Chapter 2
I looked on with a sense of shock and horror, and for a moment my jaw went slack. The cane had disappeared from existence, as I assumed since I had looked all over the patio for it. I looked under the seat, under my coat, around the other benches, plants; it was no where to be found. It puzzled me, and I looked over the edge to see if a wind had picked up and moved it over.
It wasn't on the ground, either, as I could tell what with my Sayain level of seeing. But I suppose, it didn't bother me. No, not much. I don't think, at that point in my life, I could really care about a cane going missing. In fact, I think I might've seen it glint right under the patio in the starlight. So, I knew I wasn't crazy. It was just under the patio, and I'd get it later tonight, or maybe tomorrow.
I looked up at the stars again. I heard Videl ruffling through her drawers in the background, but they were quickly muffled out by the sounds of the stars twinkling. Yes, stars have a sound, but only if you listen carefully. It's a beautiful sound, and can be so wonderful to your ears. They danced with each other, although you couldn't see it, they still danced. It was a slow dance, though. Just a nice, slow dance, a dance to the beautiful music they made.
Exactly the opposite of my mind, but their dances calmed, soothed me. Just like Videl. It is an amazing feeling, when you hear the stars. It sounds almost like the ocean, but muted- Oh, you can't even describe what the stars sound like. It's almost like hearing the voice of God- you can't even describe what it's like, because it is so powerful.
I smiled at the stars, complimented them on their wonderful dance. I swore that they smiled back at me, and I thought to myself, I would love to see your dance up close. That was what Videl and I were going to do. We were going to look at the star's dance up close, and maybe she could hear them, too, when she saw their dance up close in the telescope. I'd like that.
I heard her walk out on to the patio, a padding of feet in a straight line towards me. She stopped by my side, and I saw in the corner of my eye her head turn and look at me, then look at what I was looking at, which was the waltz in the sky.
"I love the stars, don't you?" She asked me, and I nodded in a dumb fashion, still mesmerized by their wonderful glow.
"They remind me of my mother," Ah, that struck something in me; they reminded me of something, as well. But I was still unsure as to what it was, yet, "and that wonderful twinkle she would get in her eyes every time I saw her."
"What ever happened to your mother, Videl?" I was sheepish, scared to ask her. But she responded, almost deadpan.
"She was killed in a drive by shooting." I would've comforted Videl, if she had cried, whimpered, done anything that may have shown discomfort at the thought. But she didn't, she just kept on looking up at the stars. The lights down in the front lawn started to go out, one by one, but it was at a quick pace. It was like they were returning home, because I could've sworn I saw the lights lift out of the lanterns. I frowned, and had to respond at Videl's words.
"I'm sorry." I said. That was a horrible way to go- even my father died fighting for this world. And for what? Just so people could go and kill more innocents? I couldn't believe the world we lived in; I didn't want to. Maybe that's how it got started, but I wasn't sure then. I wasn't sure for such a long time.
"It's alright, Gohan. I still miss her, but I'm sure I'll get over it one day." I still hadn't gotten over my father's death.
"Hopefully. Do you want to go now?" There was no rush. I could stay right here all night, looking at these stars, being with Videl. The last light on the lawn went out, and Videl and I stood in darkness, the only light coming from the street lamps and the stars.
"Okay, sure. I just wish I didn't have to do these stupid homework assignments." I looked at her, finally taking my gaze off of the stars.
"Would you still look at the stars if you didn't have to do the homework?" I asked. She smiled, and showed a little of her white teeth.
"Yeah, I would." What a wonderfully simple answer. It ended the conversation- there was no need to extend it further than that- and we jumped off of the patio and into the air, floating above her mansion so that we could see all across the blocks and roads in a one mile radius. I think Videl realized just then that the cane was no where in sight.
"Gohan, where'd that cane that you got off the burglar go?" She asked me, and she looked around, as if to see it floating in the air. I seriously wouldn't have been surprised if it was. I should've caught what she said exactly at that moment, too. But I didn't, and there was no way for me to erase it now that I think about it.
