Hey everyone. Thank you again for all the love and support. I've decided to put out a couple more chapters as I really want to get in to the tournament for you guys. This story is nearly complete (on my computer!) so I'm excited to share it with you all. My goal is to get it the story on here by christmas, but it might be new year due to work/university commitments etc. As always, enjoy!

Chapter Twenty-Five

A Strange and Mysterious Power

xxxx

Gohan was finally able to move his legs as the small explosion subsided. He hurried towards his father, who was muttering soft words of comfort to the little hybrid still clutched to his chest. As the teenager approached, Gokuto looked up, his freckled cheeks tear stained and his eyes bloodshot, but thankfully, not a scratch on him.

"D-Daddy!" he cried desperately, tumbling out of Goku's arms and launching himself at the halfling.

The teenager sighed in utter relief, as the boy latched onto him, continuing to sob into his t-shirt.

"Shhh, it's alright Gokuto," Gohan cooed, one arm wrapped tightly around him whilst the other he used to stroke his messy hair, "Daddy's here, I've got you kiddo."

Gokuto merely cried harder, his face turning red as he became more distraught. His heart ached, he hated seeing the boy in such a state.

"Gohan, I think you should take him inside," came his father's voice of reason, "He needs to calm down."

"Y-yeah," he replied, a little shakily.

He noticed Piccolo and Vegeta standing a ways off, eyeing him with a curious expression. Goku clapped a hand on his shoulder before guiding him inside the temple, but Gohan didn't feel comforted at all. His father's face was stern in a way that he had only seen appear a handful of times.

The teenager glanced over to the stage, where the dust was still clearing and tournament officials were looking around in bewilderment. He gave a reassuring nod to Goten and Trunks, who were both staring at the scene with glum expressions.

The boys' smiled back as Gohan motioned to them that all was well, he didn't want them to think it was their fault.

The booming voice of Mister Alonso reached his ears as they entered the small temple. The match had resumed, and Gohan was glad to find that the other children that had competed had already left the area. He sat himself down on a nearby bench, Gokuto's heart wrenching cries echoing off the magnificent stone walls. Piccolo stood across from him with Vegeta, whilst his father came and sat next to him on the bench.

"D-Daddyyyy!" Gokuto sobbed, nuzzling his head into his chest.

"Shhh," repeated the young saiyan, rocking back and forth on the bench, rubbing the child's back in order to sooth him, "It's alright, Daddy's got you."

Gokuto shook his head vigorously, his fists clenching Gohan's t-shirt tighter.

"Whats wrong 'Kuto?" the teen asked, he didn't understand why the boy was so inconsolable.

Of course, having a raging ball of energy hurtling towards you was scary, no matter what age you were. But Gokuto looked completely in control, amazed by it in fact, he wondered what had happened?

"I-I- don't wanna fight the monster!" he choked, letting an all out wail escape him.

"Monster?" Gohan frowned, exchanging a look with the others, "What monster?"

"The- the- monster, in my dweam! I-I don't want to Daddy! He's scawy!" Gokuto hiccuped, his voice muffled by Gohan's now sodden shirt.

"'Kuto, you don't have to fight a monster," the teenager soothed, "There's no monsters coming to get you. Not while Daddy's here."

"What the hell is the runt talking about?" Vegeta muttered, before he was promptly hushed by Piccolo.

The little saiyan continued to sob, and Gohan felt positively forlorn, until an idea came to mind. "'Kuto, where's your noo noo?"

Gokuto shrugged, his tears unrelenting.

"Here," said Goku, pushing the dummy into Gohan's hand, "I found it by the ring."

The halfling accepted it gratefully before wiping the teat on his jeans and popping it into Gokuto's mouth.

"There," said Gohan, as his suckles filled the room, "That better kiddo?"

The little hybrid nodded, his eyes still blurred with tears, his tail uncurling and wrapping around Gohan's. The teen kissed him gently on top of his head, sighing in relief as his crying ceased, replaced only by the occasional sniffle.

Gohan blinked, when his father reached over and started to stroke the child's hair. Gokuto jolted slightly at his touch before he relaxed, his eyes slowly closing until he eventually drifted off to sleep.

"Thanks," whispered Gohan awkwardly, as the boy's steady breathing filled the room.

His father chuckled quietly, "He's pretty fast for a little guy, no wonder he slipped past us."

"That's not the point," Vegeta interrupted in a harsh whisper, glowering at the halfling, "What I want to know is how the hell your brat managed to defend that attack?"

