The Young Ones pt 9: The Ultimate Ultimatum

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my own characters. Mmm kay.

A/N: Oy vey. The last part was a little confusing and it's about to get worse…

Quote of the day: "The best engineers in the world couldn't repair machines without the parts. Mechanics need parts for repairs, not like you with your leg. Ya see what I'm sayin'?" ~ Duo talking to Heero.

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Gohan just stared at her in disbelief. Here was a woman who had absolutely no proof that she was even from the future and she was telling him to break up with his Videl. He looked over to the frozen Videl and sighed heavily.

"What's your decision?" Lindsey asked.

"You mean right now??! You're asking me to break my girlfriend's heart and technically kill my would-be son!! I need time you know!!" Gohan yelled.

"What am I supposed to do?" Lindsey asked.

"Can you erase what you've just told them?"

"QUÉ?!"

"Huh?"

"I mean…NANI?!"

"According to what you just told us, these powers are waken from within right? Even if they don't know about them when they get in trouble they should be working fine."

"Yes but…"

"So it's better that they don't know about their futures. I mean Videl would think that I was backing out of our relationship because of what you told us."

"Yeah but…"

"This way it will give me more time to think of a suitable way to break it off. So, can you do it?"

"I dunno Gohan…" Lindsey started but by this time Gohan had lost all patience.

"LOOK!! IF YOU'RE GOING TO TELL ME TO RUIN MY LIFE THEN AT LEAST LET ME TAKE THE LESS PAINFUL WAY OUT!!! DAMN IT, I CAN'T TAKE MUCH MORE OF YOUR USELESS BABBLING!!" Gohan yelled. Lindsey blinked in surprise.

"Okay, and I'll also delete what David saw earlier. Is that okay?"

"Yes. Thank you I suppose." Gohan said angrily.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way."

"Me too."

**END DREAM SEQUENCE**

Gohan woke up to find Videl and David talking quietly. Nicholas came out and joined them again.

"Hey, any news?" Nicholas asked. They shook their heads.

**They have absolutely no idea. Oh man I guess it wasn't just a dream after all.** The gang heard a yell of "WHAT IN THE NAME OF DISINFECTED FLOORS IS GOING ON HERE??!" and they rushed into Natalie's room to see her as fresh as a daisy.

"Hey guys!!" She chirped. "So would someone like to tell me what I'm doing in here?" She asked. In a split second all four of them grabbed Natalie in a bear hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Nicholas said.

"Guys…I can't breathe…" Natalie wheezed and they quickly let go of her.

"Sorry, I just can't believe that you bounced back so quickly. Maybe we should call you Cat instead of Nat." Videl laughed. "You must have nine lives."

"That's a good thing. Coz dying would have been a major drag." David said.

"D-d-d-dying??!" Natalie said, white as a sheet. Nicholas smacked his forehead.

"I thought I told you no mentioning of the D-Y-I-N-G!!" Videl hissed.

"Well it doesn't matter now because you're okay." Nicholas said giving her a hug. Natalie smiled.

**Hmm, I guess this was kind of an apology from Lindsey. At least she did one favour for me.** Gohan thought silently.

"Everyone owes me an explanation." Natalie said folding her arms and pouting. Everyone else sweat-dropped. Lindsey peered into the doorway and smirked.

"Gohan bought that fake dream hook, line and sinker. Now he'll break up with Videl and the plan should run smoothly." She said. "But how did Natalie heal herself?"

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Over the next few weeks Gohan kept a close eye on the present Lindsey but since she didn't do anything out of the ordinary he couldn't come out and attack her. After all to everyone else she was still Lindsey. After visiting a few cities in Africa the gang returned home and took a two-week rest before starting their senior year of school. David had decided he had had enough of private school so he came back to Orange Star High. Fortunately or maybe unfortunately for Gohan, Videl was in the same homeroom class as him that year. The rest of the gang had been split up. Gohan sighed heavily as Videl walked into the room and sat next to him.

"What's the matter Gohan? You seemed to be so depressed lately." Videl asked.

"Oh nothing Videl. Just aging process creeping up on me again." Gohan muttered. Videl just looked at him weirdly.

