Hi there,

It's raining the whole week, meaning I don't earn money, but you get another chapter :P
This time a very long one :)

Thanks again for all the lovely reviews!

Chapter 23: Bitter Surprise

He looked in the mirror and had to admit Bulma was right: this outfit suited him quite well and he stepped back to see the whole picture. He had put on regular dark denim jeans - although regular was rather tight for his build - instead of his usual slacks. Since Videl already knew about his muscles, Bulma had suggested he should wear a short-sleeve T-shirt for once, because it always looked good on him. He therefore opted for a gray ribbed cotton one with a loose lace-up neckline. It was a bit out of his comfort zone to show off his biceps like that, but he felt he had to accept the way he was towards his friend. Videl probably wouldn't complain, she'd already seen him in his Gi, which was much worse. Somewhat satisfied, he went to the closet and topped off his attire with a pair of simple black sneakers. His usual dress shoes didn't match the outfit, he presumed.

He took a deep breath as his nerves kicked in. He knew this evening was set up for two friends who were going to watch a movie, but he'd decided to come clean and tell her everything she needed and wanted to know. He was determined to do this, but couldn't help playing unfavorable scenarios in his head: that she would be repelled by him and wanted nothing to do with him anymore. He was most afraid to tell her that he wasn't fully human. How can anyone accept that? It was totally surreal, yet it was true. And he didn't know how to address the Cell-subject, as it would also reveal her father as a fraud. He sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. Whatever her reaction would be, he just had to do it.

After he finished, he went downstairs to say goodbye to Bulma. His mother had demanded that he wore a three-piece suit, anything less wasn't good enough for a date. He had obeyed, not because he wanted to, but more because he was too chicken to go against his mother's will. He had to come all the way to Capsule Corps. to change, as he preferred to wear something casual tonight.

"Well, look at you!" Bulma said with a big grin, "Looking hot are we?"

Gohan flushed with embarrassment as he mumbled, "Shut up." He knew she would tease him.

"No seriously, if she's going to reject you, she isn't into guys, I tell you," she gave him a playful wink. Then she threw a small package at him. "Here."

Gohan caught the white package, neatly wrapped in cellophane, bearing only the Capsule Corp. logo. He raised an eyebrow, not understanding what it was. But after a moment of thought, he blushed profusely at the realization, "We're just going to watch a movie!"

Bulma crossed her arms, "Well, Trunks was just an argument. Just take it, normal ones tend to break, so I designed my own."

Embarrassed, he quickly hid what he was holding in his satchel as Vegeta walked into the room. He didn't want to give the man fuel to pester him too. The Saiyan Prince took in the scene and smirked, "Well, well, so you finally asked your mate on that date? I hope this doesn't distract you from your training regime?"

"I've been training in the mountains with my brother for the past few days, so don't worry," Gohan replied. "The kid is getting pretty strong too."

"Hm," was all Vegeta said as he went to the fridge to fetch himself a drink. He opened the can and drank it all in one sitting. He couldn't help but curse inwardly at how easy everything seemed to go for hybrids, yet he was also very proud of his own son because of it.

"Well, I guess I'll go then," Gohan said, a little uneasy.

"Hey, Risot," Vegeta caught his attention, still leaning against the fridge "Good luck." Then he lifted his thumb in approval.

Gohan was down-smacked by his gesture, he had never seen Vegeta rooting for him. It gave Gohan a little more confidence and he nodded to the Prince before walking to the balcony and flew off. In the sky he turned and waved one last time and flew straight to Satan City. He was running a little late, so he flew at maximum speed.

After arriving in Satan City, he made sure that he - dressed as Saiyaman - landed unseen on the roof of his apartment. Gohan thought it would be better if he traveled the rest as an ordinary person would. He exited the elevator and went outside, rummaged in his satchel for the capsule he needed, and pulled out a Capsule Corp. bicycle. It was a fairly new model, white with black spokeless wheels, curved handlebars and some dark blue details. He didn't use it often, but it was the easiest way to get himself around the normal way and not to waste too much unnecessary time.

