Chapter 12
Brought to you by Boboleta and Gue22.
...
Grinning like an idiot on the side of the road, Gohan didn't loathe the usual onslaught of sensory input – the ear grating blare of horns howling impatiently from the frenetic flow of tightly packed cars, the overpowering smell of groaning exhaust fumes blended with factory byproducts from the nearby industries. No, he didn't mind it one bit today. He was too busy staring after the little red hover car long after it had faded into just another crimson dot within the buzzing swarm of morning-traffic vehicles. The day had just begun and his cheeks were already working overtime, a smile camping permanently on his face.
After breakfast, the girls had insisted on driving him all the way to the office. They'd both been surprisingly appalled by the notion of having him hustle his way through the Satan City stampede otherwise known as the early morning crowd of rushing hawkers. "You don't even know your way around this mad city, no way you'll make it to the station in time," Erasa had told him, pulling out her keys while she flashed Videl a smile. "Come on little Ms. Virtually Handicapped, let's take Cloud Guy to work!"
And of course, he hadn't said no. How could he have? They'd both been so enthused at the prospect, and he'd been too relieved about them buying his over-the-counter lie about needing to rush off to the station to catch the inter-city train. So he'd just gone along with the plan without protest, the three of them discussing viable property options for his budget, now that he was eager to see himself settled in a place of his own. And though the car trip had added an extra hour or so to his usual commute, the erasable smile on his face was shouting it to the winds; it was definitely an hour well spent.
Turning away from the colorful dots, multiplied ten-fold through the multitude of reflective glass and concrete mammoths adorning the city, the young intern threw the strap of his laptop bag over his neck, completely ignoring the sudden electronic wail of an earsplitting police car trying to forge a path for itself. Instead, he tipped his head back and walked the pavement, taking the short flight of stairs leading up to the entrance of Blue Inc.'s glistening premises in seconds.
The absurdly tall building was a sleek spire of pane upon rectangular pane of dark anthracite glass that stretched all the way to the clouds. Hardly considered an architectural gem in this city of eccentric skyscrapers, but he for one had always liked it, enjoying the way the color of the darkened windows seemed to sway in slight tones with the mood of each passing hour. In the days before his Kata, he'd more often than not found himself watching for the subtle nuances of change as he worked steadily through the night in his mundane cubicle, sipping less than par coffee from his less than interesting mug. The effect had never quite matched the natural magnificence of daylight to twilight to dusk that the world outside had to offer, but… there was something celestial about the swollen midnight blue that seemed to impregnate the rectangular panes of the building late at night that he'd found particularly soothing.
But now… only one shade of blue seemed to sooth, to relax, to fit – the Kata shade, and he couldn't wait to get this day at the office over and done with so he could head out and re-connect with it.
A group of four stood outside the ornate copper-framed revolving doors as he stepped up, waiting to take their turn into the large swinging blades of glass. Joining in, he'd just waited long enough for one of the four to step in when deep in his pockets, his phone began to cry out for attention in small tremors, rivaling the sudden vibration beneath their feet from the momentary roar of the subway, passing somewhere below.
Could it be Kata's real-estate agent already? He was eager to discuss any possible prospects, but he'd yet to open his mail to browse through the small collection the other man had sent. By the time he'd successfully fished his phone from his pocket and pressed on the green button, another of the remaining three had disappeared into the spin.
"Hello?" He picked up, just as the second to last person pushed through the turn blades, the last stepping in right after him, and then it was his turn to go through.
"I am so disappointed in you."
"Lime?" Uh-oh, he knew that tone; had he forgotten something important...again? He'd been so preoccupied these last few days that the damn planet could have tilted on its axis and he still wouldn't have noticed. He'd neglected his best-friend for a full week! That had never happened before. Unsure of his crime, he swallowed. "Um… did I… do something?" He shrunk sheepishly into himself as he pushed his way through to the other side of the revolving doors.
"Humph!"
He cringed, adjusting the thick strap of his laptop bag as he reached around his neck to grab his work-tag. Leaning down, he held the card against the red light blinking at him accusingly and waited a second to get buzzed in. "If you don't tell me what I've done, I won't be able to fix it, you know." He stepped through the little boom gate, his work shoes making a slight squeak at their initial contact with the golden-veined marbled floors.
A slight nod of acknowledgement to the security personnel standing guard behind the brushed aluminium desk, and he deliberately slowed his pace as he approached the back of the elevators so as to hang behind the small group already gathered for the next cab up.
"Oh please," she scoffed heatedly. "It's a little too late to do something about it now. I was on the lookout for your face or at least a small mention of your name and… nothing."
"What are you talking about?" They'd been the best of friends for years now, but most times, when she got babbling like this… he mostly had no idea what she was on about.
"'What are you talking about?' he asks," Lime muttered in that voice that was supposed to mimic his, but failed painfully every time. "The big bust! What else?" she screeched in that oh-so-familiar, yet painful way. "It's all everyone's talking about, you know? It's not everyday that we get to glimpse WIA agents all suited up and shoving slick suited executives into the back of a van. Hot!" she exclaimed, clearly excited.
"Uh…" He blinked at the same time as the pling of the sliding elevator doors. WIA… huh?
"You really put me in a bad spot, you know?" she carried on. "All that bragging to my friends about your geeky, but fabulous investigation skills and your name wasn't even mentioned once. Jeesh!"
He winced. Would she ever grasp the concept of how severely her voice shredded his sensitive ear drums when she screamed with it pressed against his face like this?
"What is it with you and credit, huh? Got a grudge against the concept that I should know about?"
The last of the patrons squeezed into the closing metallic doors, and then he was watching the bling of escalating numbers on the panel as the elevator began its rapid ascend. "Err... Lime," he checked his wristwatch. Damn, he was officially late. "What are you on about?" he queried as he moved to stand right before the doors so as to catch the very next one up.
"What do you mean, what am I on about? Wasn't the Golden Bridge Fiasco your case? I mean, you did all the work right?"
"So?" He glanced impatiently at the panel now; he'd never actually been late for work before. He hated that he'd have some kind of electronic blemish on his perfect attendance score.
"So?" another split of his already shattered ear drum. "So how come little Ms Ironing-Board-Chested 'Cherry' was tripping all over her heels, congratulating The Champ instead of you this morning, huh? For yet again something you accomplished? Can you please explain that to me?"
Finally, a torch to shine a small light into the jumble that was her thought process. "If you're talking about the arrests from this morning, why did you mention WIA? They wouldn't-"
"-mean come on Gohan!" Oh right, she was still ranting, probably hadn't even heard him. He grinned, finally, the elevator arrived, and a few seconds later he was able to watch the panel from inside the doors on his way up to his floor. "-come over there with my ruby gloss and scribble schmuck on that granite forehead of yours?"
"It's not like that Lime, the case was taken off my hands because-"
"-didn't even mention that Blue Inc. had something to do with it, let alone your name specifically. Like I said… so disappointed, the worst morning ever. You're so making this up to me, bud."
"Huh?"
"After work today, fly on out and pick me up. I need to buy some slutty undies for my hot date on Saturday."
"I am not taking you underwear shopping!" he blurted, then shrank back when the other patrons turned to stare at him.
"You so are, you owe me for this morning's disappoint."
"This morning had nothing to do with me," he said in a hushed tone, not wanting to draw any more attention to himself. "I never said my name was going to make headlines. No one really cares about the squinty science guy in the lab, Lime, you know that."
