Please Friendzone Me!

Chapter 20

Until the Very Last Moment

On their way to meet up with Videl and Gohan, Erasa skipped happily while chattering about all her new purchases and how great some of the deals were. As for Sharpner, he listened to her with a smile, his wrists full of all her shopping bags. Which the blonde boy didn't mind – he was used to it really, and at this point in their friendship Erasa didn't even need to ask. He was kind of her personal assistant whenever they went shopping together, and to be honest, Sharpner enjoyed pampering her.

As the two friends got closer to the arena, they noticed that the other visitors seemed to be rushing there. There was an air of excitement, and from afar, Sharpner and Erasa could hear enthusiastic cheers coming from their destination.

They shared a look, silently wondering the same thing.

What could this be about?

Erasa's phone chimed at that moment, so she got it out. Her eyebrows shot up. "I've got a ton of notifications! It's about Videl – and Gohan too! What's going on?"

She checked what the buzz was all about, and then she froze in place, her jaw hanging open. Sharpner paused. Erasa must have started a video because he heard noises – through the loud cheers, it sounded like there was a fight going on. He moved closer to her while asking what was the video about. But Erasa was utterly speechless.

He looked over her shoulder, and his eyes widened.

The video on the screen was of the ring of the Tenkaichi Budokai, and in it, Videl and Gohan were facing each other, fighting at a level Sharpner never imagined possible.

They both stood there watching the viral videos, playing automatically one after the other, while around them the people were still rushing to get to the arena and see the incredible fight with their own eyes.

And then Sharpner and Erasa snapped out of it; they shared a bewildered look, before taking off running toward the stadium.

Videl was simply amazing. Gohan had never doubted it before, but witnessing her level for himself while they faced each other, that girl just kept confirming how exceptionally talented and skilled she was. Even with her ankle out of commission for a week, she had managed to get better since the last time they sparred. Her dedication to her art compelled admiration. Gohan wished he could be more like her – that he shared this absolute passion for fighting, like all the martial arts experts he grew up around. Like his dad.

He had to admit, fighting Videl was more than enjoyable. This kind of friendly competition was something Gohan wasn't used to. The half-Saiyan grew up training for battle – for fights to the death. But this – this was something else. Something he definitely wouldn't mind doing more often.

He blocked Videl's outstretched arm, shoving it to the side while thrusting his other hand forward, which pushed Videl back a few steps without making any contact.

The crowd in the bleachers gasped collectively. His and Videl's fight seemed to have attracted an audience. While Gohan usually disliked being the center of attention, this was different somehow. The enthusiasm, the excitement, the shared thrill of the battle – the whole atmosphere – it was exhilarating.

Gohan could definitely see the appeal of these kinds of competitions.

Videl planted her feet firmly on the tiled floor to steady herself. She shot him an intrigued look, the corner of her lips slightly curving upward.

"Will you teach me how to do that too?" she asked, dropping into her stance once more.

Gohan grinned as he got into his own fighting position. "I'm planning to teach you everything I know, Videl – and I honestly can't wait."

The fire in her eyes burned harder. "Yeah, I can't wait either."

She sprung at him once more, her speed and precision sharper than before as she peppered him with attacks. Gohan evaded everything with ease, alternating between dodging and blocking; every now and then he would counterattack, scarcely making actual contact whenever he pushed Videl back.

Gohan shot a glance behind him. The distance between him and the edge of the ring kept reducing with every flurry of attacks from his adversary. Videl was coercing him to back up, making sure he had less and less room to retaliate against her.

It was a good strategy, but Videl knew who she was up against and what he was capable of. This couldn't be her whole plan – not when he could easily jump over her to get back to the center of the ring. No, Videl was smarter than that. And Gohan was bubbling with curiosity and anticipation, eager to find out what she had up her sleeve. He loved seeing her clever mind at work.

They locked eyes, their smiles translating the mutual enjoyment of the friendly match. Videl's attacks grew more vicious, their accuracy increasing still as she cornered Gohan to the very edge of the ring, leaving him with almost no room to move.

Now, Gohan only had two options: either he pushed Videl back to get some space, or he jumped over her to get behind her. Either way, his next move would be fairly easy to predict, which could have cost him the match had he been anyone else. Unfortunately for his contender, he had a very unfair advantage over her, so Gohan was not worried in the least as he used sufficient speed to dodge Videl's next kick and in his momentum, leaped right over her head.