His route had taken him less than ten minutes, and this time he managed not to let anyone in the streets look back in shock as he passed. He stopped at the immense golden front gates of the Satan Mansion and swallowed. This was it. He got off his bike and had it put back in its capsule. Videl had asked if he could ring the third button on the right, which was connected to the kitchen. He did as he was told and waited patiently for her to answer.

But there was no answer, at least not by voice, though the gates opened suddenly. Hesitantly, he entered and walked through the huge front yard and past some of those gigantic statues Videl mentioned. Gohan stopped at one of them, featuring Mr. Satan with one of the Cell Juniors underneath his foot, giving a peace sign.

Gohan narrowed his eyes as he felt repelled by what he saw. He remembered those little bastards, who were created by Cell primarily to infuriate him, to release his hidden potential as they attacked his friends. He recalled the emotions going through him that day and made a fist in frustration when he remembered the first time he went Super Saiyan two and killed them all.

And yet this statue represented reality perfectly: Mr. Satan standing on Gohan's victory as if it were his own and declaring he was the one who brought back peace. It made him sick, especially since the guy wasn't humble about it.

"Told you they were embarrassing."

Surprised that anyone was there, Gohan looked up and was blown away by what he saw, forgetting everything he was just thinking about immediately. It was Videl, but this time she had changed her appearance. Instead of her usual pigtails, she had her hair down and exchanged her long white shirt and black spandex shorts for a slim-fitting light blue button-up blouse and dark skinny jeans. She even wore a subtle touch of makeup, which Gohan had never seen on her before. And while he was fond of her normal tomboyish appearance, he found this feminine side of her extremely attractive.

He swallowed and tried to muster his courage. "You… You look stunning," he said at last, trying to express his thoughts.

"Thanks," Videl blushed profusely and shyly tucked her hair behind her ear when she noticed Gohan surveyed her from head to toe. It was almost as if his eyes were full of longing. Her blush deepened when she herself took a close look at the man in front of her. She'd always seen him in oversized formal attire, topless or that orange Gi, but seeing how good he actually looked in casual clothing made butterflies flutter in her stomach. He was everything she wanted in a man. "You look pretty handsome yourself," she replied. And that's an understatement, she thought to herself, but couldn't bring herself to admit it out loud.

After a moment of awkward silence, Gohan remembered something, "Ah, right!" Then he reached into his satchel and pulled out an envelope. "This is for you," he handed it to Videl who accepted it curiously.

"What is it?" Looking in the envelope there was only a small piece of electronics that looked like a chip.

"I asked if Bulma could redesign your outfit because you didn't seem to like it. It's now teal with black and silver tones, and a more streamlined helmet, so no antennas or yellow hearts." He gave her a small smile, "Just swap this chip with the one in your watch and it's ready to go."

At first her eyes lit up in excitement, but when she saw the half-hearted expression Gohan tried to hide, she wondered, "Have you seen it?"

"Yeah, I think you'll like it a lot," he said honestly.

"And does the Great Saiyaman like it?" she asked, looking at him intently.

"Like I said, I think you'll like it, and to be honest, I think you'd look good in it too."

"But…?" she tried to get him to continue his sentence.

"But… I don't know, I think I prefer the original one, this one is too serious." He averted his eyes, a little embarrassed that he had to say it out loud.

"Then I'll stick with the one I've got." Videl giggled when she saw Gohan's suddenly confused expression. She gave him a wink, "Once you enter the dork-side, there's no turning back, right?"

Gohan couldn't help but smile, "Are you sure? Don't you want to look at it first? It's a nice suit." When she nodded her head to assure him she was certain of her decision, his smile widened. She grinned at his childlike happiness. He averted his eyes again and scratched his cheek shyly. "Does that mean you want to work together? I don't want to get in your way, but… to be honest, being on the sidelines all the time is a bit boring."