A long drawn out exhale on her side of the line. "Fine, we'll skip the undies and head straight for drinks. Don't say you're working late because I know this Bridge thing was one of your big cases. Shall we say six?"
"Uh… actually, I kinda already have plans for after work, sorry."
"Oh? Finally socializing with those squinty-eyed colleagues of yours? Eug!" a gagging sound. "Those guys are so obvious."
"No, not the guys. I told you I'm seeing someone now so… we have plans."
"Are you shiting me? You're rejecting me? Your one and only best-friend, just to go off and suck face with some chick you met on the internet? Is that what I'm hearing Ape-boy?"
"Well, I wouldn't put it like that 'Elf-Ears'," he injected, "but… well, yeah. I mean-"
"Praise be to the Kais! Finally!"
"Huh?" She's praising the Kais for getting blown off?
"You didn't choke to death at the mere mention of kissing! Gohan," she mocked sniffed. "You're all grown up now, I can't believe this day has finally come."
"Very funny."
"No. I'm being serious. Good for you. Given the uncertainty of your kind's lifespan, I thought I'd have crossed over to Otherworld, shacking it up with that hottie Future Trunks long before you were ever due to make use of a condom."
"I'm hanging up."
"Aww, come on. Don't be like that; don't be jealous of Future Trunks, he's way out of your league. You can't beat a hottie that defied time itself to save the world. God I love him!"
"I'm not jealous of him! As inconvenient as it is to your Trunks' saving the world fantasy, just don't forget that I was the one that did the heavy lifting on that day."
"My, listen to you... finally ready to puff out your chest, Mr. Delivery Boy?"
"I am not puffing out my chest!"
"Puff away all you want friend; fact still remains that Trunks is still cooler than you. The man had a mean sword, and he wasn't afraid to whip it out and thrust it when it called for it, so there!"
He groaned."Not the sword thing again, please Lime."
"If only he'd whip out something else long and hard, and thru-"
"Now I'm definitely hanging up!"
"Wait!" she laughed, barely able to catch her breathe as she did so. "I was just kidding okay? Seriously. I just wanted to say that I'm happy you've found someone. Not to mention just dying to meet her. So?"
"Err… So?"
"So… when can I meet her?"
"Um… soon, and Lime I gotta go, just got to my floor and something's… off. I'll call you later okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just avoid the issue why don't ya? Too damn early for me to be up anyway. Going back to bed."
And with that, she hung up, leaving him gaping at the scene in front of him. This was his floor right?
He double checked, even though he was sure, stealing another glimpse at his watch. Definitely the right place, though his timing was a little off… still it's not like he was early so… where the hell was everyone?
"There he is!" a boisterous chorus greeted his exit from the elevator. Stumped, Gohan blinked, taking in the unexpected scene before him. The usually quiet and serene vestibule that served as a reception area to the big bosses' offices was anything but, it was in fact bursting with activity.
He'd almost had a heart attack when he'd found his own floor empty a few minutes ago, only to find a memo requesting all staff to report to the lobby in the top floor upon arrival. He'd twisted his tie incessantly all the way up, worried sick about his fate. Just his luck that an impromptu staff meeting was called on the very day he just so happened to have arrived late. With clammy palms, he'd envisioned a castrating glare of disapproval from Kirsty - she was his immediate supervisor after all, so all his screw-ups inadvertently reflected badly on her management skills. The very last thing he'd expected to find upon the parting of the elevator doors was this:
The big bosses, his boss, Kirsty, the interns and all other staff thrummed with life and laughter in small little groups. Huh? He had to blink again just to be sure, but there was no mistaking the large stainless steel champagne bucket bursting with ice and numerous bottles of bubbly while small platters of snacks and nibbles adorned any available surface area. What on Earth?
"Get over here, Son," his boss summoned, his thick face as pleased as the day they'd trumped the hinges guys' so-called specialists in Gold City. Next to his boss stood Kirsty, who looked uncharastically relaxed and rosy, even with the injuries, and next to her stood another engineer whose name he couldn't recall. The trio had been engaged in an animated discussion before they'd spotted him. Now though, after his boss had summoned him so loudly, they, as well as others in the lobby, halted their conversations and smiled at him expectantly. He didn't miss how almost everyone held a half-filled glass of champagne swirling in their hands, or for that matter, how they were all looking at him.
There was no choice but to cross over the short distance and and greet them.
Congratulatory smacks and pats on his back and shoulder from random staff hit him all the way, only to have them trumped by the biggest one of them all from his Gold City ex-companion - his boss. Just as he had outside the burned down hotel that night, the stocky man clamped him tightly on his shoulder with thick fingers of his left hand, then raised his glass with the right in salute. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, Son," he spoke gingerly into his ear. "Hiring you was the best decision I made this decade!"
"Um," he flushed, awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets. He could just feel all the eyes on him.
"A bloody job well done with this case you two," he twirled a finger to include Kirsty in the count. "I don't know how they could have laid all those charges and made such public arrests so quickly, its completely unheard of!" He shook his head, Kirsty and companion nodding their concurrence.
Gohan paused to think on that, something nagging at the back of his mind, but he didn't get very far, for his boss was still on a roll.
"Even the WIA jumped on the wagon. Hell!" he added, "and you know what all this means, right?" he continued, those thick fingers digging further into the edges of his lapels. "Now that they've been arrested, all their clients with big public structures built around the time of the bridge are running scared." He pumped his eyebrows up and down and grinned. An all too familiar grin, not unlike the grin of a Saiyan with the blood call of battle.
"They'll need to reassure the public that their own structures are sound, you see," he said almost breathlessly. "That their expensive bridges and buildings are safe, and not about to buckle under pressure and croak!" The man tossed the contents of his glass down his throat and leaned closer to him. "Which means..." he sing-songed merrily, eyes bright and expectant.
Gohan scratched his neck uncomfortably. The way they were all looking at him, it was as if they were expecting him to complete that sentence for him! "Um..." he ploughed his brain for something suitable to say, which was difficult because he was still trying to wrap his mind around this festive scenario he'd walked in on. "That... they'll uh... be... lots of audits to be conducted?"
"Exactly!" his boss beamed, Kirsty and companion nodding to his beat in turn. "Travel, inspections, quality audits, structure accreditations, expert testimonies, you name it! Business Son, you've opened a giant can of worms on this, and you can can be sure that Blue Inc. is going to be first in line to administer the pesticide."
"Umm..."
"Lots, I mean lots of business is about to come knocking on our door!" He raised his now empty glass and frowned at the discovery. "Mai!" he called out to the receptionist. "Be a doll and fill me up will you? And for the love of God bring a glass for Son over here!"
A, "Right away Sir," crooned from the back of the pulsing lobby, but was quickly drowned out by his boss's vivaciously modulated voice. "Now then, Ms. Leigh, as we discussed this morning," he flashed an eager grin at Kirsty, who only nodded back with her usual calm and collected pose. "Care to do the honors?"
"Ahem," the brown-eyed engineer cleared her throat. "We don't usually do this so early in the program, Son," she began, "but it was decided by all four senior execs this morning and HR will be sending you the paperwork by end of the day. So," she paused, seeming to take an unnecessary breathe. "As your direct supervisor, it is my pleasure to extend to you Blue Inc.'s offer of a permanent position."
