DBZ Geography – I know that everyone assumes that Dragon Ball Z takes place on Earth, when in fact it doesn't. The only reason why I was following traditions of Earth or Japan was because DBZ in it's own sense was very Japanese like. They were Japanese like from the language, to their clothes (I think?). The only difference being that they don't have the cities or sites such as those in Japan.
Beer-Monster – I know you disliked the way I had Videl's reaction to Gohan clearly visible. Let me just say that it isn't that love at first sight thing or will the romance come extremely fast within the next few chapters. I will gradually work my way there, but I wanted to start Videl out with a goal in mind.
Psycho Ann – Interesting, Ann, a Son member… Hehe. Anyways, I'm glad that you like what I wrote. I consider myself to be a sloppy writer, just writing what comes and not having it planned out. Oh, please have the next installment of Predator & Prey or Da Capo out soon after you're done writing of course. I'm really enjoying your writing and can't wait to read more.
MonkeyHood, Sirius Potter, and all other readers – Some of you wanted to know if Gohan has reached SSJ 3 or is going to in the near future. All I have to say is, I'll think about it. I've been concentrating on Gohan's character so much that I completely forgot about his strength and where he lies. I suppose that Gohan is to the point where if he actually tried to power up to his maximum, he would ascend once again. I'm not sure if I'm going to include a SSJ 4 or anything since I find the appearance of SSJ 4 disturbing for some reason. It could be the fact that it wasn't the idea of Akira Toriyama, or that the appearance of 'monkeys' appeal to me. If I do decide to have a SSJ 4, I'm going to try to draw a little sketch of what I picture it to be, with golden hair of course. Right now I'm considering having the mystic level available to all saiyans and demi-saiyans to take the place of SSJ 4. I don't know what my decision will be, but when the time comes, you'll be in for a surprise.
Another thing, Gohan and Goten were sent to the Ox King since it was natural for children to live with any living relative until it is proven that he/she has none, or wouldn't be accepted. After that happens and the child remains homeless from his family, I assume they get sent to the orphanage, or if they are lucky, get adopted by some one else. Some cases include God Parents, others include…. Plain adoption!
LonelyWarrior – Uh, I haven't quite thought about those things yet. I've been a little stressed out with school coming back since it was the end of my spring break, that I haven't quite thought about things yet. I suppose with Videl's suspicious nature, it's obvious she would recognize him, right? Well, she doesn't right away, thinking he's familiar and very unusual. She will later link Gohan to the fighters at the Cell Games. Hopefully this is a good enough explanation.
Story Weaver – Yeah, Gohan could just wish them all back, but he feels as if he shouldn't disturb them. Being since how happy Goku is in other world, Chichi and the Ox King will have company. They knew what happened to them was to occur sooner or later, so they didn't make a big deal out of it. Besides, since they know that Goten and Gohan are in the care of Bulma, they are relieved and wouldn't want to intrude back into Gohan's 'new' life with the Briefs.
Hm… - Hahaha, yeah, black is the way to go! But since it won't flow with what I have written, I will have to leave it be. Just to let you know, Gohan might drop out of his Super Saiyan form eventually.
Man, that was a lot to write! Maybe I should've answered these questions sooner and not just have one big clog up in the middle of the chapter. Oh well, I will answer questions sooner in the future to help with your curiosity.
Chapter 6
Her Mission
The morning sun shone throughout the city, brining light to the day. Birds chirped, skies were clear, people laughing, everything was perfect. Well, mostly everything was perfect. For the life of Son Gohan, the wonderful life he once had will never be returned to him. Everyday he woke up wondering when the nightmare was to end, only to find that he was living in reality, outside of the dream world. The moment his father vanished with Cell to prevent the initiation of the destruction upon the planet was the moment the life of Son Gohan was shattered forever. Nothing will ever be the same without his beloved father.
