2

Gohan sank into the armchair and raised his head; his eyes closing, he heaved out a sigh. He heard a platter being put down on the coffee table and opened his eyes to give Bulma a smile as thanks. Leaning over, he took one of the steaming cups of tea.

Helping Bulma on her current project took longer than he expected, so his boss and long-time friend offered to make some tea and relax before he went on his way, which the young scientist had been more than happy to accept.

He glanced out the window to his left. The sky was pitch black and despite the absence of clouds, only the brightest stars were visible in the big city. Usually, he would get home from work before sundown and work on his thesis before bed, but today Gohan felt like his brain was in overdrive after working all evening with his boss. He planned to go straight to bed once he got home.

"How's your thesis going?" Bulma asked, making small talk as they relaxed in the living room of Capsule Corp. She blew on her steaming cup and sipped slowly on the warm and comforting beverage.

"I still have a long way to go, but I'm getting there. I should be done soon enough."

Bulma smirked. "If you'd started university early like I did, you could've been done with school by the time you turned sixteen."

Gohan chuckled. "I'm not as gifted as you, Bulma, I'm not sure I could've pulled that off."

"Pishposh," Bulma waved him off. "You might be even more gifted than me. Maybe it's because you're younger, but sometimes it feels like you get stuff much faster than me. People think you got your job because you know me, but after they see you at work they quickly change their mind."

Gohan blushed humbly and looked down, focusing on his cup. "Anyway, I couldn't leave Mom on her own to take care of Goten and everything back then, so being homeschooled was the best decision. Besides, I'm still the youngest in my course." He cracked an awkward smile and scratched the back of his head. "I wouldn't want to stand out even more…"

His friend gave him a fond smile. "You stand out because you're special, Gohan. Never be embarrassed about being the smartest person in the room. You know I never am," she added with a playful wink. Gohan laughed slightly.

"That's certainly true."

They fell silent after that, sipping on their cups while enjoying each other's company; they didn't feel the need to fill the air with noise and chatter.

Soon Gohan's thoughts drifted to earlier today, at the park, and to the pretty girl who seemed to love fighting more than anything. A small smile tugged on his lips. She sure was something else, that Videl. Her talent was undeniable, and he was quite eager to help her become even better and tap into all of her potential.

"Did you know Tenshinhan runs a martial arts school?" Gohan asked out of the blue, his train of thought making him think of his father's old friend.

Bulma looked over at him and nodded her head. "I helped him start the school, actually."

Gohan raised his eyebrows. "You did? You're still in contact with him, you mean? I haven't seen him since the day of the Cell Games."

"Well, he's one of my oldest friends, so we kept in touch." Bulma rolled her eyes as she continued, "Well, obviously I reached out to him first; Tenshinhan isn't very good at keeping up with his friends. It was a few years after the Cell Games, I figured he'd been brooding in his corner for long enough so I looked for him. After some time, he told me about his wish to start his own martial arts school; he got fed up with Mr. Satan who has been badmouthing ki-use, and he wanted to normalize it in the martial arts world. He didn't want to accept my help at first, but me becoming an investor was the only way to fund his school so he eventually agreed."

"Huh." Gohan blinked. "How come you never told me?"

Bulma shrugged. "It's not like you were that close to him, not how you are to me or Krillin or Piccolo, so I guess I just didn't think of bringing him up to you."

The young scientist frowned, but he couldn't refute his friend's words. He had met Tenshinhan for the first time when Vegeta and Nappa had attacked the Earth. They hadn't even exchanged a word back then, or if they did Gohan didn't remember. What he did recall was how intimidated and impressed he'd been by the three-eyed fighter, and relieved too, when Tenshinhan easily beat one of the Saibaimen.

Gruesome images flashed in his head. Nappa cutting off Tenshinhan's arm. Chaozu self-destructing to try and save him but failing to affect the Saiyan in the slightest. Piccolo's plan to attack Nappa. The terror he felt at that moment, paralyzing him when he should've helped. But he was only five at the time, and Nappa was so powerful and scary. Gohan had been unable to move.

He closed his eyes with a wince as he saw Tenshinhan play his last card, using the Kikoho, a technique that was extremely dangerous for its user. But it was his only chance, the last thing he could try ━ and it failed, again. It barely phased Nappa, but the technique drained the life out of the Earthling warrior.

Gohan remembered how helpless he'd felt. The guilt pressed heavily onto his chest. If he hadn't been so scared at that moment, Tenshinhan wouldn't have died back then. Maybe he could have survived the horrible battle against the Saiyans, even, and go with them to Namek. Not that Namek had been a fun adventure, but at least he would've had a chance.

