The last chapter was for my own need for super-marshmallow-cotton-ball-fluffiness, and I know that some of you guys liked it too :D well, just wanted to make their first date super cute like that—don't worry, things aren't gonna stay perfect for our little lovebirds for too long, last chapter was just pure oozing fluff. Soon, though, I'm sure that you all will wish that things stay perfect between them…*evil cackle*
Also, guys, I applied for Team Dragon Star and I got in, yay! I am now a member of Team Dragon Star, and have submitted a B/V one-shot called 'Nightmares'. I'd love it if you guys all read it! Thanks! :D
By the way, happy very belated birthday, SierraLarson! I promised her a chapter for her birthday (she told me too late to actually be able to post it ON her actual birthday…-_-). Anyways, this chapter is for her, who is a loyal reviewer and awesome person! Happy late birthday, hope you like the chapter! :D
This chapter is also for DarkVoid 116, another loyal reviewer and fellow writer who is also completely awesome :D. This is also his early-birthday present :3. So, this chapter is for Dark and Sierra, for the former's early birthday and the latter's late one :D thank you for all your support and ideas throughout the story, it means a lot to me! :D
Also, I have a super-duper request to make of everyone. I've noticed that this story has gotten a LOT of favorites and follows. Thank you all so much for that, by the way! :D but also, if you've favorited and/or followed my story, I would really appreciate it if you guys dropped me a review. Even if it's two words or to tell me that I suck XD but getting reviews gives me constructive criticism and could possibly make me into a better writer, so that the chapters will come out better XD and also they give me ideas sometimes. Have I mentioned that? XD but please, the main point is, may you pretty, pretty please drop a review if you've favorited/followed this? It would mean a lot to me; seeing one of your lovely reviews brightens my day :) On that note, I also would like to throw out a big thank-you to my loyal reviewers who have stuck with me through this, such as A Touch of the Blues, SierraLarson, abbieouji, lancecomwar, DarkVoid 116, ultranx, jimthebear2, KimiruMai, CottonCandy101, dcp1992, Firestorm1991, and everyone else who has reviewed! It means a lot to me! :)
…that was a REALLY long author's note. Anyways, now that my rambling is done, onto the story! Hope ya enjoy! :)
Disclaimer: Seriously?
Nightmares haunted Gohan that night.
It was so sudden, so unexpected, that the teenager felt completely unprepared for the emotional onslaught of the memories that terrorized him as he slept. After he had told Videl about the nightmares he was having, they hadn't truly come back—often, the most he ever dreamed about were small snippets that quickly changed to another dream, one more peaceful than a terrible memory.
That night, however, they came back such clarity that it was almost as if Gohan had traveled back in time to those exact moments.
Everything seemed to bombard him at once that night, in no specific order but all in disturbing precision, both memories of when he was younger and recollections of the recent fight with Majin Buu. Agony searing through his side as his energy was forcibly taken from him—Sixteen's desperate plea to save the animals before his head was ruthlessly crushed by Cell, something inside Gohan snapping at that as he wailed—Videl's screams of agony as Spopovich ruthlessly pressed his heel into her temple, grinning sadistically as Gohan snarled—watching Nappa kill Piccolo after Gohan was too weak to save himself—seeing his father die once again—the crazed, emotionless look in Vegeta's emerald eyes as Babidi possessed him—hearing that everyone on the Earth had been killed by Majin Buu—watching with mute horror as the pink blob suddenly absorbed Gotenks and Piccolo before the monster began to wail on him—seeing Vegeta go temporarily insane over the death of his son from the future after Mirai Trunks had been ruthlessly killed by Cell—the extreme pain of having his neck broken by Recoome—watching Frieza kill Krillin and then Vegeta, hearing the prince's last words of desperation—trying to prevent Majin Buu from hatching by frantically firing energy at the cocoon—the utter hopelessness and despair that hit him when he first felt that blob's energy, trying to get away with Shin but unable to make it—
Everything. All jumbled up, in no specific order, small spurts of time that quickly changed to a different and equally terrible memory.
He woke up with a sickening jolt, eyes snapping open as he shot straight up in bed, his breathing unnaturally fast and ragged, heart racing. It took him few moments for his sharp Saiyan eyesight to register the fact that he was surrounded by a dark room—his dark room—and that all of the things that had happened in his nightmares were simply memories.
Memories that had felt sickeningly real once again. The details of the dreams—the sights, sounds, textures, smells, tastes—had all been in shocking clearness. And the things that his five senses hadn't picked up on—his emotions—were all as fresh as they has felt before, suddenly hitting him all at once. Agony and fury and panic and hopelessness and terror and anguish and grief and disbelief and anger and guilt…everything cursed through his system, an emotional overload.
It took him a while to calm down, curling up in a slight fetal position, elbow resting on his bent knee, his sweaty forehead in his palm as he took in deep breaths, in and out and in and out, in an attempt to calm himself. He made sure not to close his eyes except to blink—the memories would resurface if he closed them once more completely, he was sure of it. His black hair was damp with perspiration, his bare chest beaded lightly with sweat, his face even paler than normal, dark eyes wide as he struggled to fight back the vivid images, heart still thudding rapidly. Soon, though, he was able to control his breathing completely, his breaths softer now and more gentle, back to being just about involuntary, and the quick beating of his heart had slowed to its normal pace once more.
Instinctively, he glanced over at his little brother—Goten was sleeping like a baby, a small smile on his angelic face. Gohan had worried that the little boy might have nightmares like himself, but it didn't seem to be the case here, the teenager noted with relief. He wasn't sure if he would be able to know that Goten, too, was suffering from night terrors.
Gohan knew that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. He cast his dark eyes over to the clock; it proclaimed that it wasn't even 5:30 yet. Stifling a slight moan, he began to get out of bed, tossing the too-warm sheets to the side, when he heard Goten let out the tiniest of whimpers. Turning back to his little brother, he saw that, now, Goten's face was lightly twisted in what looked like fear and pain in his sleep. Gohan had thought too soon—Goten seemed to be having nightmares as well.
However, after a few seconds, Goten's face relaxed once more, turning back into that small smile that had originally been in place. Gohan let out the breath that he hadn't known he had been holding—Goten's nightmares probably were like his own were at first, only small bursts of things that weren't completely remembered when he woke up, outweighed by the good dreams that he was probably having.
After watching his brother protectively for a little while, making sure that he was truly all right, Gohan sighed as he ran an agitated hand through his hair. He brought his legs over to the side of the bed, his feet flat on the floor, elbows on his thighs as he brought both hands to his thick hair, gripping it almost like a lifeline, grappling with the last terrible remnants of the nightmares. The emotions were still as fresh as they had been in those exact times…
The half-Saiyan teen vigorously shook his head to clear it of the horrible recollections of the ordeals. They were over now. All of them. He was alive. Everyone he cared about was alive now. They were safe. They were fine.
