Gohan's Moving Castle

Clean Up

It wasn't long till breakfast time was finished. As soon as it was over and all the dishes had been placed on the sink, Videl set to work immediately. Hurrying Goten up to get everything important out of the way (those included books and whatever), Videl began setting up the place for sweeping. Since they didn't have any power points around the castle or proper electrical equipment, Videl had to do everything by hand. So, after putting most of the books away, setting the chairs up on top of tables and moving larger pieces of furniture into one of the remarkably cleaner corners, the raven haired girl was finally sweeping away.

Because there was so much dust and stuff needed to be cleaned, she had to put on an apron and a handkerchief mask. The rest of her gear was stored away on the couch underneath the stairs. Anyway, with the old-fashion broom, bucket, mop and towel, Videl began dusting away. She swept up the ceiling, tons of dust falling to the ground while the broom picked up cob and spider webs along the way. The dust gathered on the ground, creating an immense sheet of carpet. Videl, though disgusted as she was, was surprised by the amount of dirt and grime lying around. It took a lot of effort to get all the dust in those hard to reach places.

Her assault on the main room was continuous and relentless in a way. She was unchallenged by the obstacles lying in her path. The reason being was that her previous outburst during breakfast had left her with a huge mass of tireless energy. Rule number one, never get Videl angry.

After finishing sweeping the ceiling so that all the dust floated around or was lying on the ground, she began taking it outside. Gathering it all up onto a giant tray, she deposited it all in the garbage bin out on the Port Haven streets, outside of the said Jenkins shop. Goten, under the cover of his disguise, was able to bring one about to help Videl. Unfortunately for him, he only got in the way most of the time as he was running in and out; taking all of the important stuff out of harms way. He piled it all out on a couple of tables moved outside the shop. Along with dozens of other equipment, possessions etc. the loads kept on coming.

While Videl was sweeping out the remaining dust, she couldn't help but complain.

"I've had enough of this!" Thankfully, she wasn't complaining about her curse. At least she wasn't taking it out on Goten. Brushing her broom over the side of the wall, Videl squashed several spiders in hiding before sweeping them onto the giant tray. "You bugs had better run before I bite your heads off!" Well, at least she could vent it out on the insects crawling around. Meanwhile, a family of mice managed to exit the castle via the open door, escaping the girl's wrath.

Goten rushed back in and saved his brother's note book. Taking it, he hurried back outside, followed shortly by a cloud of dust. When he was safely outdoors, he sat the notebook on the many piles of other books lying on the first table to the door. All the while, people passing by the shop couldn't help but stare. The commotion was quite loud, and everyone was bewildered to see a cloud of dirt fly out the door. They wondered who could be working so hard in there.

While Goten was staring up at the door through his grey beard, a elderly man came up to him.

"Hello sir, is my potion ready?" he asked. Goten turned to him.

"Come back later," the disguised chibi replied. He then averted his attention back to the shop. "There's a witch on a rampage in there." The old man looked too and cringed when he heard a cry of frustration. That really turned some heads.

With all the chatter, clattering and fumbling going on inside the shop, it was hard not to turn and take a look. But as soon as they heard a loud clatter of metallic objects or a scream of anger, people began moving again. Goten and the old man would be customer just stood and watched.

For about two hours Videl worked on. After much effort, she was able to clear out all the dust. Gathering it all up in that final heap, she carried it outside and dumped it in the large bin. People watched her as she exited then went back into the building. Some show. Anyway, after putting away the dust pan and broom, Videl took out the bucket and mop. Filling the bucket up with hot water and adding a washing detergent, she set to work on the next step. The floor was soon frothing under bubbles and water. Videl scrubbed away, putting a lot of back into her work. While she was working, Calcifer couldn't help but comment.

"You know Videl, it might be easier wrapping your tail around your waist while your doing this. People can see it, and it gets in the way a lot," the fire demon called. Videl, wiping her forehead, turned to look at the demon. She pulled the handkerchief mask down as she stared at him, a bit surprised.

"W-wrap it around my waist?" she asked. Calcifer nodded with a smile.

"Sure. Goten and Gohan wrap it around their waists. It helps a lot. Trust me," Calcifer stated. Videl, looking down at her tail, waved it around. She figured she got the hang of it. The girl smiled and nodded to the fire of the sheath.