… offer of a permanent position…
Gohan knew he'd heard her right, and he knew perfectly well the meaning of each word she'd planted on him. But all he could do was stare back at her. Blankly. Dumbly. As if all the times he'd been offered a permanent position in his wildest dreams did nothing to prepare him for this.
Kirsty stared back - as they all did - thin eyebrows arching gradually steeper for the answer everyone was expecting of him. He couldn't produce it. The words weren't coming. Was this actually happening?
Just a few days ago, he'd stood before all four senior execs as they'd chewed him out for violating regulations and losing key evidence. And then he'd stood in front of them again after the attack on Kirsty, swallowing his dread as they'd taken him off the bridge case. He'd been sure that his internship was going to tank, sure they'd kick him out of Blue Inc. when his inconsequential internship was over, but instead, here he was, standing in the top floor lobby, a clear make-shift party going on around him, and he was actually being offered a permanent position?
"Well?" said his boss, as three sets of expectant eyes zeroed in on him. "What do you say, Son? We're already celebrating the successful conclusion of a high level case, why not accept the offer so we can throw in your appointment into the celebration, ey?"
"I um," he hesitated. God! This was all so sudden! Just two weeks ago, he would have jumped at the offer, signed on the dotted line before the papers had cooled from the printer. But now... well, now... he couldn't believe he was hesitating! Raking a hand through his hair, he turned pleading eyes in Kirsty's direction, silently begging for a moment to gather himself. He was horrified to realize that the definition of "dream job" had somewhat been re-defined in the last two weeks.
Under this guise of "normal human," there was absolutely nothing dreamy about a job that was this far away from Satan City.
Cough, cough!
Erasa's upper lip steepened the long-established curve of disgust, triggered by memory of that specific antiseptic/BO mix that filled Satan City General Hospital's waiting room. The recurrent hacks and sniffs just helped to heighten the feeling; she could almost see the icky germs floating around in the air… Gross.
And these damn magazines! Couldn't they afford any kind of literature without crushed velvet and wind-breakers as the latest fashion trends? Forget last century, this one was surely printed on parchment. The next page was thrown rather than flipped, accompanied by a purposefully loud sigh and an even more violent shake of her crossed leg.
Someone caught her eye as they approached the two girls. A young nurse, bending down a tad to address her best friend to the right. "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer waiting on a more private area, Ms. Satan? We'd be happy to vacate a room for you."
Videl smiled politely and brought up a solemn palm, as etiquette demanded. "That won't be necessary. Thank you."
The nurse nodded contently and walked away, but Erasa couldn't help a final whispered bite. "Yeah, heaven forbid they got us a comfortable couch and some air-conditioning."
"Cut it out, Erasa," the black-haired jingled dismissively, not looking away from the phone in her hand.
"You're lucky I'm in such a good mood, today," the blonde added with a suppressed smirk. Another page flipped, calm with amusement that was infused into her words. "It's not everyday you wake up to a half-naked hottie standing in your kitchen." Another page, a deeper smirk. "Can't believe you haven't jumped him yet."
"Cut it out, Erasa," Videl repeated a little harsher, trying as she might to avert her gaze, surely to conceal that evident blush. She shook her head, refraining from a couple of chuckles. Ms. V for Very Transparent…
Out of frustration, Erasa let out a hissy grunt, worthy of the spoilest of teenage girls. "We've been here for hours! Is the whole world dying or something? I have a flight to make! And more importantly, groomsmen to flirt."
Videl snorted. "It's been less than half an hour, you brat. Besides, you have a damn boyfriend. Wedding or not, can't you keep it in your pants for a whole weekend? Jeesh…"
"I have and I could, if your damn boyfriend didn't make me almost come in my panties this morning!" she responded, taking purpose in every word. "I wonder if all his muscles are that big…"
"Erasa!"
"What?"
Videl lost her nerve along with her words, apparently, avoiding her gaze once more while taking an interest in the nurse's station to the side. The blonde didn't need to see it to know exactly what adorable shade of awkward was tinting the other's expression. "Well? Speak up! I can't hear you over that red on your cheeks."
"Just… cut it out," she muttered.
"Okay, I'll cut it out," Erasa said, flapping another glossy page to the side. "But if I come back after this weekend, and you still can't tell me how big his junk is, I'll just have to go and check it out for myself."
"Oh, my fucking God, Erasa!" Videl exploded, increasing the volume and the attention of random bystanders. "You're driving me crazy! Why the hell did you come anyway?"
"Well, excuse me, Ms. V for Vulgar! I was being a friend and escorting your ungrateful ass around, but if you're gonna be a bitch about it, I'll just stop right now!"
"Fine, then!" she pouted. "I'm gonna have a new splint anyway, so I don't need your stupid help! I'll be more than capable of driving myself, thank you very much."
And just like that, it was over, Erasa's curiosity getting the best of her with a perfectly polite and excited, "Oh, you're gonna get a new splint?"
Videl smiled, matching her pleasant tone. "Yeah, the doctor told me I don't need one this bulky anymore. I bet the new one's a lot lighter, too."
"Cool," Erasa concluded, returning to her pitiful magazine and its pitiful trends from when she was born. Or at least from when she was a kid, since she remembered Momma having the same kind of perm as the tacky model sporting some rad acid-wash jeans. It made her think of childhood over that moment of silence. And childhood brought a familiar face - as it normally did - but also the inherent sadness. "Since you'll be able to drive," se began, simulating indifference. "Then, maybe you could run me an errand?"
"Sure. What do you need?"
Internal deep breath. "I need you… to meet Sharpner for coffee."
Videl visibly slouched - as usual - and returned to idly browse through whichever boring online sciency journal she'd been perusing through before. It had always been like this, ever since… She sighed. "Come on, Videl. You guys haven't talked in forever. He was one of your best friends, why can't you just forgive him?"
Nothing.
"Vi-"
"Please, stop," Videl whispered lowly.
Erasa would never stop trying to reunite those two, but it seemed so hopeless sometimes… She didn't really credit the blame to Sharpner, but she knew this young woman to her side - her best friend in the world. It broke her. Somewhere, deep inside, and in a way that took its toll for a very long time ever since. At least until Cloud Guy… She smiled at the thought.
"Okay, I give," Erasa responded, re-energized. "But if not that, then do me another tiny favor."
"Your tiny favors seem more and more like irritating chores," Videl spoke unconvinced.
She ignored it. "Wherever he's gonna take you today after work… please, just let Cloud Guy get to at least second base. I feel like he deserves it." Erasa nailed the straight-faced delivery, but it didn't last long with the way her friend seemed to all but panic at the thought. Her cackle filled up the room.
"Ms. Satan? The doctor will see you, now," some annoying nurse called, a few steps away, making Videl take the cue to run like the little wuss that she was.
"You can run all you want, Ms. V for Virginal!" she yelled, louder with each step the other would take. "But you know you want it!" Videl turned the corner, so she yelled even louder. "Sloppy and sweaty!"
Erasa giggled to herself, flipping yet another crinkly, once-glossy page. "Oh, Ms. V… Like you never tapped that in your dreams…"
She sure did...
"How much longer?"
