Chapter 26: An Interesting Day (Part 1)
Yay! I updated! wOOt! As some of you may know, I was without internet access for a while. I still am for the most part since I either have to go to my dad's or the library. Anyway, without easy quick and easy access to the net I've found that I don't want to write as much. Although at the time, when I do feel like writing I seem to get more written. And because of the fact that my Internet access is so limited for an undetermined amount of time, I do not know when my next update will be.
A few days ago two ladies were kind enough to point something out to me. What they told me answered what I myself had been feeling for a while. They told me that my fics have become about one thing, sex. For a while now I've been feeling that something's been wrong with my fics and what they said gave me the answer I've been looking for. And so, from this point on, I'm going to try and tone down the level of sexual content in my fics. I think that for a while I want to try and focus more on comedy and not so much on the personal lives of the characters.
I do not own Dragonball Z.
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"Well it's about time youoh hi Videl." Said Roshi upon opening the door. Leaning down to whisper to Gohan, Roshi asked, "Why's she with you and Goten?"
"Because my mother has been insane since she became pregnant and I can't stand it anymore." Replied Videl.
"What the fuc-dge?" Exclaimed Roshi in surprise. He hadn't expected Videl to hear him. "Oh right. You're half Saiya-jin."
"I guess you're not completely senile yet." Remarked the girl before shoving her way past him. Videl turned around when she heard the sound of wood snapping and saw Roshi lying on top the remains of a table with one twitching arm raised into the air. The raven-haired girl raised an eyebrow at Gohan.
"Do I really have to explain?" Videl glared at Roshi, instantly knowing what he was going to do.
"Trying to cop a feel of a twelve year old? I'm ashamed to call you my sensei." Said Krillin. He had seen the entire thing from the kitchen.
"Hey! I'm not into that! She doesn't even have tits yet!" Videl reached for something to throw at the old man. Unfortunately what she grasped was a solid gold bar being used as a paperweight. But for once Roshi had his guard up and dodged the glittering projectile that continued on its flight out the window and into the ocean beyond.
"Then what were you doing?" Growled the girl.
"A book was about to fall from your bag. I was just gonna fix it!" The people in the room gave the old pervert disbelieving looks.
"Videl?"
"What Gohan?"
"There's a," the dull thud of a book falling to the floor filled the room, "book about to fall from your pack."
"Hmm, I guess you're an ok sensei." Remarked Krillin.
Gohan turned his attention to the short man and saw him dressed up. "What's with the fancy clothes?"
"I've got a date with 18 tonight." Replied the former monk, a huge smile on his face. 'The date.' He added silently to himself as he checked his hair in a mirror. 'The big big date'
"You haven't dressed up for your dates with her in a long time." Said Videl.
Krillin blushed at the looks he was getting. "So what. It's not a crime for a guy to dress up for a date." A knock at the door silenced any further conversation as Krillin rushed from the room and outside in the blink of an eye.
"What's up with him?" Asked Gohan.
"I don't know. He's been acting odd lately." Replied Roshi. "Anyway, you guys know the rules."
::What rules? To not disturb him when his shows are on?:: Said Gohan. Videl laughed.
"So what do you want to do now? How about a game of Pictionary?" Asked the old man as he rubbed his hands together and grinned at them. Gohan and Videl paled at the suggestion. They had played that at Bulma's the last time they all got together. It had resulted in one obliterated game and a black and blue Master Roshi.
"II thought thatBulma toasted that game with a ki blast." Replied Videl as she remembered how the blue haired scientist had gloated about having found a use for her new found abilities.
"That was the old one. I bought a new and improved version that includes pictures along with the words." Roshi's eyes glazed over as he began to laugh to himself. Gohan took a step back from the old man and his foot hit something on the floor. When he looked down he saw a small black box.
"What's that?" Asked Videl when Gohan picked it up and opened it.
"It's aring?" Replied Gohan.
"A ring? Why would aoh no!" Replied Videl as she quickly pieced together the clues of Krillin acting weird and a ring.
"What?" Asked Gohan.
"That's an engagement ring! Krillin is going to ask 18 to marry him!"
