Innocent Feelings

30

Safe

So this was why she was told to bring a swimsuit. Videl observed the still water of the lake. She supposed swimming lengths would do her good after her exhausting day. She would at least be able to wash away the sweat she had accumulated from working at the construction site.

"I shouldn't be warning you," Krillin said to her, a serious look on his face, "but given what happened earlier, I believe it's best you go in there prepared."

Gohan frowned deeply, not liking where this was going. "What do you mean?"

Videl looked at the short man with curiosity, her head tilted to the side.

"There's a shark in this lake."

His statement was met with blank stares. He chuckled nervously.

"I know, I know. I have no idea what the hell that shark is doing in that lake. Maybe Roshi left it there for the purpose of his training regimen for all I know. In any case, it's there, and it's going to chase you while you swim your lengths."

Gohan let out an aggravated sigh. "What in the world…?" He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "A shark? Are you trying to kill me?"

"It's okay, Gohan," Videl said, fidgeting with her hands. Gohan's frown deepened. His girlfriend wasn't good at hiding her nervousness.

The boy turned to Krillin, his eyes shining with distress and alarm. "Look, I know I promised I wouldn't intervene and save Videl if she's ever in danger during her training, but can't we make an exception here?" His hands were moving wildly as he made his request, as though he was unable to stand still. "I know I shouldn't be her safe line, that she won't be pushing through her limits if I'm here to save her whenever she's in trouble, but given her breakdown earlier, can't I just make sure nothing happens to her?"

Krillin made a face, scratching his hair. "Gohan, I'm sorry, but you can't." The half-Saiyan scowled in disapproval, but Krillin shook his head. "Isn't it because Videl needs to be able to fend for herself when you're not around that you decided she needed to go through this training? What's the point of any of this if you're always gonna be there to protect her?"

"Gohan, I'll be fine," Videl affirmed, her eyes shining with that familiar stubborn glint. She moved closer to him and grasped his arm, giving it a squeeze as she locked gaze with him. "I can do it. Trust me on this, okay? I know I can do it. Let me do this."

Gohan swallowed. His heart, his gut were screaming at him to say no, to put his foot down, to try and do anything to protect the girl he loved, to stop her from going through with this mad idea. He couldn't let her put her life in danger again, no matter what she said, not after what happened this morning when the T-Rex chased after her. He couldn't let something like that happen again. What if she froze? What if she wasn't fast enough to keep ahead of the shark? What if the day's exhaustion caught up to her and she didn't have enough strength left to swim? And with Krillin telling him he couldn't save her… No way. This was out of the question. He couldn't let her go in the water. It was too dangerous, too risky, too reckless, and just plain stupid. No way. Just, no way.

"Please, Gohan…" Videl pleaded, her beautiful eyes begging him. "I won't go if you're not okay with it, but I want to do it. I really want to see this training day to the end. I can't give up now – I've come this far. I want to keep going."

His heart protested vehemently. "Videl…"

"Please, Gohan, just let me try. Let me do this."

He shut his eyes tightly. His fists closed tightly, Gohan inhaled deeply; he held it in for a few moments, and then exhaled slowly.

He looked into her eyes, his brow deeply furrowed. "You're sure you want to do it? Even after what happened this morning?"

Videl nodded her head. "Yes."

"Even though you know I'm not allowed to save you if something happens?"

"Yes," she said again, without hesitation. Her confidence seemed to be back full force, somehow.

"And you're positive you can do it? You're not too tired after today's tasks?"

"Yes, I'm positive. And no, I'm not too tired."

Gohan ran a trembling hand through his hair. His heart was still screaming at him, forbidding him to do what he was about to. But how could he refuse Videl something she desired so strongly?

"In that case… I won't get in your way." His shoulders slumped in defeat. "I'm seriously starting to regret ever bringing you here…" he muttered in bad faith.

Krillin came up to him and patted his back. "I understand how you feel, but I'm sure it's going to be all right. Videl is much stronger and more talented than I was when I started this training, and I made it through alive, didn't I? Also, I was thirteen, so surely it can't be that dangerous, right?"

Worry lines creased his forehead as he gazed at his reckless girlfriend. "I guess."

"It'll be all right, Gohan," Videl said with a small smile, moving closer to him. He gave her a half-hearted smile in return. "If that shark gets too close, I'll just punch him on the nose." She smirked. "Easy peasy."

