Innocent Feelings

6

Expectations

As the imposing mansion came into view, the couple slowed down the pace, not in a rush to arrive at the fancy-looking gates surrounding the estate. Videl glanced at the boy holding her hand and let out a quiet sigh. He hadn't made a single sound since they'd left the shopping district to walk her home. A thoughtful frown etched across his brow while his stare was focused straight ahead — like he was purposely avoiding looking at her.

No, that couldn't be it. Gohan had no reason to do that… did he? No, no, she was just worrying too much; they had just gotten together today, and it was still new to both of them. Besides, with how shy Gohan was, his behavior wasn't that unexpected. He was probably still feeling awkward after that "moment".

For her part, she was still confused about it. She had really thought Gohan was going to kiss her back there, with the way he had stared at her… No, not simply at her — he'd been staring at her lips, intently, and almost… impatiently. And yet he'd pulled back before anything could happen — actually, it was more like he'd forced himself to turn away from her, almost painfully.

Why would he do that?

He was awfully quiet since then, too. She wished she could read his mind, just for right now, just so she could understand what was going on in it this very second.

She wished he'd kissed her back then. She just didn't get why he would pull away at the last moment; could it be that he thought it was too soon? Perhaps he wanted to take things slow, to take his time with her… Ugh, that sounded way too frustrating. It was just a kiss — just how long was he planning to make her wait? They were a couple now, wasn't accepting his feelings enough? He should know that he was allowed to kiss her!

And he should've seen just how much she'd wanted him to do it, back there. There was no way he didn't know that she was craving it, too. He clearly wasn't that clueless.

He shouldn't have pulled away. Why did he pull away?

"Huh… It looks even bigger up close."

Still deep in thought she barely heard his comment and nodded distractedly, accompanied by a lazy "mhmm".

They stopped walking when they reached the tall gates, and a tug at her hand brought Videl out of her musing. She looked back at her smiling boyfriend and blinked.

"Earth to Videl?" he said playfully, gently pulling her closer.

She blushed slightly, and it only made him grin wider. Flutters, butterflies, that grin just did her in. She mock-scowled in response, unwilling to let him see just how much he affected her.

"Aww, don't give me that look," he pouted. "I was hoping you'd stop aiming it at me now." He let out a dramatic sigh.

Geek, she mentally called him, rolling her eyes. "Well that's too bad now, isn't it?"

"Hmm… nah, it's fine." He unexpectedly pulled her to him, wrapping his free arm around her slim waist while his other hand gave her own a light squeeze. Videl could already feel the blood rush to her face, which was most likely flaming red right about now. How could she not when he was smiling down at her in that perfect, dazzling way. "I like you just the way you are."

Ugh… damn him and his adorableness. Her heart was throbbing, pounding loudly and unrelentingly against her ribcage. Stop smiling like that, she wanted to yell at him, but her voice was currently unavailable, inevitably caught in her throat. How could he have such an effect on her? It was just one smile — one gorgeous, irresistible, and absolutely lovable smile — and she was feeling like a puddle of goo. If he wasn't holding her against him, she wasn't sure she could've supported her own weight by herself… Her knees were faltering, trembling even.

He was making her feel weak, defenseless; as if one word from him, one look, could turn her whole world around. These feelings… they were too strong, stronger than she'd thought, and Videl didn't know what to make of them.

He let go of her hand to brush her cheek lightly, still staring at her adoringly, and then he let out a soft sigh, somehow sounding… disappointed?

Huh.

Next thing she knew, Gohan was hugging her tightly, his arms secured around her waist and keeping her close against him. He nuzzled her neck, breathing in deeply… and placed a soft kiss against her skin. A shiver ran through her spine at his touch, her face getting redder than ever.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said to her ear, taking his time to pull away. Reluctantly.

He grinned when he saw how much she was blushing, chuckled even, though he was quite red in the face himself as well. She glared at him, but he just grinned wider and she ended up smiling back at him despite herself. He just had that effect on her.

