Chapter Seven

Her Stupid Heart


The powerful right cross almost hit her in the headgear. Videl ducked under it, stepped inward, and used the momentum to throw a devastating uppercut at Sharpner. The blow would have knocked him out if not for the protective headgear.

She gave her sparring partner a moment to regain his bearings, pulling her gloved fists up into a rudimentary guard while bouncing lightly on her feet, one after the other.

Boxing was a good way to better her rhythm and train her upper body, seeing as Videl was accustomed to employing more than just her fists in a fight. It also gave her a handicap against Sharpner, who was more used to this combat style than she.

Sharpner shook his head and blinked his eyes. He rubbed the side of his jaw with the back of his gloved hand, started to say something, but his mouth protection made it a difficult task so the young boxer spat it in his other glove.

"Geez, Videl, you don't pull your punches, do you?" he said in a joking tone.

The girl straightened up, her arms dropping at her sides. She figured they might as well take a break. Glancing at the clock hanging high on the wall of the gym, it told her that they had been sparring for over an hour.

Spitting her mouth protection in her glove, Videl smirked. "I thought you were tough enough to take it. My bad."

He glared at her playfully. "Show off."

She scoffed and grinned at the same time, unable to keep a straight face at the irony. "Look who's talking, Mister I-Flex-My-Biceps-Every-Chance-I-Get."

He rolled his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips as he crossed his gloved hands behind his head, effectively showing off his muscular arms by the bend the motion created. "Whatever do you mean?"

Videl muffled a laugh into her glove. She shook her head in amusement, the grin not leaving her face. "Anyway, let's go get something to drink. I'm parched."

"Yeah, me too," Sharpner agreed.


The sound of the waterfall behind him strengthened his focus. Piccolo was hovering beside him, mirroring his position as they meditated together. Arms and legs crossed, Gohan's breathing was slow and deep as he worked on his ki, remodeling it as he wished, polishing it until he could have complete control of its immeasurable power.

His ear twitched as a gleeful laugh resounded from somewhere below them.

"Don't lose your focus," grumbled Piccolo. Gohan's brow furrowed as he did his best to obey his mentor, concentrating his hearing on the white noise of the waterfall behind him.

It probably wasn't the best idea to bring Goten along ━ but how could he have said no when his little brother looked at him with big, pleading eyes while he asked if he could come with? He wasn't made of stone.

Goten had tried meditating with them at first, but the seven-year-old's attention span didn't last. The little boy had quickly given up and had been playing with the wild animals of the forest since.

Another sound coming from below, this time a shriek of surprise followed by a light thud, and then another burst of laughter. Gohan's shoulders hunched and he let slip a deep sigh through his lips.

"You used to be better at this," Piccolo grunted, straightening up from the meditation position in the air, arms still crossed as he looked down at him.

"I didn't use to have a very distracting little brother," Gohan mumbled in defense, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment. He imitated the Namekian and uncrossed his legs to "stand" in mid-air.

"Hmph. It's no wonder you're having trouble controlling your strength at this school of yours."

Unable to meet his mentor's eyes, Gohan hung his head. He could pick up the disappointment in Piccolo's voice, and he hated that.

"It's been a while…" he said softly. "I shouldn't have discarded my training over the years like I did; I know that now."

"I don't blame you. You, more than anyone, deserved a break. Seven years sounds like a decent enough one."

Looking up at his mentor, a small smile formed on his lips. "Thanks, Piccolo."

"Take a break for now. We'll work more on your training tomorrow when there will be less… distractions." Piccolo shifted his gaze to the adorable little boy down below, playing with a baby pterodactyl who was licking his face and making Goten laugh. Gohan's eyes softened at the endearing sight.

Maybe he could show his little brother around Satan City for the rest of the day. Goten had been begging to go to school with him this past week. Obviously, Gohan couldn't take the seven-year-old with him to class, but since it was the weekend and his day had just cleared, they had all the time in the world to visit the city. Gohan hadn't seen much of it himself, for that matter, except for his trips to and from school, as well as his brief stops to fight crime as the Great Saiyaman. But that wasn't enough to really know a place.

"Hey, Goten!" he called to draw his little brother's attention. Goten gently pushed the winged dinosaur off of him and grinned at his big brother. "Want to go to Satan City?"

Goten's eyes lit up. Gohan chuckled to himself.


Sharpner handed her a bottle of bubbly water before sitting down on the bench beside her with his own drink. While she brought the rim of the bottle to her lips, a glance at the other teen's choice of drink made the girl frown.

