Author's Note: * Gets down on her knees * I'm SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know I said Thursday, but I lied . . . not on purpose, though! J I had major writer's block AND a busted computer . . . argh. This might suck, but oh well . . .
I don't own DBZ.
Another note: I didn't read this over because I was so happy that I finally got it DONE, so excuse any mistakes, especially those closer to the end . . .
II. Dark Passions
*~* Chapter Thirty One *~*
Umm . . . Oops?
Gohan couldn't sleep. It was five o'clock in the morning, and he was sprawled out on the couch in Videl's hotel room, his eyes wide open. He shifted restlessly, then sat up and ran his hands through his hair with a deep sigh.
The whole thing with Videl was bothering him. He'd seen her shaking hands with Shin on the beach, as if they were sealing some sort of deal. Gohan looked over at her as she slept peacefully on the bed. He was dying to ask her what was going on, but after the whole 'trust me' conversation, he knew that Videl would only get angry with him. But Gohan was very worried about whatever Videl had gotten herself into, and he was loosing sleep because of it.
Gohan shoved the blankets away from his body and stood up. He crossed the room quietly, walking over to the bed where Videl slept. She didn't look as peaceful as he'd originally thought she would be. A deep frown was etched on her face, and her forehead was wrinkled with lines of worry. She rolled over onto her side and moaned very softly.
Gohan smiled slightly and placed a hand on her cool forehead, then began to stroke her hair. He loved her so much . . . and the thought of her putting herself in any kind of danger scared him to death. If anything happened to her . . .
He glanced over at the clock beside Videl's bed. Five thirty a.m. Had he forgotten his match later that day? With VEGETA, of all people? He SHOULD be asleep, or at least preparing for the day's upcoming event.
Gohan winced inwardly. He knew that the older Saiyan would be out to show him up. If he couldn't beat Kakkarot, then beat the next best thing- his son. I bet he thinks he has this thing won, since I haven't been training very long. Well, I'll show him, I'll show them all.
"Gohan? What are you doing?"
He jumped a bit, then looked down. Videl was awake, her eyelids still heavy with sleep. He took his hand off of her head. "Nothing. I was just thinking."
"Hmm . . . this early in the morning? Is something wrong?"
" . . . not really. Don't worry about it."
Her eyes narrowed. "Something IS wrong. Tell me. Is it about the match today?"
Why not let her think it's that? "Yeah . . . I don't want to loose. I'll let Mom down." Well, that much was true, but that concern wasn't his main one at the moment.
Videl smiled. "Chichi won't get upset if you loose . . . well, not TOO much. She already has the money from Goten's match, and that should keep her comfortable for a long time."
"You won't be disappointed?"
"No. It'll be fine, although you and I BOTH know that Vegeta will do some major gloating if he does win, and I really don't want to have to put up with that ego for longer than necessary."
Gohan chuckled. "I'm sure no one does. I'll do my best."
"Great. That's all I can ask for."
He gently stroked Videl's cheek and smiled down at her. "You're good to me, Videl. You know that?"
She grinned back up at Gohan and took his hand, placing a tiny kiss on his palm. "Yes, I know."
Gohan chuckled. "So modest, too . . ."
Videl scooted over, making room for him on the bed. She patted the empty space next to her and said, "Lie down Gohan."
He blinked rapidly, turning pink in the dark. "Videl . . ."
We're just going to sleep, not anything else. Calm down."
" . . . okay." He climbed into the bed and pulled Videl close to him. It felt good to have her near, his worries momentarily put to rest, and, within thirty minutes, Gohan drifted off to sleep.
Videl rested her head on Gohan's chest and breathed in deeply. His deep, even breathing told her that he was finally asleep and, as she glanced over at the glowing red numbers on the clock beside her bed, she realized that she had been cutting it a little close.
It was almost time.
She got out of the bed, moving slowly as not to wake Gohan, and tiptoed over to the window, her eyes scanning the sky for any sign of her late-night visitor. Videl jumped back a bit as Shin appeared out of thin air in front of the window. She pushed it open and allowed the Supreme Kai to fly into the room.
