Alright guys here is chapter 17; I wrote this chapter as a thank you to all my fans out there and in appreciation for the fact that I've no received over a hundred reviews for this story. I really truly hope that I receive more reviews and I get more comments back.
I wanted to post this yesterday, but things came up here that prevented me from doing so; I hope no one minds.
Anyways enough talk, please read, review and most importantly…enjoy!
Chapter 17: 100 Review Special
"Talking"
'Thinking'
~*~
Once Gohan and Videl had woken up from their peaceful slumbers, both couldn't believe just how quickly their day flew by. After a large breakfast, everyone was in the front hallway saying their goodbyes.
Videl found that she couldn't thank everyone enough for all that they had done for her and once again did a round of hugs to all of the people who were standing in the hallway; even Vegeta didn't push her away when she gave him a hug, despite being slightly bitter from the whole Vegeta 'Single Ladies' video.
To save time and cut down on transportation Goku did his instant transmission technique so could transport his family as well as Videl and their luggage to their home. Everyone had gotten settled in quickly then Gohan went up to Videl's room to help her get settled in and help to personalize the room so she would feel more at home and feel less like a guest.
Gohan leaned against the door frame as Videl unzipped another suitcase and started to load clothes into the dresser that had been put into her room.
"I got you something" Gohan said, startling Videl and causing her to jump and whiz around from her spot.
"Gohan, you've got to start announcing your presence in a room or I swear I'm going to have a heart attack before the age of twenty" she said as she grasped at her chest jokingly to emphasize her point.
"Sorry" he said sheepishly as he flashed a grin, "I got something for you though" he said as he produced a small box from behind his back.
"Gohan… you've done so much…you didn't have to get me something" she said softly as she sat on her bed and motioned for him to come and sit beside her.
"Well, it's not like I bought anything, and besides I wanted to get it for you. I really hope you like it. I have one similar to this in my room" he said with a grin as he put the small box in her hands.
She gave him a smile as she directed her attention to the box in front of her. She gently pulled on the silver ribbon that was tied neatly across the box as she slowly lifted the lid to the box.
She lifted one of the contents of the box out and slowly unwrapped the tissue paper that surrounded it and smiled warmly at what she had seen. Inside this tissue paper was a framed picture of her and Gohan from the New Year celebration. Both of them had big grins on their face as Gohan had his arms wrapped around her, holding her close as they had been dancing.
"Gohan, its perfect" she said as she continued to smile and kept on staring at the picture of the two of them. 'Wow, we really do make an attractive looking couple' she thought to herself as her smile grew.
"There's more" Gohan said, smiling at the fact she liked the picture.
She lifted up the next item and unwrapped it as well, and once again there was a picture of her from the other night. She felt a small tear come to her eye as she smiled at the picture; it was of her and her mother hugging each other and both smiling at the camera.
"You two really look a lot alike in this picture" Gohan said as he watched Videl quickly wipe the tear away from her face.
"I can't remember how long it's been since my mom and I got a picture together" she said quietly as she continued to smile at the picture of her mother and herself.
"There's still a few more" Gohan said as he lightly rubbed her back.
Videl picked up what she had assumed was another picture and unwrapped it, to find that she was indeed right. Next was a picture of Goku, Goten, Trunks and herself as they were skating on the lake Christmas day. Goku had Goten on his shoulders and an arm wrapped around Videl's shoulder as Trunks gave the camera a peace sign; Goku and Goten both wearing their traditional grins.
Videl then eagerly opened the next picture and found it to be a group picture from Christmas day of everyone that had stood up for her the other night. Everyone was squished together in the Son living room in front of the Christmas tree. She smiled at how shy she and Gohan had looked to be in such close proximity at the time, seeing as they had only started dating that day.
She opened the last picture and her smile grew. The last picture was of Gohan, Marron and herself when they had been baking and Bulma had managed to sneak a picture of them. This was when she and Gohan had been leaning across the counter to offer a piece of pound cake with her lips, with Marron in the background with a mouth full of food.
"My mom said she loved that picture and said you should have a reminder of 'how cute we are'" he said, attempting to mimic his mother's voice for the last part of his sentence.
"I agree with her, it is a cute picture" she said as she allowed her grin to grow into a full blown smile.
"I love them all, thank you" she said as she threw her around his neck, to feel his arms quickly wrap around her in return.
"I'm glad you like them, I wanted you to be reminded of when your life made it's turn around and let you know that you always have people who care about you here" he said softly as he continued to hug her.
"I will never forget any of these moments, and I'm so glad that I have a constant reminder of them now" she said as she continued to hug him tightly, showing how grateful she was.
"I wanted you to feel more like a part of the family too, have your room be more personalized, so you don't feel as though you're just a visitor here. This is your home now and I hope you feel welcomed in it" he said as he pulled away from her and gave her his inherited grin.
"I think I'm going to have to get a copy of every picture that was taken these past few days, I don't even want to risk forgetting any single part of it" she said with a laugh as she pulled away slightly from the hug.
"I'm sure if you ask Bulma, she'd be more than willing to make copies for you" he said as he moved to lie back on her bed.
"I'll be sure to ask her next time I see her" she mused, making a mental note to ask for all the pictures.
"Like I said, I'm sure she wouldn't mind at all. In fact she probably has made copies already for everyone" Gohan said, he knew that if she hadn't made copies yet then his mother probably had made copies of the two of them together.
