Author's Note: I'm back! Sorta long chapter here. No one managed to guess correctly who crashed the party, so here it is!
I don't own any part of DBZ, just this plot and any people I just happen to make up.
I've just realized that I can't write Goku in character. Sorry if he's OOC, but I really tried!!
II. Dark Passions
*~* Chapter Twenty Three *~*
Happy Birthday Videl!
Dende eventually kicked everyone off of his lookout, claiming that he, as the Guardian of the earth, needed his rest. He conveniently didn't hear Krillin say, "I thought Nameks didn't need to sleep," and told them all as kindly as he could to go away. Company was nice, but . . .
Everyone except Vegeta and Juuhachi gave Goku an enthusiastic goodbye, reluctantly leaving their old friend.
Goku gathered his family around and gently slung a sleeping Goten over his shoulder. He glanced at Videl, who was standing very close to Gohan. "Do you need a lift home, Videl?"
She looked uncomfortable for a moment, then glanced up at Gohan. He shot his mother a look. Chichi took over. "Um, Goku, Videl's staying with US for a while," she said calmly.
Goku looked surprised. Well, he WAS surprised! Had he missed something? Obviously. "Um, okay . . ."
"I'll explain everything later, Dad," Gohan said.
"Right." Goku reached over and placed a hand on Chichi's shoulder and was just about to go for Gohan when his son touched Videl's arm and winked at him. Gohan placed two fingers to his forehead and vanished. Goku stared at the spot where the two had been standing, his mouth wide open. Wow! Gohan tough himself IT?! I wonder how much he's improved over the years.
Goku followed Gohan's example and zapped into his house. He looked around. Things had changed a bit, but not too much. Ahh . . . it's good to be home!
Chichi took Goten from his shoulders and went to put him to sleep. Goku wandered down the hall, noting that there were some extensions added to the house. If Goten had his own room, Chichi must have had it built on. [1] He stopped outside of Gohan's room, hearing two soft voices inside. He peeked into the room and had to slap a hand over his mouth to keep himself from gasping out loud.
What was Videl doing getting into Gohan's bed?!
He thought that they were only friends, so why were they sharing a bed? And why was Chichi letting them? He continued to watch, then nodded slightly when Gohan pulled a cot from the corner of the room. So they're NOT sharing a bed . . . but they're still in the same room.
"It was quite a day, wasn't it, Gohan?" Videl was asking softly as she pulled the blankets up to her chin.
"Sure was," Gohan muttered. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much better. I know I said it earlier, but thank you so much, Gohan. You saved my life. Again."
Gohan turned pink and scratched the back of his head. "It was nothing. I wasn't going to let you die Videl. You know I'd do anything to protect you."
Neither of them said anything for a while. Then Gohan flicked off the lights and walked towards the doorway of his room.
"Where are you going?" Videl asked.
"To talk to my Dad. Night, Videl."
"Goodnight, Gohan."
Goku dashed down the hall quietly and threw himself onto the couch, trying to make it look like he'd been sitting there the whole time. He whistled softly and stared up at the ceiling.
Gohan was immediately suspicious. "Hey, Dad."
"Hi Gohan!"
Gohan sat next to his father. " . . . you were spying on me, weren't you?"
Goku laughed nervously. "W-what do you mean? SPYING? That's something Chichi would do, not ME!"
"You were." That was a statement.
Goku looked guilty. "Aw, okay, so I was."
His son chuckled softly.
"But you and Videl are so CUTE! I didn't know she was staying in YOUR room. Why is she here?"
"Well, it has to do with why you're back, Dad. You see, something's happened." Gohan told his father about Rattai and the Saiyans and Videl's involvement, as well as his. "Rattai only knows of Videl's power, and not mine, so he'll be after her, not me. I've got to keep her safe, Dad. You know why."
Goku nodded.
"He gave her this virus . . . a lethal virus. I was FURIOUS, Dad. She was going to die in two days if I didn't hand her over to him . . . but then I thought about the Dragon Balls."
"You wished for the antidote."
"Yep. I gave it to Piccolo, who gave it to Videl. Then I used the second wish to get to Namek-sei where I used those Dragon Balls to wish you back and onto earth. I know you wanted to stay in Other World, but we could really use your help." Gohan hesitated. "Besides, I'm not sure I'll be any help in this fight."
Goku frowned, not liking his son's tone of voice at all. "What do you mean?"