Then…why did he get the horrible, foreboding, gut-wrenching feeling that everything wasn't all right?
Struggling to detach these unnerving thoughts from his mind, he went to the bathroom to wash his face. The room had suddenly felt too hot and stuffy for him, so he turned on the cold water when he reached the bathroom and splashed his face with the blessed frigidness. He continued to splash his face until his mind was unable to comprehend anything other than the freezing cold of the water, until his face felt slightly numb from the chill. He gripped the sides of the white porcelain sink, taking care not to crack the fragile material with his strength, taking a few more calming, deep breaths, soon gaining control over his fluctuating emotions. To make things even better, he decided at the last minute to take a cold, refreshing shower, so that he could truly wake up and get the slight stickiness from his sweat off of him. As he entered the shower, he closed his eyes and allowed the cool water to fall on his body, washing away the perspiration and also seeming to cleanse his mind gently of the flashbacks that he had.
He then busied himself with getting ready for school, wrapping a white towel around his waist after he got out of the shower, picking out and then changing into his garments. He reached into his drawer and pulled out the watch that Bulma had given him, the one that allowed his Saiyaman getup to materialize. He cast one last glance to his little brother, protectiveness and caring shining in his onyx eyes as he watched the little boy sleep peacefully, before he went out of the room.
As he passed his parents' room on his way to the kitchen, Gohan couldn't help but smile the slightest bit as he felt the familiar ki of his father sleeping with his mother, still powerful even in complete rest, a drastic difference to his mother's barely noticeable, gentle energy. It was nice to have his father back, to have him and Goten bonding, to see his mother even happier than before. To wash away some of the guilt that he'd always felt as being the cause of his father's death.
He soon reached the kitchen, getting prepared to make himself some food. However, when he was opening the fridge, he caught sight of a small, green Post-it note on the white surface that he hadn't noticed before. Curiously, he closed the door again and inspected the familiar, neat handwriting on the note.
If any of my boys wake up to train in the early hours of the morning, when no sane being can possibly be awake, there are some capsules of breakfast for you. I am NOT waking up that early to make you food, understand? I need my sleep. I know that they'll probably be used up very quickly because of you, Goku; you sometimes wake up so early to train. It's for all three of you; they're inside the top left cabinet. Please, try not to eat ALL of them in one shot, all right? I love you, sweethearts!
XOXOXO,
Chi-Chi (Mom)
Gohan couldn't help but laugh slightly as he read the note—so this was what his mother had been doing yesterday when he'd returned from his date with Videl. He had seen her cooking out of the corner of his eye as he ate his dinner, wondering what she was doing but unable to truly focus on it, since his father was eating with him as well. When three males with Saiyan blood were sitting at one table as they ate and one of them had the name of Goku, you had to protect your food or eat it as quickly as possible.
It made sense, though, why his mother would do that. His father was notorious for waking up bright and early to train, and he supposed that his mother had been woken up to cook some breakfast for him too many times to count (Saiyans had no problem with eating early in the morning at all—food at any time in the day was just fine with them), and this was just a precaution just in case he wanted to repeat the cycle. It was also rather convenient for him—Gohan wasn't exactly the world's best cook, but his mother's amazing meals never disappointed. He found the capsules that his mother was talking about, and smiled as he took one of them, wanting to be surprised at what his mother had made.
After he had finished an amazing breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, and toast, all downed with orange juice, he grabbed another green Post-it from the small pad on the kitchen counter, grabbing a blue pen from the penholder as well. Then, he began to scribble a note, so that his mother wouldn't worry about him. He remembered what Goten had told him quite a while ago, when he had gone to Capsule Corporation for that early-morning spar and slight advice from Vegeta, and remembered the promise that he had made the little boy. And Gohan always tried to keep his promises, no matter how small.
Mom, I woke up pretty early today and used a couple of the food capsules that you stored for us. Thanks a lot for that, by the way. I couldn't really sleep well, so I'm going to school a little early. Tell Dad that I said hi, and tell Goten I'll see him later. I was going to see Bulma after school for something, and if you let Goten see Trunks today, I can pick him up when I come back from school if you want me to. Just a thought.
Thanks again for the food capsules; I think it was a genius idea.
Love you,
Gohan
As Gohan finished his note, he managed a smile, knowing that his mother would appreciate the compliments. She would also probably be glad that he remembered to tell her where he was going if he left early, so that she wouldn't get frightened. She would probably worry about his sleeping schedule, though, the way that she always looked at them before they went into a battle where one of them could possibly not come back from, the same look that she had worn in her eyes before they had left to the Cell games where his father hadn't returned because of him—
No, Gohan fiercely told himself. No, Dad's here, he's fine. He's back with us.
Even as he told himself that, it did not stop the whole Cell Games from flashing in front of his eyes: Hercule being carelessly smacked away; his father fighting Cell, then nominating Gohan to fight Cell; watching the Cell Juniors brutally attack his friends; Sixteen grabbing Cell and attempting to self-destruct only to find out that Bulma had removed the bomb inside of him; Cell decapitating him; Hercule throwing Sixteen's head in front of Gohan so that the orange-haired Android could speak to the boy; the overgrown cockroach mercilessly crushing the cyborg's head; him screaming and crying as his power escalated; punishing Cell for all that he had done, prolonging the torture; his father sacrificing himself as Cell resorted to the cheap, cowardly technique of self-destructing; feeling his father's power blink away as Cell's terribly familiar one gathered up in the clouds; Mirai Trunks falling to the ground, the yellow beam piercing through his body as Vegeta stared in shock as his son from the future choked out blood; the Saiyan prince screaming at the death of the time-traveler and lunging for Cell in a mad rage; Gohan leaping in front of him to protect him from a fatal blow from Cell; knowing he was still too damned weak to help anyone because he was never strong enough and he was too damn prideful and he'd killed his own father because of that damned stupid arrogance—
No. It was all right. The Cell Games were over and done. He'd managed to kill the monster with the slight help of his father, and now, his father truly was here, in the flesh with them, the full-blooded Saiyan's familiar ki thrumming gently in the room that the man shared with his wife. They were simply memories. Memories couldn't harm him.
He repeated that in his head, over and over and over, but…it didn't seem to truly reassure him that much.
Shaking his head to clear away the flashbacks, the cobwebs that had begun to form into his mind, clinging to him, leeching from any peace that he might have had and replacing it with the panic, the fear, the agony, the anguish…
He quickly left the house, jumping into the air the moment that he stepped foot out of his humble abode. Transforming quickly into Saiyaman, so that no one else would recognize him for who he really was, before he took off.