"Ummhow do you know that?"
"Never mind that. We have to get that ring to him!" Gohan blinked several times while looking from the ring to Videl and back to the ring.
"Ok." He replied after several seconds. "But what about Goten?"
"Goten?" Videl looked at the little guy parked in front of the TV. A guy in a poorly made purple dinosaur costume danced on the screen while singing a song that only a small child would find entertaining. "He'll be ok. Roshi's too smart to let anything happen to him." Gohan shrugged.
"Alright. Let's go then."
"Bring me back a hot babe if you want me to train you!" Yelled Roshi as Gohan and Videl flew away from the island. The two demi-Saiya-jins glanced at each other but didn't say anything.
'I take back what I said about him not being completely senile yet.' Thought Videl.
"Look, there they are!" Exclaimed Gohan as he and Videl flew over the city. They had powered up to Super Saiya-jin just outside the city so as not to be recognized.
"Wow. He's really going all out. My dad said that that's one of the most expensive restaurants in South Capital." Replied Videl upon seeing Krillin and 18 enter a restaurant.
"Really? Then how's he going to afford a meal there?"
"They don't eat as much as you and me Gohan-chan." Replied Videl.
"I know that. It's just that I wouldn't think that Krillin would have all that much money."
"He probably got some by selling some treasure he got from one of the sunken ships near Roshi's."
"Oh yea. I never thought of that." Replied Gohan as he and Videl landed on the sidewalk, garnering stares from the people around them.
"I wanna fly like them mommy!" Exclaimed a little boy while pointing at Gohan and Videl. "I wanna be a super hero!" Gohan and Videl smiled at the kid.
"Just do as your mother tells you and eat all your vegetables and someday you might." Said Gohan. Videl looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What?" Asked Gohan.
"Nothing." Replied Videl. "You know, sometimes not even I can understand why you some of the things that you do." Said Videl as they walked down the street and into the restaurant.
A man approached them shortly after they went inside. "Uhem. How may I," the man frowned at them, "help you?" He is not impressed by the shorts and t-shirts Gohan and Videl are wearing.
"We came here tonever mind. I see him." Said Gohan as he walked towards the table Krillin and 18 are sitting at. But he fell back onto his butt when Videl grabbed the back of his shirt.
"We can't give it to him right here! She'll see!" Videl practically yelled. Neither demi-Saiya-jin noticed 18 get up from the table.
"So?" Replied Gohan as he dusted himself off.
"The entire point of it is for her not to know that he's going to ask her until he asks her!"
"OH! Ok! Then I guess now would be a good time." Replied Gohan, seeing that 18 isn't at the table.
"No it's not! She'll see us!"
"No she won't. She's not at the table right now." Said Gohan while pointing.
"Umm" But just as they took a step towards the table a large man stepped in their way. The man in the suit had grown tired of the two adolescents and called the bouncer. "Excuse me but we were walking here." Said Videl.
"You have to leave." Rumbled the man as he crossed his arms over his chest. Gohan and Videl, completely impervious to the man's attempt to intimidate them, ignored him and walked around the mountain of a man. "Hey!" Exclaimed the man as he grabbed the two demi-Saiya-jins. In an instant the man was on his back and unconscious.
"Ummsorry about that." Said Gohan while laughing a little.
Videl sighed. "You're impossible..." Said the raven-haired girl before noticing that Gohan's actions had drawn the attention of the people in the restaurant. "Crap. We have to get out of here before they see us." Said Videl before grabbing Gohan's hand and literally flying out the doors. The man in the suit stared at the doors as they slowly closed.
"Kids these days" Muttered the man as he called for the paramedics.
"Jeez Vidy, why don't you pull harder next time? I don't think my shoulder's dislocated yet." Said Gohan while swinging his sore arm around. She had stopped a block from the restaurant and they're now standing on the sidewalk outside a salon filled with old women getting their hair done.
"Sorry. But if we had stayed much longer then Krillin and 18 would have seen us." Replied the raven-haired girl. "You're ok though aren't you?" Gohan grinned at her.
"Yep! You've hurt me worse when we spar!"
