Chapter 21: Laughter and Bruises
Talking on the TV screen.
I do not own Dragonball Z.
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Gohan and Videl couldn't think of how they should respond, so Gohan said the first thing that came to mind. "How did you guys sleep?"
The reaction he got from the adults wasn't what he expected. They all blushed. None of them had slept much during the night do to certain nocturnal activities. And that was especially the case in Hercule and Selene's room.
"What?" Gohan and Videl asked.
"Nothing you two need to worry about." Chi-Chi replied while making a big show out of placing a plate of feed before each demi-Saiya-jin.
With a dismissive shrug the two started to eat their breakfast while Goku looked on with sad puppy dog eyes. He had wanted that food.
Chi-Chi smiled at her husband as she quickly dished him up some food. The man ate even more ravenously then usual. 'I guess we did burn a lot of calories last night.' Chi-Chi thought with a smirk as she fixed herself some food. Just as she was about to take her first bite, she noticed the other five people in the room staring at her. "What?"
"Where's our food?" Vegeta asked gruffly.
The Saiya-jin prince flinched slightly upon seeing a slight twinge above Chi-Chi's left eye. "I'M NOT YOUR DAMN SLAVE!" She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. "Sorry but with Goku-chan back and me being pregnant I'm only cooking for my own family from now on."
Bulma blinked at her friend. "What? But Videl's notI suppose your including future relatives."
The black haired woman smiled, "Yep."
'I still don't like that boy hanging around my little girl." Hercule thought as he took a sip from his cup of coffee.
Selene slapped her husband playfully. "His name's Gohan and there's nothing wrong with him spending time with Videl."
"Huh?" Hercule looked at her blankly. "I didn't say that. I thought it."
The other adults in the room looked on with amused smiles.
"I guess Chi-chan and I weren't the only ones who ha-" Goku was cut off by Chi-Chi stuffing a handful of hash browns in his mouth.
A little laugh escaped from Bulma as she fed Trunks. "Speaking of which." She looked at Hercule and Selene. "Do you think you could keep it down next time? You kept Veggie and I up all night."
"What are you talking about Onna? I couldn't hear them over your own mo-" The Saiya-jin prince was silenced in a similar fashion as Goku, except Bulma used scrambled eggs that were covered in hot sauce.
Selene blushed heavily while Hercule seemed to find the bread he had just put in the toaster very interesting. "Youcould hear us?" She almost whispered.
"As though we were in the same room." Bulma replied while glaring at her mate. 'Saiya-jins have no tact when it comes to sex.' She thought. "Which is really saying something since the rooms are sound proofed."
After breakfast Bulma, Chi-Chi, and Selene were left alone in the kitchen. As they talked an idea popped into Bulma's head. An idea that she thought was cute and, after she told Chi-Chi and Selene, found that she wasn't the only one that thought it would be a cute thing to do. If for no other reason then to see how two of their group would react.
~*~
"Dang Videl. I can't believe how strong you are now." Gohan said as he and Videl sparred.
"Thanks." She replied with a smirk. "I think I'm the strongest now."
"In your dreams!" Gohan yelled as he powered up to the second level of Super Saiya-jin before charging at her.
Videl quickly powered up to her the same level and went on the defensive. Almost every blow that was thrown at her was blocked or dodged. But the few that landed were definitely felt by Videl.
After several minutes the fighting stopped and the two adolescents faced each other from opposite sides of the gravity room.
"Now it's my turn." Videl said coolly with a smile. And when she attacked Gohan the result was the same as he had attacked her. Most blows were blocked or dodged with only a few landing on target.
This time when they stopped both were breathing hard while crouched on one knee.
"Ithink we'reeven." Gohan said between gasps of breath.
"Y-yea. ButI'm notdone yet."
"Neither am I." Gohan responded as they smirked at each other. "Ready"
"Set" Videl said.
"Go!"
The two charged at each other, both putting everything into this one last assault. But the match was destined to end without a winner as the gravity suddenly cut out. Sending them colliding into each other. "Ouch!" They exclaimed as they rubbed their heads.
