Innocent Feelings

22

Naive

It felt like forever since the four friends hadn't had lunch together, seeing as Gohan and Videl would usually spend that time just the two of them since they got together. However, it was the last week of school before the summer break and they didn't have a lot of lunch breaks left to share together until the next term.

"Man, I can't wait for school to be over," Sharpner said, plopping down on the grass, his hands behind his head.

"Don't say that," Erasa pouted, getting a bit emotional. "Classes aside, it's gonna be so lonely not to see you guys every day. And Gohan's gonna take all of Videl's time so I'm barely gonna see her. I'm gonna miss you so much, Vivi," she added, glomping her friend, tearing the girl away from her boyfriend's arms.

Gohan blinked, feeling a little sad at the sudden loss of Videl's warmth, but then he smiled at the girls. Erasa was probably right and he felt bad that he was monopolizing her best friend so much. It must be weird for them not to hang out as much as they used to.

"Vivi?" he repeated, his smile turning into an amused grin. His girlfriend blushed slightly and sent him a glare that said, "Don't you dare to ever call me that." Oh, but he was so going to.

Erasa finally let go of Videl but she still looked like she was on the verge of tears. Videl rolled her eyes smiling and patted her friend on the shoulder.

"You worry too much, 'Rase. We're going to see plenty of each other during the break and I bet you're going to get sick of me by the end of it."

But as she said that Videl realized that she was supposed to spend her break with Gohan's martial artist friend for some intensive training, so she actually wouldn't have a lot of free time, if any at all. But how was she supposed to tell Erasa?

"But I'll be going to some remote island to visit relatives with my family for most of the break," Erasa pouted, crossing her arms. "I'm barely going to see you as is."

Or maybe she wouldn't need to, Videl thought with relief, and a little bit of guilt too.

"In that case," Gohan cut in with a gentle smile, taking his girlfriend's hand and giving it a kiss. "Think of how happy you'll be to see Videl again."

Videl beamed at him in gratitude as Erasa's eyes lit up at the thought.

"Bah, I'm just glad I won't be going to class for the next two months," Sharpner said. "I probably won't even have time to miss you guys."

"How kind of you," Videl smirked rolling her eyes.

"Just being honest."

Gohan opened his arms with an inviting smile and his girlfriend readily leaned in and snuggled up to him. Sharpner grimaced and looked away.

"Ugh, seriously, you two, spare me the eyesore. That I will not miss, that's for sure."

Videl stuck out her tongue out. "You're just jealous Gohan's cuter than you."

The blonde jock scoffed. "As if! I'm way better looking than Brains."

Gohan gave an awkward smile. "Sorry, Sharpner, but I can't help wanting to hold Videl all the time." He gazed at Videl tenderly. "You'll understand when you're in love."

"Barf. I hope not," Sharpner said, closing his eyes to spare himself the sight of the sickeningly lovey-dovey couple. "Promise me you'll punch me in the face if I ever act like that."

"I can punch you now if you want," Videl smirked, leaning back into Gohan's chest.

Sharpner opened one eye and smirked back at his friend. "I like my face, thanks. I need it to get girls – got a hot date tonight."

"Kit again?" Erasa asked. "Things seem to be going well between you two."

"What can I say? She can't get enough of me."

"If you keep this up with her I might have to punch you," Videl snickered.

"Yeah no I don't think so."

"You never know though. My fist is always ready in any case."

"I bet it is."

"Just say the word."

"Come on, Videl, leave him alone," Gohan cut in. "Nobody wants to get punched by you."

She pouted. "But he started it, and now I'm tempted and I'm itching to punch him in the face."

Gohan laughed, and Videl couldn't stop the loving smile forming on her lips. She cupped his cheek. "But I guess I can restrain myself. For you."

He grinned. "Thanks. Means a lot."

Sharpner refrained from making gagging sounds – after all Gohan was on his side at least. He closed his eyes again however when they started leaning in for a kiss, as the sight of the mushy couple wouldn't help his nausea.

Videl sighed in content and leaned her head on Gohan's shoulder, his arms tightening around her. Her cheeks were flushed in delight. She still had troubles believing how lucky she was to have such an amazing boyfriend. Gohan's gentleness always made her melt, and the fact that he understood how much crime fighting meant to her and never even tried to stop her just filled her heart with more and more love. It was going to explode at some point, she was certain. She couldn't care less.