Gohan heaved a sigh as he sprung up from his bed. Today was to be another day at that school filled with hyperactive teenagers. Gohan felt sort of separated from the other students. He did not have the spirit and merriment that he was once filled with. Luckily for him, all of the students seemed to be minding their own business, so it wasn't difficult for him to walk around unnoticed. Glancing briefly at the clock by his bedside, he picked himself off the bed. It was time for him to prepare for another day at Orange Star High, in the city named after the bastard who claimed his credit for defeating the monstrous being, Cell. Gohan couldn't help but feel disgust in going to such a city considering he was the true defender of Earth. (DBZ Geographer -Everyone describes the planet they live on as Earth, so I'm going to leave it to that) Training with Vegeta helped his patience slightly, seeing how impatient the prince was, he had to work on his skills. The prince wasn't much of a challenge once he powered up to the next level, but it did prove as good training when he remained in a low state or level of Super Saiyan 1. He was quite impressed how much his power grew with the help of the gravity chamber and the training of the prince, but he still missed the training by his first sensei. Piccolo had trained the boy to use his senses and not so much of his strength. That was in turn, very helpful in battle, so Gohan practiced everyday after his spars with Vegeta. Meditation helped soothe his mind and all the chaos running through it. It wouldn't be too long before he reached Super Saiyan 3. His power has increased tremendously since the last time he actually bothered to figure out where he stood among the others.
Once he was in the bathroom connected to his room, doing his morning business, Gohan released a frustrated sigh. Life had been extremely frustrating the past 4 years. His father had died, his mother died in childbirth, his grandfather was murdered, his brother is growing up as the child of his father's best friend, pushing himself to his limits to become as powerful as possible, and from going to this school which was located in the very city of that fraud. What's worse was meeting his daughter. That was not one of the scenarios of what his day at school should've been. For some reason, at first she seemed somewhat very curious of him, then later that day, she was trying to get him to join her friends for lunch. What was she getting at? He would never do such a thing for fear of attaching himself to more people he could love, and quite possibly loose. Whatever attempts she had in stored for him to lighten up with the mood and join her group of friends would not work. He would make sure of that. He was going to be even more distant than yesterday, for certain reasons, like his little slip up about her hair during lunch. Being prudent would eliminate any chances of slipping up again.
Gohan sighed as he turned off the water for the shower he was taken while contemplating his thoughts. He quickly dried himself, brushed his teeth, attempted to comb his hair, etc. before going to get dressed. He pulled out his closet, a pair of tan slacks, a white long sleeved shirt, a dark navy t-shirt to go on top, and a brown pair of shoes. Once finished with his preparation for school, he walked down to the kitchen.
"Hey, nii-chan! Are ya gonna go to school again today?" asked a lavender haired boy with bright blue eyes.
"Yeah, nii-chan! Are ya gonna? Are ya gonna?" inquired the other demi-saiyan.
Gohan nodded slightly before seating himself at the table where the two boys were already wolfing down half the amount of food placed before them.
"Skwool was fun, wight?" asked Trunks. "'Cause the skwool mommy made me goes to wash very fun! We get to play blocks and sweep and wisten to story, and um… learn the ABCs." Translation: School was fun, right? 'Cause the school mommy made me go to was very fun! We got to play with blocks, sleep, and listen to stories. Also, we learned the alphabets.
"Really Twunks?" asked the four year old Goten.
Trunks nodded his head several times before returning to his meal.
Soon a robot brought in Gohan's portion of breakfast. It appears that Bulma had decided that she needed a little more shut eye today. Gohan glanced at the clock. He still had an hour to go before school started. He heaved a small sigh before beginning to eat his meal. Once Gohan was finished he stood up from the table and was about to leave when Bulma entered the scene, in her pajamas.
She yawned before saying, "Morning Gohan. Another day of school, right?"
Gohan nodded slightly. He reached for his backpack he threw by the chair next to him when he entered the kitchen.
"That's great. I hope you enjoy another day of school. By the way, your lunch capsules will be by the counter from now on. Just so you know, that way you don't have to wake me up every time you need to get your lunch."
Gohan nodded again. "I better get going now."
Bulma yawned once again before waving to her adopted son. She entered into the kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee. She yawned again. 'I'm getting too old to stay up late nowadays.'
Once again, Gohan flew through the city towards school without worrying about being seen. He didn't care if someone saw him fly in the air without a plane or the sort. He could always make up the excuse of rocket boots if needed. He glanced at his watch again to find that he still had a good forty-five minutes to go before class starts.