"I've been slacking off, Dad. During these past seven years, I've been studying instead of training, and I've lost . . . it. I'm not as strong as I used to be."
"It'll be alright, Gohan. Don't stress yourself about it."
Gohan gapped at his father. How could he be so calm about all of this? When the fate of earth was on the line? "I HAVE to Dad. I know you're expecting me to save the day again, and-"
"I'm not expecting that, Gohan. But I am expecting you to try your best, and that's all I can really ask of you."
Gohan shook his head. "You don't understand. I've . . . well, unconsciously, I've made this promise to myself that I will protect Videl, no matter what. If I'm not the strongest, then I can't. I have yet to meet Rattai in a battle, but I'm afraid that I wouldn't stand a chance against him."
His son was definitely in love with Videl. He'd felt something similar with Chichi, the strong need to protect her, but nothing like Gohan did. "You worry too much," he said lightly, waving off Gohan's concerns. "You're only a teenager. You're not meant to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders."
Gohan was surprised. His father rarely said anything like that. "Gee, Dad . . . you're smart!"
He gave the Son Grin ™. "I know. Now, let's talk more about Videl," he said in a sing-song voice.
Gohan blushed. "DAD!!!"
"No, really! It's not everyday my son falls in love! How did you meet her?"
Gohan told him the story about enrolling in Orange Star High, becoming Saiyaman, then the drawing. Goku was very curious about Saiyaman and laughed when he heard that his son had gone to live with Hercule himself. "Well, your story is weirder than mine and Chichi's!"
"Imagine if we get married at the Tenkaichi Budokai," mused Gohan. Goku raised an eyebrow. "What did you just say?"
Gohan shook his head quickly. "Nothing!"
Goku chose to forget the marriage part, but said, "There's a Tenkaichi coming up? When?"
"Oh, very soon. Videl, Krillin and Juuhachi are entering."
"Not you?"
Gohan shook his head.
"Hmm . . . maybe . . . I think I'll enter!! Sounds like fun, reliving my glory days . . ."
Gohan snickered. "If you're going to enter, then Vegeta will, then Piccolo, and I'm sure Pikkon will too, so he can fight you again."
"Probably. What a day that will be! Say, Gohan, we could train together, maybe . . ."
"I'm sorta working with Videl. Teaching her ki and stuff."
Goku winked. "Gotcha."
Gohan ignored his father. "Speaking of Videl . . . her birthday's tomorrow. I have nothing for her, and no ideas."
"I'm not good with gifts, Gohan. You'll have to ask Chichi about that one." Goku stood up and stretched, yawning loudly. "MAN, I'm BEAT!! After that wild party-"
Gohan leapt up. "THAT'S IT!! A party! A surprise party for Videl!!"
Chichi entered the room and glared at both of them. "Shhh! You'll wake Videl and Goten."
"Sorry, ma."
She smiled and went over to Goku, wrapping her arms around his slim waist. "Were you two having a man to man talk while I was gone? Did I miss anything?"
Gohan shook his head. "I'm going to bed. See you two in the morning."
Neither Chichi nor Goku heard Gohan. They were too busy making out on the couch.
*~*
Videl woke up early the next morning. The first thing she saw was the glowing red numbers on Gohan's digital clock. She was finally eighteen.
The only problem was, did anyone else know?
She's told Gohan the night before. But he was dense, as dense as they came, and he probably didn't catch it. Videl sighed and sat up in bed.
So, how does it feel to be an adult?
The same way it did when I wasn't.
Ah, but the privileges! You don't have to live with your Dad, you can stay out later, you can get married . . .
Videl slid out of bed, noticing that Gohan was not lying on the cot. Wondering where he was, she walked down to the bathroom and opened the door. She screamed when she caught sight of Goku, fresh from the shower, with nothing more than a tiny towel wrapped around his waist.
Ohmygodohmygodohmygod . . .
Goku just stared at her as she continued to scream. What was so scary? Was there a bug on the wall or something? He looked around, but didn't see anything.
Gohan came running down the hall, followed by Chichi. They were shocked to see Videl standing in the bathroom doorway, screaming her head off while covering and uncovering her face with her hands. The two were even more surprised to see Goku standing practically naked in the bathroom, searching for something.
Gohan immediately realized what was wrong with Videl and grabbed her shoulders, spinning her around. He pulled her close to him and told her that she could look.
She hesitantly opened her eyes.
Gohan began to laugh. It was just TOO funny!
