Chapter 7
Gohan blinked out of confusion. Where was he? He found himself lying on the ground and as he sat up everything felt so out of place. What was going on? Squinting his eyes, he tried to figure out his surroundings. Everything felt so fuzzy.
Wide-eyed, he jerked up, panicked, the museum, the takeover! Videl! Last thing he remembered he had been trying to chase her down!
He searched for her energy signature. Immediately he felt it and he ran as quickly as he could towards it.
"G-Gohan…" Videl called out to him helplessly, her eyes wide with fear. He had found her, but was being held by some ugly crook.
The crook had a striking resemblance to the one he saw the other day that had been apprehended by the Satan City Heroine. The slimy wrongdoer nastily grinned as he held a knife up to Videl's neck clearly intent on hurting her but not before he had his way with her.
Videl looked utterly hopeless and terrified. It was breaking his heart. Plus this guy was obviously trying to get fresh with her!
Without thinking or caring, Gohan grabbed him away from Videl and decked him straight in the face. How dare he touch her like that!
The crook lay unconscious exactly as Gohan had seen him do so before.
Gohan didn't get a chance to turn back and see if Videl was all right because she somehow magically had wrapped her arms around him from behind.
He froze at their close contact and his face heated up immediately. She was seriously pressed up against him. Videl's soft touch sparked senses he didn't even know existed.
"A-are you okay V-Videl?" He stammered avoiding looking at her Somehow she had managed to snake around to his front now facing him and entirely embracing him. Good thing she was so short in comparison he could just stare at the ceiling and avoid looking at her.
"Yes, I feel so safe now, here." She purred against him as she ran a finger down his chest slowly. It felt like it was burning him but in a pleasurable way. "With you." She whispered in his ear causing his face to flush intensely.
Gohan closed his eyes and bit his lip still trying his best not to look at the girl wrapped around him as her hands were literally touching his heart now. "O-okay…" he stammered, attempting to reassure her. He was really straining to keep his eyes closed, she must be doing all of this in reaction to the trauma she just endured. She couldn't possibly be interested in him like that.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leaned even more into him, and that burning feeling spread all over him like a blanket. A blanket he never wanted to let go of.
"Gohan…" she said, almost pleading at him, "Look at me…" she sounded desperate. He couldn't say no to her.
He opened his eyes then and there she was just beneath him. Her eyes shining like in that magazine clipping he saw of her so long ago, but now she wasn't looking away from a camera, she was staring directly at him. She looked so beautiful right now. He would easily buy up all of the magazines she was in if he could.
Instinctively he wrapped his arms around the small of her back pressing her closer to him. He could feel the ends of her long tresses against his hands. They were so soft. She was so soft.
And her lips looked so soft as she stood on her tiptoes and closed her eyes, he had to kiss her and now. All he had to do was move forward. She was so close, he could feel her breaths tickle his skin. Just a little more and he would close the gap.
"Gohan! Get up! You have school today!" ChiChi was livid, her oldest hadn't been to class since the middle of last week! How could he seriously be oversleeping now!
Ripped from his dream and inserted into reality, Gohan groaned and hid under the covers not wanting to face the new day. There was no hopeless Videl to save here.
"Just a minute!" He said irritated.
"You should have left ten minutes ago!" ChiChi couldn't believe how horrible her firstborn son had become sometimes. He used to be so happy to get up in the mornings and study, but over the last few years, he had developed into a night owl and really despised mornings. Why she had thought actually giving him a place to go in the morning would change things she didn't know.
"I'll be up in a minute!" He said still under the covers. He wasn't coming out with his mother present, no way.
ChiChi just scowled and decided to leave him to it. He was old enough to deal with the consequences of being late.
Nearly busting the door of the school down, Gohan made his way through the vacant hallways. They were an annoying blatant reminder that he was late, which he was well aware of.
It had been his first day back at school since the events at the art museum trip. Due to the chaos that occurred during it, the school had allowed the students that had attended to be excused from classes for a week. It had been a pretty boring break and Gohan had been eager to get back to his classes.
He gulped seeing the door to his early morning class was shut. Looking through its sole window, he could see that everyone was in attendance. Great, all eyes would be on him.