"The answer's still 'only two more minutes'," Gohan patiently responded, keeping his smile tucked away from listless eyes. It was, what… the fourth time in ten minutes those words were blurted out from her gorgeous lips? Repetitiveness would annoy him once upon a time, but nothing really managed that feat anymore, not since Goten's glorious "age of whys". And he was pretty sure she was more anxious than bored; she seemed like one of those people who just had to be on top of things, know all the details. A surprise trip to an undisclosed location was surely making it itch all over. It was just so incredibly adorable.
Videl exhaled a grunt in response and his controlled smile grew wider. So adorable…
It was indeed just two more minutes and the borrowed red hover-car was touching down at the beach entrance, a high cliff that painted their destination just that more dazzling. Deep blue water as far as the eye could see, pale dry land and ocean-side vegetation green, all unified behind a light tangerine sheath of the pre-twilight scenery. The sun was still a couple of hours from setting completely, so there was still enough time to take care of business before they'd run out of light.
"The beach?" Videl asked with newfound energy and, although he read a "why the beach?" mixed in there, his only answer was a dismissive "Yep" as he exited the car.
With wide steps, Gohan rushed to the other side and opened passenger's side door, offering a steady hand to assist her on stepping out. Given that her new leg brace must've been much more light and comfortable, it stood to logic that the least she used that limb, the faster it'd be deemed to recover. At least that's what he told himself; it made him feel useful, since he was anything but when the bastards actually injured her. His jaw clenched at the thought.
While she took the help, the burden was clearly much lighter and that tiny girly bounce she added at the end made his heart hop right along. She'd never let anyone know how much it'd really been hurting before, her leg. "Proud" was definitely on the ongoing list of traits the young Saiyan kept in his head. Beautiful, smart, witty. Coffee-addict, anti-mornings. And the more he got to know of her, the more "perfect" seemed to fit the bill, as well.
That smile… definitely "perfect."
"Aww, did you drive us all the way out here to watch the sunset?" Videl cooed.
Gohan told himself not to chuckle awkwardly, not to let his hand creep to the back of his neck. There was no need to be uneasy about this since there was no way she couldn't already know of his intentions. He liked Videl. Their kisses alone would've broadcasted it to the world by now. Romance was uncharted territory, new and estranged but legitimate, nonetheless, and nothing to be embarrassed about. "Among other things," he calmly responded, leaving her side to get the stuff he'd smuggled on the trunk.
"Oooo, kinky," she teased from where she stood and he frowned to himself at the unexpected reaction. Kinky? … It took him a second to realize the unintended innuendo. There was a small thread of panic - burning his cheeks, stretching his eyes; in a jump he was standing straight and waving his hands defensively.
"Oh, no! I didn't mean…" What? He didn't mean what? For her to find out that that was exactly what he urged for: "kinky stuff"? He's only human, after all! Well… mostly.
Videl chuckled loudly. "You're so adorable when you get restless like that," she admitted. "Just my luck, it's really easy to accomplish too."
The young Saiyan narrowed his gaze and stared. Why did everybody take particular interest in mortifying the crap out of him? Hanging around and kissing a beautiful woman wasn't flustering him enough? The fact that he had no idea of what he was doing or what the proper courtship procedures were exactly weren't doing the trick, either? Damn them all, every single one.
Videl shortened the distance between them with a self-satisfied grin that he fought not to love, and stretched her arms wide in anticipation for an embrace. He mock-stiffened, exacerbating his hurt for dramatic purposes. "I'm sorry," she pleaded through a giggle, tying herself around his neck and weighing it closer down. He let it, but just a little. "I promise I'll make it up to you."
Sluggish lids half-shuttering her blues gems, a delicate tug at a corner of her inviting lips… thank the heavens for the gift of actually recognizing that distinctive rearrangement of her features. He matched her smile and leaned in, not one to let theatricality outshine his devotion for her kisses.
It was sweet and soft and perfect, and half a second underway his arms took the hint, along with his whole body, and relaxed, taking their place around her waist. A strange feeling surrounded them then, coming from the simplicity of the action. Casual, he'd say. Gohan had been grown-up for a very long time - much longer than most, surely - but never did he feel as adult as right that instant. His job hadn't managed to do it, and neither had his age, that's for sure. Strange feeling, indeed… but one he'd gladly embrace.
Videl produced a final flirty grin when they were done before taking a look inside the unhindered trunk. The lidded wicker basket was a dead giveaway for its purpose.
"A picnic?" she wondered out loud, seemingly surprised, as was his intent.
"Yes, but it's not our only business here, so…" He placed himself around her body to properly support it while she walked, and picked up the container before elbowing the car shut. "Let's get cracking."
It was a slow walk down the pathway to the sand, but he wouldn't complain when it was but another usable excuse to hold her close. Eventually, they got there. The checkered blanket took its place on a patch of sand, and the stuff he'd picked up from what-officially-was-his-hotel's scrumptious room-service menu got scattered all across it. Carefully, he bore her weight into a sitting position, closely joining in,right after.
"I can't believe you went through all this trouble…" she uttered from far away in her head, peaceful and ethereal as she admired the treats. The soft smile filled up his chest and he beamed inside for having decided to go with the gesture.
"It's no trouble at all," Gohan said. "Besides, I had to thank you for what you did."
The statement immediately got her attention. "W-What I did?"
"Well, yeah. I'm still not sure what it was, but that phone call you made… it worked miracles, I can tell you that."
"Oh, that," she dismissed. "It was nothing. I'm sure the police were handling the situation just fine." Her smile tightened, as forced and as fake as they came. "It was really nothing."
More surprising than that phone call was what it accomplished, and no one would convince him that the two weren't connected. As much as she was desperate to make him believe otherwise, he wouldn't be fooled: the CI hypothesis was crystal clear now, even if the details of her shady background were still to be disclosed. He would, however, play along since it was never his intention to put her on the spot.
"Although…" she flirted, shifting her weight to get on her good knee. "I could be persuaded to take payment for it anyway." Her whole body leaned in to meet him, and he took the hint straight away, putting on a soft smirk and slurping in the extra inches that stood in their way.
It was becoming such a natural operation, kissing her. An involuntary spasm other than a decision on his part, mimicking the innate pumps of his beating heart. Slowly, his lungs filled in with air and calm, his muscles relaxed and his hand ventured to touch her arm, sliding across it for the warmth of her skin - so soft, so smooth.
Food was long forgotten, sunset far blotted out of memory; those lips were sucking it all out of his system. Her hand connected at his abs - first wary fingers, then a full, hungry palm - travelling up through every eager muscle until it reached his chest and the collar of his shirt. She grabbed it and pulled, and just like that they were lying down. What was he thinking? This beat a picnic at sunset to pieces.
Unfortunately, his stomach didn't agree, growling loudly and rudely across the vacant cove. It made her laugh and he went right along with the flow.
"I'm sorry," Gohan apologized.
"Don't worry." Her hand foraged through his hair. He controlled a shiver. "It's not polite to skip dinner and go straight for dessert anyway." That smile was the one he loved the most, he reckoned - the playful teaser one - ranking just before the lazy, sleepy one that she sported every morning. He'd never been one for sweets, but those lips were surely making a believer out of him.
Dinner went smoothly - albeit not as savoury as his mom's cookery - and soon enough the two of them were set and ready for the main reason they were there in the first place. The kissing was amazing, sure, but Videl's safety was his top priority now. Just thinking about that day crumpled his insides to a mess, as uncaring as she felt about it over the phone, on her way to do an x-ray. "So…" he began. "There's a reason I brought us here other than the picnic and the sunset."
