Chapter Three: Sleepwalker

Videl had walked back to her car to see if she could find what happened to it. Of course, she had no intention of fixing it, until tomorrow, at least. She was getting what she wanted, in a way. Of course, she'd have to yell at Bulma a little for fun. That's when she spotted Gohan coming back through the path to her.

"It really stinks my car broke down, but I can't think of a better place to break down than here." She said to Gohan with a welcoming smile.

"Huh? Oh yeah I guess!" He replied with the nervous laugh he had become sort of famous for.

"Are you ok? You're acting really strange, Gohan..." Videl said after noticing how he was acting. Strange? That really wasn't the word to describe Gohan right now.

"Oh, I'm sorry! It's just…I've never had this happen before…" Gohan quietly said, his cheeks a pale shade of red.

"Huh? Stop mumbling!"

Gohan jumped at that. "I'm sorry! Uh…oh is your dad going to be upset or something? I know how he can get…"

"I doubt he'll even notice I'm gone. As usual, he's on a date with some floozy…" She said, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Oh…I'm sorry…" Gohan said, genuinely sorrowful towards his girlfriend, and bitter towards Mr. Satan. Yeah, he was a good person at heart. After all, he did save his father and Vegeta on the Kai Planet. His fame, however, always got in the way of that better person, and nine times out of ten, Videl was hurt by his actions.

"It's fine…" Videl said with a sigh. "I guess we all need to have that. Companionship I mean…" Gohan nodded in agreement with her, although sadly.

"Well, let's go!" Videl yelled, somehow instantaneously regaining her high spirits. She quickly took Gohan's hand in hers, and the two playfully ran towards the Son House.

A few minutes later, the couple arrived back at the house, both tired from their midnight run, and the rest of the day's events.

"Your mom asleep?" Videl asked, yawning loudly through the question. Worn out? After the crazy day she had, "worn out" was an understatement.

"I'm not sure… I should go check…" Gohan said quite nervously as he went to his parents' room, just down the hallway. "Um, stay here, ok?" Videl nodded in an obedient manner, and stretched out on the couch, pondering Gohan's extreme nervousness.

"Gosh. He's acting so weird like he--" Videl said before she was interrupted by Gohan's blazingly fast return.

"She said its fine!" He replied to Videl happily. "In fact, she actually seemed kinda thrilled by the event…"

"Good! I have to admit, I was worried she would be against the idea." Videl happily responded.

"Yeah, I was too! Let's get your room ready. You look really tired." Gohan said as he playfully pulled her up from the couch.

"Yeah, it's been a pretty long day. You wear me out Gohan!" She replied excitedly. She was used to being in bed way earlier than this, but she didn't care this time. She was with Gohan. That's all she cared about.

"Sorry!" Gohan replied with his trademark laughter. "You have to admit, though, its fun walking in the woods!"

"You're right. It is sometimes! I don't like the bugs though! Gross!" She said with a cute look of disgust on her face. Even though she was a tomboy at heart, she still hated bugs with a passion, especially spiders!

"True, but its fun to watch you dance all over the place!" He said with a chuckle and a slight pause. He then changed back to his shy tone. "It's cute actually…" He finished, trying to hide his beet red face.

"Well, you're cute when you're scared!" She said as a rebuttal, referencing all the times she cornered him in High School and his Saiyaman outfit. "I guess that's why I'm so mean to you sometimes… I'm sorry…" She then said with a sadder tone in her voice.

"It's okay! Honest!" Gohan said with a little embarrassment. He actually liked it when she teased him. Unlike the way that Sharpner and his friends always picked on him, he knew that Videl was just trying to have fun and flirt with him. Not to belittle him.

"Cutie!" Videl then blurted out at the visibly embarrassed Gohan. His face was about as red as his Saiyaman cape.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing!" Videl said with a giggle.

"Oh, sure!" Gohan said sarcastically and playfully. "Anyways, this is your room!" He said as he opened the door and clapped the lights on in the guest room.

"Oh! It's so cute!" Videl said happily as she ran into the room to check it out.

"I'm glad you like it!" Gohan said with a hint of relief in his voice. "I was afraid it would be too small for you…"

Uh-oh.

"What are you implying?!" Videl said, her eyes ablaze with anger. "Are you saying I'm materialistic?!"

"No! Not at all! I just know that girls need a lot of room!" Gohan, visibly scared, yelped. "I also know that you're used to a much bigger room at your own home!"

"Oh! So now you're calling me fat?!" She yelled, her azure eyes becoming more like blazing fireballs by the nanosecond.

"No! It's just I heard girls just need to have their room for….things… I wasn't thinking anything bad about you, honest!" Gohan again yelped in a panic.

That was when murderous Videl became curious Videl.

"Oh? So what kind of things were you thinking, hmm?" She then asked him, putting herself right in his face, with a slight inquisitive grin on her own. Gohan, nervous enough as it is, was sweating bullets by this point. He had backed himself into a massive corner, and stalling her was not going to help.

"Well?"

"Please, Vi! Let's not go there!" He again yelped, thinking about running into the woods for an impromptu game of hide and seek at this point.

