Hours later,
sitting under a full moon, Gohan took another swig of soda and finished his
story with the call to the guidance counselor's office. Now Videl understood
why the poor man hadn't been back to school in weeks. Shaking her head, she
looked at him.
"I STILL can't believe YOU -- the little goody-two-shoes,
I-NEVER-do-anything-wrong, BOOKWORM -- are Satan City's superhero."
"Hell, why not? I need to do SOMETHING in my spare time," Gohan
muttered as he looked up at the moon with no fear of transforming and
climbing Capsule Corp with Videl clutched in his fist. "Piccolo can't
keep up with me anymore and Goten's not old enough to really do anything. And
Dad's just never home." He sighed and glanced at her. "I guess
really my only friend is Princess Snake, and she's probably wondering how I
got such weird ideas. And how I get her to help me."
"She gave you that sleeping powder thing, didn't she?" Videl said
thoughtfully. "Damn, boy. Talk about knowing people in high
positions!"
Gohan smiled and stretched out, folding his hands behind his head. "I
used to wish I was normal, like other kids who only worry about whether or
not they're going to have a zit or two on their first date. I have to worry
about LIVING long enough to GO on my first date. But I don't think I could
stand being a little computer dork like Mom wanted me to be."
Videl shook her head and laid down next to him, propping herself on her
elbow. "You know, I wonder why I don't think this is some kind of wacky
story you just made up as you went along."
"Maybe because Piccolo came to the school and threatened to kill me if I
didn't get my ass into high gear? Or was it because my little brother
eavesdrops on me when I sleep and can't keep his mouth shut?" He tapped
his chin in mock-thought and closed his eyes. "Nah, it couldn't be one
of THOSE."
Videl smiled and looked up. "Look at the moon. It's beautiful."
Gohan peeked out of one half-opened eye. "Yeah. One of these days people
will learn not to wish it back. Otherwise Trunks and Goten are going to go on
a rampage." Then he shot straight up so fast he went straight onto his
feet. "The KIDS!"
"What?" Videl demanded as she jumped up, only to have Gohan scoop
her off the ground and fly toward his house at breakneck speed. "Gohan!
Put me down!" she screamed as he skimmed the lake, searching for signs
of either his brother or the toddler prince.
When Gohan finally landed outside the cave the boys loved to play in, he
remembered he was still holding Videl. Soaked and terrified, she slipped out
of his arms and collapsed on the ground, shaking.
"O, Dende, Videl, I'm sorry," he said as he knelt, wrapping his
arms around her shoulders and pulling her to him. "I didn't mean to do
that."
Teeth chattering, Videl wondered at the sincerity in his words. "I think
I'm okay," he said, clamping her mouth shut so she wouldn't shiver. If
Gohan hadn't had Saiyan ears, he wouldn't have been able to distinguish the
words.
"Gohan!" came a cheerful voice as the younger half-Saiyan bounded
out of the cave, best friend in tow. "And Videl here too!"
Gohan looked up seconds before Goten bounced on him, wrapping arms and legs
around his brother's waist before reaching for Videl with one hand. Trunks
approached a little more slowly, but was caught by one ankle and hauled into
the fun by Videl. Gohan noticed Trunks was growing by the second and realized
with dismay that when Videl had grabbed him, he'd flipped onto his back.
"O, shit. This is going to be a LOT of trouble." The young
half-breed was going to transform.
Goku smiled
pleasantly at Bulma and nodded as she continued to rant about the how
irresponsible and the maturity level of the two Saiyans living with her were.
The silence made Goku come out of his trance-like state. "Yeah, that is
too bad, Chi Chi," he said with a small smile.
Bulma's eyes narrowed. "You weren't listening to a word I said, were
you?" she growled.
The younger adult blinked a few times. "Huh?"
"You called me Chi Chi," Bulma said, a trace of dry amusement
sneaking into her voice. "I guess you don't listen to HER either, do
you?"
"Don't tell her," Goku pleaded, black eyes wide and o-so-innocent.
"She'll kill me. I hate dying! It's a pain in the butt!"
The scientist shook her head and waved her hands as she turned. "Don't
worry about it." Then she got a strange look on her face and felt a
tingling go up her spine. "Do you feel something?"
"It's Trunks," he answered, standing so fast that when the chair
flipped over it shattered. "His power level is rising really fast. I
wonder what's going on?"
"I don't know, but I think Goten is with him," Bulma replied as she
poured the coffee into a nearby mug. Then she dumped it out and looked inside
with a raised eyebrow and a groan. "I REALLY have to start checking
these things!"
