Chapter Twenty-Two
His Reunion With Her
Gohan felt his heart sink as he stood before his father. His eyes were welling up.
"I'll see you again soon enough," Goku said with a wink.
"Yeah… I wonder when you're supposed to come back."
Goku grinned with a carefree shrug. "I guess we'll have to wait and see!"
Gohan laughed slightly. Goku pulled him for a hug, and the boy felt like a child once again, wrapped in his daddy's arms. His tears were getting harder and harder to hold back.
He took a shuddering breath as they pulled back.
"Thanks for the spar," Goku said with a grin. "I haven't had so much fun in forever! And now I have a long way to go before I catch up to you, haha!"
Gohan laughed along as he went over to Shin and Kibito who were patiently waiting for him. "Good luck with that."
"The universe will be safe with you protecting it," Goku said, giving his boy a thumb-up. Gohan gave one back to his father.
"Thanks, Dad." He took a deep breath. "Goodbye."
And with that, Gohan touched Kibito's arm. Shin was already grabbing on his servant's other arm, ready to bring the demi-Saiyan back to his home planet.
"Goodbye, son," Goku said. "I'm so proud of you."
And then they were gone. The image of his father vanished, and the boy found himself in a wasteland. The sky was blue again.
"Thank you for everything," he told the deity and his servant, bowing low in respect and gratefulness.
"No, thank you for making the universe a safe place again," Shin replied. "And I apologize for taking you away so abruptly."
"It's okay," Gohan said with a fond smile. "I got to see my dad again thanks to you, and for that I am eternally grateful."
"Yes, I'm glad that you got to see him," Shin said.
"Well, we better go back," Kibito said. "I was wrong about you," he added, looking at the demi-Saiyan with a proud smile. "You are worthy to walk on the Kaioshin planet."
"Kibito…" With the way the pink-skinned man had doubted him and grumbled his disapproval every step of the way since Gohan set foot in the holy world, his change of heart meant a lot to the young warrior.
"Um, just a thing," the teen called hesitantly before they could vanish out of sight. "Could you maybe give me my clothes back? I had a watch, and it was kinda important to me."
"Oh, of course. I can bring back the clothes I replaced with these. But… Are you sure? The Kaioshin uniform suits you so well."
Gohan gave an awkward smile, opting not to comment on that. It was just a matter of taste, after all. He sent an apologetic look to Shin, who no doubt heard his thoughts of disagreement. The deity made no show that he did, which Gohan appreciated.
"Yes. I really need that watch back, and I liked my clothes too."
"In that case…" Kibito raised his hand and shot a beam at Gohan, whose clothes changed back to what he was wearing at the tournament. Watch included.
He brought his wrist up and pushed the red button on his watch, to make sure it worked like before. To his relief, his body was engulfed in a familiar flash of light and his Great Saiyaman suit replaced his everyday clothes.
"Interesting technology," Shin commented. Kibito stared at the weird attire skeptically, wondering if the boy realized how ridiculous he looked. It might be just a cultural thing, though. Who knew what fashion was like here on Earth.
"Thank you so much! I didn't want to ask Bulma for another watch, she's already done so much for me," Gohan said with a grin, his mouth the only visible part of his face; his head was covered by an orange and black helmet with white antennas.
"Well then, we shall get on our way," Shin stated.
Gohan watched them disappear, and then he looked up at the sky, pondering on where he should go first.
His heart demanded that he go see Videl at once. His momma's boy nature pushed him to go home first, however, to reassure his mother who had probably been worried sick about him since he had to leave so suddenly and without even getting to say goodbye.
In the end, the momma's boy in him won, arguing that since he had been waiting for a couple of days already, a few more hours weren't going to make that much of a difference. Even as hard as his heart protested and as much as he died to rush to Videl and tell her he loved her and pull her to him and kiss her and…
He cleared his throat into his fist, his face flaring up.
Um… Yeah.
Heaving out a deep sigh, the young man rose from the ground and flew off. He powered up as he tore through the sky, his mystical energy giving him speed like he ever had before. His ki skyrocketed and the demi-Saiyan grinned. He decided to call the transformation the Mystic form. It suited how it felt and how he came to it.
It took him barely a few minutes, even though he had been thousands of miles away from home. He could get used to this.
He pushed the button on his watch and switched back to his normal clothes. And then he opened the door and walked in.
