Chapter Six

You Don't Seem to Like Today Much, Either

Videl was having a nightmare.

It was the kind where you feel paralyzed, unable to move an inch no matter how hard you try while seeing the same thing over and over again. Videl was in a familiar deserted arena. The wind was blowing hard and huge explosions resounded, making the Earth shake and quake violently as if it was about to be blown to bits.

And then, silence. Dread filled Videl as she heard the reporter's voice ask, "Where is Cell? And that weird group of fighters?"

"I—herm—I beat him! I killed Cell in one blow! Hahaha!"

That lie again. That awful, ugly, horrible lie. How she hated that dumb look her father had whenever he lied – it was hard to believe she ever found it amusing.

"Did you now?"

The monstrous creature appeared right in front of the news crew and her dad, its wings flapping angrily as it sneered at her father, who had blanched completely. She tried to scream, but her voice was as paralyzed as her whole body, and she could only watch with unshed tears as her only family fell to the ground with a wide, gaping hole through his chest.

"Now, who's next?" the grasshopper-like being taunted snidely, its forefinger forming a tiny, purple ball. The cameraman was dead before he could react, and then the reporter was slashed through his throat, Cell's sharp nails getting covered in blood.

Videl wanted to scream; she wished she could at least close her eyes and cover her ears – but there was nothing she could do, except watch and hear the sickening scene unfolding before her.

Please, she silently prayed. Someone, please make it stop.

"And now, his disgusting offspring." Cell turned directly at her, and if she weren't already unable to move, Videl would have frozen on the spot.

Oh no, no no no no no… Please…

Its hand clasped around her throat and squeezed, slowly. She choked and tried to resist – somehow she was able to move now, of all times. She clawed at Cell's flesh, but nothing scratched its indestructible, "perfect" body. The perfect warrior, it'd proclaimed itself – and indeed it was.

And it was killing her.

Why was it taking its time with her? It had killed her father and the news crew in but an instant – and yet, with her, it preferred to slowly squeeze the life out of her.

"How pitiful. Don't you wish you weren't his daughter now?" Cell sneered hauntingly.

And she was dying.

When Videl woke up from the nightmare, it took her a few moments to realize it wasn't real, that she was all right, that Cell was long dead and couldn't hurt her, that her father was alive and well and so was the news crew.

Although, his ugly lie was still very much real.

Videl blew air out of her mouth, feeling heavy and drained of energy, and flopped back onto her bed. She looked at the clock on her night table and read 5:23 AM. Letting out another sigh, Videl figured she might as well get up and get ready for today: no matter how much she wished she could just sleep through this particular day, the girl knew she had no choice but to bear with it.

Today was May twenty-sixth – the anniversary of the Cell Games. The day of the year that she hated most.

Since it was pretty early, the girl took the long route on her morning jog. The city was still quiet; the sun was barely rising, and apart from some early worker or late night party doer, the streets were pretty much deserted.

The calm before the storm, Videl thought bitterly.

She put on her earphones and turned the volume to the maximum, letting the loud thumping tune distract her mind from her morose thoughts. And she ran. Her pace was steady at first, but the more she tried to block out the world and the meaning of this particular day, the faster she ran. It didn't take her long to end up racing as fast as she could. She got to the town park and didn't slow her pace. The world around her was but a blur – just the way she needed it to be. If only it could stay blurry until the end of the day.

x

Gohan hadn't felt like stalling long at breakfast this morning, so he'd quickly gulped down the pancakes and waffles and marmalade on bread, and in a blink he was already outside and soaring through the sky at full speed. Usually he would take Nimbus to go to school, so as not to be seen by the people below – but frankly he didn't care so much today. He was going too fast to be recognized anyway.

It was ironic how fast he was flying to get to the city, when in fact he wished he could've stayed in bed this morning. He really didn't feel like going to school, knowing that all everybody was going to do would be celebrate all day, reminisce and talk about the Cell Games, and of course of the great Hercule Satan.

He had nothing against the man – well, he didn't particularly like the way the current world champion spoke of his late father, but Gohan could overlook that; after all, Mr. Satan was just scared of something he didn't understand and did the most human thing about it: he rejected the mere idea of it. Besides, he was Videl's father, so Gohan was actually grateful to the man. Even if Videl had turned him down, she was still his first love, and she would always have a special place in his heart.

Thinking of her, Gohan naturally reached out his senses for her energy signature. He didn't expect to find her quite a distance away from her home or the school. Curiosity taking over him, Gohan quickly reached the city limits and landed, and then sprinted towards Videl's location. He found himself in a local park, and the green space made him smile. The Son boy did like the city and its streets bustling with life, but he would always feel more comfortable and at peace in the middle of nature.