Opening the door, he stared at the floor as he awkwardly announced himself to everyone. "Hi, sorry I'm late…"
"Yes Mr. Son, it's fine, please go sit," the teacher said, not even bothering to look at him.
Making his way to his seat Gohan took a few glances at the other students. Everyone appeared to be here, Sharpener, Erasa, and… her.
Videl sat eagerly taking notes. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and her head was leaning a little to the side as she wrote. Eying the smooth skin of her neck, Gohan looked away turning a deep shade of red suddenly remembering his dream, every detail of it had remained in his mind. At least she appeared to be alright.
"Oh, Gohan!" Erasa called out to him and ran up and embraced him in a hug.
Gohan was so confused and tired. He had just been woken up from a nap; a nap that he had not volunteered for. And by a medical professional of all people. His muscles ached, that sleep had been so deep but not at all refreshing.
Seeing Videl with Sharpener for a split second Gohan's eyes widened as she ran away.
Suddenly remembering how he had chased Videl down before passing out Gohan took a few steps forward quickly.
"Wait, Videl!" Just as he was about to run to her full force, he didn't care if people saw, he had to know what the hell she had been trying to get up to. Sharpener grabbed him.
"Hold on Gohan!" Sharpener said really struggling to hold Gohan back.
"Let go of me, I have to find out what she was up to!" Gohan demanded. He had to know if she was okay and maybe she saw the Satan City Heroine!
"No way, let me guess you saw Videl before the blackout?" Sharpener responded just as seriously.
Gohan finally stopped being surprised at Sharpener. "Yeah," he answered as he turned around facing the pair.
"I figured as much when you and Videl took a while to come out I knew that both of you must have been in the same place. We did ask her if she saw you, but of course, she lied," Sharpener analyzed.
Erasa rolled her eyes.
"Did Videl say what she saw before everyone fell asleep? We separated before then…" Gohan's voice lingered as he remembered how Videl snatched her hand back from him as if he was repulsive. It stung looking back on it. Did she dislike him? Is that why she would lie to Sharpener and Erasa about seeing him? And running away just now? They had been getting along so well just before the museum takeover, what was going on?
"No...listen Gohan, I know we don't know you all that well, but there's something you need to know about Videl…" Sharpener began.
Gohan braced himself for what he figured would be a serious story.
"Videl's weird! Like really weird! And sometimes she's super sketchy." Erasa interrupted having to say something.
Gohan nearly fell over. Videl Satan wasn't weird! He was weird. Videl was this overachieving-student-heiress hybrid. Who was capable of anything! She wasn't weird.
Seeing the look on Gohan's face Sharpener laughed. "No seriously, she has her moments…"
"Yeah, you'll see, she disappears all the time and with no explanation. Just gone! And if you try to ask her about it…" Erasa told off with relish. She had explained this many times.
"..no answer, nothing. She just avoids the question," Sharpener finished for her.
"No way…" Gohan didn't believe what they were saying.
"Oh, you don't have many classes with her, do you Gohan?" Erasa asked smirking.
"Uh, no, only history in the morning, with both of you two…"
Both Erasa and Sharpener looked at each other knowingly.
"I bet you that she leaves mysteriously during that class by the end of this month! She does it all the time, you must have been lucky and not noticed yet." Sharpener asserted.
Gohan blinked, totally unsure of what to say next. He had not particularly noticed Videl being weird, but she was definitely not normal earlier. Maybe his intimidation of her public persona had clouded his judgment? A thought arose in his mind though that he had to speak up about.
"During the incident just now, when we were supposed to get down, she didn't. She just ran…so you think it was to help stop those red shark guys?" Gohan asked while theorizing. She was Mr. Satan's daughter after all, would it really be out of the question if she knew how to fight? What, what if she was the Satan City Heroine! Could it really be such a stretch?
Erasa and Sharpener began to laugh. Hard. For several minutes.
Gohan sweat dropped. What had he been thinking? Obviously, Videl couldn't fight, she was just a normal, well in terms of physicality anyway, girl! That strange sleeping gas must have really been getting to him. What a crazy conclusion for him to come to, her being the Satan City Heroine...
"I'm sorry Gohan…" Erasa said between laughs "I just...I just can't…" she proceeded to keep laughing.
