Hi there!
After a lot of re-writing, re-thinking and cutting out 2 whole pages (A4) of conversations, I've finally finished this chapter. It was a difficult one to write, but I'm quite pleased how it turned out. I hope you'll enjoy it.
Thank you again for all the lovely reviews form the previous chapter!
Guest (04/08): OMG! I don't know how I managed it, but I didn't know about the existence of that movie... I enjoyed it! But I'll stick with the series, because the movies are supposedly not canon
Chapter 13: Second chances
"You idiot!"
Gohan winced as her voice echoed through the classroom. He didn't understand what he'd done wrong, though he knew that the tone in her voice meant he was in serious trouble. When he dared to open his eyes, he saw Videl standing behind her desk with her hands slammed on the table, a very angry expression was visible on her face. He swallowed slowly.
"Miss Satan! Well have I ever! That's no way to welcome your fellow student back. I'll see you in my office at the start of recess!" the principle said with disbelief.
Only then did Videl realize she'd said that out loud for the whole class to hear. Shocked by her own reaction, she immediately sat back in her seat. "Sorry sir, I didn't mean to!" she apologized and looked with embarrassment to her table.
"Well, without further ado, Master Son, go ahead."
Gohan nodded at the principle and stepped forward, still a little nervous about Videl's outburst. He cleared his throat. "As you may know, I went missing for a while, and I'm sorry if any of you worried about this. Apparently I've been mugged and drugged and I have no conscious memories of what happened, so I can't answer any questions. I'm fine given the circumstances, but I want to ask you to give me some space, because I'm not fully recovered yet. That's all I wanted to share," saying what Bulma told him to say. Then Gohan turned to the principle and waited for his approval to go to his seat.
"Thank you for sharing your story with us and do the things at your own pace. All teachers are aware of your situation and don't hesitate to go to the infirmary if you're not feeling well."
"Thank you sir," said Gohan, bowing slightly in gratitude, then walking up the stairs to his usual seat.
When he was within earshot, Sharpener greeted him with a big grin on his face, "Missing school already? You really are a nerd, aren't you Gohan?"
Gohan looked surprised at the blond jock. Sharpener had never used his real name before. But he couldn't think about it for long as a cry of happiness escaped Erasa's lips as she began to hug him. "Oh, we've missed you so much! You've got us all worried. Never do that ever again!"
"Are you deaf? Gohan has clearly asked everyone to give him some space, that doesn't mean you should hug him to death," Videl snapped at the bubbly blond.
"Wow, easy there, sour puss! Did someone get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" Erasa let go of Gohan and looked stunned at her best friend's reaction.
A slight blush appeared on her face. Why did her blond friend always had to be so spot on when it came to her feelings? This morning's luscious dreams were indeed the reason why she was now so irritated. She didn't want to have such thoughts, not in the slightest. And it was all because of him. "And you, why are you even here? You couldn't get out of bed properly yesterday," Videl continued towards Gohan, ignoring Erasa. "And now you look like nothing has even happened."
"Someone had to bring you your stuff," the confused boy said carefully, sliding her backpack toward her under the desks. "I figured you'd want your phone and jet copter back." Videl's eyes grew in surprise. She hadn't expected that answer. "Also," Gohan continued, "give me two hours, and you can mop me off the floor. I've just had a healing session, but that doesn't last long I'm afraid."
"Then why are you here?" Videl asked again, but this time in a soft voice, her anger gone as quickly as it had come.
"Trunks called my little brother yesterday, telling him a girl had entered my room and hadn't left until the next morning," he deliberately avoided Videl's gaze. "Unfortunately, Goten had the phone on loudspeaker and my mom overheard the call..." he sighed and rested his head on his hand. "Long story short, I'm forced to be here by my mother, even though I haven't recovered yet."
"What the... are you serious? What was she thinking?" Videl felt her anger rise again. "You almost died!"
"Well, when it comes to my studies, she's very ambitious. Me almost dying is no excuse. She once forced me to study an hour after I was hospitalized with a severe concussion, a few bruised ribs, and some other serious injuries. I know she means well, but sometimes I wish she would let go a little bit and not jump to conclusions."
"But what did that call have to do with her change of heart?" Erasa asked curious.
Gohan chuckled reluctantly and ran a hand through his hair, "If I could act like – and I quote – 'a promiscuous hooligan', I was fit enough to go to school."