Shin immediately noticed the presence of Gohan, who was snoring softly in the bed. He turned back to her and raised an eyebrow, a tiny grin appearing on his face.
She blushed and fleetingly wondered if the Supreme Kai had night vision or something. She knew exactly what he was thinking. "It's not like that," Videl said quickly. "Anyway, once he's asleep, he's usually out for good."
"Fine, but I won't take long anyway. We'll have to make our move tonight, as I'm sure Asento and his friend will try to do the same. After the final round, during the party held later, you will slip away, hopefully without anyone noticing."
Videl nodded. It made sense. If everyone was busy partying, they wouldn't see her slip away.
"The fountain, the one near the entrance of the stadium . . . do you know which one?"
Videl nodded.
"Good. Kibito and I want you to be there by midnight. I'm sure the prince and his companion will move once they realize that you're alone. Don't worry, though- we will be in the area, watching."
"Okay."
He smiled slightly. "Are you nervous?"
"Of course! I've never done anything so . . . risky before," replied Videl.
Shin frowned. "Videl . . . you can back out now, if you're having second thoughts." He sent a significant glance over to the bed where Gohan still slept.
She shook her head quickly. "No!" she hissed. "I'll do it, don't worry. You can count on me."
He stared at her for a while, making her a little nervous. "You are very brave, and a good person, Videl. I will do everything within my power make sure that no harm comes to you."
She grinned. High praise from the Supreme Kai! "Thank you so much, Shin. I'll do my best."
"Great. Now sleep- you'll need it." With that, he vanished.
*~*
Gohan woke a few hours later to the wonderful smell of eggs, bacon and pancakes. He sat up, briefly wondering if he was back home with his mother in the kitchen making breakfast.
Videl, still in her night clothes, suddenly popped out of the kitchenette with a large silver tray in her arms, almost giving Gohan a heart attack. "I've got breakfast for you, Gohan," she nearly sang, walking up to the bed. "Fresh from the buffet down stairs."
I must be dreaming . . . He glanced up at her as she place the tray in his lap. What happened to her get-it-yourself attitude? "Videl-"
She quickly left the room, then came back with food for herself. She sat on the edge of the bed and began to eat.
Oookay . . . too weird! "Videl . . . what's this?"
"What does it look like? Food!"
"I know it's food, but . . . I don't . . ."
Videl blinked. "What?"
He gestured to the tray. "I really appreciate this Videl, but it's . . . not like you to . . . you know . . ."
She glanced away, then said softly, "I wanted to do something nice for you, that's all."
Gohan frowned. First, she'd been bubbly, and now she looked sad. Something clicked. Hmm . . . must be her time of the month. I'd better make her feel better, or else . . . He began to eat and smile. "Well, thank you. I didn't mean to sound . . . ungrateful."
A shaky, hesitant smile appeared on her face. "It's okay. I've . . . ah . . . I've pressed your gi and cleaned your boots. They're over there by the couch."
Gohan raised an eyebrow.
"Vegeta was down at the buffet, and he's already gloating that he's going to win. Just though you'd like to know before you see him."
"If he gets too overconfident . . ."
"I know. You could use that to your advantage."
"Yeah."
She quickly ate the small portion on her plate. "Eat up. You can get some work done before that match."
Gohan nodded and finished his food. He got up, grabbed his gi (which smelled like fabric softener) and went into the bathroom. As he dressed, he began to worry about Videl's actions. The food, the gi and the boots . . . Videl would NEVER iron my clothes for me, OR clean my boots. Weird . . .
He tied up the gi and ran a hand though his hair, not bothering to try to comb it flat. Gohan left the bathroom and was shocked by what he saw.
Videl was standing there in a short skirt and a spaghetti strap shirt. She'd abandoned her boyish hairstyle and kept her hair down. She cleared her throat, looking mildly uncomfortable. "Um . . . something wrong?"