"Sometimes you say the strangest things." Videl laughed. The class started and the buzz died down. A teacher walked in.

"Hi, my name is Mr Ishida and I will be your homeroom teacher. Now before we start I'd like to introduce a new student to our class. She has moved from Tokyo so try not to make her feel alienated ok?" Mr Ishida said as some sniggers were heard. "Could you come in and say a few things about yourself?" A girl with brown hair down to her waist and amethyst eyes came walking into the classroom. Every boy in the class stared at her with their mouths wide open. Videl slapped Gohan upside the head.

"Well, um, my name is Andrea Takenouchi and I'm new." Andrea said.

"That's um vague. Take a seat next to Videl Satan please." Mr Ishida said taking a look at the register. Andrea sat down next to Videl and they got talking.

**WOW!! She sure is pretty. Hmm, she just maybe who I'm looking for. No wait, she's getting too chummy with Videl…I'll just try someone else. After all it's the only choice I've got.** Gohan thought as he watched Videl and Andrea talk. Gohan sighed for what seemed like the thousandth time that morning.

LATER AT LUNCH…

"It must be like a plague or an alien invasion." Nicholas commented.

"Yeah, there was a new girl in our class too." David said as Natalie nodded.

"You two are lucky being in the same class. I'm all alone." Nicholas said.

"But you've got Lin." David said as Nicholas hit his head on the table. "Hehehe." Gohan and Videl sat down at the table.

"Where's Lindsey?" Videl asked as Nicholas banged his head on the table again.

"Don't ask." David said.

"Let me guess, there was a new girl in your class." Natalie said.

"HUH?! HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT?!" Videl and Gohan exclaimed.

"Soré wa himitsu desu." Natalie replied with a knowing smirk.

"Memo to me: ban Natalie from watching Slayers." Nicholas said.

"So, who is she?" David asked.

"Her name is Andrea. I asked her to join us for lunch but she said she was going to eat somewhere else." Gohan said.

"It's like this movie I saw one time. All the women were from an alien planet and they had come to seduce the local teenage boys into giving them their resources if ya know what I mean." Nicholas said.

"Yeah I saw that one!" Natalie said. "This is exactly how it started. A group of kids noticed how strange it was and decided to check it out. No one ever saw them again."

"Aw, man! I remember that one! But there was that one girl who wasn't part of their alien race but everyone thought she was so they killed her. Too bad though, she was hot!" David said as Natalie rolled her eyes.

"I think maybe you three should consider counselling. It's just one big coincidence." Videl said.

"That's what Bobby-Jo said. And now, she's dead." Nicholas said as David and Natalie nodded sadly. Videl just laughed. Gohan spaced out with a concerned look on his face.

**It's already started. I'd better act fast.** Gohan thought.

TWO WEEKS LATER…

"Has any one else noticed that Gohan's been really distant lately?" Videl asked.

"Well, what do you mean?" David asked.

"He never hangs with us anymore. He hardly even speaks to us and the last time we went on a date it was three weeks ago." Videl said sadly.

"Don't worry Vid. I'm sure he's fine." Natalie said reassuringly.

"Yeah! I saw Gohan a couple of minutes ago and he was with that new girl Trish." Lindsey said. Within a second Videl had disappeared. Natalie and David blinked in surprise.

"You have a really big mouth ya know." Nicholas said to Lindsey but she just shrugged.

Videl rushed aimlessly around the school trying to sense Gohan's chi when she found that he was in the science lab she breathed a sigh of relief. But when she walked in…she dropped the books she was carrying in surprise. There was Gohan, kissing Trish, as if it were part of that movie that her friends had described. She could literally hear her heart smashing into a million pieces.

"G…Gohan?" She barely made out. Gohan looked up.

"Videl! What are you doing here?" Gohan asked but Videl couldn't reply. She was too shocked to even make an expression. Trish grabbed her things and ran out of the classroom.

"Why?" Videl almost whispered.

"What?"

"WHY?! I WANT TO KNOW WHY?!" Videl screamed. Gohan just stood there shocked. Although he had planned for this to happen he didn't realise it would hurt him so much inside. Gohan walked up to her but the last bell rang.