At that very moment Videl's ki suddenly burst and she retaliated while Gohan was still in the air: the half-Saiyan did not expect nor anticipate her increased velocity as Videl hopped onto her hands in a swift movement and sprung both her legs at him.

Gohan's superhuman reflexes saved him, but the heel of her boot still managed to graze his thigh.

He landed a good distance from Videl, bewildered as she gracefully flipped back onto her feet, facing him once more. He blinked at her again.

"Damn, so close!" She snapped her fingers, but her confident smirk never wavered.

Gohan shook his head at himself as he let slip a chuckle. "I can't believe you almost got me."

"Next time I'll get you for sure! We've still got another fifteen minutes, and I'm not wasting them."

Gohan was starting to think that she might just win indeed.

Her plan had been flawless. He shouldn't be surprised that even with a sprained ankle Videl would manage to improve and get stronger since their spar last week. Of course, it was no secret that she'd been keeping up with her training in spite of her handicap, but Gohan hadn't realized she'd gotten that much better in such a short time.

He grinned as he dropped into his fighting stance along with Videl. That girl sure was full of surprises.

Gohan couldn't wait to see how far she could go with his mentoring. Training Videl was going to be so much fun – in addition to giving him a good reason to spend more time alone with the girl he liked.

Videl charged at him once more, this time without hiding her full power, and Gohan had to raise and adjust his ki accordingly so they could be at about the same level, leaving Videl just slightly above him.

As he continued weaving himself out of the way of Videl's swift attacks, blocking the more vicious ones, Gohan knew not to let his guard down. His overconfidence had nearly cost him the match – even with his unfair advantage, Videl more than made up for it with her wits. He would be a fool to think that she would only work out one plan against him: she must have anticipated the probability of a failure. That girl had more tricks up her sleeve, and that was a certainty.

At that moment, there was a scrapping noise, like when you turned on loudspeakers. Gohan and Videl paused in the same motion, sharing a frown of confusion.

And then they heard the sound of rushed steps getting closer, and before long, a familiar man holding a microphone waved his arms widely to catch their attention.

"Mr. Referee?" Gohan mumbled in surprise.

"Wait for me!" the blonde man shouted in his mike. Stopping by the edge of the ring, he tried to catch his breath, a hand against his heaving chest.

"Are you okay, sir?" Gohan asked, walking over to him. He stopped at the edge of the ring.

"No, I'm not okay!" the referee sputtered indignantly. "How could you two have such an epic fight without me? Good thing I was close by, or I would've missed it!"

Gohan gave an awkward chuckle. "We weren't expecting to attract a crowd. We're just having a bit of fun on the ring."

"We've still got about fifteen minutes left," Videl added, coming up next to Gohan. "So feel free to referee the rest of our fight. We've set our own rules: I win if I manage to land a hit on Gohan, he wins if I don't. He has to fight back, not just dodge or block, and we're to fight for thirty minutes in total."

"So you're already halfway through?" the referee complained.

"Um… Maybe we could extend the time of the match a little bit?" Gohan offered, scratching the back of his head as he glanced over at Videl for her opinion.

"Would twenty more minutes work for you?" she asked the referee.

The blonde man sighed deeply, obviously still disappointed to have missed most of their fight. "Yes, I suppose it'll do."

Gohan and Videl returned to the center of the ring, facing each other once more while the referee introduced them to the audience and explained the rules for everyone.

Gohan winced when his lineage to Son Goku was inevitably revealed, causing gasps and awed whispers to break out in the public.

Oh, well. It didn't matter that much anymore, he supposed, since his class had already figured it out. Gohan wasn't a fan of the idea of it becoming public knowledge, but it was too late now to do anything about it. Hopefully, the rest of the kids at school weren't going to treat him too differently once they learned who his father was.

"Alright!" the referee exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. "Let Round Two of the fight between Son Gohan and Videl begin!"

The crowd cheered with renewed fire. Gohan and Videl shared a smile, as they both dropped into their respective fighting stances. Without a word, Gohan beckoned Videl with his hand, and the girl didn't make him wait. Letting out a war cry, she flung herself at him like a projectile rebounding on a slingshot.

"Whoa!"

Her fist almost brushed his cheek. What the…? Did she just… use her ki to boost her speed? How did she even learn to do that? Sure, she had the basics of ki-control down, but did Videl really just figure this out on her own?