She wondered what kind of training she would be doing under Gohan's friend. She'd done some research on a martial artist named Krillin, and from the recording of the previous Tenkaichi Budokais, she'd been more than impressed by his performance. While he'd never won or reached the final round, Krillin had been way more skilled than her at barely thirteen years old. It was… fascinating, to say the least.

But what struck her even more, while she'd watched the tape of the twenty first Tenkaichi Budokai, was the youngest participant, who happened to be none other than Gohan's father when he was twelve. His skills, his strength, his ability to improve in the middle of a fight… While he had been nowhere near Gohan's current level, it was obvious that he was way above all of the other fighters. Videl had been a bit peeved that he'd lost against Jackie Chun, believing that he had deserved to win. She knew that he'd won on his third try, though, so she supposed it just made him work harder for the championship.

She hadn't been able to find any recording of the twenty third Tenkaichi Budokai, for that matter. It was rumored that the fights were so violent and destructive that they had to cancel the tournament for years before they could rebuild everything and launch it again the year her father won.

In the video of the twenty first tournament, however, Krillin and Goku had said that they'd been training under Kame Sennin, who himself was a legend in the martial art world. He was believed to be the strongest fighter in the world for a long time, before her father took that title, undeservingly of course. Videl wondered if she would get to meet the famous martial arts teacher too, and whether Krillin's training would be anything like that of his master's. In any case, her summer was sure going to be exciting.

ooOoo

Chichi rolled the cord around her fingers absentmindedly, holding the receiver with her other hand. She leaned back on the kitchen chair and let out a sigh.

"He's just growing up so fast…"

"I know, I know," Bulma said on the other side of the line, smiling in amusement at her friend's tendency to dramatize. "So, how is she? You've met her at the parent-teacher meeting, right?"

"She's… nice, I guess. Really pretty, that's for sure. And she's obviously as smitten with Gohan as he is with her. It was a bit… unsettling. I couldn't help being lenient with Gohan even though he was grounded, because of her."

Bulma laughed. Chichi smiled slightly in a mix of amusement and fatigue. "That bad, huh?" Bulma said, giggling. "Should we start planning the wedding?"

"I know you're joking, but I wouldn't be surprised if Gohan had already pictured his girlfriend in a wedding dress. If only that."

Bulma laughed even harder. Chichi couldn't help joining in, chuckling slightly. "Oh gosh, he's hopeless."

"You don't know the half of it. I was putting away his books from the kitchen table the other day, and on a page of his notebook, you'll never guess what he'd filled it with."

"Scribbled of Mrs. Videl Son?"

"Not quite, but just as bad: he'd done a drawing of Videl. Not really well done, but recognisable enough. He'd sure worked a lot on the eyes."

And Bulma went into fits of giggles and laughter yet again. Chichi grinned. It felt good to share with a friend. "Gosh, he's worse than I thought. You should be careful, though," she added, the mirth suddenly gone from her voice. Chichi frowned in curiosity at the sudden change of mood. Her tone sounded strangely serious all of a sudden. "Or you might end up with grandkids sooner than later. Have you given Gohan the sex talk?"

"Oh gosh, of course not," Chichi mumbled in embarrassment, blushing profusely at the mention, putting a hand on her cheek. "I gave him books to explain to him how it works. Goku should've been the one to give him the talk!"

Bulma suddenly started laughing again, harder than ever. "Oh my God, can you imagine? How did you give Goku the talk, for that matter? I mean, for reals, Chi, how the hell did you have Gohan and Goten? With Goku?"

"Hey! He might've been clueless at first, but I'll have you know that my husband knew very well what he was doing once he got into it."

"Ooohhh, is that so? Tell me more," Bulma urged in a teasing tone, making her friend blush brightly once again.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Chichi muttered.

"I sure do. I've always wondered about Goku… I mean, when I met him he couldn't even tell boys from girls and had that bad habit of patting anyone he met on the crotch… Gosh it was so annoying, but when I think about it now it was pretty hilarious too."

Unknown to Bulma, the innocent reminiscence made Chichi flush more than ever. It was, after all, what Goku had done to her when they first met, and, it might sound stupid today, but it was kinda what made Chichi decide she wanted to be Goku's wife. Hey, she had been twelve and naive. Cut her some slack.