"So you've got some pictures too?" Videl asked casually as she held onto the teddy bear that Goten had given her for Christmas.
"Yep, I made note of pictures I liked during the slideshow so I got copies of them and now they're in my room" Gohan said with a grin. "I've happily added pictures of you and me to my room. Now that you're more than just a friend, I want to remember very little thing that happens in our relationship" he said with a big grin.
"I'm so glad that you felt the same way for me as I felt about you, I don't what I would do if you told me you felt differently" she said, smiling at the way things turned out.
"Oh please, did you ever really think I wasn't interested in you?" Gohan asked, raising an eyebrow to emphasize his point.
"I had always thought you might be interested…but it seemed too good to be true so I figured it was" she said quietly.
"Yea, the guy who taught you to fly, told you his whole life story, hung out with you every day and followed you around the city to make sure you weren't hurt while fighting crime…haha yea, I never had an interest in you" he said in a sarcastic, joking voice.
"Like I said, it seemed almost too good to be true. Mr wonderful had feelings for me. I mean, I was so rude to you when we first met, I don't know how you ever forgave me" she said with a sad smile at how she used to treat her now boyfriend.
"Videl, that was like a year and a half ago. Times change and clearly people do as well. I think it was more just your curiosity that made you come across as a little mean, because once you found out I was Saiyaman and blackmailed me into teaching you to fly, you quickly turned into this really sweet girl that I fell for" he said as he watched her blush slightly.
"I'm sorry I blackmailed you" she said with a small laugh as he shook his head.
"I'm sure not" he said with a grin, "remember how mad you got when I suggested you cut your hair?" he questioned as he thought back to when their friendship was in its infancy.
Videl felt a blush come up to her cheeks again, "I thought you were telling me how you like girls, I was embarrassed, but I guess it came out more as anger" she said as she started laughing at the memories.
"I remember when you and my mom got into a fight when you first met. Goten and I were in awe, we couldn't believe someone was actually arguing back with our mother, that was definitely a clue that you were something special" He laughed at how angry his mother at been with her, but she had quickly grown to like Videl the more she saw the teenager.
"Man…I can't believe how long ago that was" Videl said as she grinned as they discussed their trip down memory lane.
"I'm glad everything happened the way it did, because in the long run, it was definitely worth while" he said as he leaned forward and pecked her lips and allowed his grin to grow. "For starters, I don't have to ask for permission to do that" he said earning a laugh from Videl.
"No you certainly don't" she said as she returned the kiss.
Their kiss was interrupted by the sound of Chi Chi's voice echoing through the small, cozy house; "Gohan, Videl, Goten, come down for some lunch" she called from the kitchen.
"We better go, I don't want to face her fury" Gohan said with a laugh as the two of them walked down stairs and joined Chi Chi and Goku at the dining room table. They took a seat as they noticed Goku was struggling to not dive into the food right then and there.
"So are you two excited for school tomorrow?" Chi Chi asked as everyone dished out food and filled the plates on the table.
Videl looked surprised for a moment before she spoke, "I completely forgot we started school tomorrow. Wow time really flew by huh?" Videl said in astonishment as she slowly loaded her plate with food.
"Time did seem to go by really quickly" Gohan said as he started eating his food quickly to fill his large appetite.
"Well, you two did get an extra day off when Videl was sick, so I expect both of you to go back to school tomorrow. Or else" Chi Chi said as she gave the two a stern look, earning a nod from the two as they ate their food.
"Videl, this is going to be so cool having you live here" Goten said excitedly as he swallowed his food.
"I'm going to warn you now Videl, Goten loves waking people up in the morning" Goku said as he quickly took a drink of water then proceeded with stuffing his face.
"I'd much rather Goten waking me up then ways I've been woken up before" she said quietly as a flash of grim memories flooded her mind.
"Well sweetie, if anyone tries any funny business here, which I know they won't, I promise you they will regret it" Chi Chi said as she buttered her sandwich. "I want you to try and get past what that man did to you, and I want you to start feeling as though you're a part of this family" Chi Chi said as she gave the girl a sweet smile.
"Thank you Chi Chi, I really do appreciate everything you all have done for me" Videl replied.
"Mommy even let me put your picture on the wall" Goten said as he excitedly pointed at the wall where the family pictures were kept. Indeed there was a picture of Videl on the wall, then another one of Videl with the son family sitting on the fire place.
"I'm so touched by all of this" Videl said as she offered them all a smile.
"Act like an outsider, and I'll tickle you" Goku said with a grin as he grabbed more meat for his tenth sandwich.
"I'll do my best Goku" Videl replied with a laugh and held her hands up in defence.
"We're being serious here, no asking if you can 'please get this' or 'may I use that' you want you take, got it?" Gohan said as he began making his next sandwich.
"I'll do my best, I promise" Videl said with a smile, she couldn't believe how willing this family was to accept her in their home and treat her as if she was one of their own.
"You better" Chi Chi said with a smile.
"Or else" Goten warmed as he wiggled his finger to emphasize his point.
"Ok, ok I get it" she said with a laugh and held her hands up defensively; she couldn't help but enjoy the playful scolding she was receiving.
"We just want you to be comfortable in our house sweetie; you're a part of the family now and we hope to keep you around" Chi Chi said as she smiled warmly and finished her first sandwich.