"What happened?" Gohan asked.
"I don't know."
"Erit's our fault." Selene said as she and Hercule entered the chamber.
"We looked through the window but didn't see anyone." Hercule added.
"Oh." Gohan and Videl said as they stood up. Both winced slightly in pain.
"Isn't the other GR free?" Videl asked.
"Nope, Vegeta and Bulma are in it." Selene answered.
"Oh. Should have none." The two pre-teens replied as one before exclaiming, "WHAT? Vegeta and Bulma?"
"Yeah. It's kind of weird. Bulma doesn't seem like the violent type." Selene responded as Hercule checked out the controls for the room.
Gohan and Videl laughed lightly. "Wait till you see her angry." Videl replied.
"Yeah." Added Gohan. "She can be just as violent as my mom."
Selene looked at her husband for confirmation. He just nodded.
"Anyway, have fun." Gohan said as he and Videl left the room.
"I don't know about you, but I need a shower." Said Videl as they walked down the hall.
"Yeah, me too."
Chi-Chi overheard them and said with a smirk, "Just don't take them together."
Gohan and Videl looked at her while blushing. "Why would we do that Kaa-san?"
"Yea Chi-Chi-san. Why would we shower together?"
"Nothing dears." The woman smiled. "You'll understand when you're older."
"Whatever." Gohan and Videl said as they entered their room. After a single step into the room both froze. The bunk beds were no longer in the room. Instead there was a single queen-size bed.
"W-what happened to our beds?" The adolescents asked in perfect unison.
"We thought that after how peaceful you two looked last night that you'd like to just have one bed."
"Kaa-san! Why would yo-"
"Don't raise your voice at me young man!" Chi-Chi yelled. "And it wasn't my idea. It was Bulma's. Selene and I thought it was a good idea so we went along with it."
"B-but" Videl stuttered.
"But what?"
"We have to sleep in the SAME bed?" Gohan asked for his friend.
"No." Chi-Chi said in response. "One of you could sleep on the floor." She added before turning and leaving the room.
The two adolescents stared at the slowly closing door. It wasn't that they had never slept in the same bed as someone. Gohan had done that with his father in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. And Videl had slept in the same bed as Erasa when they had stayed the night at each other's homes. However, this was different. They had a crush on each other and felt extremely awkward about sleeping in the same bed. But, knowing their mothers and Bulma, they knew that hell would probably freeze over before the sleeping arrangements were back to normal.
"What a day." Gohan muttered as he and Videl got what they needed for a shower before going to separate bathrooms.
~*~
"So did anything interesting happen while I was gone?" Goku asked to the group that had gathered in the living room. He was answered by laughter from Gohan and Videl, a blushing Hercule, a snickering Chi-Chi and Bulma, a smiling Trunks, and an angry Vegeta glaring at Gohan and Videl. "Tell me, what did you two do to Vegeta?"
"Oh we can do more then tell you." Gohan said with a smirk.
"We can show you!" Videl said happily with a smirk before putting something in the DVD player.
"Oh! A movie! Where's thethanks Chi-chan!" Said Goku when his mate set a big thing of popcorn before him.
The image on the screen bounced around for a second before settling to show Gohan and Videl. Each had a bag filled with stuff.
"Hello. My name is Son Gohan."
"And I'm Videl Satan."
"Today we well be giving Vegeta Briefs,"
" and my father, Hercule Satan,"
Selene almost choked on her drink at the mention of Hercule.
"a make over."
"Wow, you two are so cute in this." Selene gushed. "I can definitely see why you will get married." Gohan and Videl blushed slightly.
"We will be starting with Vegeta since he is the base for our little prank." The on screen Videl said as they moved out of the line of the camera so that the sleeping Saiya-jin could be seen.
"First, we have to do something about the clothes he's wearing. Luckily I just happen to have a nice pink dress to put him in."