Bulma set her cup on the coffee table, a frown of worry creasing her brow. "Gohan?"

He massaged his forehead. "Sorry, I think I spaced out." He leaned back on the chair and sighed deeply, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. "I guess you're right. I was never close to Tenshinhan. He died when I first met him and even after he came back, I would be training with my dad and Piccolo or studying rather than getting to know him, and he would be busy with his own training."

"Well, it's not like he's the kind of person to make the effort to spend time with his friends," Bulma offered with a kind smile. "If you don't look for him, he's not going to go look for you."

"I guess that's true."

Gohan fell silent, his brow furrowing slightly, getting lost in his thoughts again. Bulma picked up her cup and sipped on the warm beverage without saying a word. Gohan finished his own tea as he came to a decision.

He set the cup on the coffee table and turned to Bulma. "Could you tell me where his school is?"

She smiled. "Sure. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you. He asks about you sometimes."

He was getting excited about this. "Thanks, Bulma."

It had been a year since Videl moved to West City. She made the trip here for a match back then, and she just fell in love with the bustling metropolis. Satan City paled in comparison. The West Capitol was so much bigger, younger, and livelier, and it had a futuristic feel to it, with the numerous skyscrapers, the tube-like, sinuous roads hanging high in the sky, the lights, the giant screens everywhere, the culture…

And the anonymity. In such a big city, it was so much easier to be invisible. Here, while Videl still got recognized occasionally, such occurrences were not that common. Unlike in Satan City, which was not only renamed after none other than her father, but where she was famous for aiding the police fight crime on a regular basis, in West City, she was more known as a martial artist in her own right, and only the people who followed the sport would recognize her. And that didn't happen all that often.

The press and the paparazzi, however, knew her a little too well, and they didn't care if they invaded her privacy. But Videl knew that was just part of the job. As a professional fighter, and a successful one at that, the recognition and glory that came with it was inevitable. Videl had had some training in dealing with that kind of thing, what with growing up as the daughter of "the man who saved the world", so she was used to it by now. She could've done without the celebrity status and all, sure, but it didn't bother her all that much anymore. She had learned to live with it.

What she had more trouble getting used to, however, was living in a new city where she didn't know anyone. All of her friends were in Satan City, and Videl had never been the kind of person who could make friends easily.

She sat at the bar, twirling the straw in her drink, and heaved a deep sigh. She missed her friends. Sure, they still called each other and kept in touch, and sometimes they would visit her or vice versa, but it wasn't the same.

Some guys from the gym invited her to have drinks after training, and Videl suspected that they were just being nice and tried to include her. Watching them banter and joke together without paying her any mind confirmed her suspicion.

Well, she couldn't hold it against them. She had accepted the invitation in hope of making new friends, but the guys from her gym were just too different from her. They were all much older and had interests that Videl couldn't care less about. Aside from martial arts, they had nothing in common.

She smiled politely while they guffawed at a joke she didn't listen to, watching them as they exchanged strong pats on the back and playful jibs, but she just couldn't get into it.

Glancing at her watch, she surmised that she had hung out with them long enough and informed the group that she had an early day tomorrow and that she'd better go home and turn in.

The guy over-acted their reluctance to her go, but they all knew they didn't really care and wouldn't be missing her.

Videl breathed a sigh of relief when she was finally out of the pub. A cool breeze gave her a shiver, and she zipped up her jacket, put her hands in her pockets and dug her head between her shoulders, trying to keep herself warm. Spring had just begun, and while on sunny days it was pretty warm out, the nights were still pretty chilly.

Luckily, she lived only a few blocks away, and soon enough Videl was back in her apartment and taking off her shoes and jacket. Her place was spacious and modern, with sleek furniture, the latest high technology devices, and some tasteful decoration. Her career was going great, and she hadn't needed a cent from her father to afford her current living situation.

She went to her room to change into her pajamas, mostly to be more comfortable and especially to get out of her constricting bra ━ how she hated those things. Then she went back to the living room, plopped down on the couch, put her feet up on the coffee table and grabbed the remote to turn on the TV.

This was how she usually spent her nights. Videl was more of an introvert and she enjoyed being by herself, but, after a while, it could get a little lonely.

She watched a few episodes of the comedy show she was currently into, forgetting about her worries as she laughed at the funny jokes, and then she turned off the TV, went to the bathroom to wash up, and got ready for bed. It was almost eleven o'clock.