"I really do appreciate all that you guys have done for me, and I love you all more than words can express" she said, returning the warm smile.
"Oh, V, I usually leave for school in the morning around quarter to eight, gives me time to fly and walk around the school for a few extra minutes. Is that alright with you?" Gohan questioned as he put half of his thirty-ninth sandwich down.
"That works for me…" she trailed off as a thought popped into her head and she smacked her head to scold herself.
"Is everything alright V?" Gohan asked, confused as to why she just smacked herself in the forehead.
"Yea, I just realized I forgot some of my note books and textbooks back at my dad's place. Crap!" she said again as she started shaking her head.
"Well, we obviously can't go during the day, so why don't we go tonight?" Gohan asked, earning a small smile from Vide.
"I suppose that could work. Usually he's got some skank in the house by then, or is drunk so that should work" She said as she thought of what possibilities her father could be doing for the night.
"My dad could instant transmission us there. That was if Hercule tries something, there are two of us protecting you instead of just me" Gohan answered, looking satisfied with him.
Goku let a laugh escape his lips, "Gohan, do you really think I'd be able to do anything if you got angry with Hercule? I've seen how you fight, the more emotionally attached you are to something, the stronger you get" He said earning a small blush from Gohan.
"You know just as well as I do if Hercule hurt Videl and you were there, I wouldn't get a single shot in because you'd be all over him like white on rice" Goku said as Goten gave his father a confused look.
"What about brown rice?" Goten asked innocently.
"Uhh…we're going to ignore brown rice for now" Goku replied as he scratched his head.
"I guess you're right, I probably would go nuts on that moron if he tried to hurt Videl in front of me" Gohan said as he took on a thoughtful look.
"I saw how you reacted when he shot at Videl at the ball, you were barely able to control your anger" Chi Chi said calmly as she sipped her tea.
"I was able to control it, I just didn't want to" Gohan offered.
"I think it was sweet, as much as I'd love to see him beat to a pulp, I thought I'd at least give him the opportunity to run…even though he never gave that chance to me" she said, ending in a grim tone of voice.
"You're a better person then I am V, I was happy to finish him off then and there" Gohan mumbled as he started eating his sandwich again.
"That reminds me, Videl how is your arm?" Chi Chi asked as she watched the teenager finished up her large sandwich.
"It's alright I guess, it's still sore and kind of gross looking, but I'm sure it will be for awhile. It's starting to heal now but Bulma told me to continue cleaning it out for the next week" Videl said as she then took the final bite of her lunch, effectively filling her up.
"Well, it would be smart to continue to clean it out just to be safe. You were shot after all. Thank god that moron has bad aim" she mumbled as she took another long sip of her tea.
"I don't know his second shot definitely would have sent me to the otherworld. Thank god for the quick actions of my sweet Gohan" she said as she pinched his cheek as a joke and watched as a rosy tint covered his cheeks.
"I'm just sorry that I missed the first one" he said, giving her a sad smile.
"It was a surprise to everyone…no one expected him to show up, let alone be willing to shoot openly. I actually felt really bad that Chi Chi had the gun pointed at her" Videl said as she gave the older woman a sad expression.
"After seeing him shoot at you, do you really think he'd get the opportunity to shoot at Chi? There's no way I'd let him get that chance" Goku said, beaming with pride as Chi Chi smiled at him.
"I was more surprised with Vegeta jumping in. I never would have pictured that he would come and stop him from punching you in the face. I was completely shocked by his act of kindness" Chi Chi said as she remembered the shorter saiyan stopping Hercule in mid-punch.
"Actually I was pretty taken back by the too" Gohan mused as he thought back to the events that occurred.
"Actually, he's been pretty concerned about Videl, granted I'm sure he'd never admit it, but once Hercule started calling CC and showing up, he was on pretty high alert. He was even the one who stopped Hercule from taking her while she was sick" Goku said, earning some surprised looked from Videl and Chi Chi.
"He knew she was at capsule corp.?" Chi Chi asked, surprised evident in her voice.
"He called one day and Bulma accidently let it slip out and asked Vegeta and I to keep an eye out. Then he started calling more and showing up at the front door and trying to force his way in. When she was sick he came through her balcony and Vegeta walked in and made him run away. So Vegeta melted the locks and put her back into bed" Goku answered in a nonchalant manor.
"Wow…I should thank him again. I had no idea" Videl said quietly as she listened to Goku speak.
"Vegeta can be a jerk, but he can be a good guy too, just not very often. He's got a soft spot for you Videl; he'll never admit it, but he's told me he respects you and thinks' you'll make a fine saiyan wife someday" Goku said earning a blush from the two teens.
Before either teen could respond Chi Chi spoke up, "I think this is one time I'll have to agree with Vegeta. Videl you would make a perfect saiyan wife; you keep Gohan in line and you're not afraid to stand up to him" Chi Chi said as she closed her eyes and took a deep inhale from her tea, enjoying the calming scent.
"Videl how'd you react to Gohan telling you he's not 'normal'" Chi Chi asked curiously.
Videl looked surprised by the question at first, and then noticed Gohan seemed interested in the answer as well. "Hm… well, after I had seen him turn into the gold fighter when I was being beaten up, I realized he can't be completely average. Granted, I always thought there was something different about him…I could never place it but I just knew. Then when I found out he was Saiyaman, I mean, what normal person can fly?" she asked, earning a small smile from Gohan.