He noticed that Videl was moving a lot, and quite fast for that matter. More and more curious, Gohan jogged towards her, letting his senses guide him.

She was running. Well, that made sense. But… Something felt a little off with her energy. And before Gohan knew what he was doing, he'd called out to her.

She didn't react at first, and Gohan wondered if she heard him at all. Then Videl slowed down and stopped in her tracks. She turned around, removing her earphones, her blue eyes wide in surprise at seeing him here. A little embarrassed at his lack of control, Gohan rubbed the back of his neck while walking over to meet up with her.

Birds were chirping around them, leaves were rustling musically to the rhythm of the wind; the trees cast their shadows over them, with only some rays of sunlight piercing through their branches and leaves. Gohan had to remind himself to breathe as he reached the beautiful girl in front of him. The sun rays seemed to glitter on her hair, on her skin, on her lips. She was like an angelic apparition, and Gohan swallowed with difficulty, willing himself not to listen to his urges to pull her to him and hold her close.

"Hey," she greeted. "What are you doing here? Is the park on your way to school or something?"

"… Something like that," he said in a low voice, digging his hands into his pockets. He eyed her in concern. "Is everything all right, Videl?"

She frowned slightly and then shook her head, but Gohan wasn't sure whether it was to answer him or to clear her mind. "It's nothing. I better get back home to get ready for school," she said, glancing at her watch. "I guess I lost track of time while I was running."

She took off jogging before he could say anything in response. Gohan let out a heavy sigh. Things were still awkward between him and Videl since his birthday – or, more precisely, since he'd tried to kiss her and got rejected.

He tried to act normal around her. He really did. But it was so hard sometimes. Whenever she smiled, laughed, or looked troubled, confused or upset; whenever he talked to her, worried for her, gazed upon her, wished he could kiss her… It was only breaking his heart a little more, time and time again.

Like now. Gohan knew Videl had left in a hurry because of how he felt about her, and he was aware that if it weren't for that one slip-up on his birthday, she would have stayed longer to hang out with him. Maybe even walk a little ways with him before going home.

Yeah. He sure screwed things up with Videl.

Letting out another sigh, and feeling even more dejected than before, Gohan took his time walking to school. And although it took him thirty minutes to get to the school grounds – he even had time to stop a car chase on the way – the teen still had time to spare before class started.

Seeing as it was the anniversary of the Cell Games today the students only had class in the morning, and then for the rest of the afternoon, it was the Victory Festival, honoring Mr. Satan saving the world from Cell. Needless to say, Gohan did not look forward to attending the festival. Unfortunately, it was mandatory, since the teachers asked for a report on what they did today and how they felt about Mr. Satan's victory in the Cell Games, and blah blah blah. It was all pointless anyway.

His steps naturally led him to the library. Unsurprisingly, it was pretty much void of visitors like usual, which Gohan was thankful for, lest he met someone who would want to chat with him about Mr. Satan, the festival or whatever. He was not in the mood to listen politely today. Although, he knew something like that was bound to happen sooner or later.

For right now, though, Gohan wanted to relax.

Ten minutes before class, the double doors were pushed open and Gohan looked up at the sound. He raised his eyebrows; he hadn't expected to see Videl again so soon today. She walked into the library and heaved out a deep, tired sigh. When she looked up, her gaze naturally met with his, and he smiled sheepishly, waving at her a bit awkwardly. It made her chuckle, though, so Gohan allowed himself a grin, while Videl walked over to the desk he was sitting at, before taking the seat across from him.

"Hi again," he said softly.

She cracked a small smile. "Hey. Sorry about earlier."

"It's all right." His voice lowered and he avoided her eye. "I know this… awkward tension between us, is my fault anyway."

"Don't say that…" Her hand reached over to touch his much bigger one, and although it was only prickling his heart more, Gohan allowed it.

"You know, I actually thought I had a real chance with you," he said, smiling sadly. Unwilling to look at her, his eyes focused on her small, soft hand, gently holding his rough one, finding the contrast somewhat amusing. He sighed heavily, "I actually believed you maybe liked me, as more than a friend. How naïve of me, huh?"

He winced slightly. He hadn't meant to sound so… bitter, but he really couldn't help how he was feeling. He hated himself for saying such pitiful things to her. He hated that he couldn't get over his feelings for her. And to some extent, he hated that he loved Videl.

It just hurt so much.