"NO! I was . . . it's just your clothes . . ."
She looked down at them and said almost shyly, "Do you like it?"
Gohan's mouth fell open. What in the WORLD was going ON?! "I . . . you look great! I was just surprised, that's all . . . Why . . .?"
"I don't know . . . I wanted to look nice for you, that's all."
" . . . oh."
Videl smiled. "Don't just stand there- let's go already!"
*~*
Goten and Trunks followed Gohan and Videl, flying overhead of the two as they walked along the tournament grounds. Both boys were unsure on when Shin's plan was going to go into effect, and were anxious to ask Videl if she knew, so that they could have front row seats when it happened. They were itching for some action, and with a battle brewing, they wanted to be a part of it.
"I bet it's gonna happen tonight," Trunks was saying.
"What? Oh, you mean Shin's plan?" asked Goten. "Really?"
"Well, DUH! It IS the last day of the tournament, before everyone goes back home. What better time to have her kidnapped than NOW?"
Goten frowned. "I don't know about his, Trunks. I mean, Gohan is gonna get REAL MAD when he finds out. And then, once he knows that WE knew the WHOLE TIME about everything, he'll blast us into smithereens!"
"No, he won't! He'll be too busy trying to save Videl to give us a second thought. Besides, by then, we'll already have our secret Lookout, and we can hide out there for a while until he cools down IF he does get angry."
"Sounds good." They noticed Gohan and Videl hopping over a tall brick wall and swooped down to follow them. The two boys figured out where they were going- to the ring. They landed on top of the waiting area and watched as Gohan stepped into the ring and began to warm up.
Goten spotted someone else entering the arena. "Hey, look Trunks! There's your Dad! I bet he came to SPY on Gohan," he hissed.
"Why would MY DAD need to spy in your goofy brother? He's ten times better and stronger than Gohan," Trunks boasted.
"No he isn't! You don't know what you're talking about!"
Trunks snickered. "I THOUGH we already covered this. Your dad's so weak, he couldn't even beat PICCOLO! And I though he was supposed to be super strong or something."
"HE IS! He must've been . . . I don't know . . . HUNGRY or whatever."
"No, he's just plain old weak. You know what they say- like father, like son!"
"You take that back!"
"No way!"
Trunks threw a punch, then Goten retaliated, and soon they were rolling around on the roof, punching each other's lights out.
No one on the ground, though, noticed. Gohan was already beginning to spar alone, with Videl watching. She didn't noticed Vegeta standing behind her, watching Gohan, too.
The Saiyan Prince had come to scope out his competition, and was satisfied by what he saw. There's no way that boy's going to beat ME! I've got this in the bag. He laughed.
Videl whirled around and glared at Vegeta. "What are you doing here? Go away."
"I'll leave when I want to, girl."
She muttered something under her breath and turned her back to him, giving Gohan her attention once more. Just then, as Trunks tackled Goten, the two boys rolled off of the roof and onto the ground with a big thump. Vegeta spared them a scathing look, then walked away.
Videl went up to the boys. "Are you two alright? What were you doing up there?"
"We're fine," said Trunks, standing up quickly.
"Yeah," Goten agreed. "And we were just watching Gohan, that's all. We want him to win the tournament."
Trunks glared at his friend. "NO, I want my dad to win!"
"He's not gonna!"
Videl grabbed the back of Trunks' shirt to keep him from attacking. "That's enough, you two. Look, Shin told me that you know about . . . you know."
Trunks looked around suspiciously, to see if anyone was watching. "Yeah, so?"
"I just wanted to make sure you two didn't say anything. Especially YOU, Goten."
The little boy looked hurt. "ME? What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Nothing, nothing! Anyway, we're going to do IT tonight, during the after party, so I need your help to make sure no one follows me, okay?"
The boys grinned. Now they had a job. "OKAY!"
"Great! Now you two run along and don't get into any trouble."
"We won't Videl!" shouted Goten as he and Trunks took off.
