Disclaimer: see part 1
--------Love's Trials---------
-A week and a half later, Thursday-
Gohan awoke late that morning. His eyes slowly opened and he pushed himself onto his elbows to look at the clock on his bedside table, reading the time as 10:30 AM. He collapsed down back on the bed, seeing the only good thing that came out of the school burning down was that he could sleep in later than normal. Having nothing to study, Gohan had taken to recreational reading and training to fill in the time while he waited for the school to be rebuilt.
Gohan relaxed in his nice warm bed for several more minutes after he awoke, the sun shining into his window, filling the room with light. Pulling the blankets off of his body, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He walked out of his room, one hand running through his hair while the other absently scratched his stomach, and he padded his way to the bathhouse in only his boxers, hoping that the refreshing feeling of the water on his skin would wake him up.
As he passed the living room, he could hear the sounds of his mother as she relaxed on the couch, obviously taking a break from her never-ending cleaning spree. He smiled slightly and continued on to the bathhouse. He walked into the bathhouse and closed the door behind him, quickly divesting himself of his boxers, turning on the water, and stepping into the bath.
I wonder what I'm going to do today? Gohan asked himself as he let the warm water relax his muscles. He leaned back in the bath, his arms propped up against the edge, and he let his head fall back, his eyes focusing on the ceiling. He must have sat there for about 20 minutes, the warm water languidly soothing him and refreshing him all at once. With a sigh, Gohan knew that he needed to get out soon and suddenly dunked himself into the deep water, making sure that he got his hair wet. It didn't take long for the demi-Saiya-jin to finish up washing himself.
30 minutes after Gohan entered the bathhouse, he exited it, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair still damp as he rushed into the kitchen to get something to eat. In his rush to fill his empty stomach, he didn't even notice the two occupants of the kitchen, casually talking over coffee. Bulma and Chi-Chi didn't look the least bit surprised at Gohan's entrance. The young warrior walked over to the refrigerator, a focused look on his face as he opened the door and studied its contents.
Both of the two older women watched as a foot came up to rub against his leg, obviously relieving an itch, before settling back down on the floor. Bulma inspected Gohan carefully, wondering how was it that Saiya-jins had such wonderful looking bodies. Her eyes swept over his graceful form, taking in the powerful arms, broad chest, lean hips, and muscular legs. His height only served to make him look even more graceful. Bulma sighed. If she were younger and not madly in love with Vegeta, she would have fallen for him in an instant.
"How is it that Videl isn't going out with you yet? I mean, with that body, you're practically irresistible, Gohan," Bulma said, smiling as a bright blush spread over his face. Gohan pulled his head away from the refrigerator and looked over at the table to see his mother and her best friend sitting there, cups of coffee cradled in their hands.
"Wh-what did you say, Bulma?" Gohan stuttered, not believing his ears. Did she just say I was attractive? Gohan thought.
"Bulma does have a point, Gohan. If I were Videl, I would have claimed you as mine long ago," Chi-Chi said, only making Gohan's blush deeper. He forced the color to leave his cheeks as he stared at the two women.
"Could we stop talking about that?" Gohan asked, "You two know that I don't like to talk about my relationship with Videl very much." The two older women looked at each other and shrugged, deciding to leave the issue alone.
"Gohan," Chi-Chi said, "I saved you some breakfast; it's on the counter." Gohan's face alit with curiosity as he turned to look at the counter, his vision filling with a dozen plates of food, all covered with Saran Wrap to keep in the heat. Stacking them on top of each other, he quickly grabbed a pair of chopsticks and sat down at the kitchen table, quickly ripping the plastic covering off of each plate, practically inhaling the food before him. Bulma and Chi-Chi looked at Gohan with twin looks of disgust and awe.
Even though they had been around the constantly hungry Saiya-jins for many years, they were still taken aback every time at how much they could eat, wondering where they put it all. Chi-Chi and Bulma were silent as they watched Gohan eat and, in no time at all, Gohan was finished, his appetite satisfied, a pile of 12 plates in front of him.
"Oh, that was good mom. You are such a great cook," Gohan said, leaning back in his chair, his feet set slightly apart on the floor. Gohan ran a hand through his damp hair and looked over at Bulma.
"So, what brings you over here this morning, Bulma?" Gohan asked. Bulma lazily dragged a finger around the rim of her coffee mug.
"Oh, just to talk…and to ask your mother something," Bulma said cryptically. Chi-Chi's eyes lit up as she remembered something.
"That reminds me. I have a favor to ask of you, Gohan," Chi-Chi said.
"What is it mom?" Gohan asked, his brows furrowing together in confusion.
"Well," Chi-Chi said, her voice filled with a slight hint of hesitation, "Would you mind taking care of Goten and Trunks this weekend? You see, Bulma just asked me to go to this convention with her for the weekend. It's being held at a spa/resort and she wanted me to go and have a weekend of relaxation. She'd have Vegeta do it, but Vegeta's going with her as her bodyguard or she'd have her parents do it, but they're going as well. Will you do it?" Gohan looked at both Chi-Chi and Bulma, both of them looking at him with hopeful looks on their faces.
"Yeah, sure. I'll look after them. It shouldn't be too difficult to handle the two of them, although they are rather hyper," Gohan said.
"You will?" Bulma asked, "Oh thank you Gohan! You just saved me the trouble of having to find a baby-sitter at the last moment." Gohan dismissed the trouble with a wave of his hand.
"It's no problem, Bulma," Gohan said. Chi-Chi looked at Gohan speculatively, her eyes taking in his behavior. She saw a glimmer of disappointment in his eyes and quickly remembered that he had plans with Videl for the weekend that he would have to cancel. Lucky for him, she had the perfect solution.
