Chapter 3: Nervous
(by NekoKriszty)
"Umm... Videl-san?"
"What's wrong, Gohan-kun?" Videl looked at him with anticipation; she was waay too busy planning her "big performance", which she decided to pull off after they headed back to the city. She wanted it to be perfect, and needed all the time she had left to think it over.
"Videl-san… I'm sorry but I'm not really sure about this." he looked really uneasy, and… Scared? Videl felt irony hit her: this guy faced the biggest monsters the world has seen since a really tender age, and she was sure he was never the one to show fear. Except that this time he really seemed terrified. Looking at him, Videl felt ashamed, Poor Gohan-kun doesn't know why I am doing this and he must be as nervous as hell… I really should comfort him after agreeing to put him into this mess; he looks so helpless like that…
She smiled a gentle smile and put her hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry, Gohan-kun, everything will be perfectly fine. I've already been forced to participate in some of these, and although it's not really pleasant, believe me: with a few tricks you can survive it."
Gohan looked a bit less nervous. "Tricks? What kind of tricks?" Videl saw his face turn into the one he always made in classes, and knew he was memorizing all her words. For a moment she really expected him to pull out a notebook from somewhere and start taking notes.
"Reporters are people who are only interested in provoking a scandal. The bigger the scandal is, the more money they make and the more famous they become. Many people have been humiliated by smart reporters, who twisted their words and made them feel insecure, and thus becoming aggressive or more talkative than usual. The most important thing is to keep your cool and don't lose your confidence. If you start feeling nervous or angry or out of thought or sick, just take a couple of deep breaths, drink a gulp of water. Never forget: you're one of the strongest, you could defeat those people in a spar with only one finger; if you re-build your confidence like that, you'll be able to relax. And don't worry, me and my father will be there, and the reporters are not stupid enough to mess with Pappa, believing him to be the strongest man on Earth. I'll tell him to keep half an eye on you, and help you out if you're in a pinch. He's a pro at dealing with reporters."
"Apart from these, there's another trick I never though would work until I tried it: imagine everyone around you…" She chuckled and then continued "Imagine them… Naked."
Gohan nodded, fully concentrating, and without realizing what he was doing, he tried out the last trick on his friend. Scanning her from head to her toe, then back up… Then, coming to his senses, quickly looking away, coughing and blushing madly. Videl just looked at him, confusion written on her face, but when what he did hit her a second later, she blushed, too, though she refrained from hitting him. She didn't want to make him even more nervous by telling him she knew he was… Blushing even deeper, she promised herself to beat his up AFTER the night was over with.
The rest of the trip went on silently, Gohan thinking over what Videl had told him and trying to calm himself down. I can't believe I just did that, I'm really the worst, what kind of scum does that… Leering like some animal, over that nice- Oh no, I was doing it again, bad Gohan, that's absolutely impolite, you weren't raised to become a pervert like Roshi-san, Okaa-san would surely be very disappointed if she knew…
Videl, on the other hand, after calming her heart by deciding that Gohan probably didn't find her really attractive, went on thinking over the "big performance". They got to Videl's house, and she quickly changed into one of those new dresses she grew to feel comfortable in: it was black and simple, ending above her knee. She wore a pink blouse underneath and socks that went beyond her knees (1). She left the silver necklace and earring on and didn't bother with her make-up, knowing the make-up assistant would change it if she had anything on anyway.
While Gohan was waiting on Videl's balcony, he re-thought the whole situation he was in. Here he was, savior of the world, but still just a teenager, waiting for the girl who had been his best friend for quite a while now, with whom he had been spending so much time and who he had been thinking of when going to sleep and waking up… Here he was, going on an interview with her, and making a fool of himself in front of her. And the whole world. Just terrific. He sighed, trying to will his uncharacteristic pessimism away.
Videl, who reappeared on the balcony, smiled while finishing putting her watch on. Yes, this night will be unforgettable.