Lying in the dark with nothing to distract her mind, Videl found herself thinking back to the guy that she met earlier today. Her first thought when she saw him was that he was pretty cute. The awkward way he interacted with her confirmed that thought ━ and then Gohan got ready for their spar. To get more comfortable, he took off his tie, his glasses, undid the first buttons of his shirt, and rolled up his sleeves, and Videl had felt her throat tighten and her face burn up. His disheveled look caught her off guard, and she found herself staring. Gohan wasn't just cute ━ he was hot.

She smiled to herself as she replayed their encounter in her head. It had been a while since she met someone and instantly clicked with them. It was so easy to talk with Gohan, and Videl regretted that they didn't get to spend that much time together.

He certainly impressed her during their spar. Videl was pretty sure that she had never faced someone so strong in her life, including during the last Tenkaichi Budokai. And that was being "rusty" to him? Had he been bragging? It didn't seem that way, nor did it feel like Gohan's style to brag. He had been so humble about his academic career.

To think that he was her age and already working on getting his third PhD! And he planned to get more of them, too. He was undoubtedly a genius, not to mention an extraordinary fighter.

She was glad that she had hired him as her new trainer, which gave her the opportunity to get to know him better. He seemed like a nice guy, and though their encounter had been brief, she had enjoyed spending time with him. Videl smiled at the thought.

It had been pretty lonely, moving to a new city where she didn't know anyone. She didn't go to school anymore so making new friends was more difficult, especially with people her age. The only place she went to regularly was the prestigious martial arts gym, and most of the people there were older than her. Which made sense, since it usually took most professional fighters a while to get to her level.

But now she met Gohan, a guy her age that was easy to talk to, and Videl could see them becoming good friends. And, who knew, maybe Gohan could introduce her to other people that she could get along with. She would finally have a social life again.

She was fine being alone, sure, but after a whole year of only having long-distance friendships, it did get pretty lonely.

Videl turned on her side, hugging her comforter, and closed her eyes. She saw Gohan's cute smile in her head and her lips curled up in a smile. It was a nice feeling, making a new friend. Not only that, but Gohan was going to help her become a better martial artist. She couldn't wait to start training with him tomorrow.

Gohan had texted her an address and told her to meet him on the rooftop. She took her jetcopter and got on her way, passing over the West City University before landing on a nearby skyscraper. Videl supposed that Gohan asked her to meet him there so that he could go to class after their session without having to rush, though she wondered why he chose the roof of a skyscraper as their training ground.

He was already waiting for her when she arrived. She waved at him and he waved back, a bright smile lighting up his face. She felt her lips break out into a grin in response, and her cheeks heated up slightly.

She landed her aircraft some distance away from the young man, and he jogged up to her to greet her. She got off her jetcopter, and as she stood facing him, Videl couldn't help but notice just how much taller than her Gohan was. She had to crane her neck to look up at him; she was barely reaching his shoulders. His towering presence made her feel a bit flustered.

There was no doubting that Gohan was an attractive guy. His traits were harmonious and handsome, and he had a kind of boyish charm to him. He sure had a nice smile, too.

Videl noticed that his clothes were more casual than yesterday. While he still wore dress pants and dress shoes, he had on a simple long-sleeved shirt, tucked in of course, but the look wasn't as business-like as the suit and tie he was wearing the day before.

She, herself, had chosen to wear comfortable clothes for her training session with Gohan. She had on fitted sweat pants, a tee-shirt and a zipped-down hoodie, as well as a pair of supple sneakers. As for her shoulder-length hair, she had pulled it up in a ponytail to get it out of the way. She would rarely wear her hair down because that would be a bother.

"Did you sleep well?" Gohan asked politely after the usual greetings.

She smiled; she liked that he was well-mannered. "Not as much as I would've liked to, I'll admit, but I slept well enough"

"Oh, is it too early for you?" he asked, lines of concern creasing his brow. "We can meet in later hours in the future if you want. Resting is an important part of getting stronger."

She waved him off. "I know, and don't worry about it. I went to sleep early enough but I had a lot on my mind and had trouble falling asleep. I don't mind meeting with you early in the morning ━ I start my days early anyway, so really, it's no trouble."

His features relaxed and a gentle smile formed on his lips. "Okay, good to know."

"So!" She clapped her hands, an eager glint in her eyes. "What do you have planned for our first session? A sparring session? New moves I could use? Work out exercises?"

"Ah, no, none of that," he said with an awkward smile.

