Disclaimer: I, Goku's Daughter, do not own Dragonball/Z/GT.
Special thanks: My editor Folken's Daughter. All reiviewers last chapter. I love you all. They say it's a strong word but I mean it!
Sinful
Written by the somewhat infamous Goku's Daughter
Chapter Six: Patience
Patient:
1 : bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint
2 : manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain
3 : not hasty or impetuous
4 : steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity
5 a : able or willing to bear -- used with of b : SUSCEPTIBLE, ADMITTING
--Merriam-Webster OnLine
Something dropped in his stomach, and immediately he knew something was wrong. His eyes wavered, and they shot up looking at the ink-dark sky as if to search for something. For a moment, Goku forgot that he had to go home because this feeling was so strong that in fact Krillin ran out of Master Roshi's house to meet his friend on the beach.
"Did you feel that too?" the bald man asked, concerned and worried.
Goku's stare danced from star to star. He tried to figure out what the problem was. He knew something big had left—gone out of existence. "Yeah, I did."
Krillin saw the bothered look in Goku's eyes and tried to help his friend. "What is it?"
Then at the same time they had figured that someone died; their soul had ascended into the Otherworld. Goku concentrated with all his attention and then he frowned. If he weren't careful, he would have sworn. "Yamcha."
A flash of anger played in Krillin's dark eyes. "The hell… How?" he said, almost hissing. His knuckles curled up and began turning white.
A chilly, whistling breeze passed by, causing the scratchy sand to brush against Goku's hard skin. His frowned sharpened as he shook his head. "I have no idea."
Gohan returned to his house, calm and collected. Immediately he headed to the kitchen to wash the blood off his hands. Soon, by instinct, he sensed Android Seventeen was back.
"I took care of her."
The half-Saiyan didn't smile. "Was it fun?" The tone he used almost sounded like he cared.
Seventeen crossed his arms. "I would have thought that you'd give me a better challenge. Actually a challenge. Period."
At this Gohan smirked from slight amusement. "I apologize. There's always next time."
"Gero has the body too," Seventeen soon added. "That was some bloody work you done to him. You're getting creative. Like art."
While they conversed, Salina entered the kitchen and began preparing dishes.
He nodded and murmured something incoherent. It sounded like, "What else would you expect?" Gohan closed the taps and reached for a cloth to wipe his hands. "You may leave. I'm going to eat now. I wonder what they're making me tonight."
"Egg rolls and noodles," came a voice behind them. Both males turned around nonchalantly and saw Videl standing there in silk pajamas. Gohan could tell that she cleaned up by her polished skin and manageable hair. Despite her appearance, the hybrid was caught off guard because he didn't expect her to be up.
"Did you eat already?" Gohan asked, trying not to focus so much on her features such as her dark, silk hair and snow-white skin.
Videl shook her head slowly and crossed her arms, nestling them under her breasts. "Friends eat together." Her gaze tore away from Gohan and strayed to the Android. "Who's this?" In her initial opinion he looked freakier than Gohan. Both had hard emotionless faces, but this man had no wrinkles or any lines that proved if he ever smiled or frowned. How bizarre.
Android Seventeen introduced himself. "I'm Android Seventeen. Just call me Seventeen."
She told herself that she shouldn't be surprised. Gohan was an alien in the first place. Still, she couldn't help it when her jaw dropped slightly, but not noticeably. Her rump leaned against an appliance and she held a straight face.
"And who are you?" Seventeen was not as curious or interested as Videl was in him.
She tried not to roll her eyes. "Videl. In case Gohan didn't tell you, I'm the girl that he kidnapped." Oh, the bitterness and resentment in her tone.
Seventeen looked partially shocked that Gohan had the gall to do something like this. He turned to hybrid and asked, "Why?" Normally he wouldn't question Gohan, but it slipped out too quickly to be stopped.
Gohan still kept a neutral face. As if it was nothing, he explained, "Future mate." Videl snorted and this time she didn't make an attempt to stop when she rolled her eyes.
Seventeen opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. He didn't want to combust with laughter.
"You could leave Seventeen," Gohan said in a low and even voice. Seventeen wasted no time to leave.
Gohan looked back at her. "It's almost eleven. You didn't have to wait. You might have trouble sleeping if you eat now."
Videl took two plates, one in each hand, and approached her captor. "Listen. You can either shut up, argue with me or we can eat…together. Your food is getting cold." She gave him one of the plates of noodles and he actually followed her to the shiny, mahogany table. When they sat down, she ate in silence, occasionally fidgeting as if something was bothering her.
"What is it?" Gohan asked, looking at his food. He wasn't purposely avoiding her gaze.