Gohan shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine Vegeta."

"Bullshit," he spat in a hushed tone, "There's no way he could possibly control Ki like that without some form of training!"

The teenager frowned, keeping his voice low as to not to wake the child, "The most I've done is sit him in front of me and Goten whilst we've been training for this sodding tournament, he's two years old for Kami's sake! I haven't taught him anything!"

"Gohan's right," said Piccolo, his eyes not leaving the sleeping boy, "No two year old could have deflected that, even with training."

Vegeta scoffed, folding his arms across his chest.

"Maybe he takes after Gohan," quipped Goku, causing the other occupants to give him a curious look, "I mean, he started to show his hidden powers when he was just a baby, it makes sense."

"No it doesn't," Piccolo shot back, "Gohan had no recollection or memory of anything when he released his power, whereas Gokuto remembered the entire thing."

The halfling looked down at Gokuto, who had begun to snore lightly. It was true, the child had shown a few bursts of extraordinary power ever since he was born, but it hadn't been anything anywhere near this level of potential. And just what dream was the boy talking about? Was the attack itself the so called 'monster' he was referring to? Or did Gokuto just have an incredibly vivid imagination?

"It's strange," his father pondered, his obsidian eyes fixated on the sleeping child.

"Strange isn't the word Kakarot," hushed Vegeta, "More like impossible."

Gohan bit his lip, he really hoped Piccolo was right and Gokuto hadn't inherited his so called 'hidden powers'. The thought made him shudder.

"Gohan, you alright son?"

He blinked, jumping a little at his father's words.

"Yeah, just a bit worried about 'Kuto," he offered. Well, it wasn't a lie.

"Don't worry kid, we'll keep an eye on him," said Piccolo.

"Yeah," Goku smiled, "Maybe it was just a one off, he's a tough little guy, right?."

"Right," said Gohan, his tail gripping onto Gokuto's a little tighter.

As it transpired, Trunks and Goten had refrained from using energy beams for the rest of their match. However, this did not deter the young saiyan's from giving the audience a good show. His father, Piccolo and Vegeta had headed back to the arena, having not wanting to miss the rest of the fight.

Gohan stayed behind for a little longer, and after making sure that Gokuto was settled into a deep sleep, decided to make his way back up to the stands.

"Gohan!" came a frantic shout as he exited the temple.

The young saiyan whirled around, and was surprised to see Videl of all people, racing towards him across the grass.

"Is he okay?" she panted as she neared them, "I saw him by the sidelines, I tried to stop him but he-"

"He'll be alright," said Gohan, giving her a weak smile, "I think he's just a bit shocked."

The girl nodded solemnly, her eyes fixated on the upset child, "Your little brother right? It's a good job those kids were able to stop the blast when they did, he could have been seriously hurt!"

The teenager bit his lip, he didn't have the heart to correct her.

"Those kids are in your group, I recognised them from last night," she continued, cocking her head towards him.

Gohan sighed at her interrogation, "Yeah, the black haired kid is my brother."

"So how do they know how to use Ki?" she asked sceptically.

The young saiyan pretended to act dumb, "You know about Ki?"

"I know a little bit about it," she informed him, raising an eyebrow, "So are you going to tell me how they know? Because I've only seen a handful of people do those fancy light beams."

"Well, you'd be surprised just how many people practice the old arts," he replied, choosing his words carefully, "My dad trained with the Turtle school, along with a few of our family friends-"

"Wait," Videl spluttered, her eyes widening, "the Turtle school! With the famous Master Roshi?!"

"The one and only," Gohan smirked, amused at how giddy she was getting, "He's sat up there with my father right now."

"WHAT?!" she yelped, "Just who the bloody hell is your father?"

"Well is name is Goku…"

"SON GOKU?!" she exclaimed loudly, causing Gokuto to stir slightly in his arms, "Your father is Son Goku, the former champion?"

"Um, yeah…"

"Bloody hell! I should have known!" She laughed, her eyes sparkling, "Your last name is Son isn't it?! Sweet Kami no wonder you scored so high in the prelims! Wow, you must have learned so much from him!"

"I suppose," the teen saiyan blinked, the girl was positively star struck, it was a bit surreal.

"Do you realise how much I've studied the old tournaments?!" she continued to gush.

He chuckled nervously, "I can only imagine."

"This is incredible," she guffawed, turning to him with excitement in her eyes, "I know its weird but, will you introduce me? Oh please Gohan, it would mean so much."