He had no set destination in mind. He just…flew. It was calming, giving him something to do, distracting him from anything else other than focusing on keeping himself in the air. As he flew, he unconsciously felt out for the other familiar power levels of his friends and allies. He could faintly feel Krillin's ki from far away, but was unable to feel Marron—she had such a tiny power level and was so far that he couldn't sense her; however, he knew that she was fine. He felt Yamcha's energy, significantly weaker than Krillin's, along with Tien and Chiaotzu's own stronger powers. Obviously, he could not miss the blaringly obvious kis of the two Saiyan princes as they slept, the elder's significantly stronger than the younger one's even during rest. Trunks' ki was close to his parents'; he was also able to catch the energy of Bulma, which seemed even weaker than normal compared to Vegeta's much more powerful one which was right next to hers. He even felt the gentle, reassuring pulse of Videl's energy as she slept, safe and sound. She would probably be waking up soon to be getting ready for school.
Gohan realized that the sky was getting slightly lighter—he turned so that he could witness the sunrise, because seeing that always seemed to calm him down even more, always gave him a sense of peace and tranquility. He watched as the bright sun slowly began to peek over the horizon, the clouds and sky around it becoming tinted with beautiful hues, turning into gentle shades of light rose and soft lavender and creamy yellow and mellow orange, before fading into the now pretty periwinkle color that the sky had faded into.
He wasn't sure how long he stood hovering in the air, watching the sun rise gently into the sky. It was so beautiful…he absentmindedly remembered back on Namek, the planet with three suns, where there had never been night, the three suns rising and setting in equal intervals so that it was always daytime. They never had the beauty of sunrises. That planet had been weird, Gohan honestly thought—with blue grass and green skies, the colors seeming to be switched to him, and the trees had been so barren, only a handful of perfectly circular blue leaves on the top of the tan trunks. There had been barely any other landmarks, most of the planet being simple, flat, barren ground. Everything had been so…out in the open, which made hiding difficult. He had to have known how to hide his power or else bad things might've happened that were worse than what had occurred—
The Namekians being ruthlessly slaughtered by Zarbon and Dodoria—they weren't going to make it, Dodoria was too fast, he was going to catch them—agony as Recoome broke his neck with sadistic glee, pain please make the pain stop it hurts so much Daddy where are you—Frieza just killing and killing and killing, first Dende and then Vegeta and then Krillin—grabbing Bulma, they weren't going to make it, they weren't going to make it back to the ship, it was falling and the planet was dying and they were all going to die—
Gohan suddenly put on a burst of speed, creating a sonic boom in his wake as he flew as fast as he possibly could, as if he traveled fast enough that he could leave all the painfully clear memories behind. Yet the thoughts didn't leave his head, continuing to buzz around like a swarm of angry bees, stinging him with the raw emotions and the vivid images.
Soon, when he probably guessed that he'd flown around the world a few times unconsciously, he looked down at his watch—it told him that it was 7:43. He hadn't known so much time had passed, and decided that he ought to start heading to school. He changed his direction and headed towards the building, his body now on autopilot since he was in a familiar area and knew how to reach the school from here.
Losing all track of time, Gohan hadn't even known that his feet touched the roof of the school building. His mind seemed to be in another dimension, another realm that was unreachable to anyone but him, not even in this world completely, but in a world of memories where there was pain and grief and fear, pure, pure terror and anguish and agony…
"Gohan?"
He hadn't even sensed her coming. With slight shock, the young man turned around to see that Videl had landed on the roof of the school as well—it seemed that she had flown herself without her usual mode of transportation. Looking at her, meeting her surprised and concerned blue gaze, he managed a slightly strained grin in reply.
"Oh, hey, Videl," he answered, pressing the button in his watch that dematerialized his Saiyaman getup. When she didn't say anything in reply, simply going up to him and scrutinizing her with her blue eyes, he asked, after a few moments of silence, "Um…what is it?"
She continued to intently examine him, crossing her arms as she looked right into his dark eyes. "Hey, are you OK?" she asked him, after giving him yet another quick once-over with her gaze. "I mean…you look weird today."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
She rolled her eyes. "Do you think I'm stupid?" she asked him bluntly. "You don't seem yourself today, I can tell. You seem…distant, somehow." Her blue eyes were boring into his with intensity, with concern, with emotion—
Android #16's ice blue eyes gazed at Gohan with a look of pleading intensity after he had spoken, after telling Gohan to let go of his power so that he could protect nature, for a moment, a millisecond, a flash of pure, raw feeling.
And then Cell's foot came down upon the Android's head, crushing it in one swift move and ending the cyborg's life once and for all.
Gohan let out a slightly choked breath, shaking his head vigorously, trying to shake away the terrible thoughts forming in his mind, preventing the events from the Cell Games from coming up again. However, as he suppressed those memories, the ones just recently, from the battle with Majin Buu, seemed to appear.
His odd behavior did not go unnoticed by Videl, whose eyes became more concerned for him than slightly accusing. She gently reached out a hand to touch his cheek, and his hand came up next to hers, his large, slightly calloused one holding her own smaller one. His slightly troubled onyx eyes looked at her, and she shook her head.
"Gohan, you have to tell me," she said quietly. "What's wrong? You haven't told me yet." She wrapped her other arm around his thick, corded neck in a half-hug, and he returned the gesture as his arm wrapped itself around her small waist. She rested her head on his chest, feeling his heartbeat against her cheek as she lightly embraced him It was a gesture of wordless comfort, of support, that Videl was willing to give to him. "Please, Gohan, tell me that's wrong."
There was no sound for a few moments, other than Gohan's slightly labored breathing as he fought back the flashbacks, squeezing his eyes shut. He buried his nose into her short back hair, inhaling her comforting scent, before he began to speak.
"Nightmares," he told her quietly, so softly that she had to strain slightly to hear him, unsure if she had heard him.
"Of what?" Videl asked gently in reply, just as quietly as he was speaking.
"Of…of everything," Gohan confessed, barely even above a whisper. "When the Saiyans first came to Earth…when we went to Namek…the Androids…the Cell Games…Majin Buu…everything, Videl."
His voice was strained as he valiantly battled the emotions that were threatening to engulf him, holding her the slightest bit closer. She didn't protest, bringing her head up so that she could look at him, look into his dark eyes with worry for his wellbeing in her own. She brought one of her hands up to the back of his head as she gently ran her fingers through his thick, black hair.
"It's OK, Gohan," she whispered comfortingly. "All of those things happened, but you've been through them and survived. It's all right, it's OK, I promise you, it's all over. The evil Majin Buu is defeated, you killed Cell, and the whole skirmish with the Saiyans and Namek is over." She didn't truly understand all of the things that he'd gone through—he hadn't gone into extreme detail when he'd told her the day before about his heritage—but she knew enough to know that bad things happened to him when he was very young, that his eyes were opened to true cruelty at a very young age. And yet, he somehow still retained a gentle innocence, a slight form of purity, somehow, in some way. It was something that seemed impossible, considering all that had been forced onto him, all that he'd gone through, but then again, Gohan always seemed to go against what was expected.