The two blonds burst out in laughter, knowing all too well that Gohan was as far off a promiscuous hooligan as could be, and even Videl couldn't resist a snicker. But it didn't go unnoticed by the teacher, "Be quiet back there, I know you haven't seen your peer in a while, but please postpone your conversations to the break!"
The four fell quiet. Gohan, the good student he was, took a notebook from his satchel and tried to focus on the lecture. His motor skills were still off and he was unable to make precise hand movements to write properly, but he tried to make the most of it. Suddenly, a large hand appeared and grabbed his notebook. He looked surprised in the direction his book had disappeared and was met with an uneasy expression of Sharpener. "Let me help you with your notes for once, Brains," Sharpener couldn't stand seeing his friend struggle like that.
"Thanks," Gohan said with some relief and slumped back into his seat. He felt as if all his energy had already drained from his body, and they weren't even halfway through the first lesson. By the time the bell rang for recess, he had fallen asleep on his desk. After Erasa woke him up, he packed his belongings and followed his friends to the large evergreen oak tree where they normally took their break. As soon as he could, he flopped down on the grass and used his satchel as a pillow. He let out a content sigh. The fresh air did him good and the sun on his face was a welcome feeling after all the days he'd spent indoors.
"So, Gohan, I have to ask, was Videl really sleeping in the same room as you when she came to visit?" Erasa asked curious.
"Yes, but don't get any funny ideas, I've got my mother for that," he said, having learned the hard way what people might think. He couldn't suppress a slight blush, though. It was actually the first night he'd slept so well in ages. Normally his nights were clouded by old nightmares and dark themes. But somehow they didn't show up that night, and when he cuddled up to her that morning, he remembered a great sense of satisfaction. Her warmth, her scent... her body against his. 'Stop Gohan!' he thought to himself as he caught himself thinking back to that moment - knowing all too well it wasn't the first time.
"Wow, consider yourself lucky it was your mom and not Mr. Satan, when he finds out you're a dead man!" Sharpener exclaimed.
"Hmf," was all Gohan could bring up. Sharpener had no idea. Mr. Satan was nowhere near his mother's wrath when it came to punishment. Expecting Videl to respond, he opened his eyes to look at the girl, but to his surprise, she wasn't there. "Where is she, actually?"
"She had to go to the principle, remember," Erasa reminded him, "She called you an idiot for no reason."
"Ah, I forgot." And that wasn't the only thing he had forgotten. With a sigh, he sat up and rummaged in his satchel to find some jars. He had forgotten to take his medicine, maybe he felt therefore so terrible. When he had collected the correct amount of pills that Bulma had prescribed, he took them all at once and washed them away with some water.
"Hungry much?" Gohan looked up and saw Videl standing in front of him, eyebrow raised. "The principle told me to apologize to you, so I'm sorry I called you an idiot, you idiot," Videl said with a defiant grin on her face. "Here, I brought you some coffee. This may help you through the next hour."
"Thanks." Gohan took the cup she offered him and looked closely at the girl. There was a slight disappoint written on his face.
"What? Did I bring you the wrong one?"
"No, that's not it," Gohan averted his gaze and nervously scratched his neck out of habit.
"What is it?" Videl grew impatient.
"I see you've got your pigtails back in."
"So?"
"You should let your hair down more often, it looks good on you," he didn't dare to look at the girl, afraid that she would take his comment the wrong way. But he honestly thought she looked really good if she did, not that she didn't look good with her pigtails... but still.
Before the now blushing teen could react, Erasa echoed Gohan, "He's right, you know, it makes you more feminine. There's no crime here, so why don't you take those hairbands off for us? We deserve a little eye-candy." She gave Gohan a playful wink.
The boy flustered. Eye-candy? Did he look at her in that regard? He had to admit that he often looked at Videl for no good reason, but he never thought much about it.
"Why don't you two stay out of my hair and leave me alone," she said irritably, still with a slight blush on her cheeks. She couldn't help but think about Gohan's comment. Was that a compliment? Did that mean he found her attractive? Ah, and there they came again, the funny feelings in her stomach she was trying to avoid. She took a deep breath to get herself together and tried to change the subject as she sat down next to the oak tree. "What is the status of our history project? It's due to tomorrow."
"Project?" drawing the half-Saiyan from his thoughts.
