Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ. Otherwise, this wouldn't be a fan fiction . ..it'd be the actual timeline.

Okee, this chappie is a bit longer than I planned, but who's complaining, right?? Thanks to all the reviewers for your encouragement!

I just realized that $50 isn't a lot of money, but oh well. I guess I was feeling kinda broke and deprived of my allowance when I wrote that.

Oh and also, to a few of the reviewers who asked about Bulma, don't worry! She will make an appearance and the reason why Gohan doesn't know about her will come up. Vegeta too. Patience, my readers! Remember this is AU, so it's okay of Gohan doesn't know them right now!

And to the reviewer who asked why Gohan and Goten were homeless, I forget who, and I'm too lazy to log in to check, but they're homeless cuz their parents died. I thought I made that clear in Gohan's flashbacks of their deaths. *Sigh* I guess not. I didn't really imply this in this fic, but I was hoping the readers would just assume Gohan just doesn't like orphanages and all that stuff. That's why the two didn't live in an orphanage or foster homes, they live in the woods.

So I clarified those points like some reviewers requested for me to, now on with the fic!

~ChApTeR tHrEe~

"Okay, stay calm. Calm. Caaalm. . .AARGH!!" Gohan screamed in frustration, uncurling himself from his meditation position. "I can't concentrate!"

"What's wrong niichan?" The little boy standing next to Gohan asked, playing with the spiky locks adorning his head. "Is it about that Devil girl? This is all my fault, isn't it?" Goten's bottom lip quivered, his eyes beginning to take on a bright shine.

"No, no, no!" Gohan reassured hastily. "No, of course it's not your fault!" Picking up the now whimpering little boy, Gohan soothed his brother as best he could. "You didn't know this would happen, okay? None of this is your fault, shh. . .c'mon Goten, don't cry. . ."

Tearful eyes looked up. "Niichan? What time did you say you had to be there?"

"Um. . .9 am. Why?"

Goten pointed to the city where a tall skyscraper held an enormous clock. (Ya know, like the Big Ben in London. Unless you've never been to London. . .oh well) "Cuz it's 8:55."

"What?!?!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Daddy, that boy I told you about is coming today, I just want to remind you, okay?" Videl tried talking with her still seething father. She had stayed up all night to wait for her father's arrival, and it had taken several hours to convince him to allow this. All in all, she wasn't feeling very happy right now, as she had gotten less then an hour of sleep.

"I think I'd best supervise you two. If that no good little prick even thinks about laying his hands on *my* girl, why I'll. . ."

"Daddy. . ." Videl warned. The last thing she needed was her father hovering over her like a bee over honey. That would take all the fun away! Glancing at the clock, Videl felt a small spurt of anger. 'It's 9:30! He's late! Oh jeezes, I'm sounding like some lovesick girl over their first date. . .'

"-but you're too good for him, yes you are! Much stronger, smarter, richer, why I-" Her father continued to ramble on, not noticing the fact his daughter was no longer paying attention to him.

Ding Dong!

Both Satans rushed out the door and to the gate, one in anger for the tardiness, the other eager to see what kind of guy his daughter would be so interested in.

Reaching the iron bars, Videl drew in her breath for one heck of a scream-

-And immediately swallowed it as she saw who it was.

"Er, Goten?"

Scowling, Goten crossed his arms that would have been slightly intimidating had he not been so pint-sized. "Yeah, that's me, scary lady!" In his hand he clutched a sea-green sash.

Satan Hercule goggled at the small boy standing with a cute frown on his chubby face on the other side of the gate as Videl snickered at Goten's referral to her. "*This* is the guy you were talking about? Videl, he's no more than 5 years old! You said he was your age!"

Goten put his hands on his hips angrily. "Hey, I'm seven years old, Mister Devil!"

"Mr. Devil?! Is that an insult, boy?"

Videl quickly intervened, hoping to curb an oncoming tantrum. Not from the little boy, but from her father. "Waoh, calm down dad. This isn't the guy I was talking about, it's this guy's older brother. Where is your brother, Goten?" Videl asked.

"We raced here, and I won so there!" He stuck his tongue out impudently.

'Grr. . .' Videl slowly counted to five. "Okay, but why are you here? And what's taking Gohan so long?"

"Well, I'm here 'cause Gohan has to bring me since we have no home." He said matter-a-factly. "And I think he got lost while he was chasing me after I accidentally pulled his pants down."

Sweatdrop. "Uh. . .I won't ask." 'How can someone *accidentally* pull someone's pants down?' She wondered. Briefly, an image of a nude Gohan flashed through her mind. 'Ack, what am I thinking?!'