"Oh?" Videl casually inquired, licking the spicy remainders of a mediocre hot wing from her slender fingers.
"Yeah..." Gohan squirmed in place. Hopefully she'd be as receptive as last time. "Could you...?" he asked while hinting for her to sit up straight in front of him. Videl was quick to oblige although not without a faint frown that was clearly traced out of curiosity more than anything else.
There was no time to waste, so he put on his serious training face and connected to her eyes. A couple of seconds was all he needed to get ready - it wasn't that hard of a technique, for someone as experienced with Ki as himself. His right hand floated up to her face, index and middle fingers slightly raised; Videl followed the movement with wonder. Swiftly, he tapped her forehead and grinned immensely right after.
Videl blinked repeatedly. "O... kay... What was that supposed to accomplish?"
"Try to do the same to me," he dared and observed as her expression went from cautiously amused, to suspicious, to surprised with a thread of panic.
"It's okay," Gohan was quick to add. "Don't fight it. I just wanted you to experience it for yourself."
"What the hell have you done to me?" Her breathing was a little harsher, but he kind of expected that. Jackie Chun's bound technique was way cooler when you weren't on the receiving end of it.
"I've paralysed your arms and legs, while leaving everything else functional," he explained, keeping it calm and simple. "You feel fine don't you?"
"Yeah, apart from not being able to move a fucking inch! Take it off!" she demanded.
"Okay, okay." Maybe this wasn't such a good idea... She was so worked up with anxiety that it was working against the point of her seeing the benefits. As effortlessly as he'd made it happen, the bound was released with a simple decrease of his energy level. It was an ingenious attribute that came from the way the technique was constructed to work, allowing the paralysis to wear off when the one who'd cast it walked away.
And it was the perfect defensive move, too - for the average human being, at least - and the reason his Kata was going to learn it and master it as soon as possible. As much as he'd like to, there was no way he'd be able to protect her every time she'd go help out the police. Not while she's unaware of his "special abilities," that is, and even then he was mostly sure she wouldn't want it either. One thing's for sure though, no bastard with a bat was ever going to get her, not ever again. He'd see to that.
Thump!
"Hey!" She'd just hit him in the head! "What was that for?"
"That was for paralysing me without any warning! Couldn't you just say 'hey, heads up. I'm gonna freeze your whole body and you won't be able to move a damn muscle!' Would that have been too much to ask?" Videl scolded.
"N-No..."
"Damn right, 'no'!" she concluded really harshly with her hands fisted against her hips. Like Mom... For a moment, she maintained the silence and the scowl that he couldn't help but find incredibly hot after that first impression. But then, with an imaginary snap of the fingers, those blue slitted eyes were jumping up again, full and perky and glistening with excitement. "Now teach me! That was so awesome! I can't believe there are more of these techniques! How many do you actually know?"
Gohan snickered lightly at the kid-in-candy-store look and corresponding enthusiasm "A few," was his bare essential response. "Shall we?"
"Let's," Videl smiled, following his lead and taking his orders.
There was no need for getting up and repositioning; cross-legged stance - minus a stretched, injured one - eyes closed, meditation and internal training. The beach was the perfect dojo for this specific technique since it relied on the ability to clear your head from the world. The rustling waves in the background and the dim golden-orange ambience allowed the body to relax and the senses to sharpen. Now it was up to her; it was definitely not easy when Ki was an idea more than an everyday reality, but she could do it.
Expand the energy to every inch of your spirit, that was his only directive after a brief explanation of the "rules" and concept, since there wasn't that much more to it apart from the exact spot her fingers had to tap on the opponent's forehead. Contrary to most techniques - mainly attack, where energy had to be focused on a isolated location in one's body - the warmth had to be perfectly stretched across every muscle and every vein, strengthening the spirit so it could overwhelm the other's through a single point connection. She was so close now, he could feel it.
With his lowest voice, he spoke very calmly. "Don't lose your focus. Open your eyes." Videl did so and looked up at him. He smiled. "How do you feel?"
"Ready," she responded.
"Okay, then," Gohan nodded. "Tell me something about your thesis."
Videl frowned a bit in confusion and shook her head. "W-What?"
"You won't have all this time to prepare in a real-life situation. Your spirit has to be able to recognize the feeling you're experiencing right now, even if your brain is refocused and jumbled," the young Saiyan explained. "Go on."
"Hum…" Her eyes shot upwards in thought, doing what he'd hoped as it not only forced her to concentrate on something else, but also go through the process of pinpointing and choosing an answer. You can do it.
It took her no more than a few seconds. "Right now, I'm trying to articulate how it may not be the best idea to actively want to rehabilitate everyone."
"How come?" he deadpanned immediately.
"Hum…" It took her a little more this time, taking a deep breath in between to regain her focus before it'd slip entirely. Good, he praised to himself. "It costs money and the court's time, and the idea of everybody being fit to reintegrate society is utopic at best."
"Then what's the problem? Why don't you write that?"
The minute twitch on her lower eyelids told him he'd hit that nerve he was aiming at. She stood above it, though, restrained and centered, not an ounce of imbalance within her. He bit down a proud smile. "Society is deluded and gives power to undeserving people who then go and write books to credit their own personal agendas."
Silence. That smile sprung after all. "Index and middle fingers," he said and showed with his own, reaching up to his face afterwards. "Right between the eyebrows. Focus on the warmth and don't let it go."
She blinked. "But… if I do it correctly it'll paralyse you. What if I can't break you free of it?"
"I'll be ready to take it, so the surprise factor will be lacking. It will only feel like a pinch when your energy flows to my body," was his reasoning, since he didn't want to bring her hopes down with the fact that the technique would never work on a more advanced, more experienced fighter. Officially, he was none of those. Yet.
Videl nodded and took a deep breath. Slowly, her two fingers reached up and hovered and inch from his forehead. Gohan had a feeling it wouldn't take her that long, but after only five attempts and respective shakes of the head on his part, he was genuinely surprised and completely thrilled. A grin slowly transformed his features.
Videl gasped quietly. "Did it work? Did you feel it?"
He nodded and didn't resist the force of her cheers and ecstatic leap when she lunged at him, falling back onto the checkered flannel. And he certainly didn't resist the kissing either. "I can't believe it!" she beamed, sitting back up on top of him. "It's so easy!"
Gohan chuckled, looking up, rejoicing on the glow that fulfilled her whenever she'd get excited like this. His arms scissored behind his head. "Don't say it like that! It's not that easy."
She smirked. "Well, then I'm just that good."
The young man smirked back and dashed up to meet her, clamping her tightly with his overreaching arms. "I can definitely vouch for that."
An adorable giggle and her arms draped behind his neck. "You know what else I'm really good at?" she flirted.
"What?"
Her smirk grew wider and her tongue teased her upper lip, so seductively, so… He sighed. Dear God...
I take it back, he thought. 'Driving me crazy', for sure.
The tour was brief since there wasn't that much to see, anyway. A vacant house, smallish in size and completely bare apart from a couple of items here and there. The ceilings were a little too low for his taste, but it was the asking price that had sealed the deal for him and his scarce bank account. That and the big skylight on the top floor where they were headed to right now. He could just imagine the starry night and the drenching sunlight...
