Vulnerable
A/N: Hello! New chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ! However, I do own any new OC in this story.
Chapter 5: Getaway
Chi-Chi knocked on her son's door, prepared to wake him up. Their guests should be coming around noon, and everything needed to be ready. No one would live and say that Chi-Chi Son isn't a good host.
She gently opened the door, only to see Gohan awake, sitting on his study table. She smiled at him; he was so responsible. She then gently knocked again, to avoid startling him and he turned his head and smiled at her "Hello mother. How are you today?"
She approached and kissed his forehead "Good morning sweetie. Why are you up this early?"
He turned the chair, facing his mother "I wanted to finish my homework for the weekend. It's not polite to study while we have guests. I still have things to finish, but I can do them while they're sleeping."
Chi-Chi ruffled her son's hair, feeling very proud of him. He was growing up way too fast "Go take a bath, I'll finish breakfast."
His stomach quickly made its presence known at the mention of food, and his mother rolled her eyes at him. Saiyans! He scratched his back, blushing a little, but looked at her mother "I want to train a little. Let off a little steam. I'll continue my chemistry problems until breakfast then I'll go train a little in the woods. I should have time."
Chi-Chi sighed. Why was her baby boy so hell-bent of training? Why did he want to behave like a delinquent? Nevertheless, she couldn't say no. It was something he inherited from his father, and if training made him feel better, she would let him. She didn't want to cut the last connection he had with her deceased husband. She then decided to nod at him as she left the room.
A few minutes later, Chi-Chi called Gohan and went to check on Goten who was up and ready for the day. She positioned the baby's chair near her so she could feed her youngest bottomless pit, and she waited for Gohan who came wearing his purple Gi.
He sat and thanked his mother for the food, before he happily dug in. Chi-Chi rolled her eyes, now noticing a very important detail "Gohan. You have to pay attention when our guests will be here. You have to eat slowly, not like a typical Saiyan, okay?" He nodded at her and started practice a little, making Chi-Chi chuckle "You can eat normally now. Do you think you should eat less food?" She then started thinking about the subject, making the young boy gulp. He didn't want to be underfed.
He then swallowed his food and looked at her "Can't we tell them I have a fast metabolism? I'm a growing boy after all."
Chi-Chi nodded her head understandingly "You're right. I don't want you to starve to death." He exhaled, relieved. Crisis averted.
After they finished eating, he thanked his mother for the food and played a little with Goten before he left towards a clearing to train a little, letting off steam. Even if he didn't let it show, he was terrified of this weekend. A thousand things could go wrong, oh help him Dende! And first order of business, it's Kami, not Dende. It's way too hard to explain how they would know God's name.
Chi-Chi set Goten up in his playing crib, filled with toys designed especially for a half-Saiyan, courtesy of Bulma. She then looked at the time and saw it was almost eight-thirty. She had more than enough time to clean the house, finish the laundry, and start preparing for lunch before noon. Their guests surely won't be coming earlier, it was a long trip for someone who didn't know the road. And filled with energy, Chi-Chi got to work.
She quickly finished cleaning the whole house, making sure that both hers and Gohan's bedroom would be clean. Their guests would be sleeping in one of them, and they didn't decide which one yet. She couldn't take any chances. She then cleaned the kitchen thoroughly, to avoid having any odor of food, not that there was anything beside the aroma of lemon from the soap that Chi-Chi used. Guests or not, you don't want your kitchen to smell like leftovers. She then finished up with the living room, making sure that everything was in order. They would be sitting there most of the time in the end. She quickly cleaned the bathroom, praying to Dende that Gohan won't do a mess after he took his bath. But she couldn't take any chances and wait for him to shower before she cleaned it, it was way too time risky.
After she made sure her house was perfectly neat, she quickly checked on her provisions of food. They couldn't allow to have anything missing. What if someone requested something in particular? She made a quick list of everything that was missing and pinned it on the fridge. Gohan would have to go do a small tour of the villages to get everything, but it won't matter, the guests were kings.