"It disappeared. I don't know where it went." It was the truth, after all. Who am I to lie to someone, especially Videl? That, I had thrown to the wind. I wasn't going to lie any more. After the Sayaiman blackmail Videl pulled on me, I don't think I could any more. And I think that big tournament is in about 3 months. I'm not sure, though, but I think it takes place in Japan.
"Hah, maybe the old man came and got it." She joked, but that became stuck in my head for a long time- maybe he had come and gotten it. What then? How did he know that I was going to Videl's house. . . Unless he had been watching me from an angle where I could not see him, such as in the bushes somewhere. He had then, after seeing I had gone into the mansion, somehow floated over the laser wires; maybe he could do that, and then snatched it up before I came back out. But, perhaps I should revert back to my old theory of a wind picking up and knocking it to where I couldn't see it.
I laughed, and said, "Yeah, maybe he did." Videl looked at me and asked me if we wanted to walk or fly.
"Well, if we fly, that would just be awkward since she's just a block down the street." I explained.
"Yes, you're right. But I've been hearing of burglars and murderers coming around here trying to steal stuff lately." She said, and she looked down, staring seriously at the ground. I smiled, and looked at her with a brave face, but of course I was only trying to comfort her. She had had a break in just one week before, and they took her prized possession, her Playstation 2. Yes, it would seem trivial to one to think that a Ps2 would be the prized possession of a fighter like Videl, but she really did love that machine. It took her away from this retched world, and put her in a position where she could at least let some stress out, via Grand Theft Auto 3 or some other type of mindless violence-oriented game. I liked those games.
Videl smiled back at me, nervously, though, and it was sort of a "thumbs- up" thing she had done. We drifted silently down to the road, and I looked back and forth, just to make sure no one had seen us, although I don't know why. This place is deserted at night. We began to walk down the street, towards the large yellow dome glistening with light, the big bold capped words of "CAPSULE CORP" printed across it. We moved steadily closer, and we took pleasure in just being in each other's company, neither of us speaking a word. We relished this moment, though I don't particularly know why, but we did. It was a beautiful, awkward moment. It was a moment that I would soon not forget, and for some reason I always think of this time when I walk or float down this street. I breathed in heavily, and held my breath for a bit before releasing it.
I looked over at Videl, and saw her face, now scared yet determined to make it across the street. Was she really this scared of burglars? And if so, could she not just knock them out with a single kick or punch? Questions buzzed in my head, and that blissful moment I once knew flew away as quick as it came to the back of my mind, and Videl started to perspire, but only a bit. I could tell it was cold sweat, just by the look in her eye.
Sometimes, when I was little- about 5 or 6- when my mother took me into the city, I would get so scared of the tall people, and clutch my mother's hand for comfort, and suddenly everything just seemed to get better. I don't know why, exactly, I would, knowing by then I was very strong. But it just did. Videl closed her eyes, more of a squint, and I think she must've done that to see if her fear would flow away. Videl opened them back up, and looked at me with a fake smile, and she turned her head back around to face her directional walk. She gulped, and we were about half a block there. She was so nervous, her ki began to spike spasmodically. I though of the motherly gesture that helped me when I was little, so I grabbed her right hand in mine, and I think at first she tensed, but then she loosened. In fact, her ki dropped just a bit, and her shoulders lowered. I guess I was right, when I thought about motherly comfort. I guess it worked with friends, too. She stopped perspiring, and a few minutes later, we were almost to the mansion.
"Gohan," Videl asked when we reached the cross walk, "why did you hold my hand?" I blushed a bit, and almost pulled away, but she tugged on my hand.
"No, it's alright. You know I would've punched you by now if I didn't want you to do that. But why?" I stuttered, and scuffled my foot on the concrete, and severely wanted that walk sign to change. Maybe the hand gesture was for a different reason than I had first thought.
"Well, when I was little, and my mom took me to the big city, I would get scared of all the big people there. So she would hold my hand, and it just made me feel better. I saw that your ki kept jumping involuntarily, so I figured you were nervous or scared about something," There, that was the truth, but I wasn't sure, at that time, how much truth of that it was.