"Hey, Gohan, why don't you invite Videl over for the weekend to help you? I'm sure you could use it and I'm sure she'd be glad to," Chi-Chi said, watching as the glimmer of disappointment disappeared, leaving his eyes shining with happiness.
"Hey, that's a great idea, mom! Why didn't I think of it before?" Gohan took a moment to realize just what his mother was suggesting.
"Wait a minute," he drawled, "You mean you're willing to let Videl stay for the weekend without any parent supervision? You trust us that much?" Chi-Chi looked at Gohan and saw the wariness in his eyes.
"I know you two aren't going to do anything bad," Chi-Chi said, "And if you two do, I'll surely find out. You can't keep many things from your mother, Gohan, you know that." Chi-Chi shrugged. "Besides, I knew you'd invite her out here anyway to spend time with her. I figured that I'd just give you my permission to not only let her come out here, but spend the whole weekend out here so she wouldn't have to make the trip back." Gohan was shocked; Chi-Chi must really trust him or she didn't realize how thin his self-control around Videl was wearing.
Either way, he didn't care; he was just happy that Videl would be allowed to come out. Now the only question was if she wasn't busy that weekend. He knew for the most part that she wasn't, but he wanted to make sure. Gohan stood up out of his chair and began walking out of the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" Bulma asked Gohan as he left the room. He poked his head back in, a smile on his face.
"I'm going to call up Videl to see if she wants to come out here this weekend." With that said, Gohan rushed off towards the phone, not hearing Bulma's remark.
"Oh trust me, she'll come out here this weekend if it kills her." Gohan excitedly picked up the phone and dialed the number for Videl's private line. It only rang twice before someone picked it up.
"Hello?" Videl said, her voice sounding loud and clear from the other end of the phone.
"Hiya Videl!" Gohan exclaimed.
"Oh, hi Gohan," Videl said, "How are you doing?"
"Me? Oh, I'm fine." There was a slight pause before Gohan asked his question. "Hey Videl, are you busy this weekend?"
"No, other than our plans to get together on Saturday. Why?"
"Well, unfortunately, our plans for Saturday will have to be cancelled," Gohan said regretfully. Videl's face took on a look of confusion and disappointment.
"Why?" she asked. Gohan sighed.
"Well, you see- HEY! Squirt, give that back!" Gohan yelled, lunging after his brother. From Videl's side of the phone, she could hear Goten's chant.
"Big brother's naked, big brother's naked!"
"Goten, you give me back that towel or else!" Gohan yelled.
"Whaddya going to do? Kill me?" Goten said, running out of the house, Gohan's towel trailing behind him like a white flag. Gohan paused only for a moment to speak to Videl in a low, clipped tone.
"I'll be right back." He set the phone down and rushed after his brother to get his towel back. Videl, meanwhile, was blushing a bright pink. Gohan called me wearing nothing but a towel? Ooh, I'd love to see that. I bet he has a gorgeous body, Videl thought with a sigh. It only took about a minute for Gohan to return, his towel wrapped securely around his waist once again.
"Sorry about that," Gohan said, picking up the phone, "I just got out of the bath and haven't gotten dressed yet. Goten must have saw the opportunity to swipe my towel while I wasn't paying attention too much to pass up. He's always looking for little things like that to annoy me with. He probably thinks he's just playing a funny joke."
"So," Videl said, "I take it you got your towel back." Gohan's hand rested on his towel, not willing to let it get swiped again.
"Yup! And it's not going anywhere until I go and get dressed." Videl tried to shake off the mental image of Gohan naked, but it refused to go away. She tried her best to ignore it, though, as she tried to clarify why Gohan was canceling their plans for the weekend.
"So, why can't we get together on Saturday?" Videl asked.
"Oh, I was just about to explain that. Well, my mother is going out of town with Bulma for the weekend and I'm the only one who can take care of not only Goten, but Trunks as well seeing how as Vegeta is going along to protect Bulma and Bulma's parents are going along as well. My reason for calling is to not only cancel our plans for this weekend, but to ask you if you wanted to come out here this weekend and help me take care of the two." Videl's jaw dropped.
"You mean like stay at your house for the weekend with nobody there? Is your mom ok with this?" Gohan nodded.
"Oh yeah. She was even the one who suggested the idea. So, do you want to come?" Gohan asked hopefully.
"For how long?" Videl asked.
"Well, you would be here from tomorrow afternoon to Monday late morning. That's probably as long as they're going to be gone for. And, if not, then I'm sure I can manage fine without you for the rest of the time. It'd just be nice to have your help for the weekend." Videl smiled.
"Well, I'd love to. I just have to ask my dad." Gohan gulped.
"Are you going to tell him that you're coming here? I don't think he'd like that very much." Videl scoffed at Gohan's question.
"Get real, Gohan. I'll tell him I'm going to Eraser's house for the weekend. He should have no problem with that. He never checks up on me wherever I go. He knows that I'd call if something were wrong and that I can normally take care of myself. He'll never know." Gohan smiled widely.
"So, I can expect to see you tomorrow, right?"
"I'll call you if I can't make it. Otherwise, expect me there at about 1:00 tomorrow afternoon, ok?"
"Sure thing, Videl," Gohan said, "I'll see you then."
"Hopefully," Videl followed up, "But there should be no reason why I wouldn't be able to convince my dad that I'm going to Eraser's house. So, I'll see ya, Gohan."
"Bye Videl," Gohan said before hanging up the phone. Thrilled that Videl was most likely coming out that weekend, Gohan realized that he could also continue to protect her without having to leave Goten and Trunks alone. A smile on his face at the convenience of the entire situation, he popped back into the kitchen to briefly say that Videl was going to be staying the weekend before moving upstairs to get dressed.
