At World's End
Chapter 8: Trial and Error
Welcome back everyone! Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers. I know I've said this before and I'm sure it's starting to get annoying, but please make sure you at least visit my little fan-fiction site/mailing list. It's at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/antidarthani All readers and fans are welcome to join. It means a lot to me. Now, on with this never ending fan-fic of mine. Although I must admit, it's one of my favorites.
Also, this is going to be another long chapter, so get yourself settled in. I hope you don't find it boring. This one was hard for me…
++++++++++
Videl let the warm water trickle down her body. She sighed and finished rinsing out the conditioner that remained in her hair. 'I'm really going to tell the police about my father. After all these years. But maybe I'm just wasting my time. He might be right. Why would they believe me over my father, the supposed savior of the world? This is a long shot for me to take…' Thoughts of mixed feelings ran through her mind. She was starting to doubt herself on the matter. 'What's the use, anyhow? I can protect myself from him now. Do I really need to turn him in?' Videl sighed and turned the water hotter. 'Still, I should just do it for my mother. It's been so long since he murdered her…' Videl felt the water gathering in her eyes, and she doubted they were from her shower. 'My father is a murderer and I need to accept that. He's also a rapist. He's a danger to the society and I need to at least let the police know, even if they don't believe me. I need to warn them, for all it's worth.'
The bathroom door opened a crack and Gohan shoved his head in between the door and the door frame. He could barely see an inch in front of his face. The entire room was humid from the large amounts of heat being emitted from the shower. "Hey, Videl? Are you almost done? My mother's getting worried that you drowned in there."
Videl didn't say a word. Staring at the water faucet, she saw her naked reflection in the brass sections of it. 'Have I really gotten myself into something I can't win? What will I gain from all of this?' she asked herself. Questions clouded her mind and her judgment, keeping her from realizing anything else, including the fact that there was a very concerned Gohan now opening the door further and stepping into the bathroom.
Gohan closed the door quietly. "Videl? Are you alright in there?" he asked, but Videl still didn't say a word. An eternal argument held her entire thoughts and concentration. "Videl?" Gohan asked before he pulled the shower curtain back a few inches to check on her.
Videl screamed, gaining awareness of what was going on. She slipped on the wet shower floor, losing her balance and threatening to fall, smashing her head open. Gohan reached out quickly and scooped her up out of the shower with one arm, using his free hand to stop the excess water from running even more. Videl shivered at the sudden change in temperature and clung to Gohan helplessly. Videl clutched onto his shoulders and buried her head into his shoulder in embarrassment. Gohan reached for a towel, found a dark navy one, and then proceeded to wrap it around Videl's naked form.
"What happened to you in there?" he asked softly while Videl tucked one end of the towel under the other, keeping it from falling off of her. Looking up at him slowly, Videl gave a slight shrug. "I really don't know. You scared the crap out of me, Gohan. I didn't even hear you come in."
Gohan pushed her wet hair out of her face and let it drip down the towel in the back, "I called out to you. Asked you if you were ok, but you didn't say a word. You really scared me there, too."
Videl nodded and kissed the tip of his nose, "I'm sorry," she told him sincerely. "I don't know what's gotten into me lately," she admitted. 'Get a grip of yourself,' she snapped to herself. Gohan stared into her deep eyes, but they contained no emotions that he was able to detect. "Well, I'd better go change now and you should get dress," Gohan said, looking down at his soaking wet clothes. Videl giggled softly, "I'm so sorry about that." Gohan nodded and turned to leave, but Videl remembered something, "Gohan? I don't have any clothes with me."
Gohan stared at his girlfriend, currently only wrapped in a short towel. He was resisting the urge to take her in his arms and well… "Well, we can't have you going to the police in that little thing," he teased. Videl rolled her eyes at him, "No shit, Sherlock. I think we've already established that." Gohan motioned for her to follow him. Videl hurried across the hall and into Gohan's room. Once inside, she closed and locked the door. Goten was no where to be found, but Videl was thinking that it was probably for the best that he wasn't. Gohan rummaged through his dresser drawers, but when he turned back to face Videl, he was empty handed. "I don't really have anything you can wear. If you want, I can go check to see if my mother has any old clothes that she wouldn't mind lending to you," Gohan told her.
Videl smiled and shook her head, "That might be a smart decision, now wouldn't it?" Gohan's lips formed a straight line, not letting him frown, but he wasn't smiling anymore. 'What's with her new attitude?' he asked himself, but didn't dare voice his thoughts allowed. He had to learn to accept her as she was, because of certain recent events, it sure didn't seem as if she was going anywhere. Once Gohan had left the room, Videl let out a breath she hadn't realized she was keeping in. She didn't understand why she had said that. As soon as the words had left her mouth, she had regretted saying them. Gohan had given her an odd look she hadn't liked one bit. Videl realized that she had deserved it.
Gohan entered the room again without saying a word, dropping a full set of clothes into Videl's arms. He slammed the door shut and locked it. Videl gulped when she realized that she was going to be changing in front of him. 'Well, it's not that big of a deal,' she reasoned. 'I've already slept with him more than once. And he just pulled me out of a shower, naked. So it's not like I've got anything that I'm hiding that he hasn't already seen before.' Still, Videl felt a blush creep unexpectantly onto her cheeks. "Never in a million years…" she muttered under her breath as she dropped the towel and quickly changed into the outfit Gohan had brought her. Amazingly, it fit her exactly. By the time Videl turned around to thank Gohan, he was dressed in a comfortable looking pair of sweat pants and a plain green turtle neck.
"Videl," Gohan started to say a sentence, but Videl just shook her head at him and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight hug. Shocked out of his mind, Gohan wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tighter up against him, until their bodies were meshed together. Videl murmured something under her breath that Gohan didn't catch. Truth be told, Gohan had reached down and pulled Videl off her feet, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist while he pushed her up against a wall. Gohan pressed his mouth against hers forcefully, and Videl didn't mind one bit. She urgently complied, pushing him to go even further.
Videl felt as if she didn't get air soon, she was going to pass out. Gohan didn't seem to register this fact, so Videl ran her hands into his hair and grabbed it, forcefully pulling it away from her face. Videl gasped for air while Gohan pulled back. "Are you trying to make me go bald?" he asked her between breaths. Videl shook her head and leaded forward, resting her head on his chest. "My word, Gohan," she gasped. "You sure know what you want this morning."
Gohan blushed brightly and pulled her away from the wall. Videl released her legs and allowed herself to stand up on her own two feet. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "Saiyan urges, you know. They're extremely hard to control." Videl just nodded, "I think we should be heading to the police station now before I change my mind about the whole thing."
Gohan simply nodded to her. Neither of them moved from a movement, but after a minute or so, Videl released the Saiyan and walked out of the bedroom and into the hall. Gohan followed suit and like a dog on a leash, following in Videl's steps. Chi-Chi was sitting at the kitchen table. When she glanced up and saw the two teenagers, she jumped to her feet and got up into Gohan's face, which was hard for a short woman at her age. "What the hell was going on up there?" she snapped. "I hear screaming and my eight-year-old son in sitting as this very table, asking me what's going on. What am I supposed to tell him? That his brother is upstairs fucking his girlfriend?" Chi-Chi hissed.
Videl blushed brightly and tilted her head down, deciding it would be all the better to just stare at her feet and allow Gohan to do all the talking. Gohan, however, was having trouble forming words with his mouth. "Mother! I can't believe you'd think that! Videl and I weren't…" he allowed his last sentence to trail off, not being able to say it allowed.
Chi-Chi sighed and slumped down into her chair and running her hand through her hair, "I hardly know what to think anymore. All I know it that nothing like that had ever happen in this house. Do you understand?" she asked, taking a long sip from her coffee mug.
Gohan sighed, "Of course I understand, Mother. I've lived here my whole life. I surely remember the household rules."
Chi-Chi snorted, very unladylike. "Oh, of course you do. That's why you have a girl up in your room and don't even show up all night until after you've mated with someone that you hardly know. Of course you know the family rules." Chi-Chi gave a weary look to Videl. "It's not that I don't like you darling. Far from it. I believe Gohan could use a female in his life. But really, Gohan, you could have at least thought about the results of your actions."
Videl started to shake. Gohan frowned and carefully wrapped his arms around her waist from behind her. He kissed the side of her neck softly, "Mother…" he started, but he didn't have the heart to carry the conversation any farther.