"As long as you promise to leave a few criminals to me instead of knocking them out in one second." Her butterfly feeling intensified. He'd effaced himself to satisfy her need for space after her fall out many months ago, and she began to realized how sweet that gesture actually was. And now they'd come this far together, she wanted to share that stage with him, give him back that bit of fun he'd been missing so much.

Gohan's smile grew even bigger, "That's a promise!"

"Good, let's go inside, it's getting a bit chilly outside." Gohan nodded and followed the girl.

As they passed another statue of Mr. Satan, he couldn't help but ask, although a little unsure, "So… is your old man home?"

"Yeah, he is. He was supposed to be on one of his tours, but one of his guys screwed up again. I asked him if he could stay out of our hair, and he agreed, but then again, you never know what happens when he starts drinking." Videl raised a brow, "Why? Do you want to meet him?" Somehow a nagging feeling came over her. She didn't think he would be one of those guys who wanted to be friends with her to meet her father.

"The opposite," Gohan said truthfully, "Don't get me wrong, but I would postpone meeting him as much as possible." He gave her a nervous smile.

A sense of relief washed away her previous feeling when she realized that he really wasn't one of those guys. She grinned, "I don't blame you. Is it his ridiculous rule? I'm pretty sure he won't challenge you to a fight tonight, so don't worry about that. I've already taken care of it."

"Rule?" Gohan raised an eyebrow, "Which rule?"

"Yeah… he has that rule that only one stronger than him can date me?"

"What?" Gohan frowned deeply, "Seriously? That's really unfair." He stopped and looked at her, "You should be the one who chooses your own partner, not him. We no longer live in the Middle Ages." It felt like her father was wronging her, not that his stupid rule would get in Gohan's way, but still, it was more a matter of principle.

"Like I said, don't worry about that tonight." She thought Gohan would've picked up her father's rule at school by now, but when she saw him so surprised, she was wrong. A heavy feeling came over her as she really hoped it wouldn't frighten the handsome man next to her. But for now, he continued to walk with her toward the entrance, so that was a good sign, she thought.

Gohan couldn't resist doing a quick 'Ki-sweep' to see where in the building Mr. Satan would hold up. He really, really didn't want to cross paths with the man, more for personal reasons than his stupid rule. Mr. Satan was an ordinary human being, but as the champion of the last Tenka-Ichi Budoukai tournament, his power level should be significant enough to set him apart from the other humans inside.

But when he did, he froze on the spot. His happy carefree smile gave way to an anxious expression, his natural colors faded from his face and his eyes grew in disbelief. His hands, which held the handle of his satchel, became sweaty and he began to fiddle with them to calm his nerves.

Videl, too, stopped and looked surprised at his change in demeanor. A moment passed and she followed his gaze and saw that he was looking roughly at the basement. She then sighed, "Please don't tell me this is one of the 'perks' of mastering Ki?"

Gohan was pulled from his staring, sweat-dropped, and gave Videl a guilty nervous smile, like a child caught stealing from a cookie jar. He placed his hand behind his head and scratched the back, only able to produce a nervous chuckle.

"Unbelievable," Videl sighed as it dawned on her what the situation was. "Please, do me a favor, act surprised." She saw Gohan visibly swallow as he looked back at the mansion. She didn't understand why he was so wary about it.

"Can… Can I come back a bit later?" He asked cautiously, fidgeting nervously at his satchel again. "It's not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but I don't feel comfortable wearing this in front of everyone. It would only take five minutes, ten tops."

"What's wrong with your outfit?" She didn't understand the problem, "It looks really good on you, there's nothing to be ashamed of."

"It's more that I was trying to hide it, you know. I really don't want the unwanted attention that comes with it. I'm supposed to be a simple nerd who's bad at sports, not a jock."

Videl raised an eyebrow, "You mean you have been pretending all year?"

