With a loud, almost painful ring, the bell signaled the end of the first day. Thoughts of lunch still lingered on Gohan's mind, prompting him to visit Bulma for help. Deciding against using Nimbus again, the teen calmly walked towards a large tree. Looking for suspicious stares, Gohan waited until the after school throng of students had mostly dispersed. Glancing quickly around the campus one more time, he gathered his energy and shot up into the air with incredible speed. To the untrained eye, a sporadic gust of wind simply seemed to blow by.
Soaring safely above the clouds, Gohan flew to the renowned Capsule Corporation at a leisurely pace. Even if Bulma can help, what would she be able to do? It wasn't before long, however, that the large, dome shaped building he was seeking came into view. Softly biting his lip, he waited until there was a red light before shooting down towards the back of the building as to attract the least amount of attention as possible.
His gait a casual stroll, the city's everyday pedestrians only saw a tall boy move with an inhuman grace. But that wasn't possible, right?
With the press of a finger, Gohan forced the residents of Capsule Corp. to acknowledge his presence with the doorbell. He hoped it would be Bulma who answered, so he could get right to the point of his visit. If he took too long, his mom would surely panic, and Chichi's panic brought the frying pan. Oh the horror...
However, it wouldn't be bad if Trunks opened the door first either. A little too sarcastic for his own good, the other chibi in his life was still like his own brother.
Too bad Gohan was never lucky, for the one to beckon to his call was none other than the beloved saiyan who could brighten any person's day with his smile alone...hah. Like Goku would answer the door at the moment.
"Well, brat. What brings you to my humble abode?" Vegeta growled, leaning against the doorframe. It didn't take a genius to feel the waves of impatience and annoyance emanating from the smaller man.
"Nice to see you too. I'm here to see Bulma, however," Gohan replied with a smile.
"Hmph," the prince of saiyans muttered intelligently, "She's in that blasted lab of hers."
"Thanks, Vegeta," the teen said with a nod. Keeping his grin, he walked down the hall, making a right at the first corridor. Once out of Vegeta's line of sight, Gohan let a sigh of relief escape him. What Bulma sees in him...eighth wonder of the world...
Resuming his trek towards Bulma's lab, Gohan was again intercepted. With an agile leap, Trunks landed smoothly on the dark-haired man's shoulder.
"Hiya Gohan!" Trunks greeted easily, "Are you here to see my mom?"
"Right in one, kid. How have you been doing lately?" Gohan asked, starting an easy conversation.
"It's so boring here. It's a shame, really. I'm actually running out of pranks to pull," Trunks face took the image of one who was properly mortified at the idea.
"Oh Kami, that is a bummer," Gohan mourned with mock pity.
"Tell me about it. I need fresh ideas." Trunks sighed, sounding truly pained that his cleverness was at a low. "And...well, you know Goten isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, if you know what I mean. Born in the shallow end of the gene pool, that one."
"Eh, he's not that bad. Maybe you're just too smart for your age, hmm?" Gohan defended, "By the way, there is nothing wrong with the Son genetics, for your information."
"But that's what dad said," Trunks said while cocking his head to the side, "Why would he lie?"
"Silly me, Trunks. Forget that I said anything in the first place."
Waving off Trunks, Gohan knocked on the lab door, aware of the red light that was blinking above, a signal that Bulma was working hard on something.
Creaking open, the door was pulled in by a familiar cyan-haired scientist, who had large goggles adorning her face.
"Why hello, Gohan. To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting," she welcomed cheekily, gesturing for him to go into the sacred lab that few had ever entered.
"Good afternoon to you too. I'd like to stay and chat, but I'm pressed for time."
"Not surprised," Bulma commiserated, "Chichi has you on a tight leash. I'm surprised she even let you go to school after seven some years of personal tutoring."
"Same here, but I must be thankful for the few chances of freedom that so rarely occur, yes?"
"Of course. So what do you need?"
"Ah, I need..."he trailed off, now wondering if his request would sound as stupid to her as it did to him. Why yes, Bulma, I'm in desperate need of costume befitting of a superhero. You know the type, right? I'll just take whatever you have lying around in a large, please.
"Well," gathering his courage, Gohan continued, "I need a disguise of sorts. I want to help out with the crime in the city, but I evidently can't go around looking like...well, me. I have a reputation to hold, you know."
"I don't know what kind of costume I can get that would bolster your reputation as a momma's boy," she teased.
"Bulma," Gohan snapped, though his eyes shined with wry amusement, "Something a tad more manly would be much appreciated, if possible."
"I know what you need, but can you wait an hour or so? Despite what you may think, I don't have specially tailored outfits for your convenient disposal."
"Right, do you want me to wait outside?" Gohan offered.
"Nah, you can hang out here. Start your homework, or something."
"Sure thing," he replied, picking up his textbooks and starting on the assignments given.
What would have taken the average student roughly an hour to do, Gohan was able to complete every paper within a matter of fifteen minutes. Not wanting to bother Bulma, Gohan idly perused the papers lying half-hazardly on the desk he previously worked on. In the corner of his eye, the demi-saiyan noticed a rather complicated looking schematic that involved dozens of meticulous steps and a particular type of computer system. Glancing through the directions quickly, Gohan deduced that involved one of Bulma's greatest inventions, the Gravitation Room.
His interest thoroughly peaked, the teen spent the rest of his time studying the paper, surprised to find a few minor mistakes.