Gohan chuckled slightly. "Easy peasy, huh?"

She grinned at him, her eyes sparkling with mirth. "Yep. Can't be harder than fighting a bunch of criminals all at once, right?"

His hand moved to her cheek, stroking it gently. "I hope so," he whispered.

Krillin turned away from the young couple, giving them privacy. Gohan appreciated the gesture, even though he knew his friend would be sure to tease the hell out of him later for this. Well, for now, he wanted to kiss his beautiful girlfriend, so the young man leaned in and pressed his lips on hers in a tender yet firm kiss, showing her just how much she meant to him through that one touch.

"I love you," he murmured, his short breath brushing her lips. She smiled, her gorgeous blue eyes taking on that special spark that meant so much.

"I love you too, Gohan. So much."

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, breathing in her scent deeply, letting the delightful sensations of holding her in his arms wash over him.

"Okay, kids," Krillin said, walking back over to them. "It's time now. You can make out all you want once Videl's done with training today, but we've got to get it going for the time being."

Well, that didn't take long… Gohan hoped his blush wasn't too bright as he pulled away from Videl. She gave him a sheepish smile, and the boy felt his embarrassment melt away as he gazed upon her eyes.

Gosh, how he loved that girl.

ooOoo

His fists clenched harder; his jaw was tightly closed as well. Gohan had to use all of his restraint not to dip into the water and get Videl out of there right this second.

That damn shark. What the hell was it even doing in a lake? It was getting dangerously close to Videl, whose features were deformed by fear and panic as she swam as fast as her limbs allowed her to get away from the predator hunting her.

Really, he should've just trained Videl himself. It might have taken longer and been a little less effective, but at least she would've been safe.

Damn it, he just wanted her to be safe. That was the whole damn point. Why did she have to put herself at risk now in order to be safe later?

He hated this. He wanted to stop everything. He wanted Videl to just stop fighting crime, to stop risking her life left and right. He wanted her to be safe, goddamn it!

Did he have to fall in love with such a reckless girl? This was hopeless…

A comforting hand grabbed his arm and gave it a squeeze. "It'll be okay, Gohan," Krillin said, encouraging him. "She's doing great."

"I just want her to be safe."

"She is. She's tough. Videl can take care of herself."

Gohan felt like the lump caught in his throat was growing bigger. He tightened his fists, his gaze never leaving Videl's progression along the water. Yes, she was doing well. Despite her visible terror at the shark trying to eat her, Videl managed to always keep ahead of the sea animal.

"She's almost done, Gohan. Just trust her on this," Krillin went on, doing his best to comfort his young friend. "She can do it. She's strong, stronger than you think."

"I know." The tall boy gritted his teeth, his eyes still glued to the girl swimming away from the shark. She was turning around now, starting another length while skillfully evading the shark's teeth closing for her with a hungry growl. "I know she's strong. I love her because she is. I fell in love with her courage, her stubborn nature. I know she can do it, I do. I just…"

He swallowed; his lips trembled. Videl was losing speed. She was tiring out.

"I can't take this." Gohan shook his head and finally tore his gaze off the girl he loved to look at his friend. "Krillin, this was a mistake. I can't take it. I was wrong to think she was ready – or rather, I'm not ready. I can't do this, Krillin. I want to stop everything."

The short man frowned deeply as he observed the taller boy. "Are you sure?"

"I'll just train her myself. I'll figure it out. I can help her get stronger – and I'll teach her how to fly, too. But I can't do this – I can't stand aside and do nothing when the girl I love is putting her life in danger every day."

Krillin let out a deep sigh. "I understand," he said, notes of disappointment in his tone. "I don't think I could let my daughter get herself in danger every day like that if she were Videl's age, either. I totally get it. It's just such a shame… The Turtle Way may be a dangerous method, but it's the best way I know to start proper ki training. Your father, Yamcha and I all went through with it, and we were just fine. I get that you're worried, but Videl can do this."

"Then maybe after we've sorted out her issues with risking her life," Gohan offered. He turned to watch Videl in the lake once again. "I'll train her for now, help her get stronger, and we'll also work on her issues so she's not so scared to face death."

"I guess that's fair," Krillin said, a small smile tugging at his lips as he turned to the lake as well.