*~*
"He needs to win, Kibito. There's no doubt about it," said Shin as he watched Gohan from above. "Do you understand?"
"To tell you the truth . . . no, sir, I do not," Kibito grumbled. "Why is it so important that the boy wins?"
"I'm assuming that if he looses, he'll want to cling to Videl all night, and that cannot happen. If he wins, however, the others will keep him busy enough for her to get away without anyone noticing."
"Makes sense, I suppose. But that Vegeta doesn't seem like the one who would take defeat when he could have victory. I am not sure just how strong Gohan is, but Vegeta is very powerful, and would most likely take the match," rationalized Kibito.
"That's where WE come in."
*~*
Hours later, Gohan was nervously pacing in the waiting area. People began to fill the stands, anxiously awaiting the start of the final match of the world Tenkaichi Budokai. Vegeta was there, looking a cocky as ever and so was Piccolo. Videl was also there, even though she wasn't fighting. She'd managed to persuade some guy into letting her in so that she could be with Gohan before the match.
"Relax, Gohan," Videl was saying. "It's just a MATCH!"
Gohan glanced over at Vegeta, who was staring out at the crowd. He took Videl's hand and led her away from the others. "I don't think I'm ready. I can't do this! I'm going to get creamed and-"
"No you're not! You're a hundred times better than Vegeta! Who defeated Cell? YOU!"
"Well, who's been slacking off for the past seven years? ME!!!"
She patted him on the back a little roughly. "Don't worry. You'll be fine."
"I'm gonna get my face bashed in is more like it . . ." he grumbled.
"Don't say things like that, or you WILL." She glanced at her watch. "It's almost time. Are you ready?"
"I guess . . ."
She kissed him on the cheek. "Good. Be sure not to hurt Vegeta TOO much!"
The announcer quieted down the crowd and called for the fighters out to the ring. Gohan let Piccolo and Vegeta go out first, then took a deep breath and followed after them. Videl hung back, watching Gohan as he went.
Behind her, Shin entered the waiting area and went up to Videl's side. "Do you think he will win?"
Startled, Videl jumped. "What? Oh . . . you mean Gohan? To tell you the truth, I don't know . . ."
"I'm not sure how you would feel about this, Videl, but there is something else Kibito and I have planned to ensure Gohan's victory in the match."
"Ensure?"
"Yes. We need him to win, so that he will be kept busy at the celebration tonight."
"Oh . . . you mean rig the match?"
"Well . . . yes."
Videl nibbled on her bottom lip and unconsciously began to finger the chalcedony stone hanging around her neck. [A/N: * Cough * *cough * *AHEM * . . . okay, I'm done!] "Okay. Just . . . don't let Gohan OR Vegeta find out. They'll be pretty upset."
*~*
Gohan nervously eyed Vegeta as they stood in the ring. His opponent was grinning evilly at Gohan. I bet he's ready to kick my butt . . . Gohan glanced over at Piccolo and gave Vegeta a stressed look. The Namek looked confused, then caught on, nodding slightly.
"Alright folks," said the announcer, "We've got Vegetable, Piccolo and Son Gohan in the ring for the final battle! This will definitely be an exciting match, so let's get started. FIGHT!!"
Krillin rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Come on, Gohan! I've got a hundred zeni riding on this thing! You better win!"
Juuhachi glared at her husband. "Krillin, what did I tell you about betting?"
"Ah . . . sorry?"
Chichi was on her feet already. "COME ON, GOHAN!!! KICK THAT ARROGANT JACKASS INTO OBLIVION!!! YEAH!!"
Bulma looked insulted. "Oh no you don't!" She got up too and rooted for Vegeta.
Goku just shook his head and sat back. He could see Gohan's nervousness from his seat, and hoped that it wouldn't stop him from doing his best. He shouldn't be afraid of Vegeta, really. He's just a big 'ol softie.
Vegeta turned to Piccolo and attacked ruthlessly. Gohan stood back and watched as they fought back and forth across the ring, until they took to the air. He went Super and charged, taking Vegeta off guard. The Prince growled under his breath and charged up, too, and tried to fight off both Gohan and Piccolo at the same time.