As she watched him walk away and then turn around to wave at her from the distance, that stupid grin still glued on his face, Videl found herself waving back, her own, silly smile spreading her lips further as she did. The warm, fuzzy feeling was still swelling in her chest, and it didn't look like it was going to go away anytime soon now.

ooOoo

The maids and butlers ignored the loud snores coming from the living area as they went about their work in the luxurious mansion. Mr. Satan falling asleep in front of the TV was not an unfamiliar occurrence; the rumbling sound echoed across the hallways along with the noisy movie that currently aired. How the man was able to sleep through it all was a mystery; then again it wasn't their job to worry about it.

A sudden explosion sounded, followed by a cry of surprise. It looked like the champ had been woken by a particularly loud scene of the movie. There was a muttered curse and then the channel was abruptly changed.

Sitting up on the leather couch, Hercule wiped the drool dripping down his chin while holding the remote in his other hand; he zapped lazily through the channels, trying to find something interesting among the hundreds and hundreds of them. Nothing seemed to catch his interest, and his thumb mechanically kept on pushing the same button on the remote. He finally stopped at a news channel — they were talking about his daughter.

A proud, sloppy grin lit up his face, watching a replay of how Videl had beaten four thugs at once without much effort.

"That's my little girl!" he boasted to himself, grabbing the forgotten glass of wine swiftly from the side table and taking a sip, cringing slightly at the now warm-ish beverage. His daughter was getting quite strong, he had to say. Who knows, maybe one day she'd surpass him? Nah, that couldn't happen; he was Hercule Satan after all!

He laughed loudly at his thoughts, then took another sip of his wine while he settled into a more comfortable position on his unaffordable couch. Ah, life was good. Wealth, glory, devoted fans, and his Videl making him prouder every day. He couldn't ask for more — he already had it all.

His ears picked up the sound of a humming tune. Turning down the volume of the TV, Hercule listened carefully, easily recognizing his daughter's voice. Curious, the burly man stood and went to the doorway, seeing Videl skipping joyfully along the corridor while humming a happy tune.

Hercule blinked. And blinked. And blinked again.

The teenage girl passed by her father, who was still blinking at her at the doorstep; she stopped for a second and chirped a cheerful, "Hi Daddy!" before going on her way, the skip still present in her steps.

Huh?

Something was definitely off there. Not that Hercule wasn't glad to see his beloved daughter happy, but this… was just too unusual. He had never, ever seen Videl like this, not since she reached puberty at least, and he didn't know why but it was worrying him. Videl didn't hum and she most definitely didn't skip. She wasn't the cheerful type, either; that short-haired, blonde friend of hers was the cheerful one, not Videl. It was just too weird to see his normally tomboyish and scowling daughter this joyful. Perhaps he should go see her…

Tightening his belt, the afro-wearing man walked decidedly towards Videl's bedroom.

ooOoo

She closed the door to her room and leaned back against it, letting out a deep, content sigh. Her dreamy eyes stared ahead with no real aim, and her lips seemed to be stuck in a permanent smile. Her head was spinning with everything that had happened today, and the prospect of making more memories with Gohan elated her further. They may have had a rough start, and it'd definitely gotten frustrating at first, but even though her work with the police force got in the way, every moment spent with him simply felt… perfect. Videl let out another content sigh; she really couldn't wait to have an actual, undisturbed first date with her handsome boyfriend.

It was so uncharacteristic of her, to be so giddy and dreamy about a guy, but it was Gohan. He was just the most adorable boy she'd ever met. He also had the kindest and purest heart, and she knew he genuinely liked her. A blush formed across her cheeks as she recalled all the beautiful things he'd told her when he had asked her out the second time. The girl placed her hand against her heart, easily feeling it still beating erratically against her chest.

Damn you Gohan, you're making me act like some silly schoolgirl, she thought with a slight frown. She sighed softly at the fact, and walked to her desk, pulling the swivel chair and sitting down. Ah, well, she didn't really mind all that much. It was bound to happen someday anyway, right? She leaned back against the comfortable leather, tilting up her chin and staring at the ceiling as she absentmindedly swung back and forth on the swivel chair.

Besides… it was Gohan. She didn't want to fight her feelings anymore. She liked him, really liked him, and he was so considerate and gentle with her. And funny and cute — and so easily adorably flustered.

No, she really didn't mind all that much — as long as it was for him.