The room was filled with laughter as they watched the screen. Only Vegeta and Hercule didn't find this funny. In fact, Goku was so caught up in the show that his popcorn lay forgotten on the coffee table. And if it weren't being covered by the laughter they could have heard Vegeta slowly grinding his teeth.
After they had changed Vegeta into the pink frilly dress, Gohan set about dyeing his hair a lovely shade of pink while Videl put makeup on him. Once they were done they stood back to admire their work. "One down, one to go." They said in unison before moving Hercule to the couch and doing to him what they did to Vegeta.
"My my Hercky-chan. I didn't know you'd make such a lovely drag queen." Selene teased.
"HA! I make a make a MUCH better woman then him!" Vegeta yelled, causing everyone to stare at him for a second before turning back to the TV.
"Now for the finishing touch." Gohan said as and Videl carefully placed Hercule in Vegeta's lap and moved their arms so it looked like they're holding each other.
'Those brats are DEAD!' The Saiya-jin prince silently vowed. Luckily for him, Bulma didn't hear the thought.
"Oh man, I can't wait to see the looks on their face when they wake up!" The on screen Gohan whispered as he and Videl snapped several pictures of the unconscious Vegeta and Hercule.
"I know! Poppa really hates" Videl trailed off when Vegeta and Hercule began to stir.
The two demi-Saiya-jins dashed from the room so that they wouldn't be caught. And what happened next caused those watching to laugh even harder then they had before.
Hercule and Vegeta came to at the same time and looked into each other's face. They sat still for a couple of seconds before Vegeta sent Hercule flying across the room. The much larger man screaming like a little girl until he hit the wall and crumpled to the floor. And the words that flowed from the TV caused Bulma to cover little Trunks' ears while laughing at the image of Vegeta tearing the dress off.
After watching Chi-Chi and Bulma enter into the scene and their reactions to the sight of Vegeta and Hercule dressed in drag Goku went over to his former enemy. The Saiya-jin had a smirk on his face that made even Vegeta nervous.
Slowly, Goku sat next to Vegeta and turned to him. His smirk was replaced with seriousness. "How about you and I go on a date sometime cutie?" He said before kissing the older Saiya-jin's cheek.
For a second everyone in the room choked on air before bursting into laughter.
"KAKAROTT!" Vegeta looked like he was about to explode. "HOW DARE YOU!" He yelled before calming down and smirking. "You should know that I'm more then willing to date you. You big hunk of Saiya-jin love." He added voice was soft and warm, completely unlike Vegeta, before kissing Goku on the cheek.
Again everyone was unable to control themselves as laughter filled the air.
Goku sat there, his face a sickly green, he couldn't tell if Vegeta was joking or being serious. As he sat there he saw the edges of Vegeta's mouth twitch before the Saiya-jin erupted in laughter.
"Damn Kakarott! You can dish it out but you can't take it!" Vegeta said between guffaws.
"I uhcouldn't tell if you were joking or not." Goku replied timidly.
"He's right Veggie-chan. You were REALLY convincing." Bulma added.
"Yeah, I swear that you really looked like you wanted to date my Goku-chan." Chi-Chi said as she sat in her mate's lap.
The Saiya-jin prince's face turned red. "II AM NOT GAY!"
"Relax Veggie. I know that you're not gay." Bulma replied.
"Well either that or you're just really good at hiding it and pretending you're straight." Chi-Chi added with a smirk.
"Kakarott," Vegeta growled out between clenched teeth, "shut your mate's mouth before I shut it permanently."
Chi-Chi's frying pan crashed down on his head. "I'd like to see you try! And don't threaten me!"
Vegeta glared at the woman before turning and leaving the room. All the time muttering about baka onnas with damned frying pans.
For once Hercule smirked. He had escaped unscathed from the jokes being thrown about. Or so he thought.
"You know dear, next time we go to someplace fancy you can wear the dress and I'll wear the suit." Selene said with a playful smile.
The man just stared at his wife and thought, 'Why me?'
"Because you're so much fun to joke with." Selene replied.
