Chapter 6- Standing
Gohan inhaled sharply from nerves and checked to make sure he had everything in his bag again. Two weeks ago he had found out that he had received a perfect score on his entrance exam. He had been the first person to be allocated a place at Orange Star High School and some universities were already looking at his academic record.
Today would be his first at Orange Star. He was nervous about attending a new school because it would be much larger than his previous one. But this time he was determined to make friends and not spend every waking minute studying. Chi-Chi also seemed to be pressuring him less. Perhaps he had finally proven himself to her?
Finally he stood and picked up the school bag he'd been fiddling with for the past thirty minutes. He would be late if he didn't leave soon.
"I'm going now, Mum. See you later on tonight." He called as he made his way over to the door and put his shoes on.
"Ok, good luck!" She called from the laundry.
Goten ran up to him before he could leave and tackled him around the waist. "Mummy said it's your birthday on the weekend. You should ask her to make ichigo daifuku!"
Gohan just laughed at his brother's antics. "Hey, she said it's my birthday, not yours! But I can ask if you want. I have to go now, though."
"Ok, see you later then!" He called as he ran back into the living room to at least pretend to continue with whatever academic task Chi-Chi had set him.
Gohan arrived on school grounds just as the first bell signalling students to get to class tolled. He quickly powered down to normal before stepping into a teacher's line of sight. He didn't want to be late, but he couldn't have just let some bank robbery occur when he was there to stop it…
"Ah, Son Gohan I presume?" The elderly man said, beckoning him over. "No other student makes their way to form quite so quickly as a new student on their first day." He said in answer to Gohan's unspoken question.
"Oh, right." He smiled and scratched the back of his head, reprimanding himself for unwarranted paranoia. After feeling Piccolo's concerns for his mental wellbeing, he had been looking up symptoms of various mental illnesses. Paranoia was just one of many.
He followed the man into the massive building as he introduced himself. "I am Mr Itou and I teach science. I hope you will settle in well with the students."
"Me too," Gohan mumbled, shifting his gaze downward and to the side as he fell into step with the teacher.
'Gohan, that is not assertive behaviour.' Piccolo decided to remind him.
'Shut up.' He thought in return, trying not to show any physical signs that he was having this conversation. They really would have a reason to think him crazy, then.
"Here is your form class. I'll step in and ask you to enter in just a moment." The teacher explained before going into the classroom.
Gohan leaned against the corridor wall as he waited. He heard the class quieten down and the teacher give a few announcements about grades and study programs.
'Don't be afraid to tell other people to shut up, too.' Piccolo said, sounding hurt but for his mocking tone. Gohan smiled before conveying that Piccolo should come on the weekend for his birthday. Chi-Chi probably wouldn't try to chase him out of the house on that day.
Before he could get a response, Gohan gently shut him out as he heard the teacher say his name. School probably wasn't something he should be distracted from, or something Piccolo would want to 'sit in on'.
He entered the classroom and greeted everyone formally, before being directed to a seat next to a girl called Erasa. There wasn't any homework or further administration to do on the first day, so the students were given a chance to speak with each other for the next fifteen minutes.
"Hi!" Erasa smiled in a friendly manner. The boy and girl sitting in the same row also turned to face him. "I'm Erasa, and this is Sharpener, and the famous Satan Videl!" She adopted a teasing tone and giggled after saying this.
"Nice to meet you," He replied, and wracked his brains for any famous people called Videl, or whom had the family name Satan. He couldn't think of anyone… "Sorry, but, famous?"
Sharpener leaned forward in his seat and openly gaped. Videl looked confused by his ignorance. "Um, the world martial arts champion and saviour of the world from Cell is my dad?" She tried.
Suddenly, it all fell into place. "OH! Right, of course!" He replied, his hand reaching for the back of his head. This action seemed to have become some sort of nervous tic. He'd forgotten that only a select few of the population knew Earth had actually been saved by a nine year old boy.
"Ha, not very bright, are you?" Sharpener chuckled, flexing his muscles slightly. Gohan labelled this as alpha male behaviour. When he broke it down scientifically, he didn't feel particularly compelled to respond. Sharpener might not be physically strong enough to be pack leader, but he probably had other qualities.
'Doubtful. You have to remember he's the leader of a human pack.' Piccolo dashed Gohan's wild optimism, before deciding to leave him alone for good this time.
"Yeah Sharpener, the guy who got a perfect score on the entrance exam isn't very bright." Videl said, rolling her eyes.
He leaned across Erasa, as if to get a better look at Gohan. "Well, he's still a wimp. I can tell just by looking."
Gohan slowly began to sweat from the pressure of the absolute irony. Luckily he was saved from having to respond by their English teacher entering the classroom. He took out his textbook and turned his attention to the stern, blonde woman.