Videl refrained from inserting the noodles in her mouth and stared at him. "How did you know—"
"It was obvious," was his low reply.
Videl frowned. His hostile behaviour was always disturbing, but that wasn't occupying her thoughts. "What were you doing so late tonight?" she asked. Truth be told, she disregarded the idea to be polite the moment that she 'accepted' her fate.
He shut his eyes, half expecting this question from her. "You think you can handle it?" Why was he considering what she would feel afterwards?
"Yeah…" She looked at him strangely. "It's not like you killed someone." She laughed…. then it died.
It became silent.
She stared at him and bit her lower lip. "Uh…. It's that, isn't it?" She almost choked on her food.
"I knew it."
"Knew what?"
"That you can't handle it."
Her nostrils flared. "I didn't overreact yet!"
He gave her a look that said he didn't believe her.
"I'm not some fragile doll that can be broken so easily."
His lips partially curled up into a wicked smile. "You are too me."
"Don't even…" The blue-eyed vixen frowned, passion flaring in her eyes.
As the tension came, he called for another plate of food. When he received it he finally said, "You're right." He concluded he should tell her these things—to prove that she was a fragile doll.
She kept silent.
Now, he looked up directly at her blue eyes, giving her an icy stare that held no remorse or compassion. She saw the change in him and almost grimaced. "I murdered him."
Her eyes narrowed, her breathing accelerated, and her jaw dropped. Yet she froze like a statue.
He pointed it out. "See, you can't handle it." He gave her no eye contact.
"Because I never knew it was along the lines of murder!" she exclaimed, disturbed.
"Yeah and I was right."
If she wasn't totally frozen before, now she was. She was outraged and scared that Gohan murdered someone, yet there was a part of her that expected this behaviour from him. She didn't know what to do. When she looked at Gohan she wanted to believe that he was joking, but there was nothing. In fact, he was eating as if nothing happened. "How can you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Pretend that you didn't…. do it?" she said above a whisper. Her eyes screamed, "Get away from me."
He didn't look at her for a while, but when he finally did, Videl saw something else than the ice and hatred in his eyes. It was brief, but she saw sadness again. It was brief, subtle, but it was there.
"I was never taught what compassion and mercy is. I was just taught to kill and survive in this universe." He waved his hand around at the word 'universe'.
It was sad really… how could someone live like this… in hatred? And that look in his eyes—the emptiness that held so much sadness made her ache. Her mouth was partially opened as she stared at Gohan. She was tentative as to what to do next which confused her inside. Should she comfort him? Should she just shut up and eat? Should she pretend like Gohan was harmless and couldn't hurt a soul? Should she be more concerned about her safety?
And the tension grew between them.
Gohan did not mind since he was good at withdrawing his emotions in the first place. But to Videl, it was dreadfully uncomfortable if she didn't say anything—or do anything. As an enemy she should pester him. But she was supposed to be his friend, right? A friend would comfort a friend. However, this was a strange situation because Gohan wasn't the one upset… she was.
Videl left the room to put her plate in the sink. Shortly, she returned to the table with two glasses and a pitcher. She put one tall glass of water beside his plate and stood beside him until he looked up at her, questioning what was going on in the mind of Satan Videl.
"In a way, I'm kind of flattered that you told me the truth instead of covering it up and then telling me later." Videl shivered at the way he looked at her. It was like he was betrayed and confused at the same time. She tried to ignore it to prove that she wasn't a fragile doll that he spoke of. She was stronger than that.
Gohan looked down and picked at his twentieth helpings. When he finally looked up at her, he asked, "Are you afraid of me…now?"
Videl expected his voice to be full of arrogance, but it didn't have any traces of it. When it registered to her that he actually was taking this 'friendship' thing seriously—meaning it mattered how she felt—she beamed. "I was never afraid of you Gohan." She smiled softly at him, and he only smirked at her.
'Why did he suddenly turn on me?' Videl wondered as his wicked emotions gradually came back to his face.
Gohan drained his glass of water. "Okay good, because we share a bed."
The rosy colour from Videl's face entirely vanished.
Hercule sat in his chair, breathing heavily. Night was coming fast and he still couldn't make up his mind about raising the level on the hunt for his daughter. Through the mirror he looked at his scar—the letter 'R'— carved out by one of his attackers and he believed more and more that Videl's abductor's was dead serious. How the hell could he get her back if even the great Hercule couldn't stop him? The Champ frowned. How could he be certain that his sweetie was safe with her abductor? Why did Videl's kidnapper take her in the first place?