"Really?" the teenager winced, he didn't even want to imagine just how awkward that would be, especially seen as he had let slip to Piccolo and Vegeta about the history between them.

"Oh go on, please!"

"Fine," Gohan sighed, cursing himself that he couldn't resist her. Videl was positively beside herself, and soon the young saiyan found himself smiling along with her.

She was different, this Videl, but not in a bad way. No, it was like seeing a whole new side to her, just like that fateful night. She was allowing him in, allowing him to see her vulnerabilities and share in her life. She was no longer the guarded girl he had once known, she had grown just as he had. He supposed it was time he should allow her to share in his life too.

Feeling a lot more like his confidence self, the teenager smirked, deciding to give Piccolo's suggestion a try, "How's about I introduce you later, after I've taken you out for dinner?"

Videl gave him a curious stare, "Dinner? Like a date?"

He gasped mockingly, "Don't tell me your father wouldn't approve?"

"Oh he wouldn't," she smiled back, "But that doesn't mean it's a no."

"So… that's a yes?"

"That depends on where you're taking me," Videl replied with a wry grin.

"Hey, all I'm saying is that you'll need something in your stomach if your going to meet my dad, I don't want you getting all giddy and passing out," he smirked, "not to mention it would be awfully embarrassing."

The Satan girl rolled her eyes, "Go on then, you've twisted my arm."

"Pick you up at seven?"

"How's about I pick you up at seven Son Gohan?"

"Right you are Miss Satan."

xxxx

As Gohan had predicted, his mother had been frantic upon his return, but the teenager was surprised to find that she didn't scream his head off for not keeping a closer eye on Gokuto. Though he thought it might have something to do with the stern look his father had given her as soon as she pounced on them at the top of the steps.

The match had ended shortly after his return, Trunks emerging the victor as he managed to goad young Goten to the edge of the ring, phasing out and booting him across the stadium, where he screeched to a halt in mid-air, his feet just brushing the stands, making it a win by ring out.

Vegeta had been obnoxiously smug about it ever since.

The teenager felt bad for his brother, who he knew had personally trained incredibly hard to compete in the tournament. Still, it had been a good match, and he and Trunks were almost even in terms of power and skill. The young prince just fought a litter dirtier, which wasn't surprising given who his father was.

He wondered just how Gokuto didn't wake up when the stadium erupted for the exhibition match between Trunks and the World Champ himself. Granted, it did last all of five seconds, when Mister Satan cockily offered the young halfling the first punch, which subsequently made a nice, 'Hercule shaped' hole in one of the barricades.

Gohan had laughed his ass off, along with the rest of the gang, poor Hercule obviously didn't pay any attention to the boy's fight, as he would have wisely faked another stomach ache. Luckily for the Champ, the spectator's passed it off as the good hearted man letting the young boy win, leaving him with an untarnished reputation and a banging headache, that Gohan was certain wouldn't subside for another few hours at least.

After Trunks had collected his winnings, which included a shiny trophy for Goten as the runner up, the gang made their way back to the hotel, where Gohan had started to get ready for his date.

But he was having no such luck.

The young saiyan was currently sat in the middle of his bedroom, dressed in nothing but a pair of gi bottoms as he stared hopelessly at the mountain of discarded clothes strewn around him.

Why he couldn't find anything decent to wear was beyond him, he had been searching through the pile he had emptied out of his duffle bag for about three quarters of an hour, nearly pulling his hair out due to frustration.

He was going on a date.

With Videl Satan.

Gohan couldn't understand why his stomach was twisting with nerves, he had been out on hundreds of dates, why was this one any different?

The teenager could only curse himself for taking Piccolo's advice, could he not control himself? Did he not have any bloody restraint?!

"Obviously not," he muttered bitterly to himself, "else you wouldn't have already slept with her as your alter ego you prat."

Gohan let out another cry of frustration, throwing yet another useless shirt carelessly onto the bed, where Goten and Gokuto were sat watching him with curious stares.

"URGH!" he huffed, throwing himself onto the floor in a pitiful heap.

"Picking out your gi for tomorrow?"

Kami above, couldn't his father just leave him be?

Goku had peeped his head around the door at that precise moment, chuckling at the sight of his eldest son as he groaned from amongst the pile of discarded clothing.

"Gohan's going out on a date with a girl!" Goten exclaimed, causing the teen to shoot him a glare.

"Really now?" his father smirked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

"Yes alright?!" Gohan snapped, lifting his head angrily towards the man, "and you can get that stupid look off your face!"