"I'm home!"
A blur of light blue and white rushed him and almost knocked him off his feet ━ if Gohan wasn't transformed, he was pretty sure he would have fallen on his butt from the force of the impact.
"Gohan! You're finally back!" Goten was all grins as he hugged his big brother around the waist and had his legs strapped around him too. He was wearing a blue Chinese-like vest with white sleeves and white pants.
Gohan laughed. "Hey there, Lil' buddy. Did you miss me?" he asked rhetorically, hoisting up the little boy and hugging him back; Goten put his small arms around his neck and held him tight.
"So much! But I trained a lot with Trunks! And we sparred with Buu too!" Goten pulled back as he chirped that part, his eyes shining with excitement.
Gohan raised his eyebrows. "You did?"
"Yeah! Buu is so much fun! And he's soooo strong! He beat us both so easily! It was awesome!"
Gohan chuckled and ruffled his little brother's already wild hair, holding him under his bottom with his other arm.
"So Buu is adapting nicely, I take it?"
"Yep! He's really funny too! Trunks and I, we're so glad he became our friend! Videl told me he was supposed to be the bad guy."
Gohan's heart skipped a beat at the mention. His face was heating up just from hearing her name. Man, he really had it bad for that girl, huh?
"You've seen Videl?"
Goten opened his mouth and was about to reply, but their mother walked into the living room at that moment; she perked up and threw away her dish towel to run to him, hugging both of her sons tightly. Almost too tight. Those Saiyan genes sure came in handy a lot.
"Oh, Gohan! You're finally back! I've been worried sick! You didn't even say goodbye!" She pulled back and put her hands on her hips in her trademark severe stance; scowl in place on her face too, of course. "They told me you didn't get a say in the matter, but geez! The least that god could do was let a son say goodbye to his mother!"
Gohan cracked a smile. Goten was still glued to him, resting his head on his shoulder, and the older son didn't mind one bit. It had only been a couple days but he had never been away from his family for that long before, not for seven years. And it felt wrong, going to bed and not sleeping next to Goten at night. He'd missed them.
"Mom, Goten, there's something I've got to tell you," he started slowly, making sure he had their undivided attention. Goten pulled back slightly to look at him, tilting his head to the side. "When I was away, I saw Dad."
Chichi's hands flew to her mouth while her eyes welled up with tears. Goten's whole face lit up with a grin.
"Oh wow, you saw him? For real? That's so awesome! I'm so envious! Did you tell him about me? What did he say? Do you think he'd like me?"
"You saw him? Oh, I bet he's still as handsome as ever; they don't age in heaven, do they?" Chichi put her hands on her cheeks while her coal eyes glistened. "Oh, I wonder what he'd think of me if he saw me now! I should've gone to the beauty salon more often; I got old!"
Gohan chuckled. "Actually, Dad saw you, both of you, in a crystal ball given by a god." His eyes softened as he looked at his adorable little brother, who was drinking his every word, his mouth forming a perfect O. "He loves you, Goten. He says you're just like him, the way you look but also the way you are, how excited you are about fighting, just like he always was and still is. He said that it's just like looking in the mirror, seeing you." Then Gohan turned to his mother with a gentle smile. "He said he likes how you do your hair now. He watched both of you for a while, and he's kept the crystal ball so he might be looking at us right now."
Goten sniffed and rubbed his eyes with his fist. Chichi rushed at them once again and wrapped both her sons in her arms, crying in joy.
"Oh, Gohan, thank you! You have no idea how happy that makes me," she said in a quivering voice. "God, I miss him so much."
"I never met him but I miss him too," Goten said softly. Gohan's heart tightened.
But then he smiled as he remembered something very important about Videl's visions. "Mom, Goten, there's something I haven't told you. Something I've known for over a month, actually, and I'm sorry I haven't told you for all this time. It's just, I know it from Videl's visions and I couldn't tell anyone about them. And well, I don't know when it'll happen, and I didn't want you to get obsessed over it… Like I have been ever since I found out."
Chichi pulled back, Goten ending up in her arms. They both watched him intently, and Gohan rubbed the back of his neck with an apologetic smile.
"What is it?" his mother asked.
"Well… How much do you guys know about Videl's visions?"