Hercule felt his throat closing up. One of his maids thought for sure that if he were obese Hercule would have suffered a heart attack or stroke. He chuckled lightly at that thought, looking up at the wall. It was a portrait of Videl, Hercule and Videl's mother together as a family. Many years before Hercule's wife left the world, deceased from a lost war with breast cancer. Now Videl was stolen from him for different reasons. Hercule could have prevented this happening, but again, what motivated the abductor for committing such a crime?
Was it because of Hercule's fame? Money? Influence in society? He couldn't decide.
Suddenly, the phone rang and Hercule hesitated to pick it up. When he did he was relieved because it was a private investigator.
"How are you holding up?" came a gentle, yet masculine voice.
Hercule felt to smile from the concern. "Frankly, I'm not too sure."
A small pause came before the man spoke. "Well, have you yet decided if you want us to scout for Videl?"
Another pause followed. "I say we go for it. I can't just give up," said Hercule, quite reluctant.
On the other end, the man smiled. "Alright. We'll do anything to find your missing daughter." He waited. "Are you sure you have no idea what the man looks like?"
Hercule nodded and whispered a hoarse, "Yes." Being reminded of the fact that it was a man who wanted his precious Videl made him ache with worry. The idea of rape instantly flashed into his mind and stayed there. He was never one who could tolerate such a shameless act. "She could be anywhere on the Earth!"
"That's why there is so many of us. Don't lose faith in us, Hercule." He meant it. Considering how much money Hercule employed them, they better find her!
Hercule's daughter didn't stare too fondly at Gohan, who was, at the moment, stripping immodestly in front of her into his boxers. Again her arms were crossed sourly, just as her face. "Gohan, I'm not sleeping with you," she said in a harsh voice. She didn't say anything else when he turned around at her, almost naked. It wasn't the first time that she saw him without his shirt, but she couldn't help what she felt. The sight of his ripped muscles was breathtaking, only able to break down her defenses. The scars were another story. Should she dare ask how he got them?
As unfamiliar feelings swept through her, Videl swallowed hard, trying to keep her eyes on his face.
Gohan did notice how her outraged mood died down, but he wasn't too sure why. He walked to her and smirked with amusing, glittering eyes. Videl's eyes slanted down, not believing why he thought this was funny.
"Gohan," she bleated. "I'm serious."
He imitated her body posture and movement. "I'm serious too."
Videl scowled and moved off to the right, looking behind him. "Fine if you're not being nice, I'm sleeping on the couch." She walked past him, or tried. Like in the romantic movies, the man caught the woman's arm and flung her back in front of him, more closely than where she wanted to be.
Gohan carefully looked at her. The effects she gave him were remarkable. They were so foreign, and different from anything he felt before.
Videl looked up at him and scowled again. She moistened her dry lips with her tongue and tried to break free from Gohan. "Why are you staring at me like that, again? And don't say 'I'm wondering how long it'll take me to give into you'." She choked on her last few words.
He heard her, but never bothered to answer her. Instead he snaked an arm underneath her legs and swooped her up, ignoring her protests. Gently he placed her on his large bed and caught her wrists before she tried to get up again.
She sighed and fell back with her head hitting the pillow. 'Why must he be so persistent?' she wondered. Then she felt him gently let go of her wrists.
Gohan saw the uneasiness and frowned at her, disappointed. He too sighed, emotionally weary from this battle. "Listen… can I trust you to tell you something?" He felt the attraction between them. She could resist and fight, but it won't erase what they were feeling.
If she was surprised, she didn't let it show. But she was delighted—and that screamed on her face from the smile she displayed. Now could he trust her? "Sure. I'm you're friend, remember."
"Do you trust me?"
She didn't say anything.
"I never lied to you."
An eyebrow rose. "You never tasted pizza before?"
"No, Videl." This was the first time he really said her name. It came out almost foreign, but soothing. Nice.
She believed him. "Yeah. I guess I trust you. You never hurt me—for real—before."
"All right." He sat beside her and looked distracted, preoccupied. "I want you to understand why I want—need—an heir."
"Are you going to die soon?" She smiled at him sweetly.
He gave her a look. "No." Then his face softened a bit. "Don't you think all rulers need an heir?"
She remembered something that he said when they first met.
"Yeah. I'm sure that none of you were sculpted to be a leader—"
"A leader? Yeah… I suppose…" She shifted uncomfortably and turned to look at him. "For what?"
He gave her a soft smirk. "You'll have to wait to see. That's if you stick around long enough." Gohan didn't say anything else. He rested his head on the pillow more comfortably.
"No—"
He cut her off with a perfect, polished tone. "Wait and see." It certainly seduced interest.
"In case you haven't noticed I'm not very patient!"