***
Videl sighed as she flew through the air in her jet plane. Her father thought she was at Eraser's house, spending the weekend watching movies and the like when in fact she was going to be spending the weekend with the guy she was in love with…and his little brother and his little brother's best friend. Videl shrugged; the presence of Goten and Trunks wouldn't be too impeding. She was still sure that she and Gohan could spend some quality time together. She didn't particularly like lying to her father, but she really wanted to spend the weekend with Gohan.
Hmm, the things people will do for love, Videl thought absently as she navigated her jet plane through the open air. She gazed at the sky, wishing that she could feel the open air on her skin, the wind whipping her hair. Satan Videl wanted to fly and not in a jet plane; she wanted to really fly. But, there's no way I could ever do something like that, Videl thought as she neared Gohan's house in the 439 Mountain Area.
She soon landed on the grassy area in front of the house and, grabbing her bag, she exited the jet plane, putting the vehicle back in its capsule and securing the capsule in her bag. Checking her watch, she discovered that she was a little early; it was 12:35 and she told Gohan she wouldn't be there until 1:00. Videl shrugged.
Eh, he won't mind me being early. This is Gohan we're talking about. He's probably the most easy-going, compliant person I know, Videl said to herself as she walked over to the front door and politely knocked. Several moments later, Chi-Chi answered the door, her hair done up in the characteristic bun and a smile on her face.
"Hello Videl. I'm so glad you could come over." Videl smiled at the older woman's sincere words.
"Well, I'm happy I could come over too. At least Gohan won't be alone in watching Goten and Trunks this weekend, right?" Chi-Chi moved aside to let Videl in the house.
"Yeah, especially considering how much of a handful Trunks and Goten can be when they're together." Chi-Chi sighed as she closed the front door, thinking about the possible troubles that Gohan and Videl might have taking care of the two younger half Saiya-jins.
"Anyway, I need to finish packing up my things for the weekend as well as get a few things ready down here. You can put your things up in the guest room. Gohan's upstairs in his room, so go on up." Videl flashed Chi-Chi a warm smile.
"Thanks Chi-Chi. I'll see you later." With that, Videl walked up the stairs and immediately navigated herself to the guest room, remembering where it was from the last time she had been there. She walked into the room and set her bag down on the full-sized bed. She walked over to the window that was next to the bed and gazed out towards the countryside, noting the beauty and tranquility of it all. She loved it out there and wouldn't mind living in a place as peaceful as the area around Gohan's house. She knew that although she was helping Gohan take care of two young kids that the weekend would still be relaxing; the countryside just did that to people, Videl guessed.
Hearing a noise behind her, Videl turned around and walked out of the guest room, turning slightly to enter Gohan's room, where the noise came from. She spotted Gohan the moment she entered the room and she stared. He was standing in the middle of his room, holding a picture frame, obviously looking down at a picture. But, that didn't catch Videl's attention. It was what he was wearing…or, rather, what he wasn't wearing.
The Son Gohan that was standing in front of her was shirtless, standing there in only a pair of snug-fitting jeans. Videl didn't care if he caught her staring or not; it was hard to tear her eyes away from the sight in front of her. He was gorgeous, totally and completely gorgeous. He was completely toned, tanned skin covering solid muscle. Her eyes wandered over his sculpted upper body, taking in everything from his muscular arms to his washboard stomach.
Beautiful, Videl thought, the only word that came to mind. It was like she was seeing perfection for the first time. He was muscular, but not too bulky, just the way Videl thought men should always be built like. She thought her father was too bulky but Gohan…Gohan was perfect. She saw a gentle smile grace his lips before he put down the picture, moving over to the other side of the room to collect his shirt. It was then that Videl noticed the difference in the way he walked.
He moved so…gracefully, totally unlike the slightly self-conscious gait she was used to seeing. He glided to the other side of the room, his movements sleek and deliberate. No, there was no mistake about it. Gohan wasn't some gangly teenager; he was a man who moved with the grace of a warrior. This was the true face of Gohan, the person that he wouldn't let her see, the person he wasn't comfortable with her seeing. His back was to Videl as he picked up his shirt, the muscles on his back moving as he did. Videl could see them working underneath his skin and she could feel herself becoming overwhelmed with desire. Now that she had an eyeful of the perfect body in front of her, the sight of him would fill her dreams for nights to come. A twinge of disappointment came over Videl as he started to put his shirt on.
Hopefully I'll get to see it again, Videl thought, noting the scar that was on his left upper arm. She wondered where he had gotten that scar, but decided that she wouldn't question him about it. Now that he was fully clothed, it was like her trance was broken. Clearing her throat, she knocked on the doorframe, her fingers rapping against the wood. Gohan turned around at the noise, smiling widely as he saw the girl of his dreams standing in his doorway.
"Hey Videl, you showed up!" Gohan said. Videl sighed in mock annoyance.
"Duh, of course I showed up!" Gohan looked over Videl briefly, noting that the Senzu bean had done the trick and that her burns from the fire were gone; he hadn't seen her since that day and was relieved that the Senzu beans worked so well.
"Well, I see that you're doing great. The Senzu bean I gave you really did the trick," Gohan said. Videl nodded.
"It sure did, however it did it. Thanks for that, by the way." Gohan shrugged.
"It was no problem, Videl," Gohan said, "It was the quickest way to make you feel better." Videl nodded.
"Yeah, the hard part was hiding the disappearance of the burns from my father. I actually wore the bandages for a few days to throw him off the track. When I took them off, I told him that I guessed I was a fast healer. Dad seemed a little shocked, but pretty much ignored it." Videl walked over and sat down on Gohan's bed, looking up at him as he stood by his window.
"So, what's the game plan for the weekend?" Videl asked.