"Son Gohan don't speak to your father in that tone!" his mother called, walking briskly into the room in search of her husband.

"Well I wouldn't have to if there wasn't a family reunion going on in my bedroom!"

Knock Knock Knock.

His eyes suddenly widened to the size of saucers as the front door sounded.

"Gohan's girlfriend's here! Gohan's girlfriend's here!" Goten bellowed in excitement, jumping up and racing from the room.

The teenager's heart skipped a beat.

"She's not my -! Damn it Goten don't you dare open that door!" Gohan roared, hot on his brother's heels as he chased him through the hallways, their parents laughing after them.

They zipped through the living room, causing a small whirlwind and catching the attention of the Z-gang who were previously enjoying a quiet evening watching television.

"Goten!" The young saiyan yelled, but it was too late.

Goten managed to dodge his brother's grip as he made a beeline for the front door, reaching it milliseconds before Gohan did, swinging it open where a smiling Videl greeted them.

The halfling's heart fluttered at the sight of her, she was wearing cropped high waisted jeans with a tight white tank top tucked into them, sandals on her feet and her fighting gloves discarded. Her hair was loose of her pigtails once more, her long hair framing her heart shaped face.

Gohan frowned, realising that her sapphire eyes were fixated on his chest, a light blush evident on her cheeks. At first he thought it was her makeup, that was, until he looked down and realised he didn't have a shirt on.

It wasn't like she hadn't seen everything before, well kind of, and only to his knowledge. Even so, his face grew hot all of a sudden. Bloody hell, he was acting like a sodding teenage girl!

"I'll just um, get dressed," he coughed awkwardly, almost bumping into the doorframe as he turned.

Videl chuckled at his display, whilst Gohan felt like slapping himself.

Knowing it would be rude to keep her outside waiting, the teenager reluctantly led her in, where the Z-gang were waiting expectantly, smirking at him.

Looks like she would be meeting his father a lot sooner than expected.

"Videl, guys," he introduced quickly, "Guys, Videl. I'll just be a minute, make yourself comfortable?"

Five minutes later, after Gohan had found something to wear and had had a few stern words with his reflection in the bathroom mirror, did he make his way back into the living room, where he found Videl sat on the sofa with Gokuto on her lap, having a light hearted conversation about fighting techniques with his father.

"Ready to go?" the teenager cleared his throat as he entered the room, all eyes turning to him.

Videl nodded, smiling as his father took Gokuto from her.

"Bye bye Videl!" The little boy sang, his tail wagging happily behind him.

"Bye Gokuto," she waved back, before bidding the rest of them a good night, "It was really nice to meet you all."

"Likewise," said Goku, giving his son a wink from behind her, "Have fun you two."

"Yeah yeah," Gohan sighed, pulling the girl out of the door, "see you later, don't wait up."

"Bye Gohan! Don't do anything we wouldn't do!" Krillin cat called as the teenager snapped the door to behind him.

"Sorry about that," he smiled sheepishly at Videl as they left the hotel, "my family can be a little bit mental."

"They're great Gohan, really," she smiled back, "thanks for introducing me to them, your father seems like such a good bloke."

The teen saiyan didn't reply, and instead briskly changed the subject, "So, where do you want to go?"

xxxx

As it turned out Videl wasn't the type of girl to be wined and dined at some fancy restaurant. Instead, the two teenagers had found a burger bar along the sea front, taking full advantage of their burger and a beer meal deal.

Nerves getting the better of him, the young saiyan didn't feel all that hungry, instead only ordering half of what he would usually have. Even though it was still a decent sized pile of food, it didn't seem to faze Videl, who had put it down to a young man just fuelling his fighter's appetite.

Still, it was nice just getting to know Videl outside her work with the Satan City police force, it surprised him at just how much he didn't know about the girl.

"So how long have you been training for?"

"Since I was four," he replied, taking sip of his beer bottle, "you?"

Videl's eyes widened slightly, "Four? That's early. My dad wouldn't let me train until I was eight. But even that only lasted a few years. Dad doesn't even let me watch him train now, keeps it all a secret."

Gohan frowned, though was unsurprised by the revelation. He wouldn't put it past the Champ to have realised that his daughter was much stronger than him, hence why he wouldn't let her train with him.

"Well, I suppose it is a bit early," said the halfling honestly, "My dad didn't mind though. But I've had a bit of a break from any serious training actually. Vegeta, you know the bloke with the big hair? Yeah, he says I'm nowhere near as strong as I used to be. And Kami won't he let me forget it."

