Chapter 2: Secret Revealed

It had been nearly a day since Cerise came to stay with Gohan. In that span of time, Gohan had been trying to get an answer out of Cerise of where she was from, but to no avail. He had told her stories of the Z-gang and the adventures they had, but Cerise only half-listened. Gohan could tell something was off with her.

"Hey Cerise, are you ok?" Gohan asked her as he sat on his bed. Cerise looked over at him for a moment, just staring at him. "You seem really...off."

"There's just alot on my mind,'' Cerise bluntly responded to the half-Saiyan. "I just don't like talking about things that make me uncomfortable, which includes my personal life." She turned away, looking at the wall.

Gohan laid back on his bed, putting his hands behind his head and sighed. He looked over to Cerise. There was no way he was going to any information about her past out of her.

It was late in the afternoon now, the sun was about to set and Gohan was studying downstairs, leaving Cerise alone.

Cerise sat back, in a fetal position against the wall. She sighed. She was so bored. She hated staying in Gohan's room all the time, and she wanted to get out. Gohan had told her that he was going to tell his mother about her, but she honestly doubted it.

She continued to lay back against the wall until she heard a weird babbling noise, kind of like a whine. Once she heard it, she leaned forward, and a quizzical expression formed on her face.

"That's weird," Cerise thought to herself. "I've near heard a sound like that before." She heard it again, and noticed it was coming from the door. Confused, she walked up to the door and carefully opened it.

Her eyes widened when she saw a baby crawl into the room. He had fair skin, black eyes and spiky black hair, and looked a great deal like Gohan.

"What...a baby..." Cerise thought to herself as she closed the door. "Gohan never told me about a baby living here..."

Cerise backed away a few steps away as the baby started crawling toward her. He giggled at her and lifted his tiny arms up, like he wanted to be held.

Cerise just looked at him with a blank, emotionless on her face. She sweatdropped. "Sorry kid," Cerise said to the infant, "I don't deal with babies."

Realizing he wouldn't be picked up, the baby started to grizzle, and burst into tears. Cerise just narrowed her crimson eyes away from the infant as she watched him cry. She cringed.

"How did I get myself into this mess..."

Gohan was in the middle of solving a math problem when he heard his brother cry. He froze as he dropped his pencil on the paper and turned around. His mother was currently asleep and might wake up hearing the cry of his brother, so he rushed upstairs.

He stopped in the hallway when he noticed the cry was coming from his room. He went over to his door and opened it.

He was greeted to Cerise backed up against the wall, and his little brother crying loudly in front of her. His eyes widened as he closed the door behind him.

"What happened?" He asked in a panic. Cerise looked up at him.

"He wanted to be picked up, but I didn't hold him," She shrugged. "I'm not good with kids."

Gohan just walked over to his brother and picked him up. He rocked him gently while he hushed him.

"Shhhh, it's okay Goten," He tried to sooth him. "I'm here. It's okay."

Thankfully, Goten calmed down and soon enough he was smiling and giggling again. Gohan sighed in relief.

Cerise just watched the scene as it played out. "Is that your brother?" She asked, staring at Goten.

Gohan looked up at her. He nodded. "Yes. His name is Goten." He held him up. Goten giggled. "Sorry if I didn't tell you about him sooner."

"It's fine." Cerise crossed her arms. Gohan was going to respond, when he heard footsteps coming towards his room. Gohan froze.

"Cerise, hide!" He motioned her to hide in the closet. Cerise was confused.

"Why?" She asked.

"My mom's coming!'' He yelped. Cerise then understood why, and curled up into the closet. Gohan shut the door in a panic and he stood in the middle of the room with Goten, smiling to try to hide his nervousness.

At that moment, Chi-chi opened the door. She had a concerned look on her face.

"Is Goten alright?" She asked. Gohan nodded.

"Better than ever." He nervously chuckled. She nodded, and then smiled when she saw Gohan and Goten together.

"It's so nice seeing my boys getting along." She said.

"I always have gotten along with Goten, mom." Gohan chuckled nervously.

Chi-chi raised an eyebrow, suspicious. There seemed like something was off with Gohan.

"Are you ok, Gohan?" Chi-chi asked her son.

"I'm totally fine, mom," Gohan chuckled. "Don't worry about me.''

"Reri! Reri!" Goten babbled. Gohan sweatdropped and his eyes widened.

"Uh, what's a reri, Goten?" He nervously chuckled.

Chi-Chi just giggled and grabbed Goten from Gohan. Gohan looked up at her.

"Babies make weird noises all the time, Gohan," Chi-chi started. "He probably just heard it from somewhere. Anyways, can you watch him while I make dinner? I would appericate that."

