up to suddenly being practically mother of the year!"
Videl scowled at her best friend but didn't bother protesting. Oh, no. Any arguments would just encourage the blonde and that was definitely one thing she did not want to do. "Whatever, E, what are you guys doing here anyway?"
Feeling the familiar power level fast approaching Earth, Gohan looked up to meet Mirai's gaze. Had it really been a week already? It didn't seem all that long ago when they sent his highness up into space.
You think he got it? Mirai's voice echoed in his head.
Gohan grimaced in distaste. His damn pride wouldn't have let him come back without it, he replied. We should check it out with Bulma tonight. Who knew what kind of information could be salvageable from the ruined satellite. He only hoped that it didn't have anything too damning for them.
"Gohan!" Videl hissed, punching his arm in frustration. The half-saiyan jumped in surprise and stared at her in confusion. "Finally! Erasa's been trying to ask you a question for the past few minutes," she grumbled with a roll of her eyes.
Chuckling, Gohan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry, E. What's up?"
"We were wondering where we should meet tonight after your training to plan what we'd need for the trip. It's only ten days away and we haven't really talked about it," she explained patiently. "I know Sharpner has been training with Mirai and you and Mirai know what you're doing out there but I'd like to help out. It's a team effort and I don't want to be dead weight." As Erasa spoke, Lime nodded in agreement. Knowing the two half-saiyans as she did, she was pretty sure they'd expected to fend for everyone.
After a quick exchange of glances, Mirai merely shrugged. "We've got time to figure it out, but Gohan and I aren't free tonight." He was distracted as he spoke, eyes narrowing in concentration.
Lime watched her two friends suspiciously. They didn't say anything about going anywhere that evening and they had their spar that morning. What could—she froze, focusing her mind on the familiar tingle in her senses. Someone was coming towards Earth. Gasping, she stared at both guys. "Is that…" she didn't have to finish her question before receiving a confirmatory nod. "You think he got it then?"
"What on earth are you guys babbling about now?" Erasa asked, frown creasing along her lips. Okay, she could get behind the fact that they had secrets meant to be kept between them, but this getting ignored and constant cryptic conversations were starting to get on her nerves.
To her surprise, it was Videl that spoke up. "I don't think they're talking about something on Earth, E," she mumbled, focusing her attention on Gohan. "What is that?" Assuming that she barely had a handle on this ki business and she can vaguely sense this energy, this being had to have a power level that was out of this world.
As if to answer her question, the miniature Trunks came running back into the control room trailed by his ever-faithful best friend. "Dad's coming home!" He cheered, throwing a tiny fist into the air as he lunged at his supposed older brother. Now he was sure they were free from the torture that awaited them later that night. There was no doubt that the prince of all Saiyans would demand a spar with the older half-saiyans.
"Yeah, big brother, Mr. Vegeta is almost back. Are you guys going to fight? Can we watch? Can we? Can we?" Goten added, latching on to his brother's arm as he bounced.
"Me too!" Pan added as she grabbed her father's free arm. "I want to see too!"
Well, this chapter is a little worse than I hoped it would be, but it'll have to do for now. I should probably go find a beta reader or something. Maybe eventually. Haha. The only thing really stopping me is the fact that it would take me much longer to update if I did do that. Who knows, it might worth it. I'll look into it. For now, you guys are just going to have to deal with my un-beta'd writing.
I was determined to get as much writing done as I could during break, but that really did not turn out very well. Everyone and their mom wanted to do something or go somewhere. I just wanted to be left alone in my cave! Really, I have a cave. Sort of. My bed is a bunk bed and since I have the bottom bunk, I tend to hang sheets over the sides from the top bunk so I have a little fort thing. Okay, enough about that. I'm sure no one wants to know about my bed. xD
But anyway, semester has started again so you guys know what that means. ):
Adamantia9031: He'll be showing up soon. (: Can't keep him away from Gohan for too long.
Ky111: Yeeeep. Slow progress, but progress nonetheless. (:
SeanHicks4: Haha, yeah. I could see how that goes. Food, a saiyan's one true weakness. xD
person345: Nope, I start 14 Jan…which is today. ):
AnisoulJ93: Haha, yeah, that part isn't hard to forget since it's rarely been mentioned. I am looking forward to putting together little snippets I already have of it. ;D
DormySaz: No need to apologize. Life tends to get hectic like that. Heck, I would now. Hopefully things settle down for you soon! (Or not, if you like being busy. xD)
android727: Thanks! Haha. Videl has always been a bit of a hit or miss for me. In some fics, I love her and in others, I kind of wish she'd fall off Korin's tower pre-ki-training. x_X She will eventually find out what a saiyan is and as for the satellite, well, that's coming up as well.
KarinKurosakiHitsugaya913: AH! Your username! That pairing! I ship it! I had a Hitsukarin drabble started for Christmas but never got around to finishing it. Boo.
Geuh: Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's the same case with my brother and I. …Except for the fact that he still actually looks pretty good and I don't. Haha, but that's my fault with bad lifestyle choices, like not exercising. /:
Chosen To Die: Well, Videl hasn't really forgotten about the word Saiyan. The time with Mirai, she didn't really know anything yet. She thought that Gohan was making a bigger deal about keeping his secrets from her than he really had to. She was determined to find out because she didn't think it could be something so monumental. As far as Gohan's lack of freaking out, he was resigned to the fact that Videl would keep digging until she had answers and he didn't really think she'd find anything completely mindblowing like that he was half-alien or that he was the real world savior. When the saiyan word came up much later, even though Videl was tempted to look it up, she was at a point where it didn't seem to make a difference. If Gohan wanted her to know, she would know and if he didn't, well, it would be more hell for her. (I hope I'm making sense but if I'm not, I'm blaming it on the grey goose.) You did not sound mean and thank you and feel free to not be quiet! (:
Dbzlover500: Traaaaaining. I have no idea how to do fight scenes and I am completely clueless about martial arts. So, training isn't really going to be very detailed, as is pretty obvious in this chapter. Ack.
arkee: Yeeeees, and I love how the more she finds out about her son's relationship with Videl, the more invested she gets. xD
Prats 'R' Us, Sportsfan64, dcp1992, Aaron Leach, dp3of5, PrincessLazyPants, shugokage, imgonnadie, PnutButtr, Sushi133, Kai1412, NiceNipps: Thanks!
- Skye