Suddenly, an angry voice cut through the air. "GOTEN!!" In the distance, Videl spotted a tall figure running, holding his pants to prevent them from slipping down. Videl stifled a giggle at the comical sight.

"GOTEN, GIVE ME MY SASH!"

"Oh, sorry niichan!" Goten smiled innocently and held up the piece of cloth. Snatching it quickly, Gohan turned to the audience he was drawing, still holding his pants with one hand. Looking down, he realized they had slipped. . .ahem, quite low. And just to let you know, Gohan doesn't wear boxers. (A/N: hehe, sorry, just couldn't resist adding that part in! Drool all ya want, Gohan fans! Just don't ruin your keyboard. And you can quit your snickering, Sam!! At least I mentioned bushes in the next paragraph!) A rose-red blush tainted his cheeks.

"U-um. . .excuse me for a minute. . ." Immediately, Gohan dove into the bushes, away from the laughter of Goten, the gawping of Hercule, and the blushing of Videl.

A few moments later, after the three had composed themselves, Gohan emerged, the sash tied properly around his waist, face still quite red with only one thought in mind. Well, actually two. 'Shimatta, what a great first impression. . .I am SO going to kill Goten. . .roast him alive over a fire. . .torture him to death. . .and then kill him some more. . .'

"Ahem. . ." Videl coughed, interrupting the murderous stare Gohan was giving his giggling younger brother. "So, uh. . .come in. . ." Opening the gate, the young Satan admitted the two boys into her home. "Gohan, this is my dad. . .I'm sure you know him."

Gohan stiffly held out his hand, feeling it was best to show the best of manners, especially after that little show a few minutes ago. However, the minute the hairy hand grasped his, Gohan had to control himself from crushing it as hard as he could. 'Rich bastard. . .cold cruel jerk. . .egotistical moron. . .' Gohan forced a smile as he restrained himself. "How do you do, Mr. Satan." He nearly spat.

Straightening, the afroed man withdrew his hand and crossed them across his chest in a no-nonsense manner. "Now, listen here boy. I see any groping, any touching, any caressing-"

"Those are all practically synonyms, no need to say them all." Gohan muttered. Luckily, Hercule didn't hear, but Videl did.

'Hm. . .he doesn't like my father, eh? Wonder why? Daddy *is* the world champion.'

"-then I'm personally gonna boot your sorry ass across the world and back, got me boy?" Not waiting for an answer, Hercule turned, purposefully swirling his silk white cloak to make a regal impression. Of course, the effect was ruined somewhat as he stumbled on the stone steps. Videl covered her face in embarrassment, looking away from the bumbling fool who was her father.

"How are ya gonna do that? Take an airplane?" Gohan muttered darkly, glaring at the back of this rich man. 'And I'd certainly like to see you try to "boot my sorry ass across the world and back."' Gohan added mentally.

Feeling a tug on his pant leg, the teenager looked down. "Niichan? So, what are we gonna do here?"

Patting the spiky head fondly, Gohan replied, "Not you, me. You can just, uh," Turning to Videl, Gohan inquired, "What can my brother do? He's not in on this deal, but I can't leave him alone either."

Waving a hand to gesture the entire area, Videl answered, "Just let him wander. What's the worse he can do, anyway?"

Gohan smirked. "A lot more than you think." Turning back to his brother, he said, "So, you hear that, Goten? Just go play, okay? And no stealing, got me?"

Goten gulped at the stern look his brother was giving him. "O-okay." As he turned to leave, the little boy called over his shoulder sweetly, "Love you niichan!"

Gohan waggled his fingers in a goodbye. "Ditto. And by the way, I'm still gonna get you back for that little stunt you pulled earlier!"

Mock fear crossed the little one's features. "Fine, then! I hate you niichan!"

Smiling, Gohan called back to the running figure, "Glad to have your love, Goten-chan!" As the small figure disappeared around the corner of the house, Gohan turned back to the Satan girl, all traces of cheerfulness gone.

Videl was slightly unnerved by the sudden shift of the mood that seemed to take place along with the changes of Gohan's face. Ignoring the tense feeling, she remarked mildly, "You two seem to be very close."

"Yeah, well we've always been together." was the toneless reply.

"I see. Anyway, let me just tell you that you come each day at 9, leave at 2. That reminds me, why were you late today?" Videl glared.

Gohan glared right back, much to her surprise. "Didn't you see what happened? Goten. . .er. . .delayed me!"

"Oh yeah. Anyway, the first thing I wanna do is spar. You seemed pretty good in my room. Let's see if that was a coincidence!"

"Fine."

Videl led her guest to the mini courtyard behind the house.