"I know it's a shame. I really thought this would work. And it should've worked, if Videl didn't have her nervous breakdown this morning…"

"Yeah, I get it."

"I just can't stand watching her be so terrified as she's running for her life…"

"Yeah, I know."

Gohan sighed, closing his eyes for a moment as he massaged the back of his neck. He was disappointed this didn't work, too. He had really wanted Videl to learn the Turtle Way, had really believed it to be the proper training for her. If only she hadn't had to repress her trauma because of him… If only he had just noticed that something was wrong earlier. If only he hadn't been so caught up with his own trauma of almost losing her, of watching her slowly die in his arms while he could do nothing but try to get her to the hospital in time.

A shudder ran along his spine. If Piccolo hadn't followed them and brought Senzu beans with him… Gohan didn't even want to think about what could have happened.

He heard a scream and his eyes shot open. Videl was holding her calf, unable to keep swimming, while the shark was rapidly closing in on her.

He didn't think, didn't wait for Krillin yelling at him, "Go!"

He dove, his hair glowing gold as he rushed to Videl; she was in his arms and out of the water not a millisecond later. Gohan was hovering over the lake, out of reach, ignoring the angry shark who clacked its sharp teeth at them.

"Are you okay?" Gohan asked in alarm. "Did you get a cramp on your leg? Does it still hurt?"

The wince on her face told him she was, indeed, still in pain from the cramp. "It's… fading," she said. Then Videl suddenly opened her eyes wide as she looked at him. "Wait, you saved me? But you weren't supposed to! The whole point of this was that I needed to fend for myself and not rely on you to rescue me every time I'm in trouble."

His frown deepened. "Krillin and I talked about it, Videl. We're putting the Turtle Way training on hold for the time being."

"Wh…What?" Her mouth was hanging open, her eyes looking like they were trying to get out of their sockets. Her whole body was rigid in his arms.

"And I'll be training you from now on," Gohan went on. "I'll teach you about ki, and how to fly too. And I'll spar with you and get you stronger."

Her shoulders relaxed somewhat. She blinked a few times. "Oh…"

"It's just for the time being," he said again. He floated to the shore. "While we sort out your issues about risking your life. The Turtle Way would have suited you just fine if you hadn't been through that traumatic experience that night… Once you get back to your old fearless self," Gohan added with a small smile as he touched down the earth, "then we'll resume your training with Krillin. How does that sound?"

"I guess…" Videl's shoulders slumped. "I guess it's my best option for the time being…"

Gohan let her stand on her feet while Krillin came up to the young couple.

"I've never taught anyone before, but I think I can figure it out, right?" Gohan said in a light tone, his features finally relaxing.

"I guess it could be fun," Videl said in a small voice, a forced smile on her lips.

He felt a gripping twinge in his chest. Gohan felt so bad about all this. He knew how much Videl wanted to learn to Turtle Way, how excited she'd been ever since they talked about it.

And he felt guilty about how relieved he was that her training with Krillin was on hold.

"Everything okay here?" Krillin asked.

"Yeah," Gohan replied. "I just told Videl we're putting this training on hold for now."

The short man turned to the girl and looked at her straight in the eyes. "Is that really what you want?"

She opened her mouth and inhaled, as though she was going to say something, but her words died on her tongue and she lowered her head, biting her lip.

"Videl?" Gohan inquired softly, leaning his head to the side to try and catch her gaze.

"It's not," she finally blurted out. Then she looked up at her boyfriend and put her hand on his forearm, pleading with him. "I'm sorry, Gohan, but I want to keep going. I know it's probably stupid but I don't want to give up. I want to learn the Turtle Way. I want to do this, Gohan."

"But…"

Damn it, didn't they just agree on this? Why couldn't she see that she wasn't ready yet? Why couldn't she give up, just this one time? Was it her pride? Was she too proud to let go? Couldn't she see that it was going to get her killed in the end? And then what was he supposed to do? How did she expect him to keep going without her? How was his heart ever going to heal if he ever lost the one person who meant the most to him?

"We… We just talked about this, Videl," he murmured, too emotionally exhausted to speak any louder.

"I know, and I know you're right, but I don't want to quit, not just yet. Let me do this, Gohan. I need to do this. I need to prove to myself that I'm good enough to see this training to the end."