"Thanks Calcifer," she exclaimed. Her furry appendage wrapped around her waist, not too tightly, but enough so that it was secure. With that settled, she got back to work, not bothering to put the handkerchief back up. Her mop lavished away at the floor. Within thirty minutes or so, it was finally looking cleaner then ever.

The floor sparkled once the water had been mopped away, with Videl seeing the resulted of her work. The walls were dusted clean, same with the ceiling, and the floor was looking better then ever. She was yet unable to roll out the carpet. So, after the floor was wiped clear, the raven haired girl then carried the rolled up carpet outside, careful not to drop it or sprinkle any more dust onto the floorboards.

After dragging the carpet, or carpets outside, she hung it on a tall railing and began batting at it the old fashion way. The dust lifted off of the royal colored carpets easily with each swing and strike. Videl got a really good work out as she took out her stress and anger on the carpets. Even more people began gathering around, watching the girl bat at the carpet. Goten couldn't help but find amusement in the girl's antics. He didn't enjoy it for long when Videl sent him a death glare. The chibi Saiyan remained quiet.

Half an hour later, Videl was done swiping away at the carpets. Rolling them back up, she took them inside. She told Goten to start putting things back into place, the half Saiyan child obliging. Setting the carpets up against the wall, Videl made last minute check ups of the place. The dishes surely needed cleaning, but she would do that afterwards. So in the mean time, she began moving cushions and blankets around, meaning to get them cleaned up later on in the day when they get the required sunlight.

It may have been one of the better times for Videl. But as it turns out, it was the worse time for Calcifer. As Videl was moving stuff around, the raven haired girl good swear she heard him crying out for help. Her ears weren't really that sharp.

Sitting in his sheath, Calcifer was burning out his last twigs, literally. The two logs Videl had refreshed him with were nearly gone. All that was left was a ash ridden, stake sized piece of wood. Calcifer was nothing but a small candle flame sitting on the very edge of it. His little face was distorted in distress. He was scared.

"Videl…please! Videl please…help me…I'm going out! Please…g-get me s-some firewood quick…quick-come on…" Calcifer yelled as loud as he could without burning away too quickly. He was hanging on by a limb. His form threatened to shrink, but it grew back to a small candle flame again, and he flickered dangerously on the brink of disappearing. "Videl…please…"

Suddenly, out of nowhere and pair of metallic tongs suddenly grabbed the stake he was nestled on and lifted him off the ground. Videl was the one wielding these utensils. Calcifer was all the more distressed. "V-Videl…hey…w-what are you doing! Hey! Put me down! You crazy lady with tongs! I'll fall!"

Pulling out a metal cup on a tripod, Videl settled Calcifer and the piece of wood he was hanging onto, right on the ridges of the small pot. Releasing the wood, Videl set the tongs onto the fire tending stand before she laid out a large cloth out on the ground beneath the sheath. With a smile, Videl brought out a giant fire scraper and began pulling the ashes toward her so that they fell onto the cloth.

"You'll be fine, Calcifer. I'm just sweeping out the ashes," Videl exclaimed. With that settled she continued sweeping the ashes out of the nooks and crannies of the fireplace.

Calcifer was horrified. He continued asking Videl to help him but she ignored his complaints and comments. When she had all the ash swept out, she tied up the ash filled blanket so that it formed a sack. Secured, with no holes whatsoever, Videl carried the bag out of the castle, disappearing out the front door. The little fire demon couldn't hold himself anymore. It was the first time he was hanging exposed like this before. He had arms and legs, but at the base of his fiery body seemed to be some sort of oval like object. It looked delicate, and seemed to beat like a heart. It was weird.

"Videl…please…please hurry up! I'm going out. No…help, I'm falling, I'm falling," Calcifer sobbed, clinging onto the piece of wood for dear life, trying not to fall into the dark depths of the small pot holding them up. But then without warning, Calcifer burned out the rest of the wood he was hanging from. It collapsed under his weight. "Videl…Whhoooaaahhh… (Poof)" Calcifer disappeared into the cup, a ring of smoke escaping out the top. His glow faded.