"I…I want it to stop," Gohan confessed in a voice that was barely discernible from the gentle, barely even-heard breeze that was brushing past them, his dark eyes distant, in another time as his gaze was fixed on a spot over her head. "The nightmares…they usually don't happen, but…when they do, it's…it's like…I'm reliving it. All over again. Exact same emotions. It's like I traveled back in time…I don't want it to happen any more, Videl."
"I know," she replied softly, giving him whatever reassurance she possibly could as she ran her fingers through his hair. The tone in his voice suggested that he was struggling with his emotions, and she was suddenly hit with a wave of sympathy for him as she watched him stare ahead with those intense, dark eyes. What had Gohan done wrong? Why did he have to suffer through these things, the nightmares and flashbacks? "I know you don't want it to happen anymore. I know. It's not fair."
Gohan's breathing was slightly heavy, and Videl opted not to say anything else, giving him her silent support, not protesting when he buried his nose in her hair once more as she continued to gently comb through his thick black locks with her surprisingly delicate fingers. He began to take deep breaths of her scent, allowing it to override everything, growing calmer at the soothing motions that she was making and the beautiful, natural perfume of her skin—cinnamon and slight citrus, and something spring-like, lightly flowery…it was comforting, familiar, soothing.
He soon seemed to regain control of himself without any more help, his breathing regulated once more, finally calmed down. He stood there with his girlfriend for a little while longer, simply content with holding her, before he gently bent down and kissed her forehead, causing her to smile—she loved it when he did that.
"Thanks, Videl," he said quietly. "For just…you know…listening. And being there. Thank you."
"Hey, no problem," she replied with a smile, looking up at him with love in her cerulean eyes. "I'm always here to help. Never hesitate to ask for help if you need it, OK?"
Gohan smiled down at her, bringing his free hand up so that it was resting behind her neck. "I'll keep that in mind," he said, and her smile widened the slightest bit more in return. She reached up and gave him a chaste kiss, a bare brushing of their lips in innocence, and Gohan gently responded to the gesture.
When they pulled away, Videl instinctively checked her watch. Her blue eyes widened with surprise as she looked at the time.
"Crap, Gohan, it's only about eight minutes till class starts," she said in shock—she could've sworn that they'd had a lot more time than a little less than ten minutes. She could've sworn that they had twenty…she guessed that time had gone by very quickly as they had stood on the roof. "We should get going."
Reluctantly, Gohan's arm unwrapped itself from around her waist. "OK," he almost pouted, prompting Videl to grin at him as she rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's extremely childish demeanor at the moment.
"Hey, it's not like we don't have after school to hang out; hell, we can hang out during school, too," she told him with a knowing smile. "You won't ever be deprived of my company for long; I know it's painful for you to be parted from me."
Gohan laughed, shaking his head at her antics. "Yes, it is," he chuckled, and he reached out and offered her his hand. She took it without hesitation, smiling gently as they lightly interlaced their fingers together. Then, the two walked towards the stairs, and Gohan opened the door as they descended down into the school.
The two teenagers began to walk through the hallways of the school, amiably chatting with each other, keeping their fingers lightly interlaced, with one of them sometimes swinging it back and forth slightly. The corridors weren't crowded, containing only a few kids as they got their last-minute things for their classes, strolling along their way until they caught sight of something that they didn't think would ever be possible. Most jaws dropped, and they did nothing to stop their stares as they watched in shock as the Videl Satan, daughter of Hercule Satan, strolled down the hallways with a boy—with Gohan Son, of all people—as they held hands, talking quietly to each other as they smiled, conversing with each other. If there was any doubt that they were not together, it was quickly erased when either Videl would reach up to peck Gohan's cheek or the boy would bend down to gently kiss her forehead every now and then.
Both Gohan and Videl knew that they were being stared at, but acted confident and pretended that they didn't notice, acting like they normally would, naturally, not wanting to hide it. Neither of them knew that the other was putting up a façade, and believed that the other truly was confident about all of this, that they really weren't noticing the stares; the truth was that both of them were acutely aware of the fact that all the other kids almost burned holes in their skin with their gazes, but acted as if they couldn't care less.
"You know, they're looking at us like we're some sort of freak show," Gohan said quietly, bending down to whisper in her ear. "Haven't they seen people holding hands before?"
Videl laughed in return, grinning and slightly relieved—Gohan seemed to be much better now than he had been this morning, seeming to have just about forgotten about his nightmares from earlier. "Well, I guess it's because it's, well, me. Everyone thought that I'd never get a boyfriend because of my dad, and you're…well, you."
"Gee, thanks," he replied sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.
"It's not an insult, Gohan," she chided him lightly, punching his arm with barely any strength—she knew that if she actually used any that she would get hurt instead. "It's just that you're so…innocent, you know? You always blushed whenever a girl hit on you before. Seeing you with me is a real shock—hell, seeing you with any girl would shock them just because you're so innocent. I, personally, think it's really cute, the way that you used to blush."
Gohan rolled his eyes in annoyance as he fell into a slight pout, prompting Videl to laugh as she reached up and kissed his cheek once more in good humor. "Oh, stop acting like such a little kid," she told him.
He looked down at her, and then sighed, unable to cling onto his slight annoyance as he gazed into her bright, sparkling blue eyes. "Fine," he answered, and she grinned in return as she rested her head contentedly on his shoulder, slightly swinging their hands between them.
Soon, they reached their classroom, where the two paused for a moment, steeling themselves, before Gohan opened the door and walked in with Videl.
The chatting that had been taking place before the teacher had entered the room just about fell silent as the two walked in, hand-in-hand. The shocked gazes of the entire class fell on their joined hands, and then to their faces, which were now slightly blushing as they continued to walk towards their seats.
Suddenly, a familiar squeal sounded from their seats, and Videl turned to see that Erasa's hands were clasped together happily. Vaguely, the black-haired girl also noticed that their seating had changed—Erasa was not seated directly next to Sharpener, who had his arm slung casually around the back of her chair as Erasa patted the spot next to her eagerly. Deciding not to ask questions, the two black-haired teens, lightly blushing and ignoring the silence that had broken out into slight whispers, walked up to their designated spots.
Videl took her seat next to Erasa, and Gohan sat down next to her, their fingers still interlaced with one another. It gave them security, and honestly was the only thing keeping either of them from turning as red as beets as the whispers intensified, looks being cast their way.
"Oh my gosh, Videl!" Erasa squealed, unable to stop herself from throwing her arms around her best friend and giving her a hug. Videl couldn't help but grin back at the eagerness with which the blonde was greeting her, and took her hand away from Gohan's for only a few moments so that she could return her friend's embrace.