"Well, that's smart," observed Mirai Trunks. "Gohan and Piccolo are going to try to take out Vegeta first, then duke it out themselves."
Vegeta was getting angry. HIS plan to get rid of the Namek wasn't going to work if he had to keep an eye out for Kakkarot's brat while fighting off Piccolo.
He upped his power level and punched Piccolo in the face, knocking him to the ground, then whirled on Gohan and did the same to him. "DO YOU HONESTLY THINK THAT YOU TWO CAN BEAT ME?!!!" he roared. "I'll make your defeat as painful as possible!!"
Gohan crawled out of the crater that had formed from his impact into the stone floor of the ring and groaned. Vegeta was just about to go to level two, and now Piccolo wouldn't have a chance.
Vegeta tossed his head back and screamed, beginning his accent to level two. Gohan gritted his teeth and struggled to see through the blinding white light coming from Vegeta's power up. He quickly took to the air, cupping his palms together. "KA . . . ME . . . HA . . .ME . . . HA!!!!!"
Vegeta let out a cry of shock as Gohan's Kamehameha wave hit him dead on. What the HELL?! He hadn't finished his transformation yet! He plummeted to the ground, landing hard on the ring.
Gohan nodded to Piccolo, then flew up and began to transform to SSJ2. Piccolo, meanwhile, kept Vegeta busy, preventing him from disrupting Gohan's accent.
"ARGH! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!!!!" Vegeta howled and sent Piccolo flying backwards. He quickly finished his power up. "I'm coming for YOU, Namek!!"
Shin was watching the fight very carefully, trying to find the right moment to sabotage the fight. He didn't want any of Gohan's companions to be suspicious, so he had to act when Vegeta appeared to be loosing.
That, however, didn't seem to be happening at the moment. Vegeta was attacking Piccolo with raw determination in his eyes. Gohan swooped in just as Vegeta was about to knock Piccolo out of the ring and punched the short man back.
"YOU BRAT!!! YOU'RE SO DAMN ANNOYING!!!!!" Vegeta exclaimed, a vein throbbing on his forehead. Every time he got close to beating the Namek, Gohan would come in and mess things up.
Goku admired the way those two were working together against Vegeta. But I don't think Piccolo can keep this up for much longer. He's going to tire . . .
Vegeta grinned evilly, then moved with lightning speed that caught Gohan off guard. He ran forward, knocked Gohan to the ground, then grabbed Piccolo. "Say goodnight, Namek." He fired a ki blast right at Piccolo's legs, burning them away into nothing. Vegeta shoved Piccolo out of the ring.
Videl and most of the spectators cried out on horror as Piccolo fell backwards, with stubs for legs. She covered her face with her hands. "Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod . . ."
Gohan angrily got to his feet. "You . . . you . . . THAT WAS UNNECESSARY!!"
Vegeta laughed. "You and I both know that he'll be fine, boy. No need to be dramatic."
Videl peeked through her fingers and gasped. Piccolo was moving! What?! He'd just had his legs blown to smithereens and . . . She rushed forward to the Namek's side and the announcer scooted over to them to see what was happening. "Are you alright, Piccolo?"
"I'm . . . fine," he grunted. "I just need some time to re-grow my legs."
"Re . . . grow? You can do that?"
"As long as my head is in tact, then yes. If you could . . . get me over to the waiting area . . ."
"And it appears," said the announcer, "that Piccolo is NOT DEAD! That's right, folks, he'll be just fine! Unfortunately, he DID fall out of the ring, and therefore he is out of the match. So now we have Son Gohan and Vegetable for the title!"
Videl did her best to bring Piccolo over to the area without dragging him on the ground too much. She rested him against the wall, then gave her attention to the match.
Both fighters in the ring took to the sky and continued fighting there. They traded blows back and forth, until Gohan suddenly upped his attacks. He punched Vegeta in the face, then slammed him down towards the ground.