Gohan flew over the city, scanning the area for any crimes so that he could kill time. At last coming across another bank, he noticed that there were gunshots ringing in the air. He smiled slightly to himself and dived into the scene. He landed in front of the thieves' line of fire, surprising everyone during the process, especially the police.
"W-what? How could he just stand there without being affected by the bullets?" One of the officers who recovered from the shock asked.
The other officers shrugged their shoulders signaling their confusion. Apparently not all of the policemen regained their ability to speak.
Gohan glared at the continuous gunshots directed toward him. Luckily since he was very strong, none of the bullets were capable of piercing his skin, or his clothes. Gohan launched forward and forced the weapons out of the thieves' grasp. Once he was sure he had all of the guns in his possession, he fired a ki blast, incinerating the metal into ashes.
The crooks looked on in fear. "W-what is he?" screeched one of them.
The others shook their head. "Let's scram!" Receiving nods from the other accomplices, they scurried off to a small white van and drove off at full speed.
At that moment, Videl arrived upon the scene. "What happened here?" she demanded.
Once of the policemen stood from their cowering position and approached the girl. "We were trying to take down the burglars when that young man helped us disarm them. Then they just drove off!"
Videl peered behind her to see Gohan standing there, calmly, almost as if waiting for something. She raised an eyebrow as to how he could stand there so calmly when this crisis was happening. Just when she was about to open her mouth to ask the blond teen a question, he disappeared. Blinking her eyes, she wondered briefly as to where he could've gone.
Gohan was standing there, waiting for the crooks to leave the city limits as like the day before. Finally deciding that they had traveled far enough and was out of an average person's line of sight, he phased out. Appearing again before the batch of burglars' car, he held out a hand.
The burglars didn't stop, for fear of not escaping. They didn't care if they killed this kid, even though he managed to survive multiple gunshots.
Noticing that their speed was not decreasing, he took matters into his own hands. He held his hand steadily and waited for a small orb of light to appear in his hands. "This will stop them in their tracks," he whispered before releasing the shot.
It was then that a yellow jet copter appeared above the scene. Videl had made it just in time to witness the small vehicle's engine explode. It was a miracle that the whole car did not explode from the gas tank.
Her eyes almost bugged out of her eyes as she had traveled a few miles to find that the mysterious student from yesterday shoot a beam of light from his hands. What was more surprising was the fact that the beam of light affected the target greatly. How in the world was this possible? She admitted that the boy's hair and eyes were an unusual shade, but this was just crazy! No one was capable of doing those sorts of things. No one was, except the fighters present during the Cell Games. Now that she thought about it, Gohan did resemble one of the golden fighters in the Cell Games, but that couldn't be possible. Could it?
She briefly shook her head and flew her copter to the ground. Quickly exiting the vehicle, she hurried over to the burglars and handcuffed them. Once she was finished handcuffing the last crook, she looked up to see Gohan looking in her direction. "So, Gohan… How did you do that?"
Gohan looked at her for a brief second before turning his gaze away and disappearing from sight once again.
Videl rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing things. Gohan had disappeared again like he did a few minutes ago. Where did he go and how did he disappear? Those questions were lingering insider her mind throughout her whole trip to school.
Videl entered the classroom a little early, which surprised her. Usually when she had to stop a batch of crooks in the morning, she would miss half of the class, but today it was different. She wandered through the classroom until she reached her desk, where Erasa was chatting away with Sharpner. She looked over to the seat next to her friend's and realized that Gohan was looking up at the ceiling with both arms tucked behind his head. Even though someone would do that action, his/her eyes would mainly consist of that look of boredom, but his was a little different. Again, his eyes were different from everyone's. Why couldn't she just forget about the depressed boy and just act like she was before? Oh yeah, that silly goal she had. She would try her best to make that frown drop from his face and have a full-blown joyous smile replace it. As she leaned closer to get a better look at him, she noticed that he was staring off into space, but not that of daydreams of reveries. It was as if he was recollecting his memory, about a traumatizing event or something since every once in a while his eyes would close or wince as if in pain.
She tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, Gohan. What are you thinking about?" she asked, hopeful that he would blurt out the reason for his demeanor.
When she didn't receive an answer, she lightly socked him. Again, she received no response. That was pretty weird. Considering the fact that she was supposedly the second strongest person in the world and she could usually get someone's attention by just a single light tap. Oddly, she punched him hard at the arm. Only when she felt pain creep up throughout her arm, did she notice how hard his arm was. She winced a little, gaining the attention of Erasa.
"Hey Videl! When did you come in? Usually you don't arrive until way later," she said curiously.
Videl shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, a minute ago?" she responded.
Erasa smiled at her before turning back to continue her conversation with the irritated Sharpner.
She punched him again, feeling the pain seep through her skin. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea to use the same hand to punch a person with when it's already in agony.
To her surprise, Gohan lifted his head slightly and gazed upon the person who broke him from his reverie. Seeing that it was the girl from yesterday and he didn't want to have another slip up, he returned to his memories. After all, he had more slip ups, he could loose his calm demeanor and actually open up to someone, which was not something he was hoping for. As long as he was as far away from people as possible, he was happy. No use in getting close with people that you would eventually loose right?
"Hey! Why are you ignoring me when I asked you a simple question?" she asked frustrated. She cradled her aching hand in her other and waited for a response.
She waited and waited. Still, that boy insisted in ignoring her and just stared off into space. Finally exasperated from her attempts, she seated herself in Erasa's seat being that the blond had jumped into hers for their 'conversation'.
"Because, I do not appreciate people who tends to pry into my business," came a voice to her left.
No doubt that Gohan was the one who had said that. "What do you mean pry into your business? All I was doing was asking you what you were thinking to make you seem so sad!"
Gohan looked at her suspiciously. "Why do you if I'm sad. I've always been like this, so there's nothing really making me sad."
"Always been like this? Oh, I doubt it. No one could remain so depressed throughout his/her entire life, let alone 15 years!" she examined his expression. His face was stoic and awaited for her to continue her statement. "I know that you were a happy kid once. Don't try to deny it. I can tell."
Gohan slightly glared at her and looked away to face the front of the room. "You don't know anything."
Videl placed a hand on her temple, rubbing it slightly. "Well, I know that I don't know your life, being that I'm not you." She released another sigh. "Look, why don't you just do me a favor from this headache and argument by just smiling? It can't be that hard can it?"
His hands stiffened. He hasn't smiled for years; a true wholehearted smile. The last time he smiled was right before the Cell Games, right before his father sacrificed his life for his sake. He doesn't know if he could manage another one after what happened. It was a very devastating event that he would not want to repeat, correction, will not let repeat. "Sorry, but I can not grant you that favor."
She was surprised by his answer, well not really. She was expecting something like this from him. "But why not?"
Gohan remained silent as his hands stiffened even more, until the point they were clenched together in fists.
She looked at him, waiting for his response. He wouldn't answer her, but for what reason? She wasn't really trying to intrude in his privacy, only to find the reason for his behavior without having to pry it out of him. So, she decided to ask small vague questions, but even those backfired on her. What exactly is his problem anyway?
It was then that the bell rang and students began to scurry to their desks. Videl noticed that Erasa hasn't left hers and didn't ask to have her seat back, so she remained where she was. The teacher, Mr. Satoya, entered the room and began to take role. "Well, class. I have a little surprise for you today. Today you will get a test!" Grumbles and groans were heard throughout the class. Mr. Satoya smirked at the response. "But, you will not be graded on this. This test is just to see how far along you students are since you've transferred from you Junior High."
A hand rose in the front of the room. "Un, Satoya-sensei? Does anyone get transferred out of the class if they score really high or really low on the test?"
Mr. Satoya laughed. "No. No one will get transferred out, even the incredibly smart ones. The class you have now is the class you'll have for the rest of the year. This test is only for the teacher's benefit to see where you students lie so that we may teach you guys in a manner where all of you may understand what is being taught."
Gohan stared down at the test in the teacher's hand. It won't really matter to him how he does on the test. He could probably ace the test if he paid a little attention to it. Having knowledge drilled into your head at a young age had its advantage, so Gohan knew all of the material when he was very young.