"Videl, no." He shook his head, determined to hold his ground this time. "We already talked about this, and you just admitted that I'm right." He wasn't going to let her talk him into letting her risk her life again. This was a done deal. "It's not like you're quitting altogether anyway. We'll come back to it later, once you've resolved your issues. You can't keep risking your life like this when you're still going through the trauma of your near-death experience."

Her face hardened. Videl took a step back, as though to put some distance between them. Her fists clenched. "I was doing okay in the lake. I could've saved myself, but you didn't let me; you didn't even give me the time to try. I told you I could handle myself on my own, but you didn't trust me. I get that you're worried, but Gohan, you can't always be there when I'm in danger. I need to learn to save myself, and you need to learn to let me risk my life."

The heat was rising to his head. His blood was boiling. "Why? Why do you have to keep risking your life? Why can't you just… Why can't you be safe?"

A glint of confusion flashed through her eyes. "Are you asking me to quit fighting crime? I thought you said you could never do that, that it's one of the things you liked about me…"

"It is!" he replied heatedly, throwing his arms in the air. "Ugh! This is just so frustrating!" He grabbed a fistful of his hair and gritted his teeth. "I love you, okay? And, yes, watching you fight crime is one of the things that made me fall for you in the first place, but because I love you, I want you to be safe. Is that too hard to understand?"

Videl crossed her arms. "It's contradictory. Either I fight crime or I be safe. You can't have both."

"I know. I know that." Gohan shook his head. "I just can't stand the idea of losing you. I don't even want to imagine what I'd do if anything happened to you."

"And I could lose you too," she said right back, not missing a beat. "There could be a new supervillain like Cell or Freeza threatening the universe, and then you'd have to go and fight them to save the world." Tremors, thick with emotion, made her voice sound different, as she brought up the idea of losing him. "And there's nothing I could do about it, even though I wouldn't want you to go. Even though I would want you to be safe, to stay with me and let the others fight in your place. But I couldn't do that, could I?"

His breath hitched, the lump in his throat thicker than ever. Gohan swallowed. Of course – it went both ways. While in his case it was only hypothetical, something like that could definitely happen, what with the Earth's track record. And Videl would be left in the same situation he was in right now.

"You may be right about that, but we're only putting the training on hold. We'll get back to it when you're ready. Why can't you just wait to resolve your issues before diving headfirst into dangerous situations?"

She stood tall, her aura oozing with confidence as she answered. "Because I know I can do it. I'm stronger than that stupid trauma."

He held her gaze, racking his brains for a way to make this stubborn girl understand that he was right. But she wasn't going to back down, was she? Goddamnit, did he have to fall in love with the biggest hothead of them all?

"Okay, time out." Krillin stepped forward, forming a cross with his hands. Both teenagers turned to him. "Look, you guys, I see both of your points, but from the look of it, neither of you is ready to back down, so let's just put a pin on it for now and go home."

Videl frowned. "But what about the last task?"

"I took it off the schedule anyway. Roshi would tie us to a tree and then release bees on us. You know bees are going extinct, right? We can't have a bunch of them dying on us for the sake of this training."

"Then can't you come up with a similar exercise that wouldn't involve bees?"

"Uhh… I guess I could. But it's too late now to set anything up anyway, so let's just head home and wash up. We'll talk more about your training tomorrow after a good night of sleep."

"We'll do the milk delivery tomorrow morning, won't we?"

"Videl…" Gohan started, but he ended up heaving out a deep, dejected sigh, his shoulders slumping. There was no reasoning with that girl, was there?

"No, Videl," Krillin replied, his face serious as he looked at Videl straight in the eyes. "Tomorrow, we're taking a break to discuss what we're going to do next. Take that time to get a full night of sleep and make sure you recharge your batteries. We will make a decision then."

Her face was all scrunched up, clearly not happy with the arrangement, but she relented nonetheless.

"And let me tell you this, Videl," Krillin went on, his tone more serious than ever. "I'll be the one with the final say. So if I judge that you're not ready to continue with my training, you won't have a say in the matter. Are we clear here?"

The girl scowled darkly, glaring at her martial arts master. He was holding her gaze without batting an eye, and Gohan watched the exchange with great relief, knowing that Videl would have to go along with whatever Krillin was going to decide.

As to what that was going to be, the boy could hope that the new Turtle Master was going to see things his way.

August 13, 2021