"Then what are you making such a fuss over?"
"I was just kind of hoping you'd umm kiss it to make it better." Videl laughed at him.
"Sorry, but I'm not going to kiss your shoulder. I'm not your mother." Gohan pouted at her while silently thanking kami that she isn't his mother. After all, it wouldn't be right for him to feel the way he does about his mother the same way he feels towards Videl. "But I will kiss you." Added the girl before pressing her lips against his. If they had been inside the salon then they would have heard the old women gasp. But they didn't need to hear it since one of the women came out of the salon.
"Knock that off right now! You two aren't old enough to do that!" Yelled the gray haired woman. Gohan and Videl broke the kiss and stared at her. "What would your parents say if they saw you doing that?"
"My mom would think it's cute and take pictures while my dad wouldn't care." Replied Gohan while grinning at the woman.
"And my mom would also think that it's cute and take pictures and my dad would probably not be happy with it but accept it." Replied Videl.
The old woman's eyes narrowed at them. "I highly doubt that."
"Well that's what happened last week." Said a smiling Videl as Gohan and her took off into the air. They landed on top of a building that overlooks the restaurant and watched as an ambulance pulled up. A few minutes later the paramedics came out with the unconscious man.
"Maybe I hit him a little too hard." Commented Gohan.
"Either that or I might have." Replied Videl. "I think I accidently hit the back of his head after he spun around from your punch." Gohan and Videl both laughed.
They ended up waiting on the rooftop for two hours before seeing Krillin and 18 emerge from the restaurant and walk along the street. As Gohan and Videl watched them a plan began to form in Gohan's head.
"I have an idea." Said Gohan. "I'll sneak up behind them and put the ring in Krillin's pocket." Videl looked at him and blinked several times.
"That's so simple Why didn't I think of it?"
"Maybe because I'm the one with the brains in this relationship?" Suggested Gohan while giving her an innocent smile.
"Well then what am I? Chopped liver?"
"Nope. You're the beauty." Replied Gohan while grinning from ear to ear.
"Ok then. I guess that makes you the beast." Said Videl before cracking up into a fit of laughter.
"What's so funny? Did I just swallow a bug or something?"
"An image of you covered in fur and sporting a tail just popped into my head." Gohan chuckled.
"Well you and I both have a tail. And if there was a moon I could turn into a giant fury ape." Videl stopped laughing. What Gohan had said suddenly took the humor out of the images.
"Oh yea. I forgot."
"I know you did. I am the one with the brains remember?"
"Yea yea yea. Now why don't you use those brains and get that ring to Krillin?"
"Ummright." Said Gohan as he reached into his right pants pocket. He blinked several times before turning to Videl. "Did I give you the ring?"
"Nope."
"Crap Hey! What are you doing?!" Exclaimed Gohan when Videl reached into his left pants pocket. Videl smiled at him and showed him the small black box she found there. "Ohguess I forgot to check that pocket." Videl smiled at him and nodded.
"If you're the one with the brains then we're in trouble." Gohan feigned hurt at Videl's remark.
"Ouch. Now that hurt." Replied Gohan when Videl punched him in the arm.
"It was supposed to. Now get down there and get that ring into Krillin's pocket. We've been gone for nearly three hours already."
"Right." Replied Gohan as he lifted into the air and silently flew down to Krillin and 18, Videl followed closely behind him.
Videl watched in hushed silence as Gohan's hand inched towards the pocket on Krillin's suit jacket. Closer, closer, almost there, just a little bit moresuccess! In a flash Gohan and Videl blasted into the sky and back towards Roshi's island.
'What the?' Thought Krillin upon feeling the weight of something falling into his pocket. A smile crept onto his face when his hand closed around a small velvet covered box. He had been planning to ask 18 while they were at the restaurant but that plan fell to pieces when he couldn't find the ring. Looking to the sky he saw two golden lights streaking eastward. 'Thanks Gohan, Videl. I owe you guys big time for this.' Thought the former monk. Up ahead he saw the perfect spot to stop and watch some kids playing in the park. 'And just maybe,' thought the former monk, 'ask her about our future together.' The thought set butterflies loose in his stomach but he wouldn't let a little nervousness deter him.