"Patience is everything…"
She slipped under the covers and turned the other way. Then she realized that they hadn't fixed this sleeping arrangement. When Videl looked over at him, already sleeping, she had this insane urge to hit him in the face with a pillow. But she restrained herself. He got to her.
"Leader?" she asked herself again.
There was always a time to try something new.
Chichi walked into Goten's room with a small smile on her face. It was night and approaching Goten she could tell he was ready to be tucked in. She completed her duty and softly kissed him on the forehead in a very motherly way. Next, Chichi greeted her youngest son "Goodnight" and turned around to leave.
"Mommy!" Goten called quickly. His voice was laced with alarm.
The older woman looked back at him and replied, "Yes sweetie?"
Under the quilted covers, the little boy looked uncertain. His face twisted up in scrutiny before he decided to speak up. "Can you tell me about Gohan?" Goten asked in a soft, innocent whisper. He meant no emotional harm; the boy was just curious.
Chichi's eyes flashed with grief before she sat beside her youngest son. She did expect Goten to question sooner or later; however she doubted if she could deliver. She licked her dry lips and closed her eyes. "He was supposed to be a scholar," she started. When she opened her dark brown eyes she caught Goten's full attention. "He was—is," she corrected, "—a very bright boy, Goten."
The little half Saiyan looked up at his mother and raised his eyebrows with more questions. "What was his favourite colour?"
"Orange," she whispered.
"What was his favourite hobby?"
Chichi slowly smiled. "Playing with his father." He loved his father so much.
"What was his favourite food?"
"Rice…"
"Who was his best friend?"
Chichi opened her mouth to respond, but she was uncertain with the answer. How could she forget the little things about her older son? "Probably Icarus." [1]
"Oh." He knew about Icarus. The dragon was his pet now.
Goten made a half smile to his mother, understanding that it was difficult for Chichi to talk about a sensitive subject like Gohan. "Thanks mom."
Another less-forced smile graced Chichi's lip. She kissed Goten's cheek this time and left the room. When she shut the door, her right hand covered her chest where she felt her heart beat. No tears came this time. The talk she had with Goten did no damage—in fact had the opposite effect.
She smiled again and whispered, "Gohan, wherever you are, I still love you." And she walked away from Goten's bedroom door, feeling lighter than normal. A heavy weight lifted from her.
Videl awoke the next day and was surprised that she felt well rested. This time, she remembered where she was and what circumstances she was under. But she wondered why her stomach was hurting. She didn't get into another physical fight… last night with Gohan… and this type of pain was annoying and made her feel hungry. Well, it was morning; it was expected. But this ache was so familiar.
"Ow," she muttered, clutching to her stomach. Why did her stomach knot up with worry when she thought of possible reasons that ailed her tummy? She struggled to sit up, unwrapping Gohan's tail from her arm. She disregarded the idea of yelling at Gohan for not keeping his tail under control because the pain in her stomach was too distracting and irritating.
Videl got up and quickly, with staggered steps, went to the bathroom. She felt uneasy and was ready to throw up. "Don't tell me its food poisoning," she muttered, sitting on the toilet. Dazed, her head titled from one side to another waiting for something—anything! Whether it was vomiting to diarrhea, Videl was expecting it with a grumpy frown. When the blue-eyed woman finally looked down, she saw the reason—the dried blood—and let out a shrilling scream. "Damn f—cking shit!"
Gohan's eyes snapped opened. He heard something—like a scream—but wasn't exactly sure where it came from. His head turned and it registered that Videl wasn't here. In a moment after he sat up, Videl ran to him with a terrified look on her face. That concerned him. He knew he didn't do anything to her…
"I need pain killers. Now!" she demanded, infuriated and disturbed screaming on her facial expression. He saw the tears brimming up in her eyes, and for once he knew he didn't cause it. Though he liked seeing her angry—with that fire and spirit—a part of him ached… ached in a way he never felt before.
Gohan frowned and got up, not bothering to fix his semi-wild hair. His eyes saw that she changed her clothes and recognized the look on her face: determination. "Why?" He wasn't tired to be out of his senses. During his life he had endured tremendous and painful training as well as bouts. It taught him to fight the tiredness and sleepiness—forcing him to be more aware and alert non-stop. Right now, he was just genuinely curious.
Her vision grew cloudy from the stinging water building in her eyes, but she could still see Gohan… and his raw, ripped chest… again. Videl groaned and forced any thoughts and comments of his body out of her head with a furious shake of her head. Quickly she muttered, "My rag."
An eyebrow shot up. He was a little confused with the term. "What are you talking about?"
She rolled her eyes, becoming more fidgety. "The P-word."
"…"
"The m-word?"