She then went behind their house and got the wood vessel she used to clean their clothes and she quickly finished the laundry. Her and Goten's clothes, her kimonos, Gohan's clothes and training Gis. Everything had this amazing pine cone odor their laundry product was made of. Her baby boy surely was a genius, making it on his own from natural products.
She then held the basket of clean clothes and went in front of the house where a laundry cord was hung between two trees, and she starting hanging on the several garments. She then hear the mechanical sound of a car, and she turned around, only to see a white car park near the house. She tilted her head; never in her life she had seen this car, so it shouldn't be anyone they know from near villages. And she hoped to Dende it wasn't; she couldn't snatch the vegetables from the garden, it usually is Gohan's job.
A young woman got off the car, and bowed respectfully at Chi-Chi "Hello, I'm sorry to bother, but I think we got lost. We are looking for the Son's residence, do you know in which village they live?"
Chi-Chi blinked several times. Just how late was she? She moved backwards towards the window, getting a glimpse of the time. Eleven. Just how fast could their car go?
She then noticed she was standing still, not saying a word to the woman in front of her, and she didn't want to appear rude. But it couldn't be them, could it? "Hello. This is here. I'm Chi-Chi Son. Can I help?"
The woman smiled happily at her "Mrs. Son, I'm Hoshiko, Videl's mother. Girls, get out of the car." Chi-Chi stood still as the young familiar girls stepped out of the car.
They were both wearing jeans and black sneakers. The girl she remembered was named Erasa was wearing a pink t-shirt under her white jacket, and Videl was wearing a green t-shirt under a blue jacket. The mother was dressed in a simple blue dress patterned with yellow flowers, a jeans jacket and black boots. They appeared nothing like city people.
The girls bowed respectfully at the Son matron, who was still in choc. She looked at the other mother and the car, back and forth "Please, call me Chi-Chi. I'm just surprised, I was expecting you this soon."
Hoshiko smiled at her "I'm sorry, is it too early? We didn't want to be late so we left a little bit early. But the road was shorter than what we expected."
Chi-Chi nodded at her. Fast car it is. Rich people, lucky her. She just hoped they won't be too 'city people', making her regret her decision to let them sleep in her house.
The Son matron smiled at them, but then something struck her. Where was this son of hers? She looked at her guests apologetically "I'm sorry, just one second." Then, she quickly turned towards the forest "GOHAN! COME BACK RIGHT NOW MISTER."
Both girls chuckled under their breath. They didn't expect that, at all. Chi-Chi turned her attention back to her guests, smiling politely "I'm sorry for being this loud. Please come in. Gohan will take care of your bags once he comes back. He should be here any second now."
The Satan mother shook her head "Non-sense, they're very light. We can each get our bag. But we really don't want to impose, so if you want to change your mind, please tell me."
Chi-Chi shook her head, smiling at them "No, really I insist. Now please come in." She opened the front door, inviting her guests inside "If you excuse me just one second, I have to check on Goten, my youngest." The girls nodded at her, as Chi-Chi disappeared in the room.
They started to look around them, exploring the house. It wasn't a big house, as it showed from the outside. The kitchen and living room were adjacent, and the television was just by the door. They saw three doors; the one Chi-Chi went in, which they assumed was her room, leaving the other two to be Gohan's and the bathroom. They saw several drawings hung on the walls they assumed were drawn by Gohan. They weren't very good, but very artistic. A boy and a purple dinosaur? A giant dragon coming out of the ground with orange balls under it? This boy surely had a lot of imagination. They then saw several pictures on the shelves, and hung up. One of Chi-Chi, a man they assumed was her husband with a baby they concluded was Gohan, one of Gohan's parents at their wedding; a weird photo of two blonde guy they assumed were family, one of Gohan as a teen with his parents. And finally, one that appeared to be new, with Gohan, his mother, and his baby brother; and as they suspected it, his father wasn't in the picture.
Chi-Chi came out of the room, and quickly noticed the absence of her son "Gohan isn't here yet? I swear to Kami, this boy is unbelievable. You never make your guests wait."