Just as it seemed Calcifer was gone for good, a strong, big hand reached out and took the pot by the handle. The young man and owner of the hand tossed two fire logs onto the fireplace, the pieces of wood clattering on landing. After making sure they were seated right, the wielder of the pot holding the still conscious Calcifer turned it over and tipped the remains of Calcifer into his hand. What fell out of the pot was, not ash, but blue fire illuminated around the only solid piece of the fire demon. It continued to beat, a lot louder this time, in tone with a strong heart. As soon as it was out of the cup, the holder of the dwindling Calcifer brought it up so that it leveled about three inches away from his lips. He blew on it, sparks flying off of the slow burning flame as well as a strange, golden dust.

Videl was gone for only a couple of minutes. Having disposed of the dust rubbish, she returned to the castle's lounge to put Calcifer back into his haven. As soon as the girl returned to the top of the small flight of stairs, she was rather surprised to find Gohan standing by the fireplace, his hand hovering over two fire logs with a newly awakened, orange flame burning between them. The young Saiyan slowly straightened himself, satisfied with seeing his friend still alive. When the spiky haired Saiyan felt two presences's standing nearby, he turned to the door, a smile on his face.

Videl blinked, so did Goten (the little guy was standing beside her). They saw Gohan's gaze avert to them, capturing them in a tense moment. Gohan was wearing the same clothes they had seen him wearing before. The traditional styled white, long sleeved shirt, black belt, black gi trousers, martial arts shoes, red ankle weights and black jacket flung over his shoulders in cape like fashion. His tail was fastened around his waist, but looked like a second belt covering his first. The young Saiyan grinned at the two souls gazing at him, unhampered by their surprise.

"I'd appreciate it, if you didn't torment my friend," Gohan exclaimed in a kind tone. He turned to them and began a stride like approach.

Knowing that they were in the way, Videl and Goten stepped to the side, allowing Gohan to pass and head down the stairs. When he reached the open door, Gohan closed it and flipped the knob above the handle. The multi-colored dial above the doors flipped to black with a barely audible chime. Once again the sunlight outside the windows beyond the door changed to a black, night shade. The portals switched. Goten blinked in confusion and moved a bit more to the stairs so he could speak with his brother. He was inwardly confused.

"Big brother, are you going out now," the chibi asked. Gohan smiled up at his brother at the raven haired teenager behind him. His teal eyes shimmered and his spiky, blonde hair waved about.

"Goten, make sure Videl doesn't get carried away with her cleaning," Gohan instructed, specifically giving this small, simple order to Videl. With a final nod, Gohan turned to the door and swung it open. It flung itself inwards, a cold breeze shooting into their midst. Then, without a word, Gohan leapt into the cold, sky darkness. His form vanished into the black, the door slamming itself shut behind him. The dials changed once more, chiming as they struck green.

Goten blinked and looked behind him up at the raven haired girl. "Videl, what did you do?" She was thoroughly confused. Videl blinked as she stared down at the one who addressed her, and was unable to register her thoughts at the moment. The two of them were cut short when Calcifer addressed his still living presence.

"She almost smothered me!" he shouted in outrage. Goten and Videl turned to him, caught off guard. The orange fire demon glared at them from his place, flickering strongly. His eyes flared dangerously. "If I die, Gohan dies too I hope you know!"

Videl scowled and sent him a death glare. Calcifer shrunk back into his wood, hoping it would protect him. But after his bear death experience, it made him think differently. Videl stalked up to the fireplace, grabbing her mop, bucket and broom before walking off.

"Oh quiet, you're alright. Now quit bothering me, I've got a job to do," Videl growled. She headed towards the next flight of stairs leading up to the unknown, second floor. Goten saw her approach it and panicked. He dashed over to the stairs and cut her off, standing in front of her and holding his arms out.

"WAIT! You can't come up here!" Goten shouted. Videl smiled mischievously and gave Goten the suspicious stare. This meant trouble.

"Whatever you don't want me to clean, better hide it now," Videl whispered, eyeing him. Goten gulped and then gasped, looking up the stairs before looking back down at Videl.

"B-But what about the rest of the stuff, we need to put all of it away? Finish what we've started!" pointed out. Videl turned to the lounge room. She saw that all of the stuff outside had been brought in and were all piled on the dining table. He good thing was, they were all clean and were sorted out neatly. Satisfied, Videl turned back to look at Goten. She grinned.