"Well, I'll have you know that I never had any reason to complain," Chichi admitted reluctantly. "And that's all I'm willing to say."

"Aww come on, Chi. Give a woman some details. Please?"

"No way, it's way too embarrassing!"

"Well, if Goku was anything like Vegeta, it's a wonder you ever had the strength to take care of the house so well. I mean, some days I just take a day off because he just exhausts me – he just won't stop going!"

"Oh my gosh – Bulma!"

"I mean–"

"I'm hanging up now bye!" Chichi yelled really fast before slamming the phone on its hanger on the wall. Geez, Bulma could be so crude sometimes. She hoped her friend was careful around the kids, at least. It was bad enough that Trunks was always dragging her sweet, innocent Goten into mayhem and chaos, she didn't need him to teach him bad words and grown up stuff on top of that.

"Mommy, can I go see Trunks?" Goten paused at the doorway and blinked. "Mommy, are you okay? You look really red. Are you sick? Should I call the doctor?"

She smiled at her adorable son. "No, Goten, I'm fine. Mommy's just a little hot."

"Oh, okay!" Goten chirped happily in relief, a big grin on his face. "Can I go see Trunks then?"

Chichi narrowed her eyes. "How about you ask Trunks to come over this time? Wouldn't it be much nicer for you two to play in the mountains?"

"Oh, yeah! It'll be so much fun! I'm gonna call him right away!"

Chichi sighed in relief as she collapsed back on her chair, placing a hand on her forehead, her nose in the air. Trunks and Goten were going to wear her out again for sure, but at least, she would be able to keep an eye on those two herself. And hopefully control just how much Trunks influenced her sweet little boy.

ooOoo

"Hi."

Gohan turned to his left, before closing his locker. The blonde girl looked familiar for some reason, but he couldn't remember where he'd seen her before.

"Hi…?"

"You're Gohan, right? Videl's boyfriend?"

"I'm… Yeah, I am. And you are…?"

"Nevy. Sharpner's cousin."

Gohan's eyes lit up at the familiar name. "Oh! It's nice to meet you, Nevy." He held out his hand and she shook it briefly. "I don't think I've ever seen you around here."

"That's because I transferred a month ago, and I'm a grade below you guys. I'm fifteen."

"Oh, that makes sense, yeah. I'm pretty new here myself. I started school here a little after the term started."

"Yeah, I heard about you. You got perfect scores on everything, right? People are still talking about it, especially since you started dating Videl."

Gohan grinned awkwardly and scratched the back of his head in a typical Gohan way. "Yeah, that's true. Thankfully people have started to lose interest in us. It was getting a little unsettling how they were watching our every move."

She smirked, reminding Gohan a little bit of Sharpner. He could somewhat see the family resemblance between them, even though they were only cousins. "Yeah, it was a bit creepy wasn't it? I was there when Videl confessed to you in the courtyard, too. What did you do to make her so peeved, anyway?"

Gohan blushed and grinned at the same time, both embarrassed and giddy at the fond memory. "Well, I'd asked her out a couple weeks before, but since she didn't give me an answer I assumed she rejected me. Turns out I was wrong, but I didn't know that, and for two weeks I kept avoiding her because, well, I thought she rejected me, and man that hurt pretty bad you know? So I didn't really want to talk to her at the time. But Videl, she was trying to clear up the misunderstanding, but I wasn't letting her, still thinking she had rejected me… and well, you see how that ended. Kinda made her blow up in front of everyone, heh."

Nevy couldn't help but grin at the thought. Okay, she had to admit, she could kind of see something in Gohan. But it still wasn't enough for him to deserve someone as amazing and special as Videl.

"How'd you do it, though?" she had to ask. "I've always wondered. How'd you land someone like Videl?"

He blushed and grinned once again, scratching his hair. "Beats me. I still can't believe it sometimes."

"But, I mean… Hasn't she told you what she likes about you?"

Gohan blinked, searching his memory. Has she? Perhaps he should ask her about it sometime… He sure was curious to know the answer.

"Well, I'll let you know if she tells me."

"Sounds good," Nevy smiled amicably. "So, you two, is it serious?"

His eyes softened. "You could say that, yeah. I wouldn't want to be with anyone else."