Just how amazingly talented could one person be? If she were part Saiyan, Videl would be no doubt kicking his ass right now.

She kept coming at him, her unpredictable velocity giving Gohan some trouble as he found himself blocking more often than dodging.

"How did you figure out how to do that?" he couldn't help asking as he caught her ankle, her heel just inches from his face. At this rate, he was going to need to raise his ki some more to counterbalance with Videl's boosted speed.

"I've been observing you."

Her spare leg rushed at him from below, causing Gohan to let go of her ankle and step away to dodge the vicious kick. Videl used the momentum to do a backward flip and, in a smooth motion, landed back onto her feet in a crouched position – before springing at him once more.

Gohan backed his head away from her punch; the next moment, Videl opened her hand while still thrusting her arm forward and he felt a strong gust of wind coming from her palm. His eyes widening, he pulled his whole upper body backward, his back parallel to the tiled floor as he sensed the rush of energy pass over him.

Straightening up, he was gaping as he stared at Videl, whose confident smirk never budged from her face.

"How'd you…?" he fumbled, too bewildered to finish the question.

She chuckled, notes of amusement dancing in her eyes. "You've been doing this since we've started the match; did you really think I wouldn't pick up on how you were doing it by now? It's not like it's that complicated."

Gohan kept blinking at her. How was she so good at controlling her ki already?

"It seems that Videl's got some new techniques up her sleeve!" the referee commented over his microphone. "Gohan looks completely caught by surprise! I don't know how he still managed to dodge that last punch, but that was most impressive, don't you think?"

The audience cheered in agreement and encouragement.

Gohan felt that Videl was gathering her ki down her legs this time. He quickly snapped out of his stupor and focused his senses on the flow of energy in his opponent's body. What was she up to this time? It didn't seem like she was concentrating her ki to simply fly, so maybe she intended to boost her speed again while she rushed at him.

His assumption turned out to be correct, thus dodging the upcoming knee came easily.

Now that was more like it. She had just caught him off guard with her self-taught ki-skills, but as long as he stayed focused and surveyed the flow of her energy, evading her hits shouldn't become a problem.

It was insane to think that Videl almost caused him trouble. A human girl who was just starting to learn about ki, someone who didn't possess even the tiniest fragment of his power – and yet she had managed to give him more than one close call.

She was incredible. Her talent, her skills, her instincts, how quickly she was teaching herself to better her ki-control, her impeccable timing to catch him by surprise despite the immense gap of power between them… Videl was definitely something special.

Gosh, this was just making him fall for her even deeper. He simply adored the way her mind worked; he loved how she was constantly improving herself, how she didn't let their difference in strength lessen her determination to win their match, not even a little bit. He loved her drive, her tenacity, her passion…

It was all so incredibly attractive to him.

She was using her ki a lot though, and with barely over five minutes left, Videl seemed almost out of reserves. Gohan smiled to himself. She had put up an amazing fight, she had impressed him on every level, but the match was almost over now.

The raven-haired girl must have known that she wasn't going to win against him, and yet she gave it her all, and even came close to getting him more than once. Gohan had very much enjoyed this friendly little match, and he was grateful to Videl for showing him that fighting could be a lot of fun too.

He thrust his palm forward, once again using his ki to push Videl back without making any contact. She tumbled but quickly caught her balance. Trying to catch her breath, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, Videl squinted as she stood facing him.

"Only three minutes left!" the referee reminded the audience. "Videl is running out of time! Can she win this match? Or will Gohan continue to evade everything she throws at him?"

Gohan observed her intently. She was gathering her ki again – all of it, from the looks of it. That must mean that Videl was getting ready for something big – her last attempt. And she would be putting everything she had into her next attack.

To give her a better chance to win, Gohan lowered his ki some more: whatever Videl was planning to do next, from now on he would only be counting on his skills to avoid getting hit.

"You're not planning to let me win, are you?" Videl asked, a frown hardening her expression. She must have noticed what he just did.

"I'm just making it more fair for you," he explained, dropping into his fighting position. "But I still intend to win – only this time, I'll be using my skills against you, and nothing else."

She smirked, getting into her own stance, still on the offensive. "What, I wasn't enough of a challenge to you already?"

Gohan grinned. "Oh, you've been plenty challenging – you've way exceeded all my expectations, and I never thought you could give me so much trouble."

Videl chuckled. "Did I?"

