Back again with Chapter 3. Once again I do not own DBZ.
Last Time...
"And I'm sorry for calling you a nerd earlier," Sharpner apologized.
"It's ok," Gohan responded as he stripped off his clothing. "I've been called worse."
As Gohan stepped into the shower, he reflected on his day so far. If he had to be honest, high school was a lot better than he thought. He'd already made two friends and once Videl admitted it, three!
And So the First Day Concludes
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Soon enough, it was time for Gohan's favorite period: lunch! He had not eaten anything all day and his stomach was protesting vehemently. He dashed out of the classroom the second the bell rang with Erasa and Sharpner hot on his heels. Videl trailed along at a more moderate pace while attempting to drill a hole in the back of his head with her trusty Death Glare TM. As his friends headed over to the cafeteria, Gohan headed for the courtyard and took a seat under a large, shady cherry tree.
Reaching into the pocket of his book bag, Gohan fished for his lunch, producing a small capsule a short time later. He threw it a few feet away from him, producing a puff of smoke which quickly cleared to reveal not a buffet table, stacked with countless steaming plates of food, but a single small bowl of rice. Tears nearly welled up in the demi Saiyan's eyes as his father's other punishment resurfaced in his mind: one human-sized meal per day. How was he going to survive on this? Sighing, Gohan got out his chopsticks and ate at the slowest pace he had ever managed, planning to savour every bite. After all it was going to be an entire twenty-four hours before he'd get any more.
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Meanwhile, Sharpner, Erasa and Videl stared down at their lunch trays where the special for today sat. It was grayish brown in color, had a rather stinky odor and was semi solid. Although Orange Star High was an elite high school, its kitchen staff came from the same training facility as all the public schools. Erasa wrinkled her nose in disgust as she saw the bowl of slop jerk a little on its own. She quickly made a note to have her mom mention this abomination at the next PTA meeting.
"Ok, now that we have our mystery meal for the day, how about we go find Gohan!" Erasa chirped, trying to make the best of the situation.
Videl groaned. "Do we have to sit next to him?" she whined. "I mean can't he find some friends of his own?"
Erasa giggled. "Don't be silly! We're his friends!" she chided. "And we have to make him feel welcome!"
"You mean he's your friend," Videl growled gesturing to the two blondes. "Because he's certainly not mine!"
"Don't worry baby, I'll protect you from him," Sharpner said, snaking an arm around Videl's waist.
Videl growled and grabbed the offending appendage, using it to toss the blond into a conveniently placed trash can. Dusting off her hands she exclaimed, "Don't call me baby and I certainly do not need protection! Let's go, Erasa!"
As they stepped out onto Orange Star High's courtyard, they stopped in their tracks as they noticed the Son boy staring longingly at an empty bowl. "Why father?" they heard him whisper brokenly as he clutched himself, rocking back and forth.
Did he just say 'why father'? He's holding his ribs. Does that mean that his father was the one who gave him that nasty bruise? Is he being abused at home? But he's so strong! I know he can fight from the way he held me down earlier. But if he can fight, how did he manage to get beat up like that? Surely his father could not be stronger than him. There's no way there are two people stronger than me, besides my father of course.I must get to the bottom of this! With that final thought, Videl stomped over to him, standing intimidatingly (or so she thought) over the male teenager. Unfortunately for her, the boy didn't even notice her as muttered to himself, clutching his aching middle. Videl cleared her throat, drawing attention to herself. However, the Son boy did not look up at her once, too busy wallowing in self-pity.
"Gohan!" Videl shouted, grabbing his chin finally forcing the boy to look up at her. However she was taken aback at the absolute misery she saw reflected in the teenager's onyx eyes.
"Gohan!" she heard a high-pitched voice from behind her. In no time, Erasa had dropped her food tray next to Sharpner and embraced Gohan in a hug from behind. "What's wrong?" she blonde girl asked, genuinely worried about her new friend.
Videl whispered her hypothesis in Erasa's ear and then stood back, taking a seat next to Sharpner. She really didn't care who asked the questions as long as she got her answers. She watched as the blonde girl's eyes widened before they welled up with tears. "Does your dad really hit you, Gohan? Did he give you that bruise?" she asked softly stroking the boy's surprisingly soft spiky locks.