"You would never have guessed," she quirked, "Although I have yet to see you fight."

"So do you train with anyone else?" Gohan asked, interested, "I was always taught that you can learn a lot from others fighting styles, I've picked quite a few things up from my dad's friends over the years."

"Not really," she said heavily, "I train at my dad's dojo every day, though I haven't really fought anyone else besides him, and I don't count my police work. But Daddy shut himself up a bit more after Mum left, and well, he hasn't been the same since the whole Cell fiasco."

"Yeah," he breathed somewhat bitterly, taking another gulp of his beer, "Cell changed a lot of people."

She sighed, twirling her fork in her hand, "Have you ever wanted to be something more? Something different than whats expected of you?"

Gohan was taken aback, unsure of what to say, when Videl suddenly rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on, you must know what it's like," she pressed, "son of the former world Champ, please tell me that your family put just as much pressure on you as mine do and that I'm not alone here?"

The young saiyan blinked in surprise, but evidently, Videl had hit the nail on the head.

He had felt that way all his life. His mother; as loving and maternal as she was, wanted him to become a great scholar, do something worth while and shield him from the evils of the world. Whereas his father; strong and proud, wanted him to become just like him, but better. Surpass him in every way in order to protect the world that he loved so much.

But Gohan had been torn, stuck between the ideals of his parents without much room to voice his own desires. Granted, his own desires had landed him with a kid at fifteen, and all of a sudden he had his own little person to guide, to teach him the ways of life. Eventually, he had found his own way. He knew what he wanted to be, what he wanted from life. Science and love.

But it was hard, hard for a young man to find his feet when all he had known was death and battle, and similarly the inside of his bedroom and dusty textbooks.

Just what was expected of him now? He was expected to be a good father, that was a given, and he didn't think he was doing too bad a job at that so far. But he certainly hadn't grown into the young man his mother had dreamed him to be, and he certainly wasn't the Gohan his father had expected to meet at the tournament entrance upon his return from the afterlife.

He looked up, when he felt Videl's curious eyes upon him, the intensity of her gaze urging him to say something.

Slowly, he nodded, "Yeah, they do or well, they used to. I kind of just do my own thing now, my family mostly just let me get on with it."

"Everyone expects me to be just like my dad," Videl sighed, "He's strong, and for the most part is selfless. He'd do anything for me, but as much as he's a good man, I want to be my own person. At one point I though I'd met someone who I could be that person with and well… that crashed and burned."

The young saiyan cringed, as the girl turned her focus to her beer bottle, picking off the labelling with her fingernails.

"I don't know why I'm telling you this," she chuckled darkly, "I never usually open up to someone this easily."

"Well I'm glad to be of service," he joked, attempting to lift the mood, "It's good to talk things out sometimes."

She grinned, a heart stopping smile that almost caused the halfling to accidentally knock his beer to the floor.

Regaining his composure, the young saiyan sighed, "And I know what you mean, fighting has always been a big part of my life, but I never really enjoyed it as much as everyone thought I did. I just did it because I had to. My dad's a brilliant fighter, and I suppose my family and friends expected me to be just like him, better even, but I… I made a lot of mistakes, let's put it that way."

Videl's eyes softened, "But everyone learns from their mistakes, that's how we get better."

"Sometimes I'm not so sure," He sighed, leaning back in his seat.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," she smiled, "I'm sure your an awesome fighter."

He forced a grin back, guilt pooling in the pit of his stomach.

"So, what's it like having two younger brothers?" she asked him, placing down her cutlery and using her clean plate away from her, "I would have loved that, I haven't got any siblings."

The teenager sweated. Unable to lie directly to those sapphire eyes, the young saiyan prepared himself to actually tell the girl the truth for once.

"Well, actually, I only have the one, Gokuto isn't my brother," he started carefully.

"Oh," she spoke in a surprised tone, "But he looks so much like you, and with the name and the tail, I thought he must be Goku's son. If I'm honest, I thought it was weird that Goten was the only one out of you all without a tail from what I've seen in the old tournaments-"

"Well we are related," Gohan interrupted, avoiding her curious stare, "Gokuto's my… son."

"Your son?"

He winced, his eyes darting all over her bewildered expression. "Yeah, pretty wild eh?"

"Wild is right!" she gasped, "Just how old were you when you had him?!"

"Almost sixteen."