He walked away from the jetcopter and Videl followed him. Then, he sat on the ground cross-legged and motioned her to do the same in front of him. Frowning in curiosity, Videl did as she was told.

"I want to teach you something that'll be very useful to you," he said, looking at her with a serious expression. "I know for a fact that Tenshinhan teaches that to his students, and I went to see him last night to ask him some pointers on how I should proceed in teaching you."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "And he just told you? Even though I'll be going against one of his students next month?"

"Well, as he told me himself, you're going against one of his students, not against his school. Some students of his sometimes end up facing each other in classed matches, so that's no different."

She nodded. "What is it you want to teach me, then?"

He looked at her intently, his eyes dead serious. "The thing that you've been told are magic tricks." Gohan paused, letting that sink in.

Videl frowned. "You mean…"

"It's real, Videl. All of it. Everything you saw in the Cell Games broadcast… It's all real."

She stayed silent, her eyes lowering to a random spot between them as her mind reeled.

If she were to be honest, a part of her found it hard to believe her father's claims that what Cell and the unknown fighters could do were just a bunch of magic tricks. She never wanted to admit it, and she never expressed her doubts out loud to anyone, not even to her best friends, but Videl had never been fully convinced.

"Can you prove it?"

Frankly, she wouldn't be surprised if she one day found out that her father didn't kill Cell. She, more than anyone, could tell that he wasn't as strong as he pretended to be. For instance, in the last Tenkaichi Budokai, even though she lost and he won against the same opponent, he had struggled a lot more than her against that fighter. Videl was pretty sure she had long surpassed her father. This year, the championship would be hers.

Gohan's face lit up, his shining with relief. "Yes, of course!" He cupped his hands in front of him. "Here, let me show you."

A ball of light appeared between his palms. Videl's eyes widened. She got on her hands and knees to get a closer look. He was saying the truth. There was no trick. No smokes and mirrors. Gohan was producing this ball of light from his own being. He was the real deal.

"This is ki, also called life force, energy, aura… And I want to teach you how to control yours. When you do, you'll be able to adjust it to your liking, powering up to your maximum or concealing it completely; you'll also be able to use it as attacks, and to measure someone's power level, and you'll even be able to fly."

At that, Videl looked up at Gohan. The ball of ki gave him a mysterious glow.

"You can fly?" she murmured in disbelief. "You can do all that?"

The light faded out, and Gohan gave her a nod, her face serious. "Yes, I can."

Videl moved back and sat cross-legged once again. "Okay. Teach me."

He didn't say anything, watching her with careful eyes.

"You believe me," he said.

She smirked and crossed her arms. "You gave me proof. I saw it with my own eyes. Of course I believe you."

"But you… you barely doubted me." He chuckled and scratched his hair. "I mean, everyone on this planet takes everything Mr. Satan tells them at face value. You do realize that you just accepted that he's lied to the world, right?"

Videl pursed her lips. The implications of what Gohan was saying didn't fall on deaf ears. "I know what it means, yes. And to be honest, I've always had my doubts."

"But you…" Gohan swallowed and looked away, his voice lowering. "You're his daughter…"

She frowned slightly. "So you did recognize me."

She shouldn't be upset by this; it wasn't unsurprising, either. But she had liked the idea of hanging out with someone who didn't know who she really was. Someone who would want to be her friend for who she was, and not because of who her father was.

"No, I had no idea who you were when we met yesterday. I told Tenshinhan about you, and he knew who I meant since there aren't a lot of female fighters going against men, and he told me you were Mr. Satan's daughter." He gave a nervous chuckle. "It was quite a shock to me, too. I didn't even know Mr. Satan had a daughter."

Her shoulders relaxed. "Oh." Videl smiled. "Well, like you said, I'm his daughter. And as such, I, more than anyone, would know that my father isn't what he pretends to be."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, that makes sense."

She grinned. "Well, now that's out of the way… Teach me."

Gohan had honestly thought convincing his new student that ki was real was going to be a lot harder. But Videl believed him right away, only asking for proof to make sure.

She sure was full of surprise, that girl.

He explained in more detail what ki was and how to bring it out, and then told Videl to do just that.

"Think of the feel of your energy when you do tai chi," he advised. "I'm sure you've felt it before. Now I'm asking you to tap into it and bring it out in a physical form."

Videl nodded, her face serious. She cupped her hands in front of her, like he had done minutes ago. Her features relaxed and she closed her eyes, working on bringing out her ki.