This is my chance. Before Vegeta could stop himself from falling, Shin's eyes flashed briefly as he used one of his Super- Secret- Powers™ on Vegeta, basically turning him as stiff as a board. Vegeta plummeted to the ground, rolling out of the ring with a thud. With his job done, Shin left.
Videl sighed heavily. It was over.
The Z-Fighters jumped up (especially Krillin, who was happy to have won his bet) and cheered for Gohan. Goku, however, was very suspicious. Something about Gohan's victory didn't seem right . . .
Gohan was just as startled. He landed on the ground and was immediately ambushed by a wave of people. A big band began to play as confetti rained down on them and an unknown person slipped the championship belt to his waist.
"WE HAVE A NEW CHAMPION!!! LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR SON GOHAN!!!!"
The crowd cheered loudly.
Gohan gave everyone the Son Grin™ and waved. He managed to slip away from the people on the ring and went over to Videl.
"Congratulations, Gohan!" she said, although it hurt her a bit to know that his victory was false.
"Thanks." He turned to Piccolo. "You alright?"
"Yep." As if on cue, Piccolo's legs suddenly grew back. He stood up and flexed them a bit. "That's better. Although I AM glad you beat Vegeta . . ."
"What, Piccolo?"
He glanced over at Videl. "Nothing. Never mind."
Gohan frowned. "I don't know . . . it doesn't seem right to me. Vegeta should've been able to stop himself or something. He's a better fighter than that."
"DAMN RIGHT I AM!!!!" Vegeta stormed into the waiting area, followed by Goku, M. Trunks, Krillin, Juuhachi, Tien and Yamcha. Chibi Trunks and Goten quickly followed, anxious to see the drama that was about to unfold. Vegeta shoved Gohan back and shouted angrily, "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!!"
"What do you mean, what happened? You lost!" Gohan retorted.
"Calm down Vegeta," Goku said sternly.
"Fuck you, Kakkarot! Something isn't right, and you know it. We ALL know it!" shouted Vegeta.
Uh oh . . . Videl looked around hesitantly. Yes, they all did look a bit suspicious . . . They can't find out or there'll be hell to pay . . . "Look, Vegeta," Videl cut in. "Don't get all mad just because you lost. Stop acting like a baby and take your defeat like a man."
Everyone fell silent, except for the two little boys who went, "Ooooohhhhhhh!"
"LOOK, BITCH-"
Gohan saw red. "WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL HER?!!"
"YOU HEARD ME!!"
Gohan growled and reached for the short man's throat while Vegeta drew his hand back and formed a fist.
"Fight, fight, fight!" chanted Goten and Chibi Trunks.
"Gohan, NO!" Videl shouted.
Goku moved forward and grabbed Vegeta's fist, pulling him back. "RELAX, BOTH of you!!"
Videl took hold of Gohan's arm and also pulled him back.
"Now," Goku began, "I'll have to admit that it WAS a little weird the way Vegeta kept falling like that. Let's try to settle this like ADULTS, okay."
"Shin was here," said Piccolo, trying to distract Gohan and Vegeta so that they wouldn't blow each other's heads off. "He was watching the match."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Since we all agreed that he's been fooling around with the matches before, then he could've been doing it now. I didn't notice anything, though, because," Piccolo glared heatedly at Vegeta, "I was too busy concentrating on growing my legs back."
Goku looked thoughtful. "Hmm . . . what about you, Videl? Did you see him do anything suspicious?"
"Not a thing," she said coolly.
Vegeta snorted, shooting daggers at her with his eyes. "Yeah, right. We all know that you and the Supreme Kai are up to something, so it only makes sense for you to cover for him."
"Shut the hell up, Vegeta. You don't know a damn thing."
"Videl!" hissed Gohan. "Watch it."
"I REFUSE to cater to this jerk who can't handle loosing! It's really none of his business WHAT I do!"
Vegeta looked as if he was going to combust at any moment. "Gohan," he said in a very, very scary voice, "I suggest you get a tighter grasp on your mate's mouth before I permanently close it for her."
