Author's Note: After a long time, I finally got rid of Writer's Block for this fanfic, and I'm back with an EXTRA-LONG CHAPTER! Well... it's not really THAT long, but it's the longest one I've ever written for this fanfic so far. Maybe I'm just overjoyed that midterms are over, ne?
Anyway, this chapter is pretty... wacky. I don't know what overcame me when I thought of what would happen in this chapter, maybe I took in too much sugar. *shrugs* And for those of you who are worrying about Videl and her condition, worry not! She'll be back to normal soon... although how soon that would be, I don't know. Maybe as soon as Vegeta stops causing trouble?
Oh well, enjoy! And please review!
In the Eyes of
a Child
Chapter Thirteen - Step One of Mission: Torture Gohan
Accomplished
Mathematics class was over before Gohan knew it, and as soon as
the bell rang, he immediately rushed out of the room to check up
on the Prince who was asked to stand in the hall early in the
period. However, the moment he stepped out of their classroom, a
bunch of girls who were now his official fans pulled him aside
and asked for his autograph.
"A little help here, anyone?!" Gohan exclaimed as his friends walked out, but they all chose to ignore the saiyajin stranded in the middle of obsessed girls as they proceeded to their next class. The demi-saiyajin then knew that he was the only one capable of saving himself, so he desperately tried to talk himself out of the situation. "Uh... girls... I'd love to do you a favor, but I'm... uh... very busy right now! I really have to go to my next class now, or I'm going to get detention for being late!"
"Then we'll go to detention too, so we can be with you, Gohan-kun!" they chorused in their high prissy voices as they battered their eyelashes at their hero in a lovesick manner which made the teenager even more uncomfortable than ever.
"You have to understand, my mother is going to ground me for life if I do something unpleasant here in school! I don't want that to happen, and I'm sure you don't want that to happen as well! Now please, let me go through! I need to be in my next class in five minutes!"
A girl with pigtails pushed her face close to Gohan's, giving him the Puppy Eyes Look™, the look which was mastered by the demi-saiyajin's little brother, Goten. "But your next class is just three classrooms down this hall! You defeated Cell when you were 11 years old, I'm sure you'll be able to get there within a blink of an eye! Right, girls?"
"Uh-huh!" the Gohan-crazy lasses chorused, nodding their heads enthusiastically.
"Aw c'mon Gohan-kun! We just want you to give us your autograph! That won't take too much time, it'll be just for a few seconds! And for a hero like you, that won't take out even a little bit of your energy! Pleeeeeeease? We love you!"
The other girls begged for his signature soon after, clinging on to him desperately that he knew he had no way out. With a sigh, he agreed, and pieces of paper and pens were handed to him soon after. Gohan began signing them like crazy, at breakneck speed that made majority of the girls faint in admiration and the rest --- who were still conscious --- sigh dreamily.
After a few moments, it was over. He slumped against the wall, glad that his painstaking task was over, and that he could finally take a break and move away from the chicks who were crazy about him. The girls, on the other hand, giggled and squealed as they clutched the paper where Gohan signed to their chests and sighed, as if imagining a future with their hero.
Gohan pulled away, scared with the looks they had on their faces. Then, he turned around and ran, only to bump into Vegeta, who was still standing in the hallway with his arms crossed arrogantly in front of his chest. Quickly, the demi-saiyajin apologized, and as he looked around the area where the Ouji was standing, he let out a gasp.
"Nani?! What is it, baka spawn of Kakkarot?!"
Goku's son looked at him, eyes wide in disbelief. "Nothing on the walls... no dents... no holes... Nothing at all... You didn't... use... ki-blasts..." his voice trailed off as he touched the walls, still not believing his eyes. "I can't believe it... you didn't blast the people here..."
It made Vegeta snort, but he did not say anything in response. He just stood there, slumped against the wall, with his eyes shut in a peaceful, reposed manner --- which greatly surprised Gohan. The older saiyajin did not only refrain from blasting people to oblivion, he remained in the hallway even if his punishment was over, as behaved as he could be.
Then, Gohan saw it. A part of Vegeta's lip twitched, and formed into a barely noticeable smirk.
He backed off, suddenly frightened. What's Vegeta up to?! I... I don't like the looks of this, not at all. He has something planned, I just don't know what it is. I... I better get out of here before anything else happens to me... Damn this just isn't my day...
