Innocent Feelings

32

Prelude

Gohan had been unable to wipe the grin off his face since last night. His heart had been glowing in the warmest, most pleasant light since then. He was just so absurdly in love…

His mother had looked at him funny when he got home, and Gohan idly wondered if she suspected that anything was different about him, but, honestly, he was just too happy to dwell on it, or on anything, really.

Sure, there was still the issue with Videl's training, but the young man had a good feeling about this. He knew Krillin would be a fair judge and make the right decision. Hopefully, it would be one that satisfied both him and Videl. He wanted his girlfriend to have her way too, he wanted her to be happy, and he didn't want to impose his point of view onto her. She had a say in this, even if she was often too reckless and impulsive. But the fact that Krillin would be the one with the final say was enough to soothe the young half-Saiyan.

He was still all grins and stars in his eyes when he touched down the earth surrounding the pink house. He skipped to the door and gave it a cheery, but quiet knock, so as not to wake the sleeping members of the little household.

It was only six-thirty o'clock in the morning after all, so still a little early for the whole family to start the day.

A yawning Krillin opened the door for him. "Hey," he croaked out, his voice still hoarse from sleep. He rubbed his eyes and yawned again as he let Gohan into the house. "Man, I'm not used to waking up so early in the morning anymore." The short fighter eyed the teenager from head to toe. "How can you be so fresh and awake already?"

Gohan shrugged. "I think my Saiyan genes help. I don't need a lot of sleep."

"Lucky bastard," Krillin cursed playfully, punching the boy's arm. Gohan just grinned wider, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "I wish I had some of them Saiyan genes, too."

Gohan chuckled, scratching his spiky hair. "They do come in handy every once in a while."

He put his foot on the first step that led upstairs and smiled at his old friend. "Well, I'm going to wake Videl up. Be right back."

But after only three steps, a firm hand grabbed his forearm to hold him back. Gohan looked over his shoulder at Krillin, eyebrows raised in confusion. The mirth was gone from the man's eyes, and instead, a serious look had taken over his still youthful features.

"What is it?" Gohan asked, tilting his head.

"I need to talk to you. You can wake up Videl later, it's not like we're expected anywhere for now."

"Uhh… Okay…"

Gohan followed Krillin in the kitchen. His friend started the coffee pot and got out some bread and butter that he put on the table. Gohan sat and gladly accepted to eat with Krillin, even though he already had breakfast earlier. A Saiyan never said no to food.

"What is it?" he asked the noseless man while buttering a slice of bread. "Is it about Videl's training? Did you come to a decision? "

"Well, I did, actually, but it's not about that."

Krillin wasn't meeting his eye, Gohan noticed. He was fidgeting in his seat and even had a blush streaked across his face. Gohan wondered what was making his friend so nervous. It wasn't anything bad, was it?

"I know what happened last night," Krillin blurted out suddenly, his cheeks tinting with an even brighter shade of red. Gohan frowned slightly, not really getting what Krillin meant by that. "Between you and Videl," he specified. "After dinner."

Gohan froze. All the blood had drained from his face. He stared at his dad's best friend with wide eyes, unable to believe his ears.

"Wh… What?"

Krillin took a deep breath and finally raised his eyes on the teenager, a deep frown creasing his brow, making him look older. "Look, what happens between you and your girlfriend is your business, but I don't think you had planned what happened, right? You didn't use protection, did you?"

His throat was suddenly too dry and too tight, and his voice wouldn't work. In the heat of the moment, it hadn't even occurred to him… Gohan shook his head dumbly.

Krillin heaved out a deep sigh. "That's what I thought… That was your first time, wasn't it? That means neither of you should get any STDs, but you don't know if it was a safe day for Videl, do you?"

Gohan tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "I… I don't…" he croaked out, hanging his head in shame. How could he be so irresponsible? Videl could get pregnant. While he very much planned to start a family with her in the future, becoming parents at sixteen had never been in the plan.

Krillin fished something out of his pants' pocket and put it on the table between them. "Here, I took one of 18's. It's a Plan B pill, also known as the morning-after pill. Give it to Videl so you don't end up with a surprise."

Gohan stared at the tiny blister-pack, cut around for one pill. Slowly, like a robot, he reached over and took it. The lump in his throat was still stuck there, unable to go down. He could barely breathe properly.