"I'm ready, Gohan-kun!" Gohan's head shot up, and Videl noticed his really pale (almost green) face. She also noticed that as he saw her, it went from green to a slight pink and his jaw dropped. Videl's cheeks became rosy, too. Jeez, I'm blushing more today than my whole life so far!
A short but awkward silence followed. "Well... Sorry for making you wait, I'm ready. Can we go?" Gohan quickly snapped out of it, "Yes, Videl-san. I really must tell you, you look really gorgeous in that dress." He laughed nervously, and quickly took off. Videl felt happiness overcome all her senses, and flew off with him more pumped up than usual.
She had suspected having a crush on the boy for some time, but she never thought she'd admit it over a comment on her looks. I guess I'm a girl after all... As if her body wanted to prove that point, a giggle escaped her. Erasa will be overjoyed if I tell her... After she apologizes to Gohan for her behavior this morning.
Gohan couldn't get his thoughts in order. Why does her appearance affect me like this? I mean, her body always looked like that, well, ever since I know her, but still, that outfit outlines her perfect figure, all the right curves and… Oh, man, Gohan, you're turning into Master Roshi! And when did I start talking to myself??
They arrived to the studio just in time. As they walked in the great building, Gohan felt astonished. Of course he had seen a lot of buildings, but he never had time to examine them thoroughly while fighting crime, not to mention he was used to the wilderness more than anything. While he was looking around, Videl ignored the stares they were given and went over to the receptionist, a young blonde woman.
"Good evening Miss, is there anything I can do for you?"
"Yes, I'm supposed to be in tonight's show, my name is Satan Videl"
"Oh, Satan-san, you arrived just in time! Let me call someone to take you upstairs…" She pushed two buttons on the phone, and while waiting for the answer, she noticed Gohan behind Videl, and greeted him.
"May I help-" Recognition flashed in her eyes, and she lost the ability to talk, instead just gawked like a fish out of water. They heard a voice in the phone, but the woman, forgetting what she was supposed to do, put the phone down.
"You're… You're… him…"
Becoming angry at the woman's lack of politeness and class, Videl stood in front of Gohan, turning the blonde's attention to herself. "Yes yes, this is Son Gohan, savior of the world, blahblah, stop staring, it's rude!" The woman looked at her, Videl's words suddenly making sense in her brain, and seeing how uneasy she made Gohan, she felt really embarrassed. Bowing deep, she apologized for her rude and unprofessional behavior. Gohan assured her it was ok, and the woman looked relieved.
"C'mon, Gohan-kun, I can sense my Pappa's ki, let's go greet him!" Before the receptionist or Gohan knew what was happening, Videl dragged him into a nearby elevator and pushed a button. After the elevator closed, both teenager sighed, and pretended that they could not hear the screams ("Oh my GOD, Son Gohan, talking to ME!" "I have got to phone my wife, she'll faint when she hears this!" "What did that girl mean by savior of the WORLD? I thought he only fought crime in Stan city" "God, I have to go refresh my make-up, what if I get to see SON GOHAN in person again and I look like a 40-year-old grandma?" ) that came from the first floor. Gohan looked as read as a tomato, making Videl was wondering whether he would get used to the attention. She shook her head; knowing him, definitely not. She smiled. He's so cute.
"Here, stop" Videl said, after pressing the STOP and the OPEN buttons on the 23rd floor. As the doors opened, Gohan's eyes went wide.
"Videl-san… This place is madness! (2)" He wasn't wrong, either. The place was huge, looked like there were at least 2 floors merged together, and about a hundred people were running up and down. The studio was on the other end of the gigantic room, and there were dozens of other doors leading to other places, Gohan could get out only a few doorplates on some doors: "Dresser", "Make-up", "Massage" and so on. Suddenly, a yelp was heard: "They're here!" and all movement stopped like someone just fired a time-stopping bomb in the building. Gohan gulped nervously, This is soo not good…
"Satan Videl and Son Gohan! What pleasure, what honor to have you visit my show!"
An attractive, tall woman made her way through the crew, which came to their senses and started moving on. The woman wore a red dress that drew attention to her nice legs and hid her flat chest. Her brown hair had blond highlights in it, was cut shoulder-length and styled to hide her wide forehead. She was obviously a foreigner, but her Japanese was pretty good.
