Once again I am sooooo sorry. I've been in Ireland so as you can imagine it was hard to update. Anyway I'm here now. By the way, any of you who want to tell me whether you'd prefer Videl's mum and/or Goku to come back to life or not, could you please say in a review and give me a reason. Then I can weigh up the pros and cons yatta yatta yatta... Anyway, on with the show. Now lets see...what should I write about...
Disclaimer: I'm a girl, now go figure.
Chapter eleven
No way!
It just wasn't possible? How could he...
Gohan was dumbstruck with shock. Sound had receded to the dull buzz of background noise as the demi saiyan's brain tried to deny his eyes. Sloth slowness descended all around as though pause had been pressed.
How did he...? How could...?
"Check shirt", drawled Sharpner, his smile dripping with malice.
That was enough to snap Gohan out of his trance as his Chi Chi trained brain took over.
"Actually I think Check mate is what you mean. A check shirt is...", he whirled from side to side divining a suitable example, before settling on a subject and pointing, "That is a Check shirt."
A fat, beach ball like boy looked up, hair hanging dark and lank. With his shoulders hunched the boy looked like a startled deer. Well a pregnant, startled deer anyway. Sharpner and Gohan shuddered at the rippling waves of oozing fat portrayed before them, the pair united in barely suppressed revulsion. A globule of grease seeped out of the unfortunate boy's breakfast burger only to be swept up by sausage like fingers and sucked from sight.
Gohan and Sharpner turned away unable to withstand anymore, the blonde turning an unsightly shade of green.
"If anything", gulped Sharpner as though trying to suppress the urge to vomit, "That", he pointed, "Is why I work out."
Gohan nodded his response. Even a saiyan stomach, iron hard as it was, was capable of rusting.
Videl eyed the pair before shaking her head and rolling her eyes in long suffering. Honestly, Gohan could rip apart trains with his bare hands but he couldn't stand that! Then again she was feeling a little nauseous herself. Better change the subject. What was it that Sharpner had in his hand that had made Gohan turn so pale?
All eyes turned to the rumpled stack of clippings. Gohan gave a halfhearted lunge. However considering the boy's heritage, to the human eye the movement was terrifyingly fast. Sharpner snatched his prize to his chest and backed away protectively. No one was getting this little treasure. Not that it mattered greatly. Did they think he didn't have copies?
"Don't even try it", sneered Sharpner, eyes widened slightly at the veracity of the demi saiyan's grab, "Even if you manage to get this one the truth will still get out."
Luckily for Sharpner, Gohan had already come to that assumption. That was the reason Sharpner still had all his limbs. A saiyan alone was dangerous. Imagine what a desperate saiyan could do.
"What's more", grinned Sharpner, confidence growing, "I've organised a little surprise for you Gohan Son... And they should be arriving", he glanced at his watch, "Any moment now!"
The main school doors at the end of the hall burst open as though on cue. Clatters and crashes rumbled threateningly and lockers dented in the stampede. The floor itself could almost be felt to tremble. In amongst the dust cloud flashes exploded like lightning preparing to strike and as the mass drew closer their indefinable babble began to grow meaning.
"Where is he?"
"Have you seen him?"
"Lot's of evidence."
"...Cell..."
Cell. It took but one word for Gohan to freeze. The bane of his life. A cell, an object so small as to be invisible to the naked eye, yet one that had borne its name had brought chaos and loss and unrelenting destruction. The reason why Gohan stood in that school hallway instead of at home with the parents that should have been there.
A sudden shoving at his shoulder and reality hit the demi saiyan like a tidal wave. He glanced down bleary eyed. Whatever it was, was growing into an irritating itch. Nothing to worry about but an annoyance all the same.
"Will you move!!!" grunted Videl at the exertion. Jeez, this guy was like a rock.
"Huh", he grunted, displaying a look of utter ignorance that almost drove Videl to despair. A genius when manipulating Einstein's theories, yet he couldn't grasp the simplest premise. Lucky for Gohan she was there or he'd have ended up pancake flat. Didn't he realise what was happening? Then again he didn't have the experience she did with this sort of situation.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HUH? You are about to be mobbed now MOVE!!!"
And Gohan did, eyes wide with shock. Who could say no to a voice like that. Videl had just proved that Hercule Satan really was her father. She had inherited his impressive vocal cords. Even the hyena pack slowed to gawp gormlessly. One idiot even called out, twisting this way and that, "Where's Hercule?"
Videl paused in her incessant Gohan shoving to stick her chin out and glare frozen fury drawing an "eep" from the multitude. Even Gohan quailed and the threat wasn't directed at him. It was scary how much she reminded him of his mother! He pitied the man who had made the comment about Videl's father. No matter what he thought, Gohan would have had sense enough not to voice that particular opinion.