Hoshiko laughed lightly "It's not a problem. He must have thought we would arrive later. Let him be, kids this age have a lot of energy. That reminds me, are you aware of how fast your son rides his bike? This is a very long trip."
Chi-Chi mentally slapped herself and her son for this mistake. Who says they ride a bike all the way from the city to here? But then, it was Gohan, he wasn't very aware that people can't ride their bikes faster that 20 mph. She decided to play along and shook her head "I always tell him to be cautious. He says he knows shortcuts and that he's being careful. I think he's just excited, it was a gift from his godmother. He always wanted one, but with his father being absent for business, we couldn't easily go to the city so he can choose one. He got it on his birthday last year."
She wasn't totally lying. Goku was indeed never home, between him being dead and in outer-space. But Bulma decided to experiment of her new prototype of tires for mountain bikes, and who would be better than Gohan to try it. And it was the perfect way to appear normal.
The Satan mother nodded at her understandingly. She may not have a boy, but her daughter was as energetic as any, taking it from her father. She lost count of how many times she would come home covered in scratches.
Chi-Chi smiled at them, and looked around "I was thinking you could sleep in Gohan's room. It has the most space to put extra mattresses. I would gladly give you mine, but Gohan sewed Goten's crib to the ground because he managed to move it once to get our attention when he couldn't get out of it."
All the guests looked at her as if they've seen a ghost. A one year old boy who can move his crib? How? Hoshiko then regained her senses, noticing that the mother wasn't joking and she decided to let it go, asking about a more obvious matter "But what about Gohan? We don't want to kick him out of his room."
Chi-Chi shook her head "Don't worry. He can always sleep in my room. And you're going to have to ask him, but I don't know why he always sleeps outside during this time. Something about cherry trees. I can't get him inside, it's driving me crazy. He used to sneak out at night, until I told him it was okay. Boys, I swear."
Videl and Erasa chuckled. They never thought Gohan would be the type of boy to sneak out at night.
After many tries, Hoshiko accepted to sleep in Gohan's room and she went with the girls to put their stuff. His room was very neat, especially for a boy his age. They saw an endless amount of books, confirming their first thought, Chi-Chi really prioritized his education. There was a telescope on the window, some shelves with pictures and a closet. Very simple, as it was expected from a mountain house; and very organized, which proved that Gohan was indeed very responsible. Chi-Chi came with clean sheets, telling them that Gohan would bring the mattresses once he came back, if he ever escaped from her wrath alive.
After they settled, Chi-Chi prepared some coffee and juice and they all sat on a table she had set outside. Goten was playing next to her, and Videl and Erasa were looking at the garden, trying to guess the crops and plants.
Both girls then jumped when they heard sounds coming from the forest, and they rushed to the women, who didn't understand their surprise. Animals never came close to humans, so what startled them? Then, Goten started laughing as he got up and walked towards the forest. An instant later, Gohan showed up, clothes very dirty, and himself very sweaty. His eyes widened when he saw their guests already there, and he tried to avoid the death glares his mother sent him.
Chi-Chi quickly got up and analyzed her son "Just where were you mister? I called you an hour ago. Where are your manners, we have guests coming, we never let them wait. And why are you this dirty?"
Gohan blushed lightly as he bowed respectively "Hello, I'm sorry I didn't mean to come this late, especially like this." He then turned to his mother "I'm sorry. I was training near the river and I saw Mr. Takayeshi's son. He was cutting a tree but he couldn't hold all the logs. So I helped him so he won't have to come and go twice. Then Mr. Takayeshi needed help with his crops and the village's mayor was panicking because a tree was about to fall on his house so I helped cutting it, and it was a mess. And now I realize it's not an excuse and I shouldn't be this late, I'm sorry."
Hoshiko smiled at the young boy. She had a sense he was helpful, but not this much. It really brought joy to her heart to see there was still kids like this. She saw his mother trying to keep her glare, but she eventually smiled "Sweetie, next time, ask the mayor if you can call, so I know nothing happened to you. Now, go take a bath. And don't you dare mess up the bathroom."