++++++++++
Videl stared into the police officer's eyes. "Are you trying to tell me," he asked, "that your father is not only the murderer of his wife, but a rapier of his daughter?" Videl nodded without voicing a word. The police officer slammed one foot down on his desk and then forced his other leg up as well, crossing it over his other one. "The Hercule we all know and love? The Hercule who has saved this world twice? He is a cold blooded murder and a rapist?" Videl nodded yet again and waited for the police officer to say something else. "Well, Miss Satan, do you have any proof of this accusations?"
Videl swallowed slowly, "No sir, I don't. I just needed to get it off my chest, even if I don't have proof."
The police officer narrowed his eyes and leaned forward slightly in his chair, "Are you telling me that after eight years, you've decided to come clean?" he asked suspiciously. Videl sighed and nodded again. She shot a glare Gohan's way, who was just leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed. 'Some help and support you are,' Videl criticized to herself.
"Well, you can always hire an attorney and fight against him in court, if you wish. If that is your approach, we will go and take him into custody this minute. But if you aren't going to press charges, there isn't really much we can do. And I'm warning you that if you do go to court, the chances of winning without any proof are slim to none."
Videl sighed and leaned back against the visitor's chair she was sitting in, across from the officer. "Is there anything your forces can do to collect any evidence? I mean, can't someone open up my mother's case again and use anything from that file against him?" she asked hopefully.
The police officer took his feet off his desk and leaned forward, placing his palms on his desk, "You are fishing, Miss Satan, in a pond that had long since died. I can have a detective review your mother's file, but it's a cold case, miss, and I don't think anything will show up. We can get a warrant for your house to check for your father's semen in your bed to show that he has raped you recently, but other than that, there isn't much we can do."
Videl closed her eyes. She was too tired to deal with the bad news, "But he didn't rape me last night because I got away! So there wouldn't be any semen anyway!" she said, agitated.
"Well, normally, there wouldn't be. But if he released before he even tried to enter you, there would be traces left unless he washed the sheets. It's a slim chance, but it's better than what you've got now."
Videl thought about it and sighed, "Fine. How long will it take for you to get the warrant and then process whatever you find?" she asked.
The officer shrugged, "I don't know. We're backlogged right now and I don't even mess with that. The detective and crime scene investigators deal with that. But we'll call you when we've got any leads. I'll make sure someone looks over your mother's case." Videl nodded and gave the officer her cell phone number. She hadn't brought it though, so she would have to stop by her house to pick it up and to get some clothes to wear until the whole mess was over. Videl stood up and walked out of the police station.
Gohan followed after her and grabbed her wrist, "Videl, are you insane?" he snapped. Videl spun around on her heels and faced him, "Excuse me?" she asked, taken back.
"If they process your bed and the maids haven't changed the sheets, they might not find your father's semen on the sheets, but they're going to find mine," he hissed, keeping his voice low. Videl paled slightly, "Omigod, I totally forgot about that. If they find that and release that information, the media will have a field day." She looked up and met Gohan's eyes, "Well, there's nothing we can do now except hope they don't find yours, but find my father's." Videl smiled softly, "I know you're going to hate what I have to say next, but I need to stop by my house for a few minutes. I need to get my cell phone and some clothes. I'm planning at staying at Erasa's until this whole thing blows over. I don't think she'll mind if I tell her the truth."
Gohan was slightly confused, "You aren't going to stay at my house?" he asked.
Videl shook her head, "That's the last thing I need right now, Gohan. I just don't think that it would be the best answer after everything else that has been going on. I need to spend some time with my friends again. I haven't seen Erasa in such a long time, it seems like. And besides, if anyone could make me feel better about this, it's Erasa. She always knows how to cheer me up," Videl told him.
Gohan chuckled, "Right. Well, I thought I've been doing a good job of that, but whatever." Videl rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean," she told him.
Gohan smirked, "Yeah, I know what you mean. Well, why don't we get moving? The sooner we get to your house, the sooner we can leave it."
++++++++++
Videl knocked on the front door softly. Gohan had his arms around his waist, pulling her back up against his chest. He kissed her neck sweetly. Videl closed her eyes and moaned softly, "Stop…" she whispered breathlessly. Gohan pulled his lips away from her skin just as Melissa opened the front door. Videl managed to somehow free herself from Gohan's grasp. "Hi, I just wanted to pick up a few things. I won't be long," she explained to the maid, taking Gohan's hand in hers and jerking him into the house and up the stairs.
Videl opened the door to her room and froze, causing Gohan to ran right into her. Gohan took a moment to recover and then peered over Videl's shoulder to see what could have possibly effected her. Gohan took in a collective breath. Hercule was fast asleep in Videl's bed, obviously still bare naked.
Videl turned around into Gohan's chest and like out a small whimper. Gohan wrapped his arms around her protectively. "It's ok," he whispered. "Just hurray up and get what you can without waking him up." Videl nodded and made her first attempt at entering the room. When she noticed that her father didn't move, Videl became bolder and walked quietly to the dresser. She opened the top drawer, which opened with a low groan. Videl winced and looked over her shoulder, but Hercule was still fast asleep.
Videl grabbed a number of bras and pairs of underwear. She tossed them to Gohan, who caught them effortlessly, but almost dropped them when he realized exactly what they were. His cheeks turned a fuchsia color, but he concentrated more when Videl opened the next door and started throwing shirts at him. Videl paused for a moment and took a deep breath. 'I can do this. Gohan's right there at the door and if Dad moves one inch, Gohan will get me out of here. I just have to keep moving quickly and get out of here unnoticed. The police will take care of him,' Videl tried to reassure herself.
She opened the last drawer and snatched the first jeans and pants she found. She closed the door and ran to Gohan, who was standing patiently in the doorway. "Let's get out of here," Videl whispered, taking back some of the more personal items of clothing.
Gohan shook his head, "You have to go back and find something to sleep in. All you have are clothes to wear out. You don't have any night garments." Videl groaned and turned back around to face her bedroom. Her nightgowns were going to be trickier to get. They were in her closet, which was on the other side of her bed. Videl's whole body shook with fear. She turned back around to face Gohan, "I can't," she cried. "I'm too afraid."
"Come on, Videl. Just this last thing and we can split," Gohan insisted, but Videl shook her head. "He'll wake up. The closet door makes a lot of noise and it'll wake him up for sure."
Gohan shifted all the clothes into one hand and used the other to trace a soft line up and down Videl's cheek, "You can't give up yet. Just run and grab something out of there and we'll leave. I promise."
Videl slowly nodded and turned back around. She took one step into the room when she stopped. Gasping, Videl spun back around quickly and grabbed Gohan's arm, yanking him away from the bedroom. She did not stop her mad dash until they were outside in the safety of the burning sun. "Videl!" Gohan snapped.
"He wasn't there," she yelled. "I turned back around to go in, and he wasn't in the bed anymore. I had to get out of there. I couldn't look at him. Just thinking about him gives me the creeps."
"But what about your cell phone?" Gohan questioned. "You leave it there and the police will call. Hercule will pick it up because he is currently sleeping in your bed, and then he will mostly skip town."
"As long as his stays away from me, I don't see any harm in that," Videl said, forcing a fake smile. "Can we just get away from this house now? Please?"
Gohan shook his head, "You have to go back. Like you said, he isn't even in there away more. Just transport yourself up next to the closet and take whatever you see first. Then all you have to do is transport yourself back down here."
Videl sighed. "Fine, you win." Videl looked up at Gohan's face and her eyes found his, "I love you, Gohan," she whispered softly. Gohan nodded his head as Videl closed her eyes and disappeared, "I know," he whispered to the air.
++++++++++
Videl smiled at herself as she appeared right in front of the closet door. She was definitely getting better at transporting herself. She didn't even think it should be titled dream walking anymore. The fact was, Videl hadn't had to be asleep for quite some time. Smiling even brighter, Videl pulling the door open and pulled four nightgowns off their hangers. Another sleeping garment caught her eyes and Videl grinned evilly, snatching it up and adding it to her pile. She couldn't even remember why she had bought it at the time. The silly old thing had never been touched since Videl had put it in the closet after buying it. But as Videl's eyes ran over it, she was glad she had bought it after all.
Videl turned around to reach for her cell phone, which she had left on her nightstand. But Videl never made it all the way around. An extremely muscular hand covered her mouth while another wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer and closer to her bed. She tried screaming, but it didn't make a sound. She wouldn't cry, not for his satisfaction. She had to fight back and give it all she had.
Realizing her danger, Videl starting thrashing her whole body about. She tried to use her own weight to throw him off of her, but, it only succeeded in pushing Videl down on the bed. He had been expecting this visit because he pulled out a roll of duct tape and taped her mouth shut. Pushing her down on the bed, he straddled over her waist and proceeded by taping her arms together and then tying them to the headboard with some wire that had been next to the duct tape. Videl tried to throw him off of her, but he held her legs motionless. She tried moving her arms next, but the resistance forced the wires to cut her wrists sharply.