"Then when Gohan sat me down and explained everything; about how he was kidnapped and trained at the age of four, Goku dying a few times, cell, and his saiyan background, I guess I was almost expecting it in a sense. I was surprised; I mean who wouldn't be finding out that one of their best friends was half alien. But I realized, him being half alien didn't change the fact that he was still the sweet, caring friend I had grown to really care for, and if anything him telling me his story only brought us closer together" Videl said with a smile as she felt Gohan reach under the table and squeezed her hand.
"Ha, when Goku explained it to me, I called him a monster, then when Gohan and him were super saiyans; I called them both monsters and cried" Chi Chi said with a laugh, earning a smile from everyone.
"Mommy called me a monster too. I thought it wasn't a good thing till Gohan told me it was something to be proud of" Goten said with a pout as his mother leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"So will Videl be my sister?" Goten asked innocently as Gohan and Videl both turned red again.
"Someday Goten, someday" Goku said with a laugh, knowing that his son and Videl were indeed destined to be together forever.
"Hey Goten, want to make an igloo after lunch?" Gohan asked, distracting everyone from the previous topic.
"That sounds awesome!" Goten exclaimed as everyone finished up their lunches.
Gohan smiled inwardly, he had been keeping an eye on Videl while they ate their lunch and was pleased at the fact she was keeping up with her promise and she was eating a healthy amount of food and wasn't over exercising to compensate eating.
"Here Chi Chi, I'll get the dishes" Videl said as she started collecting the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. After the dishes were cleaned up, everyone went on doing whatever it was they wanted to help make the day more eventful.
The darkness of the night came quickly to the mountain area, and soon everyone could feel their bodies requesting sleep.
Goku covered up a yawn as he watched his youngest son do the same. "Goten stop yawning…its addictive" Goku said as he yawned once again.
"Goku, I don't think addictive is the word you're looking for" Chi Chi said as she sat beside her husband.
"Contagious dad" Gohan said, listening to their conversation, they were all sitting in the living room watching a movie together.
Videl smiled to herself as she watched the family make conversation, 'life just can't get any better than this' she thought to herself as she snuggled in closer to Gohan.
"Goten, I think it's time you say goodnight to everyone and go to bed" Chi Chi said as she looked at her youngest son as he struggled to stay awake.
"Ok mom" he said quietly as he used one arm to rub one of his eyes as he covered another yawn. He stood up from his spot sitting on the floor; he walked over to Chi Chi and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Night mom" he muttered as Chi Chi returned the hug and kissed his cheek.
"Night sweetie, we'll see you in the morning" Chi Chi said as she watched her son go over and repeat the same actions with her husband.
"Sweet dreams buddy" Goku said as he returned the hug and ruffled his son's hair.
Goten then drowsily walked over to Gohan and proceeded to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Night squirt, I promise after school tomorrow we'll have a snowball fight" Gohan said, earning a half lidded look from his brother as he nodded in agreement.
Much to Videl's surprise Goten came over and hugged her as well and gave her a kiss on the cheek and once again said goodnight.
Videl smiled despite her surprise, "Night Goten, sweet dreams" she said as she in turn gave him a kiss on the cheek as she watched him slowly make his way up the stairs and to his bedroom.
Videl couldn't help but let a small smile come to her face as she gently reached a hand up and touched her fingers to where Goten had kissed her cheek.
"Are you alright V?" Gohan asked, as he watched his girlfriend's actions.
"Goten…he's never said goodnight to me like that before" She said, a smile still present on her face. She was just dumbstruck at how kind this family really was to her.
"Videl, Goten absolutely adores you. He really does think of you as a big sister" Chi Chi said, smiling at how touched Videl was at Goten's simple actions.
"I'm so touched by that" she said quietly, a smile still on her face.
"That's cute" Chi Chi said as she smiled warmly.
"I think I'm going to go and lay in bed and I'm sure I'll fall asleep soon enough" Goku said as he stood up and stretched and covered another yawn.
"Alright, I'm going to take Videl out" Gohan said as he grinned at his parents.
"Alright sweetie, you two have a good time and we'll see you bright and early, don't forget you have school tomorrow so don't stay up too late alright?" Chi Chi said as she stepped forward and gave both of the teens a hug.
"Night guys see you in the morning" Chi Chi said as she turned and walked up a few steps and looked back to her husband.
"Night guys enjoy your time out" Goku said with grin as he hugged both teens. He gave a final wave as he turned and followed his wife up their stairs to their bedroom.
"Ready to go to my house now?" Videl asked as she went to the front door and started putting her boots on. Originally they were going to have Goku come with them, but the figured they'd just go late at night when Hercule would most likely either be passed out, or out on the town.
"Yep! Oh but I wanted to take you somewhere else before hand, is that alright?" Gohan asked as he gave her a grin and put his boots on as well.
Videl went to grab her heavy coat but Gohan stopped her, "You'll be fine in the sweatshirt that you're in now, I promise" He said as she gave him a funny look.
He stood up and grasped her hand and led her out into the cold mountain night.