"Well," Gohan said, thinking about it, "Bulma and Vegeta are coming by at about 1:30 to drop off Trunks and pick up my mother. They're going to be gone until Monday morning, though they don't know when." Gohan paused for a moment. "Hey, what time is it anyway?" he asked. Videl lifted her wrist, looking at her silver watch that she got from her dad as a present on her 16th birthday.
"It's about 1:00. So we have about a half an hour before Vegeta and Bulma show up with Trunks," Videl said, lowering her wrist. Gohan chuckled.
"My mother is probably going frantic trying to get everything perfect before she goes. She's never left my brother and me alone for the weekend; I think she wants to cover every possible emergency that might go down." Videl chuckled as well.
"Yeah, well she looked a little frantic when she answered the door. She really does deserve this weekend off," Videl said to Gohan, who nodded.
"If anyone, she definitely deserves it," Gohan said, thinking about everything Chi-Chi had had to put up with for the past 2 decades of her life. While Goku was easy to love, he was not easy to take care of. The sheer amount of food that he ate was staggering and his two sons were no different. Chi-Chi was lucky that Goku had won so much money in the Tenkaichi Budoukais from previous years to support them; otherwise, Chi-Chi would have gone broke trying to buy enough food to support her family with.
"So," Gohan said, switching topics, "I suppose your father thinks you're at Eraser's house, am I right?" Videl nodded.
"Yeah, he does. I feel kind of bad for lying to him, but I really wanted to come out here. I'll get over it eventually," Videl said, shrugging her shoulders. Gohan did the same.
"Yeah, it's not like you're doing drugs or anything really bad, you know?" Gohan said.
"My dad would kill me if I did drugs," Videl said, seeing how as Gohan raised the subject.
"Yeah, the same with my mom," Gohan said in response. For the next half hour, the two teenagers talked about things that they could do that would get them killed by their parents. They were suddenly pulled out of their conversation by Chi-Chi calling them.
"Gohan! Videl! Would you two come down here please?" The two looked at each other before leaving Gohan's room, moving swiftly through the hallway and down the stairs to where Chi-Chi was waiting. Standing next to her was Bulma and Vegeta, who looked like they were both ready to go.
"Oh, hey you two," Gohan said, looking at the couple, "Where's Trunks?"
"Trunks is off playing outside with Goten," Bulma quickly explained.
"Now Gohan," Chi-Chi said to her oldest son, "I hate to say this, but you guys are on your own for meals. I know you know enough to cook, Gohan. Do you Videl?" Chi-Chi asked. Videl nodded.
"A little. I'm not a gourmet chef or anything, but I know how to make my own food." Chi-Chi smiled in relief.
"So, you two should be set when it comes to making dinner. I don't think those two care what it is as long as it's edible." Chi-Chi then handed Gohan a piece of paper.
"This has the number of the place we'll be staying at in case there's an emergency," Chi-Chi said, "As well as the number for my father in case something goes wrong and you need his help." Chi-Chi sighed as she tried to think of other things to say.
"Well, I think that's it. You know pretty much everything else there is to know about handling Goten and Trunks, Gohan. I don't think you'll have any problems."
"Thanks mom," Gohan said, leaning over to give his mother a hug, "Have a good weekend, ok?" Chi-Chi grinned.
"I hope I do," she said. Gohan then pulled away from his mother and looked at Bulma and Vegeta.
"Have a nice weekend too, you two." Bulma rolled her eyes.
"We'll try, but with Vegeta, there's no promises." Vegeta chose not to respond to Bulma's remark and instead glared at Gohan.
"Make sure nothing goes wrong," Vegeta said, his eyes flickering over to Videl, "If anything happens while I'm gone, I'll kill you." Gohan looked back at Vegeta, his look all seriousness.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen; I promise."
"Good," Vegeta huffed; he figured that Videl was in good hands with Gohan, but he still wanted to tell Gohan to watch out for her. The last thing they needed was for Queen Milena to get her hands on Videl. Bulma sighed and said.
"Well, we better be off. Did you put all of your stuff in the airbus, Chi-Chi?" Bulma asked and Chi-Chi nodded.
"Yeah, I did. I have everything. I'm ready to go." Bulma smiled.
"Well then let's get moving!" she exclaimed as she walked out of the door, the rest following her. Outside, Goten and Trunks were sitting on the grass, talking about something the others couldn't hear. Goten and Trunks both spotted their mothers and rushed over to them. Goten grabbed onto Chi-Chi's leg.
"I'll miss you, mommy. Have fun, ok?" Chi-Chi knelt down on the ground to give her youngest son a hug.
"I will, Goten."
"Bye mom, bye dad," Trunks said to his parents. Vegeta gave his son a small smile as he rested his hand on his son's head, ruffling Trunks' lavender hair.
"Bye Trunks," he said. Bulma knelt down and gave her son a quick hug.
"Now Trunks," Bulma said, "You be good, ok? I don't want to come back and hear that you haven't been good."
"I promise I'll be good, mom," Trunks said. Bulma smiled at his sincerity and straightened.
"That's my boy," Bulma said, "Well, are we ready to go?" Chi-Chi nodded.
"Yes, I think we are." Vegeta harrumphed.
"Well it's about time," Vegeta scowled as he entered the airbus first. Bulma soon followed him, leaving Chi-Chi outside.
"You all be good and take care of everything," Chi-Chi said. Gohan nodded reassuringly.
"Don't worry mom, nothing will happen. Just go and don't worry about us; we'll be fine." Chi-Chi's worried look softened; she knew if Gohan said things would be ok, they would be ok. She said one last goodbye before climbing onto the bus.
"Bye mom!" Goten exclaimed as the door to the airbus closed. The group of four watched as the small airbus took off into the air, leaving the small group standing on the grass, all eyes watching as the shape of the airbus grew smaller and smaller as it flew away.