Videl hit Gohan hard in the stomach, causing him to gasp for air. She walked past him with her head up high, face flaming. "It's NOT funny."
Goku was still confused. "What's wrong with her?"
"Nothing, dear," answered Chichi, stifling her giggles. "Just . . . go about your business." She closed the bathroom door, then exploded with laughter, sagging against her eldest son for support. Gohan started to laugh, too.
Goten wondered down the hallway, glanced at his mother and brother, who were leaning against the wall laughing their heads off, then walked into the kitchen. Videl was sitting at the table and her face was awfully red. "You're not sick again, are you?" Goten asked worriedly.
"No, I'm not. Don't worry about it."
Goten accepted her answer and began to jump up and down. "I can't wait to see Daddy! I wish he'd hurry up and get out here!!"
I saw too much of your Daddy . . . Videl glared at Chichi and Gohan as they came back into the kitchen. "Are you two done laughing at me?" she asked stiffly.
"Aw, Videl, we weren't laughing at you," Gohan said, a big smile on his face. "I hope you're not traumatized!"
"Shut up!"
Chichi winked at Videl. "Now you see why I married Goku. The package . . ."
TOO much . . . way too much . . . Videl shivered.
Gohan paled. "MA!!!!!! Don't talk like that around me, please!!"
Chichi just laughed like a maniac. It's good to be a family again . . .
*~*
Goku watched as Videl fired ki blasts, one after another, at her moving target- Gohan. He was flying overhead, taunting and teasing Videl. Apparently, she was still mad at him for laughing at her because she was ruthless and quick with determination. She's pretty good, to be Hercule's daughter!
"TAKE THIS!!! AND THAT!!! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT?!!!" she cried, firing her pinkish purple blasts at Gohan.
He dodged them all, taunting her even more. "Come on, Videl, you couldn't hit me even if you wanted to!"
"Who says I don't want to?!" She raised both hands over her head and gathered up a lot of energy. She brought her hands down and fired one clean shot at Gohan.
It nipped him on the shoulder, tearing away part of his gi.
Gohan patted the placed where she'd hit him. "You're getting better! Last time, your blast didn't even tear the fabric."
This only made Videl even angrier. "SON GOHAN, I-"
"Sorry! Sorry!! Didn't mean to upset you!!" Gohan came up to her, holding his hands up. "How about we take a break? I've got some . . . business to attend to."
She looked suspicious. "What business?"
"Nothing! I'm going inside."
She watched as Gohan went into the house. He forgot. Gohan forgot my birthday!! That JERK!! I'll kick his ass!! Videl turned to Goku. "Do you want to spar with me?"
"Why not."
Meanwhile, Gohan was shifting through Videl's things, then pulled her address book out of one of her suitcases. He flipped through the pages, looking for the numbers of her friends.
The phone rang suddenly. Gohan jumped, then answered it. "Hello?"
"Hey, Gohan! This is Bulma. What are you up to?"
"Just . . . planning Videl's surprise birthday party. She turned eighteen today."
"Ohhh, the big one-eight!! A surprise party, hmm . . . I've got an idea! We'll have it over at my place!"
"Really? That's cool. Thanks!"
"My pleasure. Not, let's get started . . ."
*~*
"You're going to WHAT?!!!" roared Vegeta, shooting daggers at his wife with his eyes. Pikkon looked indifferent, while Trunks was hopping with excitement.
"I'm hosting Videl's surprise party. Tonight. So I need you all to be on your best behavior." She looked Pikkon over, then said, "I mean, Trunks and Vegeta."
"WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!" roared Vegeta. "And you will NOT have this party here, woman!!!"
"Too late! I've hired caterers and decorators, everything. In fact they should be arriving any moment." The doorbell rang. "And there they are!"
Vegeta stalked away angrily. Damn onna . . .
*~*
Gohan flew to Capsule Corp to check up on how things were going with Videl's party. As he flew through the air, his thoughts drifted back to the angry look on her face she'd gotten when he told her that he was going out. When he wouldn't tell her why, she got angrier and ran away. He'd thought he'd seen tiny tears in the corner of Videl's eyes, but dismissed it.
Now he was wishing that he hadn't.
I bet she thinks that I've forgotten her birthday. But I can't tell her that I haven't, or else it might ruin the party!
Gohan sighed. This woman thing was hard. Here he was, trying to do something nice for Videl, and she wasn't even speaking to him!