"Be sure to use protection next time, okay?" Krillin wisely advised, running a hand over the nape of his neck.

"Yeah… Thanks, Krillin." Gohan's shoulders slumped and he heaved out a deep sigh. "Man, I can't believe I didn't even think… It didn't even cross my mind. If it wasn't for you…" He gave his friend a grateful smile. "Thanks, Krillin," he said again. "I mean it."

The man cracked a grin. "Anytime. And, don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Well, I told 18, but she's my wife so I kinda had to, haha," he chuckled nervously, scratching his hair. "Besides, I couldn't just take her pill without any explanation."

Gohan made a face. At least 18 wasn't the gossipy kind of woman. His brand-new sex life should be safe from wandering ears for the time being.

"How did it even come to it anyway?" Krillin teased him with a chuckle. "I mean, you two hadn't even said one word to each other at dinner; you could've definitely cut the tension with a knife – and then somehow when you come back from the beach you both lost your virginity?" The man smirked as his young friend flared up completely at the question.

"Well… Uh… I… Uhm… Well… I mean…" he stammered, staring at his plate. "I… I honestly don't know."

Krillin chuckled uneasily. "I couldn't believe it last night. When I realized what had happened… When the hell did you get old enough to have sex?"

Gohan's face flushed even brighter and he said nothing in reply, too mortified to utter a single word. His voice had stopped working anyway.

Well, this was to be expected. Krillin never lost an opportunity to tease him, and unlike others, Krillin actually had a personal vendetta against Gohan. He still hadn't swallowed how Gohan had made him look like a fool in front of 18 all those years ago.

Geez, couldn't he let it go already? Didn't he get his wife thanks to that blunder, for that matter? Krillin should be grateful, really, that he had let slip out that he was in love with 18!

Gohan scratched the back on his head uneasily. "Anyway… I should probably go wake Videl up."

His chair screeched as he got up, but Krillin smiled at him calmly and said, "Don't you want to know what I've decided to do about Videl's training?"

And Gohan was back in his seat. He stared at the martial arts master avidly, silently urging him to keep going. Krillin grinned.

"Roshi gave me the idea, actually. Remember Korin?"

The tower looked endless; the top was lost into the clouds. Videl remembered passing it by on her date with Gohan the other day, when he brought her to meet Dende, Mr. Popo and Piccolo; a cat and a hairy man had waved at them while they kept flying higher and higher.

She cracked a smile at the thought. Gohan had it all set up to tell her he loved her for the first time on that date.

Things hadn't gone as planned, but they still professed their mutual love for the first time on that night. Videl remembered the way her heart had all but stopped when Gohan blurted out the words.

A slight frown crossed her features at the thought of the events of that night. She had put aside her own feelings after she brushed a little too close with death, trying to be strong for Gohan who was falling apart at the thought of losing her.

Her trauma had started there, and so did his. The trauma of holding her dying body in his arms and not being able to do anything to save her.

That was what started this whole training idea. That was what got her here right now, standing at the foot of the seemingly endless tower.

Would she really be able to become bulletproof?

Gohan squeezed her hand, and she looked up at him. He gave her an encouraging smile, as though he could feel that she was doubting herself. Videl's eyes sparkled as she smiled back. She was so lucky to have him in her life.

A slight blush tinted her cheeks as she turned to look at Krillin for a second, before lowering her gaze to her combat boots.

Had they really been that obvious last night? The man had seen through them right away… Videl was kinda glad she wouldn't have to train with Krillin today – she could barely hold his gaze as is.

The girl felt incredibly stupid, too. She and Gohan had been so lost in the passion that they hadn't even thought of contraception. She felt grateful to Krillin for neither judging nor lecturing them about taking that step together. He simply gave Gohan a Plan B pill to pass on to her and told him to be more careful in the future.

It was so silly, too, because Videl actually brought a box of condoms in her travel bag, just in case. Well, next time she would be sure to make use of them.

Her head still lowered, Videl felt a silly smile tug at her lips. Next time…

Last night had felt so magical. It may have not been the perfect moment that they had decided to wait for, but in the end it felt even more beautiful and magical than what they could have ever dreamed of. In that sense, it had been more than perfect.

Yes, indeed, she was certainly looking forward to the next time.

"So, Videl has to climb that tower on her own, is that it?" Gohan asked his older friend.