"We're" Gohan and Videl's eyes widened in shock at seeing Roshi as they landed on the beach. The old man is covered in sweat and panting heavily. "back."
"Thank kami." Muttered Roshi as he collapsed on the sand at Gohan and Videl's feet.
"What happened?" Asked Videl.
"G-Goten"
"What? What happened to Goten?" Yelled Gohan. More from concern for his own safety then for that of his brother since there was no telling what his mother would do if he let anything happen to Goten.
"H-he got into the cookies" Replied Roshi before passing out. "the horrorthe horror" Muttered the old man in his sleep.
Gohan and Videl stared at him in disbelief. They couldn't understand what was so bad about Goten eating a few cookies. But they quickly understood upon entering the small home. They found Goten literally bouncing off the walls as well as the ceiling, floor, and any piece of furniture unlucky enough to be in his path. On the floor are a dozen empty packages of chocolate chip cookies.
"Ummthis isn't good." Said Gohan. They had forgotten that Roshi had capsules full of all types of foods, including cookies, so he wouldn't have to have groceries delivered all the time.
"I think that's an understatement." Replied Videl as she ducked to avoid being hit by Goten. Gohan, however, wasn't so lucky. Goten rebounded off the wall and straight into his older brother, sending him flying through the air to land on the coffee table. The sound of cracking wood filled the air as the legs of the table snapped under the demi-Saiya-jin's weight.
Looking up, Gohan sighed in relief. If he had flown a few more feet through the air then he would have gone through the TV. "We have to stop him before he destroys this place." Said Gohan after rolling over and sitting up.
"Well how," Videl dodged around Goten again, "do suppose we do that?"
"How should I know?" Replied Gohan.
"You're the brains in this relationship, remember?" Said Videl while smirking at him.
"He's," Gohan narrowly avoided the light as it fell from the ceiling, "never been like this before. I don't know what to do."
"Ok." Replied Videl. "Why don't we start by getting him outside?"
"I think that's easier said then done." Muttered Gohan as he stood up. A second later his legs were taken out from under him by Goten and he fell back to the floor. Videl smirked as an idea formed in her mind.
"Gohan, stand in the doorway." Said Videl as she opened the door.
"Why?"
"Just do it." Gohan shrugged and did as Videl asked. A few seconds later Goten came barreling at him. Unluckily for Gohan, he had taken his eyes off of Goten and didn't see him coming. The resulting impact sent the brothers tumbling out of the house and across the ground to come to rest at the water's edge with Goten lying on Gohan's stomach.
Videl smirked in triumph before giggling at the dazed look on Gohan's face. Goten sat up and shook his head a couple of times before jumping up and running around the island.
"Great," Gohan coughed, "plan."
"Thanks. I thought it was good too." Replied Videl as she sat down next to Gohan to watch Goten run a seemingly endless number of laps around the island. The little guy occasionally jumped onto the roof of the house or rebounded off a palm tree.
"But why didn't you stand in the doorway?"
Because he seemed to be aiming for you more thenduck."
"Huh?" He was answered by a mouth full of seaweed thrown by a giggling Goten. After coughing and sputtering for several seconds Gohan heard Videl cracking up.
"What? I didn't know seaweed in the face was that funny."
"N-no" She pointed a shaking finger at his head. "I-it'sa-a oct-oc" She couldn't say it. The sight was just too much for her to form a coherent sentence.
"A what?" Gohan was answered when a slimy tentacle slid down over his face. The demi-Saiya-jin grimaced slightly before pulling the thing from his head. "An octopus?" He looked up from the sea creature just in time to see his brother throw some more seaweed. And this time it wasn't aimed at him.
Now he could have warned Videl but that wouldn't have been fair. A smirk curled up the corners of his mouth as he watched the mass of seaweed fly through the air. His smirk grew as he got an idea. He'd just have to time it right. Just as the mass of seaweed hit Videl in the face he plopped the octopus down on her head.