He floated up into the air for a moment and motioned for her to follow. Videl nodded in agreement and floated up in the air and followed him silently. As the flew for a few minutes Videl could feel just how cold winter was in the mountain area and could feel herself getting colder and colder.
Just then she saw Gohan stop abruptly after they had been flying for about five minutes. Before Videl could ask him what he was doing she was startled as he yelled out loud.
"NIMBUS!" He yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth. He turned around to flash Videl a grin then noticed the startled look on her face. "Sorry, I guess I should have given you a heads up" he said sheepishly as she stuck her tongue out at him.
A few seconds later the flying cloud appeared in front of them. Gohan quickly seated himself on the cloud and spread his legs out and motioned for Videl to sit in his lap. She seemed to be contemplating the idea for a moment then slowly sat comfortably in Gohans lap.
"Where are we going?" She asked as she felt the cloud starting to speed off.
"No where in particular, just going around to check out the view" He said as he wrapped his arms around Videl, noticing that she was started to shiver slightly.
Videl looked at the scenery around the two of them and then noticed just how quickly they were flying. "It's so weird looking down at everything fly past so quickly" she said in awe as they started to fly over an unknown city on an island away from their home country.
"Are we flying over a different country?" she asked in amazement.
"We are…I think we might be flying over Egypt now or at least coming close to it" he said as the flying cloud lowered over the strange city still maintaining the quick speed. It was indeed Egypt as the large pyramids came into view.
"This is so incredible" she said in awe as looked around at the historical landscape. Nimbus dipped down as they reached the Nile River and Videl reached her hand out and ran it along the warm water of the Nile.
"I thought a ride would be a great way to finish off the Christmas break" Gohan said as Videl leaned back against his chest.
"I feel like I should be singing a whole new world" Videl said with a laugh as she felt Gohans arms wrapped around her waist loosely, using his energy to keep her at a warm and comfortable temperature.
"So were you really surprised by Goten kissing your cheek tonight?" Gohan asked after they had a few moments of silence.
"I thought it was sweet" She said with a smile as she though back to the events that had taken place earlier. "You may not have seen it, but I had had a similar reaction when you kissed my cheek the first time, back when we were still 'friends'" she said, putting her fingers up to make quotations for the word 'friends'.
"What do you mean?" He asked curiously
"The first time you kissed my cheek, do you remember?" She asked as she looked up at him as he seemed to be lost in concentration. "Since, your memory seems to have escaped you I'll remind you. As I said, we were just really good friend at the time, it was something like 3 months ago. I had been in a depressed mood as it had been the anniversary of my mother's death and I was so upset that I left school during class hours. You, being the worry wart you are, followed me out and walked around with me and got me to pour my heart out as we walked through the park. Even though I was balling my eye out…I just enjoyed being out with you and feeling comfortable enough to tell you everything" she said as she smiled at the memory as a look of realization came across Gohans face.
Even though she realized he had just remember she continued on with the story anyways. "I swear we talked and walked for hours and night was coming quickly. You got me back to smiling and joking around and we walked through one of the garden areas in the park. You grabbed my favourite flower, the yellow lily and gave it to me and as a joke I stuck it behind my ear. Then you said your mom would kill you if you weren't home soon and told me the flower looked good on me. I looked away because I was a little embarrassed and next thing I knew you were kissing my cheek and giving me your typical smile and yelling bye as you flew off." She said still smiling at how she felt that day.
"I was so stunned, I felt my cheek where you kissed, and I got these butterflies in my tummy. I knew then that I had a really big crush on you" She said as she felt his hands tighten lightly around her.
"I remember that" he said with a big smile on his face, "I was trying to be subtle to the fact I had a big crush on your but I couldn't resist just trying to sneak in a kiss to see how you'd react" Gohan replied with a grin. Videl smiled at his reply knowing that he had just let it slip out and it wasn't anything that he had planned, despite what he may claim.
The two made small talk then quickly Videl's former house, the Satan mansion came quickly into view. Both noticed that all of the lights were turned off and Videl knew that that had meant her father wasn't home.
She could feel herself releasing a sigh of relief. "If he was home there would have been at least one light on in the house, there always is. I'm not seeing any lights so that is a very good sigh" she said with a smile, feeling the tension that had been collecting in her start to fade away a little. She quickly pointed out her room and the cloud floated gracefully over to it as the two teens jumped off.
Videl reached her balcony doors and grasped the frozen handle and gave the door a strong tug. Much to her surprise the door opened without any problems. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, why would he care, it's my room" she said dryly as she opened the door and welcomed Gohan into her room.
Gohan quietly walked into her room and looked around as she went into her large closet and started digging around for her school work.
Gohan was surprised at the condition of the room; all of the windows were opened and the sheets were completely pulled off the large bed. The more he looked around the more he realized how poor condition the room was in. he could see a few holes in the walls, and a few dents in the door, he could also see dried blood on Videls bed, as well as blood around the room. He frowned when he came to the realization that it was probably Videl's blood from beatings from when she left the house.
"Alright, I've got everything so I'm good to go now" she said, she looked uneasy as the memories of what had occurred in her room flooded back to her. "Let's get out of here" she said quickly as she moved to walk quickly out of the room, Gohan following behind her. Once they exited the room Videl closed the doors to her old room and they quickly flew back to Gohans home and went to bed, now ready for the school day that would come tomorrow.