After bowing, Gohan slid down into his beginning stance. As Videl shifted into hers, she took note of his posture. 'Wow, it's nearly flawless! No, it is flawless! Not a single unguarded place, man this guy must be good! I wonder if he can beat me. . .and if so, maybe my father!' Videl settled comfortably in the most familiar stance she knew.

'Is he really as strong as I think? Can he defeat the world champion?' Videl mentally shook her head, stamping out the ridiculous idea. 'Psh, what am I saying? He's just some random hobo who happens to know enough martial arts to impress me. Well, here goes!' With a yell, Videl launched herself into the first attack, which, to her no surprise was easily blocked. Both fighters knew it was only an assault of evaluation. . .to see how the opponent moved and how strong they were. Immediately, the two engaged in a heated spar.

As the two continued to exchange blows, (A/N: Really sorry, but I really really suck at writing fight scenes so sorry if this part seems a bit choppy or rushed) Gohan marveled at the girl's skill. 'She's pretty good. Knowing what a fool her father is, she's not too bad. It's possible she's stronger than her dad. Still, I guess I should hold back. . .otherwise this whole deal will be for nothing if Hercule has me arrested or something for even drawing the smallest amount of blood from his daughter.'

The intense fighting continued, the male doing his best to hold back, the female enjoying every minute of this new challenge.

For two and a half hours, the two fought without hesitation. Finally, Videl slumped to the ground after a particularly hard blow from her opponent. Glancing at her watch, she wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Hey, it's lunchtime. Let's take a break." Gohan only nodded in agreement, standing up straight from his stance to straighten up his disheveled gi. Sticky with sweat, the normally loose shirt clung to Gohan's chest in an uncomfortable manner. Finally letting out a snort of disgust, he just took the whole thing off.

Videl did her best not to drool at the live eye candy in front of her. Feeling the heat rise to her cheeks, she quickly averted her head, hoping Gohan hadn't seen. 'Man, what's wrong with me?! I've never felt this way over a guy before! But damn, he's so hot. . .literally. Ergh, Videl, get those bad thoughts out of your head!'

Gohan glanced at the crouching girl facing away from him, oblivious to the turmoil his shirtless self was causing the other. "Didn't you say it was lunch time? Aren't you going to eat?"

Videl jerked up as she realized he was talking to her. "Oh! Uhm, right! Why don't you find Goten first?" She fought to keep her voice from rising to a higher pitch.

Shrugging, Gohan spoke, only a slight increase in his breathing rate any proof that he had been through strenuous activities. "Goten's probably inside the house. He's usually curious about houses since we don't have one."

Videl felt a small pang of sympathy at the casual way he stated this. Then it was immediately squashed with the reminder that they were no good thieves. But then again. . .neither had made any attempt or shown any intention to steal anything the minute they had entered her house. . .

"Well, let's go find him. Maybe my dad's seen him." Leading the way, Videl made her way through the elaborate house towards her father's gym. Glancing back, she slightly smiled at the way Gohan looked around with almost childlike curiosity. 'So I guess Goten wasn't the only curious one.'

As the two arrived to the large oak double doors, Videl winced as a loud yell rang out from inside. Assuming it was just his usual roaring while training, she calmly pushed open the doors. The sight she beheld was not quite what she was expecting.

There, the almighty Hercule, Champion of the world, was chasing a giggling Goten who was holding a small glass figure of the Champion. Broken bits of. . .something lay scattered around the floor.

"Yaaah!! You little runt, give that back!! Give it here, I say!" Hercule huffed and puffed, trying hard to catch the miniature whirlwind Goten resembled. A giggling whirlwind of orange cloth. With a glass figure.

Videl had to stuff her fist into her mouth to stifle the laugh that was threatening to bubble up. Not entirely successful, a small snort erupted from her throat. Gohan, curious, peered over her head to view the scene.

Not knowing whether to be angry with his misbehaving brother or to laugh hilariously at the comical Hercule, Gohan had to settle for both.

"Goten, stop that right now!" He called out harshly. However, he lost the authority as he was unable to restrain the need. . .instantly, loud laughter erupted from his mouth.

Goten stopped abruptly, causing Hercule to trip over the smaller boy. He stared at the two laughing uproariously, but mainly at his brother.

A wide grin threatened to split the chubby face in two. Dropping the glass figure, which Hercule scrambled to catch, Goten zipped across the room and barreled into his brother, knocking the breath out of him.

Hugging Gohan fiercely, Goten looked up with sparkling eyes. "You're laughing! Niichan, you're actually laughing! Did I make you laugh? Huh huh huh?" Goten babbled excitedly.

Chuckling, Gohan ruffled his brother's hair. "Yes, Goten-chan, you did make me laugh. Thank you."

