AN: Back with Chapter Six! The long-awaited talk between Gohan and Videl. I don't own the show DBZ or any of these characters. I'm just borrowing them without the permission of Mr. Akira Toriyama. I also don't own the song "You're Still You," I'm just using it sans permission from Mr. Josh Groban. Wait…when you borrow something without permission, isn't that stealing? …uh-oh…um, read on while I go call a lawyer…yikes…
Chapter Six—Storm
One truth always stays the same
You're still you
After all, you're still you
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Every inch of her body burned with a fiery agony. She couldn't move at all, not even to attempt an escape. And then she heard a loud crack, and felt a splitting pain in her head. Then, out of nowhere, the hammer appeared, swinging towards her face in what would almost definitely be a death blow…
"NO!!!" Videl screamed, sitting upright. For about half an instant, the room was silent; then a crack of lightning split the sky and momentarily illuminated her room. She screamed again and actually jumped out of bed in panic. She stumbled halfway across the room before she regained some sense of coherency.
A nightmare, she told herself over and over again. It was just a nightmare. You've been having them since IT happened. No different. And it's just a storm…nothing major…
She began pacing back and forth in her bedroom. Her bare feet made no sound on the carpet. Outside the bolted window, rain pounded down against the glass. Every once in a while, the sky would brighten with a flash of lightning, and a clap of thunder would shake the heavens.
"I'm not scared of storms, I'm not scared of storms," she repeated to herself, still pacing. "I'm a big girl, and big girls don't get scared of something as stupid as a storm." Yeah, she was a big girl. But in her current situation and mindset, she felt like an infant, hiding from the monsters that were said to lurk under the bed, waiting to devour her.
Finally, she stopped walking back and forth, and took a few deep breaths. "Get it together!"
All of a sudden, a hand came from behind her and clasped itself over her mouth.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Videl!" Hannah shook the girl desperately.
Without warning, the teenager's eyes flew open; Videl shrieked as she sat straight upright and managed to fling herself out of the bed and across the room, where her back hit the wall by the window. For a minute, she was completely still, save for her heavy breathing. Outside, the rain was beating against the glass of the window, and lightning and thunder crashed as the storm raged on with full force.
Hannah moved toward the teenager slowly. "Videl? You were screaming in your sleep."
"I…have to go," Videl gasped, at first breathily, then with more confidence. "I have to go. I have to get out of here. Now."
Without stopping to change or even grab a jacket, she flung open the window and jumped out, taking flight right into the tempest.
In the room behind her, Hannah ran to the window and watched her disappear into the heavy rain, calling after her. "Videl!"
But Videl either didn't hear or didn't care.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The cruel wind sent the rain flying into her eyes, like whips across her face. Videl held her arms up in front of her face in an attempt to protect herself from the harsh wind. She couldn't see at all.
Well, this was the best idea I've ever had, she thought grimly, going a little higher. She knew she was out of the city because there were no more lights. But other than that, she had nothing to go on. What to do…what to do…wait!
She stopped in midair, still protecting her face with her arms, and mentally kicked herself for not thinking of it sooner. It only took a few seconds for her to focus her mind enough to reach. She already knew exactly what she was looking for, since it was one of the few large enough to sense. And after a few more seconds, she picked up several familiar signals, searchlights of ki sprinkled amidst the candles. In an eyeblink, she identified the right one, and headed towards it.
Maybe this wasn't the best plan in the world either, but at least it would get her to a place that was safe, dry, and blessedly warm! Now if she could just get there without getting struck by lightning.
Or freezing to death. It was getting colder, and she was in her pajama pants and a T-shirt. Not exactly the most appropriate attire for being out in a severe storm. Her clothes were already soaked and plastered to her skin, and they didn't help to keep her warm at all.
Gotta get there, she told herself, still following her mind's eye towards the familiar ki. Kami bless Gohan for taking the time to teach me how to do this.
Her mind went off from that thought and began envisioning the next day's headline: DAUGHTER OF THE WORLD MARTIAL ARTS CHAMPION FOUND DEAD IN THE FOREST AFTER THE STORM. POLICE BAFFLED. CAN'T SOLVE CRIME WITHOUT HER. SAIYAMAN GOES BALLISTIC AND BLOWS UP TWO CONTINENTS. END OF THE WORLD AT HAND.
Oh, this was not good. Not good at all.