~*~The next day~*~
Everyone sat at the breakfast table eating their breakfast silently. Gohan and Videl had woken up early to make sure that they would be on time for their first day back at school after the break. Before they knew it, they were saying their goodbyes to the family and flying off towards Satan City.
They landed in an alley a few minutes away from their school and walked the rest of the way, making small talk all the while. They entered the school and went to their lockers, still having three minutes to spare before their homeroom classes were to begin.
"Do you remember what we have first period?" Videl asked as she put text books into her locker.
"I'm pretty sure we've got chem. first period, then history second" Gohan said as he thought back to the last day of classes. Videl gave him a smile as she grabbed her textbooks and locked her locker as she waited for Gohan to finish up.
Gohan closed his locker and looked at Videl for a moment then a blush came across his cheeks. "What's the matter Gohan?" she questioned, noticing the blush that came across his cheeks.
"Can…can I hold your hand as we walk to class?" he asked shyly as a small blush crept onto Videl's cheeks.
"Of course you can" she said with a smile as she held out her hand and they walked to their classroom on the second floor.
They walked into their class room and could feel a whole bunch of eyes focused on them along with many whispers.
"Is Gohan holding Videl's hands?" A red headed girl named Angela asked o her friend beside her.
"Looks like it…I bet she slept with him, why else would they be doing that?" her brunette haired friend replied.
"Videl, Gohan!" They heard a voice exclaim from the top row of seating. The two smiled knowing the voice could have only come from their friend Erasa.
"Hey guys" Gohan said with a smile as he greeted Erasa and Sharpener. Before another word could be said Erasa interrupted them.
"Videl what happened to you? Your dad called all worried and said you ran away or something and he couldn't find you. Where'd you go?" She questioned quickly as Sharpened poked Erasa's arm drawing her attention.
Sharpener arched an eyebrow as he pointed to Gohan and Videl, "When did this happen?" He asked, noticing the two teens were holding hands.
"Oh my god Videl how could you not tell me you hooked up with Gohan! You've got a lot of explaining to do" Erasa exclaimed, a hurt expression on her face as she had been kept so in the dark of her best friends new found relationship with one of her really good friends.
"Gohan and I are now dating yes…can we explain this at lunch time?" Videl asked she was hesitant to get into a deeper explanation with so many ears around them, most willing to tell the tabloids about what had occurred with her the past few weeks.
"You better" Erasa said as the teacher walked in and greeted the class.
"Welcome back class, I hoped you all had a wonderful vacation, I know that I sure enjoyed my vacation in Aspen" the enthusiastic young twenty eight year old female teacher said as she flashed the class a grin. "Now, let's get back to work shall we? If you could all pull out your text books and open to page 143 and we'll begin with our discussion on stoichiometry" she said excitedly as she went on to discuss chemical bonds in atoms and electrostatic attraction in salt crystals.
Everyone was surprised at how quickly the first day back classes went and before they knew it, it was lunch time.
Erasa grabbed onto Gohan and Videl and motioned for Sharpener to follow as she moved towards the top floor hallway so they could eat their lunch in silence.
"Ok, we're here because no one ever walks up this high so we can talk in peace. Spill it" Erasa said as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Yea, how come you weren't at your house?" Sharpener asked as he leaned against a wall and took a bit into his sandwich.
"Alright…guys what I tell you, you have to promise that it doesn't leave this group alright?" Videl asked as she looked around to make sure they truly were alone.
"The last day of school, I was pretty sick. Gohan brought me to his place so I could relax and get checked out by his mom, and simply just to sleep. When I woke up I passed out and their family friend, Bulma was there and she checked me out and told Gohan I was exhausted and commented on bruises I had on my body" she said, she could feel her voice growing quieter. She felt a little more comfortable as Gohan reached over and gently grasped her hand and gave her a squeeze for support.
"Gohan brought me home while I was still asleep then my father…my father kicked me off the couch and told me to run fifteen laps" She said as the two blondes looked at her confused.
"If you were that sick why would your dad make you run?" Sharpener asked as Videl held up a hand.
"Please, let me finish the story then I'll answer questions" she said quietly as she took in a deep breath and continued on with her story.
"Gohan came back to my house because he was worried and found me collapsed on the track in my house. He then quickly took me back to his place because he was worried. So he brought me back and again, Bulma told him I had a bad case of the flu and commented on how I had a bloody lip and a swollen knee so Gohan kept me at his place, where I've been staying for the past while, his mother called us in sick, being why we were here that last Friday" she said as she took a sip from her water bottle that Chi Chi had prepared for her.
"I then told Gohan of how my father….my father physically abuses me" She said quietly as she looked away at her two shocked friends looks. She held up a hand to try and silence her friends to continue on with her story.
"Gohan then let me stay at his place because he was worried that I may get hurt if I were to go back to my house again. From there I got better and I stayed at Gohans house and had an awesome Christmas with his family. I had felt bad so I decided that I would go back and stay a day with my father, but that was a complete mistake. My father heard me making something to eat, he proceed to tell me I was fat and ugly, and forced me to go swimming because I needed to lose weight. After I had finished my five hour punishment of swimming, I couldn't find a towel anywhere, then I went to the room, I saw that my dad had taken everything away from my bed so I wouldn't be able keep warm, opened up my windows and made sure I wouldn't be able to change into anything warm. So I somehow managed to sleep while I was soaking wet and getting the winter breeze, then a few hours later my dad pored ice water on top of me and walked out of the room. So I left my house and went to Bulmas house where Gohan and his family were now staying" She said, she could feel her voice quivering a little but received a small smile from Gohan of encouragement.