"That she saw the future in which her father is Buu's best friend, which allowed us to take a shortcut and befriend Buu instead of trying to kill him," Chichi replied. Goten nodded in agreement.
"Is that all?"
Chichi frowned and set her youngest on the floor to put her hands on her hips in her trademark severe look. "What else is there to know about those visions of hers?"
"Well… Those visions… They begin around the time Videl and I are… at the time that we're…" His face was burning up as he tried to say it, and Gohan swallowed loudly. He clenched his fists and shut his eyes tightly, gathering his courage to just get it over with. "Her visions were dreams of her future. Of our future, hers and mine… together."
He heard his mother gasp. His little brother stayed silent, most likely still confused by his subtle explanation.
"Her visions start around the time we're newlyweds."
There. He said it. Gohan felt proud, but he also had a feeling that his new transformation, the Mystic form, gave him the confidence to go through with it ━ at least a lot more easily than he would've had normally. He quite liked that feeling. He felt less awkward in general, less nervous, less shy, and a lot more self-assured. Maybe it was the Saiyan in him finally getting out ━ if his father and Vegeta were anything to get by and were to be considered the norm for Saiyans, that is. They did fit these criteria perfectly.
"You mean Videl is gonna be my new sister?" Goten chirped, his eyes wide and glimmering with excitement. Gohan laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I kinda hope so, yeah…" He was blushing, but it was nice to be open about his feelings.
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Chichi put her hands on her cheeks, her eyes glistening with joy. "Oh, my, I can't believe it… I must meet her at once! Do you know if you give me grandchildren? Do you know how many? Oh, this is so exciting! To think you've met your future wife! That takes me back to the time I first met your father… Oh, the memories…" she finished, closing her eyes and tilting her head into her palm as she recalled her youth with her late husband.
Well, late husband for now, at least.
"Um, Mom, that's not why I'm telling you this," Gohan continued, getting the conversation back on track. His face got pretty red the more his mom ranted on about Videl's visions because he did know the answer to her inquiries about his future kids; he shook his head to clear his head and coughed into his fist. "You see, in Videl's visions, we're always married, be it five years from now or even as far as thirty years in the future. And five years from now, when Videl and I are newlyweds," he loved saying that; he sure hoped it was still fate's plan for him and the girl he loved, "five years from now, in Videl's dreams, Dad is alive."
"Goku is…" Chichi trailed off, too astounded by what she just heard.
"Daddy is coming back? Wow! That's amazing! I have to tell Trunks! Oh, I can't wait to meet him!" Goten tugged at his mom's dress, unable to stand in place, skipping from one foot to the other. "Mommy, can I go see Trunks please? Can I? Can I? I have to tell him! Oh, I'm so excited!"
Chichi blinked, slowly being pulled back from her daze by her youngest son's plea.
"Uh… Sure, sweetie…"
Gohan watched his mother with a smile. He couldn't blame her for being shocked by the news. It wasn't every day that a widow found out that she would get her spouse back.
Goten was already out the door, rushing out like a gust of wind. Chichi blinked after him for a few moments, still needing more time to process what her eldest son had announced to them.
And then, slowly, a smile began forming on her lips, digging deeper and deeper into her cheeks while her eyes glimmered with joy.
"Goku is coming back?"
Gohan nodded, grinning. "Yep. We don't know when exactly, but we do know that he's alive by the time Videl and I get married."
"Oh, my, oh, my…" And then her eyes widened. "I-I have to go! I need to get to the beauty salon right NOW!" She started fussing around to get everything ready in her purse. "I can't let myself go when your father gets to stay young forever in heaven, I've got to look my best to be ready when he comes back!"
Gohan knew trying to tell her that his father didn't care about that kind of thing would be pointless, so he simply chuckled to himself as his mother rushed out the door in turn.
"Guess that just leaves me, huh?" He shook his head in amusement, now standing alone in the empty house.
And then he perked up. That meant he could go see Videl! He had accomplished his duty as a son and as a brother, so now he could finally reunite with the girl he loved and officially ask her out!
He suddenly looked down at himself and decided he needed a shower and a better outfit ━ and just then, Gohan actually understood why his mom got so fussy at the thought of not looking her best for the man she loved.
He took a two-minute shower, his new record; still dripping, holding a tiny white towel around his waist, Gohan opened his closet wide with his other hand and browsed through his clothes to find something that would make him look to his advantage for his reunion with Videl.