So engrossed in what her mind was doing, both the thoughts as to what her fate was likely to be and the navigation it was supposed to be doing, that she didn't realize she had lost quite a bit of altitude. That is, until the window snapped the tree branch into her.
Videl heard the crack, like a whip, and saw it the instant before it lashed across her stomach. It felt like someone had cut at her with a giant razor. She cried out in pain and doubled up, managing to stay in the air while wrapping both arms around her wounded torso.
I'm going to die, she thought suddenly. Strangely enough, she wasn't exactly sure how to react to that particularly poisonous little thought. And she didn't have much time to contemplate it, either.
Another tree branch hit her, a much larger one this time. And it hit her hard enough to send her hurtling towards the ground.
Her mind ran through every curse she'd ever heard in her eighteen years, and she closed her eyes. It was so cold, she couldn't get her body to cooperate anymore, and she was beyond caring. She let her mind fog over from exhaustion and cold.
But the impact never came. Or rather, there was an impact, but not what she had expected. The impact wasn't her hitting the hard ground. More like a jerk, as though someone had caught her just before she hit the ground. Whoever her savior was had lifted her back into the air towards safety. The wind and rain were no longer cutting at her face, as if something was shielding her.
Videl didn't bother to open her eyes to see who it was. She was too cold, and too tired. And the darkness behind her eyelids was almost definitely safer.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A pounding on the door of the Son residence shook the small house. It persisted for about thirty seconds before it finally roused one of the occupants.
A light clicked on in one of the rooms, and a short moment later, a very small person came toddling barefoot out of his bedroom towards the front door. Goten was wearing his favorite pajamas—blue with little pandas on them—and he was rubbing his eyes sleepily. (AN: Cuteness ^-^)
The pounding kept on going. "Hang on, I'm coming," Goten yawned. Still rubbing at his eyes with one hand, he reached up with the other and opened the front door. A large, shadow-cloaked figure was standing there. Holding something.
Holding someone. A person.
Most of the drowsiness disappeared from Goten's face, and he smiled. "Hi, Mr. Piccolo! Whatcha doing here so late?"
"Where's your brother?" the Namekian demanded loudly.
"Shhh!" Goten hushed him, holding a single finger in front of his lips to emphasize the need for quiet. "Don't be so loud! Everybody's still sleeping. Hang on, I'll wake Gohan up." The chibi turned around. "Gohan! Mr. Piccolo's here!!" he screamed as loud as he could. Piccolo's sensitive Namekian ears were ringing at the noise.
Quiet, my ass, he thought, irritated. Damn kid.
"Wha?" Gohan's voice, sleep-fogged and slurred, came from down the hallway. "I'm coming…"
A second later, he appeared. Like his brother, he was yawning and rubbing his eyes. "Hey, Piccolo. What brings you here…" his voice trailed off as his eyes fell on what—or rather, who—Piccolo was holding. "Oh my god…what the hell?"
"Watch your language, mister!" Goten admonished in an nearly perfect imitation of their mother, but Gohan ignored the scolding and ran to the door.
Piccolo placed Videl in Gohan's waiting arms. She was shivering and pale, and her teeth were chattering. He honestly wasn't sure if she was conscious or not. Her head lulled against his chest, where her wet hair left a damp spot on his shirt. Gohan looked up at his old sensei. "What in the name of the seven mad gods happened?" Goten was about to protest his brother's cursing again, but he was cut off by Gohan, who suddenly turned to him and said, "Goten. Go wake Mom up. Tell her it's an emergency." The chibi pouted at being sent off as an errand boy, but obeyed, scampering back down the hallway. With the child gone, the teenager's attention returned to the forthcoming story from Piccolo.
"When she decides to wake up, I'd like to know why she was out flying in the forest in the middle of this god-awful storm," the Namekian said in a bored tone; only a faint…something in his eyes reflected any hint of concern at the well-being of this human girl. "I sensed her coming. Thought it was odd, so I went to check it out. Saw her fall out of the air. Caught her. Brought her here. It was the closest and probably the safest. Figured you could take care of her."
Gohan sighed. "Thanks, Mr. Piccolo." He paused, and smirked. "Hey, Mr. Piccolo…"
"If you start singing that ridiculous song, I would advise you to never fall asleep at the Lookout," Piccolo threatened, looking every inch a figure of menace. "If you do, I'll drop you over the edge and see how long it takes you to hit the ground. Then I'll count how many pieces you end up in."
"Gotcha," Gohan nodded. "Do you want to come in? It's terrible out there."