"Yeah… Videl is not her father… she's really clumsy!" Sharpener managed to say finally, finishing laughing.
Gohan stood there blinking. He had to admit he didn't know Videl well at all, but during their time together she hadn't seemed that clumsy?
Erasa had finally composed herself. "Honestly, she isn't coordinated in the slightest. Whenever she tries to be athletic she always falls over."
"Yeah, and she gets covered in bruises and stuff, that's why her Dad managed to get her out of gym class with us." Sharpener added.
Huh, that would make sense. Gohan thought as he took this information in. He had noticed that Videl wasn't in their gym class but had just figured she took it at a different time or something. Yeah there was no way she could be the Satan City Heroine.
Midway through the lesson though, something weird did happen. Videl suddenly stood up and ran out.
"Ms. Satan, where are you going?" Mrs. Espinacas asked, obviously frustrated.
"Business with my father gotta go!" She said, scurrying out her hand waving behind her.
"What business? Get back here young lady!" Mrs. Espinacas screeched after her, following her out of the room causing Gohan to wince as he was reminded of his mother.
He was, however, stunned, completely unsure what to make of it all. A paper ball hit him in the back causing him to turn his head.
It was from Sharpener who was making a 'pay-up' motion with his fingers.
Gohan ignored him and opened the crumpled paper and read the words 'TOLD YOU' scribbled on it. Glancing to Erasa she had the same telling look.
"Oh I bet Ms. Espinacas is furious, you weren't here Gohan, but last year in the lower grade history class Videl would get up and leave like that like ten times!" Erasa said grinning.
"Yeah but to be fair though, she still finished first in the class, I think that's what irritates Ms. Espinacas more," Sharpener said.
"Oh whoa, guys! There's a fire downtown! And some people are trapped inside an apartment building!" One of the other students exclaimed, having pulled out their phone with the teacher absent.
The rest of the class began chatting but only for a few seconds until Mrs. Espinacas had returned, exasperated.
Gohan stared back at Videl's empty chair. How strange. He hoped those people were okay, but from the sounds of it, the police and fire department were already involved.
His sense of justice was eating at him though, if Videl could leave surely he could? Standing up he was just about to make his way out of the classroom.
"Mr. Son, where do you think you're going?!" The teacher yelled directly at him.
"...bathroom?", Gohan said shyly.
"NO sit down! You can go once Ms. Satan comes back! None of you are to leave this classroom!" She continued to shout pointing at all of them.
Sitting back down, Gohan glanced at the clock. He would give it an hour. Videl would surely be back before then.
And as if she was reading his mind Erasa leaned over to Gohan and whispered, "You're never going to get to go, she's not coming back anytime soon…" she finished by cheekily winking at him.
The clock ticked slowly but an hour did eventually pass by and just as the teacher was finishing the lesson Videl came back in.
"Great Ms. Satan, glad to see you could join us for the last ten minutes," Mrs. Espinacas wasn't holding in her anger well. Veins were bulging out of her forehead.
"Oh sorry!" Videl said bashfully.
Gohan took quick notice of Videl's appearance. Her face looked quite red as though she had been out in the heat, which was unusual given the season. Her hair which was still in the ponytail didn't seem as neatly done as it had been earlier too. And was some of it wet?
Glancing at the window, Gohan wondered if it had been raining or snowing. As his eyes looked at various surfaces, pavement, trees, grass, everything was dry. How could she have been exposed to water?
Momentarily Gohan was stumped.. he silently puzzled to himself as to what she had been up to and why she had to leave so suddenly. How bizarre…
The same student who had interrupted earlier shrieked in excitement obviously having looked at their phone. "Oh my god! The Satan City Heroine managed to save people from that burning building!"
Other students became abuzz with the news and began asking how. Gohan leaned over wanting to hear as well. Everyone loved the Satan City Heroine, her popularity was blossoming and improving the city's morale.
"ENOUGH!" The teacher roared, slamming her book on her desk. Clearly, there were to be no more interruptions.