It was pretty hot out, so he decided on a dark gray, short-sleeved shirt, and he added a pair of jeans ━ Bulma's last birthday gift. His mom would never buy him jeans, which she considered were the trademark pants of "delinquents". Well, she wasn't exactly wrong, but that was because pretty much everybody wore jeans, the good like the bad people, with no distinction. Gohan was grateful to the blue-haired scientist who was like a second mom to him; she always looked out for him and did what she could to make his social life easier and less awkward. He didn't know how he could ever repay her everything she had done for him. As the young man got dressed, he smiled as he thought that he did save the world, so at least that was a start.
He looked at himself in the mirror. He was wearing white sneakers with black streaks on the sides, another gift from Bulma. That woman sure got style. She did design his Great Saiyaman suit after all.
Happy with the way he looked, Gohan combed his humid hair with his fingers. And as he observed his reflection, the teen paused for a few moments.
He looked… different. Older, somehow. No, not just older. More mature. He could easily pass off as a young man in his early twenties, in fact.
"Wow…" he breathed out.
Was that the Mystic form? He decided to test the theory, and let the transformation fade out.
And, indeed, he was back in his old self ━ awkward and nervous and shy, too. Gohan decided he liked his Mystic self more, he liked the confidence that came with it, and he was sure going to need some when he came face to face with Videl to muster the courage to ask her out.
So he transformed again, creating a gust of wind in the room, and a smirk curved his thin lips. Yeah, that felt much better. He might just stay in his Mystic form from now on, really ━ the transformation wasn't tiring like the Super Saiyan ones. It felt normal, natural, easy. And Gohan liked this new self, more assured, less timid, less clumsy.
Alright, he was ready to see Videl now. He opened the window in his bedroom and flew out, not bothering to go down the stairs and go out of the front door like a civilized person.
He smiled to himself as he recalled how his mom would always berate his dad for doing just that, and how his dad still kept doing it, claiming that it was just simpler and what did it matter anyway? And how his mom would shake her head but end up smiling as he kissed her cheek, never really able to stay mad at her husband for very long.
He couldn't wait for his father to come back, for his mom to get her spouse back, for his brother to finally meet his daddy. They had no means of telling when that was supposed to happen, but they did know for sure that it would, that Son Goku was going to be brought back to life sometime in the next five years; that his father would be there for his wedding.
His cheeks heated up at the thought. Gohan ran a hand down his face, letting it continue down the side of his neck and to the back, massaging the tense muscles.
Mystic or not, thinking about Videl would always turn him into a nervous wreck.
As he got closer to the city limits, which took barely more than a minute as opposed to the usual twenty-something when he was in his normal form, Gohan pushed the red button on his watch and let his superhero suit appear on his body.
His cover as the Golden Fighter was definitely blown. He had turned Super Saiyan in public, in a heavily mediatized event, and he had turned back to his normal form when he calmed down enough to get to Videl and bring her to the infirmary.
So the news reporters definitely saw him and filmed him go from golden blonde with a bright aura to a black-haired kid. They didn't know he was the Great Saiyaman though, so there was that at least.
He sighed deeply. He supposed he would have to stop going to school. It sucked, because he had been enjoying having a social life and friends his age, not to mention all the things he couldn't do while being homeschooled such as science experiments, or getting paired up with another student to work on an assignment together, or working on a group project. He loved all the aspects of school, but now he could never go back. Oh, well. Being homeschooled wasn't so bad. He got to make up his own schedule and work whenever he wanted. He could still have his weekends off, like when he had school.
Gohan sighed again, not succeeding in cheering himself up. But then he smiled, because he reminded himself where he was going, what he was about to do, and who he was about to meet up with.
He reached out with his senses, and while Videl wasn't currently fighting, he now knew her energy signature so well that she didn't need to flare it up in a fight for him to be able to locate her.
He landed by the roof of a five-floor building and looked down. He raised his eyebrows. Videl was standing by a sleek, metallic red plane which he was pretty sure was Bulma's newest vehicle model, a jewel of technology; but that wasn't what surprised him. Videl was actually with Paige, and the red-haired girl was bowing low, as though she was ashamed or apologizing.
He had never even seen those two speak to each other before. What the heck had happened in the two days he had been away on the holy planet? Was he missing something here?