So all Videl could do was look up at her rapier with her eyes wide. "You are always my best fuck," he told her again, tearing off her shirt with one swift movement and then reached down for her pants. Videl screamed as hard as she could, but it only came out in a muffled whisper. He then ran his hand down her face and across her shoulder before running his fingers down to her bra. Having practiced many times, he snapped it right off and tossed it aside. Videl closed her eyes and turned her head to the side while her father grabbed her breasts painfully. Videl let out a cry of pain, but Hercule just laugh at her and forced his hands against her harder. Shirtless, he quickly yanked his pants and boxers off and threw them aside. "Now you know how this goes darling. Just stay still and it'll be over soon enough."
Without another word, Hercule plunged into her. Videl tried to scream once again and tears started flowing down her cheeks. As an answer to this, Hercule slapped her hard enough to knock any normal person out. Hercule pushed one hand under her body and pressed her up against him before pulling out of her and starting it all over again.
++++++++++
Gohan glanced at his watch and then back to the Satan mansion. He gathered the clothes up in his arms and started backing back into the gate. Videl had been ten minutes and Gohan was starting to worry that something had gone wrong. Gohan knocked on the front door when he reached it and Melissa opened it quickly, pulling him inside without a word. Her eyes were filled with terror and fear. "I couldn't stop him," she whisper.
Melissa ducked her head down and Gohan's heart sank. He stared at the maid. "What do you mean, you couldn't stop him?" he asked.
Melissa shook her head, "Hercule's much too strong for me to stop. He came running out of her room and locked himself in his study. I tried to help her…" Melissa turned away and ran off to the kitchen.
Gohan struggled to breathe. He dropped the clothes to the floor and ran as fast as he could up the stairs and to the open bedroom door. Gohan ran in and froze in his track. Videl's eyes traveled over to him as he raced to her side and pulled the duct tape off of her mouth and arms. Videl cried out in pain as soon as her mouth was free. Gohan yanked off the wires that held her to the bed.
Gohan pulled Videl up against him. "I'm sorry," he cried into her hair. "I'm so sorry."
Videl pushed him away from her and pulled the covers up to cover her naked body. Gohan tried to comfort her, but Videl just glared at him with cold, dark eyes. 'This is my fault,' he thought to himself. 'It's all my fault this happened.'
Gohan picked up one of the nightgowns that had ended up on the floor during Videl's struggle. Videl sat still, without saying a word or moving an inch, while Gohan carefully pulled it on over her head. With some difficultly, Gohan managed to get her arms through the arm holes and pull it down to cover up her most private areas. Against Videl's protests, Gohan lifted her up off the bed gently. Gohan wanted to cry when he looked at Videl.
"Come on," he whispered to Videl, "Let's get you out of here. I'll come back and deal with your father once you're feeling a little better." Gohan held Videl up against his chest with one hand and grabbed up the nightgowns on the floor with the other. He walked out into the hall and down the stairs, which was painstakingly slow. Once he had finally reached the main hall, Gohan bent down carefully and gathered up all of Videl's clothes which he had dropped earlier.
Then he walked out in front of the house and took flight. While flying over Satan City, Videl clung to him tightly. Gohan held her in a way that kept her nightgown from flapping all about, which would have allowed innocent pedestrians on the streets of the city a peak at Videl that Gohan would never let another man or woman see.
Just before reaching the outskirts of the city, Videl lifted her head up off of Gohan's shoulder, "I want to go to Erasa's," she told him in a hoarse voice.
Gohan shook his head, "I'm taking you to my house for now, Videl. You need to be looked after and I know someone who will be able to help you with anything you need."
Videl tried to put away from Gohan, but she couldn't manage and she was too tired to transport herself away from him. "Erasa is my best friend and I would much rather talk to her about what's happened than you, Gohan," she snapped.
A hint of hurt glimmered in Gohan's eyes for a moment, but it soon evaporated and was replaced by a cold, sinister look that made Videl extremely uncomfortable. She sighed and leaned back against his chest, closing her eyes. "Fine, have it your way," she muttered.
++++++++++
Videl woke up with a start. With a great deal of difficulty, she managed to sit up and take in her surroundings. She was in a place she could not remember ever being before. The room was empty of people and only consisted of a metal bed, a white, plastic dresser, and a door going to who knows where. Videl pushed herself up into a sitting position and groaned. She had forgotten how much pain her father had always caused. Well, now she was remembering. Every inch of muscle in her body screamed in pain. Videl touched her cheek softly and grimaced in pain. She knew that it was going to be black and blue for many days into the future.
Using all the will she had, Videl forced herself to stand up on her own two feet. She limped over to the door. Of course, there wasn't a door handle on it, so she felt trapped, not knowing how to escape. 'Well this is just great. Really what I need after everything else that's been happening.'
Suddenly, the door slid up. Shocking Videl, she lost her balance and fell to the floor, hurting her already bruised butt. Once the door opened all the way, Videl recognized a certain Bulma Briefs at the door. Bulma looked down at Videl, extremely worried, "My dear, are you ok?" she asked, helping Videl to her feet. "Gohan explained what happened to you. I know you probably don't want to talk to me about what happened, but Gohan was just so worried about you that he didn't want you out of his sight until this whole case with your father is over."
Videl smiled slowly, "He really does care, even if he has a funny way of showing it. It's not that I don't trust you enough not to tell you about what happened, but it's just very awkward for me. I've never told anyone about what my father has done to me before, and now it seems as if everyone is finding out. It's a very uncomfortable situation, you know?"
Bulma smiled at the teenager. "I can't truthfully say that I know what the feeling is like, because I've never had anything as bad as that happen to me before. But, I know if I was going through it like you are, I wouldn't be able to do anything but cry. You're doing a lot better than I ever would. I know it's uncomfortable for you, but I just want you to know that if you ever need to talk about it, or anything else that you wouldn't feel comfortable telling other people, I'm always right here. And I'm a very good listener. Just don't ask Vegeta that, because he would say that I'm not…" Bulma smiled at Videl and gave he a soft hug. "You just hang in there, ok? I'll go find Gohan and ask him where he put all your clothes he brought back with him." Bulma turned to leave, but paused for a moment, "You do know where you are, don't you?" she asked Videl.
Videl smiled, "I do know," she told Bulma, feeling a little safer. Once Bulma left, the door slid down and closed. Videl hugged herself to try to stop her shivers. A stray tear slid down her cheek, but none after that.
++++++++++
Gohan walked down the hallways slowly, spaced out and thinking about his girlfriend. Goten went flying down the hall the other way, almost knocking Gohan over. Gohan smiled and shook his head at how playful his little brother was. Soon after, Trunks came zooming around the corner and flew over Gohan, missing his head by mere inches.
Gohan sighed and continued his journey down the long, narrow hallway at Capsule Corp. His stomach was a little queasy, not knowing if Videl hated him for bringing her there instead of to Erasa's as Videl had asked. He knew she hadn't wanted to spend anymore time with him since the incident, but Gohan was so worried about her. He just wanted a doctor to check her over before he let her run off to her friend's house. Once he knew that no physical harm had been done to her, he didn't mind having her go to her friend's to help her heal her mental harm.
Gohan let out a surprised yelp as he was jerked into a room he hadn't noticed was there. The door slid shut and Videl smiled up at him, "Hello," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Are you ok?" was the first thing Gohan asked her. Videl nodded and rested her head against his chest, "I hope you don't think I blame you for what happened with my father. Because I know it had nothing to do with you."
Gohan shook his head, "If I hadn't made you go back to get your nightgowns, he would have never had a chance to get to you. And if I had gone with you, I could have protected you from him."
Videl sighed, "Stop blaming yourself, Gohan. You and I both know that it isn't either one of our faults. If we're going to blame anyone, we have to blame my father. You don't always have to worry about me, you know. Bulma told me that's why you brought me here." She paused for a moment to place a kiss on his cheek, "You've got to be able to trust me to make my own decisions and protect myself," Videl told him. "Otherwise, I don't know if I'll be able to trust you enough to…," Videl smiled and pressed her mouth against his ear and whispered a few words into it.
Gohan blushed brightly, "Videl!" he said, a little shocked. She just shrugged her shoulders. "Besides, I don't know if I can do that right now, anyway, with the way things have been going. You want to know something?" she asked him.
Gohan looked down at her, "I actually don't think I do. I think I'll wait a little before I decide to listen to you again," he told her.