"Then on New Years at Bulma's party, my father burst into the ballroom and tried to shoot me. "See this here?" She questioned as she pointed to her bandaged arm, earning a nod from the two blonde teens, "My dad shot me and grazed me with a bullet then he shot a second one, but Gohan stopped it just before it hit me" she finished. The two other teens knew a little bit about Gohan, they knew he was super strong and they also knew he had the possibility to fly, so naturally they came to the conclusion that he was Saiyaman. But because they had been friends for a few years now and they had grown closer and no one had breathed a word to another soul, so the fact that Gohan stopped a bullet wasn't surprising to the at all. The fact that the bullet came from Hercule, was indeed a surprise.
"Gohan nearly killed him, but I calmed Gohan down and everyone vowed to protect me…and I haven't seen my father since New year's eve" she said quietly, as she started to slowly eat her lunch leaving her two friends with a dumbfounded look on their faces.
Videl slowly looked up at her two friends face, and as she had expected, both were in shock.
"Videl I…I just…and no idea…" Erasa stuttered, trying to formulate a coherent sentence, but failing in the process. So she resolved to do what she felt could help the situation, she crawled across the floor and gave her best friend a big hug.
"I'm so sorry Videl…why didn't you tell me?" She whispered as Videl returned the friendly hug.
"I didn't think any one would believe me. I know you guys idolize my father so I just…didn't think you'd even consider the fact that he's abusive", she replied quietly, averting her gaze as to not allow newly formulating tears to fall down her cheeks. "I didn't even think Gohan would believe me. In fact when I told him I thought he was mad at me for being weak" she claimed.
As Erasa pulled away Sharpener then took his turn and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry we weren't there to help you V" He murmured, still in complete shock from hearing that their supposed hero of the world, beats his only daughter.
Videl once again returned the hug, she could hear Erasa crying quietly in the background and noticed Gohan was rubbing her back to try and comfort her. Sharpener then pulled away from Videl and went over to his girlfriend and comforted her while Gohan moved closer to Videl who simply gave him a small smile.
Erasa sniffled a little then gave a weak smile, "ok, so let's hear the good news, how did you two finally hook up?" She said, Erasa always loved hearing other peoples love stories.
"Well, for Christmas, Gohan reunited me with my mother" Videl said with a smile, as the two teens looked shocked.
"Videl…we were at your mother's funeral…she's dead" Sharpener said quietly, not sure how that statement would affect his friend.
"She was yes…but being great friends with a guy who knows the genius Bulma Briefs does have many, many perks" she said as she leaned her head on Gohans shoulder, they hadn't explained the whole concept of the dragon balls so the throwing Bulma's name in there wouldn't rouse any suspicion. "When I realized it wasn't a joke, and he was the one who surprised me with something I wanted more than anything I told him I was falling for him in front of his family and I kissed him" she said, earning a big smile from Erasa. "Then Gohan told me he felt the same way" Videl said, once again, a big smile returning to her face.
"That's so cute!" Erasa exclaimed as she clasped her hands together in excitement. "I always knew Videl had a big thing for you Gohan, but she kept denying it. Always with the 'we're just friends' and 'I was not staring at his butt'", she said with a laugh, earning a blush from both Gohan and Videl.
"And Gohan let's face it…all those times you attempted to deny it…you really suck at lying" she said, earning a laugh from the group.
Gohan face took on a grin, "would you guys like to see some pictures?" he asked, his grin never fading.
Videl ached an eyebrow as she saw Gohans smile, 'what's he up to?' she thought to herself as she watched Gohan pull pictures out of his backpack and hand them over to Erasa and Sharpener before Videl could see what the pictures were of.
"Whoa, Videl, is that you?" Sharpener asked as he gaped at the pictures that had just been handed to them.
"I knew you were pretty Videl…but holy crap!" Erasa exclaimed.
"What are you talking about?" Videl asked curiously.
Gohan let a big grin come upon his face, "I wanted to show them a few of our first pictures together as a couple" he said, he knew that if he showed them just how gorgeous she looked she's receive compliments, a perfect time to see how committed to her promise she was.
Sharpener turned a picture around to show Videl, "is that really you?" he questioned in surprise as he showed the picture of Videl from the ball the other night. She was standing on the stage when she had first revealed her new look, a smirk plastered on her face as she stood in front of the microphone.
Videl felt a blush slowly come upon her cheeks, "yea, that's me" she said shyly, giving Gohan an unimpressed look as he continued to grin.
"I had no idea your hair could be curled like that" Erasa said in awe as she stared in shock at the picture of her best friend.
"My mom curled it for me" she said with a smile at the memory, " Gohans mom, Bulma, my mother and a woman named 18 all worked together and made the dress for me, then did my hair, and make up and such" she said, remembering all the effort the woman put into making her look stunning.
"You look hot in that dress. I mean, I've always thought you were attractive…but holy crap, it's like looking at a whole different person" Sharpener said, still looking through the pictures Gohan had offered them.