"Finished, Gohan," Bulma called, shaking said boy out of his reverie. An hour sure flies by when you're...studying hard? Second sign of insanity, Gohan mentally noted, When you find projects far more complex than your homework fascinating, you have successfully proved to yourself that you have no social life.
"That's great Bulma, what does it look like?"
"Put this watch on and press the little button there in the corner," she instructed, pointing to the green piece of plastic sticking out unobtrusively.
"This better be good," Gohan muttered, and with a gentle stab of his finger, he suddenly felt a whooshing sensation over his entire body. Blinking owlishly, he was shocked to find that his vision had darkened immensely, until he saw that he was wearing a visor.
With a snicker, Bulma pulled open a cabinet door to reveal a floor length mirror.
"Why Gohan, aren't you going to be quite the lady's man in this, eh?"
Wary of her sardonic tone, the teen slowly trudged to the mirror, glad that at least whatever he was wearing was very comfortable.
Of all the suits he expected, this was at the bottom of the list. Maybe even on its own list titled Disguises That Embrace Your Nerdy Side.
First of all, he seemed to sense an overwhelming amount of green and white. White cape, green suit, and a helmet to boot. Swallowing his saiyan pride, Gohan gave Bulma a weak smile, hoping to not offend her unique choice.
"Wow, Bulma. It's...tasteful? "
"You don't think it's...lame, do you?" she questioned, looking nervous of his reaction.
My Kami, what a faker.
"What, may I ask, was your inspiration for such a fine specimen of clothing?"
"Well, your favorite colors are green and white, and the visor keeps you hidden, of course," with a snort, she continued, "So what's your name going to be?"
"Name? Ah...haven't thought that far ahead...I'm sure I'll think of something," he looked down at her, "I guess I should be thankful for all of this...too bad I'm having a hard time of finding the love right now."
"Gohan? Is that you?" came Trunks incredulous voice from the doorway.
"What if it is?" responded Gohan, lifting up his shaded helmet to give the chibi a raised eyebrow and a challenging look that clearly stated 'One word to Vegeta and you'll know nothing but a world of pain.'
"Nothing. I was never here."
Accompanying him to the front door, Bulma and Gohan amiably discussed pointless topics.
"So how are your projects going?" Gohan started, genuinely interested, "You looked to be really absorbed in your work when I came in."
"It's such a hassle," she sighed, blowing a lock of hair from her face, "I'm trying to improve some major details in the GR, but none of it's making any sense!"
"What exactly are you trying to accomplish?"
"You see, when you set the gravity to a certain level, the entire room is affected. But Vegeta's always complaining about how frustrating it is to have to constantly reset the pressure of lack of when training."
"Would this problem, by any chance, have to do with the schematic on your desk? The one with all of the main board configurations?"
"W-well, yes. You understood it?" Bulma sounded skeptical.
"Um, was I not supposed to? To me, it just seemed that some of your calculations were off..." he stated, and continued on giving input on what additions that could possibly be made.
"No way! I knew you were smart, but Gohan, that's brilliant!" she gushed, supremely surprised by the eighteen year olds perceptiveness. "You know, if you had any extra time, would you like to come over here and help me? It's plain to see I can't talk to Vegeta or Trunks about any of this, and what you just said could really improve the GR. What do you say?"
"If it's alright with mom, then sure. It's not like my homework will be a hindrance."
"Excellent! I'll call your mom later tonight then."
"Works for me," the demi-saiyan paused, internally deciding whether to go on, "Bulma? Can I talk to you about this girl in my class?"
"Having issues already, brat?" Vegeta sneered, walking in from the kitchen, "I knew your idiot of a father was a hopeless case, but seeing his spawn struggle is just priceless."
"Read between the lines, Vegeta," Gohan said, holding up his index, middle, and ring fingers on one hand together, "Bulma," he started, pointedly ignoring the other man, "There is a girl in my class who is already suspicious of me. Do you think the outfit will be enough?"
"Can't say for sure, Gohan. Just try to be your normal, charming self and you'll have no worries."
"My, aren't you helpful," Gohan said with a roll of his dark eyes, "I'd like to stay and chat, but I really should get home."
"No problem, see you later!" Bulma replied as he opened the door to go.
"Gohan wait!" Trunks voice came as the chibi's mom and dad left for the kitchen.
"What do you need, kid?" the teen asked.
"Er, you know I mentioned I was running dry on the pranks earlier?"
"Yes?"
"We, meaning me and Goten, might need the assistance of one with a higher IQ than 20. Would you care to help at all?"
Gohan bit the inside of his cheek as he thought. He really was getting too old for tricks, but the image of a caustic Vegeta swam through his head, fueling his need for revenge.
"Sure, kid. If help in pranks is needed...I'll see if I can do something."
"I'm holding you to that," Trunks said sternly, holding out his little hand for Gohan to shake. Reciprocating with a firm hand of his own, Gohan straightened from his crouch that he somehow arrived in while talking to the chibi.
"I'll see you around, Trunks."
"Bye Gohan!"
Once again up in the air, Gohan was left alone with his wandering muses. Where have I seen Videl before? And how did she already suspect something? I don't think I'm that obvious...am I? She's so familiar! Why can't I place it?
Frustrating himself, Gohan sped up his flight, pushing his thoughts from his head to make way for the welcome idea of dinner at home.
A/N: Gah, don't you love Gohan...or maybe it's just me. Thanks to the reviewers I've received so far (I'd name you, but my computer's being screwy, sorry!) Hope you like it and reviews, as always, are more than welcome. Until next time!