He said nothing again.
"Period! Menstrual cycle!" she almost screamed, frustrated with his lack of knowledge with human slang. Normally she wouldn't tell others when it was that "time of month" especially to the male species, but this was different. And she knew she wouldn't get what she wanted without an explanation.
The calm look on Gohan's face proved the short clarification was good enough. He didn't know why she became so… embarrassed. "Come to the kitchen," he said, heading to the door. Videl followed, not yet satisfied, but intrigued with his calm behaviour.
By the time she reached, Gohan was waiting with two tablets in a hand and a glass of cool water. Videl seized them into her possession and gulped them down without saying a simple, "thank you". She sighed and sat back on a stool, heavily breathing with her eyes shot opened. This way her tears won't spill.
Gohan stared at her. "Is it painful?" He looked like a small child talking to an adult about something new.
She gave him a sour look, frowning. "What do you think?"
"Is it always like that?" Intelligence and curiosity came hand in hand.
She paused to think, then shook her head slowly, sagely. "No it's not. It usually hurts the most on the first day. Or the first couple."
Gohan slowly nodded and took a seat beside her. He watched her carefully, choosing his words circumspectly. "Is there anything that I could do or get to relieve your pain?" He gave her his undivided attention and patiently waited for her response.
She was waiting for this. "Yes, actually there is. I want tea and I need you to go to a drug store and get Midol for me," she commanded, now jabbing her stomach. She looked at him. "Remember that word. Midol. M. I. D. O. L."
Almost in protest he crossed his arms over his naked chest. "Am I becoming your slave now?"
She rolled her eyes and thought, 'You offered, stupid.' But she then smirked. She liked the sound of that. "Yes. And while you're at the store, get me some chocolate, junk food and soft drinks. I can't believe you eat so healthy."
Gohan snorted before questioning Videl's condition. "Are you having cravings?"
Her smirk dulled a bit, but her eyes glittered from his knowledge. "Yeah… half and half." She put a hand on Gohan's muscular leg and patted it. "This is what you get for kidnapping me Gohan. Feel my wrath." She hissed the last part menacingly.
Christina came in and Gohan asked her to make Videl some tea. They continued to talk. "So is it really that bad?"
She gave him a serious look. "It's so bad that I'm not training today."
He almost fell over but he tried to understand.
"I think you're too obsessed with training," she told him.
"You think?"
"Yeah… and how did you get those scars?" she asked quietly, aware that she may be opening emotional wounds from previous battles.
"Fighting of course. The ones on my body came from when I was younger, just learning how to fight…" he never finished his sentence and that bothered her.
For one moment, Videl saw again s brief glint of sadness in the never-ending darkness of his eyes. She flinched back a bit, only wondering how Gohan learned how to fight when he was young. Again, she looked up at him and asked, "What do you do instead of fighting?"
"Training," came his somewhat distant response.
"And when you're not training, what do you do?" Her question was innocent.
"Usually resting for training, or thinking about training."
She sweat dropped from that remark. "What else do you do instead of those things?"
"Eating."
Another bead of sweat rolled down her face. "Gohan, we need to get you some more hobbies…"
He didn't agree or disagree. "What ever you say…"
Raditz wore his dark Saiyan armour, just as he usually did. He paced in the basement of Gohan's residence with a bitter frown on his face. It still looked youthful as it did years back. There were not many lines of aging spoiling his visage. Though that didn't compensate with the rest of his unattractive appearance—his bulky build, long hair, and not-so-nice personality. He didn't care. He was a Saiyan.
When Raditz felt someone coming closer to him, he stopped in his tracks and faced the right door. His frown lost its bitterness when Raditz saw Gohan walk through. Something surprised him at first… Gohan looked different. He wasn't smiling, or frowning, just expressionless as he normally was, but there was a certain air of peace and content surrounding Gohan that it puzzled and even nerved Raditz. "Hello Gohan," he greeted with a neutral, unthreatening tone.
Gohan's eyes flicked up at Raditz and his lips slightly curled up. Appareled in his usual black clothes—a sleeveless shirt with usually a button up shirt on top (and he rarely buttoned it up), loose pants and if it was chilly, he wore a long over coat. "Hello father," was his reply.
Raditz sauntered back into a chair and examined his nephew diligently. Something was really bothering this Saiyan about Gohan, but he couldn't pinpoint the exact reason. "What have you been doing lately?" he asked slowly, cautiously.
Gohan crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back a bit. This was his usual standing position amongst anyone that he was comfortable with. With an almost bored expression, he answered, "The usual. Train. Make money. Fight. Kill. And then there's Videl." He blinked twice quickly in surprise from saying her name. It was the second time, he believed, and it again sounded so odd to him. More accurately, he was all together uncomfortable addressing her the way she'd normally want to be—by her name. Gohan was just supposed to say 'girl' or 'woman'.
