Innocent Feelings

16

Checkmate

Videl knew she had to play her cards right if she wanted this to work. Her father was a proud man, so if she used his ego against him, she might be able to trick him into agreeing to face Gohan in a chess game. Mr. Satan was actually not a bad player at all, he often enjoyed playing with his business partners or the friends he had in high places. To him, chess was a "classy sport," as he would put it.

But Videl wasn't worried: she knew for a fact that Gohan often played with a friend of his and was excellent at chess – as one should expect from the boy who got perfect scores on the school's entrance exams. There was no way he wouldn't be able to win against her father. Gohan was basically a genius, and Mr. Satan, while not completely useless at the game, was nowhere near good enough to win.

But that was what made this tricky. Videl had to make her father believe that he had a chance to win in order to make it work, but at the same time, she had to make him believe that she didn't think he could win, because why would she make that proposition otherwise?

As he eyed her dubiously, Videl casually arranged her left pigtail, making sure it concealed the hickey Gohan had given her earlier. She had noticed it on the rearview mirror of her jetcopter while she was flying home, but thankfully her hair was conveniently hiding it.

"… Chess?" her father repeated slowly, his brow furrowing further. "What are you talking about, Videl? I obviously meant martial arts! If that boy," he spat the word in disgust, "wants to be allowed to date you, he has to beat me in a fight, Videl."

Videl lifted her eyes in an exaggerated pensive look, tapping her chin with her forefinger. "Hmm, are you sure? You never made it that clear… Hmm…" She turned her gaze back to Mr. Satan, giving him a sweet smile. "You always said that my boyfriend would have to be "stronger than you" or would need to "beat you," but you never specified that you meant in martial arts." Her smile turned into a smirk. "Did you?"

"This is ridiculous!" Mr. Satan sputtered, standing up abruptly. He pointed his finger at her dramatically. "I obviously meant martial arts! I'm the world champion of martial arts, Videl, so stop playing those games! If your would-be ex-boyfriend can't beat me in a fight, then he's out!"

Videl remained calm, looking up at her father with the same confident smirk. "So you don't think you can beat a high school kid at chess?"

Her lips stretched out further as more outraged sputters came out of his mouth, but this time she knew that she hurt his ego. Just as planned.

"That's not the question! I have no need to play chess with him because the rules are about a martial arts fight, not chess!" he protested again.

"But," Videl stood up and crossed her arms, "you never actually said martial arts, Daddy. And I think Gohan has a good chance at beating you at chess."

Her father huffed and folded his arms as well. "Gohan? What kind of name is that? Were his parents hungry when they named him or something?"

She overlooked the snide remark. "Come on, Daddy, it's worth a shot, right? At least give him a chance to prove himself to you. And if he doesn't beat you then we'll break it off. Deal?"

Mr. Satan looked down at the luxurious carpet in deep thought, tapping his foot. Good, he was considering it now. Videl watched him anxiously, trying not to think of what would happen if, by a weird and awful stroke of bad luck, Gohan ended up losing the game and they had to be separated. She pushed those thoughts away and focused back on the present: thinking of what-ifs would accomplish nothing. Besides, Gohan was definitely going to win: she was confident about it.

Seeing the uncertainty and hesitation on her father's face, Videl decided to play her last card.

"Don't you want me to be happy, Daddy?" she asked, her tone softening. He looked up at her, and Videl stared back at him pleadingly, hoping to melt his defenses. "I really, really care about him, and he's honestly the best person I know. Please, Daddy, at least give him a chance. Let him prove to you that he's more than good enough for me."

Hercule heaved a deep, tired sigh. "I don't want you to date anyone, Videl."

She cracked a smile at him. "I know. I didn't want to either, but Gohan's just that great that even I couldn't resist."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I don't like it, Videl."

A smirk formed on her lips again. "Then beat him at chess."

Silence. Then, "So if I win, you two are over, correct?"

She was bubbling with excitement. It was working! "Yes. But if you lose, I'm allowed to date him. Deal?"

This time she held out her hand to him. Mr. Satan eyed it suspiciously, then lifted his distrustful gaze at her again. He uncrossed his arms, looked at her extended hand again – and, finally, shook it with his own. "Deal."

Videl couldn't help the grin spreading out her lips as she shook her father's hand. Damn, she was good.

ooOoo

Gohan paused and turned his head to his left, his hands staying still inside his locker. He blinked at his grinning girlfriend. Then blinked again. Had he heard her right?

"… Chess?" he repeated slowly, forgetting about his books momentarily as he turned to face her fully.

"You told me you're super good at chess, right?" Videl reminded him. "So it should be no problem for you to beat my dad at chess."