"Well, yeah, I was kind of nervous. Ever since that break-in I've been a bit insecure when I'm on the streets." She looked at the ground, and the cross walk changed from the orange stop hand to the little white man walking.
"It's almost ten o' clock. Maybe we should just head back and," Videl cut me off.
"No, I want to go in there and get this done, no matter what. Just because I'm a little scared of burglars doesn't mean I can't cross the street." She said in a tough tone, but she didn't let go of my hand, as I had expected she would let go.
"Alright, alright. You're just lucky Bulma's a night owl," I said bemusedly. We walked across, despite the fact that the walk sign had a big orange hand that made a stop signal portraying itself to us. We reached the beginning of the walkway to Bulma's mansion, and on either side of us were white picket fences, only about three feet high. We walked along the cobblestone walkway, passing large palm trees as they hung over the walk to provide shade- although that purpose was meaningless at this time- to the walk.
Eventually, we reached the door, and I let go of Videl's hand, not that I wanted to, but because Bulma would get suspicious ideas otherwise. I could tell Videl become uneasy for a second, via her ki spike- a little one- but she calmed down as I rang the door bell two times.
About a second later, the door opened, and I expected to see Bulma, but I had ended up looking down to see Trunks, rubbing one of his eyes with his fist, and looking up at me. He said sarcastically, and I think he might've actually been serious, if you had thought about it.
"What are you doing here? Did your mom kick you out or something?" I laughed, and Videl just stood to the side, being polite, I guess.
"No, actually, she hasn't yet. We just wondered if we could use your telescope for a few hours to look up some things." Trunks shrugged, and opened the door all the way, letting us come in.
"Go ahead. I'm not gonna stop you," Trunks said, and walked out of the main hall and into a room adjacent it, to the living room I guess. There was a bluish light that flickered in that room, and of course it could be nothing other than the T.v. of one of their many living rooms. I heard a low voice growl, as I and Videl started to walk up the stairs, say something as Trunks exited my view.
"Boy! Who was at the door?" It was Vegeta. It could be no other.
"Just Gohan and his girlfriend. They said they have to do some stuff with the telescope, but I think they're just going up there to," Trunks was, thankfully, cut off by his mother wailing out in joy.
"Oh! Gohan and Videl are here?! Well, why didn't you say so?" Bulma squealed. Trunks replied, quite bewildered as his mother must've brushed by him, "But, I . . .did. . ."
Bulma came up to us right when we reached the top stair, and waved at us from below. We both smiled back, waving our hands and getting slight sweat drops on our foreheads.
"Gohan! Videl! How are you?" Videl shook up a bit- just a bit- at those words. I answered for her, seeing as she was troubled over something, but I didn't know what.
"We're doing fine, Bulma! We just need to borrow your telescope for a little while." She smiled, and began to walk up towards us, and when she reached us, she gave me a nice, friendly hug, and with Videl the same.
"Hey, go ahead. If you want me too, I'll call your mother and tell her you'll be staying over here tonight if you need to," Bulma requested, and I knew that would be splendid, but of course I had to be polite.
"Well, if it's not any trouble. . . but what about Videl? She'd be all alone at her house tonight." She smiled, and waved her hand as if brushing off any trouble it might have been.
"Oh, it's no trouble at all. You and Videl can sleep in your old Son Suite, okay?" She smiled, and walked past us to a table that held a cordless phone. Videl leaned up while Bulma dialed my number, and whispered, "Uh, Gohan, she wasn't being serious with the Suite thing, was she?" I replied to her.
"Well, I think I know what you mean, but Bulma had separate rooms put in because my family would never get any sleep if we all slept in the same room. My father used to snore so loud it could break your ears," I explained to her. She nodded in understanding, and we walked over and around to the left side of the hall.
Bulma talked into the phone.
"Hey, Chi-Chi?" She said. There was a tiny noise, and Bulma talked to it.
"Oh, hi Goten. Isn't it past your bed time?" She nodded.
"You feeling any better? Yeah? What'd the doctor say?" She listened to him talk.
"He said you'd be better in just 2 weeks? That's great! Alright, sweetie," Bulma smiled. She really liked Goten.