"Yeah, no problem, mom." He grabbed Goten from his mom's arms, and Chi-chi walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Gohan sighed with relief and put Goten on the ground. He turned to his closet door.

"Ok Cerise," He said. "You can come out now."

At that moment, Cerise opened the door and stood up. She glared at Gohan and crossed her arms.

"Was that your mom?" She asked. Gohan looked over at her and nodded.

"She seems really...overbearing." She retorted. Gohan nodded, knowing it was all but true.

"Yeah, she can be. She has a bad temper, but she loves us alot," Gohan explained. "She isn't all that bad."

"I can tell," Cerise replied, "She seems like the type."

Gohan just shook his head and sighed. He really didn't how he was going to break the news to his mom.

Gohan had just finished dinner with his brother and mother. The rest of the night went rather smoothly, and Gohan was able to keep Cerise a secret from his mom, at least for now. He still thought about how he was going to break the news to Chi-chi, but he didn't let the thought get on his nerves.

It was late at night now, and as usual Gohan was getting leftovers for Cerise. Tonight the Son family had meatloaf for dinner, and it was very delicious. He grabbed a cup and poured it with milk, and then went upstairs.

"Hey Cerise," He said to the rabbit girl. "I got you some food."

Cerise looked over at Gohan. She sitting at his window, just staring outside. She got up and went over at him. She grabbed the plate of meatloaf and the glass of milk from his hands.

"Thanks." She replied bluntly. As usual, she scorched down the meal, and gave the dirty plate and cup back to Gohan. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. He walked downstairs into the kitchen, before he ran back up to his room and closed the door.

Cerise just stared at him as he resumed doing his homework.

"What are you doing?" She asked. Gohan looked up at her and smiled.

"Studying." He replied to her.

"Why are you studying?"

"So I can became a great scholar one day," Gohan replied. "Or it least my mom wants me to. I study for her."

"I see...She seems like the type." Cerise commented. "Anyways, do you have anything to do around here? I'm so bored."

"You can read a book." Gohan pointed to his bookcase. Cerise looked at him like he had three heads.

"What?"

"Or that's what I do to pass the time," Gohan started. "You do know how to read, don't you?"

Cerise was silent for a moment. She was taught to read at the facility she was born and raised in, but she hadn't picked up a book in years. Thinking about that facility always brought her to a bad place. She shook her head and furrowed her brow.

"I do know how to read." She spat back. "I'll go pick out a book or two, if it passes the time."

She walked to the bookshelf and was about to pick out a book when her ears perked up hearing a familiar gurgle at the door. Both she and Gohan looked at the door when they heard the sound.

"I guess that's Goten." Gohan said as he got up and walked towards the door, opening it. The little baby crawled in, smiling and giggling all the while.

"Reri! Reri!" He babbled. He crawled toward the rabbit girl and held his little arms up. Cerise reluctantly picked the baby up, and Gohan laughed at the scene. Since Goten liked her, he showed Cerise how to pick him up, and the results were hilarious at best.

"Uh, hey there little guy," Cerise awkwardly said to the infant. "I guess you have an attachment to me know, don't you?"

Gohan laughed. "It's okay, Cerise," He chuckled. "He's not a bad baby. He likes you."

They stood with each other for a moment until they heard footsteps. Gohan's eyes widened, and he nodded for Cerise to go to the closet. He grabbed Goten from her, but before she could go in the closet, the door opened.

Cerise's eyes widened and she froze, leaving her sitting next to the closet door. Gohan sweatdropped, and his eye shrink to the size of dots as Chi-chi entered the room.

"Hey Gohan, I was going to take Goten so I could put him to bed since it's about time he..." Chi-chi froze as stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed Cerise. The color drained from her face in shock and her eyes shrank to small dots.

"W-what...Who is that..." Chi-chi mumbled in disbelief, the words slowly rolling out of her mouth in shock.

Gohan stepped in front of his mother. "L-look, mom, it's not what you think, I can explain..." But Chi-chi was too shocked to listen.

She gasped when she saw Cerise's ears.

"A-are those rabbit ears...or am I seeing things...dear Kami I think my eyes are playing tricks on me..." Chi-chi muttered, but she fell over and fainted.

Gohan and Cerise just sweatdropped and watched on in silence as they watched the scene play out. They just stared at each other until Cerise spoke.

"That was..uh..quite a pleasant meeting." She said to Gohan. The half-Saiyan nervously chuckled as he rubbed his hand behind his head.

"Yeah...that's my mom for you." He replied back.

With that, the two of them chuckled together.

For the first time in a while, Cerise started to feel like she belonged.