--------Love's Trials---------
-A week and a half later, Thursday-
Gohan awoke late that morning. His eyes slowly opened and he pushed himself onto his elbows to look at the clock on his bedside table, reading the time as 10:30 AM. He collapsed down back on the bed, seeing the only good thing that came out of the school burning down was that he could sleep in later than normal. Having nothing to study, Gohan had taken to recreational reading and training to fill in the time while he waited for the school to be rebuilt.
Gohan relaxed in his nice warm bed for several more minutes after he awoke, the sun shining into his window, filling the room with light. Pulling the blankets off of his body, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He walked out of his room, one hand running through his hair while the other absently scratched his stomach, and he padded his way to the bathhouse in only his boxers, hoping that the refreshing feeling of the water on his skin would wake him up.
As he passed the living room, he could hear the sounds of his mother as she relaxed on the couch, obviously taking a break from her never-ending cleaning spree. He smiled slightly and continued on to the bathhouse. He walked into the bathhouse and closed the door behind him, quickly divesting himself of his boxers, turning on the water, and stepping into the bath.
I wonder what I'm going to do today? Gohan asked himself as he let the warm water relax his muscles. He leaned back in the bath, his arms propped up against the edge, and he let his head fall back, his eyes focusing on the ceiling. He must have sat there for about 20 minutes, the warm water languidly soothing him and refreshing him all at once. With a sigh, Gohan knew that he needed to get out soon and suddenly dunked himself into the deep water, making sure that he got his hair wet. It didn't take long for the demi-Saiya-jin to finish up washing himself.
30 minutes after Gohan entered the bathhouse, he exited it, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair still damp as he rushed into the kitchen to get something to eat. In his rush to fill his empty stomach, he didn't even notice the two occupants of the kitchen, casually talking over coffee. Bulma and Chi-Chi didn't look the least bit surprised at Gohan's entrance. The young warrior walked over to the refrigerator, a focused look on his face as he opened the door and studied its contents.
Both of the two older women watched as a foot came up to rub against his leg, obviously relieving an itch, before settling back down on the floor. Bulma inspected Gohan carefully, wondering how was it that Saiya-jins had such wonderful looking bodies. Her eyes swept over his graceful form, taking in the powerful arms, broad chest, lean hips, and muscular legs. His height only served to make him look even more graceful. Bulma sighed. If she were younger and not madly in love with Vegeta, she would have fallen for him in an instant.
"How is it that Videl isn't going out with you yet? I mean, with that body, you're practically irresistible, Gohan," Bulma said, smiling as a bright blush spread over his face. Gohan pulled his head away from the refrigerator and looked over at the table to see his mother and her best friend sitting there, cups of coffee cradled in their hands.
"Wh-what did you say, Bulma?" Gohan stuttered, not believing his ears. Did she just say I was attractive? Gohan thought.
"Bulma does have a point, Gohan. If I were Videl, I would have claimed you as mine long ago," Chi-Chi said, only making Gohan's blush deeper. He forced the color to leave his cheeks as he stared at the two women.
"Could we stop talking about that?" Gohan asked, "You two know that I don't like to talk about my relationship with Videl very much." The two older women looked at each other and shrugged, deciding to leave the issue alone.
"Gohan," Chi-Chi said, "I saved you some breakfast; it's on the counter." Gohan's face alit with curiosity as he turned to look at the counter, his vision filling with a dozen plates of food, all covered with Saran Wrap to keep in the heat. Stacking them on top of each other, he quickly grabbed a pair of chopsticks and sat down at the kitchen table, quickly ripping the plastic covering off of each plate, practically inhaling the food before him. Bulma and Chi-Chi looked at Gohan with twin looks of disgust and awe.
Even though they had been around the constantly hungry Saiya-jins for many years, they were still taken aback every time at how much they could eat, wondering where they put it all. Chi-Chi and Bulma were silent as they watched Gohan eat and, in no time at all, Gohan was finished, his appetite satisfied, a pile of 12 plates in front of him.
"Oh, that was good mom. You are such a great cook," Gohan said, leaning back in his chair, his feet set slightly apart on the floor. Gohan ran a hand through his damp hair and looked over at Bulma.
"So, what brings you over here this morning, Bulma?" Gohan asked. Bulma lazily dragged a finger around the rim of her coffee mug.
"Oh, just to talk…and to ask your mother something," Bulma said cryptically. Chi-Chi's eyes lit up as she remembered something.
"That reminds me. I have a favor to ask of you, Gohan," Chi-Chi said.
"What is it mom?" Gohan asked, his brows furrowing together in confusion.
"Well," Chi-Chi said, her voice filled with a slight hint of hesitation, "Would you mind taking care of Goten and Trunks this weekend? You see, Bulma just asked me to go to this convention with her for the weekend. It's being held at a spa/resort and she wanted me to go and have a weekend of relaxation. She'd have Vegeta do it, but Vegeta's going with her as her bodyguard or she'd have her parents do it, but they're going as well. Will you do it?" Gohan looked at both Chi-Chi and Bulma, both of them looking at him with hopeful looks on their faces.
"Yeah, sure. I'll look after them. It shouldn't be too difficult to handle the two of them, although they are rather hyper," Gohan said.
"You will?" Bulma asked, "Oh thank you Gohan! You just saved me the trouble of having to find a baby-sitter at the last moment." Gohan dismissed the trouble with a wave of his hand.
"It's no problem, Bulma," Gohan said. Chi-Chi looked at Gohan speculatively, her eyes taking in his behavior. She saw a glimmer of disappointment in his eyes and quickly remembered that he had plans with Videl for the weekend that he would have to cancel. Lucky for him, she had the perfect solution.