"And where do you think you're going, brat?"
Gohan stopped, and swallowed. "To my... uh... next class?" he replied rather nervously, beads of sweat trickling down his face as he looked at the Saiyajin no Ouji who stood there as if nothing happened to him, as if nothing was going on. He was so quiet, it was scary.
It was then when Vegeta opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow at the teenager. "And you're leaving without me? You seem to have forgotten, brat. I am under the command of that blasted mate of yours who is in the same class as you baka weaklings are and who needs to get some sense knocked into her thick skull through a series of ki-blasts and there's nothing I can do but obey that baka onna or I'm going to degrade myself even more in front of that onna Bulma and deprive myself of the royal priveledges!" He paused to take a deep breath. "Kuso! I'm not supposed to be here! I'm supposed to be in the Gravity Room, training so I can finally punch the daylights out of your baka father who is nothing but a third-class saiyajin named Kakkarot who has a stupid excuse for living in this mudball of a planet! Saving the world, bah!"
The other did not hear the rest of the Ouji's rant, however, for the word mate hit him like a punch straight in the face by anyone stronger than him would. Blushing furiously, Gohan countered, "VIDEL'S NOT MY MATE!"
Everyone who was passing by at that time stopped and stared at Gohan, who was in a deep shade of red because of the older man's words. Vegeta, on the other hand, just smirked and turned to leave, but upon noticing that Gohan was not budging, he stopped, rolling his eyes. "You coming or what?!" he barked, not even turning his eyes to the person he was talking to, the arrogant look still on his features.
At that, Gohan scowled --- something which he rarely did, something which surprised Vegeta --- then he spun around to go with the Ouji to their next class, Home Economics. It was not Gohan's favorite subject --- it had never been and it will never be --- and the week's lessons were to be taught by a certain Yui Chosha who was rumored to talk as much as Erasa in an annoying, prissy voice.
The demi-saiyajin scowl deepened at that thought; the more when they arrived in the classroom, for what he saw made him want to disappear into thin air in utter embarrassment. The Chibis of Terror™ were guarding the doorway, still holding their guns as if they were professional secret agents; the third class saiyajin warrior Kakkarot was once again demonstrating his stupidity as he toyed around with the cooking equipment as if he had never seen them in his entire life; while Gohan's supposed mate was in the middle of the classroom, bouncing from one armchair to another, dancing and singing like there was no tomorrow.
The scene was very amusing and very entertaining for the weaklings, yes, but it was just too much for the saiyajins. In fact, it was too horrifying that the teenager who defeated Cell when he was 11 years old sent a silent prayer to Dende so as not to let the people around him realize that he was actually related to the unusual bunch.
The Prince, on the other hand, just shook his head.
"Well? We're not just going to stand here and look at them the whole day, are we?" Vegeta asked the demi-saiyajin with an eyebrow raised, which diverted Gohan's attention to the older man. He was surprised not because of the cold and sharp tone the other used --- after all, he was used to it --- but he was surprised at how interested Vegeta was. He was no longer yelling, bellowing, screaming, whining, complaining, or anything of that sort.
Before Gohan could reply, however, they were interrupted by the arrival of the principal of Orange Star High School, Eraishi Fuan, who summoned Vegeta for a private conversation at his office. The matter seemed serious, however, for the human had an angry look on his features, an expression he was attempting to supress as he called on the husband of Bulma Briefs for a conference of sorts.
Upon seeing the younger saiyajin's questioning look, the Ouji just shrugged, and then he followed Eraishi to wherever his office was coolly, his hands tucked into the pockets of his pants casually --- without a word, without asking questions, without yelling, without complaining.
Shortly after Vegeta's departure, the bell rang, signalling the start of the class. Gohan took the deepest breath he could ever muster before he stepped into the Home Economics classroom, glancing uneasily at the others who were already in the room even before the bell cried out the beginning of the next subject and who had seen the antics of the members of the hero's family. To his relief, they did not seem to notice that he was actually part of the group, and the only gazes he received were those from the girls huddled at the back of the classroom, the girls who whispered excitedly amongst themselves and were staring dreamily at him, fluttering their eyelashes in a flirtatious manner as they did so.
In return, he scowled.
"Is this the world they call... Chikyuu-sei?"