Gohan finally landed at Capsule Corp. When he arrived, Trunks and Goten eagerly pulled him into the house and to a room he'd never seen before. It was huge, probably a ballroom.
"THIS is where we're having the party!" Trunks exclaimed. "Isn't this COOL?!"
Gohan nodded in appreciation. "I can't wait till all of the decorations are up. This place is going to look great!"
Goten and Trunks wandered over to a group of caterers and began to request certain foods for the party.
Bulma came up to Gohan, her arms full of different colored crepe paper. "What's Videl's favorite color?" she asked, glancing down at the rolls in her hands.
" . . ."
"GOHAN!! Come on . . ."
"Sorry! I . . . never asked. Blue, I guess. Everyone likes blue."
Bulma rolled her eyes. She called a man over and told him to do everything in blue and silver, then returned her attention to Gohan. "Don't you worry about a thing, Gohan. I'll have everything set up here. You just make sure you get her here on time, and that she doesn't suspect a thing."
He nodded.
" . . . you know, this place would be wonderful for a reception. When you and Videl get married, maybe-"
"WOAH!!! Cut it out, Bulma!" he whined.
She laughed. "Sure thing. Remember, seven-fifteen!"
*~*
Videl was angry. She was pissed, ticked off, any other synonym for mad. As she stomped around the Son home, mumbling incoherent things under her breath, Goku made sure to steer clear of her. He didn't want to get on her bad side. Goku knew that his eldest son would be in a heck of a lot of trouble when he returned.
It was lunchtime, and, as usual, Goku was stuffing his face with food. Videl was sitting at the table, poking at her noodles with her chopsticks. Chichi was taking a nap in their room.
She's not eating . . . not eating is not a good sign. "What's wrong Videl?" he asked, trying to ignore the dull roar of his stomach. He told himself that his son's relationship with his future wife was more important than filling his gut, although his body didn't feel the same.
"It's . . . nothing."
"It's about Gohan, right?"
" . . ."
"You like him." That was a statement.
She looked up, surprised. "I . . . is it that obvious?"
Goku shook his head. "I've noticed, that's all. Are you having troubles with Gohan? You can tell me about it."
Videl sighed. Goku seemed like a very friendly, trustworthy guy, someone she could confide in. "Can you . . . keep a secret?"
Goku nodded eagerly.
"I think I'm in love with Gohan."
Goku grinned. "That's GREAT!! So what's the problem?"
"I haven't had good experiences with love. My Dad's marriage was a failure from the start, and so were the marriages of my friend's parents. You could say . . . I'm not sure that love actually exists."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't want to get hurt, that's all. I mean, what if I'm over analyzing my feelings for Gohan. They could be nothing more than friendly. Then there's the whole rejection thing . . ."
"It seems to me that you're already over analyzing this whole thing! Go with the flow, follow your heart . . . that kind of stuff." He chuckled. "When I went to the Tenkaichi Budokai, I expected to leave with the championship belt, not a wife!"
Videl gasped. "You and Chichi got married there?!"
He nodded. "I don't even remember some of it, it all happened so quickly! But look, I'm happily married and . . ." Goku leaned forward, whispering, " . . . very much in love."
"Oh . . ."
"Just let things come and I'm sure things will be okay."
Videl jumped up and gave Goku a big hug. He gasped for air. "Thank you so much! I feel a lot better, but . . ."
"What?"
"GOHAN STILL FORGOT MY BIRTHDAY!!!!"
*~*
When Gohan entered the house, he saw his father sitting on the couch with his mother practically lying in his lap. He smiled and asked, "Where's Videl?"
"Out back training," replied Goku. "How's the party coming along?"
"Just great!"
"Hmm . . . if you're going to talk to her, be careful. She's pretty upset that you 'forgot' her birthday," Goku snickered.
Gohan paled. Man, he was in for it! "Thanks for the tip . . ." He went back into his room and stuck Videl's gift in his underwear drawer so that she would not find it. He then went outside and watched Videl practice with her ki blasts for a while.
She seemed to sense that he was there because she stopped and turned to look at him. Gohan shifted his weight nervously, expecting an explosion. Videl just blinked at him, turned her back to Gohan and continued firing her ki blasts.
Ouch, the cold shoulder!
Gohan winced, then went up to Videl. "What's wrong?" he asked, pretending to not know why she was upset.