The half saiyan's thoughts were still on the Satan City Heroine though, during his time off he had continued his research into her. The first thing he had investigated was if any photographs or CCTV footage had been left over from the museum scandal, but all of his tedious searches had resulted in nothing. There were speculations as to what the sleeping agent was that had been used, all revealing that it was a perfectly safe lavender-based compound, but extremely potent. How she managed to utilise such technology was still a mystery at large, as no companies produced such unique items. Tapping his foot anxiously he made a mental note to look into this fire incident later.
The rest of the day went on as normal. Gohan had to stay a little later to discuss plans for a biology project with another student. Leaving the school doors, this time not in a hurry, he was anxious to get home.
It was now getting so cold that he could see his breath as he walked. The sun had already begun to set, but the sky was completely grey and overcast.
Crossing several streets, everything appeared normal. Hopefully, the time spent planning that project wouldn't make him late for dinner, he was starving. His plan of action was to go home, eat, do his homework, and maybe even look into that Satan City Heroine some more.
"Stop! I'm warning you!"
Huh? That was a woman's voice! Could it be her? Gohan's interest now piqued and his grumbling stomach forgotten, he ran to the source of the voice. If it was the heroine, maybe he could try and talk to her and find out who she really was!
Gohan halted when he saw who it actually was though. Videl? His facial expression was perplexed.
It was definitely her all right as she stood in her school uniform. Adorned with a thick coat, one could still see her skirt and opaque black tights. As Gohan briefly looked at her legs he could have sworn there were something familiar about them but he shook it off at how stupid that thought was.
There was a ski-masked clad man in front of her, he looked dangerous and up to no good. He was similar to that guy that held Videl up in his dream actually, but she appeared drastically different.
Gohan internally questioned how Satan City could be filled with these losers? They seemed endless.
An elderly man with a walker stood with them as well, clearly distressed.
"Give this man back his wallet! Now!" Videl demanded. She was serious. Chills ran down Gohan's spine. He had never seen her be so serious before, usually, she was much more mannerly.
"What are you going to do about it? Call your Daddy?" The scumbag taunted her, his voice thick with insinuation. He wasn't the one in Gohan's dream but may as well have been.
Videl rolled her eyes clearly not wanting to deal with this. She instinctively went into a fighting stance.
Gohan hadn't realized how close he had wandered towards the scene, but from what he could observe her stance seemed solid. Maybe Sharpener and Erasa were wrong, maybe she could fight.
For now, he would just hang back and watch. A part of him was confident she would be all right.
Just then Videl looked to her left and saw Gohan. "Oh hi, G-Gohan," she said nervously and smiled awkwardly, causing her stance to fall apart within a second. To make matters worse, she slipped as well, completely nullifying her strong facade the last few seconds. If Erasa and Sharpener had been there, they probably would have laughed.
...or maybe not, Gohan's eyes went wide as he knew exactly what was about to happen and quickly got ready to pounce on that low life.
But he just wasn't quick enough as with a loud snap that echoed the wallet-thief struck her, right in the face.
"Oh fuck!" She screamed, putting her hands over where it hurt. Unluckily for her, it had been right near her eye.
Feeling the same rage towards this guy as the one in the dream Gohan was quick to jump on him and push him away from Videl. He almost punched him a thousand times worse than he had hit Videl if the sound of sirens hadn't stopped him.
The old man had managed to dial the police in all of this ruckus.
Calming down Gohan let the two officers apprehend the assailant. Rushing over to Videl he braced himself expecting the worst.
"Oh, Videl…" He said to her gently, she was facing away from the police and walking quickly. Surprisingly she had managed to get back on her feet. She must be so embarrassed and in so much pain.
"Wait! Where are you going!" He began following her. "Why were you there? You shouldn't have gotten involved... Videl!" Gohan lectured her as he kept up with her. He didn't mean to patronize her so harshly, but what had she been thinking?
"You should really let me look!" He pleaded, feeling awful. Why did he have to see for himself if she could fight? He should have just stepped in immediately. The guilt was overwhelming him. Her getting hurt was his fault.
Videl just picked up the pace covering the bad side of her face with her hand. "I'm fine Gohan really!" The other hand clutched at her coat, it was dark now and freezing cold.
If it had been anyone other than Gohan they may have begun to notice that the two of them were running at this point, but he was too concerned for her. This chase went on down several city blocks and now into Orange Park.