Gohan shook his head. "We were just sparring," he replied slowly much to Erasa and Sharpner's relief and to Videl's chagrin. So she had been way off with that conclusion. She felt a little stupid that it had never crossed her mind that he could have gotten that bruise from a spar. Well I guess his dad really is strong. This does not look good for my chances at the WMAT title.
"So what's wrong? What did your father do?" Erasa asked, thinking the worst.
"He…" Gohan started before closing his eyes and letting out a depressed sigh.
"It's ok, Gohan. You can tell us. We promise we won't let anything else happen to you," Erasa coaxed.
Gohan nodded with great difficulty. "He…he only gave me one bowl of rice for lunch!" he continued as if it were the worst thing in the world.
Videl, Sharpner and Erasa's mouths fell open in shock before they fell over anime style. This is what had the boy so worked up? The bowl wasn't even that small.
Videl was the first to recover. "Are you freaking kidding me!" she yelled. "And to think I was almost worried about you!"
"Videl!" she reprimanded. "Can't you just be nice for once?"
Turning to Gohan, she said, "I'm really sorry about her. You can have my lunch if you want it."
Gohan looked at her as if she were his personal savior. Tears welled up in his eyes as he asked, "Really? You'd do that for me?"
Erasa nodded, trying not to laugh. It wasn't as if she were giving up much. She was pretty sure it was going straight to the trash anyway. However Gohan saw the slop as a divine blessing. The three could only watch as the tray of slop disappeared in 0.15 seconds.
"Thank you so much, Erasa," Gohan said gratefully, embracing the blode in a tight hug. "You're a true friend."
Erasa just hugged back, a huge sweatdrop lingering over her head.
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As the day went on, Gohan discovered he shared five classes with our resident hero, much to her chagrin. He also shared four with Erasa and Sharpner. Soon enough, the final bell rang. As he was about to leave, Erasa placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey Gohan!" she said. "We're going to the mall this afternoon. You wanna come with?"
Gohan shook his head. "Sorry Erasa, but I have to run some errands for my parents plus I have a long trip home," Gohan replied with a smile. "Maybe next time."
The blonde girl's shoulders sagged slightly in disappointment. "Oh, ok," she responded. "See you tomorrow, then."
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Videl turned to her blonde friends with a huge smirk on her face. "Well, let's go!" she said beckoning to them.
"Where exactly are we going?" Sharpner responded as he followed Videl behind a hedge.
"We're following him of course!" Videl responded in a hushed tone. "Don't be so loud! He might hear us!"
"Gohan?" Erasa whispered harshly. "But why?"
"He obviously hiding something and we're going to find out what!" Videl replied with purpose as she navigated behind some park benches.
"Like what? A secret girlfriend?" Sharpner sneered.
"I don't know!" Videl replied. "That's why we're following him."
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Meanwhile, Gohan's Saiyan senses tingled as he felt the trio trailing him from a distance.
"And here I thought they trusted me. No doubt Videl's behind this," Gohan grumbled. He was on his way to pick up his dad's anniversary present for him mom. He smirked as he walked through the doors of the nearby lingerie store. Would he love to see the look on Videl's face right now! The truth was, after being dragged around malls countless times between his mom, Bulma, Lime, Launch and 18, being in a lingerie store just didn't embarrass him anymore.
"Adult Playpen, huh?" Sharpner leered, raising his eyebrows. "New boy's got a little kinky side huh? Maybe he's a cross dresser! That could be his big secret!" he continued sarcastically.
"Don't be stupid Sharpner! Gohan's way to cute to be a drag queen! But what could he possibly be doing in there?" Erasa questioned.
"Come on! Let's go find out!" Videl said, trying to pull the two blondes along with her.
"Nah, I think I'll pass," Sharpner responded. "I'm sure whatever he's hiding, it's nothing illegal." He really just wanted to go to the mall and have some fun. He knew Gohan was cool and if he had any secrets he would let them know when he was ready
"Yeah, me too," Erasa said. "I don't think this is right."
"Fine!" Videl responded with a frown as her friends walked off. "I'll go by myself!"