"No thanks," the Namekian shook his head. "I'm going up to the Lookout for a while." Without even a goodbye, Piccolo turned on his heel and took off into the gale.
As Gohan was closing the door, his mother and brother came flying around the corner. She took one look at the still form of Videl cradled in Gohan's arms, and opened her mouth to question.
Gohan spoke first. "I don't know. Piccolo found her, and brought her here. She's freezing."
Son ChiChi nodded, and with the ease of a mother, took charge of the situation. "Goten, run up the closet and get some blankets. Gohan, get her set up on the couch. I don't care if it gets wet. See what you can do about getting her woken up. I'll make some tea." With that, she left her sons to their tasks and disappeared into the kitchen.
Goten scampered off to obey his mother's orders, and a few minutes later, he appeared carrying a stack of blankets taller than he was. "Is this enough?" he asked, his voice muffled because of the bedclothes piled in front of his face.
His brother let out an amused sigh. "Plenty. Thanks, squirt." With the large selection of blankets Goten had brought out, he quickly arranged a warm little nest on the couch and got Videl bundled up. Since coming inside the warm house, her teeth had already stopped chattering, and some of the color had returned to her face. Both good signs.
Goten watched in fascination while Gohan set things up, and when the teenager sank into another chair, the chibi crossed the room and without hesitation crawled into his brother's lap. "What happened to Videl, big brother? Is she sick again?"
"I don't know, squirt."
"Is she gonna spend the night?" Goten's face brightened. "Are we having a sleepover?"
Gohan laughed a little bit. "I don't think that's exactly why she's here. But we'd better be quiet and let her get her sleep. When she wakes up, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."
"Okay," the chibi nodded excitedly.
ChiChi poked her head out of the kitchen. "Goten, why don't you come in here and help me. I made some hot cocoa for you."
No child could resist that kind of an offer. "Yeah!" Goten jumped off his brother's lap and scurried into the kitchen. ChiChi lingered in the doorway for a moment longer and shot her older son a certain look before she too retreated back into the kitchen.
Now alone, Gohan stood up and crossed the room, where he sat down on the ground beside the couch. Videl's eyes were still closed tightly, and she showed no signs of awakening any time soon. He could have easily woken her up, the same way he'd called her. But he didn't have the heart to. She looked far too peaceful, and he refused to destroy that.
Instead, her just sat there and watched her sleep. I know what happened to you. Well, I think I do. Why can't you just tell me? Why won't you trust me again? He didn't send the thoughts along their mind-to-mind bond; much as he was tempted to, they stayed inside his own head.
All of sudden, Videl's face moved. For an instant, he thought she was waking up. But it wasn't that; she was reacting to something in her dreams. And that reaction was a mixture of fear and panic, and everything related to them. Her forehead wrinkled, and her eyes squeezed themselves even more tightly shut.
Without even thinking, Gohan reached out and brushed a few strands of wet black hair off her forehead, letting his fingers linger on her face. It's just a dream. Nothing in it can hurt you.
As quickly as it had started, her nightmare apparently receded, and her facial expression returned to one of peaceful slumber.
"Whew," Gohan breathed out loud, and pulled his hand back. No sooner had he done did her face constrict again, and the nightmare began anew. Taken by a strange notion, Gohan touched the side of her face again, and whispered to her. "A dream, Videl. Just a dream."
Sure enough, the peaceful look returned. He didn't have the heart to see if it was really working, so he simply sat there, holding her hand and letting her fingers stroke her forehead. If his touch was actually what was warding off her nightmares, then sitting there and watching her was a minuscule price to pay.
He had every intention of sitting up until she awoke, but his body had other ideas, and his eyelids began to droop. After a brief struggle, he discovered he was powerless to keep his eyes open. All the energy seemed to drain from his body, seeping from the bottom of his feet and oozing into a puddle on the floor around him. It was a losing battle.
Gohan finally gave up, and fell asleep with his head resting on one arm on the couch. Videl's fingers were still interlocked with his free hand.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Uh…where am I? Videl thought drowsily. Her eyes didn't quite want to open, not just yet. She tried to move her arms, and found that she could only work one of them; the other seemed to be trapped by her side. Her hair and clothes felt wet. How bizarre. Okay…I was flying through the storm. Stupid, stupid, stupid! But where am I now?
Wherever she was, it was warm, and whatever she was laying on, it was soft and comfortable. And that confused her to no end. I remember falling…did I pass out all night? Is the sun up? But the ground wouldn't be this soft. Where the hell am I, and what the hell happened?