"Bulma, do you think he's all right? This doesn't just happen for no
reason." Goku asked, voice conveying his worry about his youngest son.
"They're probably just sparring," Bulma answered. "They'll be
fine. Even though I'm not putting EITHER of them through the test tank that
Vegeta's helping me build."
Goku raised an eyebrow, but he knew better than to ask. Otherwise, he would
be here for the next few days. "I wonder where Gohan went. He said he
was going out, but he knows Chi Chi hates it when he isn't back home before
school the next day."
Bulma smiled and shook her head. "Probably playing with the kids.
Nothing to worry about."
Gohan narrowly
avoided the blast that his young student tossed his way, courtesy of a
technique taught by Piccolo. Jumping away from the rock, he silently cursed
his old sensei for even getting to know Goten, since Trunks picked everything
up from him.
"Gohan, what the hell are you doing?" Videl called from down below,
holding her hands firmly over Goten's eyes.
"Trying NOT to get killed!" he hissed back, dodging another
ferocious attack. Growling, he launched himself at the rampaging ape, aiming
for the twitching tail. But he had also learned from Vegeta and flipped over
the tiny flying body of his teacher before slapping Gohan to the ground.
Trunks roared and grinned that malicious monkey grin as he stomped past
Gohan, who was just pulling himself out of the indent he'd left.
"Damn, that kid's got a punch," Gohan muttered as he shook his head
and took to the sky after the young prince. "Too bad he hasn't learned
how to control himself like that yet."
Videl pulled Goten back into the cave as Trunks passed, but the 30-story-tall
ape bent down and grabbed the miniature figures, dropping Videl as he dangled
Goten by one arm. Gohan effortlessly caught his crush, lowering her safely to
the ground.
Finally, he did the only thing he could think of. Powering up so fast the
wind nearly knocked Trunks over, he aimed his shot at the moon. With a shout,
he let loose with a blast that shook the nearby mountains into crumb-sized
pebbles, and the moon into slightly bigger chunks.
Trunks, who had been trying to involve a VERY confused and slightly unnerved
Goten into a game of some sort, immediately began to shrink. Gohan retrieved
his near-hysterical brother and placed him back in Videl's care before
keeping a careful eye on Goten's best friend as he continued his
transformation back to human. Gohan took the unconscious boy and shook his
head as he jerked on the young Saiyan's tail experimentally. Finally he
ripped it out, wincing as he remembered the last time that had happened to
him. He hadn't been able to sit comfortably for weeks afterward.
Tossing the offending extra limb into the crumbled remains of the mountain,
he turned to Goten and Videl. Cradling his snoozing pupil, Gohan lifted
slightly off the ground. "Goten, can you carry Videl?"
The young boy looked over the thin teen and smiled. "Think so," he
answered shakily, his best friend's transformation a little much for him. He
effortlessly took his brother's friend into his arms and joined him.
"Then come on. Let's go take Trunks home. He's going to need a lot of
sleep," Gohan said, starting off toward their destination slowly.
"We tell Daddy what happen?" Goten asked in an unreadable tone.
"Yeah. Him and Bulma will make sure it won't happen anymore," Gohan
explained.
"Look fun." the other boy protested, tightening his grip on Videl
until she whimpered in pain. "Sorry."
"Not fun. Hurts," Gohan snapped, feeling a pang of guilt when Goten
flinched. 'Damn. I've been taking it a little hard on him,' Gohan realized.
'Maybe I should let up a little bit.' Then he remembered the conversation the
boy had had with Videl. 'But only a LITTLE.'
Landing slowly, he found that Trunks was starting to wake up. Smiling down at
the boy, he kicked open Bulma's front door and motioned for Videl to go ahead
of him. Goten bounded into the house, shouting for anyone to hear. Vegeta was
there.
Scowling, the irritated prince brushed past the happily bouncing little
5-year-old. "Kakorrot, will you tell your brat to shut up?" he
growled as he passed Goku.
"Daddy!" Goten shouted as he launched himself at his unsuspecting
father. Luckily Goku had quick reflexes and caught his son seconds before
impact. "Guess."
Gohan sighed and looked at his friend. Videl followed him to Trunks' room,
where the oldest Son boy placed the dozing Saiyan in bed and tucked the
covers up around the small chin.
"Get some rest," Gohan advised, running a hand through the fine
lavender hair. "You'll need it if you want to kick Goten's butt
tomorrow."