"How on earth did it come to that?" he asked in amused confusion, scratching his hair. "I thought I was going to have to beat him in a fight?"

Videl smiled up at him and stepped closer to him, her hand reaching for his. Her voice lowered. "You trusted me with your secret, so I'm going to do everything I can to keep it for you."

A warm feeling fluttered in his chest. Gohan's features relaxed into a gentle smile as he gazed upon the amazing girl he was lucky enough to love. "But I wouldn't have minded if it was just your father, since you said he had this silly rule to stop you from dating anyone."

"Maybe." She shrugged. "I convinced him to have a chess match with you instead. He's actually pretty good at chess, you know, but not enough to beat a genius like you," she finished with a playful grin.

Gohan chuckled, scratching his hair on the back of his head with his spare hand. "How did you ever manage to make him change his rule?"

She gave him a smug look. "I'm just that good."

He laughed softly, shaking his head in amusement. "You sure are." He bent down to kiss her cheek, and when he pulled back, they shared sheepish smiles and sweet looks.

"So when is the chess match taking place?" he asked.

"Today after school. My dad doesn't want to waste any time." She gave him an apologetic smile. "He's really intent on breaking us up."

Gohan frowned at the thought. "Well, I won't let that happen. I can't lose you now, or ever – you've become too precious to me."

Her heart picked up at his words and the seriousness of his eyes. She felt breathless; her gaze lowered to his lips, and Videl had the sudden urge to kiss him. She was, however, a little too self-conscious of their surroundings, so Videl refrained herself from giving in.

"You, too," she breathed out, looking deep into his eyes. "I…" She wanted to say "love," but the girl bit down on her lip to stop herself. It was way too soon in their relationship to drop the L-bomb – they only got together last week, after all. Videl didn't want to scare Gohan off by going too fast. "I won't let him set us apart, no matter what," she said instead. Gohan's features relaxed into a gentle smile, the one she loved so much and always made her melt like ice in the blazing sun. She smiled back at him, staring at him dreamily.

Little did she know her boyfriend had decided to tell her he loved her, whether it was too soon or not. He just couldn't hold it in anymore – Gohan loved Videl with all of his heart, and he wanted her to know it.

But Gohan didn't want to just say it; he wanted the moment to be memorable; he wanted to plan something grand and incredible, to set the perfect atmosphere. He wanted the moment he told Videl those three words to be magical.

He had no idea how he was going to do that yet, but Gohan was intent on making it happen. Most of all, he wanted Videl to feel just how special she was to him.

He cupped her cheek, placing his other hand on the small of her back to pull her to him. He observed with delight the blush appearing on her beautiful face and grinned.

"You won't get mad if I kiss you right now, will you?" he asked softly, his tone playful. Videl's cheeks flared up, and she looked away in embarrassment. Gosh, she was just too cute. How he loved to bring out her shy side.

Gohan started to lean in, feeling his breath come short as the anticipation of tasting her addicting lips rose inside of him. He figured he should have cared that they were in the middle of the school halls and that a lot of their fellow students were staring, but, somehow, Gohan couldn't bring himself to – the urge to kiss Videl trumped everything else.

She murmured his name, her heaving breath tickling his lips. Gohan ran his tongue over them, his mouth suddenly feeling too dry. He watched through half-lidded eyes as her eyes slid shut, and his own followed suit as he closed the last inches that separated them.

He loved kissing Videl. Sometimes it felt like the pleasure, the electricity, the chemistry was just too much. Yet he couldn't help craving for more. More of her. All of her.

God, he wanted her so unbelievably much. He wanted to kiss her everywhere and lose himself in her. He ached to make love to Videl.

Gohan detached his lips from hers, heaving deeply. He kept his eyes closed and leaned his forehead against Videl's, cupping her face with both his hands.

"Nobody will ever come between us – I won't let them. I don't care who I have to beat the crap out of – I'm never letting go of you."

She giggled slightly at his choice of words, and Gohan felt that warm fuzziness in his chest again. His love for her was bursting out.

He wondered if Erasa could help him come up with the perfect plan to tell Videl he was hopelessly in love with her. He was certain the bubbly blonde would be more than willing to help, in any case.

ooOoo

Gohan wasn't quite sure how to approach the matter with his friend. It was minutes before the morning break, but he and Videl usually spent it together, just the two of them. Would Videl suspect something if he spoke with Erasa in private instead? When he put it that way, it didn't sound very inconspicuous…

His initial plan was to talk to Erasa after school, but now he had to go beat Videl's father at chess to make sure the man wouldn't get in the way of his and Videl's relationship. Gohan had to wonder how Videl pulled that off. How on earth did she manage to get her dad to agree to play chess with him instead of fighting him? She sure was something else, that girl.