Gohan ran a hand through his hair again, "Yeah, you saw what happened on my first day of school, during P.E., and that was me holding back. I figured it was best to play the nerd card ever since." He gave her a half-hearted smile, "Don't get me wrong, I'm still a nerd though…"

"Well, you shouldn't be hiding yourself like that. I get your superhero powers are a bit too much, but hiding your physical appearance is going a bit too far, don't you think? Plus it would do Sharpener's reputation good as people see you're not just a nerd. He had a rough time after you knocked him out." Then she blushed, "And for what it's worth, I'd be kinda disappointed if you went back to your regular clothes, these are much more attractive." She tucked a few locks of hair behind her ear to hide her shyness.

He blushed at her comment. So she thought he looked attractive? He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath to get himself back together, raising his Ki a little to gain more confidence. He had promised himself to accept who he was and what it entails, so he assumed this was part of it. "Okay," he opened his eyes again and started walking, "let's do this."

Videl couldn't hold back a smile and, unaware of her friend, her eyes started to twinkle a little, glad she'd convinced him. When they arrived at the front door, Videl hesitated and looked at Gohan. "You know," she began, "This was all Erasa's doing, I'd rather have a simple movie night to be honest." Sometimes she hated how overly enthusiastic her blond friend could be, blind to what others might want. After Gohan dropped her off at her home last week, she kinda called Erasa to tell her she 'coincidentally' ran into Gohan and that he was back in town. Then she told her they would meet again today, just to 'chat', but the bubbly blonde failed to see that it was a private meeting and took matters into her own hand.

"We can always watch the movie another time," Gohan said with a heavy heart as the duo entered the premises. Videl led them down the stairs to the basement. They stopped in front of a door and Gohan put his hand on the door handle and looked at Videl to reassure him, who nodded. And after taking a deep breath, he opened the door.

"SURPris-," the room was filled with students whose enthusiasm died as both teens entered the room, and at the end of - what should have been - the cheer, only a misplaced confetti cannon broke the silence. Then people started whispering to each other, not quite understanding what was going on. They were waiting for their nerdy classmate, but apparently he wasn't here yet. And who was the newcomer? They had never seen him before.

Erasa walked over to Videl with a confused look. "I thought you said you were going to pick up Gohan? Ain't he here yet?"

Gohan coughed into his hand, red with embarrassment. "Nice to see you too, Erasa."

Erasa faced the newcomer and looked at him intently, as he apparently knew who she was. But his onyx-eyes didn't lie. Her eyes grew in surprise and her glass fell from her hand, "G-Gohan?"

"Yeah, who else?" Gohan didn't like being the center of attention, and Erasa's reaction didn't make him feel any better. He hasn't changed that much, has he?

"O my G-, look at you! You've buffed up!" Behind her back, she gestured to the guests to get the party started, and soon music was blasting through the speakers. Then she embraced him into a big hug. "We missed you so much! How was your exchange program? Which school did you go to? I forgot."

Bulma had told him that she'd covered up his absence from school: that he had been taking courses at another school for the past month. He thanked the blue-haired scientist from the bottom of his heart for always being there for him, even though he sometimes made stupid choices. "Yeah, I took courses at West High, but it was kind of boring."

"That's because we weren't there!" Erasa gave him a playful wink. "So you spend your free time at the gym instead?"

"Kinda."

"Met any lady friends?" she wiggled her eyebrows playfully. "I bet they all wanted a piece of you."

"No, sorry to disappoint you," Gohan said, who didn't feel like going into details about something that never even happened.

But then Sharpener put an arm around his neck and changed the subject to the here and now. "Well Brains, let's change that! Let me be your wing-man tonight!" He, too, gave him a teasing smile.

Gohan blushed and his eyes darted briefly to Videl. Their eyes met and she too took on a red tinge on her cheeks. "I appreciate the offer, but no thanks. I was doing fine on my own, to be honest."

"That's my boy! Good to see you gained a bit of backbone while you were gone." Sharpener released Gohan and looked at him closely, "And seriously, how on Earth did you get that ripped in such a short time? Tell me your secrets!"

"Changing clothes," Gohan replied simply, uninterested in the subject. "I've always been like this. I may have gained a couple of extra pounds last month, but not all of it."