"Really? Like, ever? Don't you want to gain some experience in dating? Don't you want to try and see what it's like to be with someone else? I mean, I hear a lot of girls find you to their liking… I mean, even me, I think you're pretty cute, and I wouldn't mind making out with you."

Gohan almost strangled himself with his own saliva. He coughed into his fist, his cheeks flaming red. "Wh… What?"

She moved a little closer to him, leaning against the locker behind her, smiling up sweetly at the taller boy. "I'm saying, you should try other flavors, too. And I'll be willing to let you kiss me."

This time, Gohan frowned. He took a step back from Sharpner's cousin. "Why would I want any other girl when I've already found the one I want to spend the rest of my life with?"

"Whoa, dude, the rest of your life? You're sixteen. You may think it's gonna last forever, but all stories come to an end eventually, even the best ones." Nevy smiled dryly. "I should know."

"What do you mean?"

"My parents got divorced, that's why I moved and got transferred here. But if you saw them just a few years ago… They were no different than you and Videl. They were so in love, like you wouldn't believe. Nobody ever thought their story would end… but, as you can see, even they couldn't last the distance. Do you know how rare couples who make it are? Couples who grow old together and love each other every step of the way? I'm not trying to be a downer but, honestly, Gohan, do you realize how unrealistic it is that you end up growing old with your first girlfriend ever? That you actually got it right on the first try?"

Gohan swallowed. He didn't want to admit it, but Nevy really did have a point. For instance, for a while he was convinced Bulma would marry Yamcha… But somehow she ended up with Vegeta of all people. Who knew what was going to happen between him and Videl? What if… What if…

He clenched his fists. "You're right, it's unrealistic. But not impossible. And I want to believe Videl and I will be one of those rare cases who do make the distance together, no matter what. I love her, more than anything, with all of my heart. More than you can imagine." He swallowed again, trying to get a hold of his emotions. "And that's all that matters. As long as we love each other, I'm sure we could overcome anything."

Nevy smiled sadly, like you would to a little kid who naively didn't know any better. "My parents still love each other, you know. But sometimes, love isn't enough."

Something heavy came weighing down in his chest. Sometimes love isn't enough…? How could that even be? How could people who still loved each other just… give up?

"What… What happened? With your parents."

"The usual things married couples argue about. Money, work, drinking, jealousy. Do you realize how hard it is to make a relationship work? Are your parents still together?"

Gohan breathed deeply. "My dad passed away, but I know they would still be together if he were still around. You couldn't possibly make me change my mind about it."

"Maybe," she smiled, still in that pitying, patronizing way that made Gohan's throat go dry.

At that moment, Videl called his name from behind him. But Gohan couldn't move, rooted on the spot by the weight of everything Nevy said and what it meant. What it might mean for him and the girl he believed was the love of his life.

"Oh, hey, Nevy," Videl said, noticing the girl. "I haven't seen you around much." She smiled. "You should hang out with us sometime."

"I'd love that," Nevy beamed. "It's been hard making friends, being the new kid and all."

It bewildered Gohan how Nevy could talk so naturally just after making his world come crashing down. He shook his head. The girl may have a point, and yeah, it was indeed quite rare for a couple to actually stay together to the end, but he knew what he and Videl had was just as rare and special. He may be delusional, and it may be unrealistic that he did get it right on his first try, but hell, nothing in his life had ever been normal, so why would that change now? He knew he and Videl could make it. They loved each other, and maybe for other couples love wasn't enough to make them want to keep fighting for each other, but Gohan knew, he knew he would never ever stop fighting for Videl. He would Kamehameha his way to her if he had to, but damn it, he wasn't losing her. Ever.

"Yeah. Gohan was lucky we welcomed him with open arms from day one," Videl smirked, shooting her boyfriend a knowing look. "Right, Gohan?"

The boy snapped out of it and smiled awkwardly, scratching his cheek. "Sorry, I wasn't listening."

She rolled her pretty blue eyes before turning to Nevy again. "Anyway, you're welcome to come hang out with us any time."

"Thanks, Videl. You're awesome."

Videl winked at the younger girl. "I know." She took Gohan's hand and smiled up at him. "Ready to go? You can still walk me home, right? Let's say it's on your way back."

Gohan grinned. "You sure are good at finding loopholes, huh?"

"Didn't you hear Nevy? I'm awesome like that."

His eyes twinkled. "You sure are."