"Hey, Gohan, why don't you invite Videl over for the weekend to help you? I'm sure you could use it and I'm sure she'd be glad to," Chi-Chi said, watching as the glimmer of disappointment disappeared, leaving his eyes shining with happiness.
"Hey, that's a great idea, mom! Why didn't I think of it before?" Gohan took a moment to realize just what his mother was suggesting.
"Wait a minute," he drawled, "You mean you're willing to let Videl stay for the weekend without any parent supervision? You trust us that much?" Chi-Chi looked at Gohan and saw the wariness in his eyes.
"I know you two aren't going to do anything bad," Chi-Chi said, "And if you two do, I'll surely find out. You can't keep many things from your mother, Gohan, you know that." Chi-Chi shrugged. "Besides, I knew you'd invite her out here anyway to spend time with her. I figured that I'd just give you my permission to not only let her come out here, but spend the whole weekend out here so she wouldn't have to make the trip back." Gohan was shocked; Chi-Chi must really trust him or she didn't realize how thin his self-control around Videl was wearing.
Either way, he didn't care; he was just happy that Videl would be allowed to come out. Now the only question was if she wasn't busy that weekend. He knew for the most part that she wasn't, but he wanted to make sure. Gohan stood up out of his chair and began walking out of the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" Bulma asked Gohan as he left the room. He poked his head back in, a smile on his face.
"I'm going to call up Videl to see if she wants to come out here this weekend." With that said, Gohan rushed off towards the phone, not hearing Bulma's remark.
"Oh trust me, she'll come out here this weekend if it kills her." Gohan excitedly picked up the phone and dialed the number for Videl's private line. It only rang twice before someone picked it up.
"Hello?" Videl said, her voice sounding loud and clear from the other end of the phone.
"Hiya Videl!" Gohan exclaimed.
"Oh, hi Gohan," Videl said, "How are you doing?"
"Me? Oh, I'm fine." There was a slight pause before Gohan asked his question. "Hey Videl, are you busy this weekend?"
"No, other than our plans to get together on Saturday. Why?"
"Well, unfortunately, our plans for Saturday will have to be cancelled," Gohan said regretfully. Videl's face took on a look of confusion and disappointment.
"Why?" she asked. Gohan sighed.
"Well, you see- HEY! Squirt, give that back!" Gohan yelled, lunging after his brother. From Videl's side of the phone, she could hear Goten's chant.
"Big brother's naked, big brother's naked!"
"Goten, you give me back that towel or else!" Gohan yelled.
"Whaddya going to do? Kill me?" Goten said, running out of the house, Gohan's towel trailing behind him like a white flag. Gohan paused only for a moment to speak to Videl in a low, clipped tone.
"I'll be right back." He set the phone down and rushed after his brother to get his towel back. Videl, meanwhile, was blushing a bright pink. Gohan called me wearing nothing but a towel? Ooh, I'd love to see that. I bet he has a gorgeous body, Videl thought with a sigh. It only took about a minute for Gohan to return, his towel wrapped securely around his waist once again.
"Sorry about that," Gohan said, picking up the phone, "I just got out of the bath and haven't gotten dressed yet. Goten must have saw the opportunity to swipe my towel while I wasn't paying attention too much to pass up. He's always looking for little things like that to annoy me with. He probably thinks he's just playing a funny joke."
"So," Videl said, "I take it you got your towel back." Gohan's hand rested on his towel, not willing to let it get swiped again.
"Yup! And it's not going anywhere until I go and get dressed." Videl tried to shake off the mental image of Gohan naked, but it refused to go away. She tried her best to ignore it, though, as she tried to clarify why Gohan was canceling their plans for the weekend.
"So, why can't we get together on Saturday?" Videl asked.
"Oh, I was just about to explain that. Well, my mother is going out of town with Bulma for the weekend and I'm the only one who can take care of not only Goten, but Trunks as well seeing how as Vegeta is going along to protect Bulma and Bulma's parents are going along as well. My reason for calling is to not only cancel our plans for this weekend, but to ask you if you wanted to come out here this weekend and help me take care of the two." Videl's jaw dropped.
"You mean like stay at your house for the weekend with nobody there? Is your mom ok with this?" Gohan nodded.
"Oh yeah. She was even the one who suggested the idea. So, do you want to come?" Gohan asked hopefully.
"For how long?" Videl asked.
"Well, you would be here from tomorrow afternoon to Monday late morning. That's probably as long as they're going to be gone for. And, if not, then I'm sure I can manage fine without you for the rest of the time. It'd just be nice to have your help for the weekend." Videl smiled.
"Well, I'd love to. I just have to ask my dad." Gohan gulped.
"Are you going to tell him that you're coming here? I don't think he'd like that very much." Videl scoffed at Gohan's question.
"Get real, Gohan. I'll tell him I'm going to Eraser's house for the weekend. He should have no problem with that. He never checks up on me wherever I go. He knows that I'd call if something were wrong and that I can normally take care of myself. He'll never know." Gohan smiled widely.
"So, I can expect to see you tomorrow, right?"
"I'll call you if I can't make it. Otherwise, expect me there at about 1:00 tomorrow afternoon, ok?"
"Sure thing, Videl," Gohan said, "I'll see you then."
"Hopefully," Videl followed up, "But there should be no reason why I wouldn't be able to convince my dad that I'm going to Eraser's house. So, I'll see ya, Gohan."
"Bye Videl," Gohan said before hanging up the phone. Thrilled that Videl was most likely coming out that weekend, Gohan realized that he could also continue to protect her without having to leave Goten and Trunks alone. A smile on his face at the convenience of the entire situation, he popped back into the kitchen to briefly say that Videl was going to be staying the weekend before moving upstairs to get dressed.