Videl's guy was truly a star realtor; he'd done the right thing, deciding on this gem on the spot like that, signing all the due papers earlier this morning, even if it'd cost him some major anxiety afterwards. Being an adult was very liberating, but he was still just getting the hang of it. It was well worth it, though. After spending all these nights with Videl, after the picnic yesterday, it became clear and urgent, this next step on his life. His own place. Intimate and private, but most importantly, family and roommate-free.
One step at a time, they made their way up the wooden stairs, Gohan's lips puckering in disagreement since little Ms. Stubborn was adamant to decline his help and allow him to just carry her up the flight. He just hoped that it wouldn't worsen the injury…
"And this is the bedroom," he gestured with his hand. She followed him in, walking around the small space, her hands gliding over the wooden shelves mounted on the wall. The only other piece of furniture was the built-in wardrobe.
"It feels cozy," she smiled. "Like one of those holiday ski-cabins you know?"
"Um," he scratched his head. "I've never been to one of those. But I feel lucky to have found something with a little backyard - tiny as it is."
"Well… this is way at the edge of Blue-City. I thought you'd be happier living closer to work, but," she shrugged. "You just had to have your own spot of grass and log of tree didn't you?"
Gohan nodded. "Since, I can't have my own private mountain," he grinned.
Videl laughed, moving towards the window. "Now I know what to get you as a housewarming gift," she spoke while gazing out the window.
"I don't think we can fit a mountain in that backyard," he chuckled, moving to stand next to her.
"I was thinking more along the lines of a cute little dirt mound right over there." She pointed at a random patch of grass, then laughed outright until she turned and noticed the outraged expression on his face. "I'm just joking," she nudged him. "Mind if I sit?"
"Err… but there's nowhere to sit. This is the full tour, should we get going?"
"Nuh, the floor is fine. Though, I'll probably need some help."
He was on her in an instant, scooping her up and placing her on the floor with her back resting against the wall. This way she could have her leg comfortably stretched out before her. He felt bad about making her sit on the floor, but... He slid down and sat next to her.
"Actually, I have this friend..." Videl screwed up her face as she said it, like it left a bitter taste or something. "Anyway, he likes to paint stuff. He's not half bad. He could paint a side view of Mt. Paozu on that wall." She pointed at the empty white wall. "If you put your bed or futon here, it could be like looking outside - well, almost."
"Would he?"
"Maybe if I grovelled," she muttered. Her face had turned all sour again, hardly the expression he'd expect one to have while talking about a friend.
"Why? Did you guys... hold on a sec, my phone." He shifted his position and dug into his pockets, pulling out his phone, instantly rolling his eyes at the message. Honestly these guys... didn't he tell them that he didn't want to participate in their silly draw? He typed a quick response, shaking his head, then turned off the alert for the group and slipped the device back in his pocket.
"Everything okay?" Videl asked.
"My friends from work. They're having a draw - which I've already said I don't wish to participate in."
"A draw?"
"Yeah. Despite the fact that the fundraiser is tomorrow night, they're still bickering about who gets to dress up as Mr. Satan. They all bought his costume."
"Oh."
"I told them I wasn't interested, but I guess they didn't believe me," he shook his head again. "I'd rather dress like a lamb and willingly walk towards a pack of wolves than dress up as that man. Anyone but that man."
"Oh..."
"I mean… isn't it enough that everything is named 'Hercule' or `Satan'? Even our office stationery has that man's face printed on it." Gohan complained, rolling his eyes.
"You sound dissatisfied," she said passively.
"Maybe I am," he muttered incoherently. Really, it's not as if he was looking for the praise, but God, between Lime rubbing Future Trunks's in his face, and the rest of the world plastering Satan's everywhere else, sometimes...
"What do you have to be dissatisfied about?" She turned on herself a bit to stare at him. "Don't tell me you have some kind of grudge against the Champ."
"Not a grudge, just..." he exhaled, slumping his shoulders.
"Just what?" Astoundingly curious eyes bored into him.
"A small pile of gripes, I guess. Small irritating little things, that's all." His shrug aimed for nonchalant, but the taste in his mouth at the thought of those so called "gripes" begged to differ.
"Oh?"
"Yes, I mean come on! The guy needs to learn a little restraint!" Gohan blurted.
"Restraint?"
"Yes! I mean the things that come out of his mouth sometimes are just... grr... they're difficult to swallow. Just as well I never watch any TV."
Her frown grew deeper, half-curiosity half-something-else. "What are you talking about? What things?"
"I don't know," he whined. "I mean does he have to continuously bad-mouth the hero's that came before him?"
"Like who?"
"Like everyone," Gohan quickly responded, pausing a little before a specially bitter taste made him add, "Son Goku for one."
Videl chuckled. "Oh come on, I know the guy's your all time favorite hero and all that, and I admit, he was one of the greatest in his time, but the guy was too much flash and tricks. You can't blame my d-d...the Champ for expressing his opinion about it."
"Ignorance is not an excuse for rudeness," he sighed.
"Ignorance?"
"Yes, the ignorance of the potential of Martial Arts. He calls them tricks because he doesn't understand them. It's a bit rude and unfair." He pouted pitifully, like someone had just stolen his lunch.
"Aww come on," she nudged him, shoulder to shoulder, a smile forming at the corners of her mouth. "Don't be like that. You don't really buy into all that flashy mumbo, do you?"
"Mumbo, huh?" he smiled slyly, regarding her. "You have a very short memory Kata. Didn't you blind that crook with Solar Flare and master the binding technique?"
Blue orbs dilated, surprised, a contemplative expression following soon after.
"See," Gohan laughed good-naturedly. "None of those were tricks. Energy Binding is mostly biology and Solar Flare is pure science. Just a simple reaction between solar energy, electromagnetic radiation and Ki," he shrugged.
Videl adjusted herself against the wall, staring up at the remnants of the sun through the skylight, thinking. "I never thought about it like that; I never…" she trailed off.
"That certain things are misunderstood is to be expected," Gohan went to say. "That aspect of it doesn't irritate me nearly as much as all the other things. I mean, it's been over ten years already and he's still going on and on about how he saved the world this, and how he's the undisputed world champ that; it's like, jeez can you stop with those ridiculous poses for a second and give it a rest?"
Videl burst out laughing, hard. It took her a minute to stop and compose himself. With a sheepish grin on his face Gohan regarded how beautiful she looked in that moment. She was staring at him with something akin to indulgent amusement, like his sole purpose of existing was to bring her cheap bouts of thrills and laughter. Not that he minded, he would happily take on that role for life so he could enjoy staring at her as she looked right now.
"You know," she told him. "It's true that he overdoes those silly poses, down-right embarrassing at times," she cringed. "But, he did save the world and he is the world champ. So it's okay to allow him his goofy gloating moments; they're not doing any harm right? And his fans seem to eat that stuff up. I also suspect that the man...well...that he kinda...lives for that kind of show."
Gohan sulked, even more so at the affectionate tone in her voice. He'd been foolish to hope that she'd see things his way, and it wasn't her fault. It was just a consequence of the lie that he'd let slide. No way to help it.
"Look," Videl added softly. "I know you're not his biggest fan and that's fine but think about it this way: you owe him your life. We all do. Take comfort in that and ignore all the irritating parts." she patted him softly, as if to comfort him.