Gohan blushed as he bowed and rushed inside his house. He quickly retrieved clean clothes from his closet and closed the bathroom door, showering as fast as he could.
Never in his life he thought he could shower this fast. Not even when he was left alone in the wilderness and had to shower in cold water. But showering this fast without getting even a drop of water out of the shower, that's gotta be amazing. His mother will be very pleased. He got up of the shower and looked at himself in the mirror. His hair will always be an unresolved question, just how didn't it change, even when it was wet? He quickly dried himself and put on his boxers. He then slid on his pants and, took his… pants? What? He took a pair of pants and a shirt, no? He packed a shirt, no? Oh Dende, he didn't. His mother told him to put away the clean laundry yesterday, but he was so focused on his telescope that he forgot and in a rush this morning, he put them all in the closet, without separating them. Oh Dende, what an amazing start for this weekend.
He peaked his head out of the bathroom, taking a glance at the house. Everyone was still outside, so he could easily sneak out to his room and get a shirt. But you think being the strongest being in the whole universe would ensure he had a good balance. Well, no, not at all. He forgot one tiny little detail when you get out of the shower. Your feet are slippery. And running in the house wasn't helping.
Chi-Chi quickly rushed inside when he heard a loud 'thump', followed by Hoshiko and the girls. She then stood in the living room, and stopped herself from screaming "Gohan? What are you doing on the floor?"
Gohan turned red from embarrassment, as he started to rub his hand "Umm, hi mother. I'm sorry, I slipped."
She rolled her eyes at him "And why are shirtless?" She then looked at his hand "And Dende, how harsh did you fall? You're bleeding? Is that even possible for you to bleed?"
He looked at his hand, noticing a long scratch on it, and blood on the counter, with a small missing part. Wow, is he bleeding? Seriously? That is a very steady counter, kudos to his father and Bulma. He usually would break it all if he touched it, so for it to only get broken lightly, then Bulma's new super-resistant materials were a success. He then saw his mother still looking at him, undecisive if she should be angry or worried and he looked down "I forgot my shirt in the room and I wanted to get it but my feet were still wet."
Chi-Chi sighed at her son. He defeated Cell, but couldn't walk on his two feet. What a lucky woman she was. She retrieved a clean cloth and put it under water to remove the blood of his hand. He thanked her and saw the girls looking at him, very surprised. He blushed and quickly went to his room.
Erasa turned her attention to Videl who was still under shock "Did you see that? He has more muscles that the PE teacher."
Videl shook her head "He's twelve? How is that possible? I heard him say he was training, but Kami, how much?"
Hoshiko overheard the girls' discussion but ignored it. If Gohan really was the boy from the Cell Games, him being ripped would make sense, even though she couldn't understand how. And sure, she wasn't very happy that her daughter was checking him out, but it didn't look like it mattered to her, it was more from curiosity, so it was okay.
Chi-Chi excused her son's behavior and invited them back outside. Seconds later, Gohan came in his traditional blue and white clothes, and he excused himself again, earning a chuckle from the girls and a comment from Videl's mom saying he apologizes too much.
The Son matron then asked Gohan to retrieve some vegetables from the garden as she excused herself "I'm going to prepare lunch. Do you have any request in particular?"
Hoshiko shook her head and looked at the girls "Why don't you help Gohan get the vegetables, while I help Mrs. Chi-Chi prepare the lunch?"
Chi-Chi quickly waved her hands "No please, you are my guest. The girls can help Gohan if they want, but you can stay here and enjoy the serenity of the place."
The Satan mother chuckled lightly, insisting on helping. After a while, Chi-Chi accepted as both teams separated.
Gohan went inside the small barn and retrieved gloves for the girls "Here, it's easier like this. I don't want you to scratch your hands or anything."
The girls accepted, not really knowing what to do and Gohan motioned at them to follow him. He looked at Videl and smiled "You already have some experience in gardening, no?" She nodded excitedly in agreement and he looked at the garden "If I remember correctly, you planted in yours carrots, radishes, and potatoes, so you won't need my help uprooting them. I guess you'd prefer to do it on your own?"