"I've got to go. My mom is expecting me." Gohan said leaving Videl standing there shocked. She sank to the floor and started to cry.

"Hey Videl, you were gone so long…ohmigosh! Videl! What's the matter?" Natalie asked as she walked in to find Videl crying on the floor. Videl just muttered some incoherent so Natalie just hugged her. Videl got up and started to run away.

"Where are you going?" Natalie shouted.

"To sort things out with Gohan!" Videl yelled back as she flew off. Natalie blinked a couple of times and then felt her forehead.

"Well, I'm not sick so how come I saw Videl fly off? Whoever said school is good for you should come to this school. I'm starting to hallucinate." Natalie muttered as she walked off.

Gohan touched down at his house and hurried inside. He could sense that his parents weren't home but Goten was. Just as Gohan was about to ask Goten where his parents were he could sense Videl's chi getting closer.

"Shimatta." Gohan cursed. Videl started to bang on the door.

"YOU'D BETTER LET ME IN SON GOHAN!! I DON'T THINK YOUR MOTHER WOULD BE TO PLEASED ABOUT A BROKEN DOOR!" Videl yelled. Gohan sighed and let her in. Gohan was so preoccupied with Videl that he didn't see Goten was watching from a doorway.

"What is it Videl?" Gohan asked. Videl slapped him across the face.

"How could you? Don't I mean anything to you anymore?" Videl asked. She had a miserable expression. "Is it me?"

"Of course not! Sweetie…"

"Don't you 'sweetie' me Son. Tell me why."

"It's not that Videl…I can't tell you why." Gohan said sadly.

"I'm not taking that crap okay?! You were all over that girl like a cheap suit!!" Videl yelled.

"Cut it out!! You're not exactly making this any easier you know!" Gohan yelled back. Goten's eyes widened.

"I'm not making this any easier?! HOW EASY DO YOU THINK IT WAS FOR ME TO SEE THAT?! Was I getting too boring for you?! It was a bit too repetitive and you decided to go somewhere else?! ANSWER ME!!"

"I'M NOT GOING TO ANSWER YOU IF YOU KEEP YELLING!!" Gohan yelled. Videl let out a little gasp. "Listen, these…these things don't last forever you know. We're only 17 going on 18. We have our lives ahead of us…I don't think it's healthy for us to be seeing each other anymore." Gohan kept his face on the floor the whole time. He looked at her to see her face full of shock and hurt. He turned away from her. "I think it's best that you go."

"But Gohan…"

"JUST GO DAMN IT!!! GET OUT!!" Gohan yelled and Videl ran out. Gohan heaved a hefty sigh and shut the door in his room. Goten just stared at the door wide-eyed.

"But…I thought that onii-chan loved Videl-san. I don't understand." Goten said sadly. He felt tears form in his eyes but then wiped them away. "No! I won't cry! Vegeta says Saiya-jins don't cry they go and kill. But I won't kill so what can I do?"

Goten went to Gohan's room and knocked on the door. Gohan didn't answer so Goten knocked again. After the third time Goten just walked in to see Gohan all red-eyed.

"What's the matter Gohan? Are you okay?" Goten asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"But your eyes are all red. Are you sure?"

"Yes, now go and play or something."

"Gohan?"

"Yes?!" Gohan asked a bit irritated. Goten shifted from foot to foot.

"Why were you shouting at Videl-san? Aren't you friends anymore?"

"Iie, it's not that."

"Then what happened? Why was she so upset all of a sudden? Why were you shouting at her? I thought you love her." Goten said innocently.

"Please Goten, stop asking so many questions."

"But…"

"JUST STOP OKAY!!!" Gohan yelled but he immediately regretted it. After all it wasn't Goten's fault that this was happening. Just as Gohan turned around to apologise Goten had disappeared. "GOTEN!!! GOTEN!!!" Gohan yelled but there was no response. Gohan tried to sense his chi but Goten was repressing it so Gohan couldn't sense him. There was a slamming of the front door and Gohan went to go see who it was.

"Hi son, where's your brother?" Goku asked cheerfully. Gohan sighed heavily.