"Can I speak to your mom for a few minutes?" She smiled into the phone.
"Thanks, sweetie." She waited a few moments, and another voice picked up on the phone. It spoke out, and Bulma talked to it.
"Hey Chi-Chi! Oh, nothing much. You?" Bulma laughed. "Really? Well, Gohan and his 'friend' are over here. Yes, yes, that 'friend'. They have to use my telescope, and they said it might be a while, so I'm going to let them stay here for the night. Is that alright with you? It is? Great! Now, what was that recipe I was going to give you. . ." Bulma continued to chatter on with my mother, but not before giving me a wink.
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Videl and I walked down the slowly curving hall, halogen lights giving it an overly white glow. We reached the door to the telescope room- I could tell, it was marked "Planetarium" on the front- and I pushed the door open. We entered into the room, and the air hung, staying stagnant and making the room feel empty and large. I clapped my hands, and the lights flickered on, but they weren't your normal lights.
Videl gasped at what she saw, and from time to time I, too, gasped just a bit at its magnificence. We stood on a long narrow bridge that at its end was the largest telescope you've ever seen. The entire room was just one big ball that had endless amounts of twinkling stars illuminating the room. You felt like you were in a huge sphere.
"It's amazing! We'll definitely ace this thing for sure!" Videl said, smiling triumphantly. I wondered, just at that moment, just what we were supposed to be doing- I don't quite remember.
"Now, am I correct in thinking we have to find what we think is a galaxy and name it? And then we have to estimate how far away it is in light years, for a test grade?" I asked, looking down to the telescope. Videl nodded her head. Jesus, what a simple test grade that would be.
"Yeah," She said, as she walked towards the telescope, "we each have to find what looks like a galaxy to us, place it on a star chart, and name it, then estimate its distance." I nodded, and remembered what Mr. Belcan said.
"Okay. You want to go first?" I followed her, and she gave me an enthusiastic "yes". I thought that was okay, but I might have to tell her how to use it. It's very simple, but also very complex, and a lot of the time, I almost screw up on it. I won't go into too much detail about how I told Videl how to use the machine. It isn't very important.
"Okay, now by pressing this button, the computer will lock onto carbon gases in large clumps outside the atmosphere, and this button here will," Videl cut me off, and since I had been getting cut off so much lately, I would've gotten mad, but for some reason I just couldn't get mad at Videl.
"Gohan, I'm just looking for a galaxy, not the whole damn theory of the universe, okay?" She said, and I guess she was annoyed because I had gone on like that for a while. I smiled, and thought of a quick come back.
"Well, maybe if we found the secrets of the universe we might get extra credit." She promptly smacked me in the back of the head. Videl sat down in the chair that was right under the telescope, and I pulled up a rolling chair that was sitting in a corner on the platform. She gazed into the telescope, and used the remote control to her right to zoom in and out. I looked at the things she viewed on a monitor that floated in front of me. She zoomed in and out of the moon, and played around for a little bit, looking into one of the craters of the moon. I might want to tell you this now, so as to not confuse you; the thing she's using is actually just the transmitter and monitor. The actual telescope is out in space, and can maneuver around at the quantum level. At least that's what Bulma said, she said that the telescope is able to jump around at about 1,000 light years a nanosecond if it has to, even faster than that. So you could get really great views of some planets and galaxies.
Over the course of the next couple of hours (about two) we had completed our assignments. And little did I know. Little did I know, that by talking with the man in the white suit, and looking through that telescope, my whole world would change...
A/N: Okay, the next chapter is out- I'm sorry it wasn't exactly that long, but trust me, it WILL get a lot more interesting as the events unfold. I just felt that I'd like to leave you with just a bit of a hang.
By the way, please, PLEASE give reviews that have thoughtful, well typed messages on them. I don't really like getting these inane reviews that only say "yeh yeh i lke!!!!1!!1" GOD they're annoying, not just to me, but probably to all the other authors out there that get these.
In short, thoughtful comments, please!
Be sure to check out PsYcHo's story of "Tomber Amourex". It's a great read.