In any case, Paige turned around and got in the building by which Videl had parked her (he supposed?) new plane, most likely going home. Why on Earth would Videl be dropping off someone he was pretty sure she didn't even notice the existence up until this moment?
He pushed the button on his watch to put away his cool disguise and jumped off the building into a deserted alleyway. He walked the rest of the way, just a block away from Videl, who was turning to get back in the red plane. Apparently, it was indeed her new ride. He would have to ask her how that happened. That new model hadn't even come out yet, which meant that Bulma herself sold it to Videl, or more likely, she just gave it to her. Bulma did that a lot; money wasn't an issue for her so she just gave it away to anyone and any way without counting. She did own the most lucrative company in the world, after all, and hers was most definitely the wealthiest family on the whole planet.
Videl had her back to him as she got ready to climb in her plane. Gohan smiled, his heart thumping and jolting in joy as her presence washed over him like the most enchanting and pleasant scent.
"Didn't know you and Paige were friends," he commented.
He didn't see it because she was turned around, but Videl's whole face lit up at the sound of his voice.
She had a big grin on her lips as she whirled around to face him, her mouth opening with the first syllable of his name; but her voice died in her throat and her eyes widened while her face flushed brightly. She stared at him, her lips parted, completely speechless.
He chuckled and ran a hand through his black spikes. Was it the effect of his new looks? He kinda liked it a lot that she was blushing because of him.
Man, that Mystic form sure was something else. Normally, he would be blushing right with her, but instead he felt calm and confident. He was even smirking.
"Hey there."
She blushed even more, and, boy, he was enjoying this so much.
"I didn't change that much, did I? I was only gone two days."
Videl finally moved, and it was to lower her head and raise a hand to her face.
"You just… I mean, you do look different and it, um, it caught me off guard." She cleared her throat and looked up at him. Her cheeks were still graced with a lovely blush, but now she was smiling and her eyes were sparkling, showing him how deep her feelings for him ran just by the way she looked at him.
His heart danced in joy.
"Yeah, it caught me off guard a bit too, when I looked myself in the mirror earlier," Gohan agreed with an amused chuckle. "Do you want me to go back to normal? This is similar to my Super Saiyan transformation, but not exactly, but I can turn out of it whenever I want to."
She took a step closer to him and slowly reached up with her hand, flicking that lone lock of hair that curled over his forehead, uncaring of the rest of his gravity-defying spikes. The redness on her face deepened.
"No…" Her hand touched his cheek, for just a few seconds, and then she drew it back. "I… kinda like it."
Her touch, however brief it had been, lit his skin on fire, and for the first time since he spoke to Videl, Gohan felt his face burn with a blush.
"You do?" He smiled. "I kinda like it too. I feel calmer, more confident." Then his smile turned into a smirk. "Well, I guess becoming the strongest being in the universe again would help with that."
She looked down, but he saw her face flush completely, from her forehead to the root of her throat. He wanted to laugh. Her reaction was adorable.
"So your training worked?" she asked in a mumble, running a hand on the back of her neck. "That old man was saying the truth about his talent?"
He raised his eyebrows. "How do you know about the Elder?"
Someone shrieked at that very moment, cutting Videl off before she could answer him; but it wasn't someone who was in trouble or anything like that. It was some teenage boy, around fourteen maybe, and he was staring at Gohan with sparkly eyes.
"Oh, my God, it's you! I saw you on TV! From the tournament! You're the Golden Fighter!"
His exclamation attracted attention all around them, and soon a crowd formed around the pair, making them back up slowly against the red plane parked on the street.
"Videl," Gohan said calmly, moving closer to her; their arms were pressed up against one another. "Put your plane away now."
She gave him a sideways look, not sure why he wanted her to encapsulate her only means of transportation, but she did as she was told nonetheless.
The big poof drew the people a few steps back, and just as she closed her fingers around the capsule, a strong, muscular arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her against a warm, toned body, and then a white aura engulfed them both and Gohan shot off into the sky, holding her close to him in one arm while Videl put hers around his neck.
"Nice," she praised him with a chuckle. "I forgot you could just fly away for a second."
He grinned at her, his eyes sparkling with mirth and something else. That one thing that was always there whenever he looked at this girl.
"Fly you home?"
"I would like that, thank you. Actually, you can drop me off on my balcony if it's not too much trouble."