Erasa let a giggle escape from her lips, "apparently Gohan was surprised by her transformation too" she said as she turned a picture around of a very wide mouth and wide eyed Gohan looking absolutely shocked while he was in his tuxedo.
"I didn't know that one was in there" Gohan mumbled, looking at the expression on his face that had been taken.
"Videl do you have a twin?" Sharpener asked as he went through other pictures. He turned a picture around of Videl and an older version of her.
"That's my mom and I, isn't she pretty?" Videl asked with a big grin as the two teens looked at the picture in shock.
"Wow Videl…I had forgotten what your mom looked like…you two are beautiful" Erasa said as Videl returned the smile and gave her a thanks.
"As nerdy as Gohan is… I've got to admit you two look good together" Sharpener said as he showed Erasa a picture of the two of them during the ball posing together.
"I couldn't agree more" Videl said as she grinned at Gohan and kissed his cheek.
"Hey guys, I'm just going to run to the bathroom really quickly…meet you downstairs for classes?" Videl asked as she stood up and dusted her bum off.
"See you in a few minutes sweetie" Gohan said with a small blush as Videl blushed as well and gave a quick wave as she started descending the stairs.
Gohan then took on a serious looked as he turned to the two blondes. "Guys, I need your help with a problem with her that I've been working on" Gohan said as the two teens leaned in interest evident on their faces.
"When Videl came to my house, I noticed she looked skinny…actually a lot of my family noticed how small she was. I then noticed that she wasn't eating, and if she did manage to eat something, she would work out for a couple of hours to burn it off. Her father had convinced her that she was really ugly and really fat and she was boarder line eating disorder. I showed her a picture of her in a bathing suit and she couldn't believe how thin she had gotten. She promised me she'd work on her confidence issue" Gohan said as the other two looked surprised.
"I never noticed Videl had an eating disorder...I always though she just wanted to train for crime fighting…but that does explain the oversized shirts she was always wearing" Erasa mused as Gohan interrupted her.
"If you get the chance, I want you to compliment her, please don't joke around and call her ugly or fat. Trust me, she's lost at least ten pounds the past few weeks and I've only recently gotten her eating. If we're at lunch and it looks like she's not eating, please try and get her to eat something. Say something like "this is great you should try it". Anything at all to get her to eat" he said as he started standing up as well to meet Videl down stairs for the next class as their lunch hour was drawing to a close.
"You got it nerd boy" Sharpener said as he mock saluted Gohan.
"Videl is beautiful" Erasa said out loud, "why would she believe otherwise?" she questioned out loud as they started descending the stairs.
"Hercule convinced her she was ugly and fat. You should have seen how surprised she was when she saw her actual size, she thought I had photo shopped it or something. She couldn't understand how the picture made her look so sickly thin when she saw something differently" Gohan said as he adjusted his backpack.
"Gohan, I think you've got to be the best thing to happen to Videl since she discovered fighting" Erasa said, earning a blush from Gohan.
~*~ Later that day~*~
The rest of the school day had gone by smoothly and Gohan and Videl were now at home. Both were finishing up their homework together and getting ready for bed.
"I love your family" Videl said, breaking the silence between them.
"I'm glad" Gohan said with a smile as he moved closer to Videl.
"I think I'm going to go to bed now" Videl said as she rubbed her eyes, looking at the clock now seeing it was quarter past eleven at night.
"Night air is taking it out of you eh?" Gohan asked jokingly as Videl covered a yawn.
"I sure think it is" she said as she covered another yawn "but I'm also not used to being up that early, so I think I'm going turn in now" She said as she leaned her head against Gohans shoulder and closed her eyes.
"Alright hun" he said as he kissed her on the cheek.
"I like you calling me these names" Videl said with a smile as she moved to lay on top of Gohan's back as he lay on the floor on his stomach.
"Good, because I'm getting into the habit of calling you them" he said with a grin as she wrapped her arms around his neck lightly.
"Alright, let's get you to bed" Gohan said as he gently stood up, still keeping her on his back so he could give her a piggy back to her room.
Gohan easily walked into her room and gently laid her down on her bed. He gave her a smile as he stared at the way her hair was gently sprawled out across her pillow.
"You're so beautiful" he said with a small smile.
"And you're so handsome" she said with a grin as she reached up to play with the lock of hair that hung in his face.
"I hate that piece of hair" he commented as he glared at it for a moment.
"I like it' it's cute" she said as she pulled on it gently, bringing him down to meet her lips so she could give him a kiss.
"Night hun" she said quietly as she gave him another kiss. "I love you".
"Night sweetheart, I love you too" Gohan said as he gave her another kiss and a quick hug. With that he stood up and gave her a final wave before he finally retired to his room so he could sleep.
Videl smiled in her bed as thoughts ran through her mind. 'Things are definitely going to get better. …I can't believe how lucky I am to be with him' she thought as she finally drifted off to sleep.
~*~
Alright that's the end of Chapter 17 and I will try and get chapter 18 up within a week and a half hopefully. I'm going to warn you that for my next chapter I'm going to do a shift in time. Nothing major…but like 8 months…something like that, maybe a year or something. I promise I'll develop on it more, so I really hope nobody minds.
I hope you all like this chapter and I hope to get reviews on it! Once again, please remember there will be a time jump for my next chapter, I really hope you guys like what I have in store for you.
Thanks again for more than one hundred reviews, please let's keep them coming!