I looked on with a sense of shock and horror, and for a moment my jaw went slack. The cane had disappeared from existence, as I assumed since I had looked all over the patio for it. I looked under the seat, under my coat, around the other benches, plants; it was no where to be found. It puzzled me, and I looked over the edge to see if a wind had picked up and moved it over.
It wasn't on the ground, either, as I could tell what with my Sayain level of seeing. But I suppose, it didn't bother me. No, not much. I don't think, at that point in my life, I could really care about a cane going missing. In fact, I think I might've seen it glint right under the patio in the starlight. So, I knew I wasn't crazy. It was just under the patio, and I'd get it later tonight, or maybe tomorrow.
I looked up at the stars again. I heard Videl ruffling through her drawers in the background, but they were quickly muffled out by the sounds of the stars twinkling. Yes, stars have a sound, but only if you listen carefully. It's a beautiful sound, and can be so wonderful to your ears. They danced with each other, although you couldn't see it, they still danced. It was a slow dance, though. Just a nice, slow dance, a dance to the beautiful music they made.
Exactly the opposite of my mind, but their dances calmed, soothed me. Just like Videl. It is an amazing feeling, when you hear the stars. It sounds almost like the ocean, but muted- Oh, you can't even describe what the stars sound like. It's almost like hearing the voice of God- you can't even describe what it's like, because it is so powerful.
I smiled at the stars, complimented them on their wonderful dance. I swore that they smiled back at me, and I thought to myself, I would love to see your dance up close. That was what Videl and I were going to do. We were going to look at the star's dance up close, and maybe she could hear them, too, when she saw their dance up close in the telescope. I'd like that.
I heard her walk out on to the patio, a padding of feet in a straight line towards me. She stopped by my side, and I saw in the corner of my eye her head turn and look at me, then look at what I was looking at, which was the waltz in the sky.
"I love the stars, don't you?" She asked me, and I nodded in a dumb fashion, still mesmerized by their wonderful glow.
"They remind me of my mother," Ah, that struck something in me; they reminded me of something, as well. But I was still unsure as to what it was, yet, "and that wonderful twinkle she would get in her eyes every time I saw her."
"What ever happened to your mother, Videl?" I was sheepish, scared to ask her. But she responded, almost deadpan.
"She was killed in a drive by shooting." I would've comforted Videl, if she had cried, whimpered, done anything that may have shown discomfort at the thought. But she didn't, she just kept on looking up at the stars. The lights down in the front lawn started to go out, one by one, but it was at a quick pace. It was like they were returning home, because I could've sworn I saw the lights lift out of the lanterns. I frowned, and had to respond at Videl's words.
"I'm sorry." I said. That was a horrible way to go- even my father died fighting for this world. And for what? Just so people could go and kill more innocents? I couldn't believe the world we lived in; I didn't want to. Maybe that's how it got started, but I wasn't sure then. I wasn't sure for such a long time.
"It's alright, Gohan. I still miss her, but I'm sure I'll get over it one day." I still hadn't gotten over my father's death.
"Hopefully. Do you want to go now?" There was no rush. I could stay right here all night, looking at these stars, being with Videl. The last light on the lawn went out, and Videl and I stood in darkness, the only light coming from the street lamps and the stars.
"Okay, sure. I just wish I didn't have to do these stupid homework assignments." I looked at her, finally taking my gaze off of the stars.
"Would you still look at the stars if you didn't have to do the homework?" I asked. She smiled, and showed a little of her white teeth.
"Yeah, I would." What a wonderfully simple answer. It ended the conversation- there was no need to extend it further than that- and we jumped off of the patio and into the air, floating above her mansion so that we could see all across the blocks and roads in a one mile radius. I think Videl realized just then that the cane was no where in sight.
"Gohan, where'd that cane that you got off the burglar go?" She asked me, and she looked around, as if to see it floating in the air. I seriously wouldn't have been surprised if it was. I should've caught what she said exactly at that moment, too. But I didn't, and there was no way for me to erase it now that I think about it.