Immediately scantrons were passed around the class. Soon following in suit were the actual test itself.
"Now, do not mark these tests. You may scribble down your answer on that smaller piece of paper since this is a multiple-choice test. Good Luck, you may start now."
Gohan glanced over the test and immediately began to mark down his answers, never giving them a second thought. Soon he was finished while the rest of the class was lingering on the fifth question.
Videl found it odd that Gohan had finished it so quick. She brushed it off as Gohan being one of those students who marks whatever down just to finish first and fails the class. Not long afterwards, Videl finished the test as well. Ever since she was little, her mother wanted her to be very bright and talented at the same time. Meanwhile, her father only wanted her to be strong, not caring how her education was going. Ever since her mother had died of Leukemia, Videl was determined to fulfill her mother's dreams. So, she began to study more and get higher marks in school. She juggled all that along with martial arts, singing, and some dancing. Her mother always loved to dance and sing, so she handed down the habits to Videl. Her life has changed drastically after the Cell Games. At first when her mother died, the house seemed lonelier and everyone sobbed at the lost of their loved one. Not long afterwards, Hercule trained a little harder to appear tough. That in turn brought the people to believe that he was strongest in the world and defender of Earth when he supposedly 'defeated' Cell. After the fame and fortune, everyone kept bothering the Satan family. Always wanting pictures or interviews. She never had a life anymore, always being stalked by news crew and stuff. Eventually she grew so tired that she had to threaten the reporters so that she may have some privacy.
"Okay class, pass your tests up front!" Mr. Satoya said.
Some groans were heard since not everyone had finished in the allotted time. When all the tests were in the front of the room, Mr. Satoya brought them over to the corner of the room. His room contained the scantron decoder, so it was fairly simple for him to give tests and grade them whenever he wanted.
"You may chat amongst yourselves while I get your tests graded," Mr. Satoya said as he deposited the first test in the machine.
"Gohan, why are you like this? I just want to help you a little," she said to the demi-saiyan. 'Whoa, where did that come from? I sound so unlike myself, but I guess that by figuring out his problem, I would be one step closer to my goal.' But what would she do after she had accomplished her goal? She hadn't really thought about that… 'I guess I'll just consider Gohan to be a very good friend once that happens, or if that happens.'
"I'm flattered that you want to help me, but I don't need any help. There is no problem and I would like for you to drop the subject. This is just the way I am. It's not like I'm prying into your business to find out why you are so curious and nosy," he explained indifferently.
She was taken back by his response. He just wanted to be left alone and mope around? That's not a very enjoyable thing to do, especially for someone like him. She had gotten pretty good at reading people's eyes and expressions over the years. She had somehow picked it up and it helped when she wanted to know what her father was thinking. Most of the time she would find him thinking of some way to get more women, which disgusted her to no end. Thanks to this skill of hers, she could tell that his eyes once held life and joy within them, for they were barely noticeable, buried behind grief and remorse. She didn't know why, but she felt depressed when she found someone depressed.
"Gohan…"
He closed his eyes and rested his head in his crossed arms laid on the desk. "I'm fine…" he whispered. Those were the very words he said to his mother when she asked if he was all right. She knew her son was very emotional so she wanted to know if he would recover. When he said those words to him, they were forced out. They were filled with such pain and agony when he tried to comfort his mother into not having to worry about him. He gritted his teeth. The truth was, he was not fine at all. Inside, he was a total mess. Chaos was running everywhere as different emotions rushed through his brain. Resilience was trying to surface, but the guilt always managed to subside it. The only thing he could do, was create a barrier around his heart.
Videl knew that he was lying. His face was not of one who was fine. She wouldn't be surprised if the boy had ever considered suicide. Again, she raised a hand to her head and rubbed her temple. 'Ugh, this is so frustrating to even carry out a single conversation with the guy. He practically closed himself completely.'
"Okay class, I have the tests graded and recorded." He smiled to his students. "And I have interesting news to tell you, one of your classmates have managed to make a perfect score on this test."