"You were fifteen?!" she shrieked, drawing the attention of some of the customers in the restaurant.

He couldn't help but roll his eyes, "It's not that big of a deal."

"What did your parents say?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"They were shocked, obviously," he replied, "But soon got used to the idea, they had no choice in the matter really."

"How often do you see him?"

"Well he lives with me," he explained, "his mum and I aren't together."

"I should hope not, you wouldn't be taking me out otherwise," Videl scoffed, before her expression softened, "Why didn't you say anything?"

Gohan snorted, "It's not exactly the first topic of conversation that comes up on dates, oddly."

She laughed softly, relaxing a little, "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry, but wow that is young to have a kid."

He smiled back, "Yeah, I nearly gave Piccolo a heart attack when he found out. I was surprised that my mother didn't castrate me."

Videl laughed again, "Piccolo?"

"Oh, he's my mentor," he replied, "The green guy? He trained me since I was four."

"Right," she nodded, "so why bring a two year old to a tournament? Couldn't his Mum look after him?"

The halfling's grin faltered, he wasn't sure he wanted to explain that one, and he would have to be careful not to mention Borbonne, "No, Lime can't look after him."

Videl frowned, "Cant? Or won't?"

"Can't," he said forcibly, "She had an accident and suffered trauma to the brain not long after Gokuto was born. Now she cant talk, recognise anyone or do much for herself. She doesn't even know who he is."

The girl clapped her hands over her mouth, horrified. "Oh Gohan, I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," the young saiyan shrugged, silence encompassing them before he spoke again, "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"I'd like that," she smiled, taking his hand as he helped her out of her seat.

The walked along the sea front for a while, passing the various brightly lit bars and restaurants whilst Gohan puffed on a cigarette. They walked in silence, admiring the stars above them that created silver reflections in the darkened ocean.

"So how angry would your dad be if he found out you were out on a date tonight?" he asked after a while, holding her hand causally as they walked.

They had found themselves on the soft sandy beach, their feet sinking into the sand as they walked. His heart skipped a beat when she didn't pull away.

"Furious," she chuckled, casting her gaze towards him, "Especially after seeing that opening dance."

"Yeah, sorry about that, I got a little carried away," he grinned sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it, the look on Dad's face was a picture," Videl informed him.

"So he didn't yell at you?" he quirked.

"Oh he yelled," she laughed, before turning to smile at him, "But you know fathers, he was just trying to protect me."

Gohan forced a smile back, a weight laying heavily on his shoulders all of a sudden.

They walked a little further until they reached a dock with several small rowing boats tied to the wooden rungs. With Piccolo's wise words ringing in his ears, the young saiyan made a beeline for one of the boats, pulling Videl along with him so that she shrieked a little at the sudden jerk.

"Gohan! What are you doing?" she growled as he released her and began to untie the rope, "You nearly pulled my arm off!"

The teen saiyan grinned as the boat released and floated a little way from the dock, "Fancy going on an adventure?"

"You cant steal a boat!" She gasped.

"Not stealing, borrowing!" He chuckled, stepping in the boat and holding out a hand for her to take. Sensing her reservations, he asked, "What, don't you trust me?"

Videl stared at his outstretched palm hesitantly, an odd look in her eye, before allowing him to help her into the boat, "You're hopeless."

"I think you'll find the term is romantic, Miss Satan," he winked, causing her to snort at his display, though she seemed rather amused.

Taking hold of the paddles, the young saiyan rowed them out further away from the shore, until eventually the dazzling lights of Papaya Island twinkled at them from the blackness of the ocean. The night was perfectly clear, so much so that the stars sparkled brilliantly from above them. The boat rocked gently as the calm waves slopped against them.

Setting down the paddles by his feet, Gohan relished in his genius.

"Alright, you've got me," said Videl with a smile, "This is pretty romantic."

"And you thought that meeting my father was going to be the highlight of your evening," he smirked back.

She laughed, causing the teenagers heart to flutter at the musical sound.

"Seriously though, thank you for doing that," said Videl, "I hope you don't get teased too much when you get back to the hotel, Krillin and Yamcha tried to show me a picture of with a bowl cut from when you were little."

Gohan's eyes widened in horror.

"Don't panic," she giggled, "Bulma stepped in before they could show me, I didn't know you knew so many famous people!"

Resisting the sudden urge to fly back to the hotel and punch his so called friends directly in the face, the teenager forced a smile, "Yeah, they all go back a long way, way before Yamcha hit it big with the Titans and Bulma took over as CEO of Capsule Corp."