When he visited Tenshinhan last night, the martial arts master told him that ki-control would usually take his students a while, which was understandable, given the difficulty of the task. It took Master Roshi fifty years to develop his famous Kamehameha. Tenshinhan told him that most of them took weeks to bring out their ki for the first time; some would take months, but the most talented were able to accomplish the task in just a few days.

"The man Videl is to fight next month," Tenshinhan had said, "he's among the most talented. It only took him two days to bring out his ki. I have a lot of faith in him, and I believe he's good enough to become the next world champion. But I've seen her fight, too, and she's no joke. If you're really going to be training her and teaching her about ki, then I need to get him ready for her." Tenshinhan had smirked then, his three eyes shining in excitement. "It'll be a sight to see for sure. I'm looking forward to it."

It had been really nice to see Tenshinhan again after all these years. Gohan wished he had been closer to his father's friend as a kid; he had been missing out on a great friendship. Gohan had been surprised how easy it was to talk to Tenshinhan; his silent nature made him a good listener, and he reminded him of Piccolo in a lot of ways.

Well, all of his father's friends were interesting people, so it was no surprise that Tenshinhan fit the description as well.

His senses tingled, and he focused back on his new student. His lips parted and his eyes widened as just a few seconds later, a ball of ki appeared between Videl's cupped hands.

He raised his wrist and looked at his watch.

Half an hour… It took Videl just over half an over to bring out her ki for the first time. That got to be a new record, even among his father's Earthling friends.

"You… You did it…" he whispered in disbelief. "Wow, I can't believe… I…"

He chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "You are even more talented than I thought."

He couldn't wait to tell Tenshinhan about it.

The light faded out, and then Videl almost collapsed, catching herself on her hands. She was out of breath. She straightened up and frowned at her hands in what looked confusion.

"Using your ki is very draining, especially when you're new to it," Gohan explained. "But you did very, very well, Videl. As far as I know, you're one of the fastest people to have learned how to bring out your ki ━ myself included."

She smirked. "Am I, now? It wasn't that hard."

Gohan chuckled. "You certainly are something else. I guess we'll move on to the next part of your training."

"The next part?" Her eyes lit up. "Are you going to teach me how to fly?"

He grinned at her child-like excitement. It was so cute. "Not quite yet. I want you to develop and grow your ki first, to improve your stamina so that you don't feel drained every time you use your ki."

He got up and walked to the spot where he had been standing to wait for her earlier, where he'd left a sports bag. Curious, Videl stood and went after him.

"What did you bring?"

He gave a start, not expecting Videl to be standing so close next to him as she stretched out her neck to get a closer look at his bag. The proximity made him blush, and he coughed into his fist.

He took a step to the side to have more room to move, unzipped the bag, dug his hand inside and handed out a wristband to her.

"I've brought four of those, for your wrists as well as your ankles. You're to wear them all the time, especially when you're training. You can take them off to wash up and when you go to bed, of course, but other than that, you have to keep them on. And only wash them by hand. Take it; you'll see why."

Videl had him a skeptical look as she reached out to take the wristband, no doubt wondering what the big deal was. She quickly understood when she felt how much the piece of training clothing weighed.

"Wha…?"

"They each weigh ten kilos, which is a bit over twenty pounds. Wearing them will develop your stamina and your strength, and as a result your ki will grow."

A smile was starting to form on her lips. "I see. It's a bit archaic, but that kind of training method has proved to be quite effective." She raised her gaze to look at him. "Where did you get those?"

"Asked a friend of mine." Piccolo's power of materialization sure came in handy.

Videl put on the first wristband; he gave her the second one, then she put a band on her ankle, and then on her other one.

"It's not going to be easy training with these things," she commented.

"That's kinda the point," Gohan said with a smile.

She did a series of jabs and kicks, her movements naturally slowed down by the weights on her limbs.

"It's going to take some getting used to," Gohan said, "and when you are, I'll give you heavier ones."

Videl stopped testing herself and nodded at him in understanding.

"So, what now?"

He motioned to the ground again, and then both sat down once more. "Now, you learn how to control your ki properly. I don't have much time left, but since we're close to the university I can stay with you a bit longer and guide you through it."

She smiled at him. "I appreciate that."

He felt his face heat up slightly. She had a really nice smile…

He cleared his throat. "Okay, so, now that you can bring out your ki, you have to learn to control it. I want you to move it around your body ━ in each of your hands, in your chest, in your belly, in each of your legs… For example, to be able to fly, you have to direct your ki beneath you and use it to lift yourself up ━ but we're getting ahead of ourselves. Focus on controlling your ki for now."