Steadying the swivel chair, Videl figured she might as well get some homework done — although she doubted she was currently able to concentrate on school work right now. Speaking of which, she'll have to call Erasa later for what she'd missed in the last two periods, the girl reminded herself. Well, there was no reason to delay the call actually. And anyways, Erasa had most likely heard of what happened during lunchtime — as had the whole school, no doubt — and was most definitely dying to know about all the details. Strangely enough, today the raven haired girl really felt like telling all about it to her best friend, and was even looking forward to it.

Just as she was reaching for her cell phone, there was a knock on the door followed by her father's voice:

"Videl? Is everything alright?"

Puzzled by the concern in his tone, Videl got up from the chair and went to open the door. She was met with the sight of her father's somewhat inquiring frown, and she smiled up at him.

"Everything's great, Daddy," she replied in good spirits. "Why do you ask?"

"Well… Uhm…" he babbled in apparent discomfort. "That… bank robbery earlier. I mean, I saw the news. You're not hurt, are you?"

She shrugged. "Nope, hardly got any scratch. They were really no challenge at all."

"Ah, well, I'm glad you're okay," he said, though he still looked somewhat uneasy about something.

"Something's wrong?" she asked out of habit, her smile never wavering. In her current mood, Videl doubted anything would be able to ruin her day.

"Uhm, not really. I'll, uh, get going. The chef's making roast chicken for dinner, by the way."

"Sure, sounds great."

Videl watched him turn around and walk away, distractedly wondering why her father was acting somewhat strangely. Ah, well. If it was something important he would've told her. For now, she had a phone call to make.

ooOoo

He was definitely not used to seeing his daughter like this, and it was certainly making him uneasy. Videl was obviously in an exceptionally good mood today, and while he was happy if she was happy, Hercule also knew his daughter. She wasn't one to let her feelings show and surely not in such exuberance. Something must have happened at school. A good mark perhaps? No, that couldn't be it. Videl had always been fairly good academically but she never really made a big deal out of it. Could it be some good news? Something that happened?

A deep frown creased his brow as an unpleasant possibility made its way to his reflexion. What if she'd met a boy? But, no, she hardly paid any attention to her male acquaintances or friends, and she always said that she was too busy for boys, that they were all stupid anyway. Hercule always encouraged her in that regard, even coming up with a clever rule to discourage any potential boyfriends. No boy would willingly fight him, Hercule Satan, the undefeated champion and savior of the world, so the man had thought he didn't need to worry about Videl and boys for some time still. But what if she did meet someone? What if she'd been dating some guy all along? What if she planned to leave the house and elope with that idiot, leaving him all alone?

Hercule shook his head sharply, trying to clear his mind. He was becoming paranoid now. There was no proof that his little girl could be seeing someone; he was just getting himself all worked up for no reason. Okay, she was unusually happy, but that was supposed to be a good thing. He shouldn't be racking his brain like that over it; and besides, it was starting to give him a headache.

He was happy if Videl was happy, and that was it. There was no boy involved, he was just making it all up by himself. No reason he should be worried, right?

Right?

ooOoo

Looping through the sky was an extremely happy teenage boy, and plastered across his face was the widest, silliest of grins. Looping, and whooshing, and swooping, for who knew how long — how could he even care? He was just so happy! He was Videl's boyfriend! "Happy" didn't even begin to describe how he felt.

His heart was soaring in joy. Nothing could ruin his mood. His grin widened, if possible; black eyes twinkled excitedly as he recalled the time they'd spent together today. Even if they'd had to cut it short, and even with his secret identity in the way, every minute, every second he spent in Videl's company felt like pure bliss. He couldn't wait to see her again—tomorrow couldn't come fast enough!

Another loop, and then Gohan shot upwards, going higher and higher, above the orange-tinted clouds—

Wait a minute, orange? And purple and red. Gohan blinked, sluggishly looking around him. The sun was setting? Just how long had he been flying…?

And then something unheard-of happened: he shrugged, uncaring. He may probably already be in trouble anyway, with him skipping class and all, so, well, a little more or a little less… Bah.

He was just too happy to care right now. Well, he did stop playing around and go straight home from there, but his mood didn't dampen in the least.

Overjoyed. Now that was a more fitting word to describe how he felt.

Although… wasn't there a stronger word?