She watched as a woman in her late twenties searched through the racks before she said jokingly to Gohan, "Aha! This would look perfect on me don't you think?"
Videl's eyes trailed to the pinkest, skimpiest scrap of cloth she had ever seen. She would wear that? It looks like it came straight out of a porno movie!
"Nah that's not your color. Green brings out your eyes more." Gohan joked tapping his chin in thought. He recognized the young woman from his days at West City University when he was only thirteen years old.
The young woman's emerald eyes sparkled as she giggled. "I knew I liked you the minute I laid eyes on you! If I were just a few years younger… Some lucky girl would be happy to have you!" she complimented.
"Don't you recognize me, Brittany? It's Gohan!" he replied.
Excitement radiated through the blonde's demeanor as she hugged him and shrieked excitedly, "Gohan? The cute little shrimp from WCU?"
Videl stared at the conversing friends in disbelief. He went to WCU? How could he possibly have gone to WCU if he's only my age?
"Hey! I wasn't that little," Gohan defended.
"What are you talking about? You were about level with my chest," the girl responded. "Oh my gosh! You look so grown up now! And you cut your hair!"
Videl jotted down these facts as she heard them in her notebook. So he used to go to WCU and had longer hair.
Gohan blushed at the attention he was getting, running a hand through his short locks. "Yeah, dad banished me to high school and mom said I'd look too much like a "delinquent" with long hair," Gohan responded with a laugh.
So being sent to high school was some kind of punishment for him?
"That sounds just like her. What did you do to your dad this time?" Brittany responded. Gohan was notorious at WCU for being a prankster, even to his own parents.
"Pretty much developed a drug that would give him ED for a week," Gohan answered, laughing at the incredulous look on his old friend's face.
He developed drugs and fed them to his father? But he's not qualified! He could have killed him! I think that's basis enough to warrant a police search of his house.
"Seriously, Gohan?" the young woman responded. "Well, I guess that's what they get when they send a thirteen year old to college."
Gohan just grinned innocently. "So what have you been up to?" he asked casually.
"Well Dean and I are finally getting married so I'm shopping for our honeymoon!" Brittany said showing Gohan her diamond and emerald engagement ring.
"Congratulations!" Gohan remarked. "I knew you guys would stay together. I wish you a long and happy marriage!"
"Thanks! Anyways I got to get going! Here's my number so we can catch up!" her young woman said, handing him a business card.
Gohan just chuckled and waved back as the young lady waved goodbye to him.
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"Hello, handsome!" the girl at the front desk greeted, flirtatiously.
"Good afternoon, miss," Gohan responded politely. "I came to pick up a package for Mr. Son."
"You're getting right down to business, aren't you?" the girl responded at his evasiveness. "I'll go check in the back!"
Not a minute later, the girl returned with Chi Chi's present. "Wow! You have good taste!" the girl exclaimed. "Would you like some flavored condoms to along with it?"
Gohan's eyes bugged out of his head as his cheeks turned cherry red once again. "Oh, no thanks!" he replied. "It's for my mom!"
The girl made a face. "You bought sexy underwear for your mom?" she asked incredulously.
"No!" Gohan responded, trying to shake the memories of the many times he's caught his parents going at it out of his head. "My dad bought it for my mom for their anniversary. I'm just the delivery boy here."
"Oh! That makes sense. I thought you were one of those freaks for a second," the girl responded.
Gohan just chuckled uneasily and gave her a little wave before heading over to the empty corner of the store, where the spying girl stood.
As he approached the rack she was hiding in he pretended to act surprised. "Videl?" he asked. "What are you doing here and on the floor?"
She got up, dusting herself off while blushing. "It's none of your business Gohan!" Videl said.
"Aww! Embarrassed to be caught picking out a new bra, Videl?" he teased causing Videl to go cherry red. He grinned inwardly.
"No you jerk!" Videl yelled, surprised he had the guts to tease her that way. Then her eyes narrowed as she turned the tables on him. "Besides what are you doing here?"
Gohan's face turned serious. "Feeling highly annoyed that you have been following me since I left school. Care to explain?" he said in a cold voice, raising his eyebrow.