"It disappeared. I don't know where it went." It was the truth, after all. Who am I to lie to someone, especially Videl? That, I had thrown to the wind. I wasn't going to lie any more. After the Sayaiman blackmail Videl pulled on me, I don't think I could any more. And I think that big tournament is in about 3 months. I'm not sure, though, but I think it takes place in Japan.
"Hah, maybe the old man came and got it." She joked, but that became stuck in my head for a long time- maybe he had come and gotten it. What then? How did he know that I was going to Videl's house. . . Unless he had been watching me from an angle where I could not see him, such as in the bushes somewhere. He had then, after seeing I had gone into the mansion, somehow floated over the laser wires; maybe he could do that, and then snatched it up before I came back out. But, perhaps I should revert back to my old theory of a wind picking up and knocking it to where I couldn't see it.
I laughed, and said, "Yeah, maybe he did." Videl looked at me and asked me if we wanted to walk or fly.
"Well, if we fly, that would just be awkward since she's just a block down the street." I explained.
"Yes, you're right. But I've been hearing of burglars and murderers coming around here trying to steal stuff lately." She said, and she looked down, staring seriously at the ground. I smiled, and looked at her with a brave face, but of course I was only trying to comfort her. She had had a break in just one week before, and they took her prized possession, her Playstation 2. Yes, it would seem trivial to one to think that a Ps2 would be the prized possession of a fighter like Videl, but she really did love that machine. It took her away from this retched world, and put her in a position where she could at least let some stress out, via Grand Theft Auto 3 or some other type of mindless violence-oriented game. I liked those games.
Videl smiled back at me, nervously, though, and it was sort of a "thumbs- up" thing she had done. We drifted silently down to the road, and I looked back and forth, just to make sure no one had seen us, although I don't know why. This place is deserted at night. We began to walk down the street, towards the large yellow dome glistening with light, the big bold capped words of "CAPSULE CORP" printed across it. We moved steadily closer, and we took pleasure in just being in each other's company, neither of us speaking a word. We relished this moment, though I don't particularly know why, but we did. It was a beautiful, awkward moment. It was a moment that I would soon not forget, and for some reason I always think of this time when I walk or float down this street. I breathed in heavily, and held my breath for a bit before releasing it.
I looked over at Videl, and saw her face, now scared yet determined to make it across the street. Was she really this scared of burglars? And if so, could she not just knock them out with a single kick or punch? Questions buzzed in my head, and that blissful moment I once knew flew away as quick as it came to the back of my mind, and Videl started to perspire, but only a bit. I could tell it was cold sweat, just by the look in her eye.
Sometimes, when I was little- about 5 or 6- when my mother took me into the city, I would get so scared of the tall people, and clutch my mother's hand for comfort, and suddenly everything just seemed to get better. I don't know why, exactly, I would, knowing by then I was very strong. But it just did. Videl closed her eyes, more of a squint, and I think she must've done that to see if her fear would flow away. Videl opened them back up, and looked at me with a fake smile, and she turned her head back around to face her directional walk. She gulped, and we were about half a block there. She was so nervous, her ki began to spike spasmodically. I though of the motherly gesture that helped me when I was little, so I grabbed her right hand in mine, and I think at first she tensed, but then she loosened. In fact, her ki dropped just a bit, and her shoulders lowered. I guess I was right, when I thought about motherly comfort. I guess it worked with friends, too. She stopped perspiring, and a few minutes later, we were almost to the mansion.
"Gohan," Videl asked when we reached the cross walk, "why did you hold my hand?" I blushed a bit, and almost pulled away, but she tugged on my hand.
"No, it's alright. You know I would've punched you by now if I didn't want you to do that. But why?" I stuttered, and scuffled my foot on the concrete, and severely wanted that walk sign to change. Maybe the hand gesture was for a different reason than I had first thought.
"Well, when I was little, and my mom took me to the big city, I would get scared of all the big people there. So she would hold my hand, and it just made me feel better. I saw that your ki kept jumping involuntarily, so I figured you were nervous or scared about something," There, that was the truth, but I wasn't sure, at that time, how much truth of that it was.