Once again, the two boys went, "Ohhhhh!"
Goku turned to Vegeta and said angrily, "Don't threaten her, Vegeta, or you'll have to answer to me."
"I'm not afraid of you, Kakkarot. Bring it on!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" cried Videl. "Look, I don't want to argue anymore with any of you. Just . . . not today, okay? There's nothing we can do, the tournament is already over and Gohan is the winner. If you don't like it, then too bad because you can't do a damn thing to change that."
Krillin coughed, braking the silence. "Well, I guess SHE told US! How about we go and enjoy the nice party they've set up, hmm? I heard they have free food . . ." He took Juuhachi and quickly left, careful not to look at Gohan, Goku, Vegeta or Videl.
"Um . . . yeah! I'm gone, too," said Yamcha, going after them.
Tien glanced around, then sighed. "The tension's so thick in here, you could cut it with a knife. I'm out, I'll see you all later when you're not about to blast each other to bits."
Goten looked scared that none of the others were moving. His big brother was still glaring at Vegeta, who was glaring at Gohan AND Videl at the same time while his father glared at Trunks' dad. M. Trunks and Piccolo were making sure that no one went psycho on someone else. "Er . . . Trunks . . . maybe we should leave, too. I'm scared."
Trunks looked around. "You know . . . I . . . think you're right. Let's get outta here!" They took off.
"I don't like being toyed with," Vegeta growled. "I'm going to find Shin and force some answers out of him." He shot the with a ki blast and flew away.
Goku sighed heavily. "Well! You two stay out of Vegeta's way for a while, okay?"
"Sure, Dad. Come on, Videl. Let's go."
*~*
A few hours of partying seemed the calm everyone down a bit, although Vegeta was still no where to be found. There was a huge celebration going on in the hotel's ballroom, with plenty of food, wine, music and dancing.
Chichi was extremely happy as she sat with Goku, planning what to do with her newly acquired millions. Bulma was a little lonely without her husband, but had promised Videl that she would set him straight whenever he decided to show up. She busied herself by dancing with M. Trunks and a few other men she'd met here and there. The others were enjoying themselves just as much.
Goten and Trunks were re-enacting the previous dramatic events for some other kids in the corner of the ballroom, including the fight scenes that never happened. Goten was getting a kick out of pretending to be Videl, but bleeped out all of her bad words.
Videl and Gohan were dancing slightly apart from the others. They'd already danced eight times, and Gohan couldn't understand why she kept wanting to dance with him. He had half a mind to ask her what was up, but decided that she would probably get mad, and she looked way to cute snuggled up against him.
Videl glanced at her wristwatch and winced. It was eleven fifty, and time for her to leave. She sighed and wrapped her arms tighter around Gohan's waist.
"Er . . . Videl . . . if you squeeze any harder, you're gonna cut off the blood flow," Gohan kidded.
She grinned. "Mmmm . . . sorry. Say, let's go get something to eat."
"But . . . didn't we eat just-"
"Come on!" Videl pulled him over to an empty table and said, "I'll go get us something to eat."
"I can get my own-"
"NO! You stay here, okay?"
Gohan frowned. There she goes again, acting all weird. "Umm . . . okay. I mean, if you really wanna . . ."
Videl smiled and lingered for a bit. She leaned forward and gave him a long, thorough kiss. "I love you, Gohan."
His eyes widened. She LOVED him? Their relationship wasn't just some teenaged fling? Before he could reply, Videl turned around and ran off. Gohan, dazed, sat back in his seat. Well. He could always tell her how he felt when she returned . . .
But, ten minutes later, when she didn't return, Gohan began to worry. He got up and scanned the ballroom. He didn't see her anywhere. Gohan wandered over to Trunks and Goten, who had ended their 'drama-feast' and were now playing a card game in the middle of the floor.
"Hey, squirts, have you guys seen Videl? She left about ten minutes ago, and she hadn't come back yet."