He smirked. "At your service."
He moved her in his arms, wrapping one around her back while holding her under her knees with the other, carrying her like a princess. Videl laid her head on his shoulder and let out a soft sigh of what sounded like content.
"This is nice…" she commented.
He hummed in agreement. And while he would love to serve as Videl's chauffeur for the rest of her life, he couldn't help but ask, "Still a no on my offer to teach you how to fly?"
"Actually, it's just turned into a yes," she bantered along, a broad grin on her beautiful face. "You have no idea how hard it's been to refuse you what I've been dying to accept ever since I tricked you into admitting you were Gohan in Saiyaman's disguise."
A blush of embarrassment crept on his cheeks. Yeah, that memory was never not going to be mortifying to him, Mystic form or not. He had been so stupid ━ even without her visions, Videl had only needed her wits to recognize him and trick him into admitting his true identity. He felt like such a huge fool.
Then again, Videl was ever the only one who saw through him from the very beginning. Not because of her dreams that showed her a distorted version of her future, a future she shared with him, but because she was just that clever and cunning. Nobody else ever questioned anything weird he did, and there were a lot of instances that should've set off alarm bells to anyone paying attention.
But this was a world where it was completely believable that a normal, human fighter had saved it from an evil monster that could blow up the planet with a flick of his hand. This was a world where people let anything and everything pass right over their heads, who were okay believing that Cell and the other fighters present at his Games were just using magic tricks, that it was all just smokes and mirrors as long as it explained the inexplicable.
This was the world who shrugged at Cell's monstrous power as cheap tricks, so of course they would do the same if anything out of the ordinary happened right before their eyes. Any excuse, no matter how lame and half-assed sufficed, and sometimes just a nervous chuckle was good enough.
And yet, Gohan had been dumb enough to reveal himself to this gullible world. He sighed in discouragement. He was really going to miss school…
"What's the matter?" Videl asked, immediately sensing the drop in his mood. He smiled to himself. Nothing got past that girl, huh?
He stopped in mid-air, the gigantic and luxurious Satan House in plain sight.
"Where's your balcony?" he asked, deciding her inquiry could wait a few moments.
Videl gave him a long look, as though she was trying to decide if he was avoiding the question. He chuckled.
"I was just thinking that my social life is pretty much over because I can't ever go back to school now that my secret identity is blown."
She frowned. "Why not?"
"Videl, where is your balcony? I think it would be nicer to talk in your room instead of in mid-air."
She smiled, her eyes shining with amusement. "In mid-air is just fine too, but okay." She pointed at one of the many balconies of the mansion. "Over there."
Gohan nodded and landed where she had directed him. He put her down, but he wasn't ready to let her go just yet; he kept his arms around her waist, holding her close to him. Videl gave him a shy smile, her cheeks a lovely pink. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
"You don't have to drop out of school, Gohan," she told him, her voice soft and gentle, as pleasant as the breeze rustling their hair as they stood on the balcony.
"I don't see how I can ever go back now that they know I'm the Golden fighter." He gave her a wistful smile.
She grinned at him. "I wouldn't be so sure."
He tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"While you were away, everyone at school kinda got used to the idea, to you being the Golden Fighter," Videl explained. She cupped his cheek, stroking it with her thumb. Her touch was making his heart burn. "And the teacher gave a great speech too, saying that you being the Golden Fighter doesn't define who you are, that you're an incredible person and have always shown kindness to everybody without distinction. And they all agreed."
His eyes softened. His chest glowed in the most pleasant light.
"Really?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure you're gonna get crowded at first and they'll ask you all kinds of questions for a bit, but eventually it'll die down and you'll be able to go to school like usual."
He grinned. "I'm so glad! I love school! It would've sucked so much if I couldn't go anymore. I was so bummed, too. I'm so happy I can still go to school!"
Videl turned her head and put the side of her hand against her mouth, stifling a laugh. He quirked his eyebrows at her, not quite sure what was so funny about what he just said, but he did enjoy the view. She was so beautiful when she laughed.
"You are so weird." She grinned at him, beaming, her eyes showing him everything he had hoped to see. "Kids don't usually love school ━ they would kill if they could just stop going altogether!"
Gohan chuckled. "So I'm weird, huh?"