"Well, yeah, I was kind of nervous. Ever since that break-in I've been a bit insecure when I'm on the streets." She looked at the ground, and the cross walk changed from the orange stop hand to the little white man walking.
"It's almost ten o' clock. Maybe we should just head back and," Videl cut me off.
"No, I want to go in there and get this done, no matter what. Just because I'm a little scared of burglars doesn't mean I can't cross the street." She said in a tough tone, but she didn't let go of my hand, as I had expected she would let go.
"Alright, alright. You're just lucky Bulma's a night owl," I said bemusedly. We walked across, despite the fact that the walk sign had a big orange hand that made a stop signal portraying itself to us. We reached the beginning of the walkway to Bulma's mansion, and on either side of us were white picket fences, only about three feet high. We walked along the cobblestone walkway, passing large palm trees as they hung over the walk to provide shade- although that purpose was meaningless at this time- to the walk.
Eventually, we reached the door, and I let go of Videl's hand, not that I wanted to, but because Bulma would get suspicious ideas otherwise. I could tell Videl become uneasy for a second, via her ki spike- a little one- but she calmed down as I rang the door bell two times.
About a second later, the door opened, and I expected to see Bulma, but I had ended up looking down to see Trunks, rubbing one of his eyes with his fist, and looking up at me. He said sarcastically, and I think he might've actually been serious, if you had thought about it.
"What are you doing here? Did your mom kick you out or something?" I laughed, and Videl just stood to the side, being polite, I guess.
"No, actually, she hasn't yet. We just wondered if we could use your telescope for a few hours to look up some things." Trunks shrugged, and opened the door all the way, letting us come in.
"Go ahead. I'm not gonna stop you," Trunks said, and walked out of the main hall and into a room adjacent it, to the living room I guess. There was a bluish light that flickered in that room, and of course it could be nothing other than the T.v. of one of their many living rooms. I heard a low voice growl, as I and Videl started to walk up the stairs, say something as Trunks exited my view.
"Boy! Who was at the door?" It was Vegeta. It could be no other.
"Just Gohan and his girlfriend. They said they have to do some stuff with the telescope, but I think they're just going up there to," Trunks was, thankfully, cut off by his mother wailing out in joy.
"Oh! Gohan and Videl are here?! Well, why didn't you say so?" Bulma squealed. Trunks replied, quite bewildered as his mother must've brushed by him, "But, I . . .did. . ."
Bulma came up to us right when we reached the top stair, and waved at us from below. We both smiled back, waving our hands and getting slight sweat drops on our foreheads.
"Gohan! Videl! How are you?" Videl shook up a bit- just a bit- at those words. I answered for her, seeing as she was troubled over something, but I didn't know what.
"We're doing fine, Bulma! We just need to borrow your telescope for a little while." She smiled, and began to walk up towards us, and when she reached us, she gave me a nice, friendly hug, and with Videl the same.
"Hey, go ahead. If you want me too, I'll call your mother and tell her you'll be staying over here tonight if you need to," Bulma requested, and I knew that would be splendid, but of course I had to be polite.
"Well, if it's not any trouble. . . but what about Videl? She'd be all alone at her house tonight." She smiled, and waved her hand as if brushing off any trouble it might have been.
"Oh, it's no trouble at all. You and Videl can sleep in your old Son Suite, okay?" She smiled, and walked past us to a table that held a cordless phone. Videl leaned up while Bulma dialed my number, and whispered, "Uh, Gohan, she wasn't being serious with the Suite thing, was she?" I replied to her.
"Well, I think I know what you mean, but Bulma had separate rooms put in because my family would never get any sleep if we all slept in the same room. My father used to snore so loud it could break your ears," I explained to her. She nodded in understanding, and we walked over and around to the left side of the hall.
Bulma talked into the phone.
"Hey, Chi-Chi?" She said. There was a tiny noise, and Bulma talked to it.
"Oh, hi Goten. Isn't it past your bed time?" She nodded.
"You feeling any better? Yeah? What'd the doctor say?" She listened to him talk.
"He said you'd be better in just 2 weeks? That's great! Alright, sweetie," Bulma smiled. She really liked Goten.