"We can finish up later. So," Videl said, raising an eyebrow. "What about the next level of this place?" Her eyes flickered with a strange glint. Goten freaked. He looked back and forth, up and down the stairs and back to Videl. He lowered his arms and began to turn.

"Save my room for last, OK!" With that, Goten was off. He dashed up the stairs as fast he could. He tripped once, but quickly got up and sprinted out of sight.

Videl chuckled and trekked up the stairs slowly. She was pleased at how persuasive she was towards the youngest of the group. It was too easy. "These little outbursts seem to be giving me some energy," she whispered.

Slowly walking up the stairs, the raven haired girl finally reached the top. As soon as she saw the true visage of what the second floor's state was, she was appalled. Setting her stuff down, leaning them against the wall, Videl placed her hands on her hips and looked around. She shook her head, her eyes going over the walls, ceiling, floor and doors. There was a long stretch of corridor that turned into another small flight of stairs that led to a third level. The hallway here however was what she had her mind set on. It was completely filthy, dirtier then the bottom floor. It was dusty, filled with cobwebs and some trash laying around…it was disgraceful. She wondered how Gohan and his lot could live in here.

"What a mess," she commented, obviously disgusted. After a quick look around, she turned the first door she saw. Incidentally it was the first door you would see when you reached the top of the stairs, and it also happened to be the main bathroom. Videl braced herself to what she would find in there.

Swinging the door open and peaking inside, Videl nearly threw her hand up to her mouth to stop herself from throwing up. The room was completely painted with all sorts of lotions, the smears on the walls in the entire place being evidence to this. She thought about it once, but figured some of the dried up, brown stuff on the ground was dry blood. She didn't want to know what else it was. There was also a sink, a bath, a shower and a toilet here. The bath was still filled with green, slimy looking water (how did Gohan manage to bathe in that?). The sink was grimy with the shelf above it loaded with all sorts of lotions, soap and potion vials that were all full. The shower had towels piled all over it and the toilet…one look at the open bowl and Videl hurried backwards in shock. Her nose scrunched up from the stench.

Gagging from the thin mist floating in the room, Videl walked over to the window and batted it open. As soon as they were open, Videl got another shock, this time it was one of a better kind. Leaning out the window, the raven haired girl was captivated by the sights laid out before her. At least ten stories above the ground, she was able to get the first, good view of what it was like being on the upper levels while the castle was moving. Everything disgusting and more overly rusty about the exterior of the castle was all but blown out of her mind. The howling winds blew in a cool breeze, fluttering her hair and T-shirt about. The rolling hills sides and mountains the castle was walking through presented an awe inspiring sight. Looking down, Videl could see a high off canyon filled to the brim with trees and a river flowing graciously at the bottom. To add to the magnificence of scenes, a flock of birds flew by, Stalks by the looks of it.

Videl's mouth gaped wide and her open eyes blinked in disbelief. It was simply amazing. Never in her life had she experienced. In fact, through the past couple of days, each and every out of the ordinary event had something in common with the next. They were all impossible, yet simply wonderful. Flying through the air, magic…well…she wasn't too fond about it, anyway…moving castles, talking fires! These were things she had never seen before, neither had she ever experienced.

"Incredible!" she exclaimed, still leaning out the open window. Videl then pulled her head back in and turned toward the wide open door on the other side of the bathroom. She had to know. "CALCIFER! CALCIFER! Are you the one moving the castle!!!?"

The fire demon wasn't dumb nor was he deaf. He clearly heard the girl's voice echoing down from the second floor and, in response, was very firm and disgruntled. All the while he continued to sit in his place in the fire. "Of course I am! Nobody else does any work around here!" he replied.

Videl rushed over to the stairs and bent over so she could see the orange fire. Calcifer looked up in surprise. He saw her energetic form and joyous expression smiling down at him.

"I am thoroughly impressed!" Videl exclaimed. "You're a first class fire demon, I like your spark!" she continued, winking at him. She rushed back up the stair case, hoping to find a balcony or something she could step out onto at a higher level. She was so excited now. Calcifer on the other end was flattered by Videl's comment. On the contrary, his orange flame turned pink and purple. He was shocked.