Gohan sighed at her words. What had he been expecting to hear? "He really has the world convinced that he's this great savior doesn't he?" he muttered, despite himself. Would it hurt to confide the truth in her? Sure it'd hurt, 'cause then he'd have to delve into all the ins and outs of what he was.
"What's this? Are you suggesting that he's not?" She sounded even more amused now, as if the possibility in itself was preposterous.
Gohan flashed her a brilliant grin."What can I say? I'm a forensic engineer. I don't do well with baseless conclusions."
Her eyes narrowed in that cutely suspicious way he was getting used to. "Baseless... conclusions?"
"Yes, baseless." he happily reiterated. "You saw the available footage of the Cell Games I'm assuming?" he quirked.
"Of course, lots of times. How could I not? That blonde kid that took on Cell was a bad-ass, don't you think? Imagine, at that age?" her eyes shone in admiration.
Gohan only smiled, trying not to feel pleased. "Well, then I'll ask you this: How long did our Champ last in the ring before Cell did away with him?" His turn now to stare back with an amused glint.
"He lost his balance!" Videl screeched defensively.
Gohan laughed out loud. "Sure he did."
"He did!"
He raised his brow at her, a crooked smile dancing at the corner of his mouth.
"He did!" she declared again, more heatedly even.
"Okay, let's say he did." Gohan put up his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Let's say that he genuinely lost his balance, and he didn't fake those stomach cramps."
"He didn't!"
"I said okay didn't I?" He held in his laughter, she was so cute while being protective. He had a sneaking suspicion that if he got started, the memory of the Champ's dramatics while faking those cramps that day, coupled with her outraged reaction in his defense would never let him stop laughing. "It's fine, balance or cramps or whatever, it really doesn't matter why he couldn't fight. What matters is the fact that he never actually got back into the ring right?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Cell was busy with his other fights, the last one being that of that blonde kid you mentioned, before the cameras were destroyed, ceasing all transmission. It was in the midst of the unrecorded and chaotic wake, when all that was left of the stadium was dust, rubble and confusion that our so-called Champ stepped up to announce his victory."
"It's not his fault that the transmission cut!"
Gohan chuckled, she was really not willing to give an inch. "Aww, come on Kata, from one forensic scientist to another, doesn't it seem just a tiny bit suspicious?"
Without hesitation she shook her head "no" in confidence."Not all all. Why should it?"
He sagged. Jeez really? After all the doubt he was trying to cast. She wasn't biting at all? Just how brainwashed was the world regarding that man? He was so shocked by her non-suspicious attitude that he fought the urge to gape openly. "How can you say that? You of all people?"
"What do you mean by me?"
"That's it. We're taking a trip," he sat up.
"Eh?"
He laughed at the comical expression on her face. "That's right. You and I are going back to being undergrads in our first year."
She looked confused.
"The only way to get to the bottom of this is to re-visit our respective lectures of Forensics 101." he clarified.
She chuckled. "Must we?"
"Humour me."
"Back to first year, huh?"
"Yep, are you ready?"
"Well, if we're going back to that time, then allow me to look the part Mr. Engineer," she grinned mischievously.
Gohan raised his brow. To look the part? What does she mean?
Curiously he watched as she raised her arms to her hair, slipping off whatever it was that was keeping it tied up above her head. Dark swirls unfurled, spilling across her shoulders. She ran a hand down the middle of her head, parting the mass of tresses into two. Effortlessly, she made quick work of the two parts, creating two braids on each side.
His eyes widened when she next reached for the hem of her pants. What is she… But clearly his imagination was running off on a tangent because all she did was pull out her shirt, leaving it untucked above her pants.
"There!" she announced triumphantly. "Now I'm eighteen again,"
"Huh..."
"Oh, wait. Since this is Forensics 101, my face should be more like this," she scrunched up her nose, pouted her lips and made an angry face.
Gohan laughed. "What? Why?"
Videl hunched her shoulders in. "Because I'm grumpy as all hell, that's why." She spoke in a funny voice. "This is me, sitting at the back of Prof Sinu's class wishing I was invisible." She followed that statement by carrying her posture in an awkward and suspicious way.
Gohan laughed even harder. Never in a million years would he have imagined such a hostile expression on her face. "Wait. Why were you grumpy though? Prof Sinu is a legend in our field; sitting is his class should have been thrilling."
"Yeah, legend," she said dryly. "Some legend he was, not only are his theories bogus but getting his kicks out of picking on a first year student? Give me a break."
"He picked on you? No, not Prof Sinu!"
"Oh yes, don't doubt it." she shrugged, relaxing her posture as she slid down and laid with her back against the wooden boards of the floor. He followed the motion, laying beside her, following her gaze as it went back to the skylight. The sun had almost faded completely now, dark oranges blurring to give way to black.
"I just can't imagine him doing such a thing, he's such a cool guy. I actually met him briefly at the promotion of his latest textbook. I had a good talk with him; the man was very professional. "
"I'm telling you, your Mr. Professional was not professional at all. That guy made it his daily mission to ruin my mornings and I always had his lecture as my first class of the day."
"No. I don't believe it. Not Prof. Sinu, he seems like such a stand-up guy."
"Hey!" Videl turned away from the skylight and fixed sharp eyes on him. "Who are you going to believe, some stuffy professor you only met once or your girlfriend?" she said heatedly, and then… immediately flushed, her stare quickly reverting back to the minimum light filtering through from the opening in the roof.
Gohan's heart nearly stopped. Girlfriend. She'd just referred to herself as his girlfriend, which meant… which meant that she thought of herself as his girlfriend, which in turn meant that she really was his girlfriend! Which meant… Confirmation! Oh man, he had to hold himself back from hoisting her up and shooting through the skylight like a rocket. It was official, they were a couple!
He took a breath. "Of course I believe my girlfriend," he tested out the new glorious term, surprised not to stammer or stutter. It just rolled off his tongue like he'd said it many times before. It felt good, good enough to brave reaching out, sliding his hand across the grainy floorboard and over to hers, locking her slender fingers in his. "I'm just curious to know why Prof Sinu was so adamant to pick on my girlfriend."
He knew it was childish, but… he couldn't help the warm feeling that shot down his body as he said it again.
"Well I… umm," Videl cleared her throat. "How to explain this?" she turned to him, her face cast in a thoughtful expression. "In a nutshell," she spoke slowly, as if picking her words. "One could say, that my presence in his class on the first day of term may have cast a tiny shade on what should have been his shining introduction."
Gohan frowned, obviously confused. "Like you did something to upstage him or something?"
"Something like that," she bit her lip.
"But, but… how? Did you criticise his work? I mean, the guy's a legend." he said doubtfully.
"Uhh… well," she chuckled hesitantly, moving her free hand to nervously scratch at her neck. "Umm… it wasn't an academic thing per say. Some of my volunteer work was sensationalized by the media at the time, and some of the students had heard about it," she started to explain, then cleared her throat, twice.
Gohan regarded her manner carefully. She was clearly uncomfortable with the subject, and since he'd already figured out her secret, he wouldn't pry. Not if it made her this uncomfortable.
"Anyway," she continued, "they recognized me from the incident and made a fuss about it. I guess Prof Sinu didn't take too kindly to being ignored in favor of a first year student. I mean let's be frank, your so-called stand-up guy is just too used to being awed." She rolled her eyes.
"So he picked on you for that?"