Finally, she willed her eyes to open, and found herself looking into a dimly-lit room. The faint light came from a room next door; when she strained her ears, she could catch snippets of conversation. The room seemed very familiar.
When it hit her, she could have smacked herself for not recognizing her surroundings the minute she'd opened her eyes. This was the Son house. But how had she gotten here?
Maybe I should leave, she pondered. It doesn't seem like there's anyone in here. But there's someone in the kitchen. Maybe I can sneak out…
It was only when she tried to sit up that she realized she was nearly buried under a pile of heavy blankets. That explained why she was so warm. One blanket was wrapped tightly around her; that was the reason she couldn't move one of her arms, since it was trapped between the blanket and her body. Her other arm was free, though, and she lifted her hand to try and pull some of the covers off of her.
But there was something in her hand. Namely, another person's hand.
She followed the arm to find the owner. Gohan was zonked out next to the couch; he must have fallen asleep, holding one of her hands. It was truly adorable.
How long have I been here? she wondered. Long enough for him to fall asleep, I guess.
It took a little effort, but she managed to free herself from the blankets and crawl over the back of the couch. From there, it was just a few steps to the door.
But just as she opened the front door, with every intention of slipping out and escaping, a crack of lightning shot across the sky. The storm still raged. And she knew from her very recent experience that running out into a gale this huge was definitely not a good idea.
"You shouldn't go out there," a familiar voice said behind her in an echo of her thoughts. "It's pretty bad. Dangerous to fly through."
"Yeah, I know," she replied without really thinking as she pushed the door closed. Then, slowly, realization dawned, and she spun around.
"Sneaking out?" Gohan asked, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. Okay, so she hadn't gotten away unnoticed. "It's dangerous."
She drew herself up to her full height, even though her back was flat against the closed door, and looked at him with what she hoped was defiance. "I could make it if I had to."
"Which you don't," he countered. "And I warn you, if you try, I will come after you. You're stuck here until the storm stops."
So she was stuck. Damn. "You can't tell me what to do," she argued indignantly, even though she already knew that she had lost this fight.
"Whatever you say, Videl," he replied, jumping over the back of the couch to take a seat. She hadn't moved from up against the wall throughout their whole exchange; slowly, she took a step forward, and eased away from the door, heading towards the next room. The light was still on in there, and she poked her head in to see what was up.
Goten was dozing over a mug, and ChiChi was watching him calmly, sipping at her own beverage. Videl smiled at the scene before retreating; neither of them noticed she had even been there. Or so she thought and hoped.
Unsure of what else to do, she wandered back towards the couch where Gohan was still sitting. He turned his head lazily to watch her come in. She chose a seat across the room, and curled up in a nice, comfortable chair. From this vantage point, she glared angrily at Gohan. After a few minutes of tense silence, she finally asked a question. "How did I get here?"
"Piccolo found you," he supplied. "He said he saw you fall out of the air, so he caught you and brought you here, figuring we would be able to take care of you."
"Not like Piccolo to play nursemaid," Videl muttered.
"Not at all," he said. Ever since he'd stopped her at the door, he hadn't displayed a single emotion, nor had he given any real reactions to anything she had said to him. He was carefully schooling his expression as well. But for what purpose?
He's trying to get something out of me, Videl finally realized. Well, I'm not delivering.
"Why won't you let me leave?" she asked in a voice sharp enough to shave with.
"It won't do anyone any good if you go flying out into a huge storm and break your neck," he answered. "A lot of people would be very upset if you went and got yourself killed."
"So I'm a prisoner? Is that it?" she surged to her feet without even realizing it.
ChiChi came out of the kitchen, carrying a sleeping Goten. She watched the scene for a moment, then headed towards her room. She took Goten with her. Let the children figure this out between them. Besides, she was absolutely exhausted.
"You're not a prisoner," Gohan told her calmly. "I just don't want them to find you dead on the ground tomorrow morning."
"This isn't fair!" she protested.
He finally rose to his feet. "Maybe, maybe not. But then again, I don't think it's fair that you won't tell me why you're afraid of me."
The angry words that had been on the tip of Videl's tongue fell off and bounced, unspoken, across the floor. Her fury dissolved in an instant to be replaced by surprise. "What?"
"I didn't miss anything, Videl," his shell cracked for the first time. "You're scared to death, and it has something to do with me."