Videl began to giggle wildly. "Why Gohan! I didn't know you thought those kinds of things about me!" She said, barely even able to keep her composure.

"Wait. What? No! Videl! You're so mean!" Gohan exclaimed, straight up mortified at this point. The only way this torture could get any worse for him was if it was in front of his family, who by this point had all fallen asleep. Even so, he loved it too. Was he being tortured? Yes. But it was a labor of love to endure her constant ribbing. One he was willing to take on.

Videl then hopped up and kissed Gohan on the cheek as a reward for his efforts, an act he could only reply to with a laugh and a blush. Her kisses always made him lightheaded as well. It was a rush he embraced fully.

"Well, I'm off to bed!" Videl said as she shut the door to her room. The two exchanged their goodnights, and Gohan head up the hall to his own room.

Videl flopped down on the bed grinning from ear to ear. "He's so cute! I just love him to death! It's a good thing I keep a couple spare outfit sets with me, just in case." She said, pulling out a few packs of capsules that were full of complete outfit sets. "Hmm… What should I wear?" She quizzed herself, taking a look at the clothes available. "Ooh! Gohan should just love these!" She said as she popped the capsule open.

Meanwhile…

Gohan laid in his room, looking out his skylight ceiling. It was a rather peaceful moment for him. The little ball of energy he had for a brother had finally gotten his own room since, which allowed Gohan to finally, for the first time in eight years, to have his own little sanctuary.

"Wow… She looked gorgeous today…" He thought to himself. He was completely enamored in Videl. She even made the simple sweatpants and shirt combo look amazing. "I wonder how she looks while she's sleeping…" He again thought to himself, conjuring up mental images of her.

"She'd be so cute!" He said to himself. "Gah! What am I thinking?!" He then yelled, reprimanding himself for thinking such thoughts of her. He then rolled over and attempted to sleep.

Back in the guest room, Videl was taking a look at herself in her new pajamas, a small ringer tee and flannel shorts, in the mirror. "I'm so mean, but he might like what he sees so he can't hate me for it!" She said with a grin, ready to enact her plans. She began to quietly make her way towards his room…

Meanwhile, Gohan was half asleep when he heard light footsteps in the hallway near his door. "Heh, probably just Goten trying to sneak a midnight snack." He said as he laid back down and rapidly began to fall asleep again.

Videl waited for Gohan to start snoring again, and then took to the air. She was able to fit her slender body through the slight crack Gohan left in his door, and then began a featherlike descent down to the empty spot in Gohan's bed.

Gohan then noticed the slight weight difference in his bed, and woke up. He quickly rolled over to find Videl, snoozing away beside him.

"V-Videl?!" What are you—"

"I'm cold…" She murmured.

"What are you--" Gohan started before noticing something peculiar. "Wait a second… She doesn't seem to be awake… She sleepwalks?"

"I'm cold…" She murmured again.

"I gotta get her back to her room quickly!" Gohan quietly exclaimed, as not to wake his girlfriend. He gently scooped her into his arms, and flew her back to her room. As she finally settled down, he laid her back in her bed. He then admired his sleeping beauty for a second. "Wow… She's not just cute… She's absolutely gorgeous when she's asleep." He said to himself. He gently brushed her hair back out of her face, and gave her a gentle kiss goodnight. He then quietly tried to exit the room before he heard a sleepy voice behind him.

"Gohan?" A dazed Videl asked. "What are you doing in my room?" She continued with a small smile on her face.

Gohan, absolutely mortified at what he thought might happen, did the best he could to come up with an explanation. "I'm not doing anything bad! Honest!" He said, his face beet red again. "Aw man! What do I do here?" He thought to himself as he walked back over to Videl.

"I know why you're here!"

Gohan was already hearing the death march in his head when she said that, fearing the worst.

"You came to check on me! You're so sweet!" She then exclaimed, following that up with a gentle kiss, which Gohan reacted to with a surprised flinch.

"What was that for, Vi?" He nervously asked.

"For being so good to me, silly!" She replied as she started to play with his gravity defying hair. She knew that Gohan loved it when she did that, and the look on his face said it all. He was hopeless when trying to defend against her playful attacks.

"Hey, lay down! My beds cold, and I can't sleep in a cold bed!" Videl commanded with a sly wink. Unable to resist her anymore, Gohan obliged, and laid down beside her. She then curled up to him.

"Hey, how come guys are so much warmer than girls?" She asked playfully.

Gohan quickly replied, "I dunno!" before falling into his thoughts again. "Wow… This feels so right… She just feels so good… I'm afraid I'll--"

He was then interrupted by Videl gently stroking his face. "What's wrong? You seem so nervous." She asked as she looked him over for answers. "Wow… You seem so tense… I have just the thing! Roll over on your stomach!"

Gohan obliged, but was a little confused by her plans. "What are you doing?" He asked as Videl climbed onto his back. She started to gently run her hands down his back, but stopped when he flinched a bit.

"Just relax, Gohan. Trust me on this." She said. Her words had a soothing effect on Gohan, and she began to give him a long back massage.