Sharpener raised an eyebrow, not expecting the answer, "Have you always been ripped?"

"Yeah, since I was five or so."

"Five?" Videl entered the conversation, "What did you do to get ripped at the age of five!"

Gohan sweat dropped, he forgot he had to choose his words carefully in front of his classmates. "I… uh… I was just really ambitious, I guess." And before Videl could open her mouth, he added, "But I think I'm in for a drink, where can I find one?"

"Ah, follow me!" Sharpener said, and gestured Gohan to follow him to a small bar at the far end of the room.

The half-Saiyan did so, but as he passed Videl, he whispered the answer of her question in her ear: "Martial arts, I'll tell you later."

"So what do you wanna drink?" Sharpener opened the fridge to look inside.

"A beer is fine," Gohan shrugged.

This made the jock look up, "Beer? Do you drink alcohol?"

"I'm not a Saint, Sharpener," Gohan gave him an annoyed look. He forgot how dull his friends thought he actually was. He took one of the bottles from the shelf, opened it with the flick of his finger, and took a long gulp from it. He didn't have much experience with alcohol, but Bulma allowed him to have some now and then. And, well, he once had one too many at one of the Z-fighters get-togethers when his mother wasn't there due to a cold. He had a feeling this evening would end the same way.

Sharpener blinked, barely recognizing his friend. The wimpy mountain boy he knew was almost becoming a Chad, except that he was probably as dense about women as ever. But then again, he said he was doing fine on his own in that regard too, so maybe he wasn't as innocent as he thought he was. The blond jock wasn't complaining though, he was looking forward to having Gohan as a real bro. The fun they could have! Sharpener smiled at the thought and looked up at his friend. "Since you drink beer, do you want to play a game of Beer Pong?"

Gohan raised an eyebrow, "Sure, why not. I have no idea what that is though."

"It's a drinking game. Do you see that table?" Sharpener pointed to a large table where a few people were throwing a ball at some cups. "Basically you need to throw the ping pong ball into one of the opponent's cups and they have to drink it. We can team up, I'm pretty good."

Gohan nodded and both boys walked to the table. Watching the current game, he noticed that when the ball bounced on the table, the opponent was allowed to swat the ball away, but when it hit, they had to drink two cups instead of one. However, a direct hit wasn't allowed to be defended. When the game was over, Stapler and Passer both placed everything in order so that a new game could be played. "Who wants to challenge us?" Stapler said, then swallowed as Gohan stepped forward. "We will," Gohan then gave him a serious look.

It wasn't much of a challenge for Gohan. The game ended quickly as he managed to hit all his throws with precision. Because not all the opponent's balls could be defended due to the rules, he still had to drink one cup, but that was it. However, it felt good to beat Stapler, as he still held a grudge against the boy. After the game, he excused himself, leaving Sharpener at the table to play some more, who felt indestructible after such a win.

"Gohan, wait!" Gohan turned his head and saw Stapler coming his way. Gohan crossed his arms and raised a brow, but remained silent. "Hey, I want to apologize for my behavior the other day. I know it was way out of line. I somehow felt like it was because of me that you dropped out of school so suddenly and I feel bad about it. And, well, I still don't understand what happened in the hallway, but you had every right to do so." He looked anxiously at Gohan, waiting for him to respond.

Gohan frowned at the jock for a moment, but heaved a quick sigh as his face relaxed a little. "I'm also sorry I lost control, though I tried to warn you."

"I know," Stapler replied.

"But tell me, why were you always so hostile to me? Whatever I've done wrong, I'm sorry… But please tell me so we can settle this once and for all."

"You didn't do anything wrong," Stapler said with a little uncertainty, "I was just jealous of you, that's all. It's stupid, I know."

Gohan looked at him with surprise, "Jealous? Why?"

"Because you're so close to Satan. You and Sharpener. But no offense, I couldn't take on Sharpener, so I chose you to pick on." Stapler looked away in shame. "I thought with you out of the way, I might have a shot at her, but when you left and Sharpener came out as Erasa's boyfriend, she still wasn't interested in me. So I kinda had to accept that she would never be mine."