"Nice to see you, too, Erasa," Videl joked, grinning as she pulled away from her best friend. Her hand unconsciously found its way to Gohan's slightly calloused one once more, and their fingers naturally threaded together again under the table, inconspicuously.
Erasa's bright blue eyes looked at Gohan and grinned, and the half-Saiyan teen grinned sheepishly in reply as he waved, offering a "hey" in greeting.
Since formalities were over, Erasa wasted no time in getting down to business. "Oh, you two are so cute together! I always somehow knew that you had a little thing for Gohan, Vi!" Erasa said happily. This caused the new couple to blush slightly once more, but Videl smiled at her best friend.
"I guess you always know these things, don't you, 'Rase?" Videl teased lightly, and the blond-haired girl laughed.
"Oh, but you two are so freaking adorable!" Erasa continued to gush, hands clasped together in pure elation. "How did your dad react to it, since Gohan's the—" Suddenly, she stopped herself, glanced around the room, and then lowered her voice. "Since Gohan is Saiyaman and the Gold Fighter," Erasa finished in a quiet whisper, making sure no one else heard.
Before she could ask how her best friend knew that information, Videl's brain quickly reminded her that Erasa had been at the Tournament, as well as Sharpener and a few other kids from the school. "Well," she began in answer, "Dad, of course, did the whole 'you can't date anyone stronger than me' thing. Gohan was right there, though, and I pointed out that Gohan was stronger than him. He's…well, he's OK with it, because, well, Gohan hadn't done anything to him, so he can't exactly hate the guy."
Erasa grinned, happy that things seemed to be going well for her two friends. "Well, I'm happy for you two," she giggled.
"Wow, Brains managed to get Videl and get on her dad's good side," Sharpener said from behind Erasa, wearing a slight smirk on his face. "I need to get tips from you, man. How the hell did you do that? Being the nerd and all, and not knowing anything about girls beforehand."
Erasa elbowed the other blond-haired boy lightly in the ribs. "Oh, be nice, Sharpie," she told him, grinning.
"What? It's true," Sharpener defended himself.
Gohan laughed lightly. "Don't worry, Erasa, I understand where Sharpener is coming from," he replied. "And I just…I dunno, was myself."
"That's so freaking corny," Sharpener muttered with a roll of his eyes, earning yet another light elbow from Erasa. "Can you stop doing that? Your elbow freaking hurts!" he told her.
This, however, caused Erasa to giggle. "Oh, Sharpie, just suck it up," she told him offhandedly. "Aren't you supposed to be all macho and manly?"
"I am macho and manly—it's just that your elbow's freaking bony," he continued in exasperation, rolling his eyes dramatically.
"Stop being such a baby," Erasa giggled, turning around and giving Sharpener a quick peck on the nose. "There, I'm sorry for hurting you, OK?"
Sharpener grumped for a moment, before finally sighing in defeat at the look that Erasa was giving him, her baby blue eyes wide in that puppy-dog, Bambi-eyed look. "Fine, you're forgiven," he finally said, and Erasa grinned as she kissed him on the cheek, before she turned back to her other black-haired friends.
Videl's eyes had been flicking between her two blonde friends as they had spoken to each other, and finally looked straight at Erasa once the blonde girl was facing them again. A slow, slight smile began to creep onto Videl's face at the realization that hit her.
"Erasa, do you have something you want to tell us?" Videl teased lightly, still wearing that small knowing smirk on her face.
Erasa blushed a bit, but her grin remained on her face. "Yep, we sure do," she replied brightly, before she placed her hand on Sharpener's, which had moved to her shoulder, still slung across the back of her chair. "You want me to break them the news?" she inquired of the boy behind her.
"Sure," Sharpener replied carelessly, smirking slightly down at her.
She grinned even more brightly, before she turned back to her two black-haired friends. "Well…Sharpener and I are officially going out!"
Videl couldn't help but grin at her best friend, laughing. "I'm very happy for you, Erasa," Videl smiled, before she turned to Sharpener in surprise, her eyebrow slightly raised. "Just out of curiosity, though…I thought you were obsessed with me. Not to sound conceited or anything…just, how'd it happen?"
"Well, it happened a little after you two disappeared after the Tournament," Erasa began. "I just…" She turned to Sharpener, blue eyes warm. "I don't know what happened exactly. But it just…happened."
"Suddenly, we were in an intense make-out-fest," Sharpener offered, when Erasa didn't elaborate any further. "Stuff was said, and then, bam, we're making out. And we decide to become a couple. Oh, Videl, I got over you. I knew you had the hots for Saiyaman…I mean, Gohan," he teased.
Videl huffed, while Gohan laughed lightly. "So she liked me even then?" he asked Sharpener, ignoring the indignant look that his girlfriend shot him.
The other teenaged boy smirked, tucking a stray strand of long blond hair behind his ear. "Yep, it was obvious," he sniggered, causing Videl to glare at him with her penetratingly blue eyes.
"Why isn't the teacher here yet?" she grumbled under her breath, casting glances towards the clock. It was already five minutes past eight thirty, which was when class officially began, and the teacher wasn't in the room.
"Oh, come on, Videl, I was just teasing," Gohan told her, grinning as he gently bent down and lightly kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry if I offended you. Is that good?"
One look into his dark eyes, and Videl knew she was a goner. "Damn it, Gohan, that's not fair, stop doing that look," she grumped, glaring lightly at him now.
"What look?" he asked innocently, and instinctively dodged the punch that she lightly threw at him, laughing. Their hands that were joined under the table had never separated, however.
"Bastard," she huffed in annoyance, turning her glower to the clock once more. Gohan laughed, squeezing her hand and kissing her black hair once more.
"Just for your information, my parents were married when they had me," he quirked in reply.
At that, Videl felt her lips twitch slightly, before she couldn't fight it any more and snickered at his joke. "Smartass," she shot back, rolling her eyes but smiling at him now, unable to truly stay annoyed with him for long. He chuckled, shaking his head at her, just as the teacher walked into the classroom. The rest of the class fell quiet, a hush coming over them as the teacher began to apologize for being late, hurriedly trying to get ready for the day.
Videl turned to see Sharpener whisper something in Erasa's ear, which caused the blonde girl to giggle as she laid her head on his arm while she watched the teacher with bored eyes, whispering back to him. The sight caused Videl to grin at them a bit—she was glad that Erasa had gotten together with him, since she had actually liked Sharpener. The two seemed perfect for each other.
"Erasa sure seems happy," Gohan commented quietly in Videl's ear.
"Yeah," she replied. "She actually liked Sharpener before, after she got over you." At Gohan's look of slight shock, Videl laughed a bit as she shook her head. "Just about every girl in the school had a thing for you, Gohan. You know it, too."