She was fidgeting in her spot with a big smile on her face, her eyes shining in excitement. "Can you really fly? Will I really be able to?"

His eyes softened. "Yes, you will. And yes, I can. I've known since I was four, so it comes as naturally to me as raising my hand."

She blinked. "Four? Geez, no wonder you're so strong. How long did it take you to learn how to bring out your ki?"

"Ehhh…" He scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward smile. "I don't remember exactly, I was really young… But I was pretty quick, yeah."

"Quicker than me?"

He let out a chuckle. "Not by much."

They shared playful looks. Videl shook her head with a smile and focused on learning how to control her ki.

Gohan watched her carefully. She was doing it. Her ki was moving, albeit quite slowly, but she was honing it. Man, that girl was incredible. It was hard to believe she was related to someone like Mr. Satan. Sure, the current world champion was pretty strong for a human, but Videl was much stronger, and so much more talented.

She said she only lost her match at the semi-finals of the Tenkaichi Budokai because she got overconfident and careless, and Gohan wholeheartedly believed her. She should have won three years ago ━ she had been the strongest in the competition. Her lack of experience was her one shortcoming, but now Videl had learned from her past mistakes. This year, without a doubt, she would come out the winner. Videl would be the next world champion ━ and Gohan was happy to help her secure the title.

Her ki was moving faster around her body, flowing with more ease from limb to limb.

"Very good, Videl. You're improving so fast ━ I'm very impressed."

Her eyes still closed, she scrunched up her eyebrows. "You can tell?"

"I'll teach you that too in due time ━ how to sense other people's ki."

Her features relaxed as she focused on controlling her energy again.

"That's what you meant earlier when you said I could measure other people's power level?" she asked without breaking her concentration.

"Yeah. When you can sense ki, you can tell how strong someone is. But some people are able to conceal their ki, or to lower it to almost nothing. That way you can catch your opponent off guard."

"Given that they know how to sense ki."

"The man you're fighting next month can."

"As well as everything you told me I could do once I can control my ki, I assume."

He smiled. Even when in a conversation, Videl's focus hadn't wavered. "Once you control it? You already are, Videl."

She frowned slightly. "It doesn't feel natural though."

"Not yet, but that'll come with practice." He looked at his watch and grimaced. "Unfortunately, we're out of time. My first class starts in half an hour."

"Oh." She smiled in understanding. "Well, thank you for today."

They stood together ━ but Videl's knees wobbled and she stumbled. Gohan took a step towards her to catch her if she fell, but she raised a hand to stop him and regained her balance on her own, albeit on shaky legs. He cracked a smile ━ that girl was no damsel in distress. He really liked that about her.

"The weights you're carrying aren't helping, huh? Take some time to rest; you've used your ki a lot in an hour and a half."

Videl nodded her head obediently. "Yeah, I think I need a break."

"I would like you to keep practicing controlling your ki today, though," Gohan instructed. "Just make sure to take breaks and stay hydrated."

She cracked a smile. "Yes, teacher."

"And I'll start teaching you how to fly tomorrow."

As expected, her whole face lit up in excitement at the prospect. Gohan let out a chuckle. How adorable.

He scratched his hair at the side of his head. "Well, I better get going. I'll let you know later when we can meet up tomorrow."

"I'll control my ki like second nature by then," she declared with her fist raised, a defiant glint in her eyes. Gohan laughed.

"I wouldn't be surprised."

He started levitating, causing Videl to pause and stare, her lips parted.

"You really can fly…" she murmured in disbelief.

On a whim, he extended his hand. "Would you like to come fly with me? The university's close so I have a little time to spare if you'd like to see what flying is like."

He realized how bold of him that was ━ it was borderline out of character for him to do something like that. But he did have a bit of time before his first class, and with how eager Videl was to learn how to fly, and how much he enjoyed her company, how could he not ask?

Her face flushed, and so did his, but his smile never wavered, and neither did the excitement in her eyes. Videl took his hand. He felt his breath hitch at the contact. A pleasant spark ignited between their joined hands, coursing through his arm and down his spine. His heart couldn't stand in place.

He pulled her to him, lifting her from the ground, and wrapped his arms around her waist. Videl's hands ended up against his chest, and he was positive she could feel the quick and strong beat of his heart.

She was so close. Her scent was so sweet. Her body was so warm and soft and tiny. Her eyes were so big and blue and beautiful.

She was… She was perfect.

He liked her. He liked her a lot.

March 31, 2021