A tall man with a muscular build, wild ebony hair and equally dark eyes nodded as he stared at the ball of blue and green which appeared on their monitor, his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Yes, this is it. Chikyuu-sei," he announced as a smirk curled up on his features. "And the time has come for us to claim the world which is rightfully ours."
Standing beside him was a man clad in dark brown robes, and he was holding a book of sorts close to him, as if it was the most precious thing in the universe. He was short, and it was very clear as he flanked beside the one who was practically in charge of the group, but his hair that seemed to stand up vertically made him look taller that he truly was. "Do not let your thirst for revenge cloud your thoughts, oh great one. Anger and hate will only upset the gods who are patiently watching over us."
"Worry not. We shall live in peace with these... weaklings."
The robed man's raven eyes shifted to their commander, and then, he bowed. "May the gods bless you, oh great one. I will pray for the violence-free and bloodshed-free completion of your mission, and for your safety as well as that of our people," he said as he waved his hand in some strange manner. "With my benediction I send you the blessings of the gods."
The smile on their leader's features widened. "The blessings of the gods, indeed," he blurted out in agreement as he fixed up the gallant armor that covered him, the armor that would protect him from whatever was going to be hurled at him in the world below. Then, he picked up his comlink and called for the other two members of his so-called peace force.
A little boy around seven years of age appeared first, and we was refilling a plasma gun of sorts with a new cartridge as he arrived and bowed before their leader. He was wearing a white robe similar to that of a scientist back in Earth, and thick eyeglasses covered his dark eyes that was noticeably similar to that of the older fighter. "Oniichan will be here shortly. Has the time come?"
"Yes, it is time," the other simply replied.
He locked the cartridge, examined the gun, and smiled. "Then let us begin," he muttered as an evil smirk similar to that of his father's curled up on his lips, then, the father-and-son tandem laughed at the scent of their upcoming victory.
The high priest, on the other hand, just looked at the two and shook his head, hoping that the gods would forgive them for whatever sins they would commit on the world below.
Of all people in this class, I just had to get stuck with THEM! There are many others who I could be grouped with, they are not the only four people, but NO, I have to stay with them for this activity and for the entire period! Dende, WHAT HAVE I DONE TO MAKE YOU DESPISE ME SO?! I SAVED THE WORLD, DIDN'T I?! WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?!
"Son, the ladle's melting," Goku pointed out helpfully as the metal in Gohan's hand was melting due to the energy he was emitting. He was mad, very mad, although he was trying his best not to show it, and most especially not to show his super saiyajin form. However, the ki radiating from his body was enough to make the metal ladle melt, and if he would not be careful, the other metal equipment would melt as well.
An exasperated sigh escaped the younger saiyajin's lips, and then, he dumped liquid which was once metal into the garbage bin. Afterwards, he held out his left hand and said, "Ladle."
A brand-new metal ladle was dumped into his outstretched hand, and at that, he resumed mixing what they had placed in the bowl. He continued to ask for the ingredients that were to be added into the mixture, and finally, he came to the part when he was to ask for sugar. He waited for a cup of sugar to be placed on his palm, but moments passed and nothing came.
"Sugar," Gohan repeated, stronger this time, but still, nothing happened. And one more time, he tried. "Sugar, PLEASE?!"
When nothing came, his face turned red in anger, then he turned his head to see where the chibis had gone off --- and he found the sugar sack empty, the crystal sugars all over the floor. Sitting on top of the now-empty sack were Goten, Trunks and Videl, covered with sugar from head to foot, and they continued to lick the sugar that were stuck in their hands with expressions of utter glee and amusement.
With that, Gohan took the children by the collar of their shirts, shaking them both threateningly as he knew that they were the ones who thought of raiding the sugar sack in the first place, but because of Goku's interruption the chibis were spared from the wrath of the saiyajin gone mad. The teenager did not enjoy his father's interference, however, so he asked the older man to just beat the eggs while he would deal with the troublemakers in a calm way.
"I promise not to kill them, Otousan," Gohan added assuringly as he glared at the demi-saiyajins.
Goku just nodded, then he went back to the table and took four eggs, as they needed as much as those for their recipe. He then face-vaulted. How do I... he began, wondering how he was supposed to do what he was requested.