"But…OK, I won't ask anymore," Gohan sighed, shaking his head. It was not Videl's turn to laugh as she squeezed his hand lightly, and he gently returned the gesture, allowing her to lean her own head on his shoulder as they watched the teacher.
Their two hands that were under the table never let go of each other during the whole period.
"GOHAN!"
The half-Saiyan teen was assaulted by two bundles of energy, one of them an orange blur and the other one having lavender hair. Gohan laughed as he was assaulted by the two eager little boys, who had tackled him in a hug at the exact same moment, falling backwards slightly from the force, not having expected it.
"Hey, Trunks," he greeted the younger prince, who grinned in reply before he got off of Gohan. Goten continued to hug his big brother, and Gohan returned the hug fondly. "And hello to you, too, squirt," he said to his younger brother.
"I missed you, Gohan!" Goten told him, clinging to him the slightest bit tighter—Gohan remembered that Goten hadn't given him his 'goodbye hug' like he did every day before he left for somewhere, and allowed the little boy to embrace him for as long as he wanted. Soon, though, he seemed to have been content with his hugging, and pulled away slightly, grinning.
"Uncle Vegeta showed me and Trunks new fighting moves!" Goten said happily.
"Oh, did he, now?" Gohan asked with interest, raising his eyebrow. "Where is he, by the way?"
"I think he's taking a shower," Trunks answered. "We took showers a while ago, I think Dad stood in the GR for a little extra training for himself. He's been going on about how he's gotta beat your dad since he came back to life, even though I personally think that he'd be able to kick your dad's ass easily—no offense to either of you, though."
Gohan laughed, both at hearing what Vegeta was doing and at how much Trunks obviously idolized his father. When Goten completely let go of him, Gohan ruffled the little boy's haphazard black spikes of hair affectionately, prompting the little demi-Saiyan to laugh as well. Then, he caught sight of the other person there, and grinned brightly.
"Oh, hi, Videl!" Goten said cheerily. "What're you doing here?"
Videl smiled at the little boy fondly. She now knew why Gohan had told her to stand back after he rang the doorbell and they had been buzzed in—she knew that she probably wouldn't have survived the tackle from the hyperactive boys.
"Well, Gohan and I stopped by to see Bulma for something," Videl answered with a smile as Gohan picked himself up off from the floor.
"I'm gonna bring you home, too, Goten, don't think I forgot about that," Gohan said, while Goten pouted slightly. At that face, Gohan couldn't help but sigh as he shook his head. "But you'll be able to play with Trunks while Videl and I go and see Bulma, all right?"
This immediately brightened Goten's mood, and he jumped up into the air enthusiastically. "YAY!" he cheered, before he quickly high-fived his best friend.
"Take all the time you want, Gohan!" Trunks called over. "No hurry!" Then, the two boys sped away, laughing as they flew out the door and into the great expanses of the Briefs' lawn.
Videl grinned at Gohan. "Well, they certainly are a handful," she joked.
"Yeah—hyper-active Super-Saiyan seven- and eight-year-olds have way too much energy," Gohan agreed, grinning.
"Yeah, you think you have it tough," a voice commented from behind them, and they turned to see Bulma coming into the room with a smirk on her face, a cigarette in her left hand. "You don't have to deal with two Saiyan princes each day, one of them an arrogant asshole and the other a hyperactive little devil, and sometimes the bouncing ball of energy called Goten when he comes over to play. You have no idea what we women go through."
Gohan laughed, shaking his head. "I suppose that's true, when you put it that way…" he admitted, sheepishly grinning.
Bulma winked at him, and then saw Videl there, and smiled at her. "Hey, sweetheart," she greeted the teenaged girl. "So, what brings you both here today? Chi told me you were coming over, Gohan, but I wasn't expecting Videl here, too. Not that you're not welcome here, sweetie," she told the other human woman in the room with a smile.
"Well, Bulma, we came here with a request," Gohan began, and then wondered how, exactly, he was going to word it. He felt Videl gently touch his hand in silent reassurance, also slightly expectant of Bulma's reaction to what would have to be revealed.
However, the moment that their fingers met and entwined, Bulma's blue eyes brightened, and she broke into a large grin, placing her cigarette on the small ashtray on the table that was in the dining room, snuffing out the small flame. "I knew it," she said happily, before either of the two teens could talk. "Oh, Gohan, didn't I tell you!?"
"Tell you what?" Videl asked, turning towards her boyfriend, whose cheeks had darkened slightly.
"I just knew that you both had a thing for each other since the very beginning," Bulma began excitedly, "but obviously you both refused to notice it until the whole Buu fiasco. Finally, though you're a couple! Oooh, I'm so happy for you two, you're both so adorable! Has Chi already begun the wedding plans? I need to help her out!"
"Oh, no, Bulma, not you, too," Gohan groaned slightly, closing his eyes. "What is the big deal about forcing us to get married? We just started dating!"
Bulma continued, as if she hadn't heard him. "Who else knows? Anyone else in the group know about you two? Oh…Gohan, did you tell her about…well, us?"
"If you're talking about the whole 'part super-powerful alien' gig, then yeah, I know about that," Videl answered, grinning.
"Good," the genius replied with a sigh of relief. "If you didn't know, you'd be in for a huge shock. I'm surprised you seem so calm about it, though. If I hadn't grown up around it, I'm sure I'd be freaking out if I found out now."
"Well, I've seen lots of weird things since I first met Gohan," Videl answered truthfully.
"Uh, Bulma? We've kinda strayed off topic," Gohan piped up, trying to direct the conversation away from something that he knew would eventually become embarrassing in some way, shape, or form. A small voice in his mind was telling him that, somehow, the conversation would turn back to embarrassing moments in their family, ones that Bulma would be all-too-willing to share with the newest female member of the group.
"Oh, right!" Bulma agreed, turning to her godson, curiosity now in her sky-blue eyes. "Why'd you two come over in the first place?"
"Well, you see…" Gohan decided just to say it straight. "Could you make a replica of Saiyaman's costume, except more feminine?"
At that odd request, Bulma raised a perfectly shaped blue eyebrow at him skeptically. "Of course; I am a genius after all," she announced, sounding slightly insulted at the fact that Gohan might have believed that she wouldn't be able to do that. "But why?"
"I want to fight crime with Gohan," Videl spoke up, lightly squeezing his hand as she spoke. "As Saiyagirl."
There was silence for a few moments as the blue-haired woman absorbed the information, one hand on her hip as she looked at the two teens. Then, she smiled slightly as she shook her head, laughing.
"All right, so you're gonna be Saiyaman's partner now, huh?" Bulma asked, smiling at how cute it sounded.
"Yeah," Videl replied with an absentminded shrug.