"S-She likes my…SPARK! HAHAHAHA!!!" Calcifer shouted happily, his form growing and sparking crazily. What resulted was a very high energy output. The castle steamed heavily, fire shooting out of the top funnels and stacks. What followed was a power walking pace initiated by the castle; its creaking, squeaking, hissing, groaning and gear grinding noises grew louder. Soon, the entire hulk of the castle was rushing over the hills, overloaded by a happy fire demon.

Videl rushed up the third flight of stairs, depositing herself into another hallway. The corridor extended left a right. It was to her left did a door slam shut, followed by shouting from a particular Saiyan chibi.

"AH! Not ready, not ready!" Goten yelled. His hysterics were rational enough. It was obvious the door that was closed was leading to his messy room, which he was hurrying to try and clean up. The spiky, black haired child was fearful for his possessions. No wonder. Videl had been terrorizing the dust, dirt and bugs in the entire castle for hours.

Videl didn't have time to bully Goten just now; she was still looking for the balcony. There had to be one somewhere in the castle. On the outside she saw plenty of household built platforms and brick work. There had to be someplace where she could walk out onto. She eventually found one. The entrance was a door several feet down the hall to her right. There was a wide open window beside it with red curtains and a label at the top of it saying 'Balcony and Port side lookout'. Running to it, Videl grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. It practically flew open, pushed by a force of wind soon following after its initial accessing.

The raven haired girl wasted little time and stepped the first, few, cautious steps onto the balcony. It was made of marble and cement, taking a very 1940's design. It was white, clear and clean. It had a couple of chairs and a table also set up out here. Perhaps it was where Gohan or Goten came to get some much needed fresh air. But the details of the balcony weren't much to talk over. As soon as she was sure it was secure, she ran over to the edge and leaned over, looking out onto the landscapes extending from below to the horizon. The winds whipped at her hair and clothes, giving her a cool breeze to relax in.

The landscapes were as magnificent as ever. Green, rolling hillsides swallowed up the wastelands, with snow caped mountains reaching high into the skies beyond the valleys. Evergreen trees stood proudly, illuminated by the light of the sun. The skies were all clear. The valleys were blossoming with life. Below the castle, a herd of deer ran by, screeching their calls. More and more birds made an appearance, fluttering around the castle and Videl's place on the balcony. She laughed as they chirped at her before flying off. Seeing them fly ahead of the castle brought Videl's eyes to a new sight. Leaning over more, Videl saw a huge lake resting at the base of a ring of mountains. It was clear, crystal blue, and shone like a jewel. It looked like the opening to an ocean, but was indeed a lake. Rivers linked up with it, flowing into it or out of it so they could filter the land with their purity. Everything grew healthily around the lake.

Having realized Videl wasn't cleaning, Goten set out looking for her. He easily found her perched on the balcony and so, joined her by the marble railings. He stood on her left, closest to the front. He gazed out in her direction, seeing what she was looking at. Looking back at her, he smiled and then looked out toward the lake again. The cool breeze of the outdoors met him as well, and he was well over relieved. Videl's eyes sparkled in admiration of the land.

"It's beautiful…" she whispered. Goten nodded.

"Yeah, it's called Star Lake," the chibi replied, letting Videl know what this magnificent landmark was.

There was a clatter, a sound well above the noises the castle made, even though they were hushed by the winds and height of its hulk. Goten's ears twitched and he looked down a bit from his intended gaze area. When he did, he saw what looked like a pole sticking up and above the balcony's railings just by a few inches. It was still visible through the supports. Shuffling over a bit more, Goten looked down at the pole, which seemed to be moving. The large, straight branch seemed to be stuck in one of the access steam slots of the castle's pivot mechanisms. Fortunately, this slot was out of action for the moment, sparing whatever it was stuck in there. Whatever the case, Goten was still bewildered. He had explored every inch of the castle and nothing was out of place, except this. He blinked.

"Hey, what's that stick doing in there?" he asked. Videl had joined him to when she heard the same, metallic clattering. When she saw the vaguely familiar branch, she sighed and reached down, grabbing it.

"Oh dear…give me a hand, Goten," she groaned, attempting to pull it out by herself. Goten did as she asked. With both of them holding onto the pole, they worked in unison to pull it free. It took a bit of jerking effort, but they eventually managed to get it out. Somehow, every stick they come across was very hard to get out when stuck, with good reason.