Videl's eyes widened as she realized she was caught before she caught herself. "I don't have to explain anything to a nobody like you," she said defiantly, expecting him to back off.
Gohan's eyes flashed teal for a second. Suddenly, Videl found herself against the wall, her face inches away from Gohan's. "Listen and listen well. Your father might be Hercule but that doesn't give you the right to follow me around. Don't let me catch you doing it again," he said in a cold voice.
Videl was shocked for a second. She never thought Gohan could be so cold. Wait. I don't have to stand here and take this! He's not my father! Glaring at him she raised her leg, ready to kick him where the sun don't shine when his arm came down like lightning, pinning her legs to the wall as well.
"That's a low blow. Even for a two bit martial artist like you!" Gohan growled at her.
"Two bit? I'll show you two bit!" Videl shouted as she punched him with all she had only for him to chuckle.
"Pitiful. A true martial artist also knows when they are outmatched," he said.
"What do you know about martial arts anyway?" Videl countered as she struggled against him. "You just had a lucky break this morning. You should be thankful I went easy on you!"
"Easy huh?" Gohan chided. "So tell me, if I'm so weak, why can't you break free?"
"It's a trick!" she said. "It's got to be all a trick!"
Gohan laughed mirthlessly. "You really are your father's daughter aren't you?" he said shaking his head in pity before he let her go.
As soon as she was free, she charged at him, kicking and punching him with all her might. "Aha! You're wearing some kind of body armor aren't you?" she accused.
Gohan just laughed and pushed her away gently. "How did you guess!" he said sarcastically. "It's called bone and muscle, perhaps you've heard of it?"
Seeing she was fighting a losing battle, Videl played her last card. "I can have you arrested for assault!" she said triumphantly knowing she had won.
"So can I. You've got no proof. It's your word against mine," Gohan countered.
"That's right! But who are the cops going to believe? Me, the daughter of the world's savior or you, the nerdy new kid at OSH?" she smirked at him.
"Yeah," Gohan said hanging his head in defeat. "They would believe you wouldn't they?"
Videl nodded looking like the cat that caught the canary. "Yup! Now tell me all your secrets before I go to the cops!" she demanded.
"Not before I file a restraining order against you," Gohan smirked, wagging a finger before pointing above his head. "Security cameras do not lie," he added before walking off.
Videl growled in frustration. He had backed her up against the wall in the blind spot of the camera but her attempt to attack him was clearly visible. He'd one upped her yet again! It just wasn't fair!
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"Big brother! Big brother! You're home! You're finally home!" Goten yelled, tackling Gohan to the ground the minute he landed in front of the Son residence.
It was Goku's pride and joy, one that he had spent many grueling months completing. It was a two story wooden structure which had five large bedrooms, each with their own bathroom, large kitchen, den, sitting room, study, dining room, laundry room and an attic. There was a huge back patio in the middle of which sat a hot tub. A small playground was also there for Goten's benefit. There was also a small lab where Goku did much of his inventing.
It turned out that Goku had inherited the scientific mind of his father. His inventions rivaled Bulma's in every way. Thus, in order not to create competition, the Sons had a 50% share in Capsule Corps although to the media at the Sons' request, the Briefs' maintained full control. Goku managed most of the mechanical and martial arts divisions while Bulma tended to deal with the medical, clothing and cosmetic divisions of the company. Vegeta also surprised the Z-team with his excellent entrepreneurial skills. The man had a mind for business and his ideas had sent Capsule Corp to new heights. It had gotten to the point where Bulma started sending him to business meetings instead of going herself.
"Hey squirt!" Gohan replied. "What did you do today?"
The young demi Saiyan placed his index finger on his chin before rambling on. "Well… I woke up, went downstairs for breakfast, then I called Trunks to see if he could come over and his mom said yes so I went outside to play until he came and when he came we went out into the forest and caught some fish then we went swimming and then we dyed daddy's hair orange when he was sleeping but don't tell him it was us and then mommy made us lunch the Trunks went home then I found a frog and I wanted to keep him as a pet but mommy said I couldn't keep him then you came home!"
"Looks like you had a full day, squirt!" Gohan laughed, marveling at how he could say that much without stopping to take a breath. "How about we go inside?"