The shine in her magnificent blue eyes was killing him. This was really happening. Videl, she… she actually…
"Definitely. In the most delightful way."
He leaned in, pressing his foreheads on hers, his eyes falling shut. He cupped her cheek, tightening his hold around her to pull her closer to him with his other arm.
"I missed you. So much." His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper. "When I was away. I thought about you a lot." Well, all the time really, pretty much.
He grinned, joining his hands behind her back, holding her close. He kept his eyes shut, enjoying her warmth, her presence, her radiant aura.
"I got to see my dad too. Gosh, that was so amazing. I can't wait for him to be brought back. I wonder when that'll be."
Videl smiled to herself and decided not to tell him that she already knew about it.
"I'm happy for you. I would kill to see my mom again. But I was told we all find each other in the afterlife, so that's something I guess."
"Yeah, it's a comforting thought. That's why I wasn't too sad about my dad's death, because I knew I'll get to see him again someday."
He buried his nose in the crook of her neck, breathing her in, soaking in her scent, getting drunk in how amazing she smelled.
"I really, really missed you…" His voice dropped an octave, sounding more like a croak.
"It's only been a few days," she replied in a breathless whisper
"It was too long. Much too long to be away from you."
He couldn't see it but Videl flushed at his words. She snuggled up to him, lowering her arms to wrap them around his strong back, burying her face in his broad chest.
"Your visions about us…" he started saying, trailing off, leaving her to guess the rest of what he wanted to ask.
"Yeah… the part I feared wasn't real."
He straightened up and grinned. "I knew it. I just knew it. I would never want you to change, not in the slightest bit, ever. I love you just the way you are, Videl. Stubborn, brave, clever, kind, funny, beautiful. I love everything about you."
Her breath hitched at his declaration and she swallowed. But she didn't break eye contact. Her cheeks were tinted with that adorable cherry blossom color, and the young man felt his heart melt at the sight. She was so lovely, so beautiful, so incredible, so perfect. How could he not fall hopelessly in love with this girl? How could anyone resist those devastating blue eyes?
"Gohan I… I love you too," she whispered in response, telling him the words for the first time. Tears welled up in her eyes as her emotions kept building up. "I'm so in love with you ━ and I fought it so hard." A tear dropped, then another. Gohan felt his heart scream and glow at the same time. He wiped the wet trails on her cheeks, one after the other, again and again. Videl gave him a gentle smile, and his chest tightened. "I tried as hard as I could, I did everything in my power not to fall in love with you, but that fight was doomed from the start, wasn't it? I couldn't stop it from happening, despite my best efforts. Oh, how hard I tried, how hard I struggled… But I couldn't help it. I couldn't help falling helplessly in love with you, Son Gohan."
He took a shaky breath. "Fate wasn't on your side either," he joked, despite his eyes brimming with unshed tears of joy. "Pushing us together all the time, not giving a darn about your decision."
She laughed. "Tell me about it!"
He stroked her cheek, his expression softening. "I guess it was always fated, you and me."
She closed her eyes and sighed in bliss. "Meant to be."
He leaned closer, his eyelids suddenly feeling too heavy; he felt her warm breath against his lips and his heart raced and pounded hard in anticipation.
"I love you so much, Videl," he croaked out.
"I love you too, Gohan. So much…"
He smiled, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I love you more."
"Nope. Impossible."
He laughed and kissed her, and Videl eagerly kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck while he pulled her all against him, feeling her soft curves mesh into his strong body. His mind had shut down, overloading with endorphins at the sensations.
Goodness, it was the chemistry mistake all over again. The Cesium mixing with water and causing an explosion as a result.
He groaned as their tongues found each other somehow; he wasn't sure who initiated it, but Gohan wasn't complaining. Kissing Videl just felt so… so…
He couldn't find the words. He couldn't form one coherent thought. His brain had short-circuited. It wasn't working anymore. This just felt so good. He had died and gone to heaven; that had to be it. This feeling couldn't be Earthly. It was just too amazing, too overwhelming, too explosive. It was simply… divine.
He pulled back ever so slightly, her deep, heavy breaths tickling his lips and mingling with his own. They kept their eyes closed as they basked in the afterglow.
"Hey, Videl," he said, his voice low, under a whisper, so as not to break the magical moment.
"Hm?"
"Will you marry me?"