Gohan processed the information. Part of him became very protective, maybe even territorial, as Stapler just confessed that he was after the girl he liked. But on the other hand, he felt sympathy. It was wrong for Stapler to treat him the way he did, but love may make you do stupid irrational things; like saving an murderous android who proved she could eliminate humanity in another timeline. But then again, everyone deserves a second chance, and this was part of Stapler's. He apologized, this time from within himself, and who was he to reject such a gesture. Gohan sighed, "Apologies accepted," he then offered a hand to his classmate, who happily took it. "But I'll be honest with you, me and Videl are getting closer to one another lately, and time will tell how that evolves. So don't let your feelings get in the way when that happens. It's not personal."

Stapler nodded as he let go of Gohan's hand, "I had a feeling there was something between you two, but don't worry, I gave up on her. And I have to admit I met someone at a party two weeks ago, and it's going very well."

Gohan felt relieved. "Good to hear," he offered him a friendly smile.

"Thank you for accepting my apology!" Stapler smiled back, also relieved, "Well, now that's settled, I'm going back to the table, I feel the need to have a Beer Pong rematch against Sharpener!"

Gohan chuckled, "Don't get him too drunk." He then watched Stapler disappear into the crowd and began to notice how many people had actually come to his surprise party. His whole class was there, but also the years above him and some below. He didn't recognize most of them and assumed they just came because the party was at the Satan Mansion, regardless of the reason the party was being held. He didn't really care, and to be completely honest, he didn't care about the party at all.

He had deliberated all week on how to tell Videl his secrets. He had sleepless nights, not because of nightmares - which had completely disappeared - but rather because of his nervousness, afraid that it would repel her. He had reached a point where he was determined to tell her anyway, and he wanted to put it behind him to ease his restlessness. This should have been the night he would do it, but this stupid party prevented him for doing it. It irritated him.

"Hi there!" a squiffy voice appeared beside him, while a heavy scent of pineapple filled the air. He looked next to him and was greeted with Angela's smile, who was very close to him. "I brought you something to drink," she said, offering him the beverage.

Gohan looked from the glass to Angela and sighed. "Sorry, I really don't like pineapple, I'm more of a cherry kind of guy." And without saying much more, he walked away, leaving Angela behind. She was confused and looked at the drink in her hand. It didn't even have pineapple juice in it.

Gohan grabbed another beer for himself, feeling he needed one and began to search for the girl he came for. After some time he found her in the lounge area where she was playing her own drinking game with quite a large group. Erasa, sitting next to her, noticed Gohan and waved, "Gohan! Please join us! We are playing 'Never have I ever'!"

Gohan had heard about that game and knew it was based on discovering one's secrets while drinking. And since he had a lot to hide, it wasn't a game for him. "No, thank you," Gohan replied. Alternatively, he walked to a large bookshelf. He looked around and picked up an old thick book titled 'The History of Martial Arts: Facts, Myths and Legends'. He then went to the large window, where the windowsill had been converted into a cozy place to sit. He made himself comfortable and opened the book.

He didn't really pay attention to its content, but rather used it as an excuse to cast himself out from the party. He was done with socializing and decided to wait patiently for Videl to finish her game so he could finally talk to her. He could see the girl from where he sat, and his above-average hearing allowed him to follow the conversations of the game.

He started to understand the rules of the game a bit: someone would state something he or she had never done before, and the other players had to drink if that same statement didn't apply to them, meaning they had done it before. And while flipping through his book, he unconsciously played along.

However, his behavior didn't go unnoticed by the raven-haired girl. She watched as he drank or didn't drink at the statements made during the game. She even tested her theory: When it was her turn, she stated that she'd never been poisoned in her life - which Gohan drank at - and that she had never been to elementary school, because she had been home-schooled herself - knowing Gohan was the only one in class who didn't either, and indeed, he didn't drink. But when someone said 'Never have I ever been in love with someone from our class', her eyes shot uncontrollably to her spiky-haired friend, and to her surprise, his gaze met hers. She looked at him as she placed her bottle at her lips and took a sip, a blush appearing on her cheeks. On the other end, Gohan did the same and drank some while not losing eye contact with her. After they both had their sip of beer, they turned their heads away, both beet red. Did he really openly admit that he loved her?