"My name is Kitty Zoe; please call me Kitty, nice to meet you! I'm the interviewer of this show." She shook Videl's and Gohan's hands, and turned to Videl. "Miss Satan, Mr. Satan is already here, if you wish to talk to him, we can always direct you to his room. Sadly he doesn't want to have a presentation like he usually does…" Both Videl and Gohan felt relieved; they were long before tired of Hercule's endless telephone book-ripping and bus-pulling shows "… But I can tell you, if we have you, Mr. Son, in the show, people all over the world will be glued to the screens!" She looked at Gohan like he was her ticket to world-fame. "Please, Gohan, come with me this way…"
Gohan looked nervously at Videl feeling her powering up, and saw a red aura surrounding her, and her eyes shooting piercing flashes at the woman's back. Not knowing what to expect, Gohan got ready in case Videl attacked the young woman.
"Now, wait just a second. Who told you Gohan-kun came here to participate in your TV show?" Videl was angry to say the least, and didn't care that she was making her crush obvious to everyone in the room. How dare this woman call Gohan by his first name!!
Kitty looked at her surprised, and then let out a nervous laugh, losing her composure for a second. "Umm… I'm so sorry Videl, so impolite of me not to invite you with us to the studio… I'm really ashamed of myself, it must be my nerves. You see, I have wanted to meet this young man for so long, he saved my fiancée once when the bus he was on got in an accident, and I always wanted to thank him…"
Seeing how uneasy and friendly this woman looked, and hearing that she was engaged, Videl's anger melted away. It seems wherever she came from, people called everyone by their last names, considering she just called her Videl.
"Uh… No problem, Zoe-san, I actually invited him to the show, now let's go, don't want to be late now do we?" She laughed nervously and felt bad for hurting this seemingly kind woman and acting like some jealous preteen. The trio headed towards one of the nameless rooms. Inside, there were three people: two unknown guys, foreigners as well, and Hercule himself. The Champion looked quite shocked to meet the demi Saiya-jin again.
"Oh my god, so the rumors are true!" One of the guys jumped up, and headed towards the two new guests. "Satan Videl and Son Gohan, both this my studio! I must say I'm more then honored! Please, take a seat! My name is Peter Jackson, call me Peter, and this is my partner, Jack Peterson." The other guy nodded as Videl and Gohan sat down. "We're the two producers of this show, and we also like to take part in the preparation of the most interesting and exciting episodes. Mr. Son, may I ask what made you honor us with your presence? And even more importantly, would you like to participate in tonight's show? As far as I've heard, you have never given an interview to anyone, and no TV show managed to get your home address."
Gohan opened his mouth to answer the first question, but then realized he didn't really know why exactly he was here. So he just let out a nervous laugh, put one hand behind his hand, and looked helplessly at Videl.
"Umm, Videl-san… Why did you bring me here again?"
Videl smiled reassuring at him, and then turned to the three men, eyeing her father. "I convinced Gohan-kun to come. Today I had experienced how our schoolmates' attitude changed towards him just because they heard of him being the Great Saiya-man and the Golden Fighter. I figured that the only way to make people realize that he hasn't changed a bit just because he's famous or anything is for him to tell this to everyone."
The others in the room stayed silent for some time, and Gohan looked as scared as ever. Finally, Peter clapped his hands together. "What a marvelous idea! Mr. Satan, are you fine if this young lad participates in tonight's show with you and your daughter?"
"Well, it is an unexpected surprise, but why not, it will only make things more exciting, and easy to explain." Hercule said after thinking things over for a minute, then added "But I would like to talk to Gohan before the show starts" Everyone except Videl nodded, she was still suspicious despite his father's earlier favors.
"Good, now that this question is settled, let's get down to work, shall we?" Peter handed the duo two five-page-long questionnaires, thinking how wise it was of him to always have a spare copy, and asked them to fill out the questions. "We will use the most interesting answers in the show." He added as an explanation.