Videl reaction to the mass of vegetation was the same as Gohan's. She glared at the demi-Saiya-jin as he laughed at her. And when she heard a few of Gohan's thoughts concerning a certain octopus that she found on her head her glare intensified. Gohan saw this and clamed up, gulping loudly in the process.
"Uhh-hi Videlnice day isn't it?" Said Gohan while laughing nervously.
"Yes. Lovely." Replied Videl as her she backhanded Gohan in the chest, sending him tumbling backwards into the water. Videl smirked as Gohan sat up in the water and spit out a mouth full of saltwater. "A lovely day indeed." Added the girl before standing up to go back into the house.
"Videl?" She turned back around at the sound of Gohan's voice only to be drenched by a wall of water kicked up by Gohan's ki.
The sound of Gohan's laughter filled Videl's ears and ignited a fire inside her. "I'll get you for that Son Gohan!" Yelled the girl as she launched herself at Gohan.
Laughter filled the air as they splashed each other in a water war. Their actions drew the attention of Goten and soon it was Videl and Goten against Gohan. The demi-Saiya-jin, after being attacked by an endless stream of waves from Goten and Videl that lasted for several minutes, surrendered.
"Thas fun!" Exclaimed Goten after the three demi-Saiya-jins dragged themselves from the water.
"Yep." Agreed Gohan and Videl before smiling, Goten's sugar high is over.
After letting the setting sun dry them some they returned to the house to find Roshi staring at his ramshackled home. He looked at them as they entered.
"You two will clean this up." Stated the old man.
"W-what?!" Exclaimed Gohan and Videl.
"You heard me."
"But we didn't do it!" Replied Gohan and Videl.
"If you wouldn't of left then this wouldn't have happened. And besides, he's you're brother," he pointed at Gohan, "and your future brother-in-law." He finished while pointing at Videl. Both demi-Saiya-jins blushed lightly.
"B-b-but"
"Do I have to call Chi-Chi?" Asked Roshi. Gohan and Videl paled slightly before they quickly set about picking the place up. "That's better. I expect this place to be as clean as a virgin before you two go to bed." Said the old man before turning and leaving the room.
After several minutes of picking up Gohan and Videl came across a stack of Roshi's magazines and videos next to the TV.
"What do we do with these?" Asked Gohan.
"I don't knowwait. I have an idea." Said Videl while smirking at a slightly fearful Gohan.
"If it involves me getting hurt then we're not doing it." Videl laughed at him.
"No, it's not like that." Replied Videl with an evil glint in her eyes.
Now before any of you send me e-mails or ask about it in reviews, yes Bulma can use ki blasts in this fic. If you remember correctly, Vegeta started training her while they were on the trip to New Namek. Chi-Chi is also able to use her ki. I just haven't put that in here yet.
Next time on Two Halves of a Soul
What does Videl want to do with Roshi's magazines and movies? And what other mischief will Gohan, Videl, and Goten get into while at Roshi's? Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter of Two Halves of a Soul to find out!
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I'm wondering how many of you read author's notes? It seems like when I first started visiting ff.net, at first to read fics and later to post my own fics, everyone read the author's notes. But lately it seems like I've notices a greater incidence of people skipping them all together and then asking about something in the fic that would have been explained if they would have only taken the time to read the notes.
I've also notices that there seem to be more people that skim through a fic and don't actually read it. (I know of one author in particular who's complained about this since her fics are generally complex with a lot going on in each chapter.) That's fine with some fics since they're not very complex but with some, I like to think that mine fall into this later category, you simply cannot do that without missing things that are integral to the story.
Anyway, I guess where I'm going with this is that if everyone should read the author's notes and that if you're going to read a fic then actually read it. Don't just skim it. And if you do skip the author's notes or just skim through the story then before you ask the author any questions you may have you should read the author's notes and fic. This, I think, would save some of the frustration we authors feel towards writing. When I'm asked something that's clearly in the fic or the author's notes I want to scream at the person to go back and reread it. And from what other author's have told me while chatting with them, they feel the same way.
Now that that's out of the way, I guess that's more of an author's rant then an author's note, I hope you enjoyed it and please review.