A thick eyebrow rose up from sour interest. "Yes, that human. What have you two been doing?" He wasn't really interested for details; he just wanted to know the bare facts. Internally he hoped the girl did something to anger Gohan so his nephew would send her back, or better yet, kill her.
"Surprisingly, we're fine. She's not angry with me anymore. She wants us to be friends," Gohan explained slowly, making sure Raditz heard every single word.
His Uncle did look shocked with the turn of events. Last time he saw those two, Videl looked at everyone unkindly. Raditz wondered hard, not liking how this was turning out. 'Why did she change her mind?' Raditz thought. "Well, I take it you're happy now. Did you two mate yet?"
Gohan straightened himself up with a short sigh. "No, we didn't. I'm waiting until she's willing."
Raditz internally smirked at that. Why would this Videl character be willing? His nephew was a fool and naïve with women, but Raditz didn't comment on that. "I told you to let her go."
Gohan gave him a hard look.
"Gohan, we're close. We're so close."
Raditz's caught his full attention. "How close?" It was possible that Raditz was exaggerating.
He smiled. "We got four—"
"Three dragonballs are left," Gohan finished. "Time is drawing closer." He half-smiled.
"I know. I can't afford you to get attached to the girl." Then she will be one great weakness that could foil his plans.
"Didn't we already discuss this?"
Raditz half-rolled his eyes. "It's for your own good Gohan." Or was it more for Raditz?
Gohan walked in front a more properly dressed Salina and Christina as they entered a local market the outskirts of Satan City. He did not wear his sunglasses and neglected to look jovial as he did at Capsule Corporation. There was nobody here to impress.
"You girls know what to do."
The two servants nodded and took a shopping cart and went about doing Videl's deeds. They knew what Videl was talking about. Gohan watched them off and then strayed to the cashier where mounds of chocolate bars were displayed. Slowly he picked up one of them in red called "Kit Kat" and closely examined it. He didn't know what was so special with candy and chocolate. Well it was unfair for him to think that since he never tasted it before.
"Goku! Hurry up!" came a loud screeching voice. Gohan flinched from it and looked behind him, in the next aisle, where he saw a tall man like himself, standing there with a goofy grin. He was dressed in jeans and a regular t-shirt. It appeared that he was shopping with his family. Gohan shook his head and returned his attention back to the chocolate bar.
"Goku!" Gohan sighed and whipped around. That man was staring at him. The more Gohan looked at him, the more intense it got. What was this man doing? It was a stranger for Kami's sake!
Goku looked at the tall stranger with his mouth open. He examined him—his height and build, looking at him closely. When they both were staring at each other's black eyes, Goku slowly smiled and headed to the stranger.
Gohan studied him too. He could already tell that he was strong by his muscles and his level of ki (which only reminded him to keep his low).
Goku stood in front of this tall man and grinned. "Hi," he started, ignoring Gohan's cold stare. "Um… Can I ask you a question?"
Gohan's eyebrows only furrowed down, which meant, "Yes."
"Can I have that?" The muscular man pointed down at the chocolate bar. He kept that goofy grin on his face and patiently waited for an answer.
The hybrid looked down at the red wrapped chocolate bar. He slowly brought it up and asked, "This?" It was the last one here as well.
His smile broadened. "Yeah! That chocolate rack back there was out of Kit Kat bars and those are my favourite."
In some sort of daze Gohan slowly brought up the chocolate bar, handing it over to Goku. When the other man happily accepted it Gohan heard a, "Thanks." Gohan watched the man walk away, and he only frowned.
There was something about that man that puzzled him. It was like a similar feeling when he saw Videl fight, but this feeling one was stronger, like Gohan had met this man before. Then he remembered seeing pictures of him. It was his father's brother.
"Master?" came a voice beside him. His eyes lowered onto his servants, giving them attention. "We're done."
There was something else about that man.
As Goku was piling the numerous bags of groceries in his car trunk, Goten stared at him uneasily. When he finished he looked down at his son and saw it. "What's wrong?"
Goten slowly smiled. "I've seen that guy before."
Goku scratched the back of his head, wondering what Goten was talking about. "What guy?"
"The guy who gave you the Kit Kat. I saw him at Trunks' house. He was sort of mean to Uncle Vegeta," Goten explained.
The older man put a hand under his chin, remembering the stranger he was referring too. Yeah, he was kind of intimidating, though it was laughable that he would be mean—as Goten put it—to Vegeta. But something suddenly hit him as he thought more about this guy. It was brief but Goku felt it.