Videl smiled at him and pressed her body closer to his, "I love you. You know that, don't you?" she asked Gohan. He nodded and rested his forehead on hers. "No matter what happens," she continued, "during my father's trial, I just want you to remember that. Will you promise me that?"
Smiling slightly, Gohan answered, "Of course I will. But only for you," he added. Videl giggled and kissed the tip of his nose. "Sometimes you drive me crazy, Gohan."
Gohan grinned, "I didn't know I was the reason you are crazy. No wonder…" Videl opened her mouth in shock and stood back away from him, slapping his arm playfully, "Why, if I hadn't slept with you, I would have killed you for that comment."
Gohan wrapped his arms around her waist from behind her. Then he leaned forward and put his mouth near her ear, like she had to him only moment ago, "But you have, Miss Satan. And you can never take it back." Videl leaned back into Gohan's chest and closed her eyes, placing her hands on top of his, which were resting on her stomach. "Hmm," Videl muttered softly. Gohan kissed her ear, "Everything's going to work out," he promised, becoming serious again.
++++++++++
"I would like to call Mr. Hercule Satan to the stand," Videl's attorney, hired by Videl's new best friend, Bulma Briefs, told the judge, rising to his feet. Hercule looked shocked, as if the whole case wasn't about him. Videl looked down at her lap while she nervously shredded an innocent piece of paper into bits. She hoped that she wouldn't need it for anything later.
Hercule stood up from the table next to the one where Videl was sitting. He fixed his tie and walked up to the witness stand. The bailiff held out a bible and Hercule placed his hand on it. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" the bailiff asked Hercule. Hercule stood silently for a moment before he answered, "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Then he took his hand off of it as if it were poison and sat down in the chair, while the bailiff returned to his pose in the corner.
Hercule's attorney stood up and approached the bench. "Mr. Satan, your daughter has claimed that you killed your wife on October 17th in 1991. Would you mind sharing your account of what happened the night your wife died?"
Hercule smiled, trying to be charming. Unfortunately, he didn't exactly pull off the look. He was not used to wearing a suit with a tie, so he shifted uncomfortably in the chair. "But of course," he said in his loud, booming voice directly into the microphone. "I had finished putting my daughter, Videl," he shot Videl a nasty look, but she didn't notice, "into her bed for the night. I put on her nightlight and closed the bedroom door, then proceeded down the stairs. When I made my way into the family room, my wife was laying on the floor, bleeding all over to place. I ran to her side and tried to wake her, but she didn't move an inch. It was then that I noticed that the front door was open and my wife's wedding ring was missing. Glass was all over the room and the bottom of a vase was lying by my wife's head. I then called the police."
"Thank you," the attorney said and sat back down. Videl's attorney stood up next and walked briskly up to Hercule. "At any point during this time did you even bother to tell your daughter that her mother had been killed?" he asked Hercule.
Hercule cleared his throat, "No I didn't, because I didn't think a three-year-old girl needed to know that her mother had been killed by a thief," Hercule spat.
Videl glanced up, "I wasn't three," she told him. "I was five," she concluded, looking back down at her lap and the small pieces of notebook paper all over the place. She brushed them off the black skirt she was wearing and hoped no one noticed the mess she had made.
Hercule looked over at her, "Oh whatever. Three, five, they're almost the same, anyway."
"If you can't even remember how old your daughter was, how can you remember all these other very vivid details?" the attorney continued with his questioning.
"Videl's mother looked after Videl. I was too busy to really watch after her," Hercule said.
"But yet, you just told me that you were tucking her into her bed. Why would you have time to do that? I'll tell you why. Because you had just killed her mother, so her mother wouldn't be able to."
Hercule stared right at the attorney, but didn't look him into the eyes, "I didn't touch my wife."
"Your wife had numerous scrapes and bruises all over her body. You would come home drunk, wouldn't you? And since your wife was the first one you saw, you would take your frustration out on her!"
"Mr. Walker," the judge warned, "if it doesn't have to do with this case, then we do not need to be discussing it."
The attorney nodded, "It has to do with the case," he said simply before he turned back to Hercule. "And when you weren't in the mood to slap her, you would rape her, wouldn't you?"
Hercule eyes widened enormously. "I would never…"
"But you did. And once you had killed your wife, you still had your daughter. So once she was nine, you decided that you really needed to relieve yourself of some of that stress you always got after drinking, so you started raping your daughter, didn't you?" the attorney asked. When Hercule didn't answer, Mr. Walker stood up closer to the stand. "Didn't you?" he asked again, louder.
Hercule laughed, "I've never touched my daughter! If you're done now, I need to get back to my training. All your accusations are based on what my teenage daughter told you. You have no proof. Can I get off this stand yet?" Hercule asked, turning to face the judge.
"Not quite yet, Mr. Satan. Because something you said is incorrect and something else you said was a lie. You have touched your daughter and we do have proof." Mr. Walker walked back over to the table where Videl was sitting and picked up his folder, pulling out a piece of printed paper and handed it to the judge. Once the judge nodded, Mr. Walker handed the paper to Hercule who scanned over it and set it back down, "I don't understand what this is."
"Well, Sir, this is our evidence. These are the results that we got when we ran a test to match semen found in your daughter's bed to you. And what luck, it did match. So now we can say that you have raped your daughter. Do you have anything to say about that?" he asked.
Hercule looked from the paper to Videl, then to the attorney. "Look, I was desperate. But that was eight years ago. You can't possibly put me away for that now. I've changed my ways and haven't touched her in years."
Mr. Walker looked straight up at Hercule, "We weren't talking about the rapes your committed when she was nine. We were talking about the one you committed four days ago. But now we have a confession for one and strong evidence for another. Can someone please put this man in jail now?"
The bailiff put Hercule in handcuffs and carried him out of the courtroom. Videl looked up to face the judge, but he had stood up, after pounding his gravel, and left quickly. She felt a warm arm wrap around her shoulders. Videl turned her head to her right to face Gohan. She smiled weakly before covering his lips with hers. After a minute or two, Gohan pulled away just as Mr. Walker walked over to them. "I hate to interrupt," he told them, "but I do have some important news for Miss Videl that cannot wait."
Videl nodded and kissed Gohan's cheek after she told him she'd find him after talking with her attorney. Videl smiled and hugged Mr. Walker quickly, "Thank you so much," she whispered, pulling away and pretending she hadn't done anything. He nodded and motioned for her to sit down.
"Well, you father is going to be sentenced to the death penalty. And since I knew we had him, I had an associate of mine pull up his will before the case even started. And according to the will, everything Hercule Satan owns goes to his only daughter, which would be you. And since he is to receive the death penalty, you can go ahead and collect everything that belongs to you."
"And what exactly is that?" Videl asked, slightly excited.
"Well, the house, all the money, the cars, and all the commercial property he has bought," Mr. Walker told her.
Videl stood up and hugged him again, "I could almost kiss you right now!" she squealed. She thanked him once again and ran outside, where Gohan and his family were waiting. Videl smiled brightly and ran right up to Gohan, jumping straight into his arms.
Gohan gasped for a moment, trying to recollect the air that had been knocked out of him. He wrapped his arms around Videl's skinny waist. "I'm guessing that you're happy?"
Videl looked down into Gohan's eyes. She dropped back down until her feet were touching the pavement. "Yes I am. And do you want to know why?" she asked.
Gohan nodded, "Of course I do. I don't think I've ever seen you so excited before."
"That's because I've never been this excited before," she told him. "I get everything that belongs to my father. Everything!" she giggled. "And you know what that means," she told him, a sly look covering her face.
Chi-Chi shot the couple a look, "Well, I don't know what it means. Would you care explaining it to me?" she asked, curious, although she thought she had a clue. And she was quite correct.
Videl blushed madly, "Well…" she didn't say another word.
"Mother, come on," Gohan pleaded, "You can't treat me like a little boy forever.
Chi-Chi nodded. "Yes, I see that. If I could, you would not have that mark on your shoulder. And you wouldn't be planning to do it again."
Gohan blushed along with Videl after that comment. Chi-Chi sighed, "Go on, I guess. It's not like I can prevent you or anything. Not with Videl transporting all over the place."
Goku smiled at Videl and Gohan and took a hold of Chi-Chi and Goten. Placing two fingers on his forehead, he winked and then disappeared. Videl waited for a moment before she turned back to face Gohan, "Well," she whispered, "it's only you and me now, buddy," she purred.
Gohan took her mouth to his before Videl had another thought.
++++++++++
Only one more chapter remaining. I don't know how long it's going to be. I guess you're just going to have to wait to find out!