"Ah, probably cheated!" bellowed a few of the guys in the class.
Mr. Satoya sighed and shook his head. "I doubt it. Even on his entrance exams this student managed a perfect score, and he was carefully watched throughout the test."
"Wow, I wonder who the nerd is," Sharpner said with a smirk. He knew that it was probably going to be either Videl or that glasses freak that sat in front of them.
"Everyone, give a hand to Son Gohan!" Mr. Satoya bellowed.
Immediately the class clapped, not knowing whom they were applauding to since they don't pay attention to new students.
'Gohan scored perfect?' Videl wondered in confusion and astonishment. 'Wow, no wonder he finished so fast. He's probably a genius or something.'
"And another student who was very close to a perfect score, our very own Satan Videl. Everyone give her a hand."
This time, the applaud was tremendous, since everyone knew her and she was the daughter of Mr. Satan.
Videl had no idea how close she was to a perfect score or she was that ingenious. She merely gaped at her accomplishment. She looked over to her left to see Gohan's eyes fall upon her. She examined his expression; it wasn't that of jealously, anger, or the sort. Instead, his eyes were a little questioning mixed with surprise. His eyes were deep and piercing. After an intense gaze, Videl merely turned away from him. His eyes could be scary at times, especially when he stares directly into your eyes with that blank look of his.
It was again, lunchtime. Videl plopped down on the lunch bench while throwing down her lunch tray. "Well, what do we have today?" she asked sarcastically staring upon the food in her tray. Realizing what it resembled, she grimaced. She definitely did not want to digest this meal.
"Hey Videl, what's up girl?" asked the blond, Erasa.
Videl released a sigh and pointed to her food. "This trash which they call lunch."
Erasa peered down at her friend's tray and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Ewww… what's that?"
Videl shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows? Usually the food isn't this bad, but once dad got the school system different cafeteria ladies… Ugh… I don't even want to think about what's lunch for tomorrow."
Erasa laughed at her friend's remark. "True, true. Oh, hey. Are you going to invite that new kid, Gohan to join us for lunch today?"
Videl immediately looked up from poking her 'food.' A flashback of the gaze he gave her sent shivers down her spine. His eyes were so empty that time it scared her. "I don't think so. Yesterday he clearly implied that he wanted to be left alone. You can tell by the way he just sits there and becomes oblivious to the world around him."
Erasa raised an eyebrow. What was she getting at? "What are you saying, Videl? I know you like him, I can tell by the way you were staring at him today," she said with a smirk.
Videl lazily dropped her fork and turned to her friend. "Look, Erasa. I do not and probably will never like Gohan in that way."
"Uh, huh. Yeah, sure…"
Videl sighed in exasperation. "I was staring at him today because of something that happened this morning. You know how there are bank robberies sometimes in the morning right?"
Erasa nodded.
"Well, I was running a little late today, so when I arrived, I found Gohan at the scene. But the weird thing is that he wasn't just one of the bystanders, he was the one that stopped those crooks."
"Gohan did? Nah, you must be joking! That nerd just sits in his seat all day doing nothing!" exclaimed Sharpner before he jammed his sandwich in his mouth.
"Whatever Sharpner. Anyways, I witnessed him finish off the rest of the crooks that were getting away in their car. It was really weird. It looked like he disappeared for a minute. Then when I flew over the car with my jet copter, Gohan was there, in front of the car. He somehow fired this weird beam out of his hand and destroyed the engine."
"Aww, come on Videl! It's like your old man says, it's all a bunch of tricks. No one could do that in real life. Gohan might have been carrying a laser gun with him at the time," interjected the blond male.
Videl rolled her eyes and continued. "Then he disappeared without a trace! I was looking around for a while, and surely he disappeared. I'm wondering, just why was Gohan helping the police, it's not like he's a superhero or doing community service like me."
"Maybe you're just hallucinating, Videl. Just look at the scrawny punk sitting in the corner right there, staring off into the sky…" he pointed toward the demi-saiyan to get a clear view of the boy munching on his 'lunch.' "Um… better make that stuffing his face."
Videl and Erasa stared at the boy by the tree to see that he indeed was eating his so-called lunch. "How can he eat so much?" asked Erasa.