***
Videl sighed as she flew through the air in her jet plane. Her father thought she was at Eraser's house, spending the weekend watching movies and the like when in fact she was going to be spending the weekend with the guy she was in love with…and his little brother and his little brother's best friend. Videl shrugged; the presence of Goten and Trunks wouldn't be too impeding. She was still sure that she and Gohan could spend some quality time together. She didn't particularly like lying to her father, but she really wanted to spend the weekend with Gohan.
Hmm, the things people will do for love, Videl thought absently as she navigated her jet plane through the open air. She gazed at the sky, wishing that she could feel the open air on her skin, the wind whipping her hair. Satan Videl wanted to fly and not in a jet plane; she wanted to really fly. But, there's no way I could ever do something like that, Videl thought as she neared Gohan's house in the 439 Mountain Area.
She soon landed on the grassy area in front of the house and, grabbing her bag, she exited the jet plane, putting the vehicle back in its capsule and securing the capsule in her bag. Checking her watch, she discovered that she was a little early; it was 12:35 and she told Gohan she wouldn't be there until 1:00. Videl shrugged.
Eh, he won't mind me being early. This is Gohan we're talking about. He's probably the most easy-going, compliant person I know, Videl said to herself as she walked over to the front door and politely knocked. Several moments later, Chi-Chi answered the door, her hair done up in the characteristic bun and a smile on her face.
"Hello Videl. I'm so glad you could come over." Videl smiled at the older woman's sincere words.
"Well, I'm happy I could come over too. At least Gohan won't be alone in watching Goten and Trunks this weekend, right?" Chi-Chi moved aside to let Videl in the house.
"Yeah, especially considering how much of a handful Trunks and Goten can be when they're together." Chi-Chi sighed as she closed the front door, thinking about the possible troubles that Gohan and Videl might have taking care of the two younger half Saiya-jins.
"Anyway, I need to finish packing up my things for the weekend as well as get a few things ready down here. You can put your things up in the guest room. Gohan's upstairs in his room, so go on up." Videl flashed Chi-Chi a warm smile.
"Thanks Chi-Chi. I'll see you later." With that, Videl walked up the stairs and immediately navigated herself to the guest room, remembering where it was from the last time she had been there. She walked into the room and set her bag down on the full-sized bed. She walked over to the window that was next to the bed and gazed out towards the countryside, noting the beauty and tranquility of it all. She loved it out there and wouldn't mind living in a place as peaceful as the area around Gohan's house. She knew that although she was helping Gohan take care of two young kids that the weekend would still be relaxing; the countryside just did that to people, Videl guessed.
Hearing a noise behind her, Videl turned around and walked out of the guest room, turning slightly to enter Gohan's room, where the noise came from. She spotted Gohan the moment she entered the room and she stared. He was standing in the middle of his room, holding a picture frame, obviously looking down at a picture. But, that didn't catch Videl's attention. It was what he was wearing…or, rather, what he wasn't wearing.
The Son Gohan that was standing in front of her was shirtless, standing there in only a pair of snug-fitting jeans. Videl didn't care if he caught her staring or not; it was hard to tear her eyes away from the sight in front of her. He was gorgeous, totally and completely gorgeous. He was completely toned, tanned skin covering solid muscle. Her eyes wandered over his sculpted upper body, taking in everything from his muscular arms to his washboard stomach.
Beautiful, Videl thought, the only word that came to mind. It was like she was seeing perfection for the first time. He was muscular, but not too bulky, just the way Videl thought men should always be built like. She thought her father was too bulky but Gohan…Gohan was perfect. She saw a gentle smile grace his lips before he put down the picture, moving over to the other side of the room to collect his shirt. It was then that Videl noticed the difference in the way he walked.
He moved so…gracefully, totally unlike the slightly self-conscious gait she was used to seeing. He glided to the other side of the room, his movements sleek and deliberate. No, there was no mistake about it. Gohan wasn't some gangly teenager; he was a man who moved with the grace of a warrior. This was the true face of Gohan, the person that he wouldn't let her see, the person he wasn't comfortable with her seeing. His back was to Videl as he picked up his shirt, the muscles on his back moving as he did. Videl could see them working underneath his skin and she could feel herself becoming overwhelmed with desire. Now that she had an eyeful of the perfect body in front of her, the sight of him would fill her dreams for nights to come. A twinge of disappointment came over Videl as he started to put his shirt on.
Hopefully I'll get to see it again, Videl thought, noting the scar that was on his left upper arm. She wondered where he had gotten that scar, but decided that she wouldn't question him about it. Now that he was fully clothed, it was like her trance was broken. Clearing her throat, she knocked on the doorframe, her fingers rapping against the wood. Gohan turned around at the noise, smiling widely as he saw the girl of his dreams standing in his doorway.
"Hey Videl, you showed up!" Gohan said. Videl sighed in mock annoyance.
"Duh, of course I showed up!" Gohan looked over Videl briefly, noting that the Senzu bean had done the trick and that her burns from the fire were gone; he hadn't seen her since that day and was relieved that the Senzu beans worked so well.
"Well, I see that you're doing great. The Senzu bean I gave you really did the trick," Gohan said. Videl nodded.
"It sure did, however it did it. Thanks for that, by the way." Gohan shrugged.
"It was no problem, Videl," Gohan said, "It was the quickest way to make you feel better." Videl nodded.
"Yeah, the hard part was hiding the disappearance of the burns from my father. I actually wore the bandages for a few days to throw him off the track. When I took them off, I told him that I guessed I was a fast healer. Dad seemed a little shocked, but pretty much ignored it." Videl walked over and sat down on Gohan's bed, looking up at him as he stood by his window.
"So, what's the game plan for the weekend?" Videl asked.