Gohan swallowed as his heart rose in his chest. Did he really do that? Tell her non-verbally that he loved her? Maybe she just thought he was taking a random sip of his beer, as he wasn't officially in the game. But then again, she too looked at him as she drank, so did that mean she loved him back?

To calm himself, he started to browse the recent history section of the book in front of him. He noticed there were some sticky notes and scrabbles here and there. Curious, he looked at them more closely. In the chapter 'Great Demon King Piccolo' someone had crossed out the first three words, underlined 'Piccolo' and placed a question mark next to it. The next scrabble he found was from the 23rd Tenka-Ichi Budoukai tournament, where a picture of Piccolo Jr. was circled along with his opponent's name at the time: Son Goku, Son being underlined multiple times. Gohan gasped when he went all the way to the 'Myths of the Cell Games', where a pixelated photo of the Z-fighters was printed. There, Piccolo was again being circled, with his name written next to it along with an arrow pointing at his picture. But that wasn't the only name: Vegeta - though his name was 'the Asshole' - and Yamcha were recognized, too, and so was Krillin, though there were three question marks next to the name and someone had drawn him some hair. Below the picture the words 'GOHAN'S PICTURE!' in all capital letters shocked him.

He closed the book with wide eyes. So she had seen his picture on his dresser the other day. He swallowed again, wondering why she'd never asked him about it. But then he remembered that she'd given him all the space he needed to tell her his secrets when he was ready. That would have taken a lot of self-discipline, as he knew she wasn't the patient one, but the gesture made him feel warm inside. He blushed: the girl really had some good detective skills, one of the things he found so attractive about her. She even outsmarted him, now he thought about it.

He looked at his bottle of beer and found it empty. He got up, put the book back where it belonged and went to get him a new beer. When he got back, the game wasn't even close to finishing, so he sat back down and played on in silence, while mulling over what he'd just learned. What else did she know? And had she made the connection between him and the Cell Games?

Videl's stomach fluttered again after Gohan returned and resumed the game. She had been afraid that he got bored and went elsewhere. She secretly enjoyed that he was there, to find out about the little things the man had or hadn't done. She understood that he had little to no experience with intimacy, which made her blush. She wanted to discover that world with him, when the time came, of course.

"Never have I ever killed someone," Parker said, looking directly at Videl. Videl sighed, knowing that this question stemmed from a rumor that she accidentally killed a criminal some time ago. The truth was that he had fallen into a coma but woke up a couple of days later in the hospital. The tabloids, however, were circulating that it was all a cover-up, to clear her name, and that the criminal had indeed died. But it was all fake news.

"You can watch all you want, but I'm not going to drink, it never happened," Videl said, a bit irritated. But then her bottle fell from her hand. Gohan drank. He just took a sip out of his bottle like it was a normal thing to confess. Did he… Did he actually kill someone?

"Hey! Watch out!" Erasa exclaimed as the beer poured over her and she tried to straighten the fallen bottle as quickly as possible.

"Sorry!" Videl said, being pulled from her thoughts. She got up and rushed to get a towel and within minutes everything was cleaned up. But she didn't feel like resuming the game because she was furious inside. She couldn't believe that he actually killed someone! She needed to know the details right away, so she excused herself from the game and walked over to the half-Saiyan.

Missing the commotion, Gohan was still in thoughts about Videl's discoveries. She probably would've told him, right? If she'd known he'd beaten Cell? She wouldn't ignore that until he was ready. No, she probably didn't know it yet, he concluded.

"We're going to talk, now!" Videl's hardened voice startled him out of his thoughts, and he was surprised that she was suddenly beside him. Her angry look frightened him, as he didn't understand what he had done wrong. She grabbed his wrist and jerked him off his seat and dragged him all the way to the back of the hall. She then faced him, "You killed someone?!" Her anger and disbelief could be heard in her voice.

