Title: Off the Beaten Path
Author: ShadowMajin
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)

Videl stared at the Son boy, soaking in the news that one of the greatest martial artists the world had ever seen had left this world without anyone knowing. Well, anyone except for family and close friends.

She hadn't seen that one coming. Considering all of the exploits of the former World Champion, one would figure that he would have died with the whole world watching instead of fading into history with no one the wiser. It was almost disturbing.

"Umm…," she said, breaking the silence in the cave. "How…how did he die? Your father, I mean."

This time it was Gohan's turn to stare at her, presumably thinking about his next answer. Some internal conflict was waging itself inside his mind; the Satan girl could see it as she looked into his eyes.

Eventually, he answered, "He died fighting Cell."

So that was how Son Goku had ended. It was fitting, she had to admit. One of the greatest fighters going down against the greatest evil the world had ever known.

Yet something was nagging in the back of Videl's head. Something that had happened just after that oversized cockroach had died. The more she thought about it, the more prominent it became in her mind. A frown covered her face as she asked, "But I thought everyone that Cell killed came back to life after he was defeated. Shouldn't your father have come back too?"

Once again, Gohan paused before looking away. "This isn't a very good subject for me. Could we talk about something else?"

For once, the Satan girl backed down. She knew how hard it was to talk about a deceased loved one...She'd let the topic go this time, but she was going to find out what the Son boy knew about his father's death sooner or later. There was something he was hiding, she could practically smell it.

However, before she could start on a new topic, Gohan said, "It's starting to get late. I think we should consider getting some rest before we try finding our way out of here."

Videl cocked an eyebrow. "You expect me to go to sleep in a cave that had a monster in it barely an hour ago."

"We can take shifts. One person can sleep while the other keeps an eye out for anything unusual."

That wasn't a bad plan, Videl had to admit. But then, Gohan did come from a pretty remote place. He had probably spent enough time outdoors to figure out the best way to keep hungry animals from gnawing on him while he slept. "Fine, so do you want to sleep first or keep watch?"

"I'll keep watch," Gohan replied.

The girl nodded her head before a thought struck her. "This better not be some plan to molest me again. If I wake up to you groping me, you won't be leaving this cave alive, understand?"

The Son boy tried to respond to that claim, but only succeeded in stuttering out his defense, which ended up as pure gibberish. Finally, he managed to say, "I would never touch you like that!"

"Oh yeah? Then what do you call grabbing my ass earlier?"

"You were falling! I was trying to catch you!"

"By grabbing my ass," Videl deadpanned. "You know what? I'll take first watch. That way I know you aren't going to try anything."

Gohan just stared at her in astonishment. Eventually, he hung his head and let out a big sigh before agreeing with her. "Fine, I'll sleep first." Raising his head, he looked about the cave before moving closer to one of the cave walls. Laying down on his side with his back to the wall, he closed his eyes and tried to get some shut eye.

All the while, Videl kept a close watch on him. She didn't let her gaze waver until the boy's breathing evened out, indicating that he was finally asleep. Good, that was one matter done with.

Looking out the mouth of the cave, she frowned. There was so much about this boy that was slowly making itself known, yet she wanted to know more and more. So far, she knew that he was strong, really strong; he was the son of Son Goku, which led to the thought of him having some sort of fighting capability. She didn't know if that included some of the light tricks that his father had become infamous for, but if the two of them got into anymore situations that called upon his strength perhaps she'd get to see some of it in action. Though her father had always said that these "tricks" were fake, Videl wasn't so closed-minded as to accept his accusation outright. She hadn't ever seen such techniques in person so, if someone claimed to possess such abilities, she'd be willing to see what they were for herself and then determine if they were fake or not.

Hmmm…perhaps she'd get her chance soon enough.

The more she thought about this dilemma, the less she noticed her current condition. Every time she blinked, her eyelids would take a little longer to reopen. It wasn't noticeable at first, but as time went by the more her eyes seemed inclined to stay closed before opening up again

A yawn escaped her lips and Videl didn't bother to cover her gaping mouth as there was no one around (well, no one awake, at least) to employ manners for. Almost unconsciously, she scooted closer to the cave wall opposite of the one Gohan was currently asleep against. Not once did it occur to her that she needed to stay conscious as her new spot was becoming more and more comfortable. Eventually, her eyelids stayed shut and she drifted off into the world of dreams.

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