"Well," Gohan said, thinking about it, "Bulma and Vegeta are coming by at about 1:30 to drop off Trunks and pick up my mother. They're going to be gone until Monday morning, though they don't know when." Gohan paused for a moment. "Hey, what time is it anyway?" he asked. Videl lifted her wrist, looking at her silver watch that she got from her dad as a present on her 16th birthday.
"It's about 1:00. So we have about a half an hour before Vegeta and Bulma show up with Trunks," Videl said, lowering her wrist. Gohan chuckled.
"My mother is probably going frantic trying to get everything perfect before she goes. She's never left my brother and me alone for the weekend; I think she wants to cover every possible emergency that might go down." Videl chuckled as well.
"Yeah, well she looked a little frantic when she answered the door. She really does deserve this weekend off," Videl said to Gohan, who nodded.
"If anyone, she definitely deserves it," Gohan said, thinking about everything Chi-Chi had had to put up with for the past 2 decades of her life. While Goku was easy to love, he was not easy to take care of. The sheer amount of food that he ate was staggering and his two sons were no different. Chi-Chi was lucky that Goku had won so much money in the Tenkaichi Budoukais from previous years to support them; otherwise, Chi-Chi would have gone broke trying to buy enough food to support her family with.
"So," Gohan said, switching topics, "I suppose your father thinks you're at Eraser's house, am I right?" Videl nodded.
"Yeah, he does. I feel kind of bad for lying to him, but I really wanted to come out here. I'll get over it eventually," Videl said, shrugging her shoulders. Gohan did the same.
"Yeah, it's not like you're doing drugs or anything really bad, you know?" Gohan said.
"My dad would kill me if I did drugs," Videl said, seeing how as Gohan raised the subject.
"Yeah, the same with my mom," Gohan said in response. For the next half hour, the two teenagers talked about things that they could do that would get them killed by their parents. They were suddenly pulled out of their conversation by Chi-Chi calling them.
"Gohan! Videl! Would you two come down here please?" The two looked at each other before leaving Gohan's room, moving swiftly through the hallway and down the stairs to where Chi-Chi was waiting. Standing next to her was Bulma and Vegeta, who looked like they were both ready to go.
"Oh, hey you two," Gohan said, looking at the couple, "Where's Trunks?"
"Trunks is off playing outside with Goten," Bulma quickly explained.
"Now Gohan," Chi-Chi said to her oldest son, "I hate to say this, but you guys are on your own for meals. I know you know enough to cook, Gohan. Do you Videl?" Chi-Chi asked. Videl nodded.
"A little. I'm not a gourmet chef or anything, but I know how to make my own food." Chi-Chi smiled in relief.
"So, you two should be set when it comes to making dinner. I don't think those two care what it is as long as it's edible." Chi-Chi then handed Gohan a piece of paper.
"This has the number of the place we'll be staying at in case there's an emergency," Chi-Chi said, "As well as the number for my father in case something goes wrong and you need his help." Chi-Chi sighed as she tried to think of other things to say.
"Well, I think that's it. You know pretty much everything else there is to know about handling Goten and Trunks, Gohan. I don't think you'll have any problems."
"Thanks mom," Gohan said, leaning over to give his mother a hug, "Have a good weekend, ok?" Chi-Chi grinned.
"I hope I do," she said. Gohan then pulled away from his mother and looked at Bulma and Vegeta.
"Have a nice weekend too, you two." Bulma rolled her eyes.
"We'll try, but with Vegeta, there's no promises." Vegeta chose not to respond to Bulma's remark and instead glared at Gohan.
"Make sure nothing goes wrong," Vegeta said, his eyes flickering over to Videl, "If anything happens while I'm gone, I'll kill you." Gohan looked back at Vegeta, his look all seriousness.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen; I promise."
"Good," Vegeta huffed; he figured that Videl was in good hands with Gohan, but he still wanted to tell Gohan to watch out for her. The last thing they needed was for Queen Milena to get her hands on Videl. Bulma sighed and said.
"Well, we better be off. Did you put all of your stuff in the airbus, Chi-Chi?" Bulma asked and Chi-Chi nodded.
"Yeah, I did. I have everything. I'm ready to go." Bulma smiled.
"Well then let's get moving!" she exclaimed as she walked out of the door, the rest following her. Outside, Goten and Trunks were sitting on the grass, talking about something the others couldn't hear. Goten and Trunks both spotted their mothers and rushed over to them. Goten grabbed onto Chi-Chi's leg.
"I'll miss you, mommy. Have fun, ok?" Chi-Chi knelt down on the ground to give her youngest son a hug.
"I will, Goten."
"Bye mom, bye dad," Trunks said to his parents. Vegeta gave his son a small smile as he rested his hand on his son's head, ruffling Trunks' lavender hair.
"Bye Trunks," he said. Bulma knelt down and gave her son a quick hug.
"Now Trunks," Bulma said, "You be good, ok? I don't want to come back and hear that you haven't been good."
"I promise I'll be good, mom," Trunks said. Bulma smiled at his sincerity and straightened.
"That's my boy," Bulma said, "Well, are we ready to go?" Chi-Chi nodded.
"Yes, I think we are." Vegeta harrumphed.
"Well it's about time," Vegeta scowled as he entered the airbus first. Bulma soon followed him, leaving Chi-Chi outside.
"You all be good and take care of everything," Chi-Chi said. Gohan nodded reassuringly.
"Don't worry mom, nothing will happen. Just go and don't worry about us; we'll be fine." Chi-Chi's worried look softened; she knew if Gohan said things would be ok, they would be ok. She said one last goodbye before climbing onto the bus.
"Bye mom!" Goten exclaimed as the door to the airbus closed. The group of four watched as the small airbus took off into the air, leaving the small group standing on the grass, all eyes watching as the shape of the airbus grew smaller and smaller as it flew away.