Gohan looked over his student planner with some apprehension. He'd only had three periods so far, and already he was running out of room on "Monday" to write his to-do list. It was mostly just assigned reading and note taking, but it seemed like a big deal when he hadn't done any schoolwork for weeks.
Erasa peeked over his shoulder curiously. She wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, but who was Gohan to judge? She was probably particularly good at one subject… they just hadn't had that class yet. Gohan was always thinking positively of others, whether it was warranted or not.
'Piccolo, I thought you were going to leave me alone at school.' Gohan said, noticing this inner criticism for what it really was. Piccolo was trying to keep his nose out of things, but Gohan was far too attuned to his presence.
'Was just checking… you seemed really worried this morning,' was the gruff response.
"You don't have to do all of that in one night, you know! The English isn't due until Wednesday and only half of the maths problems are due tomorrow." Erasa unknowingly interrupted.
Gohan expressed that Piccolo didn't need to worry; he'd just been nervous. He then returned to the present situation, trying not to appear too distant or become confused. "I prefer to try and get it done as soon as possible. It isn't that much, yet." He answered kindly.
Erasa smiled and shrugged before she reached under the desk to get her lunch out of her bag. Somehow, she reminded him of Bulma's mother.
"We'll see if you still think that at the end of the day. Mr Maruyama always sets a really hard philosophy assignment we have to do over the first two weeks." Videl added in a serious tone, also taking her lunch out.
"I'm sure it'll be fi-" Gohan began, but was cut off by a loud beeping.
Videl's attention snapped to the communication device on her wrist. She urgently spoke into it as she ran out of class, forgetting about her lunch completely.
"Hmph, is that seriously all she was going to eat today?" Sharpener wondered aloud, staring at the single round of sandwiches. "How is she so strong when she lives off next to nothing?" He added, digging into his own protein packed lunch.
Gohan shrugged, putting away one empty lunchbox and grabbing another. Unfortunately he couldn't possibly take all the food he wanted to eat for lunch and remain incognito. Videl's apparent lack of appetite also mystified him.
Videl returned at the end of the lunchbreak, and classes resumed as if she had never left. As Gohan would soon learn, this happened even if she left in the middle of a class.
The rest of the week followed in a similar manner. Gohan didn't encounter another crime in the city until Thursday afternoon. This time it was a car chase that was causing police to have to drive too fast and far too dangerously to keep up effectively. Gohan transformed before landing in front of the car and using his strength to bring it to a halt. They slowed to a stop before the next intersection. He had to do it slowly so the car's momentum wouldn't cause him to just punch a hole through it.
Gohan was about to take off again when he heard a helicopter overhead. As it came in to land, he saw Videl was piloting it. Gohan looked down, realising he was wearing his school uniform and still had his school bag. He took off as fast as possible and hurtled over to Bulma's place, before Videl could connect the dots.
He hadn't been to Capsule Corporation for a long time. He thought he would be able to ask Bulma about a disguise while he was there. The more he helped with crime, the more likely it would be that Videl would eventually figure out who he was.
Gohan landed in the grounds of Capsule Corporation. As he approached the front door, he heard the gravity simulator power down. By the time he'd reached the front door, Vegeta was standing in front of him.
"What did you do?" He asked bluntly.
"Eh?" Gohan asked ever so eloquently, as he tried to figure out what Vegeta was actually accusing him off. He was also somewhat surprised by how much he'd grown over the past few years. Vegeta didn't seem very impressed that he had to look up to another person, especially one whom was technically his subject.
His brow creased with impatience, deepening the many lines of stress that had been carved into his face from an early age. "Why did you turn Super Saiyan? Why are you here?"
Gohan finally understood. Vegeta thought something was wrong because he had gone Super Saiyan and then came here, as if seeking help with something he couldn't deal with alone. He ducked inside before changing back to normal, in case someone was watching.
"No, Mum just wants me to remain incognito. I had to stop a dangerous driver, so I changed. But I think someone recognised my school uniform." He said, ducking beneath the window as he passed it in order to stay out of sight. "I was going to ask Bulma about a disguise or something."
"Or you could just let the pathetic law enforcement handle it." Vegeta answered sharply, now disgruntled that his training had been interrupted for no good reason. He did not seem to be at all affected by Gohan's strange behaviour, however. Goku was much worse….
Gohan looked baffled by this. Not helping other people, who obviously needed it?
Vegeta rolled his eyes at the look on Gohan's face. "The woman is probably in her lab, not the garage part. I didn't hear any engines today, anyway. I'll be training Trunks if you have something to say that isn't idiocy." He added gruffly, moving through the expansive house.
"Ok, thanks!" Gohan smiled, ignoring the insults. It seemed he'd caught Vegeta on a good day.