Being able to only see in one eye Videl tripped on some rubble on the pavement and let out a sharp cry as she did so. The two blondes probably would have laughed at that too, because there was something comical about how she landed.
"Oh my gosh Videl…" Gohan bent down to help her to offer his hand to her free one. He was almost heartbroken at the sight and was deeply worried about her. She finally conceded letting Gohan help her up, shaking and nearly falling over again. She really was clumsy.
This time she took it and let him lead her to a bench where they both sat. Gohan saw that her tights had ripped from the fall on her knee which had turned red from the harsh contact with the rough pavement. She looked disturbed her hair and clothes in disarray; contrasting greatly to how she usually appeared to him, polished and almost model-like.
He swallowed as he briefly wished he could put his hand there, on her knee, and shield it from the cold somehow. If only he could pull her close and protect her from everyone and everything. But he had to keep his head straight and ignore those thoughts.
"Well, I think it will bruise for a few days but I think it will be okay. Nothing is broken and you aren't bleeding. I don't think you will need to go to the hospital." Gohan said as he inspected her face, becoming increasingly more self conscious of being so close to her.
Luckily for him, Videl didn't say much, he assumed it was just her reaction to everything. She wasn't looking at him.
"Really you took that punch quite well!" Gohan retorted, encouragingly chuckling a bit.
Videl didn't laugh. Gohan looked away awkwardly realizing that comment may have gone too far. He then remembered what Sharpener said after the art museum heist.
"..no answer, nothing. She just dodges the question."
Was that what Videl was doing now? Gohan looked at her for a second and saw that the tissue around her eye was already swelling up. He should really offer to get her some ice. Seeing possibly the only ice cream vendor serving he got up. Luckily this spot in Orange Park was popular, even in the winter.
"Wait here I'll just get you a popsicle or something…" Gohan said and came back with a fruit popsicle almost instantly. He couldn't help but want to baby her.
Handing her the wrapped popsicle she pressed it against the wound wincing at the contact. She still didn't speak.
To end the silence, Gohan cleared his throat. "Uh, I won't tell Erasa and Sharpener… they don't need to know." He had hoped this would reassure her. The blonde duo probably would have laughed and laughed, out of love of course, but still.
Videl sighed clearly agitated at this entire series of events. He wished she would talk, but understood why she wasn't. He saw her begin to shiver and had assumed it was from the weather.
"Oh, um, do you want my coat? You must be cold…" Gohan said as he began to take his coat off fully intending to wrap it around her. This intense need to take care of her had fully enveloped him; what was the point in fighting it anymore?
"No, that's alright, I'm okay, I should make my way home," Videl said flatly, avoiding looking at Gohan. She tried to get up.
"Oh no no, you can't walk home like that, I'll call you a taxi!" Gohan insisted. She had just been in harm's way so there was no way he was going to let her walk home alone. If it had been up to him, he would have scooped her up in his arms and flown her back to her home, which would have allowed her to remain warm and comfortable. Again, because it's what she needed, not because he longed to hold her or anything.
Videl didn't say anything as Gohan got out his phone and called for a taxi. It was the best compromise he could come up with. She just sat there silent, stewing.
It didn't take long for the cab to arrive. He helped her up and opened the door for her.
"Thanks, Gohan…if Sharpener and Erasa asked, I fell over, okay?" She asked, finally looking up at him with her one good eye as she settled in the car.
Even hit in the face she still took his breath away. "Y-yeah, of course. Feel better Videl." He said before closing the door, wishing he could go with her to make sure she would get home safely.
He stood and watched the car drive off. Clenching his fists, the remorse and shame was really getting to him. Why hadn't he just stepped in? Videl was so smart, interesting, pretty…but she clearly wasn't a fighter and he had no reason to think that she was. He should have protected her! Even with this crush on her, his cheeks turned the slightest bit of red as he finally acknowledged that he did indeed have a crush on her; it shouldn't have mattered.
Defeated, Gohan made his way to his usual flying spot and went home. He was late for dinner and received an earful from his mother. It didn't matter though, since his mood remained sour. As he slept that night, however; in his dreams, he held Videl tightly in his arms and didn't let go.