"You shouldn't have an energy drink after a workout, Sharpner," Videl berated after wiping her mouth. "It worsens dehydration."

"It's fine. I'll get something else later. Unless you're willing to share your water bottle?" he added in a joking tone.

She rolled her eyes. "Get your own bottle."

Her friend snickered. Videl let a smile curve her lips. She and Sharpner had been friends since elementary school, and they had been sparring partners for nearly as long. Even when Sharpner decided boxing was more his groove, Videl simply chose to add the discipline into her fighting style.

Watching him out of the corner of her eyes while they both sipped on their drinks, the girl played with the idea of telling him at least a part of what had been going on with her in the past week.

She was more than reluctant to say anything to anyone, though, not even to her closest friends. While Sharpner certainly wouldn't try and play matchmaker like she knew Erasa would, Videl was too ashamed of what she could have become in the future to let slip anything about her visions.

"Hey, Sharpner," she started, her words slow. "Can I ask you something?"

He shrugged and nodded his head, leaning back on the bench into a more comfortable position with his arms on the backrest. "Shoot."

"What would you do if…?" Videl bit her lower lip, not quite sure how to formulate her thought. She figured that, if she could be vague enough, perhaps she could relieve some of the weight that her secret had put in her chest since meeting Gohan.

The long-haired teen quirked an eyebrow at her. "Yeah?" he said, encouraging her to keep going.

"If… you had dreams of a person that you've never met before, and then you meet them in real life, and the dreams suddenly stop. What would you think that means?"

He sat up and turned to her fully, his forehead creasing. "I'm not sure I understand. What's your relationship with the person in those dreams?"

Videl averted her gaze, a deep blush spreading across her cheeks. Unseen to her, Sharpner widened his eyes as something clicked in his head.

"Wait… You don't mean…"

She quickly got up, avoiding eye contact at all costs. "Never mind."

"It's not about Gohan, is it?"

His accurate guess made her look at him dumbly. Now he was receptive? He who had not the slightest clue about Gohan and his real capabilities, who let any weird thing Gohan had done over the past week slide right off him… Now he decided to be cunning? Seriously?

Apparently, the look on her face gave her away, for Sharpner took her reaction as a positive answer.

"Wait, so you've had dreams about Gohan before meeting him?" He blinked. "That's so weird."

She looked away again, her blush taking over her whole face. She tried to hide it with her hand, but to no avail.

"I really don't want to talk about it," she mumbled into her palm. How she wished she could erase the past few minutes from existence… But it was too late now. Why did she have to open her big mouth?

Sharpner inhaled and was about to say something, but Videl beat him to it.

"Anyway, let's get back to training!" she pretty much shouted, drawing the attention of all the people training in the gym. They stared at her after her outburst, and Videl's already bright blush somehow worsened.

She really should've kept her mouth shut. Now somebody knew. Ugh.


In the end, Videl had been too embarrassed to continue sparring with Sharpner. She had slipped away to take a shower before going back home, which was only five minutes away on foot.

The girl was long used to the extravagance of the front yard and the mansion. She didn't really see the cropped grass, the fountain, the statues depicting her ego-absorbed father. She didn't want to see all of it, perhaps. It only reminded her that she was the daughter of a fraud.

When she went through the front door, a surprise was awaiting her. Mr. Satan had come back from his trip and had rushed in to welcome her back.

She didn't want his hug, yet she melted into it. Her eyes stung. She didn't want to believe it to be true. He was a good man despite his flaws. He was her papa, and he'd always done his best to take care of her on his own. How could he do something so low, so appalling? And for what? Just so the world would worship him? Was that the kind of man who raised her? A man so greedy for attention and glory that he would lie to the whole world?

And why would Gohan and the rest of the group let him, for that matter? Why wouldn't they come forth and confront him about his lie?

From what she knew of Gohan, it was pretty easy to guess that he didn't want nor seek the attention it would've given him. But what about the other fighters? Were they really okay with her father badmouthing them while he stole the credit for their accomplishment?

Mr. Satan pulled back and frowned when he saw the look on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked in concern.

But she couldn't look at him. She couldn't even bring herself to confront him about what he had done. "Nothing."

Her voice was small, and, naturally, her poor act wasn't fooling her father.

"Then why won't you look at me?"

He sounded genuinely hurt. Videl shut her eyes tightly.