"It has nothing to do with you," she retorted, trying to get her bearings back. Suddenly this conversation was not going the way she wanted it to.
"Really?" he took a step towards her. She swallowed hard, and when he got close enough, she snapped, and threw a punch at his face. He caught her wrist easily, and held it. When she tried the other hand, he caught that as well, and he didn't seem at all willing to let go. And still, nothing registered on his face. No reaction, no emotion, nothing.
"Let go!" she demanded.
Still no reaction.
"God damn it, Gohan!" she attempted to pull her hands free, but he didn't yield. She was about ready to start kicking when he spoke.
"What did he do to you, Videl?" he asked softly, solemnly.
She froze and stared at him. He…knew? How could he possibly know?
He answered the unspoken question, as though he had simply read her mind; his expression finally changed to one of blatant unhappiness. "The bond. When you were unconscious, and I called you back, there were images, floating right on top of your memory. It was pretty hard to miss." His face changed again, this time hardening to anger. "If the police find out who it is, I swear I'll kill him."
And it was true. This was one of the few times in his life that Son Gohan had truly wanted to kill someone. He wanted nothing more than to make that sonofabitch pay tenfold for what he'd done. But now, he simply waited for Videl's reaction.
Slowly, her face crumpled, and she burst into tears. He let go of her wrists and wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed helplessly into his shoulder. She didn't seem to even really realize that he was there anymore; she just cried as though her heart was broken.
Gohan said nothing, but let her go. This had to be done, no matter how painful it was. Even if his own heart felt about ready to shatter at her pain. He could sense it in the shadings and nuances he was picking up through scant mind-to-mind contact. With her physical shields down enough for her to cry, her mental shields had dropped as well.
The little house in the mountains became an oasis as the gale raged on outside. It seemed like they stood there for ages, until finally Videl had managed to cry herself out. When that happened, she pulled back and immediately began trying to wipe the traces of tears from her face. Her eyes were red and burned, her nose was stuffed up, and her head hurt.
"Gods, I feel like an idiot," she cursed, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "And I probably look like one, too. Ugh…"
"I wouldn't say that," Gohan replied, watching her with a raised eyebrow. "I'd say you just look like you've been crying for a while."
She glared sardonically at him, then looked down at the floor. "So…you knew?"
"Enough to make me want to kill the guy if I ever got my hands on him," he said flatly. It was the only way he could keep the rage from his voice.
Videl looked ready to ask another question when a crash of thunder shook the sky, making them both jump a mile. And about half a second later, another familiar sound was heard. The sound of a frightened chibi, searching for comfort.
"Gohan!" Goten's panicked voice drifted down to where they were standing. He sounded absolutely frantic. Then they heard doors open and closing.
The teenaged demi-Saiyan chuckled. "I'm down here, squirt."
Seconds later, Goten emerged and dove at his brother. "Protect me!"
ChiChi followed a minute later. "Everyone all right?"
The two teenagers nodded. Goten's head was buried in Gohan's shoulder, so his response was a muffled, "Yeah. Found brother." Satisfied, ChiChi retreated.
With the mother out of the room, Goten turned a suspicious glare on the two teens. "Were you having a sleepover without me?"
Videl managed a weak smile. "Not exactly. We were just…talking."
"'bout what?" the chibi asked.
"Boring stuff," Gohan supplied, earning a look from Videl. "Grown-up stuff."
"Yuck!" Goten wrinkled his nose in displeasure. "Boring! Goodnight!" He jumped out of his brother's arms and ran to the door, where he stopped and turned. "If the storm gets scary again, I'll come find you. Kay?" Upon affirmation, he left.
Videl half walked, half staggered across the room and collapsed into the nest of blankets that was still arranged on the couch. "I feel…like hell…" she groaned.
Gohan took a seat on the other side of the sofa. "You don't look like hell," he commented. "I always thought hell was a lot bigger, with monsters and stuff. First of all, you're not that big, and secondly, you don't look like a monster."
"I feel like one," she sighed, pulling a blanket tightly around her. "I feel like a monster."
"Why?"
She looked at him miserably, though she wouldn't look him in the eye. "You guys all had to suffer because of me. Goten told me you were worried sick. That poor kid is freaked out, too. He thinks I'm really sick. I bet he's starting to wonder if I'm gonna die or something. And now you're losing sleep."
He raised an eyebrow. "Ah, what's a little lost sleep between friends?"