"Oh man, we are so screwed," Erasa said with defeat.
"How come?" Gohan curiously asked, "Maybe I can help."
"You better be, Brains, you're on our project group after all" Sharpener said jokingly, though he hoped Gohan would indeed help them. "The history project is about Japanese mythology."
"Due to recent events, we decided to do the project on the dragon god Ryūjin," Erasa explained. "We did our best, but we are still short of words."
"I know of a story that contains a dragon god, his name is not Ryūjin, though, but it comes close to it. If I remember correctly, there are documents that say this story could be real. Do you think we may add that?" Gohan said, "It's a bit of a gray area."
"It's better than nothing," Videl shrugged her shoulders.
"Alright, I can tell you the story, but I can't write it down," Gohan said, raising his arm to show his trembling hand to validate the last comment. And so he told his best friends a tale about the dragon god Shenron and seven magical orbs, without telling them that he had witnessed his power himself. "After the wishes are granted, the sky regains its normal color as the Eternal Dragon returns to the Earth's core as the so-called Dragon Balls are scattered across the Earth's surface, turning to stone for a whole year," he finished.
"And why could this be real? It's quite an incredible story." Sharpener raised an eyebrow.
Gohan fell silent for a moment, avoiding eye contact with Videl. "It is rumored that they were used seven years ago to bring people back to life after the Cell Games." Then he put on a fake smile to lighten the mood and looked at his long-haired blond friend, "But it's a rumor, of course, but it may be enough to meet the required word count for the history project."
"True or not, you are a genius! Thanks Gohan, we owe you one!" Erasa stood up, "Let's write this down before I forget. Our next class is canceled anyways, so it's a good opportunity to work on our project. Are you guys coming?"
Everybody got up except Gohan. "Um, do you mind if I talk to Videl privately for a moment?" All three of his friends looked at him in surprise.
"Yeah sure, no problem. Come on, Sharpie, let the two lovebirds do their thing," Erasa teased, grabbing the jock's arm to drag him to the school.
Both black-haired teens blushed profusely. "We aren't lovebirds!" Videl yelled after her, but they already disappeared into the crowd of students. Videl sat back down in the grass with a sigh. "Sometimes I can't stand her. She always does that."
Gohan studied her face. "I'm sorry I gave her the wrong impression, I didn't mean to." He reached for his satchel and pulled out a sheet of paper. "What I really wanted to talk to you about is this," and handed the paper over to her, "Do you know this man?"
It was a printed image of a laboratory, captured by a security camera, with a man taking something out of a drawer. Videl recognized the bald, lanky-looking guy. "Yeah, that's the crook who poisoned you," Videl said, looking at Gohan's surprised face.
"Really?" he took the paper from Videl's hand and looked at it again. "He doesn't strike me as your average criminal. What do you know about the guy?"
"Well, I spoke to him in prison the day you were found. His name is Habas Erpeto. He told me that he was asked by some criminals to get rid of you. In return, they promised him money for the treatment of his sick daughter. The guy was unemployed and I think he saw this as his last resort to help his daughter." Videl drew up her knees and hugged them. "I think he regretted his actions. He even helped me to figure out what poisoned you with some riddles. At first I thought he was just playing a game with me, but later I came to the conclusion that he gave me the answers in riddles because the police were listening too and he didn't want to get in any more trouble." She looked at Gohan, "I wouldn't be talking to you right now without those riddles."
"Do you think he would have stayed on straight and narrow if his daughter's treatment hadn't been a problem?"
"I think so, yes."
"Okay, that's all I wanted to know, thank you."
"What did he steal?" She asked, curious as always.
"It's quite complicated to explain," Gohan ran again a hand through his hair uncomfortably, "I'm not sure what Bulma told you about me, but let's put it this way..." he paused for a moment and decided to explain it from Saiyaman's point of few. "Normally, Saiyaman can't be hit that easily. As you may have seen, he can even deflect bullets with his bare hands. I was quite surprised that the darts pierced my skin to be honest," he sighed, still not understanding what had gone wrong. He was focust during the battle – and not distracted by Videl as Bulma had suggested – and he had his Ki-barrier up. "But when Bulma examined the dart you found, she was surprised to see that the needle itself came from Capsule Corp., her personal stock to be precise – a needle made solely to pierce my skin. So when Bulma checked her CCTV footage, we found this image," he pointed to the piece of paper. "Thanks again for sharing your opinion," he stood up with difficulty.