Erasa chuckled playfully. Gohan had gotten to know Videl in one interaction. And he was right, if Videl knew how to do something, she didn't like people telling her how to do it. She also never liked when she was wrong, but that was something for another time.
Videl nodded and Gohan called Erasa "Wanna help me get the lettuce?" Erasa nodded excitedly as Gohan gave her a knife "Be careful. Don't cut your hands. You want to cut it at bottom, but leave the roots in the ground so they grow up back later on."
Erasa started cutting the bottom of the lettuce, and she then held it up excitedly "Yey, I did it. I cut my first lettuce. What's next?"
Gohan chuckled at her enthusiasm and he looked around "Onions are pretty easy to get. There is also the leek and green onions."
Erasa and Videl both nodded as they started to gather the vegetables. Their mothers could hear them laugh from the window of the kitchen when Videl tried to pull a carrot but fell backward, or when Erasa got startled by a bug and it brought a smile to their face. The kids were getting along really well.
A few minutes later and the vegetables gathered, the kids were sent outside to get acquainted more while the mothers finished the lunch. Hoshiko asked about the gigantic quantity, and Chi-Chi chuckled, replying with a simple "You'll be surprised."
Half an hour later, the table was set outside, and Chi-Chi advised everyone to fill in their plates, to which they complied. She prepared a plate for Goten and told Gohan he could start eating, and he happily agreed. Hoshiko knew that boys tend to eat more than girls, but Gohan could eat like four grown up men. How?
She turned her attention towards her host who immediately understood her questioning glare "He has a very fast metabolism. Takes after his father. And because he trains and helps in the garden, he burns out every calorie. Kids are lucky, right?"
The girls all nodded as they saw dumbfoundedly the stack of empty plates piling next to Gohan.
Hoshiko then noticed something, and she knew it was wrong to ask, but it triggered her attention "Gohan?" The young boy looked at her, swallowing the noodles he just ate "One burger was enough for you? When we were at the restaurant?"
She knew why Gohan didn't want to get another one, she understood his reasons. But she didn't want the boy to be uncomfortable around her, to the point of being underfed. He blushed lightly, scratching the back of his neck "I ate before I come, so it was okay. By the time I got home, it held its own."
She wasn't at all convinced by his words, but she couldn't say anything else. But now she knew he was a heavy eater, and next time they would all eat together, she would make sure he would have something to at least tickle his stomach.
Erasa, on the other hand, noticed his twitch, and couldn't but ask "Say Gohan? Why do you always scratch your neck?"
The half-Saiyan almost chocked on his food, surprised by the question. He never thought people would ask about it, for him it was something normal; even Krillin and Yamcha did it sometimes. After taking a sip of water to make the food pass, he looked sadly at Erasa "I don't know. It's a habit I picked from my dad. He used to do it a lot."
The blonde girl mouthed a 'sorry', not wanting to open the subject of his dad again. He smiled at her, making her understand it was okay, and they all finished their meal.
After Chi-Chi took the dirty plates and cutlery inside, she looked at Gohan "Sweetie, could you go and run some errands for me? I'm missing a thing or two."
Gohan nodded and Hoshiko told the girls to go with him. Gohan advised them to not wear clothes that could tear, and they went inside to change. After wearing both of them sweatpants, they saw Gohan uprooting some vegetables, setting them in bags and he smiled at them.
He then went inside the garage and came back with his bike "Videl, do you want to ride it?" Said girl eagerly shook her head, making him chuckle "Erasa, you can sit in the back, and ride it on the way back."
The blonde accepted and Gohan gave Videl the bike, after he fixed the vegetable bags on the handle "I'll run next to you. Follow me, and be careful they are rocks on the ground."
Both girls stood in place, surprised at what he said. He will run next to them, seriously? And he said it nonchalantly, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.
They decided to ignore it for the moment, just to make sure he wasn't bluffing, and they got on their way. And when Gohan said he would run, they didn't expect him to be this fast. Is everyone in the mountains like this? This athletic? Gohan had a stamina like no other, was that even possible? He didn't even break a single sweat.