Videl finished her task quickly; Gohan on the other end had a hard time figuring out how to write down some answers without slipping any unwanted information, "His biggest journey" for example. What, should I write my most exciting journey was the one when I traveled to another planet with green people to fight an enormously powerful tyrant and to find some orange balls with stars to revive our dead friends who were killed by other aliens visiting this planet, oh and by the way, Otou-san is one of these aliens… He decided to skip that question, as well as all the other ones that would cause problems for his friends, and writing mostly about his school-life, he finished and he gave the paper back to Peter.
"Thank you, now let's see, Mr. Satan, since you're already done, how about staying here with us and we drink a cup of coffee? Kitty-chan, could you take care of the rest?"
"Of course, Peter! Miss Videl, Mr. Gohan, please follow me, I'll show you around and afterwards we'll decide how you would like to prepare for this!" They nodded and followed her out of the office. During the tour Videl noticed that the crew was much more relaxed than before, they must have gotten used to them by this short time. They quickly walked around the whole studio and in the end Videl decided to start with her hair and make-up first, and Gohan… Gohan was so lost that he decided he would go everywhere Videl did. Kitty smiled as he told her this, and led them to the make-up and hair-studio.
Gohan was done in about 10 minutes; there was absolutely nothing they could do with his hair, and his face didn't need too much make-up either. While he was waiting for Videl to be ready, Gohan was standing and thinking about all the advice Videl gave him, until Hercule came up to him.
"Hello… Son Gohan, right?" Gohan looked at him surprised, but then realized he had never introduced himself properly. He bowed to Hercule.
"I'm sorry for not introducing myself properly for so long. Yes, Satan-san, my name is Son Gohan, son of Son Goku and Son Chichi. You may have heard of my Otou-san."
"Yes, I know he won the 23rd Budokai, and I also heard some pretty surprising things I refused to believe until not too long ago… But since the pleasure of meeting him at the Buu-incident, I believe anything" Gohan smiled, Otou-san is surely one incredible person for sure…
"Well, Gohan, what I would like to talk to you about is the show we're about to face. You see, if people knew about your real… Abilities… They would be freaked out for sure…"
"No kidding…" Gohan muttered remembering his schoolmates that afternoon.
"So, we'll both act like it's all fake, some kind of trick. Are you okay with that?" Hercule asked, knowing this was the boy's only choice for a normal life, which, fortunately for him, he wanted to have.
Gohan thought about it for a second. "Yes, I agree, but only in one condition."
Hercule looked surprised "And what would that be?"
Gohan looked the older man in his eye "I don't really care what people think about me, but I tend to get pissed off when Otou-san is mocked at. To tell the truth, for a short while I was really angry with you after the Cell-games for saying all those horrible things about my Otou-san, after he sacrificed his own life to save you and the whole planet." Anger flashed in his eyes, and Hercule was terrified for a moment by the aura he created. "But, that was long ago, I bear no grudge any more, especially after what you did for me this morning in school, but I must warn you: when someone says bad things about Otou-san, I lose control over my feelings. Are you okay with that condition?"
Hercule gulped. "Y-yes, o-of course, and I would like to take the opportunity to say how s-sorry I am for everything I've said in the past and…"
Gohan laughed up "Don't worry about it, Satan-san."
Hercule smiled, he began to take liking in this young man. No wonder Videl likes hanging out with him. "Fine. Oh, and call me Hercule."
"Okay, Hercule-san."
After a little more chat Hercule left, and Gohan turned back to the door behind which Videl was, just in time to see her emerge from the room.
And when the super-warrior saw Videl, his eyes went wide… Again…
Her hair was combed properly and some gel was put in it so it looked wilder. Her blue eyes were outlined with some dark eyeshade, her eyelashes were dark black and her lips were an irresistible color of cherry.