His lips started to curve upward at that thought, and Gohan tried to stop himself from grinning like an idiot in the middle of class. It was no use, however, so the lovesick teenage boy pulled up his book to hid his face behind it, smiling to himself.

He felt so giddy at the thought of telling Videl how he felt. But, there was also a little part of him that was terrified at the prospect. It might be a little too soon to say those three words, after all, but Gohan had decided to take his chance. Telling Videl about him had been the hardest part, but it all worked out in the end – even better than he could have imagined, too. Hopefully, the same thing would happen when he told Videl he loved her.

Lost in his thoughts, Gohan hadn't paid much attention to the current lecture, and so when the bell rang, the boy jumped slightly, taken by surprise. Everybody started gathering their stuff and get ready for the break; Gohan blinked himself out of his daze. He was the only one still in his seat, and he looked up when Videl shot him a smile.

His heart ached. Gosh, her smile was so beautiful.

"You coming?"

He offered her an awkward smile, finally starting to pack up the things he would need to put back in his locker. "Go on ahead, I'll join you in a moment."

Videl shot him a look, an eyebrow raised in confusion and curiosity. In the end, she simply shrugged. When she passed behind his chair, her hand brushed his shoulder, and Gohan felt a pleasant shiver course through him. His cheeks reddened ever so slightly, and he smiled dreamily as he watched his girlfriend go down the stairs and through the door.

But he quickly got himself together and turned to Erasa, getting up from his chair while shouldering his satchel. She was just about to pass behind him and follow after Videl.

"Could I have a moment with you, Erasa?"

The blonde shot him a funny look, having obviously no clue what brought this up all of a sudden. Sharpner raised an eyebrow at the pair in curiosity. He planned on asking Erasa about this later.

"Um, sure."

ooOoo

She had been gaping at him for like a full minute now. Gohan was growing nervous – and Videl was still waiting for him outside of the classroom, too.

"So, um, you got any ideas?" he asked kindly, pushing down his impatience. "I want to plan something big. I want the moment I tell Videl I love her to stay with her forever."

Erasa was still gaping at him. Finally, a word finally escaped her lips – literally one word: "Wow."

And then, slowly, a broad grin lit up her whole face, her baby blue eyes shining with excitement. "Gosh, you sure are the perfect boyfriend, aren't you?" Gohan smiled sheepishly, scratching his hair. "Well, you can count on my help – I'm already getting ideas popping in my head. You should definitely tell her at sunset – it's a guaranteed romantic mood. Oh! Maybe you could bring her to the beach and prepare a picnic or something… Or, or, you could bring her to some super high rooftop – oh, and there's that bridge, too, where couples hang padlocks as a symbol of their love. Ah! And what about –"

"Erasa," he cut her off with a gentle smile. "I kinda need to get back to Videl right now. We'll talk more about it later, okay?"

She nodded her head vigorously. "These are just off the top of my head. I'll think up something grander, I promise. You can count on me," she grinned, pointing at her chest with her thumb.

His eyes softened. He was so lucky to have a friend like Erasa. He put his hand on her arm and squeezed lightly to show her his gratitude. "Thank you so much, Erasa. You're the best. I knew coming to you was a good idea."

She gave him a wink, then pushed him towards the door, making him walk out of the empty classroom. "Now go find your girlfriend!" she laughed.

He grinned and nodded. Turning his head, he saw Videl leaning back against a locker across from their classroom. Her face lit up when she spotted him, and she rushed into his arms.

His heart fluttered delightfully. He closed his arms around her petite body and breathed in her hair.

He felt like telling her right here, right now. He just loved her so much.

From out of the corner of his eye, he saw Erasa walk past them, giving him a thumb up. He nodded at her. Well, he supposed holding it off would be worth it. Videl was worth everything and more, and Gohan wanted to make the first time he told her those words to be memorable.

Hey, it couldn't be harder than refraining himself from kissing her, right?

And speaking of kissing…

But Gohan knew that she didn't really like to be the center of attention when they kissed in public, and especially at school, so he took her hand and led her away from prying eyes – also known as the empty classroom right behind him.

As soon as the door was closed, his mouth was on hers. He kissed her deeply, putting all of his love into it. Gohan smiled against her lips as he felt Videl melt in his arms, and he held her tighter against him.

Holding off telling her he was crazy about her didn't seem so easy right now…

ooOoo

As he stood before the gigantic mansion where Videl lived, it occurred to Gohan that this would be the first time he would be entering the Satan House through the front door. Which was kind of funny, seeing as he'd been inside before. A couple days ago, actually. When he'd kissed Videl for the first time.