Swinging it out and up, they saw that, attached to the other end of the stick, was a bunched up suit arranged into order to fit a person. There was also a turnip used for a head with a top hat on top. When they stood it up on the balcony, Goten was very surprised.

"It's a scarecrow," he said, stating the obvious. Videl nodded, placing her hand on her hip.

"Yup, I've been calling him Turnip Head. Somehow he always manages to get stuck upside-down," she informed, tilting her head at her old friend.

At first the scarecrow did nothing, but suddenly, with a jump of energy, it sprung to life. Leaping up off its own accord, Turnip head leapt backwards, out of reach. He bounced from platform to platform of the castle before coming to a stop somewhere along the way of the castle's hull. It was from that high vantage point did he continue to bounce and hop, almost happy to be free. Maybe it was just Videl's imagination, or perhaps he was actually pleased to see her.

Videl blinked and leaned in a bit to Goten so he could hear her. "He keeps following me everywhere. Seems to have taken a liking to me," she said. Goten blinked and looked up at the raven haired teenager.

"That's weird, are you sure you're not a witch, Videl?" Goten asked. Videl turned to him and then grinned. She leaned in close to him as if she were a animal, a predator. Her eyes narrowed and a wide grin crossed her face. She was just playing anyway.

"Oh yes, I'm the worst kind of witch ever, the kind that cleans…"

Goten whimpered and pulled away.

Two Hours later…

After taking in the scenery and talking about Turnip-head, Videl and Goten went back to work. Videl allowed Goten the time to clean up his room while she worked away at the second floor and third floor. The rooms were tidied up quickly, all the dust bites, bugs, dirt and cobwebs cleared up. She also rearranged stuff so that the rooms weren't shabby. The bathroom was at the top of her list of things to clean. Though as disgusting as it was, she had a job to do. If she was to stay with Gohan and his younger brother, then she had to play her part.

On the brighter side of things, she didn't go into Gohan's room. She had to respect his privacy, as he was the one kind enough to let her live here. Goten's room however needed cleaning. Since he was the only company present besides Calcifer and Turnip-head, she could bully him a little, allowing herself access to his room. He had put stuff away in advance, making it easier for her to tidy up the place.

In advance to the chores she performed, she set up the lounge room according to design and feature, moving the couches and tables a bit, as well as supplying Calcifer with several more fire logs. She put several more pieces of fire blocks beside him that were within his reach. He was definitely pleased.

After the every single room in the entire castle was cleaned, tidied and sparkling, Videl moved onto the dishes. With Goten helping her dry them, they began sorting out that part of the lounge room. All the while Calcifer performed his duties. So when you look at it, everyone was working. Well, all except for Turnip-head. The scarecrow was unable to enter the castle because of the spells binding him to the outside world. Whatever curse he had on him was too powerful for Calcifer to bend. Still, in light of Gohan's absence, everything was moving splendidly.

At the end of the long two hours the castle had to endure on the rest of its 60 miles journey, Calcifer set the moving home down right beside Star Lake. The castle jerked to a stop, letting out gallons of steam as it sat down on the grassy hill. Its gears grinded and parts creaked before it was finally down. The fire demon could finally rest.

In the mean time, now that they had stopped, Videl and Goten could carry on more meaningful tasks. It was laundry drying time. Meeting Goten and Videl outside the backdoor (the door which everyone who lived in the castle accessed), Turnip-head joined in. He followed the pair out into the open, willing to help with the work load.

Videl gave him the simplest of tasks, to be used as a stand up pole to hang the washing from. Typing a rope round his arm, Videl told him to stretch out while Goten held onto the line. One by one, as the rope went along, Videl hung one article of clothing after another. When the line was finally fully extended, Turnip-head took it up to the top of the castle where the winds were fresh. Goten, amazed at how strong he was, pulled back when he felt the end of the rope almost slip out of his grasp.

"Stop…pulling so hard…Turnip-head," Goten groaned.

A lot of washing had to be pulled through. The scarecrow performed his tasks to Videl's satisfaction. Line after line of washing was pinned to places wherever Turnip-head took them. Under Videl's watchful eyes and guidance, things were alright and all in order. For the first time in her life, Videl was enjoying work. With Goten and many new, close friends standing by and helping, it was all in good fun.