The demi saiyna let the petite girl bully him into the nearest classroom. On seeing this however, a war cry rose from the hunters, adrenalin rushing for the chase. They galloped like a charging heard towards the two teens but too late. As though into thin air the pair were gone and loud crashes announced that Videl was stacking desks up against the door. Well maybe they hadn't vanished after all.
But we must remember that Videl and Gohanweren't the only ones that had been standing in the hallway. Unluckily for Sharpner however, he wasn't so fast. He in fact stood in the direct line attack, fate inevitable, nowhere to turn and no time to move if there had been. The cloud rose imposingly, a storm in the desert, before engulfing him whole.
It would be a trampled, bruised and thoroughly disgruntled Sharpner that would peel himself from the ground later once he was able to get free. There has to be a balance of good and bad in the world. But no one can do wrong and not suffer the eventual consequences, whatever relevance they may hold to the crime.
-----
Videl was dithering, a subject that was altogether new to her. Where had the decisiveness gone? Oh what to do. Mutterings and curses flew, frustration evident, pacing back and forth. It was like watching tennis and Gohan for one could feel the muscles beginning to strain in his neck.
Another thump at the door announced the on going attempts of the media to break into their temporary haven. Videl leapt at the intrusion of the muffled peace. Stress and strain were evident in her every movement and gesture. The past week had not been kind to her. Time to put her out of her misery.
"Um Videl", asked Gohan tentatively, raising a hand for permission.
"What!!!" Videl snapped, and Gohan, wide eyed, leaned backwards precariously from his perch on a desk, clutching a hand, he was sure Videl would have snapped off had he not moved, to his chest. A furious wind milling of arms ensued as, balance lost, Gohan tried to save himself from toppling to the floor in an ungainly heap.
Viedl clapped her hands over her face at the sight. She couldn't cope with this for much longer.
"Well?"
Gohan jerked again and this time was unable to save himself. With a clatter he was sprawled on the floor, and the desk, after a last valiant wobble, soon followed him.
Videl sighed in exasperation. The things she had to put up with.
"Well what?" came a mumble from Gohan, buried as he was beneath a debris of plastic and metal.
"WELL", Videl made an effort to calm herself, a cool head or they'd never think of a way out, "Well what's you idea?"
Her tone was just too sweet to believe. Gohan's eyes peered out at her the only light in the shadows found beneath a desk. Her temple was throbbing with barely restrained temple and eyes were practically bulging with suppressed rage. Gohan bit his lip to fight back a squeak. No matter how she had sounded, her true feeling echoed the opposite if her appearance was anything to go by. Lowering his head once more to a place where he could hide from Videl's gaze, a soft clunk announcing a lid closing over his head he spoke.
"I thought we could just go out the window", Gohan declared as though it were the most obvious option in the world, his voice stifled and a frown of discomfort hidden from view.
She couldn't help it. Videl had to laugh.
"Idiot. We're a storey up. What you think we can just fly away?"
How ridiculous Gohan could be sometimes. But it wasn't long before her jaw hit the floor. Rising sedately from the rubble, an imposing figure, delicately brushing away the dust that coated him
"Yes", he said simply, one eyebrow raised to emphasise his point.
Videl gawped at him, almost bent double from her previous laughter.
"You're serious aren't you?"
"Completely"
Videl shook her head. Talking about flying as though it were an everyday activity. This was a ludicrous conversation.
"Gohan?"
"Hm."
"This is stupid."
"No it isn't."
"Yes it-". She had to stop. That sort of conversation could go on forever and by the groaning coming from the less than sturdy door they definitely didn't have that long.
"Gohan?"
"Yes?"
"You have gum in you hair."
Gohan almost fell to the floor at the irrelevance, but nevertheless couldn't hold back a hand from snaking to his head. Gum would take forever to wash out. Damn it! Well such was the punishment for sitting under a desk.
The door to the classroom let out another protesting creak. It wouldn't last much longer. It hadn't been designed for such exertion and had already withheld for longer than it should have.
"Come on lads. Not much more. We'll soon be through. They've nowhere to run. HEAVE!"
The unfortunate door moaned under the strain, visibly bulging. Luckily Gohan stood in front of it. No one would get through unless the door broke or he moved. One would more likely come before the other and we all know which.
It had been crossing the two teens minds, why no teacher stopped the invaders. Then again what insect like, scholarly teacher could stand up to determined brute force. They'd probably barricaded themselves in the staff room and were refusing to come out. Well wherever they were, Gohan and Videl couldn't wait for them.