Because I know what you did and it makes me sick just thinking about it.

"Never mind. I'm going for a run."

And just like that, she was out the door again, leaving her father without a clue as to what was going on with her.

Well, let him stew in confusion for a while. In the meantime, she needed to blow off some steam. Besides, she hadn't been done with training today, not really.

Not that it mattered all that much anymore. At least, training for the tournament didn't make that much sense now. The World Martial Arts Tournament, also known as the Tenkaichi Budokai, was supposed to declare who the strongest martial artist in the world was. But, with the existence of people like Gohan who wouldn't be competing for the championship, it meant that this year, no matter the outcome, the winner of the Tenkaichi Budokai would not be the number one fighter in the world. Even if she won, even if she had actually managed to surpass her father who was the running champion, it wouldn't mean squat if the best martial artist wasn't even competing.

And so she ran, tuning out her thoughts as she focused on the wind whistling in her ears. She knew that she should pace herself or she would run out of stamina too soon, but Videl couldn't allow herself to slow down. She needed the rush of endorphin that running at top-speed provided. It was the only way to block the sound of her own thoughts. She wished she could forget about her father, the tournament, Gohan, and everything that she used to dream about. If only…

When she reached the town park, her breathing was heavy and erratic. Yet Videl kept pushing through her limits, ignoring the strain in her legs as she forced them to keep up the same rapid pace. Even when she felt that her lungs were about to give out, Videl wouldn't slow down.

And then a familiar face entered her field of vision and her eyes widened. Standing by the lakeside, Gohan blinked as his gaze met hers and his head followed her while she passed behind him.

Seeing him of all people, now of all times, it made her lose her concentration. As a result, Videl twisted her foot and tripped, but before she could hit the ground two strong arms wrapped around her and stopped her fall.

"Woah there, careful."

Gohan had caught her.

Her heart was going crazy, pounding hard in her chest, but Videl told herself that it was only because she had been running at top-speed for who knew how long. Same for her flushed face. She was just flushed from exertion and nothing more.

It certainly wasn't because Gohan was holding her against him. Nope. That had nothing to do with it.

He let go of her and asked if she was okay. Videl was still breathing heavily and it made it difficult to speak, so she nodded her head.

"Are you sure?" he questioned, his eyebrows scrunching up while his head tilted slightly.

She raised her hand and nodded once more to signal that yes, she was fine. But the glint of worry wasn't leaving his coal eyes. It didn't help that her breathing still hadn't calmed down.

"Who's this, Gohan? Do you know her?"

The sudden appearance of the little boy startled her. It was Goten, Gohan's little brother, only he looked a few years younger than the boy she had seen in some of her dreams.

"Wait, you look familiar…" Goten said slowly, his face scrunching up as he held his chin and observed her face carefully.

Finally catching her breath, Videl couldn't help smiling at the adorable expression.

"It's…" Gohan started, but his little brother beat him to it, hitting his palm with his fist.

"Oh, I remember! I saw you on TV! You're that girl who fights crime alongside Gohan!"

Gohan winced. "Goten, don't shout that in public…"

The little boy put his hands over his mouth, his voice coming out muffled as he said, "Sowy…"

Gohan scratched his hair. "Anyway, this is Goten, my little brother."

I know, Videl couldn't help but think.

"And, yes, Goten, that's Videl, and she does fight crime," Gohan added with a gentle smile as he addressed his brother.

The look on his face made her chest tighten. She was reminded of the way he would gaze at her in her dreams, the love in his eyes transparent. Videl pinched her lips together. She had to warn herself what loving him might do to her personality. As happy as they seemed in that future, the price for it was just too high to pay.

"Anyway, uhm…" Gohan cleared his throat. "I won't be taking more of your time… Let's go, Goten."

"Already?" pouted the cute little boy, crossing his arms for emphasis. "But I wanted to stay with Videl…"

Gohan gave her a nervous look. She knew what he was thinking ━ and not because she could read his mind, thank you very much. He was trying not to break his promise to stay away from her.

"It's fine…" She massaged her neck, letting out a sigh. "You don't have to go."

Goten cheered, throwing his fist up and jumping a little too high for a kid his age, while Gohan looked at her with his eyebrows raised.

"Are you sure?"

No, she wasn't. She probably shouldn't stay in their company at all. But after the day she just had, what with failing to confide in Sharpner as well as getting cold feet about confronting her father on his wrongdoings, the change of scenery was more than welcome.