Trunks muttered in his sleep and rolled over. Gohan smiled and led Videl out
of the room. Closing the Saiyan-proof door behind him, she grinned.
"You'd be a good father," she said honestly.
Gohan looked taken aback. "Yeah. You know my family history? If you go
off-planet, make sure you have the ability to kill any local nuisance once
you get there." He snorted, then began to speak in a high voice.
"Daddy, what did you do when you were my age?" In a deeper voice,
he added, "I went to Namek and tried to kill one of the most evil
creatures in the universe."
Videl chuckled. "I'm sure it's not THAT bad."
Gohan shot her a look. "Wanna bet?" he muttered, banging into
something large and immovable. "Uh, hi Mom! When did you get here?"
he asked, swallowing thickly.
Chi Chi smiled in a way that made him ether want to run like hell or pee his
pants. "Who's this?"
"Mom... this is my friend Videl..." Gohan began. 'Dear DENDE this
is going to be a long night!'
Gohan stared
at the wall and seriously debated in hitting his head against it. But that
would only dent it and succeed in getting his mother -- not to mention Bulma
-- angry. From the look on his father's face, Goku was having much the same
thoughts.
With a heartfelt sigh, Gohan slunk even farther down in his seat. Videl and
Chi Chi had hit it off, yet he couldn't tell whether he was happy or not.
While it was nice that Chi Chi wasn't going to kill either him OR Videl over
his choice in women, it wasn't too good to be sitting for over three hours
listening to them talk.
Videl snuck glances at Gohan, who looked like he did in class: like he was
paying attention but having that glazed look in his eyes that was a sure sign
he wasn't listening to a word they said.
"Would you like more to drink Videl?" Chi Chi asked sweetly.
"Yes, thank you," she answered with a pleasant smile, kicking Gohan
as hard as she could without being noticed. His eyes focused as Chi Chi asked
him the same question. With a nod, he smiled thankfully at Videl and propped
his elbows on the table, shooting one into his father's ribs.
Goku snorted and sat up sharply, looking at Gohan, then settled back into his
chair as Chi Chi came back. "Gohan, go and tell your brother that it's
time for bed."
"Right Mom," he answered, grinning at Goku as he passed. The older
man sighed and slumped, looking almost like Vegeta when he was bored.
Chi Chi must have noticed because she smiled at him and placed a quick kiss
on his nose. "Why don't you go up to bed? You look tired."
Goku smiled and nodded, his controlled hug only squashing her a little.
"Good night Chi Chi." Giving his son's crush a two-finger salute as
a goodbye, he made his way to his upstairs room that Bulma had prepared
especially for his family to stay in.
"I'll be up later!" she called, grinning. "Don't you think
it's time for you to go back? I'll have Gohan fly you."
Gohan came back down the stairs, grumbling under his breath and growled as he
almost broke the first-aid kit. "Damn kid," he muttered as he
rolled out the gauze with senzu beans in it.
"What did he do now?"
Gohan looked up, feeling the hard nub firm in his hand. "He closed his
tail in the door again and spent 20 minutes trying to blow the damn thing
down."
"So let him sleep it off," Videl suggested.
"I don't think so," Gohan said kindly. "He sleeps it off he
literally won't be able to get out of bed in the morning. Physical
impossibility."
Bulma wandered down the stairs, rubbing her eyes. "You guys might be
night owls, but kindly keep it DOWN so those of us who have a VERY important
meeting to go to in the morning can get sleep so they DON'T snore during the
nice computer geek's presentation!"
"Sorry Bulma," Gohan said as he slid past her.
"No problem," Bulma sighed as he eyes fell on Videl. "It's
getting late. Do you have a way home?"
Chi Chi's young look-alike blushed. "I hate to say it, but I don't know
my way home from here."
"Stay the night here and I'll take you and Gohan to your place in the
morning," Bulma offered. "You two can explain it then, and I'll
vouch for ya." She smiled and pulled the teenager by the arm. "Come
on. Bed. Now."
When Bulma had given Videl directions to her room, she turned back to her
friend. Chi Chi smiled as Bulma's hands went to her hips.
"You too. Bed. And make sure Goku STAYS there this time, won't you? I
HATE waking up to find half the house gone."
Chi Chi smiled and nodded, stretching. Videl disappeared down the hall.
'Gohan was right. You can get used to the most amazing things.' Snuggling
down into the blankets, she yawned. This world of his was pretty weird. But
she had to admit she liked it.