"You…" started Videl, her whisper barely audible. Her thumb stroked the back of his hand distractedly, and she chewed on her lower lip. "You weren't that far off."

His fingers trembled slightly in her hold. What was she saying…? She couldn't mean… No, that wouldn't make sense. Had his assumption been correct that Videl did feel the same way about him, she would have had no reason to reject him, would she?

He dared look up at her, his throat tight with anxiousness. But she wasn't looking at him. She was, like he had just a second ago, staring at their joined hand, fidgeting nervously.

"… What do you mean?" he asked slowly, hesitantly; he wasn't sure he wanted the answer.

The bell rang, and Videl quickly let go of his hand, muttering, "Forget it," before getting up and leaving the library to go to class.

And Gohan just stared after her, even long after she was gone. He felt utterly confused. But the boy forbade himself to get hopeful, not this time. He couldn't get his heart broken twice by the same girl because of misinterpretation – once had been more than enough.

It was only when the second bell rang that Gohan realized he was late for class. So much for getting to school early…

ooOoo

The Victory Festival was everywhere. It was in the classrooms and even outside, where students had prepared special activities for the event; it was in the cafeteria, where people could buy the themed-specialties cooked by a professional chef. And it was even in the library, which had been taken over by more activities.

The place had never been so loud. Needless to say, Mrs. Huston was not happy. But since she couldn't do anything about it, she simply took her day off and went home early, hoping the crazy kids weren't going to destroy her precious library.

Videl wasn't so happy about it, either. The library had always been her favorite place to relax when she wanted to be left alone – or more recently when she wanted to spend time with Gohan, although, not so much since the 'incident' on his birthday. The library was her place – and now it was just another loud, crowded room.

Sighing in resignation, Videl told Erasa she was going somewhere else and left. Just as she walked through the doors, she bumped into Gohan. Oddly enough, the force of the collision almost made her fall backward – if it weren't for Gohan catching her in time, that is. His arm held her around her back firmly and they both blushed at the position. Yet he didn't let go.

"You okay?" he asked, as red-faced as he looked worried. His kindness always made her melt…

"Yeah… Thanks," she said, her hands clasped on his shirt as she straightened up.

It was then that Videl noticed that he'd changed for a short-sleeved shirt, probably because of the heat today, and for the first time, Videl saw that Gohan wasn't as scrawny as he looked – not in the least. His arms were in fact well-toned, his muscles lean yet bulging and as defined as the finest work of art. The term Greek God crossed her mind.

She gulped.

"The library's crowded too, huh?" he said, his hand holding one of the doors slightly open while he glanced inside.

"Yeah," replied Videl, willing herself not to stare at his arms. "Mrs. Huston left early because of them."

"Aww, poor Mrs. Huston." He let go of the door and let it shut again. "Ah, where shall we go now? Our sanctuary has been defiled!"

Gohan let out a dramatic sigh, and Videl laughed at his joke. He grinned, looking at her with that special sparkle in his onyx eyes. Videl grinned back at him, and for the first time, there was no awkwardness between them.

"Let's go outside then," she suggested. "We should be able to find a spot with no people, right?"

"We could always climb on a tree."

Videl cracked up again. The guy actually looked dead serious, too. He was just too cute.

x

They were lying on the grass, side by side, at the very back of the yard – they were almost outside of the school property, really. But at least there was nobody around to disturb them, and lying there together felt nice and peaceful.

After a while, Gohan propped himself up with his elbow and let his head rest upon his open palm, looking at Videl.

"Hey, Videl," he called softly.

She kept her eyes closed as she replied, "Yeah?"

"Is there something troubling you?"

The unexpected question made her blink her eyes open. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm not sure…" Gohan sat up, cross-legged, his brow furrowed in deep thought. "You look a bit better now, but you seemed a bit… off, today."

She raised her eyebrow at him. "Well, I could say to same to you, Mr. Genius," she said playfully. "You seem to be avoiding this festival as much as me. Any particular reason for that?"

He scratched his hair at the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "Well, I guess you could say that."

Videl sat up to face him, her curiosity piqued. "How come?"

"Um… It's kinda… complicated?" he said, sounding like he wasn't sure himself. She rolled her eyes and started to poke him on his sides.

"Oh come on, tell me. If you tell me your reason, I might tell you mine," she proposed.

"Oh, so I have to tell you, but you might, huh?" he smirked, grabbing her hand firmly yet gently, to stop her poking.

"Yep. Well? I'm waiting, you know," she said, a smirk mirroring his own tugging at her lips.