He grinned at the girl in question, standing by his side, her tiny, lovely hand in his much bigger one. It was such a simple action, to be holding hands with her, but it was one of the aspects of being Videl's boyfriend that he loved the most. Somehow, it felt more intimate than holding her in his arms or kissing her. As much as he enjoyed doing those things with her – and he enjoyed them immensely – there was just something incredibly special about holding hands.

"I still can't believe you got him to face me at chess instead of in a fight," he chuckled in amusement. "How on earth did you pull that off?"

She smirked. "I know my dad. I just used his big ego against him."

Gohan raised an eyebrow at the girl grinning deviously at him. "Should I be worried that you're that good at manipulating people?"

"Terrified, actually," she said playfully, her deep blue eyes shining with mirth.

Unable to resist, Gohan leaned over to Videl and lifted her chin to capture her lips. It was slow and sweet, and Gohan felt his whole being glow with warmth and love as he let the beautiful sensations wash over him.

"I think I'm gonna take my chances," he murmured, looking into her eyes, stroking her cheek tenderly.

A blissful smile stretched her cherry pink lips. Gohan felt the familiar tug in his stomach, the one urging him to kiss Videl again and again.

But, the teen pushed it down, turning to the luxurious mansion once more. They had something more urgent to deal with right now. Mr. Satan was waiting for them, and Gohan didn't want to give the man more reasons to disapprove of his relationship with Videl.

It proved to be too late for that, however. When Videl led him inside, Gohan was met with a scowling Mr. Satan, his arms crossed in an intimidating way. And even Gohan had to admit, the ominous vibes his aura gave off were kinda scary.

There was no doubt that Videl's dad had seen them kiss through the window by the front door. Gohan swallowed. Well, wasn't that a great start? I guess it's too late to make a good first impression…

Which didn't mean Gohan wasn't going to try again, though.

"Hello, I'm Son Gohan," he introduced himself, letting go of Videl's hand to step towards her father and offering him his hand. Mr. Satan eyed it with distaste.

"Dad, be nice," Videl scolded him with a frown.

The man grumbled under his breath and begrudgingly shook Gohan's hand, albeit very briefly.

"I want you to know that I care deeply about your daughter, and the most important thing to me is to make her happy," Gohan said earnestly. He wasn't going to let the man's obvious contempt towards him discourage him.

"Whatever," Mr. Satan mumbled, clearly not buying it. "Let's get to business. Follow me."

Gohan only hesitated a few moments before taking Videl's hand again and walking after her father. Mr. Satan may not approve of him, but Gohan wasn't going to let that stop him from showing Videl his affection.

He couldn't help staring at the luxurious decor as he followed Mr. Satan, Videl by his side. Everything was marble, leather, oak, not to mention the numerous statues of the man of the house, as well as some much-coveted pieces of art, be it sculptures or paintings. Gohan felt like he was in a museum rather than a home. As magnificent as the place was, the boy could never see himself living in that kind of house. He was a guy with simple needs, after all, having grown up surrounded by nature and greenness. He much preferred the warmth and coziness of his simple home over the exuberance of the Satan House.

Hercule brought them to his office. The decor was similar to the rest of the estate: all marble and leather and oak, with renowned paintings hanging on the walls. A chess table had been specially set there, waiting for them to start playing. Gohan smiled to himself, confident that he would win. After all, if he could win against a strategy genius like Piccolo half the time they played against each other, surely he could handle someone like Videl's father.

Gohan gave Videl's hand a squeeze before letting it go, giving her an encouraging smile. She nodded at him in return – and she looked so cute that Gohan had to force himself to tear his gaze away from her before he could give into temptation and kiss her breath away. Doing that in front of her father would certainly not be in his favor.

"After you, sir," Gohan said politely, motioning to one of the leather chairs on either side of the chess table.

Hercule grunted in response and sat down. Videl pulled up one of the armchairs across her dad's swivel chair on the other side of his giant, oak desk, then placed it in front of the chess table and settled down, ready to watch the game. Gohan sat down last. His chair creaked when he moved closer to the table.

He cracked his knuckles, then shot Mr. Satan a smile. "Would you rather play white or black?"

"White," the man replied unsurprisingly.

He made his first move and pushed the button on his side of the timer. Gohan followed suit; the first ten moves were quick. The sound of the clock stopping and starting again as each player pushed their buttons was the only thing disturbing the silence. Videl was watching the game intently, but in truth, she had never been much of a player herself, and while she knew the basic rules, she couldn't tell who was winning. Her money was still on Gohan, of course.