Hercule's eyes widened in surprise. "But II didn'tI thought that. I didn't say it out loud."
From the couch Goku and Chi-Chi smiled at them. "It's a bond. It was created when you bit each other last night." Chi-Chi said as she ran her fingers over the bite mark on base of her own neck.
"B-bond?" Asked Hercule. "What's that?"
"Oh, I learned a little about it in Other World." Selene replied. "When a Saiya-jin finds a mate a bond forms between them. And later they complete the bond by biting each otherlike we did last night." She finished with slightly reddened cheeks.
"Buthow did she read my thoughts?" Hercule asked.
"Simple. A bond is a telepathic and empathic link between mates. You can talk to each other through your bond and feel each other's emotions." Goku said with a smile before giving Chi-Chi a quick peck on the cheek.
"Oh." Mr. and Mrs. Satan replied.
"And I can tell you something else." Chi-Chi said with a smirk as she nodded towards Gohan and Videl who were quietly chatting. "A bond has formed between them. One day they'll be married."
The two demi-Saiya-jins sneezed suddenly as a chill ran down their spines.
Hercule glowered at them while Selene smiled. The woman was so happy for her daughter. Her first relationship and, if what she had learned about Saiya-jins and their mates was correct, it was going to be one that lasts forever."
~*~
That night when they went to bed both slept on the edge of the bed. Neither was comfortable with the new sleeping arrangements. But eventually they did fall asleep, not noticing the woman standing in the doorway.
"What are looking at?" Bulma asked as she came up behind Chi-Chi.
"Huh? Ohnothing." The younger woman replied. "Just look at them. If they were any farther apart they'd be sleeping on the floor."
Bulma looked into the room to see what her friend was talking about. "Hehe. That's cute."
"So I see that I'm not the only one who wanted to see how they handle the change." Selene added as she seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Chi-Chi and Bulma nodded. And as the three women watched the sleeping demi-Saiya-jins, they saw them slowly move until they were in the center of the bed. All three awed at how cute it was that their subconscious minds drew the two together while they slept.
"They are going to make such a cute bride and groom someday." Bulma commented.
~*~
The next morning Gohan and Videl awoke to find them in the same position they had been in when they had awaked the day before. Videl's head rested on Gohan's chest and one of his arms was wrapped around her. Only one thing happened differently was that the sound and flash of a camera awakened them.
"What was that?" Asked Videl as she sat up and rubbed the sleep her eyes.
"I don't know." Gohan answered with a yawn as he too rubbed at his eyes.
"I think I should start a photo album for you two." Chi-Chi said with a smile as she tucked a small camera into one of the pockets of sweat pants.
"Sure, whatever Kaa-san." Gohan replied before he and Videl asked in unison, "When's breakfast?"
Chi-Chi took the question in stride. After all, she's spent most of her life around Saiya-jins.
"In a few minutes. But it's lunch time, not breakfast."
"WH-WHAT?" The two demi-Saiyan-jins yelled.
Chi-Chi laughed at their reaction. "Goku and I were the same way when we were younger." She said with a smile before going off to finish preparing lunch.
~*~
Videl patted her full stomach as she and Gohan walked towards one of the gravity rooms. "That was," she burped loudly, "good. Excuse me."
Gohan smirked at her before he too burped. His was a tad louder and lasted a little bit longer. "Pardon me." He said with a smile.
"I hope you didn't get anything on your clothes." Videl joked when the gravity room door opened and Bulma stepped out.
The eyes of the adolescents widened in shock at her appearance. "Out of my way!" Bulma growled as she shoved past them.
With a shrug they entered the gravity room to find Vegeta fiddling with the controls while Goku appeared to warming up for a spar.
~*~
Chi-Chi was busily washing dishes with Selene's help when they heard a horse cry of, "Water!" Followed by the sound of the refrigerator door being yanked open then slammed shut. Turning to see what the ruckus is about, their eyes widened in surprise much like Gohan and Videl's had.