As soon as all the washing was hanging out to dry, Videl and Goten decided to have a late, afternoon lunch. They brought out a table, a couple of chairs, a tea-pot, plates, bread, cheese, meat, tomatoes…everything they needed for an outdoor picnic. They set up shop a few meters away from the lake, allowing them a good view of the surrounding landscapes. Everything looked promising.

After watching Turnip-head sort out the clothes lines even more, the two of them sat down at the table and began eating. Videl poured both of them warm cups of tea, a real appreciation coming from Goten. The chibi chuckled, seeing Turnip-head hop down to the edge of the lake with another line of washing hanging from his arm.

"I think he likes doing the laundry," Goten exclaimed. Videl nodded in agreement, taking her cup of tea and blowing on it. The steam rising from its surface lifted before whispering away. The raven haired girl smiled.

"Looks like he'll have it done in no time," she said. The scarecrow stood silently in the background, with Goten watching him with interest and curiosity.

The chibi Saiyan wondered who he really was and where he came from. It was rare to come across a object that was alive and could perform numerous tasks. Videl also wondered who or what he really was. It surely didn't act like an ordinary scarecrow, and he was so kind and helpful. His type must have come from a long line of gentlemanly creatures. This meant that he couldn't be a cursed pile of sticks or a field scarecrow with a spell put on him. No. He had to be someone who knew how to act and think like a person. Goten didn't wander over the thoughts of accursed sticks for too long. He smiled and took a bite out of his ham, cheese and lettuce sandwich.

"I bet he's some kind of demon. Calcifer doesn't seem to mind him at all," Goten said, at the same time pointing out Calcifer's under minding of their new helper. Videl turned to Goten with a small smile and a tired gaze. Even so, she still shone in a bright illumination of hope, kindness and spirit.

"You're right, he probably is a demon," she replied before looking back out onto the lake. Goten looked back at the scarecrow, eyeing him more curiously. Seeing no reason to doubt what both of them had agreed on, he looked back onto the lake, hearing what else Videl had to say. She was very tired, and even so, she was still happy as ever. She sighed. "But he lead me here, so maybe he's the good kind…"

With that, they sat in silence, admiring the view. The lake that stretched onto the horizon beyond their sight glimmered, the sun shining down upon them and warming them. Today's lunch was one to be had. It was almost a perfect picture of what life would be like if change wasn't taken up so eagerly. There was so little pollution and human interference. Because no one ventured out here, Videl could call this place home. She was with a family who was kind and understood each other. Looking at them, she wished she could be a part of them.

And maybe she could…

Another hour was spent outside. The day had passed by quickly, just like the cleaning and chores. Videl was proud at her work. Even after lunch had come and gone, she remained outside, sitting on her chair and gazing out onto the lake. Goten and Turnip-head put away the laundry and took all the stuff in, all except Videl and her chair.

Listening to the waves of the lake flowing in land and pulling back out, the raven haired girl relaxed. Her sore muscles were ignored, replaced by the feeling of relief. She didn't know how long she sat by the lake. It was obvious it was for quite a while. The sun was beginning to set over the quiet mountain ranges, clouds beginning to drift in slowly from the dark regions of the planet. It would be dark soon enough, and Videl knew this. But she refused to leave her spot. She was captivated.

It was only Goten's return was she brought out of her dream world. The chibi looked at her as she stood by her side where she sat.

"We got all the laundry put away, Videl," the child exclaimed happily. Videl smiled and looked at him.

"Oh, thank you, Goten, you're so good," she said softly, reaching up and ruffling his head. Goten chuckled and waved her hand away.

Standing up and stretching out, the raven haired girl picked up her chair and shouldered it. She took one last look at the scenery, seeing the sun set over the horizon. The sky turned orange and purple with the light from the slowly disappearing sun.

"It's strange, Goten. I've never felt so peaceful…"

Not wanting to stand around and well on things for too long, Videl and Goten took their leave. Together, they headed back inside to the castle where Calcifer was waiting. Turnip-head remained outside, on top of the resting castle and overseeing things. He would remain there, just like the Son family. Videl would be spending yet more time with them.

She didn't mind…

TO BE CONTINUED…