Chapter 8: Trial and Error
Welcome back everyone! Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers. I know I've said this before and I'm sure it's starting to get annoying, but please make sure you at least visit my little fan-fiction site/mailing list. It's at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/antidarthani All readers and fans are welcome to join. It means a lot to me. Now, on with this never ending fan-fic of mine. Although I must admit, it's one of my favorites.
Also, this is going to be another long chapter, so get yourself settled in. I hope you don't find it boring. This one was hard for me…
++++++++++
Videl let the warm water trickle down her body. She sighed and finished rinsing out the conditioner that remained in her hair. 'I'm really going to tell the police about my father. After all these years. But maybe I'm just wasting my time. He might be right. Why would they believe me over my father, the supposed savior of the world? This is a long shot for me to take…' Thoughts of mixed feelings ran through her mind. She was starting to doubt herself on the matter. 'What's the use, anyhow? I can protect myself from him now. Do I really need to turn him in?' Videl sighed and turned the water hotter. 'Still, I should just do it for my mother. It's been so long since he murdered her…' Videl felt the water gathering in her eyes, and she doubted they were from her shower. 'My father is a murderer and I need to accept that. He's also a rapist. He's a danger to the society and I need to at least let the police know, even if they don't believe me. I need to warn them, for all it's worth.'
The bathroom door opened a crack and Gohan shoved his head in between the door and the door frame. He could barely see an inch in front of his face. The entire room was humid from the large amounts of heat being emitted from the shower. "Hey, Videl? Are you almost done? My mother's getting worried that you drowned in there."
Videl didn't say a word. Staring at the water faucet, she saw her naked reflection in the brass sections of it. 'Have I really gotten myself into something I can't win? What will I gain from all of this?' she asked herself. Questions clouded her mind and her judgment, keeping her from realizing anything else, including the fact that there was a very concerned Gohan now opening the door further and stepping into the bathroom.
Gohan closed the door quietly. "Videl? Are you alright in there?" he asked, but Videl still didn't say a word. An eternal argument held her entire thoughts and concentration. "Videl?" Gohan asked before he pulled the shower curtain back a few inches to check on her.
Videl screamed, gaining awareness of what was going on. She slipped on the wet shower floor, losing her balance and threatening to fall, smashing her head open. Gohan reached out quickly and scooped her up out of the shower with one arm, using his free hand to stop the excess water from running even more. Videl shivered at the sudden change in temperature and clung to Gohan helplessly. Videl clutched onto his shoulders and buried her head into his shoulder in embarrassment. Gohan reached for a towel, found a dark navy one, and then proceeded to wrap it around Videl's naked form.
"What happened to you in there?" he asked softly while Videl tucked one end of the towel under the other, keeping it from falling off of her. Looking up at him slowly, Videl gave a slight shrug. "I really don't know. You scared the crap out of me, Gohan. I didn't even hear you come in."
Gohan pushed her wet hair out of her face and let it drip down the towel in the back, "I called out to you. Asked you if you were ok, but you didn't say a word. You really scared me there, too."
Videl nodded and kissed the tip of his nose, "I'm sorry," she told him sincerely. "I don't know what's gotten into me lately," she admitted. 'Get a grip of yourself,' she snapped to herself. Gohan stared into her deep eyes, but they contained no emotions that he was able to detect. "Well, I'd better go change now and you should get dress," Gohan said, looking down at his soaking wet clothes. Videl giggled softly, "I'm so sorry about that." Gohan nodded and turned to leave, but Videl remembered something, "Gohan? I don't have any clothes with me."
Gohan stared at his girlfriend, currently only wrapped in a short towel. He was resisting the urge to take her in his arms and well… "Well, we can't have you going to the police in that little thing," he teased. Videl rolled her eyes at him, "No shit, Sherlock. I think we've already established that." Gohan motioned for her to follow him. Videl hurried across the hall and into Gohan's room. Once inside, she closed and locked the door. Goten was no where to be found, but Videl was thinking that it was probably for the best that he wasn't. Gohan rummaged through his dresser drawers, but when he turned back to face Videl, he was empty handed. "I don't really have anything you can wear. If you want, I can go check to see if my mother has any old clothes that she wouldn't mind lending to you," Gohan told her.
Videl smiled and shook her head, "That might be a smart decision, now wouldn't it?" Gohan's lips formed a straight line, not letting him frown, but he wasn't smiling anymore. 'What's with her new attitude?' he asked himself, but didn't dare voice his thoughts allowed. He had to learn to accept her as she was, because of certain recent events, it sure didn't seem as if she was going anywhere. Once Gohan had left the room, Videl let out a breath she hadn't realized she was keeping in. She didn't understand why she had said that. As soon as the words had left her mouth, she had regretted saying them. Gohan had given her an odd look she hadn't liked one bit. Videl realized that she had deserved it.
Gohan entered the room again without saying a word, dropping a full set of clothes into Videl's arms. He slammed the door shut and locked it. Videl gulped when she realized that she was going to be changing in front of him. 'Well, it's not that big of a deal,' she reasoned. 'I've already slept with him more than once. And he just pulled me out of a shower, naked. So it's not like I've got anything that I'm hiding that he hasn't already seen before.' Still, Videl felt a blush creep unexpectantly onto her cheeks. "Never in a million years…" she muttered under her breath as she dropped the towel and quickly changed into the outfit Gohan had brought her. Amazingly, it fit her exactly. By the time Videl turned around to thank Gohan, he was dressed in a comfortable looking pair of sweat pants and a plain green turtle neck.
"Videl," Gohan started to say a sentence, but Videl just shook her head at him and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight hug. Shocked out of his mind, Gohan wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tighter up against him, until their bodies were meshed together. Videl murmured something under her breath that Gohan didn't catch. Truth be told, Gohan had reached down and pulled Videl off her feet, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist while he pushed her up against a wall. Gohan pressed his mouth against hers forcefully, and Videl didn't mind one bit. She urgently complied, pushing him to go even further.
Videl felt as if she didn't get air soon, she was going to pass out. Gohan didn't seem to register this fact, so Videl ran her hands into his hair and grabbed it, forcefully pulling it away from her face. Videl gasped for air while Gohan pulled back. "Are you trying to make me go bald?" he asked her between breaths. Videl shook her head and leaded forward, resting her head on his chest. "My word, Gohan," she gasped. "You sure know what you want this morning."
Gohan blushed brightly and pulled her away from the wall. Videl released her legs and allowed herself to stand up on her own two feet. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "Saiyan urges, you know. They're extremely hard to control." Videl just nodded, "I think we should be heading to the police station now before I change my mind about the whole thing."
Gohan simply nodded to her. Neither of them moved from a movement, but after a minute or so, Videl released the Saiyan and walked out of the bedroom and into the hall. Gohan followed suit and like a dog on a leash, following in Videl's steps. Chi-Chi was sitting at the kitchen table. When she glanced up and saw the two teenagers, she jumped to her feet and got up into Gohan's face, which was hard for a short woman at her age. "What the hell was going on up there?" she snapped. "I hear screaming and my eight-year-old son in sitting as this very table, asking me what's going on. What am I supposed to tell him? That his brother is upstairs fucking his girlfriend?" Chi-Chi hissed.
Videl blushed brightly and tilted her head down, deciding it would be all the better to just stare at her feet and allow Gohan to do all the talking. Gohan, however, was having trouble forming words with his mouth. "Mother! I can't believe you'd think that! Videl and I weren't…" he allowed his last sentence to trail off, not being able to say it allowed.
Chi-Chi sighed and slumped down into her chair and running her hand through her hair, "I hardly know what to think anymore. All I know it that nothing like that had ever happen in this house. Do you understand?" she asked, taking a long sip from her coffee mug.
Gohan sighed, "Of course I understand, Mother. I've lived here my whole life. I surely remember the household rules."
Chi-Chi snorted, very unladylike. "Oh, of course you do. That's why you have a girl up in your room and don't even show up all night until after you've mated with someone that you hardly know. Of course you know the family rules." Chi-Chi gave a weary look to Videl. "It's not that I don't like you darling. Far from it. I believe Gohan could use a female in his life. But really, Gohan, you could have at least thought about the results of your actions."
Videl started to shake. Gohan frowned and carefully wrapped his arms around her waist from behind her. He kissed the side of her neck softly, "Mother…" he started, but he didn't have the heart to carry the conversation any farther.