"OK, I'll do it," Bulma said, smiling. "The main design is gonna be the same, but I think I'm gonna change the color scheme a bit. It'll take about half an hour, all right? Go and entertain yourselves somehow, go." With that, she made a shoo-ing motion with her hands, and the teenagers grinned at her, giving her their thanks quickly before they walked out of the room, while Bulma went to her lab to go and make Videl's costume.
"You know," Videl commented absentmindedly as they walked to a different room in the spacious house, "I thought that the Bulma Briefs would be totally different than that."
"How did you think she'd be?" Gohan asked with a raised eyebrow as he sat down on a rather comfortable couch, not letting go of his gentle hold on her hand.
"I dunno," Videl replied as she sat down in her boyfriend's lap, sitting sideways, untangling their fingers so that she could gently drape her arms around his thick neck. Both of his arms came around her waist on instinct at the gesture. "I guess I thought that she'd be one of those stuck-up celebrity snobs, ya know? Not as laid-back and nice as she is."
"Yeah, B's great," Gohan smiled. "It's hard to believe that she's famous sometimes. She's a part of our family—all of us are like one huge family, if you think about it."
Videl smiled at the thought—one big family consisting of many uncles and aunts and cousins. A family of friends. "It's really cute, how you all are so close to each other," she commented. "All weirdoes stick together, right?"
Gohan rolled his eyes slightly at the term that she'd used. "Yes, us 'weirdoes' stick together," he agreed, emphasizing the word 'weirdoes' on purpose. "You couldn't have come up with a better word than that?"
"How about insane psychos?" she offered sarcastically with her own eye-roll. "Or creepy freaks of nature?"
"Thank you for all of the compliments," Gohan shot back smartly, smirking. "Yes, those are all better than 'weirdoes'."
Videl lightly punched his chest, getting even more annoyed when he laughed at her seemingly pathetic attempt to harm him, ignoring the slight stinging of her hand now—she should've seen that coming. He was made of freaking rock. "Stop being such a wise guy," she told him peevishly. "And don't laugh when I punch you. At least pretend to be hurt when I do so."
"Ow," Gohan said, in the most unenthusiastic way possible, and laughed as he dodged another one of her punches easily, while she huffed with irritation once more at him, rolling her eyes.
"It's not fair that you're half-freaking-alien," she sulked. "I mean, nothing seems to harm you, I can't hurt you—hell, I get hurt instead!—and just…ugh!"
"Once again, I am terribly sorry that I cannot possibly change my genetic makeup," Gohan replied, smirking slightly. Damn, he had spent way too much time with Vegeta and his smirks. It had unconsciously rubbed off on him.
"I hate you," she grumbled.
"I love you, too," he smirked once more, and then, before she could protest, he brought one of his hands around to behind her head and leaned in as he kissed her.
At first, Videl, still slightly irritated at him, tried to shove him away. For all her efforts, though, she would've had better luck with a statue…and it wasn't exactly as if she wanted to escape the cage that he'd unconsciously trapped her in as he kissed her. Her faint struggles ceased when she felt his tongue lightly, almost shyly trace her bottom lip, asking for permission, and Videl granted it, completely succumbing to him as she opened his mouth and gave him access. Her own fingers went up into his own thick black hair, gripping it tightly, getting tangled in the slightly coarse strands as her other hand stood on his muscular neck. His hold on her waist was firm as he brought her hear slightly closer with his other hand, so that they could be able to get even more access to each other's mouths, both of their eyes closed as they kissed lovingly, passionately.
"I swear to all the gods, if you even think of having sex on that couch, I will incinerate you both without hesitation."
Videl damn near fell off of Gohan's lap, his hold on her waist the only thing keeping her from tumbling down to the floor as they pulled away quickly, Videl especially startled by the gruff voice that had sounded behind them. Gohan was honestly surprised that he hadn't felt the familiar energy, which was another reason for his shock as he stared at the owner of the voice. Vegeta was standing there, obviously having just come from his shower, wearing a black tank top and gray sweatpants, a water bottle in his hand and his dark eyes glaring at the two, disgust written all over his features.
"What the hell, Vegeta?" Gohan shouted in annoyance, his cheeks turning a brilliant red as they flamed at what he was insinuating. "We weren't—"
"That's my damned couch," the prince growled out, interrupting him. "I don't care if you have sex anywhere else on this compound, just not on that couch and not where the younger brats can walk in and see you, unless you want to mentally scar them for life."
The teenaged boy groaned—Videl was still too shocked to speak, her own cheeks burning at the first statement the surly Saiyan had spoken. "We were not going to do that, Vegeta," Gohan tried to explain.
Vegeta gave a disbelieving snort, rolling his eyes. "Sure you weren't," he muttered. "The woman was right—human teenagers are as horny as rabbits," he grumbled under his breath, casing Gohan's face to flush even more than before, so that he now resembled something close to a tomato.
"Oh, leave them alone, Vegeta," Bulma's voice said lightly from behind them, and they turned to see the blue-haired genius smirking at her husband, a small watch much like the one Gohan was wearing in her hand. "They're young and in love, let them have sex there if they want."
Gohan had thought that Bulma would be his saving grace—she was now proving to be even more of a cause of mortification unto him and his girlfriend, both of them red as beets at what the older couple was insinuating.
"Bulma!" Gohan exclaimed indignantly, after regaining control of his vocal chords. "As I have told Vegeta, we are not doing that!"
Bulma, however, sent a slightly conspiring wink his way once more. "Sure you aren't," she teased, before tossing the small watch to Videl, who caught it on instinct. "That's the new outfit that you wanted, sweetie. It works just like Gohan's, OK?" Looking at the two teens, who were still blushing, Bulma couldn't help but grin some more—they were so cute, she couldn't get over it.
"Oh, Vegeta and I are just teasing," she told them with a grin. "Right, honey?"
Vegeta's only reply was another snort. "You do not speak for me, woman," he told her gruffly. "And I wasn't joking. I do not want them having sex on that couch. It's mine."
"Possessive much?" Bulma teased her husband with a conspiring wink, bringing her head up to kiss his cheek affectionately. The moment after she pulled away, he rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand, grumbling about the "damn blue-haired wench that he should've killed back on Namek" before she "cast her spells" on him. She laughed at her husband, shaking her head.
"Oh, Vegeta, don't act like such a prude," she joked. "How many times has our own son caught us in rather intimate embraces?"
The Saiyan prince snorted once again. "Damn female, that's not the same thing," he retorted, though there were the beginnings of a light blush on his tanned cheeks.
"You're right—it's worse, since it's our kid," she shot back, smirking triumphantly. "Stop being such a damn hypocrite, Vegeta. You know that we like to screw around in many, many odd places."
Her voice had dropped to a low, husky purr as she smirked at her prince. Vegeta's cheeks flushed dramatically at that, slightly angry now that the tables had been turned, and Gohan, with his sensitive Saiyan hearing, also turned crimson. He could've lived the rest of his life peacefully without hearing that little tidbit of information from Bulma.