After several minutes that felt like an eternity for Videl, they finally arrived at a nearby village, Chazke village. Riding a bike in the mountains with the rocks and Erasa in the back wasn't as easy as it seemed. And Gohan wasn't even breaking a sweat. This boy became more and more mysterious. Gohan set his bike at the entrance, and motioned at the girls to follow him. He started greeting several villagers on the way, until he reached a small shop, where a young girl was sitting, playing with a passing cat.
When she saw him, she jumped excitedly "GOHAN! Hey. How are you?"
He smiled at her, engaging in a small conversation. Videl and Erasa saw him from afar, casually talking with the girl. So Gohan was shy, but not as much around people he knew. That was a good thing; at least they knew when he would get more comfortable around them, he would be more casual. They then saw him point at them and the girl waved at them, and they returned the gesture.
They then saw Gohan telling them to come over and he gestured at the girl next to him "This is Lime. Her grandfather is the shop owner of the village."
The girl bowed respectfully at them, a big smile on her face "Hello, it's nice to meet you. Gohan never brought people with him. Are you from another village?"
Gohan quickly told her they were from the city, and excused himself when he saw Mr. Lao behind the counter, leaving the girls alone.
This was a rooky mistake he made. Even if they don't know each other, you never leave girls alone. Gohan only entered for five minutes, just because Mr. Lao had forgotten where he put the noodles that Gohan had ordered from the city. He then went back outside and saw the girls laughing all together, and Videl and Erasa looked at him sneakily. Girls surely loved gossip, no matter their age. He didn't ask about it, as he was sure he would regret it, and instead asked for the whereabouts of Mr. Nagashika.
Mr. Lao told him he would find him at his house, and the kids made their way to him, Lime tagging alone. She liked Gohan's friends, they were nice and funny. She started asking them what is like to live in the city, how they met Gohan, if they went to school. All the stuff a normal eleven years old from the mountains could think about. What they did to play and pass time, if they've ever went hiking, playing with wild animals…
Gohan smiled at the interaction, happy that the city girls enjoyed Lime's company. He wasn't really friends with Lime, he saw only when he came to her village, but she was someone he gladly passed time with. And with his enhanced hearing, thank you Saiyan genes, he could easily hear what they talked about. He himself was very curious about the city, but they are questions he wouldn't usually ask as a guy, so it was a good thing they were discussing them. And he was happy that Videl and Erasa were answering the questions happily, not because they had to. It was so easy for them to engage in conversations, Gohan found that fascinating.
They arrived at Mr. Nagashika's house, and saw him sitting outside, drinking tea with his wife. He smiled at them, and got up to meet them "Hiya Gohan, Lime. I assume these lovely ladies are your friends?" Gohan nodded at him, presenting both Videl and Erasa, and the old man smiled "Nice to meet y'all. Tell me my boy, what can I do for ya?"
Mr. Nagasheki was one of the farmers that would exchange vegetables with the Son's family. Chi-Chi always claimed that he was a cheap person, but Gohan never said a word, and exchanged the bags respectfully. It was the adults' business, he was barely the delivery boy. He always thought it was ironic, seeing as he got the same label during the Cell Games, but it was true in the end; just a different context.
Gohan took the bags off his bike's handle and gave them to the old man "These are the vegetables you asked for. My mother told me she already called you."
The old man analyzed the bags and looked at the boy. Gohan could feel he wasn't going to be friendly with him. Sensing Ki really had its benefice. And he was right as the farmer shook his head "Won't do my boy. Ya mother asked for a lot o' vegetables. You ain't even sending three quarters of mines. Ya gonna have to pay fo' em."
Gohan stared at the man. What? They were more than enough vegetables to exchange them. His mother would kill him.
He looked at the girls who were noticing the exchange, surely curious about it. But it didn't look like they heard anything. He didn't want them to feel bad about it. The only person who seemed to understood was Lime, seeing as she knew about the old man's greediness.
Gohan looked in his pocket, retrieving what little money he had left from buying groceries at Lime's grandfather's store, and he sighed at the man "I have fifteen zenis. Does it work?"