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

Besides, Gohan may be the only person she could ever talk to about her father. She wasn't even sure her own friends would believe her if she ever stated anything negative about her father. Mr. Satan had brainwashed the lot of them. To them, he could do no fault, he was the hero, the world savior. Even if Videl tried to tell them the truth, she wasn't sure they would believe her.

Was it a risk she was willing to take, though? Was she right to let her guard down just because she hadn't had any dreams since actually meeting Gohan? Was it even a good idea to spend any time with him?

Looking at his smile, Videl couldn't help thinking that she was in big trouble.


They went to the playground area so Goten could have some fun with other kids. Gohan gave him clear instructions about keeping his strength in check and to not do anything weird.

Videl couldn't help throwing him a look at that. Like he was one to talk. Gohan didn't notice, ever the clueless guy, and simply motioned to a bench where they could keep an eye on Goten.

She fiddled with her thumbs. As much as she wanted, no, needed to talk to someone about what she was going through, even just a small part of it, Videl had no idea how to bring it up.

Gohan eventually broke the silence. "Can I ask you something?"

She looked at him and gave an ironic smile. "You can ask, but I can't promise that I'll answer."

"Fair enough." Gohan's eyes lowered and his brow furrowed in thought. "You've had visions of my future, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"And it's what you've seen that caused you to avoid me, correct?" He looked up at her at that, his expression serious.

Videl had a feeling she knew where he was going with that. "Yes. And no, I can't tell you why."

His frown deepened. "Why not?"

She shook her head. "I can't tell you either."

His lips pursed in dissatisfaction as his gaze turned to the playground. Videl followed suit, seeing Goten sitting on a swing with a big grin on his face, as though he had not a care in the world as he swung back and forth. Videl cracked a smile at the sight. He sure was a cute kid. And at the same time, the teenage girl found herself envying the little boy's carelessness. If only she could be that age again…

"What about my dad? Could you tell me about him?" Gohan asked. "Did you see him alive in the future?"

Videl lowered her eyes to her hands, a frown taking up her features. "I did… Does that mean he's not really dead?"

She turned to him once more. Gohan was grinning. "No, he is, but it does mean that he'll come back."

"But that's impossible."

He chuckled. "Remember after the Cell Games, how everyone Cell killed came back to life?"

She stared at him. "Well… Everyone assumed they weren't really dead, that Cell only pretended to have killed them and had been hiding them in order to terrorize everyone, and that killing Cell made them come back…"

"I'm aware. But that's not what happened. They were indeed dead, but they were brought back."

"How?"

She knew he wasn't going to answer like last time, but she had to ask. Dead people coming back to life? How could it be possible?

Gohan's eyes softened, a gentle smile on his lips. "We wished them back."

"What are you talking about?"

She hadn't thought he would say anything. She figured he would keep the information for himself as leverage until she told him what he wanted to know. I guess it's not like him to do something like that…

"Dragon Balls," Gohan replied. "There are seven of them scattered in the world, and once you reunite them, you can summon the sacred dragon who can grant wishes. Even bringing dead people back to life."

His explanation sounded straight out of a fantasy book. A week ago, Videl would have scoffed at the mere notion. Now, however, after she'd had proof that her dreams were indeed visions of her future, discrediting the existence of magic became a lot more complicated.

"Then why didn't you bring your father back like you did with everyone else?"

"That's…" Gohan paused, scratching his hair at the side of his head. "Well, there are some rules to using the Dragon Balls. One of them is that we can't wish for the same thing twice, and my dad had already been brought back once before."

"So that means… he's died twice?" Videl felt ridiculous saying it out loud, but she knew Gohan was telling the truth. He had no reason to lie to her, and he had even fewer reasons to make it all up, so she decided to just go along with it. "But wait… That's not right. If there are rules, and if your dad can't be brought back anymore, then how can he be alive in my visions?"

Gohan shrugged. "I figure we would have used the Dragon Balls from Namek. It's the planet they're from, and they don't have the same restrictions over there."

Her breath hitched. "Another… planet?"

Gohan tilted his head. "I thought you knew."

"I… I don't know all that much," she admitted. "I know that you have superpowers, and that you can turn blond at will…" She swallowed, her voice lowering to a whisper. Another planet… Did that mean…? "Are you an alien?"

He averted his gaze, staring at his hands on his lap. "My father was," he said in a low voice. "My mom isn't. I guess you could say I'm a half-breed. So is my brother."