Bulma laughed at her lover's embarrassment, pecking him on his nose—she knew that it was something that irritated him to no end, and he let out a low growl at her antics. However, the intimidation that this usually had was considerably muted because of the fact that his cheeks were still furiously red. With that final thing, she couldn't resist tainting him more, and sauntered into the kitchen, her hips swaying slightly and a smirk on her face. No matter how hard he tried, the Saiyan prince was unable to take his eyes off of her voluptuous figure that was only emphasized by the tight-fitting red dress that she was wearing, and silently cursed the male hormones that did not allow him to take his eyes away from her well-rounded behind. He soon stalked into the kitchen after his wife, grumbling under his breath and knowing he'd have a 'talk' with her about what she said about their sex life with others.
It took Videl a few minutes to regain control of her vocal chords once more, still slightly shocked by what she had seen, cheeks still flushed slightly. "Gohan…" she trailed off, turning towards the other teenager who was also blushing, "what…exactly…was that?"
Gohan shook his head. "That was an almost normal encounter with Vegeta, and a typical conversation between him and Bulma," he answered in exasperation. At Videl's shocked look, he shook his head in slight sympathy for her. "Vegeta…well, he's…extremely blunt. To the point of embarrassment. So is Bulma at times, as you just saw now."
"…that was a normal conversation between them?" she managed to get out, stunned.
Gohan nodded, letting out a sigh. "Yeah, I know, it's a lot to take in. And that's not even the worst of it. Wait until Yamcha comes over, or when Goten and Trunks are on a sugar high."
"…you're all crazy. Seriously."
"I know. Aren't I the most normal one now, considering what you've seen?"
At that, Videl couldn't help but let out a slightly strangled laugh, shaking her head at him. "Yes, you are," she admitted with a grin. He managed a slight smile in return, before a certain Saiyan prince suddenly came stomping back in the kitchen, still seeming pissed.
"Brat," he began, addressing Gohan gruffly, "that damnable woman has asked me to tell you that your harpy of a mother has called and said that it's time for you and the Kakarot clone to go home."
"Oh, OK," Gohan replied, and Videl stood up so that Gohan, too, could stand in preparation to leave. Gohan raised his energy slightly, so that Goten could feel the increase of it—it was sometimes their silent signal to each other, for one of them to come over to the other.
And that was when it happened.
For a mere millisecond, a tiny flash, Gohan felt…something. It was…odd, for sure. It felt like an energy, but not quite…like an emotion of raw, heated hatred…out of the blue, not coming from him. For one single fraction of a second, there was a moment, a spurt of unmatched, unrelenting hatred, anger...fury.
Gohan's eyes widened the slightest bit, and he spared a glance at Vegeta. Now, to someone who didn't really know the prince, one would think he still looked as aloof as ever; however, Gohan knew him rather well, and knew that he wasn't imagining things when he saw Vegeta's surprise. The pure-blooded Saiyan's eyes had widened a fraction for a moment as well, his muscles tensing the slightest bit, his body unconsciously preparing for battle. Their onyx eyes met for a second, Gohan's eyebrow raised a bit. He received a curt, short nod from Vegeta in return, the action that cemented it.
They both had felt something, but they weren't sure what, exactly, that had been.
"Hey, Gohan, you OK?" Videl asked, noticing that her boyfriend was acting weird.
Gohan quickly cleared his head of the uneasy thoughts that had begun to worm their way into his mind, and plastered a grin on his face as he turned to the young human woman. "Oh, nothing, Videl," he answered easily.
Videl pursed her lips, raising her eyebrow at him in slight disbelief, but decided to let it slide at the moment. She knew that she'd get her answers soon enough. In the meantime, she took his hand once more, threading their fingers together, causing him to smile a bit more.
It was that moment that Goten came bounding into the room, along with Trunks. Goten launched himself at his younger brother, seeming to be content with going home at the moment, while Trunks went to his father, giving him a quick hug. Vegeta relented, not pushing his son away, and Trunks sent the prince a brilliant smile before he went into the kitchen to help his mother with whatever she was doing.
"All right, we're off," Gohan announced. "Bye!"
"Bye, sweethearts!" Bulma called back from the kitchen. Trunks peeped his lavender-topped head out from the doorway of the kitchen, grinning at his best friend and the other two teens.
"See ya later, come back soon!" he told them, grinning.
"OK, will do!" Goten returned happily, holding onto his big brother's other hand.
"Hn," Vegeta grunted, in a manner normal for him to do. However, he locked eyes with Gohan for a moment, and opened the barely-used telepathic link between them.
Keep on your guard, boy, he told the eldest half-Saiyan sternly. We both sensed that, whatever it was. Be on watch at all times so that you can protect your family. I'm sure Kakarot felt it, too, and is also going to be watchful. This situation may be serious; do you understand?
Gohan nodded solemnly. Yes, he returned seriously.
Vegeta, in return, nodded brusquely, before closing their mental rapport. Gohan took it as his cue to leave, and after saying his goodbyes, he, Goten, and Videl took to the air and began to fly back to his house.
Goten began to chatter eagerly about what he and Trunks had done that day, honestly not caring if the two older kids were listening or not. Videl was listening to him often, and usually smiled as he enthusiastically spoke about all the things he did, now that she knew about his special heritage. Gohan joined in on the conversation, too, often speaking to Videl and to Goten as the three flew back to Mount Paozu.
However, no matter how hard he tried to put it out of his mind, that thing that he'd felt continued to nag at Gohan.
Just what, or who, had that emotion been coming from? Why had he felt it? And, even if this was something to worry about, it couldn't possibly be worse than the whole Majin Buu fiasco…
Right?
I think this is my first official kinda-sorta-cliffhanger of this story :D
So, what did you think? I love Sharpener/Erasa, I think they're SUCH a cute little couple XD. And you thought that the nightmares were gone, didn't ya? No, I had them for a reason :D I wonder if you guys can guess why, it's a sketchy theory of mine that's probably gonna come up later. :D
By the way, Hurricane Sandy is crazy right now. Well, at least I didn't have school today and don't have any tomorrow either :D but its so damn WINDY and its raining a lot. At least there isn't too much flooding here in New York, but the wind and rain is pretty bad. But it's not like you guys care about this, so I'll shut up about that now :3
Once again, this chapter was a special birthday present to two awesome people: for SierraLarson's extremely belated birthday and for DarkVoid 166's extremely early birthday as well :D hope you liked it!
Well, not much to say about this, except that I LOVED writing the whole Vegeta bit X3 I can kinda imagine that happening, can't you? I mean, he is Vegeta, after all…X3 I also love Sharpener/Erasa. Did I say that already? XD
Anyways, guys, thanks for reading, hope you liked it! And please review, thank you! :D