So, here's the next chapter. I've been having some problems with paragraphs, so I'm going to start new scenes with a sentence in bold until I can fix it. Thank you to all who reviewed!
Videl's helicopter sped through the air, green hills and rugged rocks passing quickly beneath. She leaned into the throttle and the craft shot forward, going even faster than before. A quick look at her watch revealed that is was about 4:30. She sighed.
Inside her head, so many thoughts tumbled around. Usually, going for a spin in her copter helped to clear her thoughts or calm her down, but today, it wasn't helping. And, the object of her thoughts? The new school nerd, Gohan. She kept replaying all her
conversations with him, all his expressions, everything. But no matter how nerdy he seemed, something just felt…off.
He acted so clumsy and awkward, just like any other nerd. So why was it that something about him bothered her? Her mind turned to gym class. His embarrassing fall before she could knock the 'gun' out of his hand showed his clumsiness, right? But then her mind snagged on a detail she hadn't noticed before. His eyes.
Deep in those obsidian depths, buried beneath fear and embarrassment, something flashed. It had been quick, almost too quick to catch. What was it that she'd seen there? Confusion? No. Anger? No. Sheepishness? Regret? Chastisement? No, no, no. It had been none of those. So what was it then?
Power.
She abruptly shook her head, dismissing the sudden thought. Power? Definitely no. But…a doubt lingered in her mind. Was it possible?
A sudden, violent jerk jarred her thoughts out of the clouds. A warning light flashed on the dash board of her copter. Her eyes flicked to the controls, and icy fear dropped into the pit of her stomach.
Empty. Empty. Empty.
The single, horrifying word flashed continually across the controls. Dang. She was out of gas. Not good. The craft began to shake and she tightened her grip on the throttle. No good.
A rather large jerk flung her head forward and slammed it against the steering wheel. Stars flashed across her rapidly narrowing vision. No! Her mind screamed. Not now! But despite her efforts to stop it, her thoughts succumbed to darkness.
Gohan dropped his fisted hands to his sides as his head whipped around. He felt a familiar ki. His golden eyebrows knit together as he recognized it. Videl. A sigh escaped his lips. She had a knack for popping up at the worst of times. He'd been trying to get in a little training a few miles from his house. He had hoped, because of the remoteness of his position, that no one would come upon him. Well, his hopes had just been dashed.
Wait. Videl's yellow copter came careening over the horizon, bobbing wildly out of control. Realizing something was wrong; Gohan leapt into the air and shot for the craft.
When he reached it, he discovered Videl slumped over the steering wheel. An empty light flashed on the controls. Gohan clenched his teeth and prepared to steer the craft to a safe landing. But something caught his eye. The copter must have scraped against a rock, because a deep gash was carved in its side. A rapidly expanding tongue of flame licked at its edges. With rising horror, Gohan realized the fire was right over the gas tank.
He tore the door off the hinges and swung the unconscious Videl over his shoulder. With a burst of energy, he jetted out of the vicinity. A large explosion followed in his wake. He landed a little ways away and examined Videl. She was unhurt, save for a small bump on her forehead.
Gohan frowned, wondering what in the world to do with her. He couldn't take her to his house. That would arouse unneeded question. She wasn't hurt enough to need a hospital. He laid her gently on the grass and sat down Indian-style with his back against a rock. It would be best to just wait until she woke up. Then he could figure out what to do.
Videl's eye-lids slowly opened. Her head ached something fierce and white lights danced brightly before her eyes. Slowly, her vision cleared. Sitting up, she realized that she lay in the grass. Wonderment crossed her mind. How was it she was still alive? How had she gotten here? Where was her copter?
She turned her body to survey her surroundings and her eyes landing on a figure. A man sat with his back against a nearby rock, apparently sleeping. His hair was golden like the sun, shining softly in the afternoon light. He was handsome, with hard features and broad shoulders. He wore a fighting gi, the undershirt was black and the pants and over shirt were navy blue. The black shirt was long-sleeved and slightly loose, but she could see well-toned muscles underneath. This man was well-built.
Then her eyes snagged on something. A brown, furry appendage flicked around his body. He stirred slightly and it relaxed to a position coiled around his waist. He had… a tail?
Suddenly, his eyes shot open. They were a brilliant turquoise-green, flashing wildly. His eyes locked hers and he stood up to his full height, around six seven, and stretched. Then his head cocked towards her.
"So, you're up?" Videl sat speechless as he sat down in front of her. She realized that he wasn't much older than her. Something about made him seem more mature. His eyes caught hers again. Power and confidence radiated from them. Something in the back of her mind tickled, telling her his eyes were somehow familiar.
"Who are you?" She asked curiously.
A spark of mischief flashed in his eyes and he smiled, baring slightly pointed canines that
were almost fang-like.