He managed to remember his way to the part of the expansive house in which Bulma usually spent all her time, working on her latest project. He knocked on the door as gently as possible. If he knocked another door off its hinges this month, Chi-Chi would give him a bollocking.
Just a few moments later, Bulma came out of her lab, holding a white coat and safety glasses in her left hand. "Oh, it's you Gohan! I haven't seen you for ages. What can I do for you?" She asked, gesturing for him to follow her. It seemed she had finished work for the day.
"I hate to seem rude, only showing up when I need something…" He began, bringing his hand up to his head nervously.
She just laughed, "It's ok Gohan; I wasn't having a go. I've been dealing with Goku since before you were born, remember." Gohan was led to the laundry as Bulma dumped her lab coat and glasses for cleaning.
As Gohan explained his predicament and need for a disguise, Bulma listened silently and made them both some tea, which Gohan politely declined. He'd heard Vegeta's complaints about Bulma's lack of ability in the kitchen all too often.
She lit up a cigarette and inhaled the smoke contemplatively for a few moments. Suddenly her eyes seemed to light up and she pulled a few objects out of the cupboard under the sink. "Can I have your watch please?"
Gohan handed it over and tried not to wince as Bulma began ripping it and a spare capsule apart. After a few minutes she had both items assembled as one. She nodded, satisfied. She had been wondering when she'd find a use for the capsule that had her father's old Halloween costume in it…
"Here you are, try it out!" She smiled encouragingly.
"Thanks Bulma!" Gohan said enthusiastically, putting his watch back on before pressing the button as directed. There was a typical capsule sound and he was suddenly dressed in the best super hero costume he'd ever seen.
He poked the visor of his helmet, before turning around to look at the red cape. Bulma giggled at his childish antics. He looked like a puppy that had discovered its tail for the first time.
"It's great, Bulma!" He declared, placing his hands on his hips and sticking his chest out proudly.
"Oh, my dashing hero," Bulma teased, still trying to suppress her laughter. "Have fun and try not to hurt anyone too much." She added as she put her tools away.
Gohan looked at his watch, suddenly remembering he was supposed to be on his way home by now. Luckily, it was still able to tell the correct time. "Thanks again Bulma, but I'd better get going now. Mum will be expecting me to get home soon."
"All right, see you later then. We might come up on the weekend too." She added, reminding Gohan that he still had a conversation with Piccolo that needing finishing.
"Great, see you then!" He called, before running out of the house and taking off in the direction of home. He had to hurry if he didn't want Chi-Chi worrying...
Piccolo flew beside him on his way home, wanting to speak in person. This slowed him down, but Gohan didn't really seem to mind, anymore. "So, it's your… 'birth day' on the weekend?" He asked, seeking an explanation.
"Haha, yep. I guess we get to celebrate that I was born… and that I've managed to survive this long." He added sombrely.
"And does your, uh… clothing have anything to do with this?" He asked, once again feeling that he would never understand humans.
"Oh not really, Bulma made me this so I could fight crime in the city without being recognised. Isn't it great?"
Piccolo's brow twitched, but he chose to remain silent. His thoughts expressed his opinion clearly enough. He looked at the lake below so that he wouldn't have to look directly at it.
Gohan laughed at his expression. He decided they were far enough from the city now, so he pressed the button on his watch and changed back into his school uniform. "Mum would freak out if she saw some stranger fly into the yard." He explained.
They landed some distance from the back door a short time later. "Well, I guess I'll see you on Saturday." He said, waving over his shoulder. He looked in the direction he was walking in when he felt something briefly collide with him. He found an irate Chi-Chi, who had been knocked on her bottom upon contact.
"Sorry! Are you ok, Mum?" He asked urgently. He didn't know his own strength anymore…
"I'm fine!" She yelled, still managing to intimidate Gohan and make him cringe from her position on the floor. "Where have you been? It's nearly dark out! I've been worried sick!" She peered around Gohan's legs and sent a scalding glare in Piccolo's direction, as though it was his fault.
"Sorry! I had to see Bulma about getting a disguise for fighting crime and we got a bit caught up…"
Chi-Chi finally took his offered hand, and pulled herself up, since Gohan was too terrified to actually pull on her arm. Piccolo tactfully left as Chi-Chi continued her rant. To his surprise, it wasn't so much about missing study opportunities as it was she was paranoid about the city and the people who lived in it. Apparently you didn't have to be asexual for the like parent, like child phenomenon to occur...
I'm sorry this took so long and that this version probably isn't very well edited. I planned to have this chapter up about a month ago. But I only have one more exam, and then I have a summer holiday of my own, so hopefully fixing this and getting the next chapter out won't take any longer than a few weeks... this time.
Ko-zaru: I said potential relationship, not sunshine and butterflies. Also, this is not completely serious, thus the humour genre (and constant stream of lame jokes).