He thought he heard a faint growl come from her, but shook it off. Videl lowered her hands and faced him, giving him an unusually sweet smile. "Nothing's wrong, Gohan. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get some more work done."
Gohan gave her a hesitant smile. "Do you want my help?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
" . . . okay. I guess . . . I'll . . ." Gohan looked around helplessly. He could tell that she was very upset that he hadn't 'remembered' her birthday, but there wasn't much he could do about it.
Videl stared at him for a long time, her anger slowly building. When he gave her the Son Grin™, she nearly screamed and drove her fist into his stomach for the second time in one day. Gohan gasped for air and clutched his belly, bending over slightly. She stalked past him and into the house, ignoring Goku and Chichi who were making out on the couch and entering Gohan's room. Videl flopped down on the bed and buried her face in the pillow, eventually drifting off to sleep.
*~*
Hours later, Videl was still asleep and Gohan was watching television in the living room. His parents had gone out into town to do some shopping for Videl's birthday present and told him that they would be waiting for them at Capsule Corp. Gohan glanced down at his watch. I'd better go wake Videl up. The party'll be starting soon and we've got to fly there.
Gohan went into his room and shook Videl awake. She stared up at him, then remembered that she was supposed to be mad. "What do you want?"
"Er . . . Bulma wants you to come over to Capsule Corp to try out some invention of hers."
She looked Gohan over suspiciously but got up anyway. Videl left the room without another word and went into the bathroom to freshen up. Gohan stuck Videl's gift into his pocket and went into the living room. She joined him about fifteen minutes later and gave him an icy look.
A sweat drop rolled down the back of Gohan's head. He grinned slightly and held out his hand for her to take. "We'll fly. Are you ready?"
She looked down at his hand warily and took it. Gohan led her outside, wrapped his arms around her waist and took to the air.
Gohan flew slowly to Capsule Corp, much to Videl's agitation. At that moment, she didn't want to be in Gohan's arms any longer than she had to be- she was STILL mad at him, after all- and removed herself from his grip when they landed on the front lawn of CC. She rang the doorbell, then glanced at Gohan when no one answered.
He glanced down at his watch. Okay . . . it's time. Gohan opened the door- it wasn't locked- and went in. Videl followed him.
The place was disserted and quiet. TOO quiet. Where were the two rambunctious little boys? Where was Vegeta and why wasn't he yelling his head off about something? Videl grew concerned, but followed Gohan to a room she'd never seen before.
Gohan cleared his throat and said in loud, choppy sentences, "I bet Bulma's in here! Let us go inside!!"
Videl rolled her eyes. What is he up to?
Gohan slowly opened the door and pulled her into the dark room. He flicked on the lights.
"SURPRISE!!!!!!!"
Videl jumped back and gasped. "What . . . what . . ."
"Happy birthday Videl!" exclaimed Gohan.
He didn't forget . . . he planned all of this for ME . . .
Gohan pushed her further into the room where Videl was greeted by all of the people she'd met on Dende's Lookout. Dende himself was there with Mr. Popo. The only person missing was Vegeta, but she didn't really care whether he was there or not.
Gohan led her over to a long table covered in a blue tablecloth. On top was a mound of presents, and a huge cake was at the very end.
Chichi scolded Goten and Trunks for trying to stick their fingers in the icing and pulled them to the other end of the table where everyone had gathered around.
Videl was looking around in awe. She'd never had a birthday party before. She hadn't been expecting any of this. She barely knew most of these people, yet they were here, celebrating this special day with her. And they'd gotten her gifts! Suddenly, Videl burst out in tears.
Gohan looked worried and asked, "What's wrong?!"
"I . . . thank you all! This is wonderful . . ."
They all laughed and told Videl to begin opening gifts. She agreed and began to open them one by one. Videl was surprised to receive a gift from Juuhachi, which turned out to be a very nice training gi. Piccolo had even gone out of his way to get her a pure diamond he'd found in a mountain he visited often.
Soon, once all of the gifts were opened, Bulma announced, much to all of the Saiyan's delight, that the buffet was now open. She then realized that Vegeta would be extremely upset if he missed out on the food and sighed.
"Something wrong, Bulma?" asked Videl.
"Not really. I'm going to go get Vegeta."
"Oh, no! You did all of this for me. I'll go find him. Is he outside?"
Bulma looked Videl over. "Yeah. Although I can't understand why you want to go get him . . ."