So he was half-alien… After everything she had learned over the past week, the information, which should've shocked her, barely even phased her.

Videl observed his profile in detail, trying to figure him out. "Why are you telling me everything? I didn't return the favor."

Gohan shrugged. "It's nice having someone my age to talk to about these things, I guess." He looked back at her and a gentle smile formed on his lips. "And, I don't know, it's kinda easy to talk to you."

Videl found herself unable to look away. Her face felt warm, and her chest felt tight with something she didn't want to dwell on. But she couldn't deny the truth anymore.

Damn it. She definitely had a crush on him. Despite her best effort to avoid him at school, their few encounters had somehow been enough for her stupid heart to develop feelings for Gohan.

And she couldn't help wondering if, maybe, Gohan was going through the same thing. She hated herself for hoping that he was.

"By the way, about what you mentioned earlier," Gohan said. "I wouldn't call my abilities "superpowers", even if they do seem that way. I mean, the "turning blond" thing, as you put it, that's from my alien side, yeah. But how I can fly and shoot blasts from my hands ━ that's martial arts. I don't know who else you've seen in your visions, but most of them are simply talented martial artists who pushed their limits."

Well, whether Gohan had feelings for her or not, he was certainly comfortable enough to open up to her.

"Martial arts…"

Did that mean she could learn how to do the stuff Gohan could? That she could become bulletproof too? That she would even fly?

"You could learn to do it too," he said, as though he'd read her mind. Or maybe her expression was just that transparent. "I could teach you if you want."

Her face lit up at the prospect ━ but Videl shook her head, quickly discarding the idea. What was she thinking? She couldn't ask him to teach her ━ she shouldn't even be having this conversation with him! What if her dreams had been a passing thing, that whatever psychic power she somehow stumbled upon was just gone now, and the absence of dreams didn't mean that she was safe from the future she had foreseen? What if, at the beginning of the week when she was avoiding him, she had successfully diverted from her initial path where she ended up marrying Gohan, but now her effort amounted to nothing because she had let her guard down?

Was free will but an illusion? It couldn't be her destiny to end up with Gohan, could it? Surely she had some say in the matter, didn't she?

Looking at him now, and how his mere presence affected her, Videl wasn't sure what to believe.

She suddenly stood. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I should go."

Gohan frowned. "What's wrong?"

She decided to tell him the truth. It should make him understand why they couldn't be friends. "Well, there's a reason that I've been avoiding you, as you said. And that reason is still there."

"Oh." His face crumpling, Gohan hung his head and heaved a deep sigh. "I see…"

Her throat tightened. His expression was heartbreaking. She remembered what he said about being able to talk to someone his age for once, and she felt a pinch in her chest.

Why would marrying him change her so much? That part, Videl had always had trouble believing. How could she let herself become so mellow and bland just because she got married? Was that her destiny regardless of who she ended up with? What about free will? Could she simply choose not to become the doting housewife who somehow lost her fire?

"Well, thanks for hanging out with me regardless," Gohan said, lifting his eyes to her, a small, wistful smile on his lips. "It was nice."

A lump rose in her throat. This still felt like a waste.

Quick steps approached them. Videl and Gohan turned as one to see Goten running towards them.

"Hey, are you leaving?" the little boy asked Videl.

"Yeah, sorry." She smiled and patted his head. "Did you have fun on the swing?"

"Oh, yeah! But, you know, the one at Trunks' is super sturdy, so I can go a lot faster when I'm there. It's even more fun!"

His best friend's mention made her pause for a moment. She wasn't supposed to know Trunks was his best friend for that matter, or that he was the son of Bulma and Vegeta. Since Trunks could "turn blond" as well, Videl assumed that he was also half-alien, like Gohan and Goten. That meant Vegeta was an alien.

"That's nice," she said.

Videl bid goodbye to the brothers, but when she looked back, her heart gave another pinch at the look on Gohan's face. The light in his coal eyes was faint, subdued.

It had been cruel of her to lead him on when she couldn't allow herself to become his friend like he obviously wanted. And, in the end, she didn't even get to talk about her father.

And yet, Videl didn't feel like that discussion had been a waste. It had been a dumb risk, but not a waste. She had learned new things, and her dreams made more sense now. She finally had the answers she wanted about Gohan's father, as well as about Gohan himself and what made him so strong.

"See you at school," Gohan said, waving at her as he stood beside his brother.

She turned away and went along her way. She was doing the right thing, wasn't she?

June 6, 2020