"Well, you've certainly caught me off guard more than once. I had a lot of fun, and to be honest I'm kinda sad that our match is almost over already."

Her expression softened. "Rest assured, this is in no way the last time that we'll be doing this."

Gohan laughed heartily. "Now that's something to look forward to!"

Videl chuckled along. And then her face turned serious, her fists tightening. Gohan could sense that she was done gathering her ki.

This was it. One last attempt.

She charged at him head first, like a bull. Her ki boosting her speed, the girl cried out as she gave it everything she had, going for a tackle.

But Gohan's reflexes were too sharp and heightened. Even at her full power and he at his minimum, Videl couldn't possibly best him.

Gohan easily jumped aside to dodge Videl's last resort attack and did a graceful flip onto one hand; but then, as he was about to land on his feet, the demi-Saiyan felt a disturbance in the air as Videl's ki rushed at him.

He should've been capable to dodge this too, but Gohan had let his guard down. He had been sure it was over, had gone for a final flip, assumed he would just need to land on his feet and the match would be his. And now, still mid-flip and very much at a disadvantaged position, he hadn't thought to gather his ki so that he could swiftly move out of the way of the oncoming rush of invisible energy.

And so the kiai hit him right in the chest, making him stumble a bit on his landing. Gohan winced slightly – Videl had put everything she had left into this last attack, and that girl was strong.

"And the winner is… Videl!" the referee announced proudly.

The audience broke out in cheers, chanting Videl's name.

"At the very last second!" the man went on, the excitement rushing the words out of his mouth. "Videl didn't let up until the very last second and took the win! I thought she was done for when Gohan dodged her last attack yet again – but I should've known better! What a fight! What an incredible fight! It has been a very long time since I've witnessed such high levels of martial arts! While Gohan didn't come out the victor, he proved himself one of the best fighters to ever set foot on this ring. I don't know about you, but I've never seen anyone move like him. His fighting style, it seemed simply godly! I certainly hope this isn't the last time we see him on this ring. Well, folks, give it up for both of them! Thank you both so much for this magnificent match!"

The audience cheered wildly in response, chanting both of the fighters' names and congratulating them. Gohan looked over at Videl, who beamed proudly while she drank in the fervent applause.

He grinned.

Maybe a part of him hadn't wanted to win; maybe he had hoped to give this to Videl, this moment of glory, because she had been so amazing and she so deserved it.

She still won fair and square – it was on him for letting his guard down. He had been careless and paid the price.

Catching Videl's gaze, her blue eyes sparkling like a million stars, the boy thought to himself that this felt more like a prize than a price.

He walked over to her and held her hand, his heart swelling as he let himself get lost in her beautiful eyes.

"Congrats," he said, loud enough to be heard over the deafening cheers. "You were amazing."

Her cheeks tinged with pink and her grin widened. "Thanks."

Hand in hand, they stood together and reveled in the acclaim. Everyone on the bleachers got to their feet to give the fighters a standing ovation; some used their fingers to whistle as loud as they could, the sound adding to the cheers and the applause and the whoops. Gohan and Videl shared a grin. Now that was a feeling neither of them was ever going to forget.

Gohan was almost tempted to compete in the upcoming Tenkaichi Budokai, just to get to relive this glorious moment one more time.

Glancing sideways at Videl, he wondered how she would react if she knew what he was thinking of right now.

"Dude – dude!" Sharpner grabbed Gohan's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "That was just insane! How the hell did you get so strong? To think Videl could barely touch you!"

Gohan let out an awkward chuckle, scratching his hair.

"I still lost though," he offered humbly.

"But you were soooooo amazing!" Erasa gushed at him, eyes sparkling. "I've never seen anyone move the way you do. I still can't believe what we just saw!"

"Dude, like, seriously", Sharpner went on, "you gotta compete in the next tournament. You just gotta. It'd be a crime if you don't. Seriously, dude."

"You'd win for sure!" Erasa piled on. "You should totally compete!"

Gohan glanced over at Videl, walking a small distance away while the two blondes hovered around him and apparently completely forgot about her and her life-long goal.

She caught his gaze and gave him an encouraging smile. "Yeah, Gohan, you really should," she said. "It'd be fun to compete together."

While Videl had a point – entering the tournament with her certainly sounded like fun, if their friendly match was anything to go by – and he did consider the possibility earlier, Gohan was having second thoughts.

