Title: Off the Beaten Path
Author: Lilly-sama (aka, Kisakun on DA)
Rating: PG – Due to the large number of authors participating in this event, rating is subject to change at any time.
Disclaimer: None of the authors taking part in this Round Robin claim to own Dragonball/Z/GT.

Summary: Round Robin. Gohan and Videl get lost in the woods, and Videl doesn't know about Gohan's powers! What's a demi-Saiyan to do? (donated by texaspeach)

Chapter 6

"S-S-Saiyaman? M-Me?" Gohan stuttered, trying to sound convincing but failing miserably. He cleared his throat and continued, "You can't be serious!"

"I know you're Saiyaman, don't try to deny it." Videl persisted, her grin now replaced by a glare directed at him. She knew he was lying again and it was starting to get on her nerves.

"But really, Videl, I'm not Saiyaman!" Gohan tried to reason desperately. "Just because I'm a little strong doesn't mean I'm Saiyaman! Actually, I know a few people who can do what I did, and they're not Saiyaman, either!"

The girl raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh, really? And who are those people?" she inquired.

"Oh, um… Just… uh… friends of mine," the Son boy mumbled; he didn't want people to know about his friends and invade their privacy, but he really didn't have a choice except to mention them now. Hopefully, Videl could keep it to herself.

"Is that so…," she said, eying him suspiciously.

"Please Videl, you have to believe me! I'm not Saiyaman," Gohan insisted. He couldn't allow her to know who he really was. He just couldn't.

Videl eyed him suspiciously some more; she knew he was hiding something, but maybe his secret wasn't that he was Saiyaman after all.

"Alright, I believe you," the girl ended up saying. Actually, she didn't completely believe him, but she needed more evidence to prove that she was right.

Gohan blinked. He had actually managed to lie and make Videl believe him? 'I guess I'm getting good at lying, by dint of practicing,' the boy mused.

"I'm still curious as to how you can be so strong, though," the teen girl added. "You took on a monster twice as big as you and looked as though it took no effort at all. I don't think even my dad could do that."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. After all, your dad beat Cell!" Gohan responded, trying to sound like he believed what he was saying. He had never understood how the world could believe that Mr. Satan had defeated a monster like Cell when the man had been ejected from the ring after less than three seconds. It suited the young hero, though; he'd never wanted the glory. He just couldn't fathom how someone could actually accept such a thing.

"True…," Videl said thoughtfully. "But that would mean that you're at least as strong as my dad… How did you get so strong?" she then asked.

"Well I… trained a lot," Gohan ended up saying, sighing. He figured telling her that wouldn't do him harm.

"How long?" The girl questioned.

"Since childhood. Look, Videl, I know you're curious to know more, but it's getting late and I'd like to get some sleep. We'll continue tomorrow if you want," he then suggested. The demi-Saiyan would rather not, but it didn't seem like he had a choice.

"Alright, we'll continue tomorrow, then," Videl agreed; she was getting tired herself, anyway.

They both laid on the hard ground, staying close enough to the fire to keep themselves warm. It wasn't long until they fell asleep, both exhausted after this long and eventful day.

///

Videl's awakening was not a pleasant one; her back and shoulders were aching and her stomach was growling, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. She sat up slowly, wincing slightly from the pain in her back.

"Oh, you're awake."

She turned to Gohan, sitting by the extinguished fire, and her attention was immediately caught by the fruit lying beside him, her stomach growling louder. She blushed slightly at the embarrassing sound, hoping that Gohan hadn't heard it.

"You can have those," he said. "I already ate."

Mumbling a "thanks," Videl got up and sat beside the boy, beginning to eat the fruit lying on the ground.

"How long have you been awake?" She asked between two bites.

"About an hour," he replied. "I was hungry so I went out to search for food and found that fruit."

Videl nodded silently, continuing to eat. From time to time, Gohan noticed, she would wince slightly and massage her shoulder.

"Is your back hurting?" He asked, frowning.

The girl swallowed what she was chewing before replying, "Yeah, I didn't sleep very well on that hard ground."

"I can give you a massage, if you want," the boy offered without thinking. When Videl narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion, he realized that his suggestion probably sounded a little improper and he blushed slightly. "I-I mean, it's not like you could give yourself a massage. I just want to help; don't take it the wrong way…"

Videl eyed him suspiciously, not completely trusting him after yesterday's "incident" while they were looking for a shelter. But her back was aching terribly and a massage could fix her problem… Still, she wasn't sure she could trust Gohan; he looked naïve and innocent, but he was still a boy.

In the end she sighed and turned around so that her back was facing him. "Alright. Go ahead."

Cautiously, the young man began massaging the girl's shoulders and back, careful not to hurt her. He used give massages to his mother quite often when she was pregnant with Goten; add to that all the books he'd read about the subject, you could say that he knew what he was doing.

"So, Gohan, how about we continue our conversation from yesterday?" Videl then said and, although it sounded like a suggestion, the young Saiya-jin knew he didn't have a choice in the matter.

"If you want…," he said resignedly, still massaging the girl. "What do you want to know?"

"I'm curious about those friends of yours you told me about yesterday. Who are they, exactly? How did they get so strong?"

Gohan sighed. He'd seen that one coming. "Before I answer, you have to promise me that you won't reveal what I'm about to tell you to anyone. You see, if people knew about my friends, they'd want to know more about them and would invade their privacy. I don't want that to happen."

"I see your point and I won't say anything, don't worry," Videl assured him. "Hey, you're very good at massages; my back's not hurting anymore."

Gohan smiled and stopped massaging her back. "Thanks."

Turning around, Videl faced the boy once more. "Thanks for the massage, but can you answer me now?"

"Oh, yeah. Well, I guess you may have heard of some of my friends; they entered the World Martial Arts Tournament a few times and always got to the semifinals."

"If they entered the World Martial Arts Tournament, then I've probably heard of them. What are their names?"

"Well, there's Krillin, Yamcha, Tien Shin Han, Chiaotzu…and, of course, my dad, Son Goku."

Videl's jaw dropped. "Son Goku… is your father? Son Goku, the previous world champion, the one who single-handedly defeated the Red Ribbon Army and saved the world from King Piccolo? The Legendary Son Goku?"

Gohan raised his eyebrows. "How do you know all this about my dad?"

"Don't you know of a little something called the Internet? There's a lot of websites about your dad on there!"

"Oh," was all Gohan could say. He hadn't thought his father was so famous.

"I can't believe Son Goku is your dad! But I guess that explains how you can be so strong," Videl reasoned. "I haven't heard of him in a while, though. How's he doing? Does he still train? Could I meet him?"

"That's… going to be difficult," Gohan answered uneasily.

"What? Why?"

"He died seven years ago."

Beta'd by Ms. Videl Son (aka, megaminoeien on DA)