The old man took the money and started counting it. He then looked at Gohan, a look saying 'I want more than this', but instead, he nodded, rather creepily "It ain't enough, but we could find a way. I have an ol' tree in by backyard. Can you remove it for me and cut it?"
Gohan sighed. He knew there was something else. He nodded at the man, and excused himself to the girls.
He should've guessed that the old man would want to use his strength in order to save money. Calling a lumberjack would cost him around fifteen zenis per hour. Gohan would do it for free, so he could extort him.
He reached the backyard and saw the tree. Just a normal fifteen meters long tree, with a two meters diameter. Nothing Gohan couldn't handle. He stood near the tree, defined a point, then he, punched it. And the tree fell. Nothing abnormal about this. Well, for the villagers who were used to Gohan. Not for two city girls who followed him and saw him uproot a gigantic tree, with his hand. Not hands, hand.
Lime saw their surprise and she chuckled "Surprised huh? He got us by surprise the first time too. You should see him when he holds it to get it to the mayor's office to cut it." Then, they actually saw him carry it as if it was a bag of cotton and he walked around the village. And the villagers didn't even care about this, and they continued their day as if everything was normal. Everything was normal with a twelve years old boy holding a gigantic tree on his shoulder.
They saw him then cut it and get it back to the guy. He then smiled at them, clasping his hands together to get the dirt off "Hey, I still have another village to go to. You wanna stay here with Lime? I know riding the bike was tiring." They looked at him, clearly waiting for him to talk about what happened earlier. But he didn't even mention it and waited for their answer.
Videl and Erasa decided to drop the subject and looked at each other and Videl smiled at him "No, it's okay, I'm tougher than that." He chuckled lightly. She really was a strong girl, he could feel it. She smiled lightly and looked at Erasa "Want me to ride and you sit?"
Gohan chuckled at her and quickly thought about something "Look, the road is a little bumpy. Let me ride it. Erasa could sit in the back, and Videl, I know you like this stuff, you can sit on the handle." He could see a hint of excitement in Videl's eyes and he got his bike.
They waved good-bye to Lime, who told them to come back soon. The girls then sat and Gohan took off. He blushed when he felt Videl being this close to him, even though he didn't really understand why. They reached the second village and Gohan exchanged the second bag of vegetables. He then bought the remaining of the groceries with the little money he had left, albeit having to help the farmer a little to cover all the fees.
They then rode back on the bike, joking a little, as they made their way back to the Son's house. When they arrived, Chi-Chi and Hoshiko sitting outside having coffee.
Chi-Chi saw the way Videl was sitting and as soon as Gohan stopped the bike, she didn't lose time glaring at him "Gohan, this is no way for a girl to be sitting. What were you thinking?"
Gohan quickly blushed, not knowing what to say, but Videl jumped off and tried to stop laughing "It's okay Mrs. Chi-Chi. It was fun. I asked Gohan to do it."
Hoshiko smiled at them as she hugged her daughter, asking them about their day out.
Chi-Chi called Gohan who held the bags and entered the house. He set them on the counter and his mother looked at him "Your clothes are dirty. I get it that you had to do some side things?"
Gohan nodded at her "Yeah. And Mr. Nagashika wanted more money also. I had a little lying around in my pocket but I didn't have enough for everything so I had to help him with a tree."
Chi-Chi sighed. This month was going to be tougher than expected, with Goten growing up and eating more, and Gohan entering his teenage years. They will have to think about something.
Hoshiko heard the conversation inside and looked at the girls "Everything was okay over there?"
Videl and Erasa looked at each other's and Videl sighed "Their lives is really weird. Gohan exchanged the vegetables he had but then the guy told him it wasn't enough and Gohan had to pay him, then it wasn't enough again and Gohan had to chop down a tree to help. And he did it with his hands, and he held the tree as if it was lighter than a feather. He is so strong, it's weird."
Erasa nodded and Hoshiko smiled lightly at them "I told you life here is different. They don't always have an easy life. I just hope they didn't have to get more food because of us. How was the bike ride?"