Videl woke to
the strangest sounds in her life: rapid explosions and yells about cheating.
Rolling over onto her stomach, she jammed the pillow over her head to block
the noise and searched for a clock. When her eyes fell on the red numbers
proudly displaying 6:00, she groaned and shook her head.
"What the HELL are they doing up at this hour?" she wondered as she
slipped out of bed to glance out the window. What she half-saw made her head
start to hurt. Goku was phasing in and out of sight constantly, while Gohan
was close behind, with the purple-haired boy Videl remembered meeting after
the incident with the guidance counselor.
Rubbing her temples, she decided it would be impossible to get any sleep, so
she wandered out into the hallway, wishing for a map that would either direct
her to the bathroom or the kitchen. Wish another groan, she put one hand on
the wall and sleepily began her voyage through Capsule Corp.
Seeing a set of stairs after a good 10 minutes of wandering about, she
grinned and took them two at a time. Unfortunately, the set of metallic gray
double doors WASN'T the kitchen. Rolling her eyes, she looked for a handle or
control of some sort to open them. Finally she threw her hands up and
growled, leaning against the wall. Her elbow pressed back, and the doors slid
open, a red glow coming from inside.
Curious, she stood straighter and peeked in to see the crazy car-wrecking man
grunting as a shimmering gold fire surrounded him, black hair turned a
shocking blond. Icy aqua eyes slid to her and he immediately hopped over to
the controls. The red faded as she stepped inside, suddenly face-to-face with
a furious Vegeta.
"Woman! What the hell were you thinking?" he roared, glaring at her
from now black eyes. "You could have been crushed!"
Videl looked at him stupidly for a minute before focusing her gaze on the
battered floor. "I was looking for the kitchen," she said softly.
Vegeta grunted and took her gently by the upper arm. "Does this LOOK
like the kitchen?"
"Sorry, but this damn place is so BIG it deserves its own zip code! I
don't know where I'm going," she explained. "Miss Briefs had to
tell me where to go last night to sleep. After that, I got lost."
Vegeta expertly maneuvered her into a chair at the table. Bulma and Chi Chi
stared back at her over cups of coffee. "Well, you're not anymore,
woman. Next time, think before you go blindly walking into something."
"My lab?" Bulma asked, a hint of alarm in her voice.
Vegeta scowled. "Like hell. She couldn't find that thing if she tried.
You've hidden it, woman. My gravity room."
Bulma turned to her. "I thought you were a late sleeper otherwise I
would've sent something up for you to find your way around."
"Well, it's not easy with all them yelling outside," Videl admitted
as she yawned. "Sorry for walking in on you," she said to a still
irritated Vegeta.
He grunted and nodded before turning back the way he came. "Get me when
breakfast is ready," he growled, "and not before. I don't want to
put up with Kakorrot more than I have to."
Videl watched the prince disappear and sighed. "Jeez. I REALLY pissed
him off or something."
"Videl, if you pissed him off, you'd probably be dead by now," Chi
Chi muttered as she shook her head. "In fact, two years ago he probably
would've turned the gravity up and turned you into a little grease spot on
the floor." When Bulma gave her a look, the other woman only shrugged.
"Sounds great," she replied dryly, turning to Chi Chi. "Do you
know the way to the shower? If it's okay I mean."
"That's fine," Bulma said, waving her hand. "Just get it
before 7:30 or you'll lose your chance until dinner."
"Come on. I'll give you the not-so-scenic tour," Chi Chi said,
rising. "Just stay away from where you were earlier and you won't walk
into anything you can't handle."
"What, is the house booby-trapped or something?" Videl wondered out
loud as she followed.
Bulma laughed behind them. "No, but close enough!"
Gohan wiped
the sweat from his eyes and grinned over his shoulder at the boy perched on
his back. "How ya doing back there, Trunks?" he asked the
shockingly shy boy.
"Better than Goten," came the amused reply, as Goten was being cradled
by his father and looking much worse for the wear.
"Well, you really put it to him," Gohan said, hiking him up higher
so he could rest his chin on the unoccupied shoulder. "How about we ask
my mom to make us a bath before breakfast?"
Trunks cheered, and Goku perked up. "As soon as we get this guy a senzu
bean and some gauze,' he answered, looking down at the unconscious boy.
Bulma tried her best to hold back a sigh as they paraded into the kitchen,
dripping things she didn't want to think about all over her floor. She
noticed with some interest that red tomato sauce went quite well with white
kitchen tiles as she watched the procession.