Videl headed outside, a little happy to get away from the loud noise of the party for just a second. It's a nice night, she mused, glancing up at the stars. Videl froze when she saw the sky open, forming a big, black hole. Videl took several steps back, but kept her eyes on the sky.
A yellow space pod tumbled out of the hole, crashing into the ground not too far from Videl with a big BOOM. The crash shook the ground, and Videl fell over onto her side. The ship teetered on its four legs dangerously. It's gonna tip . . .
Two of the legs caved in, and the ship fell onto its side with another loud BOOM. Dust and smoke filled the air, clouding Videl's vision.
She coughed and waved her hand in front of her face. As the air cleared, Videl sat up and crawled closer to the pod.
Suddenly, the door was kicked open and someone tumbled out, groaning and mumbling something under his breath.
Videl gasped. She gently lifted the boy's head and placed it in her lap. "Hey, are you okay?"
The boy groaned again and opened one eye. He grinned, then said in a slurred voice, "Am I in heaven? You look like an angel . . ."
She rolled her eyes. Poor guy must be disoriented. She brushed a lock of his long, dirty hair from his face. "Can you get up? I'll take you into the house to get some help . . ." Videl took another look at the boy's hair. "Woah . . ."
It was lavender, just like Trunks'.
"VIDEL!!! VIDEL, ARE YOU OKAY?!!!" Gohan cried, running up to her. "There was a big explosion, and . . ." He glanced at the familiar space ship, then at the boy in Videl's lap. "TRUNKS?!!!"
Mirai Trunks winced. "Could you keep the volume down? I've got a killer headache . . ."
"Trunks? Wait a minute . . ." Videl was very confused.
Mirai stared at Gohan for a while, then chuckled. "Is that you, Gohan? You're huge!"
"Yeah, it's me. YOU haven't changed a bit."
"I've been lost in time for days . . ." he muttered. "But it looks like YEARS have passed here."
Gohan lifted Trunks up and let him lean on him. "Seven years after Cell."
"Oh."
Videl jumped up off of the ground. "What's going on?!"
"I'll explain it later, when we get inside." Gohan led Trunks to CC with Videl following him. They went into the room where the party was being held. Everyone looked up at them, then the boy hanging all over Gohan.
"TRUNKS?!" shrieked Bulma, running up to her other son. "You look HORRIBLE!! What happened?"
Chibi Trunks glanced down at himself. "What? I don't look bad!"
Everyone but Goten, Chibi Trunks and Juuhachi crowded around, asking questions.
"I'll be FINE, Mom, when I get something to eat!" Mirai whined waving all of concerned friends away. "I haven't had any food for DAYS!!"
"You poor baby," she cooed, giving him a chair to sit in. "TRUNKS, GET ME A BIG PLATE OF FOOD NOW!!!"
Chibi Trunks came up with a plate of food in his hand and nearly dropped it when he saw the boy sitting in the chair. "You're ME!!" he exclaimed.
Videl, meanwhile, was very confused. No one would tell her anything, they were too busy worrying over this new Trunks. Wait . . . he said he was lost in time . . . so he must be the Mirai Trunks from the Cell Games!
Vegeta suddenly burst into the room, catching everyone's attention. His usual blue spandex was a little dirty, and there was mud in his hair. "WHY is there a big spaceship in the front yard?!!!" he roared, a vein his forehead throbbing. Well, wouldn't you be angry if YOU'D fallen into a giant crater? There he was, walking back to the house to demand some food when the ground disappeared from under his feet. Not to mention the fact that he had a big welt on the back of his head. When he'd fallen inside, he'd hit his head hard on the side of a yellow space ship.
"Nice to see you too, Vegeta," mumbled Mirai.
"What are YOU doing back here?" he demanded, stomping over to him. Ah, yes, he remembered the spaceship NOW. It was his other brat's time machine.
Mirai sighed. "Look, I've been lost in space ever since the day I left THIS time to go home after the Cell Games. I was in that spaceship for days, but seven years managed to pass HERE." [2]
Goku grinned. "Weird!"
Mirai gapped at him, noticing Goku for the first time. "WHAT?!! Goku's ALIVE?!"
"Yep!" Goku said proudly.
Gohan stepped forward and took the chance to explain everything that had happened to Trunks. It took about thirty minutes, with the input of several people.
Now it was a BIG celebration- Videl was eighteen and Mirai Trunks was back, and would be there until his mother managed to fix his busted machine. Videl didn't mind one bit that her big day was being overshadowed. She didn't like being the center of attention.