"This whole damn thing is my fault!" she exploded suddenly; it was obviously something she had been waiting to say for quite some time.
"What?" Gohan said in disbelief. "What the hell do you mean, it's your fault?"
"I had a feeling something bad would happen that day," Videl admitted. "And I totally ignored it. I should have paid attention to it. But what do I do? Go storming off by myself. Not paying attention at all, giving that guy quite a nice opportunity to jump me. Then I couldn't even get it together enough to throw that sonofabitch off. I did everything wrong…it's all my fault…" She put her face in her hands.
"No, no, no…" he slid over and put one arm slowly around her shoulders, not sure how she would react to it. "Was it your fault that guy came into your house?"
"No…" she sniffled, looking near tears again.
"Was it your fault he was in your room?"
"No…"
"Was it your fault he did what he did?" When she didn't answer, he went on. "No. It wasn't. None of this was your fault, and I'm going to tell you that until you believe it. Don't ever, ever let yourself believe that you're to blame for this. Ever."
She turned her head, and for the first time in quite a long while, she looked him straight in the eye. "I'm sorry this has been such a pain for you."
He shrugged. "Hey, what are friends for?"
"What did I do to deserve a friend like you?" Videl asked.
"I don't know. Tell me your life story," he teased. "We'll see if we can figure it out."
She laughed at that, and it was music to Gohan's ears.
Suddenly, Gohan became aware of a presence nearby. He turned and peered over his shoulder to see if he could spot the intruder. Sure enough, Goten was peeking through the doorway.
*We've got a spy,* he said, switching from a verbal conversation to mental.
*Hmm…* she replied. *I see. I say we call him out.*
*Sounds like a plan,* Gohan laughed. "Hey, squirt, we know you're there."
"Aww!" Goten whined. "No fair!"
"Very fair, you little spy," Videl pointed out. "You shouldn't be snooping."
The chibi made a face at her, then turned his attention to his brother. "Hey Gohan?"
"Yeah?"
"Were you gonna kiss her?"
"WHAT?!?" Gohan yelped in surprise as he jumped to his feet. He was across the room in three steps. "Go back to bed, you little meddler." He shooed the chibi out of the room.
Videl smiled. "He's so cute. You should see the picture he drew for me when I was sick."
"I did," Gohan informed her. "He kept showing it to me, asking if I thought you would like it. I always said yes, but he just didn't seem to be satisfied with that." He paused, then shook his head. "Was I gonna kiss her…good gods, what kind of a question was that?"
"Beats me," Videl said with a yawn. "And at the moment, I don't care what kind of a question that was. I'm tired. Mind if I keep the couch?"
"Go for it," he yawned as well. "But I don't think I can move."
"Shut up," she said, pulling a pillow up onto the arm of the couch and putting her head on it. "I'm sleeping. Do what you want."
After a few minutes, her slow, even breathing told Gohan that she was asleep. He simply sat there and watched her for a moment, but no more nightmares came.
Slowly, he leaned over and brushed his lips against the side of her face, hoping and praying that she wouldn't wake up. But she simply sighed in her sleep.
"Goodnight, Videl," he whispered into her ear, then got comfortable and settled in to try and sleep. Before he dozed off, though, he did one final thing. *Hey, anyone there?"
A start, then, *Everything okay down there, kid?*
*I think we're good. Thanks a ton, Mr. Piccolo.*
*No problem, kid. Just don't always expect me to babysit you guys,* Piccolo growled. *I hated babysitting when I had to deal with you, and I don't like it any better now.*
*Yes sir!* he laughed. *Well, I'm going to sleep now, so I'll talk to you probably tomorrow.*
*Sleep?*
*Piccolo!*
*Just making sure.*
*Ugh. That was a Vegeta question! Stop hanging around Vegeta!*
*He's good conversation. Talking about the good old days when we used to brutally maim and kill hundreds of innocent bystanders just because we felt like it.*
*Good-bye, Piccolo.*
*Whatever.*
Sometimes I wonder about that guy, Gohan thought vaguely as he finally settled into sleep. And outside, the storm finally broke.
AN: Longest single chapter I've ever written for anything. I'm proud o' me. Anyway, great to be back. My scholarship deal went pretty well, I think. Should find out how well later this week. Plus, the jazz band trip I missed for my college deal also went well. Jazz I got first! Yay! Praise them, I say! Okay, just had to brag a little tiny bit. Hopefully, I'll have another update soon.