"Yeah, I've seen them together with your dad in past tournament footage," she grinned back, before looking towards him curiously, "I almost asked whether the rumours were true you know, but I didn't want to seem stupid."

"What rumours?" he quirked.

Videl's eyes darted around her before she whispered, "You know, if the rumours were true that some of them competed in the Cell Games with those blonde blokes, but it's never been proven, the footage was destroyed years ago in that fire at Z-TV."

The young saiyan sweated nervously, silently thanking Dende's quick thinking all those years ago. The Namekian had pointed out that people would be sure to recognise Yamcha, Krillin, Tien and Piccolo at least from the old tournaments, and the paparazzi would have made life very difficult for them. Not to mention they had links to Gohan through his father, and the young boy was already struggling, without the added weight of his family being investigated for participation in the Cell Games. So it was decided that the Z-Fighter's participation be kept under wraps as much as possible. Though the world could not forget the delivery boy that easily.

Granted, when the young Namekian had told him to dispose of the evidence before it could be looked into further, he didn't mean blowing it up.

In an eleven year old Gohan's defence he should have been more specific.

"Come off it Videl," he scoffed, the lies spouting from his mouth before he could stop himself, "You don't honestly believe that do you?"

Videl sighed in defeat, "I suppose not, but I bet if it were true then they wouldn't let the fame get to their head."

"Oh I don't know," he offered, feeling guilty as he attempted to lighten the mood, "Yamcha is a bit of a glory hog, but don't tell him I said that."

"So," he grinned cheekily as she began to laugh, "You've met my dad, when are you going to introduce me to yours?"

"You're full of it," she scoffed, slapping him playfully on the shoulder and causing the boat to rock harshly.

"Careful!" Gohan cried, steadying the sides with his hands.

Videl stuck out her tongue, before cocking her head at him, "I'm starting to see why you said that girls don't take you to meet their parents. Though, it's even worse for me, did you know that Dad once said that I'm not allowed to go out with anyone unless they're stronger than him?"

"Really now?" Gohan pressed, quirking an eyebrow in amusement, "Actually, I remember him saying that at that charity ball."

"Yeah, how stupid is that?" she huffed, "He beat Cell for crying out loud, who do you know that's strong enough to beat Cell who isn't my dad?"

"Couldn't tell ya off the top of my head," he replied simply, before turning to her, "But then again I did score higher than him on the punch machine…"

"I thought you said that was beginners luck," she shot back playfully.

"Are you complaining?"

"Not at all," she grinned before her brow furrowed, "You know, I did used to think that there was one person who could actually could beat my dad in a fight."

"Who might that be?" he asked.

"The Gold Fighter," she stated, causing his breath to catch in his throat. She sighed, looking out into the sky, her eyes wide and searching. "I thought he might be here at the tournament, but I haven't seen him anywhere."

"Maybe he's retired?" Gohan offered, causing the girl to roll her eyes.

"From what exactly? He barely did any work, I was the one always cleaning up after his shit."

"Hey that's not fair!" he protested before he could stop himself.

Videl snorted, "Don't tell me your a Gold Fighter fan?"

"Maybe I am," he stated indignantly, folding his arms across his chest.

"You're a lost cause," she said, shaking her head.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm just saying, it's great for everyone to have a hero like The Gold Fighter, he was the little boy that stood up to Cell after all, before my dad managed to step in," Videl continued, looking out over the sea, "I know my dad can be a bit of a prat, but at least I know that he wouldn't let me down like he did."

Gohan was dumbstruck.

Here he was, no disguises, his heart on his sleeve, sat in the middle of a bloody ocean on a pissing tiny boat with the girl of his dreams, feeling things he hadn't felt in a long time. It was a good idea, a great idea! He could be romantic right? Right! And yet Videl… Videl wasn't even looking at him. Her eyes were focussed on the sky above, searching for something… someone who was indeed right under her nose.

He couldn't believe he had been so utterly stupid.

With his mouth running dry, the young saiyan opened his mouth to speak, "Videl, I-"

"Oh wow look!"

Gohan frowned at the girl's sudden outburst, and turned to look at what she was pointing at in the distance. The young saiyan's eyes widened as dozens, no hundreds of tiny lights floated into the air from the distant Isle of Papaya.

"What are they?" he asked, puzzled at the spectacular sight.

"Lanterns of course!" Videl grinned, "Don't tell me you've never seen them before?"