Goten nibbled on his bottom lip, then glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall. It was just past midnight. "Oh!" he suddenly cried. "You know what, I bet she went out to get kidnapped like Shin told her to and UMPH!!!"
"GOTEN!!!! YOU BAKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" exclaimed Trunks, hitting his friend on the back of the head. "There goes our LOOKOUT!!!!!"
"Oops! Oh, man, sorry Trunks!"
"Wait a minute!" shouted Gohan. "She went to do what?!"
Goten took the liberty to explain. "You see, Mr. Shin asked Videl to let herself be kidnapped so that they could discover where the Saiyan space ship is hiding. She agreed, so I guess she went out to the big fountain out front alone."
Gohan's eyebrow began to twitch. Well, NOW it all made sense, why Videl was acting so strangely, or more like so final. "You two . . . knew the whole time?! No, don't answer that, there's no time. But when this is over . . ." he said, drifting off menacingly.
Trunks gulped. "Er . . . come on, Goten! Let's get outta here!" The two boys took off.
Gohan was pissed. He ran around, gathering any of the Z-Fighters that were available (which turned out to be M. Trunks, Goku, Krillin and Tien- it seemed that Yamcha had found a . . . gasp! . . . woman) and told them what was going on. "Alright, everyone, grab hold of me. We're going to stop this!"
*~*
Videl arrived at the fountain at exactly midnight. She nervously glanced around for any sign of Shin or Kibito. They must be well hidden . . .
- Videl sat on the edge of the fountain, swinging her legs slightly. Five minutes passed without any action, and she began to wonder if Asento and his buddy were even keeping tabs on her. She fluctuated her ki a bit and waited.
"Thanks for the beacon."
Videl jumped and whirled around. There stood Asento, grinning at her. She couldn't help but a big black, belt like contraption strapped around his waist. That's not important! Shin, you better be out there watching . . .
He went up to her and grabbed her wrists. Videl had to make it look real, to prevent Asento from getting suspicious, and began to struggle against him.
That was when things went wrong.
"VIDEL!!!!!! LET HER GO RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!" boomed Gohan's voice from behind them.
Videl looked over her shoulder. Well, HELL!! Most of the Z-Fighters were there, prepared for an all out battle. Gohan was already Super, and it looked as if Goku was just about to follow. "Gohan, no!" she hissed.
Shin, who'd been hiding in a bush slightly away from the group groaned. This was NOT supposed to happen! He jumped up and Kibito followed suit. "Fools! Get out of here!" he shouted, but the damage had already been done.
Asento looked around. The odds did not look good for him- he was almost completely surrounded by the enemy. "So, I've been set up, huh?" he snarled, yanking harshly on Videl's wrist.
"And you're ABOUT to get messed up," growled Gohan as he clenched his hands into a fist, "if you don't let her go."
"You think you've got me trapped? Hardly." He reached into his pocket and pulled out something that looked like a remote control and pushed a bright red button, pulling Videl closer to him. They began to faze out, then disappeared completely.
Author's Note: Uh oh. Videl's been kidnapped AGAIN, but things are gonna get a little sticky this time. (I promise, she won't get kidnapped anymore after this. SWEAR!) How is Gohan going to save Videl this time? If you're a careful reader (okay, so you don't have to be careful . . . it's pretty obvious . . .), then you might know . . . And NO, don't e-mail me and ask. Not this time! * wink *
Yeah, and I'll try to have the next chapter out sooner . . . sorry!! Now I gotta go make a new outline . . . this is where my old one stopped. J
ADVERTISING: Here's a few things I've seen that are worth reading: (Lookie! I added links!! I hope they all work . . .)1) And illjwamh has done it again! Read The New Adventures of Saiyaman. (Gohan/Videl bits in here.)
2) In the Eyes of a Child by Kaz Valkyrie looks promising. (G/V)
3) Darkness by Exarikun too! (G/V)
Next Chapter: Gohan goes ballistic, Goten and Trunks get chewed out and gee . . . what ever happened to Videl?