"A friend of the Saiyan no Ouji."
"What's that supposed to mean? And how did I get here?" Videl shot back, her temper rising. She tried to hide her fear as well. Who was this man?
The young man laughed, a pleasant sound, and his eyes sparkled with delight.
"One question at a time. You won't get an answer to your first question, so you might as well forget about it. But, I can do the second one. I pulled you out of your copter before it exploded. It must have scraped against something and the gas tank started on fire. You got pretty lucky."
The strange man watched her quietly, waiting for a response. Videl, on her part, studied him. She hated to admit it, but she was scared of him. He seemed nice enough, but how could she know? She mentally slapped herself. Since when had she ever feared someone? What reason did she have to fear him? An answer rose in her mind, unbidden.
Power.
She squelched the thought. Power? What could he know about power? Besides, she was the daughter of Hercule, and a renowned martial artist herself. She could take on anyone, anywhere, excepting her dad. So, why was she scared?
"Um, thank you." She replied, reluctantly.
"You're welcome. Do you have a way to get home?" Videl eyed him suspiciously before responding.
"Yes, I have some capsules." He seemed a bit relieved.
"Good. It's getting late. You'd better go before someone worries about you." For some reason, that comment aroused anger in Videl.
"I'm not a little girl, I know that!" She shot back. He shrugged it off.
"No, you're not. Forgive me if I offended you." Videl hmphed and stood, her back facing him.
"Well, you did! You should know better! I'll have you know I'm the daughter of Hercule!" Chancing a glance around, Videl started. He was gone. Just like that. A slight chill swept up her spine and she decided to follow his advice. It was getting late.
Gohan glided silently over Capsule Corp, his form silhouetted by the setting sun. A frown settled onto his mouth as his turquoise eyes surveyed the ground below. Apparently, most of the employees were just getting off work. That made it hard pressed for him to get into without arousing undue suspicion. His little delay with Videl had cost him.
He sighed and opted for the side entrance. Landing behind some nearby buildings, he jogged around the corner and up to the door. He entered the numerical code on the number pad and an electronic voice spoke to him.
"Password please."
Gohan cleared his throat and was about to speak when a voice interrupted him.
"Hey you! That door's top level clearance only!"
Gohan turned and saw a security guard in blue uniform jogging towards him. The man looked to be in his fifties. Gohan sighed. Since the man didn't recognize Gohan, he was probably the new guard Bulma had mentioned she'd hired. All the other security staff knew his face.
"I'm a friend of the family." Gohan replied and was about to turn back to the door when the man spoke again, his face red.
"Son, don't try and lie to me. The only people who got clearance enough to get through that door are the Briefs themselves."
Gohan frowned. No doubt he'd get a good tongue lashing from Vegeta for taking so long.
"Here, just let me say the password and clear this up."
The guard peered suspiciously at Gohan and then slid his nightstick out of his belt.
"Look, you need to back away from that door right now. I don't want to have to use this."
Gohan groaned inwardly. Why now, of all times? Suddenly, the door slid open to reveal a scowling, shirtless Vegeta who looked like he'd just come from the GR.
"Brat! You're late! GR, now!" Vegeta snapped.
The security guard looked flabbergasted.
"Mr. Briefs! I didn't know you knew this boy!" He stammered.
Vegeta's head turned to the guard and his eyes bored holes into the man. Gohan figured he'd better say something before things got ugly.
"C'mon, Vegeta. We don't have time for this. Let's spar." Gohan tried hopefully. Vegeta looked at him and nodded his head. Gohan's shoulders sagged with relief.
"Well said, brat." The Saiyan no Ouji turned his back and stormed off to the GR, followed closely by a greatly relieved and expectant Gohan.
Videl sighed as she pushed open one of the four sets of glass double doors leading to the merchandise section of Capsule Corp. Even though it wasn't the main building, rather one of the attached white domes, it was still humongous. The aisles were full of neatly labeled capsules behind glass doors.
She made her way over to one of the employees who wasn't busy.
"Can I help you, ma'am?" He said pleasantly. Videl responded in a slightly less enthusiastic manner. After all, she was losing sleep so she could run this errand before school for her dad.
"Yeah, I need a G01568, three E05673's, and an H04512." The man nodded and led her through the aisles, unlocking the glass doors and retrieving the capsules she'd ask for as they went.
When all of Videl's items had been accumulated, he led her to a cashier and began ringing up them up. Videl tapped her foot idly as he scanned the five capsules and punched their codes into the computer. He looked up at her and his mouth opened to say something when a huge tremor shook the building and a bright flash of light shone through the windows.
Videl instinctively grabbed the counter and managed to keep her balance. The light and tremor stooped as abruptly as they had began, leaving the customers glancing around with confusion in their eyes.