She threw her head back and laughed heartily. He grinned, his eyes brimming with love.
"I think you're five years too early, buster," she said, poking his chest.
"So what? What difference does it make? I know you're it for me. I know what I want, and that is you, Videl."
She gave a sheepish smile, her cheeks a lovely shade of pink. "How about we start by dating while we finish high school?" she suggested, her eyes glistening with mirth.
Goodness, she was absolutely gorgeous.
"I guess that works too." He kissed her forehead. "But we're definitely getting married later on, right?"
She laughed again. "It's kinda written, you know? I foresaw it, remember?"
He pulled her closer against him, his arms tightening around her waist. "Lucky you. I want a glimpse of our future, too. I want to see what our kids will look like."
She flushed, her eyes widening, and then she looked away. Gohan quirked an eyebrow at the reaction, not quite getting why Videl got embarrassed for no apparent reason all of a sudden.
His hand still on her cheek, he turned her head to make her look at him and smiled at her. "What is it?"
She shook her head, obviously unwilling to share what was on her mind with him. "Nothing…"
He frowned slightly. "No, what is it? You can tell me anything, Videl, and you've kept enough from me until now. I don't want there to be any secret between us."
Her lips pursed. "What, so I don't get to have my own thoughts or any secret of my own now?"
His eyes widened. "N-No! That's not what I meant! Not at all!"
He pulled away from her and rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes trailing over the purple and red sky. It reminded him a bit of the sky on the Kaioshin planet.
"I just felt that something was on your mind and I wanted you to share it with me… But you're free not to if you don't feel comfortable enough with me yet." He smiled at her and tilted his head slightly. "I mean, we've only known each other for a little over a month, so there is so much we don't know about each other still, even as much as you've learned about me from your visions."
"That's true…" She cracked a smile and stepped toward him, reaching over to take his hand. Their eyes met and they interlocked their fingers. "Let's get inside, it's getting chilly out."
He nodded in agreement and let the girl lead him through the sliding glass doors and into her bedroom. She turned on the lights and led him to her bed, sitting on it beside him.
"I was just thinking about…" Her face flushed once more and she looked away, her hand rising to try and hide her blush. "About, you know… our kids… I mean, about… where kids come from."
He blinked at her, her confusing phrasing making him take longer to process what she meant. And then his eyes widened and his face flared up.
"Oh."
It suddenly occurred to him that he was alone with the girl of his dreams, in her bedroom, and that they were both sitting on her bed.
And his face felt a thousand times hotter. He turned away and raised a hand to cover it.
They sat there in silence for a while. Gohan closed his eyes, but he could feel every vibration in the air, every shift of Videl's body, the way she rubbed the back of her neck, the way she arranged her shirt, smoothing out the fabric. The contour of her figure, of her curves. His over-consciousness about her was only making him feel increasingly hotter.
Maybe it was time for him to go home. At this rate, with the direction his thought process was taking, he might end up just jumping Videl right then and there.
He chanced a glance at her, and the young man gulped loudly, his Adam apple bobbing up and down in his trachea.
Goodness, he wanted her. He wanted her so badly.
Would it be so wrong? They were in love, and they were of age. Who better to take that step with for the first time?
Videl caught his staring at her and her breath hitched. He got the unnerving feeling that she could read his mind, or maybe his desire for her was just that obvious. He wasn't exactly trying to hide it, either.
He suddenly stood, looked away, and coughed into his fist. "I should, um, go."
She said nothing to stop him, and a lump rose in his throat. Why did he feel so disappointed? If Videl wasn't ready to take that leap with him, then he should accept it and respect her decision. He had no say in the matter.
He reached out to slide the glass door open again, and at that moment soft hands grabbed his arm.
"W… Wait."
His heart leaped out of his chest. He slowly turned his head and looked at her. Their gazes locked, and Gohan felt a lump rise in his throat. His face heated up and he tried to swallow it down.
How was he supposed to resist those beautiful blue eyes? He felt so drawn to her. She was so beautiful. He wanted her so much.
Should he give in? Were they even ready to go that far? Was he?
She reached up, flicked away his lone lock of hair, and then, slowly, her fingers grazed his forehead, his temple, his cheek. His pupils dilating, Gohan felt breathless.
He sucked in sharply, shakily.
Oh, dear gods… What should he do?
May 15, 2021