The teen shook his head, his eyes widening as the paper lanterns twisted and turned around each other, creating beautiful patterned reflections in the ocean waters.

The Satan girl sighed longingly, "It was Dad's idea. At the last World Martial Arts Tournament before the Cell Games, everyone that attended released lanterns, as a will of good fortune and hope. We prayed that the world would be safe again. Daddy wanted to do the same again at this tournament, in order to start a tradition, in memory of all the lives lost to war and crime in the world. Looks like it was a much better turn out this year though, good isn't it?"

"Yeah," Gohan said sincerely, memories of Android Sixteen entering his mind. He had to hand it to Mister Satan, as boastful and idiotic as he was, it was a rather nice idea. Maybe he wasn't as bad as he thought.

The teenagers watched the display in silence for a while, the young saiyan stealing a few glances at the girl as the spectacular lights lit fire in her sapphire eyes. Once the last of the lanterns had disappeared well into the distance, they decided it was time to head back.

"Here," said Gohan as he helped her back onto the sand, wrapping his leather jacket around Videl's shoulders as she began to shiver.

"Thanks," she smiled up at him.

"You're welcome," he grinned back, his heart catching in his throat again, "Videl, there's something I need to tell you, I-"

"What are they looking at?" Videl started abruptly, her gaze fixated on something behind him.

Whirling around to look behind him, Gohan's eyes widened, as he caught sight of the figures standing on top of one of the nearby buildings. It took a couple of seconds for his eyes to adjust to the darkness, and indeed make out the forms of Shin and Kibito standing as still as statues, looking over the grounds.

"Gohan?" Videl quirked, noticing how the young saiyan had become silent.

The young saiyan frowned. Why were they both just standing there? They didn't seem to be having any conversation of sorts. It was like they were watching something, or indeed, waiting for something. Something about them really ruffled his tail, and Gohan wasn't going to stand there waiting for them to make a move.

"Who are they?" Videl whispered, spotting the mysterious pair, "Bloody weirdos, they're just standing there."

"Dunno," he replied, eyeing them, "I don't feel too good about them either. Let's go, I'll take you back."

As the teenager's made to take their leave, Gohan took one last glance back. And then really wished he hadn't.

Shin's eyes caught his own, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The halfling shivered, as the strange being continued to stare. Suddenly feeling incredibly vulnerable, the young saiyan decapsulised his motorcycle and encouraged Videl to get on it. He revved the engine as soon as the girl wrapped her arms around his waist, speeding back towards the hotel, but unable to shake the feeling that they were being followed.

"Woah Gohan did you have to go that fast?!" panted Videl as they made their way through the brightly lit corridors of Le Satane, she stumbled a little, apparently still a little dizzy from the ride.

"Sorry," he smiled sheepishly, "I suppose I'm just used to the speed."

"Apparently so," she snorted, finally able to regain her composure, "Is this you?"

Gohan looked up, having not realised they had made it outside his suite already.

"Yeah," he said, "Though shouldn't I be the one to walk you back to your room?"

"My dad thinks I'm at Erasa's," she explained, a smirk playing on her lips, "Besides, I don't need a man to walk me back, I'm not some damsel in distress you know."

"The thought never entered my mind," he grinned back, leaning against the doorframe in a casual manner.

"Well, thanks for taking me out," said Videl, smiling, "I had a really nice time."

"Me too," said Gohan, although he wished that the conversation about his alter ego hadn't come up. He would have to tell her eventually, there had been so many lies.

But now was not the time.

Videl was looking at him with an intensity that he remembered all too well, her gaze held longing, with a touch of hesitation that was driving him wild.

The young saiyan couldn't help himself.

Shutting away the logical part of his brain that was screaming at him to stop, he leaned forwards, cupping her cheek with his palm and capturing her lips with his own.

She jolted slightly before sighing willingly into the kiss that lasted but a few seconds before she pulled away, her face rather flushed.

Gohan gave her a wicked smile, "See you in the finals?"

"Don't get too cocky," she grinned back, flipping her long raven hair over her shoulder before waltzing back down the corridor, not once looking back.

The teenager sighed, waiting a few seconds before kicking open the front door with his boot and allowing the entire gang, his mother and father included, to topple out into the hallway before him.

"You lot are disgraceful, you know that?" he scoffed, ignoring their ridiculous giggles, "Now if you don't mind, I have a toddler to put to bed and an immensely cold shower to take."

With that, he stepped over the raucous Z-gang, and made his way back into the suite, shutting his bedroom door behind him.