The moves started to slow down. Videl took it as a good sign, because Gohan was still quick to play his turn, having obviously several moves ahead each time he shifted a piece. She smirked to herself. Her father was starting to sweat.

"You're pretty good," he told Gohan, shooting him a nervous smile, failing to look confident.

"Thanks," Gohan smiled back calmly, putting his king to safety queenside, swapping the royal piece and his rook, before pushing his button on the clock. "Castling. You're not too bad yourself."

Gohan was actually surprised. Videl did say her father was pretty good, and while the man was obviously no match for a skilled player such as himself, he really wasn't bad at all.

A familiar beeping went off, and his head jerked in Videl's direction. She mouthed a "Sorry," to him before answering the call on her watch. She stood up to leave the office so as not to disturb the game. Gohan's brow furrowed. In the back of his mind, he heard a click followed by the ticking on his side of the timer – but a lump was forming in the pit of his stomach. He'd caught the chief talking about a bank robbery before Videl walked out. He didn't like this.

Hercule cleared his throat. "It's your turn, boy."

Gohan turned back on the game, still frowning deeply – but not because he was focusing on his next move. It was like his mind had followed Videl out the door.

And now he felt her ki rushing away. Damn it. Why did it have to happen now, of all times? How could he concentrate when Videl was out there risking her life, and he was stuck here, unable to go help her? Unable to protect her.

"Aren't you worried about her when she's off fighting crime?" he asked Mr. Satan, tearing his gaze from the board to frown at the man. How could he be so calm when his only daughter could very well be in danger?

"She knows what she's doing, and she's been helping the police for a while now," the man replied simply. "Of course I worry, but Videl's never given me a reason to stop her from doing what she likes."

While his reasoning was legitimate, Gohan just couldn't stop worrying. The ticking was still going on his side of the clock, and Gohan glanced at it to see how much time they had left. They had set it at half an hour each before they started, which was pretty standard for a chess match; Mr. Satan's side had been closing in faster than his since he'd been taking longer to play his turns – up until now, that is. Gohan's lapse in concentration had cost him the upper hand on the clock. At least he was still winning the actual game – not that it would matter if he ended up running out of time.

Gohan shook his head to try and clear his mind and refocused his eyes on the chess board. Videl was still on her way to the crime scene. He frowned harder, trying to concentrate on his turn. He'd already planned it four moves ago – now what was it again…?

The clock was ticking. Gohan sat frozen, stuck on his next move. He narrowed his eyes, willing his brain to cooperate. Videl was going to be fine. She had been fighting criminals way before he came along to help out. Her father was right – she could handle herself just fine. He had no reason to get so worked up when she wasn't even in danger.

Her ki spiked up. She'd started fighting. Gohan gritted his teeth.

Finally, he picked up his queen and moved it diagonally, four squares on the left, then pushed his button on the timer. Hercule raised an eyebrow, before taking one of his knights with his bishop.

"How could you miss that?" he said as he pressed his button on the clock. He frowned. "Does Videl's crime fighting worry you that much?"

"Yes," Gohan replied honestly.

"Doesn't that Singing Man fellow always turn up when she's helping the police, though? Shouldn't that ease your worries?"

Gohan refrained from correcting his superhero name. "Not really," he muttered, staring at the game without really seeing it.

"Well, too bad for you, then. I guess winning this is going to be even easier than I thought."

Gohan clenched his fists, clutching the fabric of his pants. His mind was reeling – and it had nothing to do with the chess game. Yet it should have – he was going to lose Videl's father's approval if he didn't win this, and it was only going to make his relationship with Videl more complicated.

And then he shut his eyes tightly, his heart rate picking up in alarm. Videl's ki was dropping. She seemed okay for the most part, seeing as he could sense her still fighting stubbornly, giving it her all. But something happened. Her ki was still dropping. She was hurt.

He suddenly stood. "I guess it can't be helped," he told Videl's father, who looked up at him in confusion. Gohan brought his left wrist to his chest's level, reaching for the red button on his watch with his right hand. "I forfeit."

A flash of light blinded Hercule, who covered his sight with his arm. And then, right before his eyes, a man in a familiar, colorful suit stood where his daughter's boyfriend had just been a moment ago.

"I have to protect her. Videl's safety is more important," the superhero said in Gohan's voice. Hercule's throat tightened. No way… That scrawny kid was actually…?

The Great Saiyaman walked briskly to the window behind the office chair, his red cape flowing behind him. He pushed the silky curtains aside and opened the double glass, before stepping onto the sill – and then he jumped out. Hercule stared, his mouth agape, as, instead of falling to his death, the caped hero took flight into the sky, zooming away like a rocket.

February 20, 2021