"See you tomorrow, Nevy. Say hi to your mom from me," Videl waved to the girl as she and Gohan got on their way.

"Will do. See ya."

Nevy watched the couple walk away together. She frowned, letting her friendly mask drop. She was ready to admit that Gohan wasn't a bad kid, and he obviously cared a lot about Videl, but he had to understand that kids these days didn't end up with their first girlfriends or boyfriends. It just didn't happen anymore. And the only reason it used to happen was because the teens would be stuck with a kid and divorce was frowned upon. But now, with birth control being available, and everybody getting divorces left and right, why would anyone want to be stuck with just one person for the rest of their life?

She wasn't too worried, to be honest. Gohan and Videl's relationship was still at its early stage. They were dating for what, a month maybe? Less, since they got together after she got transferred. Surely, with time, Gohan would understand what she meant. Surely, eventually, they would grow sick of each other and would want to see other people. Gohan probably truly believed that he was in love, but what did he know about love? They were just kids, herself included. It was just puppy love. And it would surely pass with time, like it always did. Nevy was pretty sure she had nothing to worry about.

And, hopefully, Videl's next boyfriend would actually be worthy of her awesomeness this time. Sure, Gohan was kinda cute and he was nice and friendly, too, but honestly, that wasn't nearly enough to be good enough for Videl. He wasn't even an athlete. How on earth could Mr. Satan allow this to happen? It really didn't make any sense.

Well, it didn't matter, because like all relationships that started in high school, theirs would eventually end, too.

ooOoo

The moment the final bell of the term rang, Sharpner was all packed up and ready to leave this place and never come back. Well, until next term, that is. But for now the jock didn't want to think about it. The summer break had started and their class had planned a trip to the beach for this weekend. They were leaving in two hours to make the trip together, and were supposed to arrive sometime this evening, just in time to enjoy the setting sun on the sea and settled in Videl's beach house.

What did you expect? The girl was loaded.

Nevy was tagging along, too. Sharpner felt bad for his cousin, he knew she took her parents' divorce pretty bad, and she couldn't be too happy to move with her mom to another city and have to leave her friends behind and now being forced to make a new life here, in Satan City. He supposed it was only right to include her as much as possible in his group of friends, and she was a pretty cool kid, too. And, well, she was family.

He'd barely recognized her when she transferred into his school. She'd dyed her hair blond, and Sharpner couldn't help regretting her dark brown hair, almost black. He always preferred dark hair on girls, himself, but that may be just him. She'd sure grown, too, last time he'd seen her was about three years ago, and she'd been flat as a board back then. Now, she was becoming a woman, and guys seemed to dig her. He needed to keep an eye on her for that matter, especially at the beach with everyone wearing swimsuits. She was kinda like a little sister to him, and it was his job as her family to protect her.

He went home in his convertible, grinning at the wind blowing on his face, feeling a rush of freedom wash over him. Man, it was good to be on a break. He wished they never had to go back to school, but Sharpner told himself that he only had to finish high school and then he'd be done with classrooms forever. Most of his peers were planning to go to college and pursue a responsible career, but Sharpner's plan was all set out already, and no school was anywhere near it. He knew he was good looking enough to become a model, and with his relations, AKA Videl's father, he was confident he could make it. He saw no shame in letting people in high places pull strings for him, and he knew he was bound to be successful.

But, until then, he needed to finish high school, because even Sharpner knew it was better to have a high school diploma to make it in this world, even when you knew the right people. And the teen was determined to maximize all his chances to succeed.

He got home, threw his book bag ungracefully on the floor, grabbed his already packed travel bag, shouted a quick "Bye guys!" over his shoulder and slammed the door behind him, too impatient to wait two hours at home before getting together with everyone to go on their way. He knew he had to wait for everyone to get on their meeting spot so they could all make the trip together on Videl's spacious jet, but there was no way he was going to sit at home and wait. It was summer break, and Sharpner was going to make sure he was having fun from the get go.

He went to the mall to hang out, since the meeting spot was in Satan City Mall's outdoor parking lot where there was enough room for Videl's jet to land. He wasn't surprised to find a few of his friends doing the same, just as eager as him to get started and have fun.

They played video games at the arcades, bought a bunch of useless stuff, and even had time to grab a snack. Before they knew it, it was time to meet up with everyone.

And Sharpner was so ready for this.

March 23, 2021