"Every damn class. His favorite sentence was: 'Oh let's ask Ms S-S…Videl, since she has soooo much field experience.' I mean really, that guy, he kept me on my toes from day one till the very end. I had to be ten times more prepared than anyone else, and whenever I got something right, he'd have the gall to look displeased!" Her chin dimpled in outrage.
Gohan laughed, staring at her. It was official, he would never grow tired of watching her face. He would be content just to stare at it all day, memorizing how each feature reacted and contorted with each of her emotions.
She flashed him an evil glare. "You laugh, but it was very, very annoying. You have no idea."
"Oh, I have some idea," he smiled at her, his eyes warm and amused. "They abuse me at work 'cause my average university grades set some kind of world record or something. They're always picking on me or taking advantage of me," he shrugged. "Two peas in a pod, aren't we?" he lightly caressed the back of the slender hand he was holding with his thumb.
"Your grades set some kind of record?" she gaped at him.
"Ah… yeah, heheh," he scratched his head with his free hand. "Something like that."
"So you're one of those geniuses you see on those weird shows on TV?"
"Hardly, I was just forced to study an awful lot from a young age. And then somewhere down the line I fell in-love with Forensic Science. Which, by the way, is what we were talking about before we got sidetracked by the jealous, not so professional, but definitely stuffy Prof. Sinu."
Videl laughed, her face tilting up at him in amusement. "Definitely stuffy," she agreed. "But you're right. You were in the middle of your conspiracy theory before Prof. Sinu rudely interrupted us."
"Aww, come on. It's not a conspiracy theory. I merely offered an alternative theory based on the primary tools of our discipline. You do remember the primary tools of Forensics, right Ms. Grumpy at the back of the class?"
"Humph! I see we have another Professor that likes to pick on me." She childishly stuck her tongue out at him. "Observation and the interpretation of physical evidence, how could I forget?"
"Bravo, I see you're well prepared for this class. So then, based on what you observed of what was available of the footage, throw in the physical evidence remaining at the Arena after the fight. Mix in the physical condition of the Champ – not a scratch on him mind you. Can you honestly tell me that it is your scientific deduction that there is no room to rebuff his claim?"
She stared at him with an unfathomable expression, but that didn't deter him. If he couldn't talk about the truth of the Cell Games with his girlfriend, then with who?
"According to my interpretation of the evidence, my conclusion is: no way did that man beat Cell."
She frowned, a real frown, one that stemmed from some other emotion related to this matter that he hadn't picked up on before.
"Just so we're clear, are you seriously implying that someone else defeated that monster? Are you seriously calling the Champ a liar and a fraud? Seriously?"
There was definitely a seriousness in her eyes that hadn't been there before, like she had somehow been attacked personally.
"I'm just saying that his claim is baseless, that's all. There is no evidence to suggest that he did as he claims. Only his word."
"And clearly his word is not good enough for a certain someone!" she yanked her hand out of his and she struggled to rise to her feet. But she had clearly mastered the new leg brace because in no time at all, she was up and not at all pleased.
Oh boy. He stood up as well. "Whoa," he grabbed her shoulders. "Why are you taking this so personally? It's just my opinion, it hardly matters."
"Because it is personal!" she snapped as she stepped away from him.
"How is it personal?" he enquired, his eyes shrouded in helplessness if not panicked confusion.
"Because!"
"..."
"Look, I agree that he talks too much, and he can be a bit loud and annoying, not to mention embarrassing," she took a breath, "but he's really brave and strong and kind and goofy and wears his heart on a sleeve." She shot out rapidly, almost heaving from lack of air. "He really cares you know...about all of us. He's not just big-hair and big-ego. Underneath all of that is a man that...Because the Champ is...he's..." She faltered helplessly.
"He may be all those things, but he's also a blatant liar; why can't you see that?"
"How dare you!"
"Look!" he thrust an open palm before her, igniting a small harmless glow of Ki. "This is as real as you and I!"
She stared, stepping back, eyes huge and disbelieving.
"Look." He ignited another from his other palm - a different glow this time, bigger, and blue in color.
"H-How...h-how are you," she gaped as she swallowed, backing up until she was smack against the wall.
"You can do it too, just like the Solar Flare. With a bit of practice, anyone with a bit of discipline can do it."
"It c-can't be..." she trailed off, eyes riveted on his open palms.
"Satan is a liar, Kata, his scope is extremely biased and limited. That's why he's the last person on this Earth I'd want to dress up as. Just thinking about all the lies he's told makes me... it disgusts me so much I... let's just say there was a time when it used to make me tremble with anger, but...I've learned to live with it."
She was breathing so heavily he was starting to worry. Was the Ki too much of a shock? Did it frighten her? He closed his palms and relinquished both glows.
With three easy steps, he walked towards her, running his hands up and down her arms. "I'm sorry if that scared you," he began, taking a breath. "I just...I just wanted you to see that the world is not nearly as narrow as the Champ would have you believe. If you're really serious about Martial Arts, then forget that phony...there's so much more I can-"
"Don't call him a phony!" she snapped, shoving him with all her might.
"But..."
"I said don't!" She put up both hands to silence him. "I've heard and seen just about enough." She began to hobble away from the wall. "Just stay right there!" she commanded in a tone he hadn't ever heard her use before. "I'm leaving."
He stared, panicked and disbelieving. "B-But I thought…what about our plans for dinner?"
"I'll eat at home!"
He slumped, heart beating out of control. What had he done? That pathetic display of Ki was but a tip of the iceberg and yet..."I've scared you off," he said weakly, placing a palm against the wall to support himself. He couldn't believe this was happening.
"Who said I was scared?" she snapped. "I just want to eat at home for a change, okay? We've had dinner together every day this week, cocooned in Erasa's apartment or on some deserted beach like the rest of the world doesn't exist. You're not my entire universe, you know! I want to eat with my dad for a change. I haven't even set foot in my own house in days. I'm sure he's been lonely."
"I'm sorry," he said awkwardly. It's true that they'd been living at Erasa's this past week. But... they'd been so happy. Oh God! He didn't know what to do now, what to say. Why? What had possessed him to show her his powers? What had he done?
"I can drop you off at your hotel if you want," she said stiffly.
Tempting, so very, very tempting to impose his presence in her car, anything to stay close to her, but... it was clear she was only offering as a courtesy. "That's okay, I checked out this afternoon after signing the lease. Thought I might as well start sleeping here since I've already paid rent and a deposit."
"What do you mean?" Her eyes dilated. "Wasn't your company paying for that hotel? You could have waited a few more days to move in. This place is empty! Where will you sleep?"
"It's fine, I'll figure something out."
She grunted in annoyance. "Suit yourself." Last words to accompany a final dismissive wave as she made her exit.
The hot flush feeling subsided with the increasingly faint stomps of her departure, leaving nothing but numbness and heavy disbelief that were weighing him down. The darkness once intimate felt dreadingly cold now, as the scene replayed itself over and over again. He'd done it; he'd driven her away.
His girlfriend…
…
Hope you enjoyed and please review.
For those who are interested, we are a group of collaborative writers who combine our efforts to bring you stories such as this one. We're an open group, meaning that anyone can apply to join. Feel free to check out our forums, and perhaps apply to join the group, via the link on our profile. It's a great opportunity for those who would like to better their own writing skills and exchange skills of the trade with fellow authors, or to simply be more apart of a writing community.