Videl and Erasa started talking about their experiences there. They told her about Lime, and the road there. How the farmers lived in the villages, the houses' dispositions, everything. And the smile never left their face as they talked about their first day, which made Hoshiko smile. She had a feeling this trip will turn out even better than what she expected.
A few minutes later, they entered the room looking for Gohan and Chi-Chi. They thought they were preparing the dinner and they wanted to help. When they didn't find them in the kitchen, they were sure they were talking about something and got out to give them more privacy.
But a few moments later, Videl told her mother she needed to use the bathroom and she entered the house. She saw Gohan's door and smiled when she saw he didn't have a sign on it, and she made a mental note to tell Erasa to give him the gift tonight. She then the door slightly opened and heard voices coming from inside. Being very curious, she peeked a little and saw Gohan and Chi-Chi inside, the young boy settling the mattresses.
She couldn't clearly see them, but she couldn't help but overhear. What could she do, she was curious. She could hear Chi-Chi giving Gohan directions "Okay sweetie, can you put it here? This way, Videl and Erasa could be next to each other if they want to stay up late. Are you okay? You've been a little down."
Videl then heard Gohan sigh "Yeah. It's just, I'm sure they think I'm weird. I saw the way they looked at me when I fell on the floor, and when was carrying the tree. And when I was riding the bike. I'm not set to have normal friends. I should only have dad's friends and stick to my books. I'm sure they got bored today. I mean, city people aren't used to our ways of living. I'm sure tomorrow they'll want to leave."
Videl could hear footsteps and she heard Chi-Chi talk in a low voice, and she assumed she was hugging Gohan since their shadows were close to one another "Sweetie, don't worry about this. You are an amazing boy okay? You don't need anyone's approval. If they can't accept you for who you are, strong and everything, that means they don't accept people who are different. And that's their problem, not yours. Stop beating yourself up and try to have fun."
Videl felt a limp in her throat. Were they looking at him weirdly? Did they make him feel bad? In the end, he was just a mountain boy who wanted to have a normal life. Okay, maybe he was very muscular for his age, and could easily hold trees. But that doesn't mean he's weird. He was a good guy, very polite and helpful. Anyone would be lucky to be his friend, and they just made it look as if they didn't want to, or that they were forced to come. They needed to repair this mistake.
Quickly, Videl rushed outside and held Erasa by the hand, taking her away from the house. The blonde girl started rubbing her hand "You have a strong grip. What's up?"
Videl quickly told Erasa what she overheard and the blonde girl was very surprised "Really? Kami, he must feel so bad. We didn't give this impression, did we? I feel so bad, what should we do?"
Videl started rubbing her hands together, per her habit, and she started thinking out loud "We have to stop looking at him differently every time he does something we find weird. And we can ask him more personal stuff, making him understand we want to know him better. We can ask what books he likes, or anime. If he had a pet and stuff like this."
Erasa nodded and both girls went back to sit on the table.
Hoshiko looked at them questionably "Everything okay?"
Videl quickly shook her head "Yeah, just asking Erasa something. Do you think they need help with something?"
The Satan mother rose her shoulders "I don't know. I want to help Chi-Chi but it looks like she and Gohan are talking about something. Did you talk with Gohan about tomorrow? What are you going to do?"
Both girls rose their shoulders as the son and mother duo got out of the house.
Chi-Chi quickly bowed, excusing their absence "I'm sorry, we were putting the mattresses. Do you have any request for dinner?"
Hoshiko looked at the matron and smiled "Let me help you. It'll be fun, I could learn a thing or two from you. It could be helpful at the restaurant." She saw Chi-Chi looking at her surprised and she smiled at her "I think I didn't mention that I was a chef at a restaurant in the city. But you are an amazing cook, I could really learn from you."
Chi-Chi smiled proudly as both mothers entered the house together.
The girl saw Gohan standing near the door, a slightly sad look on his face. Videl smiled at him, inviting him to sit with them on the table. They had to make the boy feel better about himself. They were amazing hosts and he was a very good friend. He just needed to see himself the way they did; an amazing, very friendly person.