The Earrings
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Disclaimer: Dragonball Z is not mine. Good thing it isn't – I'd probably turn it into one long soap opera. So just be grateful it belongs to Akira Toriyama.
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Author's notes: Whew. This is the fastest I've ever posted a story. Three chapters in two days. I'm on a roll here.
Again, more sex between Gohan and Videl. Not as much as the last chapter. More of a mention, really.
Anddon't forgetto feed the author!
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Videl didn't think about saiyans again until a couple of years later.
She and Gohan had finally tied the knot, and were trying for a baby. In the middle of debating names and finding a good house, the issue of tails had suddenly re-surfaced.
What if the baby had a tail?
Gohan couldn't understand why she was so troubled by it. He was perhaps even a little hurt. He, after all, had been born with a tail, and he turned out fine.
"It's nothing to worry about," he said. "If there is a tail, we'll just have it removed surgically, and the kid will never know any different…"
Videl couldn't quite tell him that that was the problem. How could she explain the discomfort she felt at the idea of cutting off the tail? It would be as much a part of the kid as his (or her) feet or hands. The idea filled her with abhorrance bordering on horror.
Gohan finally suggested she talk to Bulma Briefs, the owner of Capsule Corporation, who was also trying for a baby with her saiyan husband.
It proved to be one of the best ideas he'd ever had.
Videl and Bulma hit it off like wildfire. Despite the age gap, and their unpredictable tempers, they got on really well. With Bulma, Videl finally managed to voice the issue that had been nagging at her.
"…But do I have the right to take it away from him?" she asked. "I mean, there's no moon, so there's no risk, right?"
Bulma had frowned, her spoon clinking against the lip of her mug as she stirred her coffee.
"I guess..."
Videl warmed to her theme.
"I mean, when you look at it, maybe I shouldn't have the tail removed. It's part of the kid's heritage, after all…"
Bulma was silent for a moment.
"Videl, don't tell Vegeta I said this. But the saiyan heritage is probably not one you want for your child. Maybe some things are better left forgotten…"
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But Videl couldn't forget.
She was very out-of-sorts these days, struck by unpredictable mood swings. She'd be happy one minute, scowling the next. Amorous, then suddenly brusque and distant. She wasn't pregnant – not yet – so she didn't know where this was coming from. Gohan was puzzled, and asked her very gently if she was having second thoughts.
"Of course I'm not!" She snapped. "I said I wanted a baby, and I still do."
Inside, she was just as confused as he was. She had the oddest feeling that something was changing inside her, like black rocks concealed beneath the surface of water slowly breaching.
She had sudden inexplicable urges and inexpressable desires. Anything could bring it on: a certain scent, an odd phrase, the colour of a t-shirt. Often, these moments left her frustrated and hungry for something she couldn't name.
Other times, they were more specific.
The mood struck her when she was out shopping oneday. She'd stopped before a window displaying jewellery, and a set of earrings caught her eye.
They were plain gold. Little rectangles, slightly wider at the base. Nothing special. She'd seen much prettier ones without being tempted to buy. But these she suddenly knew she had to have.
Gohan was very surprised when she came home wearing them. She'd even got her ears pierced just so she could wear them. She posed for him, tilting her head so that the earrings flashed and sparkled.
"You like?"
He did like. Very much. And he demonstrated just how much he liked them by making love to her while she wore nothing but the earrings.
Hmm. I should wear jewellery more often if this is the reaction it gets…----