Videl looked at him in surprise, "What are you doing?"
"I'm going home, I don't feel fit enough to finish this day at school. Besides, I have other things to take care of."
"Do you want me to take you home?" she asked out of compassion.
"Only if you don't mind me not inviting you in, I'm really tired."
"I'll forgive you this time," she smiled at him, knowing full well that the boy was still ill. She reached into her backpack and took out the capsule that contained her copter. When it had appeared, she opened the passenger door and bowed down. "After you."
"Thanks," he chuckled, she was something else, wasn't she. When he plopped down on the passenger seat, his eyes grew in surprisement. There was a photo of him on her dashboard. He hadn't known they even made missing flyers out of him.
When Videl took her place behind the wheel, she realized what Gohan was looking at and flushed in embarrassment. Why didn't she remove that flyer? Videl looked from the flyer to Gohan and back. He looked so normal now. She wondered subconsciously how he managed to hide that muscular body of his under his clothes. That perfect upper body... Suddenly images of her dream flashed by and she had to shake her head to get rid of them. She swallowed and vaguely noticed that Gohan was saying something.
"Sorry, what did you say?"
"North 35 degrees 13 minutes 8.9 seconds, East 136 degrees 50 minutes 43.8 seconds. The coordinates of my apartment." He blinked, "Is everything alright?"
"Wait, do you have your own apartment in Satan City?" she asked, startled from her thoughts.
"Bulma has arranged it so that I can go to school without having to travel too much. My medication should get me through the day as she can't monitor me anymore now I've moved here. And a friend comes over twice a day to give me a healing session, which works wonders." he offered her a friendly smile. "Shall we go?"
"Ah yes."
The flight didn't last that long, as his apartment was close to the school. Gohan had asked Videl to land on the roof, because his apartment turned out to be the penthouse. She suspected Bulma had chosen it so that his 'flying friends' could more easily visit him without being seen. When they landed and Gohan got out of her vehicle, he turned to Videl one last time. "Thank you again for everything you've done. Remind me to go buy you dinner when this is all over." He gave her a friendly smile and then went to his door and entered the building.
###
The sound of a baton tapping the iron bars knocked him out of his thoughts. He had pondered his sins over and over, drowning himself in guild. Not only to his daughter, but also to the other people he made suffer through his actions. Again the baton clanged against the iron. "Mr. Erpeto, you have a visitor," the warder said through the bars of his cell compartment.
"A visitor?" asked Habas in surprise. Who in the world wanted to visit him? His daughter was too ill and his wife – or rather ex-wife – had abandoned him. The only visitor he had received since his capture was that Satan girl. Maybe it was her again, he thought, expecting her to come back to him to verify the answers on his haikus. But it's been over a week since he gave them to her, so he'd assumed she figured them out herself – or that Saiyaman eventually passed away.
After following the procedures, Habas was handcuffed and taken to the visiting room. He was sat down on an iron stool in front of a window with a telephone next next to it. The warder uncuffed him so he could use his arms to pick up the phone. Opposite him, on the other side of the window, sat a neatly dressed young man he'd never seen before. He had short spiky hair with a lone lock hang over his forehead. Due to privacy regulations, the warder left to wait on the other side of the door, out of earshot. Hesitantly, Habas picked up the phone to hear what the stranger had to say.
"Can I help ya?"
"Yes, I've some questions for you, Mr. Erpeto," the boy said, looking straight through the window with a serious expression on his face. "What is the reason you poisoned me?"
Habas blinked in surprise at his directness. "Wait, are ya..?"
"Yes."
"How'd ya even survived that? You ain't human, aren't ya?" Habas said perplexed, but also impressed. Gohan remained silent, however, so the guy continued. "I didn't expect ya to be so young," he said with guilt. "I'm truly sorry for what I did." He knew the Satan girl called him 'her friend', but he didn't expect him to be her age.
"Just tell me the reason you did it, I need to know," the half-Saiyan repeated again.
"I... I..." the prisoner's voice trembled a little, "I was asked to do it by some criminals. In exchange they promised that my private problems would be solved after I succeeded. But then again, there's no excuse in the world for what I've done. I'm really, really sorry."
"And your private problems are...?" asked Gohan, urging the man to say what he wanted to hear.