"Where's Chi Chi?" Goku asked as he handed his youngest son over to
Gohan.
"The table," Bulma replied, turning her attention back to the eggs
which had begun to turn black. Glaring at the offending food, she shrugged
and dumped it onto a plate anyway. She was curious as to what Goku wanted,
but she learned long ago not to ask.
"Vegeta's breakfast?" Gohan asked, eyeing the charcoaled food with
disinterest.
Bulma grinned and shook her head. "It's not fit for a PRINCE," she
chided, turning a bottle of tabasco sauce over it and letting it drain onto
the eggs. With a certain air of satisfaction, she set the empty container
next to her and looked down at the covered eggs. "THAT is fit for a
prince."
Even Trunks chuckled, knowing how much his father hated the stuff. Goku
walked through the door, hands in pockets. "She'll do it if I get
firewood."
As he was leaving, Gohan grabbed his arm. "Dad, this time we DON'T need
the whole tree. Bulma and Vegeta use INDOOR bathtubs."
"I know," he said, though his childish face was clearly
disappointed. "I'm only brining enough for us,"
Videl, hair wrapped in a towel and skin still gleaming with moisture,
sauntered into the room, looking quite proud of herself as she plunked down
in the nearest chair.
Trying to towel her hair dry, she glanced up at Gohan, who was trying to
convince Bulma to let Goten test out the new tank for them.
"Where's your dad?" she asked Gohan once he stopped to breathe.
"Getting firewood for our bath," he said, setting his still
out-cold brother down carefully on the table.
Videl allowed her confusion to show. "I just got out. I didn't use THAT
much hot water, did I?"
Bulma chuckled from the other side of the room, where she was currently
supervising Chi Chi's cooking. "Didn't Gohan tell you they live out in
the boonies? They take baths outside, in big ass things that Goku can stand
up in."
"As a matter of fact he didn't," Videl said, turning her gaze to a
blushing Gohan.
"Yeah, well I don't think she wants to know about my bathing
habits," Gohan grunted, releasing Trunks.
"You'd be surprised," she purred, earning a deeper color blush from
him.
Bulma sat back, arms crossed and grinned from behind her hand. 'She's gonna
end up with him,' Bulma noticed as she watched Videl's casual flirting. 'I
just don't think Gohan knows what he's getting into!'
All too soon,
the weekend -- and their little adventure -- was over, and Videl actually
regretted having to go to school the next day. The only good thing was that
Gohan would be there.
With a sigh, she sunk into her seat and shook her head. 'What the hell
happened to me? Two days ago I was ready to kill him, and now he's like my
best friend.'
"So, how was your weekend?" her cheerleader friend asked as she
took her place next to Videl.
"Pretty good," Videl admitted. "What about you?"
"Busy," the airhead replied with a sigh. "I didn't think Bryan
would EVER go away!"
Only half-listening, Videl pulled out something that looked like homework and
inched a piece of paper out from the back. The other girl not even noticing
she was being completely tuned out, didn't look as Videl hastily scrawled a
letter and ripped the paper in half.
"That sounds really horrible, but I have to go. Finish telling me when I
get back?" Videl asked quickly, swinging her bang over one shoulder.
"Thanks."
Finding Gohan's locker wasn't a problem: it was the one three down from the
last door. Or the one with the holes in it the size of a decent canned ham.
Sticking one paper into each coat pocket, she smiled and went back toward
study hall, planning what she would tell Gohan in the next class.
Gohan watched
as Videl scurried away, grinning about something. Getting a sinking feeling
in the black hole he had for a stomach, Gohan crept toward his locker and
reached inside for his jacket. One hand plunged into the nearest pocket and
touched crumbled paper.
Knowing who it was from, he carefully smoothed it out against the wall,
trying as hard as he could not to put dents in that as well. The message was
short: I said the LEFT pocket, dummy!
Assuming she hadn't had time to tell him yet, he shrugged and dropped the
paper, reaching into the other one. This time too, he came out with a paper
and grinned as he read.
Gohan,
Well, I can't say it hasn't been an interesting
weekend, but it was fun as hell. Nod if you thought so too. Without
thinking Gohan did so and grinned sheepishly as he read the next line. Now
stop because I can't see you. Anyway, we'll talk later, okay?
Videl
Gohan stuffed the note into his shirt pocket and made his way toward his next
class. Spotting his crush, he plopped down beside her and grinned. Sliding
the slip of paper across the table, he asked totally innocently, "So,
when's our next date?"