If Erasa and Sharpner reacted this strongly after seeing him fight in a friendly match against the world's best candidate to win the next championship, the demi-Saiyan didn't want to even imagine how his classmates would react to him actually winning the title of Strongest under the Heavens.

Yeah, no – thanks, but no thanks. It was bad enough that his fight with Videl had gone viral. This would be his only and last taste of fame. This whole glory-seeking thing just wasn't for him.

"Well, um, anyway, there's a stop I'd like to make before we go back to the hotel," Gohan said with a nervous chuckle.

Videl rolled her eyes, an amused smile tugging at her lips. He cracked a grin at her. He wasn't very smooth at trying to change the subject, was he?

"Where to, then?" she played along. Gohan's expression softened with gratitude, and Videl shot him a look that seemed to say, "Anytime."

"By the art gallery," he replied. "I want to try and find Kitkat before we're to leave."

"Kitkat?" Erasa repeated, tilting her head to the side.

Sharpner gave a snort of laughter. "Seriously? You want to go back just to get your snack back?"

Gohan and Videl shared a look, before bursting out in giggles, their shoulders shaking.

"Kitkat is a stray cat I've befriended," Gohan explained with a broad grin, amusement sparkling in his eyes.

"It was pretty amazing how you tamed her," Videl recalled. "She was real mean to me too."

Gohan chuckled. "You just came on a little too strong too fast."

"Well, you're the expert, Your Majesty the Disney Princess." Videl made a show to bow to him, and Gohan bit his lips as he tried to contain another fit of giggles.

Videl smirked at him as she straightened up and crossed her arms.

"What, you're going to deny it?"

Gohan shook his hands in front of him. "No, no, of course not. I'm totally a Disney Princess." He grinned broadly. "I could break into song at any moment, too."

Videl gave a snort of laughter. "Oh, geez. The worse part is that you'd totally pull off something like that."

Gohan snickered. "Wouldn't I?"

Meanwhile, Sharpner and Erasa shared a look as the same thought crossed their minds: just when did those two become so close?

"I don't think she's around…"

Gohan turned his puppy eyes to her when she said that, and Videl felt her heart give a painful throb. She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm sorry, Gohan. I would've liked to see her again too."

His gaze meandered about once more, trying to catch a glimpse of the striped gray fur, still. They had been looking for Kitkat for the past half hour, all around the art gallery, but the stray animal didn't seem to be wandering in the neighborhood today.

"Gohan, we should head back to the hotel. We're already late," she reminded him. "We'll come back another time, and we'll look for her again then. Alright?"

He sighed, his back slumping, and it felt like the weight of the whole world was on his shoulders. "I suppose… you're right." He sighed once more. "I guess I'm not much of a Disney Princess after all, or she would've rushed to me at the simple sound of my voice."

"Maybe you really do need to break into song?" Videl offered, hoping her joke could cheer him up a little.

He chuckled meekly, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb. "Maybe…"

"It's okay, Gohan," Erasa walked over. "I'm sure you'll find her next time."

"Well, we should get going," Sharpner said, waving his phone from side to side. "We're running late, and we still need to pack before we gotta join the class to get on the shuttle."

Videl and Erasa shot him a fierce glare.

"How can you be so insensitive!" Erasa scolded the boy. "Gohan is really bummed out right now. So what if we're a little late? It's not like they're gonna leave without us!"

"And even if they were, my jet copter is faster than the shuttle anyway," Videl added.

"It's okay, you guys," Gohan said softly. "Sharpner's right. We should get going."

"See? Brains agrees. Let's go." Sharpner turned around and started to walk back to Videl's decapsulated jet copter. "It's just a cat anyway," he mumbled under his breath.

"I heard that!" Videl shouted at him. The boy stiffened, before speeding up toward the aircraft.

"Well, he's not wrong," Gohan reasoned, but his eyes were dimmed with disappointment.

Videl gave his hand a squeeze. "We'll find her next time, Gohan. I promise."

He managed a smile. "Yeah."

Inside the jet copter, no one uttered a word as Videl started the engine, getting on their way back to the hotel. Gohan was beside her on the passenger seat, while Erasa and Sharpner were settled in the back.

Videl glanced to the side every now and then. Gohan was leaning against the window, resting his chin into his palm as he looked out below.