"I believe it took Goku almost two days the first time," Krillin recalled. Videl finally looked up at him, making an effort to focus on the matter at hand and not turn away blushing like a schoolgirl.

"How long do you think it'll take me? What about food and sleep?" she inquired.

"You can bring something with you I guess. But Goku hadn't, and he fell asleep while holding on the tower."

Videl stared at her martial arts teacher. How do you sleep while grabbing on a tower and not fall to your death? She was getting nervous about this…

"Don't worry, I've thought of everything," Krillin said with a reassuring smile. Then, he turned to Gohan. "Call your cloud."

Her boyfriend blinked, and then he beamed. "Great idea!" He cupped his hands around his mouth and looked up at the sky before shouting, "Nimbus!"

Videl tilted her head to the side, bits of the stories Gohan had told her about his life tickling her brain.

And, sure enough, a yellow cloud zipped through the clear blue sky and stopped right in front of its master.

Gohan grinned as he addressed his magic cloud. "Hey, Nimbus! You're looking well. This is Videl," he said, motioning to her with his hand, "she's very precious to me and I need you to protect her, okay? She's gonna climb that tower, see?" Gohan waved his hand to the tower this time. "Remember when Dad would bring you up there? Videl is going to climb it, and it's probably going to take her a while. So I need you to keep a lookout and catch her if she falls, okay? Can you do that for me?"

The yellow cloud wriggled happily in response, and Gohan thanked it warmly, patting it like you would a dear pet.

"Um…" Videl started with uncertainty. "I thought you had to be pure of heart to ride Nimbus?"

Gohan just looked at her. "Yeah, you do. What about it?"

Videl flushed a little. "Well, um… How do you know if I am?"

"We can feel that sort of thing in a person's ki," Krillin explained. "Yours feels very bright and righteous. You're gonna be okay riding Nimbus."

"If you don't believe us, see for yourself," Gohan added with a broad grin.

Next thing she knew and without so much as a warning, he grabbed her by the waist then lifted her like she weighed nothing, and then he dropped her above the cloud.

Videl widened her eyes, mentally readying herself to fall properly if she happened to go through Nimbus.

But there was no impact, no need to use her heightened reflexes to land on her feet. Videl was met with the comfy, fluffy texture of the magic cloud, and a smile slowly stretched on her lips.

"See?" Gohan grinned. "I told you."

Nimbus then took off abruptly, shooting through the sky like a bullet. Videl gasped, her fingers tightening on the fluffy texture as the cloud happily zipped around. She soon relaxed and a grin lit up her face as Nimbus took her for a real roller-coaster ride.

"This is AWESOME!" she laughed in glee.

Videl shrieked as the speeding cloud suddenly dove straight, and then she was laughing again as it looped and swooshed and dropped like a rock again and again.

Nimbus finally came to a stop, right in front of Gohan once again, and Videl blew a breath, her cheeks flushed in delight and her eyes twinkling with stars.

"Having fun?" he asked with a chuckle. Videl grinned wider.

"So much! I want one too!"

"Hey, isn't Korin the one who gave one to Master Roshi?" Krillin mused, tilting his head to the side. "You could probably ask him for a Nimbus cloud once you've completed his training."

Videl's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really?"

They heard some rustles and soft steps, and the trio looked to the side to see a young Native with a spear come out of the bushes. He was wearing his hair in a long braid and had a feather tucked in the back of his head.

Krillin perked up.

"Upa!"

He rushed to the young man, who raised his eyebrows in surprise. Krillin hugged him, and the Native chuckled nervously as he moved his pointy weapon out of the way. "Krillin? Geez, it's been ages!"

Krillin chuckled as he pulled away. "Tell me about it. Remember when you took my place against Draculman? I mean, I didn't see it, I'd passed out from blood loss and all, but I heard you did amazing!"

The young man blushed slightly and scratched the back of his head, his eyes lowering to the ground. "I only had to eat some garlic…" he mumbled humbly.

"Which couldn't have been easy, either. That had to be super strong, not to mention, the smell…"

Upa grinned. "Hey, that was better than having blood for hair!"

"Don't remind me! That stupid Goku is the only reason I lost!"

Both men shared a good laugh at the memory.

"Which reminds me, since when do you have hair?" Upa noted, tilting his head to the side. "I assumed you were bald."