Bulma stood before the fridge gulping down half a bottle of water. The exposed portions of her arms and legs were covered in numerous cuts, scrapes, scratches, and bruises. And her clothing was torn and stained with blood and sweat. "That's better." She mumbled before limping to the table and plopping down in a chair.
"What the hell happened to you?" Selene asked.
Bulma's reply was short and sweet. "Vegeta."
The female Saiya-jin raised an eyebrow at that. "Why would he beat you up like that?" She asked while Chi-Chi stifled a laugh. She knew what Bulma meant.
"Because that arrogant ass calls it training." Bulma muttered as she took a long drink from the bottle of water. "He didn't seem to notice the fact that I could barely move."
"Well he shouldn't do tha-" Selene stopped in mid sentence upon seeing Vegeta limp into the room. He appeared to be in even worse shape then Bulma.
The blue haired woman grinned as Chi-Chi, either unable or unwilling to stop herself, laughed. They knew, or at least had a good idea of what had happened to him. And from the looks of it, if the slightly deformed lower portion of his face was any indication, his jaw is broken.
"What was with beating up your wife?" Selene asked while scowling at the other Saiya-jin.
Vegeta eyed the three women before taking a Senzu bean from a small brown bag on the counter. With some effort and obvious pain he chewed the bean and swallowed it. A second later he flexed his jaw before replying, "The damn brats."
It took Selene a second to process the information. "MY Videl did that to you?" Her astonishment evident in her voice.
Vegeta huffed and left the room.
"Wow, I can't believe it." Selene almost whispered.
"Don't worry about it. Vegeta'll get over it." Bulma said.
"Yeah, you don't need to punish her for beating up Vegeta. After all, I'm sure Gohan helped out."
"No, it's not that." Selene whispered again before practically yelling, "I can't believe my little girl is such a good fighter!"
~*~
Days passed as the travelers' home drew ever closer to their home.
For several nights Gohan and Videl had tried putting several pillows between them so they wouldn't wake up in what was to them an awkward position. But each time the pillows were shoved aside during the night. And after several such nights they just gave up and accepted their feelings. Eventually, while they couldn't bring themselves to fall asleep in the position that they always seemed to wake up in, they did sleep closer together on the bed.
The scene of a bruised Bulma became somewhat normal as well since the woman stubbornly refused to give up. She wouldn't tell anyone, but she was planning on challenging Chi-Chi to a fight once she had the baby.
"Thank god. I only have to spend one more hour in this damned ship with that damn fool." Vegeta grumbled from the doorway to the cockpit.
"Yeah, I'll be glad to get away from Hercule too." Bulma replied as she checked everything in preparation for their landing back on Earth.
"Who said I was talking about Hercule." The Saiya-jin replied as Goku, clad only in a towel, ran past him while being chased by Chi-Chi.
Goku ducked into the living room where Gohan and Videl were playing with Trunks. "Gohan! You gotta help me!"
"What's wrong Tou-san?"
"SON GOKU! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" The woman yelled as she stomped down the hall with some sort of clothe trailing behind her.
Goku, Gohan, and Videl flinched at the volume of Chi-Chi's voice.
"What'd you do now?" Videl asked while she and Gohan smirked. They found it rather amusing when the woman's ire was focused on someone other then them.
"Why do you think I've done something wrong every time Chi-Chi yells at me?"
"Because that's how it's been the last dozen times." Gohan replied when another yell from Chi-Chi filled the air.
"YOU'RE GOING TO WEAR THIS SUIT, GOKU! I WON'T HAVE YOU LOOKING LIKE A SLOB WHEN WE LAND!"
"Sorry Tou-san. You're on your own."
"Gee than- EEP!" Chi-Chi was just seconds from entering the room. If he didn't leave right that second then he'd be leaving with a suit on. But just as he dashed out the door Chi-Chi grabbed for him. The next thing the woman knew, her husband was running down the hall naked. She had only managed to capture his towel.
A few seconds later a yell came from one of the gravity rooms. "DAMN IT KAKAROTT! PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!"
I hope you enjoyed it and please review.