**This is so not my day.**

Goten wandered around for hours and he found himself in a street full of houses. He didn't want Gohan or anyone else to find him just yet but he was getting hungry.

"I can't go home, Gohan might still be mad at me. But where else can I go?" Goten said.

"Hi Goten!" A familiar voice behind him said. He turned around and saw Natalie behind him. She was on the porch of her house. "What are you doing here all by yourself, hmm?"

"I can take care of myself!" Goten said but Natalie laughed.

"You are the cutest little kid ever! Say, why don't you come inside and lets see if we can get you some food? You look hungry." Natalie said.

"Okay!!" Goten said walking inside. "You know, you're not as mean as Gohan says you are!"

"Gohan hasn't seen anything yet." Natalie muttered.

BACK AT GOHAN'S…

"Mom, please calm down!" Gohan pleaded but Chi-Chi hit him with the frying pan.

"I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!! MY BABY BOY IS OUT THERE ALL ALONE AND YOU'RE TELLING ME TO CALM DOWN!" Chi-Chi yelled.

"Hey Chich, could you keep it down? I'm trying to ask if Trunks has seen Goten." Goku said holding his hand over the phone. Chi-Chi sighed.

BACK AT NATALIE'S…

"Well, the telephone is engaged. I'll take you home after you finish your two burgers and fries…woah! You sure can eat!" Natalie said amazed. Goten just grinned the Son Grin™. "So, do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Well, Videl came over to our house and then she and onii-san started shouting at each other. Videl said something about a cheap suit and Gohan yelled at her really hard. Then she left and she was all crying and stuff. So when I tried to ask him what was wrong he stared at me with red eyes and said nothing was wrong. I asked why he was shouting at Videl and he told me off so I ran off." Goten explained.

"But, are you sure you should've done that? I mean, he wasn't angry at you."

"Are you angry at me too?"

"No!" Natalie exclaimed giving him a hug. "What I meant was maybe you should've asked him later."

"Oh, but he was angry with me. Maybe it's my fault that this happened."

"Don't say that! I'm sure that it's just stuff between them. It's definitely not your fault."

"Really?"

"Really, really. Now, are you ready to go home?" Natalie asked and Goten nodded. "HEY TONY!"

"YEAH?!"

"I'M BORROWING YOUR CAR BRO!"

"OKAY, DON'T SCRATCH IT!"

"Geez, unlike you, my brother is half human and half TV." Natalie sighed as Goten laughed. They hopped into the car and drove to Gohan's. When they pulled up all the two of them could hear was Chi-Chi yelling and crying. They both sweat-dropped. Natalie and Goten went to the front door and knocked. Chi-Chi answered it.

"Goten! Oh my baby is okay!" Chi-Chi said hugging him furiously. Goten just smiled as Chi-Chi dragged him inside. Goku came to the door.

"What she means to say is thanks." Goku smiled. "Where was he anyway?"

"He was in my neighbourhood so I brought him here. I tried to phone but it was busy." Natalie said as Goku nodded. "Is it alright if I talk to Gohan?"

"Sure. HEY GOHAN! NATALIE'S HERE TO SEE YOU!" Goku yelled as Gohan came to the door. They both walked a little away from the house.

"Gohan, listen. I don't know what happened between you and Videl today…"

"Did Goten tell you?"

"It doesn't matter if he did or he didn't. Look, I know that this may not be any of my business but please be careful what you say around him."

"I don't need a second mom." Gohan said but Natalie just sighed.

"My parents went through a messy divorce when I was his age and I thought it was all my fault until my brother came to me and told me it wasn't. In fact it was the fault of my venomous mother and her 'assistant' Miguel but that's not the point. You're like a second father to him and any pain that you have he feels the pain as well. Just go and explain some things to him okay?"

"I'm sorry about your parents Nat."

"Don't be. My dad is better off without my mom." Natalie laughed. "If you ever need an ear to listen just call David or Nicholas."

"Why not you?"

"Coz from what Goten told me, I'll need to be Videl's ear. I just hope I don't have to come and beat you up afterwards." Natalie said leaving. Gohan sighed again.

"I sigh way too much." Gohan said sighing again.

End of part nine…

Aw!! Goten is too cute!!