She felt a pang in her chest. Was he still looking for Kitkat, out in the streets? Poor guy. He had really hoped he would get to say goodbye to her before going home today. She hated seeing Gohan so disheartened.

"Wait…" Gohan sat upright all of a sudden. "Wait! There she is! Stop the jet! That's Kitkat down there!"

Videl blinked at the boy, who was all smiles and sparkling eyes. "Seriously?"

"Yes! I recognize her fur!"

"Wait, for real?" Sharpner said, leaning toward the window to check for himself.

"Yes! Come on, Videl, land the jet!" Gohan told her, grinning wider than ever.

"Huh. How about that," Sharpner mumbled, plopping back against the backrest.

"Amazing!" Erasa laughed. "I guess she wasn't that far away from the gallery after all."

Videl let out a chuckle, veering the jet copter to follow Gohan's directions. As soon as they landed, Gohan jumped out of the jet copter and ran toward the unsuspecting cat.

"Kitkat! Kitkat!"

It was like his aura shone with sparkles and rainbows and hearts as the happy boy skipped toward his furry friend. Videl laughed. He was just too cute.

The cat noticed the onrushing human and her first reaction was a startle – but then she seemed to consider Gohan: tilting her head, she let out a confused meow?

He reached her and crouched down, holding out his hand so she could get a whiff of his scent. "It's me, Gohan. You didn't forget about me, did you?"

Carefully, Kitkat sniffed the offered appendage, watching the boy more intently. And then she meowed happily and rubbed her head against his hand. Gohan brought her to him gently and hugged her close.

"I'm so glad I found you!"

The cat seemed to meow in agreement, all snuggled up in his strong arms.

"Oh my God, that's just precious," Erasa gushed, holding her face between her palms.

"All this for a cat…" Sharpner shook his head, but he was unable to suppress his smile at the endearing scene.

Videl turned to Gohan once more, feeling her heart glow at the sight of his happy face while he cuddled the stray cat.

Feeling the urge to capture this memory, she pulled out her phone and did just that – taking a few shots of Gohan and his kitty friend. He was just too cute to resist.

"We're gonna be super late though," Sharpner reminded them.

"Oh, shush, you," Erasa berated him. "Who cares? Look how happy Gohan is."

"Just call Mrs. Potts to let her know we're running late if you're that worried," Videl suggested, rolling her eyes.

"Whatever," he muttered, crossing his arms.

After a few minutes, Gohan walked back toward them. Only, he was still holding the cat, who was happily snuggling up to him.

"Gohan, sweetie… you can't take the cat with you," Erasa reasoned with a sympathetic smile.

"I know, I know," he sighed, gazing wistfully at the furry bundle in his arms. "She has her own life out here, maybe a family, or her own pack. I know I can't uproot her and take her with me – she wouldn't be safe at my place either. There are too many predators that are way bigger than her out in the mountains." He looked up at them and gave a sheepish smile. "I wouldn't want to delay you guys any longer, so don't worry about me and go on ahead. I'll join you later."

"Then I'll stay back with you," Videl said without a second thought. "You two should go on though," she added for her blonde friends.

"You sure?" Erasa asked, her gaze going back and forth between Videl and Gohan.

"Yeah, it's fine," Videl assured, shrugging. "Gohan will be my ride back, don't worry."

"I guess that's that, then," Sharpner said, starting back toward the jet copter. "All this for a cat…" he muttered as he climbed in, shaking his head.

"I'll let Mrs. Potts know," Erasa said, before turning toward the jet copter in turn. "Don't be too late!" she called over her shoulder.

Gohan was absentmindedly petting Kitkat while he and Videl watched their friends leave.

"You didn't have to stay with me," he said while the jet copter slowly became a smaller and smaller dot in the sky.

"I wanted to. Besides, with how fast you are, we'll probably reach the hotel before Erasa and Sharpner anyway."

Gohan chuckled. "I suppose." He beamed at her. "Then, wanna try to pet her this time?"

Videl laughed. "No way. Look how happy she is right now. Why would you want me to ruin the mood?"

"Aww, come on. Just bring your hand closer to her; let her get used to your scent, don't try to touch her at first. Let her come to you and you'll see, she'll be happy to let you pet her too."

Videl gave a playful roll of her eyes. "Alright, fine. I'll try. But when she tries to scratch me again, you'll only have yourself to blame."