A power beyond a regular human. And dark… cloudy. Goku narrowed his eyes. It was so oddly similar yet distant. He felt it pass and immediately he frowned and looked around. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him…
Videl scooped up another spoon of ice cream and plopped it down into her bowl. Next she took chocolate syrup and squirted down onto the chocolate ice cream in a big swirl. Satisfied and eager to consume it, she ate a spoonful and smiled.
"That looks disgusting," came Gohan's voice, behind her. He walked around the main kitchen counter to examine her junk food up close.
Videl frowned and slightly turned her head to the side to look at him. She thought he was crazy, and then she remembered it was Gohan. "Well, it actually tastes good. You don't know what you're missing." She ignored Gohan's curious stare and continued to eat. When he wouldn't budge or move (which was making Videl more uncomfortable) she stuck her spoon in and pulled out a large clump of ice cream. Slightly irritated, she turned around at Gohan and frowned. "Try it," she commanded, pointing the spoon upwards at him.
Gohan looked hesitant, but was still interested in this food. Slowly he opened his mouth. "Is it hot? Cold?" He didn't get his answer verbally. Videl just stuck the food into his mouth.
Caught off guard by the iciness of the ice cream, he quickly shut his eyes, trying to swallow. His brain and gums felt numb, at which he only had Videl to blame. He stared down at her menacingly, while she ignored it and continued to eat her bowl. "Brain… cold…"
"Why do you think it's called 'ice cream' Einstein? Wasn't it good?"
He slowly frowned. "Yeah but that's not—"
"Do you want a bowl then?"
His frown deepened. "Yeah I do but--"
"Okay," she said, cutting him off. She hated how moody she became. When she tried to be nice to Gohan, she became snippier and yet more open then she would normally want to be.
Gohan watched her with a blank expression as she opened the cupboards and reach for a bowl. He continued to watch her in silence right down to when she applied the chocolate syrup to the ice cream. He didn't say anything until she finally gave him the cold bowl.
"I'm going to train, with or without you," Gohan commented, not expecting her to argue.
Normally Videl would have backed away, but for some reason she didn't care what Gohan could do—and if he was an emotionally dejected alien. Quickly she shook her head, grabbed her bowl of ice cream and his wrist, dragging him down the hall. "You're not training right now." She ignored Gohan's frown and headed to the recreational room where she left her junk food in. When they reached, she stopped and looked at him. "For now, I'm going to have you try junk food. It's important to every person to live a little you know."
Gohan only gave her a blank, clueless look as she walked to turn on the TV.
She turned at him and forced a sweet yet devious smile. "We—the TV, food and I—are going to teach you how to get loose. This is how humans and what humans depends on." Then she quickly added, "I know. I know. It's sad."
Videl was delighted to find that he didn't object.
Let the lessons begin.
Vegeta flew through the air with a frown. The little strands of his pointy hair whooshed past his face but that didn't stop him from accelerating. He was currently angered with the fact that he had to go and find his son at Kakarott's house rather than to have his son came back without disturbing the Prince's training. A grunt escaped his mouth as he picked up speed. The chilly wind that blew by him undeniably created an irritating noise in his ears. As his narrow eyes slanted further, Vegeta was getting closer to Goku'a residence. When he landed, he made no attempt to greet Chichi, who was peacefully hanging up clothes on the line. Instead he rudely demanded, "Where's the boy?"
Chichi initially did not mind his behaviour for she got used to it and knew how hardheaded he could be. She in fact did try to understand him and tried to see what Bulma saw in him. His life story and the way Vegeta grew up were sad. Thus, Chichi made a special attempt to be more… considerate. "I don't know where Trunks is. Go ask Goku," came her snippy reply. But it didn't work that well—understanding and being considerate to him. He was a big anal too much of the time.
When Chichi looked up at him, she struggled to keep her eyes opened from the blinding sunlight. She couldn't tell if Vegeta was more frustrated for she only saw his figure walk away. She shrugged and went back to work.
Vegeta knew her answer was coming and made no hesitation to find Kakarott. Finding the source of his unmistakable ki, Vegeta stalked off to the dome shaped house, heading to the kitchen.
"Oh hey Vegeta! What brings you here?" Goku greeted as he got out of his seat to reach the Prince half way.
The older man was frankly annoyed and grumpy. His arms crossed. "I came to get my son. Where is he?"
Goku stood there with that same jovial smile. He scratched the back of his head. "He and Goten went out to play with some dinosaurs."
Vegeta exhaled loudly and turned around to exit the small home.