"My daughter is chronically ill, I couldn't afford her treatment. I tried to do it the right way, but somehow I couldn't find a proper job and I became desperate."
"Tell me exactly how you managed to poison me"
Habas decided that this boy had the right to know what had happened to him. There was no point in withholding information. "The poison wasn't the problem, that was easy to get because of my herpetologist background. The real problem was hittin' ya with it. I tried at least twice for operation 'state bank'. Somehow, the darts didn't land. So, thinkin' of ya as an inhuman indestructible superhero, I did some research and came across an experimental study of Bulma Brief, where she stated she had examined an alien race. In that study she mentioned something about equipment she had to make from indestructible self-designed metal, as their skin was almost impenetrable." The man sighed deeply, "It was a long shot, I actually didn't think the research was legit, but I had to see it for myself. So, I went to one of her guided tours and snuck out to look for those instruments."
"Have you told others?" Gohan looked intensely at the man on the other side of the window.
"No, the elimination of Saiyaman was solely my job. I worked alone and didn't share my findings. It goes without sayin' that I didn't trust the crooks who approached me." Habas wished he had listened to his gut-feeling, then this would never have happened. But he was blinded by hope.
"Would you be willing to show us how you got through the Capsule Corp.'s security system?"
"Yeah, sure. There's no need to hide it anymore," Habas said, "Though, I'll be in here for a while, so I'm afraid ya'll have to wait a few years."
"Maybe not," Gohan stood up.
"What do ya mean?" asked the man confused.
"You are the only human who managed to get to me, and you're going to keep that from the world. In exchange, all your daughter's medical expenses are covered by Capsule Corp., so you have no reason to hold a grudge against me. I will not press charges against you and we will assign you a good lawyer to help you through your case. In addition, Capsule Corp. is conducting experimental research on the adhesion force of gecko's, with the expectation that they can incorporate that technique into their space robot technology. They are short of a herpetologist." Gohan's serious face gave way to a friendly smile, "So you don't have to worry about being unemployed anymore"
"W-What?" Habas was stunned. "W-Why are ya doin' this for me? I almost killed ya!"
"My father believed that everyone – no matter how bad they may appear to be – deserves a second change. And I don't believe you are a true criminal, just a man who made bad choices in desperate times."
The door behind the prisoner flew open and two guards entered. Habas stood up in surprise, but was stunned to find his handcuff, which was still on one of his free arms, being removed. "W-What's goin' on?"
"You've been bailed out," one of the guards replied. "Please follow us so we can complete your release procedure."
Habas turned to Gohan again, tears in the corner of his eye. "Ya... Ya truly are a hero, there are no words to describe my gratitude."
Gohan nodded and watched as the man was led out of the room. He felt relieved. He placed the earpiece of the phone back in its holder and made his way to the exit of the building. Outside, a familiar face was waiting for him.
"You really are Goku's kid," Bulma said, taking a drag on her cigarette.
"I hope I made the right decision," he leaned against the wall next to his godmother.
"You gave someone a second chance, I think that's a very mature thing to do." She looked over to the half-Saiyan. "You know, I don't think he is the only one you should give a second chance."
Gohan looked up in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"I've known you almost all my life, kiddo. I've watched you grow, both physically and spiritually. You have your heart in the right place and you always fight for the things you believe in. But I noticed you got lost after your father died. You've lost touch with yourself – your spirit – doing only the things that other people are expecting you to do. To be honest, I was really relieved and happy when you asked me to make you that Saiyaman suit, seeing again that sparkle into your eyes I hadn't seen for seven years." She took another drag on her cigarette and slowly blew out the smoke. "You've become a hero to so many people. Now it's time to become a hero to yourself and give yourself a second chance."
Gohan blinked, "I'm not following you."
Bulma looked sympathetically at the boy. "When you've hit rock bottom you've always been able to pick yourself up and come out a stronger person. That's partly because of your Saiyan genes, but it's also the strength of your personality. I'm convinced if you work hard, Saiyaman will fly around at the end of next week. But that will only be a sham recovery. You've neglected who you really are for too long, and you should use this as an opportunity to rebuild yourself as a whole."
"How is that a sham recovery?" Gohan asked, still not understanding.
"Think about it..." Bulma took the last drag on her cigarette and stubbed it out on the floor. "Is Saiyaman the only hero who has disappeared?"