++++++++++
Videl stared into the police officer's eyes. "Are you trying to tell me," he asked, "that your father is not only the murderer of his wife, but a rapier of his daughter?" Videl nodded without voicing a word. The police officer slammed one foot down on his desk and then forced his other leg up as well, crossing it over his other one. "The Hercule we all know and love? The Hercule who has saved this world twice? He is a cold blooded murder and a rapist?" Videl nodded yet again and waited for the police officer to say something else. "Well, Miss Satan, do you have any proof of this accusations?"
Videl swallowed slowly, "No sir, I don't. I just needed to get it off my chest, even if I don't have proof."
The police officer narrowed his eyes and leaned forward slightly in his chair, "Are you telling me that after eight years, you've decided to come clean?" he asked suspiciously. Videl sighed and nodded again. She shot a glare Gohan's way, who was just leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed. 'Some help and support you are,' Videl criticized to herself.
"Well, you can always hire an attorney and fight against him in court, if you wish. If that is your approach, we will go and take him into custody this minute. But if you aren't going to press charges, there isn't really much we can do. And I'm warning you that if you do go to court, the chances of winning without any proof are slim to none."
Videl sighed and leaned back against the visitor's chair she was sitting in, across from the officer. "Is there anything your forces can do to collect any evidence? I mean, can't someone open up my mother's case again and use anything from that file against him?" she asked hopefully.
The police officer took his feet off his desk and leaned forward, placing his palms on his desk, "You are fishing, Miss Satan, in a pond that had long since died. I can have a detective review your mother's file, but it's a cold case, miss, and I don't think anything will show up. We can get a warrant for your house to check for your father's semen in your bed to show that he has raped you recently, but other than that, there isn't much we can do."
Videl closed her eyes. She was too tired to deal with the bad news, "But he didn't rape me last night because I got away! So there wouldn't be any semen anyway!" she said, agitated.
"Well, normally, there wouldn't be. But if he released before he even tried to enter you, there would be traces left unless he washed the sheets. It's a slim chance, but it's better than what you've got now."
Videl thought about it and sighed, "Fine. How long will it take for you to get the warrant and then process whatever you find?" she asked.
The officer shrugged, "I don't know. We're backlogged right now and I don't even mess with that. The detective and crime scene investigators deal with that. But we'll call you when we've got any leads. I'll make sure someone looks over your mother's case." Videl nodded and gave the officer her cell phone number. She hadn't brought it though, so she would have to stop by her house to pick it up and to get some clothes to wear until the whole mess was over. Videl stood up and walked out of the police station.
Gohan followed after her and grabbed her wrist, "Videl, are you insane?" he snapped. Videl spun around on her heels and faced him, "Excuse me?" she asked, taken back.
"If they process your bed and the maids haven't changed the sheets, they might not find your father's semen on the sheets, but they're going to find mine," he hissed, keeping his voice low. Videl paled slightly, "Omigod, I totally forgot about that. If they find that and release that information, the media will have a field day." She looked up and met Gohan's eyes, "Well, there's nothing we can do now except hope they don't find yours, but find my father's." Videl smiled softly, "I know you're going to hate what I have to say next, but I need to stop by my house for a few minutes. I need to get my cell phone and some clothes. I'm planning at staying at Erasa's until this whole thing blows over. I don't think she'll mind if I tell her the truth."
Gohan was slightly confused, "You aren't going to stay at my house?" he asked.
Videl shook her head, "That's the last thing I need right now, Gohan. I just don't think that it would be the best answer after everything else that has been going on. I need to spend some time with my friends again. I haven't seen Erasa in such a long time, it seems like. And besides, if anyone could make me feel better about this, it's Erasa. She always knows how to cheer me up," Videl told him.
Gohan chuckled, "Right. Well, I thought I've been doing a good job of that, but whatever." Videl rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean," she told him.
Gohan smirked, "Yeah, I know what you mean. Well, why don't we get moving? The sooner we get to your house, the sooner we can leave it."
++++++++++
Videl knocked on the front door softly. Gohan had his arms around his waist, pulling her back up against his chest. He kissed her neck sweetly. Videl closed her eyes and moaned softly, "Stop…" she whispered breathlessly. Gohan pulled his lips away from her skin just as Melissa opened the front door. Videl managed to somehow free herself from Gohan's grasp. "Hi, I just wanted to pick up a few things. I won't be long," she explained to the maid, taking Gohan's hand in hers and jerking him into the house and up the stairs.
Videl opened the door to her room and froze, causing Gohan to ran right into her. Gohan took a moment to recover and then peered over Videl's shoulder to see what could have possibly effected her. Gohan took in a collective breath. Hercule was fast asleep in Videl's bed, obviously still bare naked.
Videl turned around into Gohan's chest and like out a small whimper. Gohan wrapped his arms around her protectively. "It's ok," he whispered. "Just hurray up and get what you can without waking him up." Videl nodded and made her first attempt at entering the room. When she noticed that her father didn't move, Videl became bolder and walked quietly to the dresser. She opened the top drawer, which opened with a low groan. Videl winced and looked over her shoulder, but Hercule was still fast asleep.
Videl grabbed a number of bras and pairs of underwear. She tossed them to Gohan, who caught them effortlessly, but almost dropped them when he realized exactly what they were. His cheeks turned a fuchsia color, but he concentrated more when Videl opened the next door and started throwing shirts at him. Videl paused for a moment and took a deep breath. 'I can do this. Gohan's right there at the door and if Dad moves one inch, Gohan will get me out of here. I just have to keep moving quickly and get out of here unnoticed. The police will take care of him,' Videl tried to reassure herself.
She opened the last drawer and snatched the first jeans and pants she found. She closed the door and ran to Gohan, who was standing patiently in the doorway. "Let's get out of here," Videl whispered, taking back some of the more personal items of clothing.
Gohan shook his head, "You have to go back and find something to sleep in. All you have are clothes to wear out. You don't have any night garments." Videl groaned and turned back around to face her bedroom. Her nightgowns were going to be trickier to get. They were in her closet, which was on the other side of her bed. Videl's whole body shook with fear. She turned back around to face Gohan, "I can't," she cried. "I'm too afraid."
"Come on, Videl. Just this last thing and we can split," Gohan insisted, but Videl shook her head. "He'll wake up. The closet door makes a lot of noise and it'll wake him up for sure."
Gohan shifted all the clothes into one hand and used the other to trace a soft line up and down Videl's cheek, "You can't give up yet. Just run and grab something out of there and we'll leave. I promise."
Videl slowly nodded and turned back around. She took one step into the room when she stopped. Gasping, Videl spun back around quickly and grabbed Gohan's arm, yanking him away from the bedroom. She did not stop her mad dash until they were outside in the safety of the burning sun. "Videl!" Gohan snapped.
"He wasn't there," she yelled. "I turned back around to go in, and he wasn't in the bed anymore. I had to get out of there. I couldn't look at him. Just thinking about him gives me the creeps."
"But what about your cell phone?" Gohan questioned. "You leave it there and the police will call. Hercule will pick it up because he is currently sleeping in your bed, and then he will mostly skip town."
"As long as his stays away from me, I don't see any harm in that," Videl said, forcing a fake smile. "Can we just get away from this house now? Please?"
Gohan shook his head, "You have to go back. Like you said, he isn't even in there away more. Just transport yourself up next to the closet and take whatever you see first. Then all you have to do is transport yourself back down here."
Videl sighed. "Fine, you win." Videl looked up at Gohan's face and her eyes found his, "I love you, Gohan," she whispered softly. Gohan nodded his head as Videl closed her eyes and disappeared, "I know," he whispered to the air.
++++++++++
Videl smiled at herself as she appeared right in front of the closet door. She was definitely getting better at transporting herself. She didn't even think it should be titled dream walking anymore. The fact was, Videl hadn't had to be asleep for quite some time. Smiling even brighter, Videl pulling the door open and pulled four nightgowns off their hangers. Another sleeping garment caught her eyes and Videl grinned evilly, snatching it up and adding it to her pile. She couldn't even remember why she had bought it at the time. The silly old thing had never been touched since Videl had put it in the closet after buying it. But as Videl's eyes ran over it, she was glad she had bought it after all.
Videl turned around to reach for her cell phone, which she had left on her nightstand. But Videl never made it all the way around. An extremely muscular hand covered her mouth while another wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer and closer to her bed. She tried screaming, but it didn't make a sound. She wouldn't cry, not for his satisfaction. She had to fight back and give it all she had.
Realizing her danger, Videl starting thrashing her whole body about. She tried to use her own weight to throw him off of her, but, it only succeeded in pushing Videl down on the bed. He had been expecting this visit because he pulled out a roll of duct tape and taped her mouth shut. Pushing her down on the bed, he straddled over her waist and proceeded by taping her arms together and then tying them to the headboard with some wire that had been next to the duct tape. Videl tried to throw him off of her, but he held her legs motionless. She tried moving her arms next, but the resistance forced the wires to cut her wrists sharply.