Gohan's eyes grew in shock, not knowing where this came from.

"Don't play dumb with me! I know you played along with the game! And you drank, confessing that you had once killed someone!"

He never had seen such a deep frown on her face. Realizing what the deal was, he decided it was best not to lie to her, "I-I do have a body count, yes." He swallowed dryly.

"A body count?!" She was down-smacked. "There are more?!"

Gohan raised both hands in front of him in defense. "Um, yeah, between 1 and 9, m-maybe more, depending on which sources you find valid and not counting the Juniors."

"Juniors?! Are children involved?"

Gohan began to realize this conversation was going in the wrong direction and he, too, suddenly felt anger rising. Why was she pointing a guilty finger at him all of a sudden? If he hadn't done what he did, there was no argument to begin with, because frankly, everyone would be dead.

"Look, calm down, it's not what you think," Gohan began to explain, but was immediately interrupted by Videl.

"Not what I think? In which world is killing justified?!"

Gohan also frowned, and his voice grew stronger, "In the same world where your father is praised for it."

"That's different!" she cried. How could he bring her father into this?

Gohan clenched his fists, "Why is my case any different?"

"Because he saved the world by killing Cell!" She then crossed her arms.

"Oh, did he now," Gohan's irritation grew, but he found it was better to reason with her. "Look, Videl, as long as you don't know the whole story, you can't judge me for it."

"I'm done here," she gave him a cold glare before turning. She felt tears welling up and didn't want to break in front of him. But when she tried to walk away, he grabbed her wrist.

"Videl, I am a warrior, alright!" he almost yelled, "I've fought goddamn wars! And in a war you either kill or be killed." Tears of despair began to form in the corners of his eyes, and he forced Videl to look back at him. "I promise you that I never killed anyone who didn't deserve it, and I only did it in self-defense or at the aid of a friend or the innocent. I hate that part of me, but it couldn't be helped!" He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. "I wanted to tell you all about it tonight, but then this stupid party ruined it." His voice was hoarse.

Shocked at the sudden revaluation and their sudden embrace, she stayed quiet. She could only grip his shirt tightly and found the courage to look at him. He continued, looking deep into her teary but beautiful eyes, "Please, Videl, trust me. Let me explain before you decide to run away from me." His voice was trembling, "I-I don't want to lose you."

She nodded slowly and a heavy feeling suddenly left his chest. A tear left his eye, but his gaze remained to linger into hers, drawing him in with a sudden tension. With one hand he let go of her waist to brush away her bangs so he could see her eyes more clearly. He swallowed, a thick cherry scent overwhelmed him and he couldn't resist no longer. Hesitantly, he began to close the gap between them as she leaned forward.

"I don't want to lose you either," she whispered, taking her hands off his chest and wrapped them around his neck. She closed her eyes and began to stand on her tiptoes.

Their hearts were beating violently and she bit her lower lip expectantly. They had now crossed a line and both knew there was no turning back. Their breaths began to intermingle as their lips were only inches apart.

Gohan flared up his Ki to gain some extra confidence and then he made his move, leaning forward to finally close the distance.

But, his lips never met hers…

A firm hand had grabbed him by the shoulders and he was being pulled away from her. A hairy arm pinned him against a nearby wall, and when Gohan opened his eyes, he looked straight into the furious ones of none other than Mr. Satan.

~ 1 chapter to go ~

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Gohan's Body-Count (9):
Sūi (Frieza's hanchmen)
Cell (Not counting the 7 Cell Jrs, as I personally see them still as a part of Cell)
All 4 Spice boys (Garlic Jr. Saga)
Bojack and 2 of his hanchmen (Bido & Buijn) (Bojack unbound movie)

Not counting the Slug's soldiers (Lord Slug) and Cyclopian Guards (Return of Cooler) as it isn't clear how many Gohan did. Also, they are insignificant