The more Videl looked at the boy, the more suspicious she grew. Something was not right. 'I'll discover your secrets, Gohan. And I'll have you smiling in no time.' For some reason, people who always mope around or have this dejected expression always make her heart wrench. Perhaps it's from all the despair on faces of people she saved every once in a while. She sighed and resumed poking her 'lunch.'
Finally class ended and the students began to file out of the door. (Ahem, run out of the door, shoving each other) Gohan stuffed his notebook into his backpack and left his desk. As soon as Gohan exited the classroom, Videl followed in pursuit.
Strangely, as soon as Gohan exited through the main doors and walked a block down the neighborhood, he glanced around him. That caused suspicion to rise. Videl quickly hid behind a tree and waited to see what Gohan was going to do, or where he was going. Eventually his feet began to slowly levitate off the ground.
'What?! H-how? He's flying? The last I saw of him, he just disappeared into thin air. Surely I thought he was going to do that again.' Just as Gohan was in full flight, Videl de-capsulated her jet copter and followed behind. Man was he fast! He was flying faster than her jet copter.
Gohan glanced around at the area around him and found the coast clear, or mostly clear. He raised his ki slightly and his feet rose off the ground. Time to get home. He began to head in the direction for Capsule Corp. when he felt a familiar ki behind him. He increased his speed and made a sharp turn, missing Capsule Corp. completely. Eventually he grew tired of flying around in the air and stopped in mid air, waiting for the pig-tailed girl with his arms crossed.
Videl screeched to a stop as she noticed the figure of Gohan half in his tracks. She was going to collide if she didn't act soon. She pulled the brake and waited to see if Gohan was all right.
Gohan extended his arm and stopped the vehicle from colliding into him. Once he was sure that the jet copter was floating in the air and would not fall, he floated over to the window.
Videl noticed Gohan's face through the windshield. She rolled down her window.
"What do you think you are doing?" he asked.
Videl began to stutter for a minute before regaining her composure. "I'm flying around the city! What does it look like?"
Gohan eyed her for a moment, his arms still crossed in front of his chest. "Seems more like following me home. Listen, I'm not going to say this again, do not bother me or my family." With that he sent her a small glare and took off at break neck speed back home.
Videl could only stare blankly at the retreating figure. What just happened? Did she just stalk a boy to find out where he lived? Man, did she need a good nap. She felt as if she was going insane, so she heaved a sigh and headed home. 'I don't think I'll try that again for a while, especially the way he looked at me. Maybe I should just forget this whole making Gohan smile thing, but then again, it isn't natural for a person to act like that. Argh… I really need a nap.'
Once Videl arrived at her home/mansion, she immediately headed for the bath. Before she took a nap, she needed to relax a bit and to relieve her tense muscles.
'What a day,' she thought to herself as she stared up at the ceiling. 'Urgh, I think I lost it. I've got to be insane to actually stalk a person just to find out what's bugging him.'
Life had been cruel to her for the past few years and she's trying to make the best of it, but it's just not working. With each passing day, she could feel the pain of her mother's death amplify and the loneliness increase as her father runs off with other women. She closed her eyes and let the memories and thoughts flood through her brain. Over the years she learned to deal with the pain, but the memories of her mother still tugs at her heart. She could never forget someone so close to her. At least she still had her father, even though he isn't around most of the time. She still managed to smile and laugh even through all the pain and loneliness she felt in her heart.
'He at least deserves a happier life, like me. I'm making the best of what I have and that brought me a long way. When mom first died, I thought the world would end, but then I learned that she was always watching me, hoping for me to live a long and happy life. Wouldn't every parent who loved his/her child want the same thing? If so, wouldn't Gohan's parents want him to live a happy life and get out more? From the two days I've known him, he's never said anything with joy in his dead monotonic voice.'
Videl opened her eyes and allowed the soothing waters of her bath invoke her. 'Everyone deserves a happy life, no matter who the person is. I guess I should've stuck to my morals from the beginning, that way I wouldn't have to replay the same information through my brain so many times and make a decision of whether or not to carry out my plan.' She released a small sigh and closed her eyes, relaxing into the soothing waters of her bath.