So all Videl could do was look up at her rapier with her eyes wide. "You are always my best fuck," he told her again, tearing off her shirt with one swift movement and then reached down for her pants. Videl screamed as hard as she could, but it only came out in a muffled whisper. He then ran his hand down her face and across her shoulder before running his fingers down to her bra. Having practiced many times, he snapped it right off and tossed it aside. Videl closed her eyes and turned her head to the side while her father grabbed her breasts painfully. Videl let out a cry of pain, but Hercule just laugh at her and forced his hands against her harder. Shirtless, he quickly yanked his pants and boxers off and threw them aside. "Now you know how this goes darling. Just stay still and it'll be over soon enough."
Without another word, Hercule plunged into her. Videl tried to scream once again and tears started flowing down her cheeks. As an answer to this, Hercule slapped her hard enough to knock any normal person out. Hercule pushed one hand under her body and pressed her up against him before pulling out of her and starting it all over again.
++++++++++
Gohan glanced at his watch and then back to the Satan mansion. He gathered the clothes up in his arms and started backing back into the gate. Videl had been ten minutes and Gohan was starting to worry that something had gone wrong. Gohan knocked on the front door when he reached it and Melissa opened it quickly, pulling him inside without a word. Her eyes were filled with terror and fear. "I couldn't stop him," she whisper.
Melissa ducked her head down and Gohan's heart sank. He stared at the maid. "What do you mean, you couldn't stop him?" he asked.
Melissa shook her head, "Hercule's much too strong for me to stop. He came running out of her room and locked himself in his study. I tried to help her…" Melissa turned away and ran off to the kitchen.
Gohan struggled to breathe. He dropped the clothes to the floor and ran as fast as he could up the stairs and to the open bedroom door. Gohan ran in and froze in his track. Videl's eyes traveled over to him as he raced to her side and pulled the duct tape off of her mouth and arms. Videl cried out in pain as soon as her mouth was free. Gohan yanked off the wires that held her to the bed.
Gohan pulled Videl up against him. "I'm sorry," he cried into her hair. "I'm so sorry."
Videl pushed him away from her and pulled the covers up to cover her naked body. Gohan tried to comfort her, but Videl just glared at him with cold, dark eyes. 'This is my fault,' he thought to himself. 'It's all my fault this happened.'
Gohan picked up one of the nightgowns that had ended up on the floor during Videl's struggle. Videl sat still, without saying a word or moving an inch, while Gohan carefully pulled it on over her head. With some difficultly, Gohan managed to get her arms through the arm holes and pull it down to cover up her most private areas. Against Videl's protests, Gohan lifted her up off the bed gently. Gohan wanted to cry when he looked at Videl.
"Come on," he whispered to Videl, "Let's get you out of here. I'll come back and deal with your father once you're feeling a little better." Gohan held Videl up against his chest with one hand and grabbed up the nightgowns on the floor with the other. He walked out into the hall and down the stairs, which was painstakingly slow. Once he had finally reached the main hall, Gohan bent down carefully and gathered up all of Videl's clothes which he had dropped earlier.
Then he walked out in front of the house and took flight. While flying over Satan City, Videl clung to him tightly. Gohan held her in a way that kept her nightgown from flapping all about, which would have allowed innocent pedestrians on the streets of the city a peak at Videl that Gohan would never let another man or woman see.
Just before reaching the outskirts of the city, Videl lifted her head up off of Gohan's shoulder, "I want to go to Erasa's," she told him in a hoarse voice.
Gohan shook his head, "I'm taking you to my house for now, Videl. You need to be looked after and I know someone who will be able to help you with anything you need."
Videl tried to put away from Gohan, but she couldn't manage and she was too tired to transport herself away from him. "Erasa is my best friend and I would much rather talk to her about what's happened than you, Gohan," she snapped.
A hint of hurt glimmered in Gohan's eyes for a moment, but it soon evaporated and was replaced by a cold, sinister look that made Videl extremely uncomfortable. She sighed and leaned back against his chest, closing her eyes. "Fine, have it your way," she muttered.
++++++++++
Videl woke up with a start. With a great deal of difficulty, she managed to sit up and take in her surroundings. She was in a place she could not remember ever being before. The room was empty of people and only consisted of a metal bed, a white, plastic dresser, and a door going to who knows where. Videl pushed herself up into a sitting position and groaned. She had forgotten how much pain her father had always caused. Well, now she was remembering. Every inch of muscle in her body screamed in pain. Videl touched her cheek softly and grimaced in pain. She knew that it was going to be black and blue for many days into the future.
Using all the will she had, Videl forced herself to stand up on her own two feet. She limped over to the door. Of course, there wasn't a door handle on it, so she felt trapped, not knowing how to escape. 'Well this is just great. Really what I need after everything else that's been happening.'
Suddenly, the door slid up. Shocking Videl, she lost her balance and fell to the floor, hurting her already bruised butt. Once the door opened all the way, Videl recognized a certain Bulma Briefs at the door. Bulma looked down at Videl, extremely worried, "My dear, are you ok?" she asked, helping Videl to her feet. "Gohan explained what happened to you. I know you probably don't want to talk to me about what happened, but Gohan was just so worried about you that he didn't want you out of his sight until this whole case with your father is over."
Videl smiled slowly, "He really does care, even if he has a funny way of showing it. It's not that I don't trust you enough not to tell you about what happened, but it's just very awkward for me. I've never told anyone about what my father has done to me before, and now it seems as if everyone is finding out. It's a very uncomfortable situation, you know?"
Bulma smiled at the teenager. "I can't truthfully say that I know what the feeling is like, because I've never had anything as bad as that happen to me before. But, I know if I was going through it like you are, I wouldn't be able to do anything but cry. You're doing a lot better than I ever would. I know it's uncomfortable for you, but I just want you to know that if you ever need to talk about it, or anything else that you wouldn't feel comfortable telling other people, I'm always right here. And I'm a very good listener. Just don't ask Vegeta that, because he would say that I'm not…" Bulma smiled at Videl and gave he a soft hug. "You just hang in there, ok? I'll go find Gohan and ask him where he put all your clothes he brought back with him." Bulma turned to leave, but paused for a moment, "You do know where you are, don't you?" she asked Videl.
Videl smiled, "I do know," she told Bulma, feeling a little safer. Once Bulma left, the door slid down and closed. Videl hugged herself to try to stop her shivers. A stray tear slid down her cheek, but none after that.
++++++++++
Gohan walked down the hallways slowly, spaced out and thinking about his girlfriend. Goten went flying down the hall the other way, almost knocking Gohan over. Gohan smiled and shook his head at how playful his little brother was. Soon after, Trunks came zooming around the corner and flew over Gohan, missing his head by mere inches.
Gohan sighed and continued his journey down the long, narrow hallway at Capsule Corp. His stomach was a little queasy, not knowing if Videl hated him for bringing her there instead of to Erasa's as Videl had asked. He knew she hadn't wanted to spend anymore time with him since the incident, but Gohan was so worried about her. He just wanted a doctor to check her over before he let her run off to her friend's house. Once he knew that no physical harm had been done to her, he didn't mind having her go to her friend's to help her heal her mental harm.
Gohan let out a surprised yelp as he was jerked into a room he hadn't noticed was there. The door slid shut and Videl smiled up at him, "Hello," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Are you ok?" was the first thing Gohan asked her. Videl nodded and rested her head against his chest, "I hope you don't think I blame you for what happened with my father. Because I know it had nothing to do with you."
Gohan shook his head, "If I hadn't made you go back to get your nightgowns, he would have never had a chance to get to you. And if I had gone with you, I could have protected you from him."
Videl sighed, "Stop blaming yourself, Gohan. You and I both know that it isn't either one of our faults. If we're going to blame anyone, we have to blame my father. You don't always have to worry about me, you know. Bulma told me that's why you brought me here." She paused for a moment to place a kiss on his cheek, "You've got to be able to trust me to make my own decisions and protect myself," Videl told him. "Otherwise, I don't know if I'll be able to trust you enough to…," Videl smiled and pressed her mouth against his ear and whispered a few words into it.
Gohan blushed brightly, "Videl!" he said, a little shocked. She just shrugged her shoulders. "Besides, I don't know if I can do that right now, anyway, with the way things have been going. You want to know something?" she asked him.
Gohan looked down at her, "I actually don't think I do. I think I'll wait a little before I decide to listen to you again," he told her.