"Let's go", stated Gohan, leaving no room for argument.
Videl clapped her mouth shut...and nodded.
-----
Videl clutched to Gohan's chest eyes closed. They were going to fall. He would drop her. Oh God!!!
"Relax", murmured Gohan, the vibrations from his voice box running through Videl and bringing a small comfort, "It's ok. You can open you eyes. You didn't mind last time."
Last time. There had never been a last time, at least not to Videl's knowledge. Well truth be told she had been unconscious.
It was just as Videl and Gohan evacuated the school building that the gaggle that was the press realised its mistake. Lucky for Gohan and Videl that they hadn't noticed sooner.
The door to the classroom that had shortly before held the two teens was pulled open. In fact, it was so weak after the strain inflicted upon it that it pulled right off its hinges. The hulk of man that had opened it stumbled back and a rather large pile up ensued...which Sharpner happened to be at the bottom of.
-----
Gohan touched down in the grounds of the Satan estate. A Hercule cherubim stood perched on a nearby fountain spewing water. Power carved in stone. A sense of forced calm, though the barrier between peace and relaxation wavered thin.
Gohan lowered Videl to the ground. She stumbled slightly at the feel of the earth beneath her once again. She'd never realised how reassuring her own two feet were.
Birds chirped amicably in a nearby bush. Videl sank to the ground, drinking in the cool grass and Gohan melted beside her.
"Well that was...interesting", chuckled Gohan, closing his eyes. He didn't know how long he had before the mob found him again and he didn't want to waste a moment of this solitude. In fact he didn't even want to waste a thought on those cackling vultures. The grass whispered as Videl shifted her position. It appeared that she was as comfortable as he. Or so he thought...
A handful of grass was thrust down the demi saiyans front.
"What...? Huh?" Gohan yelled as he leapt, stumbling, to his feet.
"Videl", he complained or at least tried to as laughter threatened his lips. That grass itched like crazy and no matter how much he leapt up and down it just didn't seem to want to fall out. He stopped his ineffective antics and turning grinned mischievously at the unfortunate girl.
"Oh no", she declared waving her hands in protest.
"Oh yes", corrected Gohan before launching herself in her direction. The battle ensued for many minutes with much laughter and flying foliage. When exhaustion and lack of breath, due to uncontrollable mirth, finally halted the games the lawn they lay on was considerably barer and the pair were thoroughly dishevelled. They looked as though the grass was actually growing from all kinds of inexplicable places throughout their bodies.
Eventually, however, their last chuckles faded to awkward silence. Videl gazed at Gohan with affection, possibly the best frind she'd ever had, but there was a meaningful compulsion behind her eyes, which the hybrid was unwilling to meet. Gohan turned away, reluctant to let her catch him again. He knew he'd vowed to tell herbut...it was so hard. A remorseful sigh rose from Videl's lips at the reluctance and the sound reached Gohans sensitive ears. It was time. No longer could the moment be postponed.
"Gohan! ...honestly I've never felt so guilty about my curiosity before", Videl laughed to herself, "Well. I think you know what I'm going to say but I'll say it anyway. I want you to tell me everything Gohan. By God I've been patient but it's time for me to know. We're friends after all and isn't that what friends do? Share?
No doubt everything will be blown wide open throughout the papers tomorrow or...or even tonight and I could easily find it all out then if I use a little detective work to wheedle out what's true and what's not. But I don't want to learn that way. I'd rather hear it from you, from the source, from my friend. Trust me Gohan...Please. I swear not to tell if that's what it takes. Please Gohan...please"
Not a word was spoken. An imploring gaze imbedded itself in Gohan's back and the demi saiyan could not afford to meet the eyes that sent it or else be lost in their depths. For many minutes the silence was broken only by birds and the wind, whispering its secrets for all to hear but for none to understand.
"Alright Videl", the connection between eyes was made and it was as though each knew the other intimately, only one final link to be create, "I'll trust you...I'll tell you everything."
Phew...that got quite long by the standards of the other chapters. The words just kept on coming. Hope it's up to standard.
Btw no offence is meant to eh hem overly large people. That was just how the story went and how, in my head, everyone reacted. Oh and Gadoken King (who reviewed as I was writing this). I know that there is a lack of Krillin but I just haven't seen cause to add him into this fic. Maybe he'll get a bigger part later on but not even I know that. Pity really that I don't what's going to happen considering I'm the one writing this story. Well I have a vague idea forming. Sorry once again for this taking so long. -
Toodles
Honey Nut Loop
P.S. Now go read my poems and limericks. You know you want to. For those of you who have read Father mine? (now renamed) there is a second chapter up.