"She won't. Right, Kitkat?" he added for his furry friend. He raised her slightly, to draw her attention to what he was saying. She meowed drowsily, probably confused as to why Gohan wasn't petting her anymore. "This is my friend Videl," he explained. "Be nice to her, okay? She's very dear to me."

Videl felt her lips spread out wider while the warm glow in her chest shone even brighter. Gohan caught her gaze right then, and his smile was so soft and gentle, any remaining negative feelings she may have had just melted away.

Where had that boy been all her life?

Gohan brought Kitkat closer to her. Videl followed his advice and slowly reached over without trying to touch her. Kitkat studied her scent, took much longer than she did with Gohan too. And then she recoiled and tried to sink deeper into Gohan's hold.

"Aww, come on, Kitkat. Videl's super nice, you know?" he tried to convince the cat still.

"See? I told you she wouldn't like me. She probably sees me as a rival." Videl chuckled slightly. "Well, at least she didn't try to rip my arm off this time, so I say it's progress."

Gohan cracked a smile, met her eyes once more. "Yes, I suppose it is."

They had been pretty late, which had delayed the takeoff time to fly back to Satan City, but in the end, Gohan and Videl hadn't turned up that much later than Erasa and Sharpner. Gohan's superspeed did come in handy.

Saying goodbye to Kitkat went pretty much the same way than on the first day of the field trip, but at least this time Gohan didn't let himself get bummed out when he had to leave the cute kitty. He would visit her soon enough and pet her plenty more. Goten was so going to love her, too.

Now in the shuttle on their way back, Gohan smiled as he looked out the window, past a head of shiny raven hair. He felt a slight pang in his chest at the thought that the field trip had come to an end – it had been so much fun to spend those past three days with his classmates.

His gaze shifted to the beautiful girl leaning her head on his shoulder, her breathing deep and slow as she slept peacefully. His expression softened at the endearing sight. Getting closer to Videl had definitely been his favorite part of the field trip. Granted, he could have done without some of the drama over the past days, but Gohan supposed that tensions were inevitable when you spent so much time with the same people. It only made he and Videl grow closer in the end, and the making up part had been quite nice too.

He brushed her bangs from her closed eyes with the tips of his fingers. Sleepy head.

With how much Videl had used her ki during their fight at the Tenkaichi Budokai, it was no wonder that she needed to get some rest. He still couldn't get over how quickly Videl was learning to control her ki, and she barely even needed his help either.

He stroked her cheek, careful not to disturb her slumber, marveling at her angelic face.

His chest gave a painful throb. His feelings for her were overflowing. His heart wanted her. He wanted to be with her. He had never wanted something so terribly.

His gaze dropped on her lips, and his throat tightened.

Would he… ever get a chance to kiss Videl?

Letting out a soft sigh, Gohan pulled his hand back, leaning his head against the backrest as he returned his attention to the scenery out of the window.

He never figured he was the impatient type. Had he always been this way, or was he only getting so restless because it concerned Videl?

He knew he couldn't force this, though. He couldn't impose his feelings on Videl, and no matter how much he liked her, there was nothing he could do if she never returned his feelings.

Letting his eyes slide shut, Gohan made a point to ignore the whispers going around the shuttle, especially when his name was brought up. After his friendly match with Videl went viral on every social media, it was no surprise that he was the talk of the day. He wasn't too happy about it, but what was done was done.

Besides, it was a small price to pay for the fun he had fighting Videl. He didn't regret at all using the ring of the Tenkaichi Budokai for their match, even if it meant attracting too much attention and going viral. The cheering crowd had been part of the fun, too.

No, he truly had no regrets. None at all.

He smiled to himself as he recalled their fight. And all the good times in the past three days. Figuring he could use a nap too, Gohan let his fond memories of the field trip and Videl's warm presence lull him to sleep.

Thank you for your patience! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :D Please don't forget to review!

By the way, I was meaning to ask, a couple guest reviews seemed disappointed by the "unnecessary hospital drama", but I honestly don't even know what you mean, because that part of the story was 100% necessary. Gohan wouldn't have had a reason to show Videl he could fly if she didn't need to go back to Satan City ASAP, and everything that followed, the "not a date", the ki training, showing Videl his full power, telling her about being half-alien, none of that could have happened if Videl's former nanny didn't get in the hospital.

Or maybe you meant something else? I honestly don't have the slightest clue, so please explain it to me. I would appreciate it very much.

May 12, 2023 (Happy Android Day!)