"I'll take you to him," Goku offered. He was doing a good job dealing with the pain from his friend's death. Surely Vegeta knew. It had been days now.
The older man turned back at him halfway with a deeper frown. He would allow Kakarott to help him, but why? He was too arrogant. His dark eyes lingered around the room, trying to come up with a bitter way of saying "No thanks." Though when he opened his mouth to speak, something grabbed his attention.
"Who's that?" Vegeta said, pointing to a framed picture on the side of the room. It was hung on the wall and from what he can see it was dustless. Whoever was in the frame was definitely not forgotten.
Goku's smile faded, looking at the picture. Not surprisingly Goku never asked why Vegeta questioned about this unfamiliar face. "That's Gohan," Goku softly said. His friendliness dulled from this reminder.
A corner of Vegeta's lips lifted. "Gohan?"
The younger male sort of staggered to the picture, never leaving his eyes off the face that radiated so much innocence. "Gohan is my oldest son."
His eyes broadened welcoming this wave of compassion that swept through him. He still did not say anything nice. In silence, Vegeta waited for Goku to turn around and come out of his vulnerable state.
When Goku did, he forced a smile. "My brother took him away from me."
Vegeta nodded slowly, understanding and surprisingly developing a new respect for his hated rival. "I see Kakarott." A pause. "Have you given up looking for him?"
He shook his head with determination. "No, I know he's still alive."
Vegeta frowned, pretending to look confused. "Can you feel his ki signature?"
At this Goku frowned with an opened mouth. He was slightly concerned by this interrogation and curiosity coming from the Prince. "No. I can't," he confessed. It was nearly impossible. From his young age to what he grown up to be—it changed. Maybe not entirely, but there was a difference. That, and the power that Gohan had now. Or, Goku forgot. "But I know he's still out there," Goku quickly blurted out afterwards.
'He's in denial,' the Prince first though. Vegeta shortly, slowly nodded. "What ever you say Kakarott. I'll just leave you to grieve over your son. I'm out." Silently he walked out, half surprised that Goku hadn't again offered his aid.
But then again, it was a good thing that Goku stayed behind. Now Vegeta could smile at the fact that he knew something that could bring Kakarott to his knees.
A son… who would have known your own blood could be the end of you… Vegeta's smile sharpened into a smirk as he took off into the air.
"Who would have known Kakarott's first son was here all this time and Kakarott didn't even know it," Vegeta said out loud. He crossed his arms over his chest and accelerated his speed.
It took him over a week, but now his intelligence has prevailed. The picture and Goku's explanation helped confirm his hypothesis of the identity of the man called "Kakarott" at Capsule Corporation that day. That Kakarott—the imposter—was in fact Gohan, Kakarott's son. But he'd still have to confirm it. He needed to meet Gohan again.
And afterwards?
He wasn't sure… But the point was… he knew about Gohan's existence on Earth and Goku didn't.
"Heh."
[1] Yeah, I think Gohan meets Icarus after Raditz comes to Earth. I just changed that because I wanted to… er, and I don't know much about Gohan before Raditz came, now do we?
Author's Note (March 21, 2004/8:20): No! March break is over. Good news is I was able to complete two chapters of Sinful over the break. Yes! I think it's two.
Another note, I'm going to go crazy over school, but I'll do my best to get another chapter out in two weeks. FD shouldn't take that long since it's only 11 pages. That's right, I'm starting to condense these chapters. This was originally 19 without my editing and I cut it down two pages. That is not to say that I didn't take your advice to heart, because I did. Some things were not necessary.
Um… yeah, I know there are still some mistakes in this. Grammar. Gr. When I read it over, there's always something I don't like and right now I'm too busy to change it. I will tomorrow when I come home from school. *cries remembering the break is over*
Something else to know…. I'm working on like 4-5 other things than this. Big surprise eh? Yeah. If you like and watch Inuyasha (he's my life presently) before, I started a multi-chapter fic called "The One". Good read it please. I actually like it which means it's going to be good. Or I'm going to try try to make it awesoomee!
Alright I think that's it. No! Review special. Who would like one? I'm considering to make one (I won't tell you on what yet because I haven't decided. Probably with Gohan's past with Raditz). If your reviews exceed up and above 100 I will work on that… and then thus I'll be working on 5-6 things. But that's okay… Inuyasha isn't going to be aired for a month and Japan so I will submerge myself in writing and homework. Homework comes first though, because I'm a nerd.
Yes, lots of news today. Whatever I offered you last chapter I give. Um… for next time I can give ice cream to commemorate this chapter. Since Gohan first tried it and I bought it today at the store. I have chocolate and vanilla!
Until next time!
Goku's Daughter
Kiss kiss