Videl smiled at him and pressed her body closer to his, "I love you. You know that, don't you?" she asked Gohan. He nodded and rested his forehead on hers. "No matter what happens," she continued, "during my father's trial, I just want you to remember that. Will you promise me that?"
Smiling slightly, Gohan answered, "Of course I will. But only for you," he added. Videl giggled and kissed the tip of his nose. "Sometimes you drive me crazy, Gohan."
Gohan grinned, "I didn't know I was the reason you are crazy. No wonder…" Videl opened her mouth in shock and stood back away from him, slapping his arm playfully, "Why, if I hadn't slept with you, I would have killed you for that comment."
Gohan wrapped his arms around her waist from behind her. Then he leaned forward and put his mouth near her ear, like she had to him only moment ago, "But you have, Miss Satan. And you can never take it back." Videl leaned back into Gohan's chest and closed her eyes, placing her hands on top of his, which were resting on her stomach. "Hmm," Videl muttered softly. Gohan kissed her ear, "Everything's going to work out," he promised, becoming serious again.
++++++++++
"I would like to call Mr. Hercule Satan to the stand," Videl's attorney, hired by Videl's new best friend, Bulma Briefs, told the judge, rising to his feet. Hercule looked shocked, as if the whole case wasn't about him. Videl looked down at her lap while she nervously shredded an innocent piece of paper into bits. She hoped that she wouldn't need it for anything later.
Hercule stood up from the table next to the one where Videl was sitting. He fixed his tie and walked up to the witness stand. The bailiff held out a bible and Hercule placed his hand on it. "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?" the bailiff asked Hercule. Hercule stood silently for a moment before he answered, "I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." Then he took his hand off of it as if it were poison and sat down in the chair, while the bailiff returned to his pose in the corner.
Hercule's attorney stood up and approached the bench. "Mr. Satan, your daughter has claimed that you killed your wife on October 17th in 1991. Would you mind sharing your account of what happened the night your wife died?"
Hercule smiled, trying to be charming. Unfortunately, he didn't exactly pull off the look. He was not used to wearing a suit with a tie, so he shifted uncomfortably in the chair. "But of course," he said in his loud, booming voice directly into the microphone. "I had finished putting my daughter, Videl," he shot Videl a nasty look, but she didn't notice, "into her bed for the night. I put on her nightlight and closed the bedroom door, then proceeded down the stairs. When I made my way into the family room, my wife was laying on the floor, bleeding all over to place. I ran to her side and tried to wake her, but she didn't move an inch. It was then that I noticed that the front door was open and my wife's wedding ring was missing. Glass was all over the room and the bottom of a vase was lying by my wife's head. I then called the police."
"Thank you," the attorney said and sat back down. Videl's attorney stood up next and walked briskly up to Hercule. "At any point during this time did you even bother to tell your daughter that her mother had been killed?" he asked Hercule.
Hercule cleared his throat, "No I didn't, because I didn't think a three-year-old girl needed to know that her mother had been killed by a thief," Hercule spat.
Videl glanced up, "I wasn't three," she told him. "I was five," she concluded, looking back down at her lap and the small pieces of notebook paper all over the place. She brushed them off the black skirt she was wearing and hoped no one noticed the mess she had made.
Hercule looked over at her, "Oh whatever. Three, five, they're almost the same, anyway."
"If you can't even remember how old your daughter was, how can you remember all these other very vivid details?" the attorney continued with his questioning.
"Videl's mother looked after Videl. I was too busy to really watch after her," Hercule said.
"But yet, you just told me that you were tucking her into her bed. Why would you have time to do that? I'll tell you why. Because you had just killed her mother, so her mother wouldn't be able to."
Hercule stared right at the attorney, but didn't look him into the eyes, "I didn't touch my wife."
"Your wife had numerous scrapes and bruises all over her body. You would come home drunk, wouldn't you? And since your wife was the first one you saw, you would take your frustration out on her!"
"Mr. Walker," the judge warned, "if it doesn't have to do with this case, then we do not need to be discussing it."
The attorney nodded, "It has to do with the case," he said simply before he turned back to Hercule. "And when you weren't in the mood to slap her, you would rape her, wouldn't you?"
Hercule eyes widened enormously. "I would never…"
"But you did. And once you had killed your wife, you still had your daughter. So once she was nine, you decided that you really needed to relieve yourself of some of that stress you always got after drinking, so you started raping your daughter, didn't you?" the attorney asked. When Hercule didn't answer, Mr. Walker stood up closer to the stand. "Didn't you?" he asked again, louder.
Hercule laughed, "I've never touched my daughter! If you're done now, I need to get back to my training. All your accusations are based on what my teenage daughter told you. You have no proof. Can I get off this stand yet?" Hercule asked, turning to face the judge.
"Not quite yet, Mr. Satan. Because something you said is incorrect and something else you said was a lie. You have touched your daughter and we do have proof." Mr. Walker walked back over to the table where Videl was sitting and picked up his folder, pulling out a piece of printed paper and handed it to the judge. Once the judge nodded, Mr. Walker handed the paper to Hercule who scanned over it and set it back down, "I don't understand what this is."
"Well, Sir, this is our evidence. These are the results that we got when we ran a test to match semen found in your daughter's bed to you. And what luck, it did match. So now we can say that you have raped your daughter. Do you have anything to say about that?" he asked.
Hercule looked from the paper to Videl, then to the attorney. "Look, I was desperate. But that was eight years ago. You can't possibly put me away for that now. I've changed my ways and haven't touched her in years."
Mr. Walker looked straight up at Hercule, "We weren't talking about the rapes your committed when she was nine. We were talking about the one you committed four days ago. But now we have a confession for one and strong evidence for another. Can someone please put this man in jail now?"
The bailiff put Hercule in handcuffs and carried him out of the courtroom. Videl looked up to face the judge, but he had stood up, after pounding his gravel, and left quickly. She felt a warm arm wrap around her shoulders. Videl turned her head to her right to face Gohan. She smiled weakly before covering his lips with hers. After a minute or two, Gohan pulled away just as Mr. Walker walked over to them. "I hate to interrupt," he told them, "but I do have some important news for Miss Videl that cannot wait."
Videl nodded and kissed Gohan's cheek after she told him she'd find him after talking with her attorney. Videl smiled and hugged Mr. Walker quickly, "Thank you so much," she whispered, pulling away and pretending she hadn't done anything. He nodded and motioned for her to sit down.
"Well, you father is going to be sentenced to the death penalty. And since I knew we had him, I had an associate of mine pull up his will before the case even started. And according to the will, everything Hercule Satan owns goes to his only daughter, which would be you. And since he is to receive the death penalty, you can go ahead and collect everything that belongs to you."
"And what exactly is that?" Videl asked, slightly excited.
"Well, the house, all the money, the cars, and all the commercial property he has bought," Mr. Walker told her.
Videl stood up and hugged him again, "I could almost kiss you right now!" she squealed. She thanked him once again and ran outside, where Gohan and his family were waiting. Videl smiled brightly and ran right up to Gohan, jumping straight into his arms.
Gohan gasped for a moment, trying to recollect the air that had been knocked out of him. He wrapped his arms around Videl's skinny waist. "I'm guessing that you're happy?"
Videl looked down into Gohan's eyes. She dropped back down until her feet were touching the pavement. "Yes I am. And do you want to know why?" she asked.
Gohan nodded, "Of course I do. I don't think I've ever seen you so excited before."
"That's because I've never been this excited before," she told him. "I get everything that belongs to my father. Everything!" she giggled. "And you know what that means," she told him, a sly look covering her face.
Chi-Chi shot the couple a look, "Well, I don't know what it means. Would you care explaining it to me?" she asked, curious, although she thought she had a clue. And she was quite correct.
Videl blushed madly, "Well…" she didn't say another word.
"Mother, come on," Gohan pleaded, "You can't treat me like a little boy forever.
Chi-Chi nodded. "Yes, I see that. If I could, you would not have that mark on your shoulder. And you wouldn't be planning to do it again."
Gohan blushed along with Videl after that comment. Chi-Chi sighed, "Go on, I guess. It's not like I can prevent you or anything. Not with Videl transporting all over the place."
Goku smiled at Videl and Gohan and took a hold of Chi-Chi and Goten. Placing two fingers on his forehead, he winked and then disappeared. Videl waited for a moment before she turned back to face Gohan, "Well," she whispered, "it's only you and me now, buddy," she purred.
Gohan took her mouth to his before Videl had another thought.
++++++++++
Only one more chapter remaining. I don't know how long it's going to be. I guess you're just going to have to wait to find out!