Goten giggled, flinging himself off his brother and dancing around, singing ridiculously, "I made niichan laa-ugh!! I made niichan laa-ugh!!"

Wiping tears of laughter from her eyes, Videl eyed the mess in the room. "What happened here?"

Goten opened his mouth to reply but Hercule beat him to it. Quite angrily might I add. "That little monster broke three dumbbells! And nearly broke my statue too! And he interrupted my training!" The Champion huffed, trying to regain his breath.

Goten's face contorted into one of confusion. "What? Looking at naked people is training?"

Hercule looked ready to blow. Videl couldn't help but mentally note how close to an apple his father's face had turned.

"Uh, okay Goten, let's go!" Gohan hastily rushed his brother out, Videl in tow leaving Hercule to cool off.

When they were a good distance away, Gohan turned to his brother. "Goten, what was all that about?"

"I was bored!" Was the whiny reply.

"And you broke three dumbbells? How did you manage that?" Videl asked curiously, glancing at Gohan to see his reaction. To her surprise, he only looked mildly exasperated.

Gohan slightly squeezed his brother's hand, hoping he would get the warning. Unfortunately, he didn't.

"I threw them against the wall." Came the innocent response.

Videl gawped as Gohan mentally made a note to go over what was proper to say around Videl and what was not. Recovering from her shock, Videl reprimanded firmly, "Goten, it isn't right to lie. That is a bad bad habit, understand?"

Goten stuck his tongue out, not noticing his brother's rising anger at the unjust accusation. "I didn't lie! Niichan, she's calling me a liar!"

"My brother wouldn't lie, Miss Videl." Gohan said quietly. 'Then again,' he thought, 'maybe I should just say Goten lied just to get out of this. . .but that wouldn't be fair to Goten.'

Videl glared at him. "A *six* year old. . .*six* years, not even a teenager. . .threw dumbbells, custom made for my father from the hardest metals, hard enough at a wall to break them. And you're saying this is possible?"

Gohan growled, his good mood disappearing quickly. Kami, couldn't she just drop it?! It was only one little thing, it was as if the tiniest injustice would get her all fired up for dealing punishment! And Goten was only a kid, little kids lied all the time!

"But they weren't that heavy!" Goten protested, not noticing the warning growls Gohan was making. "They were only 20 pounds!"

"20 POUNDS??"

Goten nodded. Then, he frowned as he remembered something. "And I'm not six! I'm seven!"

Videl turned, glaring at Gohan. "So your brother is a thief and a liar! You should really have taught him better!"

Goten's protest of "I didn't lie!" was drowned out by Gohan's sudden outburst.

"DON'T YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT RAISING GOTEN! YOU TRY DOING THAT WHEN BOTH YOUR PARENTS DIE BY THE TIME YOU'RE 10 YEARS OLD AND YOUR LITTLE BROTHER IS ONLY JUST BORN! AND THEN LIVING ALONE IN THE FOREST, HUNTING FOR YOUR OWN FOOD, STRUGGLING TO STAY ALIVE EACH DAY! UNLESS YOU'VE GONE THROUGH THAT, WHICH I KNOW YOU HAVEN'T AS HERCULE SEEMS VERY MUCH ALIVE, DON'T YOU *EVER* SAY *ANYTHING* LIKE THAT TO ME AGAIN!" Gohan roared. Videl's mouth was slightly open in shock and she stood frozen on the spot as Gohan slunk to the ground, hugging the now scared looking Goten tightly. His mind raced with what he had just done.

'Great just great. Why in Kami's name did I choose *now* to burst out like that?! And to Videl Satan, of all people! I'm not usually this sensitive! Why is it that whatever this girl says has affected me so much? What's the matter with me?' Gohan shut his eyes tightly, biting his lip. What was going to happen now? Was Videl going to just cut off the deal and just turn them in anyway? He didn't think he could handle the police chasing them . . .for one thing, his conscience would bug him to the end of his days, nagging him of being a wanted person. And Goten might not take it too well either. . .but would she be angry enough? Rich people tended to be a little harsh in the actions stemmed from anger or offense. . .

Hoping fervently that she wasn't too offended, Gohan turned around, eyes still closed. He spoke once again in that neutral tone, though Videl could barely pick up a pleading note. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me." Gohan whispered.

He waited for her reply.

Videl opened her mouth to speak her response. . .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blah, somewhat cliffhanger. Stay tuned to find out if Videl turns out to be the typical rich person in Gohan's view or someone different!

I tried to make this chapter a bit funny, but I dunno if I did. Well, it seemed funny to me! *pouts*

So review and tell me if it was!

Cummon, you know you wanna! Just do it! Pleaaaaaaaaaase!!!! *big puppy eyes*

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