After a few minutes, she finally finished up with her massage on him, and she was beaming with pride at the relaxed look on her boyfriend's face. "Feeling better?" She asked.

"Yes. Alot actually!" Gohan quietly exclaimed. He was amazed by her work, and was surprised that she wasn't a professional. "How'd you get so good?"

"I read lots of medical books in the family library." She stated. "They can really come in handy, y'know?"

"Yeah, I can vouch for that statement!" He said with a laugh, still relaxed by Videl's massage.

"You know…" Videl began to speak. "This has been alot of fun." She said before pausing again. "Thanks for staying with me." Gohan then gave her a long, passionate kiss. He couldn't help it anymore. He had wanted this moment for so long, and finally, he found the right moment.

After about five minutes of kissing…

"Gah!" Gohan said as he sat up from the bed. "Sorry! I guess I got a little carried away…" He said with genuine remorse in his voice.

Videl then softly brushed his cheek. "Don't worry, Gohan. I loved it."

Gohan then realized how late it was getting. "I'm sorry. I have to get back to my own room, my love." He said, softly kissing her on the forehead, to which Videl nodded sadly.

"Vi… Whats wrong?" He then asked, seeing her develop a sad expression on her face.

"Gohan… Do you really love me?" She asked.

"Is that a trick question, Vi?"

"No! It's a fair question!" She yelled, trying to blink back her tears.

"Of course I love you! Why would you even doubt that?" He then notices her tears streaming down her face. "Honey… Why are you crying?"

"I was just scared that you didn't… I couldn't help it." She replied, a twinge of sadness in her voice.

"So you do have a weakness…" Gohan said quietly, which earned him a cold, angry glare from Videl.

"What? Its not a bad thing. just I was wondering if you were going to let your guard down for me." He explained. "Do you love me?"

With a grin, Videl simply said yes. At that moment, she smiled and fell to her pillows. Gohan wiped any stray tears off of her, and decided to lay down with her, at least until she fell asleep.

"I love you, Videl Satan."

He never left her side that night.

About five hours later…

Gohan awoke to the sun peeking through the guest room window.

"Oh man… I can't believe I stayed in here! Maybe if I sneak out no one will see…"

"Gohan? How'd you sleep?" A groggy Videl asked. "I don't know about you, but I could really get used to what happened last night!" She then said with a wink while stretching.

"Heh, I slept pretty good hun. My big problem is trying to get outta here without anyo--"

Uh-oh.

"Bubby! Time to wake up!" Goten yelled as he was flying through the halls to his old room. As he got there, he didn't see what he was expecting.

"Bubby? Where'd you go? MA! BUBBY'S GONE!"

At this point, Gohan was panicking horribly, doing everything from hiding under the guest room bed, to trying to get the window open and sneaking out, with Videl laughing at his antics the whole time.

Then, the real killer.

CRASH!

Gohan fell straight to the bed while trying to climb out the window.

"Gah… At least it was a soft surface…"

He was happy about not cracking his skull on the hard, wooden floor, but now he had another problem staring him right in the face.

"MA! DADDY! BUBBY'S IN BED WITH VIDEL!"

"Oh brother…"

Literally.

Soon after, Gohan explained the entire story, minus the romantic parts, of course, to his parents, and everybody got a good laugh out of it. Chi-Chi, in a way, seemed happy about it.

"My little boy is all grown up!" She said, a gleam in her eye. That's when Videl came out of the shower.

"Videl!" Chi-Chi yelled, grabbing a frying pan.

"I swear, we didn't do anything, miss Son! Honest!" Videl said, panic in her voice. She tried to be as composed as possible, but when you have your boyfriend's mother staring you down with her famous frying pan in tow, how can you not be nervous?

"Oh! Don't worry about that!" Chi-Chi quickly explained. "What I really wanted to ask is if you'd like to make breakfast this morning!"

Of course, Videl said yes to the offer, thinking either way, she'd end up with the frying pan. It was better if it was in her hands instead of her skull.

About thirty minutes later…

Ding! Ding! Ding!

"Breakfast is served!" Videl said to the family, who was all outside enjoying the sunshine. "Hey Gohan! I want you to have the first plate!"

When Gohan arrived inside, he didn't expect to see what was in front of him. Runny eggs, soggy waffles, burnt toast, and a kitchen that looks like it was hit by a tornado.

"Scrumptious!" Gohan said nervously.

"Note to self: If we get married, I'm totally hiring a chef."

On any note, Gohan wolfed down the disaster as if it were a delicious Christmas turkey, and complimented his loving cook for the morning. He decided the food wasn't near as bad as he feared. Heck, he wanted more of it. Because no matter how burnt the toast was, or how soggy the waffles were, the food was still delicious. Because it had Videl's special, secret ingredient.

Her love for Gohan.

After eating the two decided they would head to West City to see if Bulma could whip up a new car for Videl.

"I can't wait to meet up with the gang again, Gohan!"

"Yeah, Bulma, Trunks, and… Oh man…"

"Whats wrong, hun?" Videl asked.

"Vegeta."

End of Part Three