Krillin rolled his eyes yet couldn't stop grinning. "I used to shave my head. I stopped doing it after I got married."

"Holy molly… you got married?"

"I have a daughter too! Look at that little cutie pie," Krillin cooed, proudly showing his friend the photos in his wallet. "She's the most beautiful thing in the world."

Upa blinked at the family photo. A blush formed on his cheeks. "Wow… Your wife is gorgeous… How on earth did you get with her?"

Krillin flushed and laughed, scratching the back of his head. "Beats me! I ain't complaining, that's for sure."

"How's Goku, by the way? I could never thank him enough for what he's done for me and my father."

"Oh… You haven't heard."

The mood soured, but Krillin forced a smile. "He died against Cell, but he's happy up there!" he quickly added at the sorrowful look on Upa's face. "He asked us not to bring him back with the Dragon Balls because bad guys always seem to be after him. We were all sad of course, but he might've been on to something, because it's been seven years and the Earth is finally at peace."

Videl turned to look at Gohan. He had never gone into specifics about his dad's death. She had no idea Goku actually chose to stay dead. That couldn't have been easy for Gohan…

"This is Goku's son, actually!" Krillin perked up, showing the teenage boy with a wide wave of his hand. Gohan smiled and raised his hand in salute.

"Hi," he said. "I'm Gohan."

Upa grinned. "Wow! You look just like your father!"

"You obviously haven't met my little brother," Gohan chuckled.

"You'd get flashbacks," Krillin snickered. "Goten even has Goku's wild hair!"

Upa chuckled with a shake of his head. "I have no doubt." Then his gaze fell on Videl, still sitting on Nimbus, and he smiled amicably. "And this is…?"

"Videl," she replied, climbing off the magic cloud. She bowed respectfully. "I'm Gohan's girlfriend."

Gohan blushed and scratched his hair uneasily as Upa turned to look at him. The Native simply nodded his head at him, as if to approve of his choice.

"You must be someone special if you were able to get on Nimbus," Upa commented. "I wonder if I still can."

"Only one way to find out," Krillin winked at him. Upa chuckled but shook his head.

"Maybe later. What are you doing here, for that matter? I was wondering what all the noise was about."

"Videl is going to climb the tower to get Korin's training," Krillin explained. "What about you? Did you ever get to the top? Clearly you've grown a lot stronger since the last time I saw you. Did you surpass your father?"

"Well, Father is older now, but I believe I'm stronger than he used to be." Upa turned to Videl and smiled warmly. "He was never able to get to the top of the tower, but I did. It took me days, and I was close to giving up several times. I'm curious to see how you're going to do."

"How's your father, by the way?" Krillin inquired. "Adjusted to life after death? I've been there."

"He's quite well. We're both eternally grateful to Goku for bringing him back."

Videl gauged the man. He looked in his early thirties or late twenties. He wasn't very tall, but his muscles were defined and powerful. He held himself like a fighter, and was no doubt a damn good one, too.

"Would you fight me?"

Upa raised his eyebrows, no doubt taken off guard by her sudden request. Videl grinned. Sure, she faced criminals on a daily basis and she'd entered fighting competitions over the years, but it had been a long time since anyone had proved to be a real challenge to her. She could feel the excitement and anticipation pulse in her blood.

"That's a great idea!" Krillin exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. He looked at Videl with a knowing smile. "Don't think this is going to be easy. Upa here is actually bulletproof."

Her lips parted. She shouldn't be surprised, but the mere idea of becoming bulletproof herself just felt so surreal. To think there actually were humans who had no reason to fear guns.

And yet Videl only got more pumped at the prospect of fighting Upa.

"You up to it?" she asked the Native, who still looked a little dumbfounded by the turn of events.

"This should be interesting," Gohan said with a grin. "I don't think I've ever seen you fight someone close to your level, let alone stronger than you."

She stood tall, giving her boyfriend a defiant look. "You think he's stronger than me?"

"I know that he is, but not by that much, so you should be more or less evenly matched. You could still win though. Strength isn't everything."

"I should know," Krillin commented, sharing a knowing look with Gohan. "Remember when we first fought Vegeta? And don't get me started on Freeza." The short man puffed his chest and pointed at himself with his thumb. "I even managed to slice the tip of his tail."

Gohan beamed at his friend. "Yeah, you were amazing. I've always admired your courage."