"Ok!" Goten cheered, getting up from his perch on Gohan's chest. The elder Son boy concealed the package in his backpack in case his mom got curious before following his younger sibling.
"Hi mom," Gohan greeted his mom with a kiss on the cheek. "I'm home."
"Gohan!" Chi Chi greeted. "How was your first day? Did those kids treat you well? Did you make any friends? Did you make any girlfriends? I could just imagine how cute my grandchildren will be!"
Gohan looked incredulously at his mother as she stared into space with stars in her eyes, all the while clutching an invisible child to her chest. He shook his head, feeling sorry for any future children he might have. They probably wouldn't last too long if she planned on hugging them like that. Seeing his mother would not be coming out of her fantasy for a while, Gohan headed to his parents' room.
As promised, Goku lay on the king-sized bed, fast asleep, his hair the same bright orange hue as the gi bottoms he was wearing. Barely concealing a laugh, Gohan shook his father awake.
The older Son rubbed his eyes sleepily and yawned. "Hey Gohan," he greeted as he sat up and stretched his arms. "How was school today? Did you make any friends?"
"It was as expected, really: boring as hell. I made two friends and had the misfortune of running into the spawn of Satan," Gohan replied.
"Aw, come on, Gohan," Goku said, "They can't be that bad."
"She tried to attack me twice today and she stalked me after school," Gohan said, raising an eyebrow.
His father only grinned widely, reminiscing on his meeting and subsequent courtship with Chi Chi. For some reason; the stalking and random attacks only heightened his attraction to her. They were about to celebrate their twentieth anniversary with a fifth honeymoon at the Ox Kingdom's Summer Palace. He couldn't believe it was that long already. "I think someone's got a little crush on you!" Goku teased.
"Crush?" Gohan said, ignoring the slight blush developing on his cheeks. "She doesn't have a crush on me! She just got it in her head that I'm hiding secrets from her and she's determined to uncover them."
Goku's grin got even wider. "Well, you kinda are keeping secrets from her," he replied.
"Dad!" Gohan exclaimed in exasperation. "You're not helping."
Goku smirked. "Was I supposed to be helping?" he teased.
Gohan just rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in despair. "Whatever," he said. "I'm going to my room now. Enjoy your vacation," He took the package out of his bag, dumped it on the bed next to his father and headed out the door. He had to have the craziest parents out there. Passing through the hallway, he spied his mother, who was now changing the invisible baby's diaper. Definitely the craziest parents.
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Walking through his bedroom door, Gohan dropped his back pack on the floor and stripped down to his boxers. Who knew a day of doing absolutely nothing could take so much out of you? He turned to his bed, ready to jump in when he noticed one of his best friends, Lime under the covers.
Lime was a pretty, short girl with long auburn hair and beautiful green eyes. He had met her in a nearby village just before the Cell Games, saving her from drowning in a river. At first she had thought he was a pervert as he had held her around her chest but once that was resolved, the two had become like brother and sister, so much so that she knew everything about the Saiyans. Lime's parents had been consumed by Cell, but were brought back afterwards by Shenlong. Her parents had sent her to study with Chi Chi during the day after hearing of Gohan's academic achievements. Now she was a world famous photographer, holding several degrees in photography and design. She pretty much had her own room at the Son household, as did Future Trunks or Mirai, as they called him. He had returned from the future about three years ago when his mother had died in his time. He now lived in the Briefs household as an older brother to present day Trunks. Mirai was a bit behind in his schooling seeing as he had life or death matters to deal with in the future, however, Chi Chi quickly remedied the situation and now all three of them were at the same educational level.
"Lime!" Gohan yelled, "What are you doing in here? Don't you have your own bed?"
Lime just looked up at him sleepily, annoyed at the disturbance. "Your bed is comfier," she replied groggily.
Gohan rolled his eyes but decided not to argue. The girl was very stubborn when she wanted to be. "Move over," he said, taking the space next to her before falling asleep.
Approximately ten minutes later, they were both jolted out of their slumber as a loud yell echoed through the house, "GOTEN!" Then and only then did Gohan collapse into a fit of laughter.
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