A/N: To whoever it was who was curious about Gohan having his tail (back) in Movie 5: Cooler… I think it was just there, not so much that it actually grew back. I think I previously commented on the fact that the movies don't really fit into timelines, and there's an example. I just gave up trying to place the movies and enjoy Akira's little journeys into the A/U.
Speaking of Akira – he owns DBZ. Not me… *sigh*, if I did, it probably would've went like this fic!
Last chapters title was a bit of a doozey. The official song title is In The Arms Of The Angel (you'd know why if you ever watched the movie "City of Angels" in which the song appeared), however until I looked it up to be sure, I'll accept any of the following versions In The Arms Of An/The Angel(s). You knew what you were talking about!
*Sweatdrop* That was long! This time on DBZ … Three words go astray, can Gohan and the gang find them in time … or will the words be lost forever…
Chapter 11: Love Lift Us Up ...
Mr. Kato slumped farther into his chair. The heat of his small office was beginning to impair what little judgement he had in the first place. Note to self, don't ever try to put this many people in a small room at the same time again, unless you're going for a cheap sauna in full clothing.
The students, by this point, were getting more than a little bit tired of standing around waiting for someone to punish them for telling the truth about something they didn't really have anything to do with. One by one, they began to turn their gaze away from Mr. Kato and direct it towards Videl, who had been (without her knowledge) been elected most likely to get them out of trouble.
Videl, meanwhile, had had just about enough with the whole thing herself. Making one last glance at Mr. Shinara to make sure he wasn't about to do anything, she discovered he was, well for lack of a better word, asleep. Sweatdropping to herself, she mumbling under her breath about teachers in general, and particularly ones who should be retired. Being marched to the Principal's office to be told she was a liar at least three times, and then forced to stand around waiting for 20 minutes had left her with very little good-will to her fellow mankind, and especially ones who were currently standing in her way of finding out what little secret Gohan was hiding.
"That's It!" Videl suddenly proclaimed. If she would have stopped to listen to herself, she would've been surprised how close she came to sounding like Mrs. White.
Mr. Kato jerked upright in his chair and looked around, eyes darting everywhere trying to locate the aforementioned Mrs. White. Seeing she hadn't somehow come back into the room without his knowing, he relaxed. Only to scoot back a few inches in his chair as Videl came up his desk and slapped her palms down on the edge, disturbing a few of his papers.
"You drag us up here, make us tell you what happened. We tell you. You heard what we had to say." Videl's tone had by this point grown to where a rattlesnake would've thought twice about arguing with her. "Then you refuse to believe us. And not only that! You don't just give us detention and let us go! NO! You keep us here, in this HOT STUFFY OFFICE! Now, tell us what you're going to do, or let us go NOW!"
Forget the rattlesnake, a Majin Buu at his finest might've been stopped in his tracks for a few seconds by the end of Videl's little outburst. Mr. Kato could almost swear he saw flames coming out of her nostrils.
"well." Came a high-pitched squeak, followed quickly by a clearing of the throat, which seemed to help only a little. "You see, we don't have any procedures for this type of event."
"THIS TYPE OF EVENT!! I'm warning you now … you have TEN SECONDS to decide, then I am going out there and I'm going to call my father, and when I do, you will be in SO much trouble, you won't even know what hit you!"
Mr. Kato would've shivered in his boots, if he had been wearing any.
~*~
Gohan was having a bit of trouble remembering exactly how it was that he did wind up in the Brief's living room. "Ummm… you see… uhhh…" Think Gohan! Think! What were you doing today? Got up … flew to school … felt impending doom in Math class … went to Phys Ed… Wait… back up the train! Felt Impending Doom? In Math Class?
While Gohan was trying to put his thoughts together, Vegeta, who was not well known for his endless patience, grew quite tired of waiting for Gohan to say something intelligent, and let him know.
"Brat! I asked you a question. If you're so intelligent, just spit it out!"
"Vegeta!" His wife yelled back at her husband. "Give the boy a moment!"
Gohan choose this moment to insert a few more "Ummm"s.
Piccolo, deciding he too had had quite enough of the reluctance on Gohan's part to come up with an explanation, though not for the same reasons as the other two. Taking matters into his own hands, he interrupted Gohan, if you want to call it that.
"He was unconscious…"
"WHAT?!"
*Snort*
*Blink*
The first shriek was obviously Bulma, while the rather undignified snort belonged to Vegeta, and the blink belonged to Gohan, who was in the middle of puzzling about the feeling of Impending Doom he'd been having during Math. By this point, he'd figured out that it wasn't due to that calculus he'd been doing, which was still around 6 years too late to pose much of a challenge. Piccolo's interruption, of sorts, hadn't done much more than confuse the demi-saiyan.
Piccolo narrowed his eyes at the trio. "He was unconscious." He repeated.
"We heard that already Namek! We're waiting for you to tell us the rest of the pathetic story." Vegeta seemed almost too eager (for the Saiyan Prince that is). Vegeta seemed to feel this was the case also, and quickly added "Before I ki-blast you to Other World."
Piccolo had no sooner opened his mouth to begin the rest of the story when Bulma added in her two cents.
"Vegeta! You will do no such thing!"
"Who's going to stop me? You Onna? I think not!" This proclamation was timed to Vegeta crossing his arms across his chest and looking sufficiently dangerous. But apparently not dangerous enough to stop Bulma.
"You'd better watch what you say mister, or you will be on the couch for a very long time!"
Vegeta's only response was a quick eyebrow-twitch and a "hrrumph" of assent.
"You were saying Piccolo?" Bulma said, smiling and turning to Piccolo, happy with the knowledge that brains had once again won against brawn.
"I was meditating by the waterfall when I felt Gohan's ki drop to almost non-existence. I went to where he was, and found him unconscious in the middle of the schoolyard and thought it best if he was brought back here."
With this explanation out of the way, all three turned back to stare at Gohan, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Feeling the others gaze, he looked up to see three pairs of eyes staring at him.
"What?" Was his first word.
Bulma sweatdropped. For a genius, this kid sure was out of touch some times.
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A/N: Next time…What will Mr. Kato decide in his ten seconds? Will Gohan ever get a word in?
Thanks to Padawan JanAQ who reminded me Videl really was supposed to be in this story! I hope this is more what you had in mind!
(note to S-G-V-S: you're forgiven, I was having a bad day too)