"Aww, you make me blush," Krillin chuckled in amusement, waving him off in overplayed modesty.

Videl cleared her throat and turned to Upa. She gave him an inquiring look; he still hadn't accepted her proposition.

She was relieved when he smiled at her and nodded his head. She felt giddy with excitement.

This was going to be fun.

The fighters faced each other. Gohan and Krillin were standing to the side to watch. Videl dropped into her stance. Upa stuck his spear upright into the ground and followed suit. There was no need for weapons in hand-to-hand combat.

The two crossed glances. Videl couldn't help but notice the small smile of excitement on Upa's lips. He seemed to be as eager as she was. She let her eyes go over his stance. It was solid, low gravity, not easy to knock over. And he was bulletproof, so she could expect him to be able to stand up to hard hits.

From the sidelines, Krillin scraped his throat. "Fighters, on your marks," he announced.

"Get set. Go!"

Videl shifted her stance to get ready for any attack. Unlike usual, she decided to stay on the defensive. Unlike usual, her opponent was actually stronger than her, or so she had been told. Against someone who surpassed her in strength and probably in speed as well, she had to be smarter. She would need to stay focused and be careful not to get hit, or at least as little as possible. Watching the Native fighter, she had a feeling that any strike by him could be devastating.

Perceiving her intentions, Upa attacked first. Videl bent backward ninety degrees to dodge his roundhouse kick, then jumped back to avoid a punch. Upa did a flip to get closer to her and tried to kick her up while he supported his weight on his hands. Videl parried it with a sweeping movement of her arm, trying to make him lose his balance, but the young man gracefully caught himself on his hands and did another flip before landing on his feet.

Her arm seared from the force behind his kick as she dropped back on her defensive stance. So Upa really was stronger than her. Well, as Gohan had said, it didn't mean she couldn't win this. Brute strength wasn't everything.

"Not bad," he complimented her with a smile, dropping back in his own stance. "You're definitely stronger than I was before I climbed the tower."

"That's good to know," Videl smirked. She could feel her blood pumping in excitement. It had been so long since she actually had a challenge. And Upa just might be her greatest one yet.

He rushed her once more. Videl narrowed her eyes as he threw his arm back – she didn't fall for his faint and caught his ankle, stopping his attempt at an upward kick. She grabbed it with both her hands and let out a yell as she slammed the man as hard as she could onto the earth.

But he managed to prevent the impact and caught himself on his hands, before throwing his leg towards her, striking her on the upper chest. Videl gasped as she was forced back a few steps, but she didn't have time to catch her breath because Upa was at her again. She kept backing away as she dodged and parried as much of his powerful attacks as possible, but he was so swift and astute that one broke through her defense.

The hit felt like someone struck her with a heavy dictionary. The side of her face screamed in pain and Videl found herself down on one knee holding her searing cheek, and she was unable to stop her eyes from watering. Upa didn't let up however and she had to react quickly when his heel came crashing down. She rolled to the side, her eyes widening as her opponent's strike cracked the earth and created a small crater.

He might be a little bit too much for her to handle…

She lifted her legs and used the momentum to jump to her feet. She wiped the trickle of blood on the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, staining her fingerless gloves.

Videl barely had time to react in time when a punch came hurtling at her; she crossed her arms in front of her but the force of the hit was so that she actually tumbled back and fell hard on her butt. And then she was flung to the side and her head hurt like hell as Upa landed a powerful kick.

"Come on, Videl!" Gohan cheered her on. "I know you can do it! Kick his ass!"

Upa dropped into his stance once more, letting her get up and gather her bearings. She looked over at the boy she loved; Gohan was leaning over with his fists raised to his chest level, an excited grin gracing his handsome features. Videl felt her heart swell. She could see his undying faith in her. Gohan truly believed in her. He wanted to see her win. He trusted her to somehow manage to beat her opponent, even if he was stronger than her.

Videl turned to Upa once more and her face hardened. She clenched her fists tightly and dropped into her most common stance: she was done playing defense; it didn't suit her fighting style. While she did need to be careful and try not to get hit as much as possible, she would accomplish nothing if she couldn't show Upa what she was made of.

It was time to get serious.

And so, with this chapter, I've finally reposted everything from my blog on the site.

Hope you enjoyed the read! Don't forget to leave a review please. See you next time. :)

October 5, 2021