Several people were staring out the windows, excited whispers passing between them. Videl jogged over to see what they were staring at and gasped.
There was a huge pile of smoking rubble and debris near the residential wing of Capsule Corp, where the Briefs lived. The ground around the mess was charred black and gave off a smoke of its own. It looked as if someone had just dropped a bomb on whatever the building had been.
Videl was startled into reality by the calm voice of an employee standing behind her.
"Don't worry, Ladies and Gentlemen. This is a standard occurrence her at Capsule Corporation. I assure you that none of you are in any danger of any kind. However, I would ask that you please keep away from the large pile of debris. Thank you."
Standard occurrence? Videl had heard rumors of strange lights, tremors, and sounds, among other things that supposedly happened around Capsule Corp, but she'd always dismissed them as eccentric gossip's tales.
Out of habit, Videl glanced at her watch. And did a double take. School started in five minutes! She raced to the cashier's counter, paid for her capsules, and ran out of the store. If she was lucky, she'd only be a few minutes late.
Just as she exited the store, two figures emerged from the rubble.
Gohan shoved a massive concrete slab out of his way and stood up. A few yards away, Vegeta was doing the same.
Man, that was some blast. Although, two Ascended Super Saiyans (A/N: Yes, Vegeta has ascended. Don't worry, Gohan's still stronger!) with a really large amount of energy to blow off could do that. Luckily, they'd both dropped out of level two. No doubt countless people had seen the explosion and were now rubber-necking.
Sure enough, a casual glance at the windows behind him revealed a group of shoppers, faces pressed against the glass panes to get a better view. Gohan glanced at the Saiyan no Ouji and saw an amused smirk on the man's face.
"Ha! It's not often those pathetic weaklings get to see a real display of power!" He chortled.
Gohan dropped his head and exhaled. Did Vegeta's ego know no bounds? Apparently not. But alas, the demi-saiyan was not left to his thoughts for long.
"Brat! Are you just going to stand there all day?" Vegeta barked.
Gohan's eyes narrowed into slits and a smirk eerily similar to his sparring partner's crossed his face.
"Course not! Let's go!" He replied eagerly, as he prepared to take off.
Suddenly, a shrill beep erupted into the energy-laden air. Gohan glanced at his watch, and one word echoed through his mind.
Crap.
Yup, school just started. Gohan tore the watch off and stomped on it (Like it was actually the watch's fault). After venting his rage, his head snapped up to meet Vegeta's gaze.
"Uh, Vegeta, as mush as I'd like to spar with you, If I don't get to school right now, my mom's gonna kill me." Gohan said, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. Vegeta snorted.
"Weakling spawn of Kakkarot, letting a human woman boss you around!" Vegeta replied.
But before he could make further comment, a feminine voice rang through the air.
"VEGETA! How many times are you gonna break that GR!" Bulma came into view, storming around the corner.
"Until you make it strong enough to withstand my power, woman!" Vegeta spat. Bulma's fists clenched.
"Why you! That's it; I'm not fixing it tonight!" She replied and ran off in a huff.
Vegeta stood there, mouth hanging open, flabbergasted. Gohan looked down at his shoes, hiding a smile.
"You wouldn't dare! WOMAN!" He roared and shot off after his wife.
Gohan choked down a laugh. Until he realized what time it was.
Well, there's the next chapter. Hope you liked it. I've got some fun things planned for the next chapter, so I hope you stick around. Poor Gohan. Poor Orange Star Highschool. They've never had an author like this. BWAHAHA!
Oh, and Please Review!
Chris: Thank you very much! Don't worry, Majin Buu will NOT enter this story. I hate him too. kicks the pink blob As for Gohan, in the next chapters, you'll get to see more of his personality. I'm not planning on making him passive and easygoing. And Orange Star Highschool is gonna find out what he can do soon enough.
Srusse87: Really? I'm in love with him too! fangirl sigh He'll seem even more un-geeky as you see his character away from school. It's like two different Gohans!
Trunkszgirl: It seems kinda strange when good friends don't keep in touch, ne? Thanks for your vote of confidence.
Kim: Thank you very much. Hope you continue to enjoy it.
Booklover9: I'm glad you like it. I'm also glad it's not too cliché.
Silence's Siren: Your comments make me blush. blushes I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. I'll try to keep it worthy of your praise.
Miroku-has-darkness: I'll try! XD
Kinoha: I'm glad I'm living up to your expectations. And I'm glad that having a Z senshi for a Gym teacher wasn't too cliché. I agree, some things are just tradition.
Eternal Light/Fire Dragon: Ooh, Japanese! Such a wonderful language. I'm trying to learn it right now. It's pretty complicated, but I really love languages.
Thanks to everyone else who reviewed that I didn't mention. Your reviews are GREATLY appreciated.