"No way. I'm not telling you anything," he said, chuckling. "You have to tell me first, and then I might tell you, too."

"Oh, getting rebellious, aren't we?" she teased.

"Well, you only have yourself to blame."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"That you have a bad influence on me, obviously."

"Oh, really?"

Before he knew it, Gohan's face was dripping with water: Videl had splashed him with her water bottle and was now laughing her head off at the disbelieving look on his face.

"Oh now you're in for it…!" he said, a silly grin stretching his lips.

He took her bottle while she was laughing and emptied it over her head, effectively drenching her. He then quickly got up and started running. Videl immediately followed after him, chasing him around the yard. She couldn't stop laughing as she ran, and Gohan seemed to have the same problem.

As they neared the sports yards, Videl noticed a hose lying by and smirked. Perfect. She quickly ran towards it, picked it up and aimed it at Gohan.

His laughter only got louder while she sprayed him with the hose. The moment Videl stopped drenching him, however, the tall boy moved fast and took the green tube from her, spraying her with it this time.

They kept playing with water and were soaked to the bone in no time. And then they got in trouble when a teacher walked by. As the woman sputtered and scolded them, giving them detention, the pair had a hard time keeping a straight face.

"Two hours, Saturday! Two weeks in a row!" It might seem a bit harsh, but they were clearly not sorry at all – she had to do something drastic.

"We're – we're really sorry, ma'am," said Gohan, biting down his lip as he tried to hold himself from bursting out laughing.

"Yeah we're – what he said," added Videl, fidgeting as she struggled to stay focused. Or at least to look sorry.

"Now go change into dry clothes!" ordered the woman, obviously upset that these students – such reasonable students normally, too – were acting in such a disrespectful manner.

"Yes ma'am!" they both saluted, and the teacher huffed indignantly and left.

And they burst out laughing. They laughed so much and so hard, it was starting to hurt their stomachs and tears were coming out of their eyes. They laughed together and didn't seem to care that they were completely drenched – on this hot day, it actually felt quite pleasant.

"Man, I got a detention," said Gohan when they started calming down. "My mom won't be happy."

"Well, I guess you were right. I really am a bad influence on you. I apologize, Mr. Genius."

She bowed low to him for dramatic effect, and it took Gohan all he had not to go into another laughing fit. They both grinned at each other, still giggling like little kids.

"Thanks for that, Gohan," she said, smiling at him. "I really needed a good laugh today."

"Glad I could help," he replied, grinning back at her. He shook his head, chuckling as water flew around him from his wet, yet still gravity-defying hair. "Man, I'm drenched."

And then Videl froze. Gohan had taken off his t-shirt – and, oh god, the guy was ripped. His abs, his pectorals, his strong neck, his shoulders, his arms… Everything was sculpted so perfectly, so tauntingly – screw Greek God statues, Gohan looked way, way better. He was absolutely gorgeous. And hot. God, he looked so hot.

So tempting…

He seemed to notice her staring at him, and a mischievous smirk formed on his lips. "What's the matter, Videl?"

She didn't reply. More precisely, she couldn't. She was unable to form a single word, a single coherent thought. She heard him chuckle, and then the heat on her face intensified as the young man leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Am I making you nervous, Videl?"

Ah, what was he doing? Couldn't he see just how troubled she was because of him? Because he looked so damn hot that she was feeling all warm and tingly? Why must he tease her, to top it off?

One of his hands touched her arm, ever so gently, and the warmth was rapidly spreading over her whole body. Videl swallowed hard, and loudly, and the tall boy hovering above her let out a low, rumbling chuckle.

Oh boy. What was he doing to her?

And then something odd happened – his hot lips pressed near her ear, just between her jaw and neck, and Videl remembered perfectly how 'Saiyaman' had done the exact same thing, kissing her on this very spot.

Her conflicted feelings were mixed with her want of Gohan. She didn't know what this meant. She didn't understand why this boy could affect her so much, drive her crazy with unspeakable thoughts and desires. She couldn't shake the feeling that this occurrence wasn't a coincidence, that it was too big to be one. That him kissing her there, of all places, had to somehow link Gohan with Saiyaman.

And then she caught sight of something shining to the sun's glare: his wristwatch. And for what seemed like the very first time, Videl really looked at it. The exact same watch. And then she looked up at Gohan, her lips slightly parted as his intense eyes seemed to pierce through her.

It was the same eyes, she realized. The same look. The same intensity – just a different color.

The words that left her mouth then, caused him to pale completely.

"You're him," she whispered, suddenly feeling breathless. "You're Saiyaman."