Mirai Trunks, however, was loving it. He was busy telling Goten, Chibi Trunks and even Goku what it was like to be trapped in a tiny spaceship floating through time without a decent meal. Videl was busy apologizing to Gohan in a corner of the room.
She looked sheepish. "I'm really sorry for acting so mean to you toady. I just though that you forgot me birthday after that hint I gave you on Dende's Lookout last night."
"It's okay. I understand."
Videl playful poked at Gohan's stomach. "I didn't hurt you when I punched you, did I?"
Gohan flushed, then shook his head wildly. "No, I'm just fine!"
She smiled at his obvious discomfort. "Gohan . . ."
"Yes, Videl?"
"There's music playing . . ."
"So . . ."
"Aren't you going to ask me to dance?"
*~*
Prince Rattai sat in his velvet red chair and stared at the ceiling. He'd received no word from the boy, and Videl's time was almost up. Something was wrong. Had the boy somehow outsmarted him? Didn't he CARE whether the girl lived or died?
The young prince got up out of his chair and crossed the room, going over to his personal computer. "I need a ki reading on subject A, Videl."
Processing information said the computerized voice. A few seconds later came Subject A's ki level is normal. No problems detected.
Impossible! Somehow, the boy had found a way to save Videl without handing her over to him. Well, I'll just have to take a different approach. When I was watching them . . . they were training for something. What was it?
"Computer, do you know of any sort of fighting competitions going on around this planet?"
There were a few beeps. There are many, but the Tenkaichi Budokai is the most popular. Scheduled to appear- Satan Hercule, Satan Videl-
"Satan Videl, hmm?" This Tenkaichi Budokai may very well be my ticket to the girl and her energy . . .
*~*
As Mirai Trunks finally finished his story, the smaller version of himself said eagerly, "Are you gonna enter the Tenkaichi Budokai?! You should!"
A world tournament? "Hmm . . . I guess so . . ."
Goku looked excited. "I'm entering!" he announced loudly.
Everyone stopped to look at him. "Really, Kakkarot?" muttered Vegeta. "Well, if you are entering, I will too. I'll defeat you in front of millions."
Piccolo looked interested. There would now be decent competition at the tournament. "Then I think I'll go, if you two are."
Pikkon readily agreed.
Now everyone turned to look at Gohan, who had been busy dancing with Videl. He stared back at all of them. "What?"
"We're waiting for you to say you're going to enter, brat!" snapped Vegeta.
" . . . but I'm not."
They all stared at him as if he'd lost his mind.
Chichi, however, supported Gohan's decision not to fight. "If that's what you want, Gohan. Don't force him to enter if he doesn't want to."
Vegeta snorted and grumbled, "He's just afraid he'll get his ass kicked."
Chichi gasped. "WHAT?! Gohan could beat you any day!" She went up to him, glaring full force the whole time.
"Right! I'd like to see the nerd try!"
"Gohan is not a nerd, you . . . you big foreheaded jerk!" Videl laughed and Gohan sighed. "Honestly . . ."
"KAKKAROT, CALL OFF YOUR HOUND!!!"
Chichi saw red. He was going to get it now . . . "What did you call me?!"
Author's Note: Mirai Trunks DOES have a VITAL purpose here, which you'll see in a little. If you honestly CAN'T wait to know, I'll tell you IF YOU E-MAIL ME. Yes, this is just another tactic to fill my mailbox. J
[1] In that one DBZ episode, Goten was sleeping with Gohan. Was that because they didn't have enough rooms for each boy to have their own, or were they having a 'sleepover'? Oh, yeah, in this fic, they had an indoor bathroom installed too. J
[2] Yes, I'm quite aware that Mirai Trunks wouldn't have gone home, and that the androids would still be reeking havoc in his time. This will be addressed later.
ADVERTISING: Have you ever read a story that you fall in love with instantly? Well, I've found two, and both are Harry Potter Harry/Snape fics. The first is called 'Something to Live For' by Accio Snape. The next is 'Fine Lines' by Shadowphoenix.
Next Chapter: It seems that Mirai Trunks is stirring up some trouble between Gohan and Videl. Mirai and Videl are getting close . . . or is something ELSE going on? Yes, I know I'm evil!! AND . . . as the Tenkaichi Budokai grows near, will Gohan be physically and mentally prepared to face their greatest adversary yet?