"Can I speak to your mom for a few minutes?" She smiled into the phone.
"Thanks, sweetie." She waited a few moments, and another voice picked up on the phone. It spoke out, and Bulma talked to it.
"Hey Chi-Chi! Oh, nothing much. You?" Bulma laughed. "Really? Well, Gohan and his 'friend' are over here. Yes, yes, that 'friend'. They have to use my telescope, and they said it might be a while, so I'm going to let them stay here for the night. Is that alright with you? It is? Great! Now, what was that recipe I was going to give you. . ." Bulma continued to chatter on with my mother, but not before giving me a wink.
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Videl and I walked down the slowly curving hall, halogen lights giving it an overly white glow. We reached the door to the telescope room- I could tell, it was marked "Planetarium" on the front- and I pushed the door open. We entered into the room, and the air hung, staying stagnant and making the room feel empty and large. I clapped my hands, and the lights flickered on, but they weren't your normal lights.
Videl gasped at what she saw, and from time to time I, too, gasped just a bit at its magnificence. We stood on a long narrow bridge that at its end was the largest telescope you've ever seen. The entire room was just one big ball that had endless amounts of twinkling stars illuminating the room. You felt like you were in a huge sphere.
"It's amazing! We'll definitely ace this thing for sure!" Videl said, smiling triumphantly. I wondered, just at that moment, just what we were supposed to be doing- I don't quite remember.
"Now, am I correct in thinking we have to find what we think is a galaxy and name it? And then we have to estimate how far away it is in light years, for a test grade?" I asked, looking down to the telescope. Videl nodded her head. Jesus, what a simple test grade that would be.
"Yeah," She said, as she walked towards the telescope, "we each have to find what looks like a galaxy to us, place it on a star chart, and name it, then estimate its distance." I nodded, and remembered what Mr. Belcan said.
"Okay. You want to go first?" I followed her, and she gave me an enthusiastic "yes". I thought that was okay, but I might have to tell her how to use it. It's very simple, but also very complex, and a lot of the time, I almost screw up on it. I won't go into too much detail about how I told Videl how to use the machine. It isn't very important.
"Okay, now by pressing this button, the computer will lock onto carbon gases in large clumps outside the atmosphere, and this button here will," Videl cut me off, and since I had been getting cut off so much lately, I would've gotten mad, but for some reason I just couldn't get mad at Videl.
"Gohan, I'm just looking for a galaxy, not the whole damn theory of the universe, okay?" She said, and I guess she was annoyed because I had gone on like that for a while. I smiled, and thought of a quick come back.
"Well, maybe if we found the secrets of the universe we might get extra credit." She promptly smacked me in the back of the head. Videl sat down in the chair that was right under the telescope, and I pulled up a rolling chair that was sitting in a corner on the platform. She gazed into the telescope, and used the remote control to her right to zoom in and out. I looked at the things she viewed on a monitor that floated in front of me. She zoomed in and out of the moon, and played around for a little bit, looking into one of the craters of the moon. I might want to tell you this now, so as to not confuse you; the thing she's using is actually just the transmitter and monitor. The actual telescope is out in space, and can maneuver around at the quantum level. At least that's what Bulma said, she said that the telescope is able to jump around at about 1,000 light years a nanosecond if it has to, even faster than that. So you could get really great views of some planets and galaxies.
Over the course of the next couple of hours (about two) we had completed our assignments. And little did I know. Little did I know, that by talking with the man in the white suit, and looking through that telescope, my whole world would change...
A/N: Okay, the next chapter is out- I'm sorry it wasn't exactly that long, but trust me, it WILL get a lot more interesting as the events unfold. I just felt that I'd like to leave you with just a bit of a hang.
By the way, please, PLEASE give reviews that have thoughtful, well typed messages on them. I don't really like getting these inane reviews that only say "yeh yeh i lke!!!!1!!1" GOD they're annoying, not just to me, but probably to all the other authors out there that get these.
In short, thoughtful comments, please!
Be sure to check out PsYcHo's story of "Tomber Amourex". It's a great read.