Gohan arrived home shortly. He entered through the front door and headed toward his room, throwing his backpack down on the ground by his bed. Immediately he plopped down on the bed and sighed with relief that the horrible day at school was finally over.
'It seems that I just can't get that girl off my tail,' he thought with exasperation. (No pun intended) 'Ever since yesterday, she's been staring at me like I'm mental or something. I've never met anyone so headstrong as her, with the exception of my mother of course. God, I just wish that she would leave me alone like all the other students. She doesn't know what she's doing to me, she starting to bring the other me out; the me that's vulnerable and easily hurt. I won't let that happen. I will not let her do this to me. If she manages to succeed, it'll only bring more pain to me since all my loved ones had left me. That's the reason why I've never grown close to Bulma, Vegeta, Trunks, Goten, or Dr. and Mrs. Briefs. They're all going to leave me and cause me more pain if I get attached to them. I know the pain of loosing a love one too well and I do not want to experience it again. It's just too painful. All my memories and feeling haunt me and will eventually eat me alive.'
He closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth. 'It's too painful for me to bear anymore…'
Over the course of the past few weeks, Videl had been careful to keep her distance from the demi-saiyan. Several times she tried to unconsciously pry information out of the blonde boy, but every time her plan was sabotaged. Gohan would eventually catch onto what she was trying to do and close off completely to her, never talking to her for a few days until he forgot of the incident.
Videl released a frustrated growl as her plan had once again been destroyed. When would this boy just give up his cool collective depressed demeanor and just pour out his soul? Sometimes people can be very frustrating and exasperating.
One day, Videl was so fed up with everything that she just walked up to the boy during lunch and ate beside him. Gohan was confused as to this stubborn girl's actions and why she would want to open him up. It would be best if he were not involved with anyone. No pain, no suffering, and no heartbreak.
"Why are you here?" he asked.
Videl looked up from her sandwich she brought from home. "Because I thought that you might want some company."
Gohan snorted. "I do not need company. I am fine by myself."
Videl doubted his response. He was clearly unstable with all the emotions running through him. She would like to know what this boy could've or would've been if that devastating event never occurred. Perhaps he would've made a good friend. She wouldn't know unless she tried. So, that motivated her even more to open up the stoic Son Gohan.
"Everyone needs company. Being by yourself is lonely and depressing," she stated.
Gohan snorted once again. "I am always by myself and I am hardly lonely." He looked up from his food and stared blankly at the scene before him. 'I'm lying to myself. I'm indeed very lonely without you, mom, dad, and grandpa. It's sad to know how much I've changed and how cruel life has gotten. Goten his growing up knowing Bulma and Vegeta as his parents without even knowing the great people his biological parents were. I'm shutting myself away from others to avoid more pain, but in fact it just amplifies the pain I feel. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up. Maybe one day I will finally snap and go insane or something. It's either that or I commit suicide. Now that I think about it, suicide isn't that bad an option. I wouldn't have to deal with this painful life, and escape. My soul would be finally free. I don't care if I go to hell. I deserve it after killing off my father for some stupid mistake I made.'
He smiled to himself and finished off the rest of his meal. 'But first, I want to live out the rest of this month. The first day of the next month will be the day I die.'
Videl raised an eyebrow at his response and the smile that had suddenly appeared on his face. She was glad that he smiled, but this smile was a creepy one. It was mischievous smile, not that of joy. He had something up his sleeve and she had a foreboding feeling that she would not like it one bit.
Gah… who taught me how to write?! My writing is so screwed up! Oh well, too late to do anything about it now. Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this little chapter. I know that Videl seemed a little OOC compared to the previous chapter. Her attitude or something is kind of back, so that certainly makes it easier for her to be a strong willed and headstrong girl. Please tell me if this totally sucked or if it was good, because I'm going to revive and clarify a few things in the future for better reference and the sort.
Next Chapter: Will Gohan actually go through with his suicide plan? Or will it be sabotaged. Only one way to find out. Tune in for the next installment of The Wretched Life of our Hero. (Man did that summary sound lame or what?)
See ya next time!