Gohan's mind shut off completely; he could neither hear not see anything of the world, except for Videl. There was only one thing in his mind, one order his brain kept giving him…
Kiss her…
Videl watched as Gohan approached her, with a weird, dreamy look on his face. "Gohan-kun… Are you all right?" She asked, wondering what the boy's problem might be. It seemed that he hadn't heard her; he just kept approaching her, and stopped inches away from her body. He leaned down…
Videl shut down, as well. Her heart beating like crazy, her mind oblivious to the surrounding world, she felt his warm breath and closed her eyes. "Gohan-kun…"
Gohan got closer… Even closer, their lips were almost touching…
"Videl, honey, where are you?"
"Pappa…" Videl whispered, her breath tickling Gohan's lips. "Pappa…"
"WHAT? PAPPA!" After a second Videl's mind finally registered Hercule's voice, and it brought her back to the ground. She shot her eyes open, yelped up, and by some reflex pushed Gohan to the ground. It seemed that the demi Saiya-jin woke up finally. "Videl-san? What happened?" He asked, all innocently, scratching the back of his head. "Why am I on the floor?"
Videl felt disappointment bubble in her chest. Not knowing what to say, what to do, she just turned and sprinted off. Gohan could do nothing but stare. What did I do?
Videl felt fury mix with disappointment and happiness inside her. What happened? He almost… K-kisses me, and asks what happened? Man, these Saiya-jins have nerve…
"Videl, there you are! Sweetie, you look like a million dollars! Where have you been? Videl? What happened?"
"Nothing, Pappa, nothing happened…"
"If you say so… Anyway, Videl, let's hurry, we have to go to our seats so the light-assistants (3) will catch our best sides!"
"Whatever…"
They went to sit at their seats, and after a couple of minutes, Gohan joined them, already in his Saiya-man outfit. He looked sheepishly at Videl, and when saw she was watching him, he turned his face away blushing and started examining the very interesting carpet.
Videl knew she just couldn't stay mad at him. He's such a kid… And even if he doesn't exactly remember, he still gave me such a beautiful memory… And besides, maybe next time we won't be interrupted… She smiled a tiny smile.
"Okay, everyone" Peter shouted out, "the show will begin in 15 minutes! Kitty-chan, Mr. Satan, would you please take your seat, Miss Satan, you will come in second, and Mr. Son, you will be the surprise, since everyone is watching the show anyway, we don't need the extra information of your presence to attract more viewers. Please, sit down there, behind the curtains, the show will start in 14 minutes! Everyone, go to your places, do the last check-up on the equipment!"
The two teenagers left for the curtains, and sat down on their seats. Gohan was still looking at the carpet, and Videl already felt sorry for him. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it a bit. He looked up surprised.
"Gohan-kun, relax. Think of it as fun!"
Gohan's face lit up. "You mean you're not angry anymore?"
"Of course not! Why would I be?"
"Well… What happened back there… It was an accident…"
"A… Accident? What do you mean, accident?" Videl added, her voice suddenly sounding very dangerous.
"Well, umm… Heh heh, it was just momentary amnesia, and I remember what I have done… And almost done… And, umm…" He gulped, afraid that she would be really mad.
Videl, on the other hand, was relieved. "Gohan-kun… It's okay." She turned a little pink.
Gohan looked really surprised. After finally remembering what he had almost done, he came to the conclusion that he really did have a crush on Satan Videl, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
He looked at Videl, but she was stubbornly looking the opposite direction. You don't mean… If she's not mad, it could only mean one thing...
(1) This dress doesn't belong to me, except for the jewelry: Lucy wears it in the last episodes of Elfen Lied.
(2) I wrote this before the movie 300 came out, so this was not intentional :D
(3) I have absolutely no idea what this profession in called. Please help me out if you can!
Almost 4000 words, this definitely is a personal record! I'm getting better and better, yippee!
I have to give credit for Hungarian author Moldova György, if it weren't for his book "A mocsári hajós", I wouldn't know so much about reporters and interviews.
Anyway, please review!
13th of July, 2009: Still re-reading... This chapter was almost entirely reedited, some minor details changed, became half a thousand words longer, and though I'm still not fully happy with it, I'm leaving it like this. I just wish it didn't take me hours to do things like this… (sigh)