After a few minutes of standing quietly and staring at the eggs, he got it. That wouldn't be too hard to do! the saiyajin thought to himself excitedly as he smiled, put the rest of the cooking equipment away --- including the bowl which contained their precious mixture --- and placed the eggs in the middle of table.
Then, he dropped into a fighting stance. "Let's start the fight! Come on, eggs! Fight me!" he exclaimed as he motioned the eggs to attack him with his right hand, as he had always done to intimidate Vegeta. However, the confused look was back on his features a few moments after, because of the fact that the eggs were not moving at all.
"What's wrong? Aren't you going to fight me?" Goku asked in a disappointed tone as he dropped out of his fighting stance and moved towards the eggs. He lifted them one by one, checking for whatever was wrong, and when his examination was done, he put them back, his confused look still intact. "I still don't get it. There's nothing wrong with you, right? Your shells aren't broken, you aren't ki-deprived... why don't you want to fight me? Come on, eggs, let's fight so we can get this done!"
The eggs still did not move, and that was when the saiyajin dropped on his knees. "Please, eggs? Please?" he begged, looking at the oval-shaped cooking ingredients with puppy eyes, his hands clasped together as if he was praying. "I'm begging you, eggs. Please do me this favor. I promise, if you fight me, I will never beat you again!"
Then tears formed in Goku's eyes. "I'M BEGGING YOU! FOR THE LOVE OF MY SON, GOHAN, PLEASE FIGHT ME AND LET ME BEAT YOU! I PROMISE I WON'T DO IT AGAIN, I SWEAR! JUST THIS ONCE, JUST THIS ONCE!"
"OTOUSAN!"
He turned his head to the side slightly to see Gohan, his tears streaking down his eyes. Upon seeing his son's angry expression, he hung his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, son... I wanted to help you... I did everything I could to beat the eggs... But they wouldn't fight me, and it's unfair to beat an opponent who isn't even putting up a fight... I'm so sorry..."
Gohan slapped himself on the forehead. How dense could his father get?
He sighed, a sigh even heavier than all his sighs put together for that day, then turned to Goku and said in a forced calm tone, "Dad. You're not supposed to beat the eggs that way. You're supposed to---"
The demi-saiyajin was cut off as they heard a loud scream, apparently from the principal's office and the voice definitely belonged to Mr. Fuan. Then, dead silence took over. No one in the classroom dared to move, no one dared to flex a muscle --- some were even too frightened to breathe --- and that went for everyone in the campus.
Then it hit them.
Without a word, Gohan rushed out of the Home Economics room, followed closely by Goku and the sugar-covered troublemakers Trunks and Goten, who were hovering a few inches above the ground as they carried a half-full sugar sack with them. Videl, too, ran after the four thenafter, although she was merely after the sugar the children took. The chibis apparently didn't care --- Videl included --- but the other two saiyajins were worried and angry.
Goku was worried; Gohan was angry.
What has Vegeta gotten himself into this time?! the teenager thought in exasperation as he continued to make his way towards the principal's office, the other three warriors following his lead. They could have just tracked Vegeta down, but his ki was mysteriously supressed to that of human level, so they had to follow wherever Gohan was going.
On the other hand, the saiyajin was taking deep breaths to calm himself down, although he knew that he would NEVER be calmed down unless the week was over with. He was stuck in school for a whole week with his father, his father's rival, his brother, his brother's best friend, stupid interns and a regressed girlfriend.
It was NOT good.
Upon seeing the sign Mr. Eraishi Fuan, Principal, on the door, Gohan immediately pushed it open, and his eyes widened significantly at the sight. His companions had the same reaction as well, even those curious ones who had followed the group to check on what just happened.
Nothing appeared to be wrong in the office. It was neat and clean, just as Mr. Fuan had always kept it. Papers were neatly stacked in the filing cabinets, documents were properly filed in their respective places --- everything appeared almost perfect. However, there was one component that ruined the entire scene, a component that simply did not belong. It wasn't a piece of paper on the floor, it wasn't a shard of broken glass, it wasn't a hole in the wall made by the Ouji's ki-blast.
It was the Saiyajin no Ouji Vegeta himself, sitting on Mr. Fuan's comfortable reclining chair, cracking his knuckles arrogantly with a smirk on his pale features --- and the bright gold insignia Principal fastened to his shirt.
