Secret Heart

Chapter 10

Gohan was lying on his bed, wide awake, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't stop thinking about what he shouldn't have heard. He really couldn't believe it. She had dreamed of him… She had dreamed of him doing…

He blushed. Then he shook his head. He had to stop thinking about it. After all, what did that mean? Well, okay, she had dreamed of him. A not very decent dream. But really, it didn't mean anything. He didn't have to worry about that.

Still, the way she had moaned his name…

Gohan rolled on his stomach, burying his face in his pillow.

He wasn't going to sleep anytime soon…

Videl woke up with a startle, panting, her body covered in sweat. She blushed instantaneously, remembering the dream she'd just had.

My God… I can't believe I dreamed that we were doing that! Why the hell did I have that dream? And why with him?

And then, a particular sequence of the dream came to her mind. The moment she told him that she loved him…

She shook her head. It was just a dream; it doesn't mean anything. She persuaded herself. With that thought in her mind, she got up, and prepared her stuff for her morning shower. God knows she needed one.

He hadn't slept, Videl's moans haunting him all night long. And now, his lovely little brother was jumping on his stomach, telling him to get up.

He sighed. "Okay, Okay, I'm getting up." He said, resigning himself to get up despite his tiredness.

Goten finally stopped to jump on his stomach, and then ran out of their room, telling him in the way to hurry up and get ready because he was hungry.

Gohan got up from his bed, yawning, and then went to take some clean clothes from his closet for his morning shower. He then got out of the room, walking toward the bathroom, dragging his feet. He was so tired. He hoped that a good shower would wake him up.

He met Videl on his way, her hair down and still wet, and froze at the same time as her. They both blushed, looking away.

"H-Hi Videl." He said, not daring to look at her in the eyes.

"Hi Gohan." She replied, having as much a hard time as him to look at him.

An uncomfortable silence installed between them, while they stayed standing in the corridor, avoiding their gazes.

"Well err… I'm going to take my shower." Gohan said, before resuming his way toward the bathroom.

As for Videl, she continued her way toward the kitchen, trying to dispel the images of Gohan taking his shower that were coming to her mind.

Chichi watched the two teens during breakfast. They were abnormally quiet, seeming to be avoiding their gazes. What could have happened between them for them to be so embarrassed? They didn't seem ready to tell her…

"By the way, Gohan," She said, attracting her eldest son's attention. "I need you to run some errands for me. You could take Videl with you and show her around the nearby village, while you're at it."

Gohan tensed. Run some errands for his mother, it wasn't a problem, but take Videl with him? He was still too embarrassed for that. But he didn't think he had the choice.

He sighed, resigning himself. "Alright."

It was fortunate that Videl had brought her Jet Copter with her; he didn't feel capable to carry her against him. So, here they were, in the girl's Jet Copter, flying toward the nearest village to run some errands for Chichi.

"It's a bit more on the left." Gohan said, indicating the way.

"Okay." Videl said, keeping her eyes right in front of her, as she turned her Jet Copter a bit on the left, like her classmate had indicated her.

Apart from Gohan's indications, the trip was done in silence. A very uncomfortable silence, both being extremely embarrassed, for obvious reasons.

At last, they arrived to the village, and Videl landed her Jet Copter. They got out of the Jet, and Videl put it back on its capsule.

"So, where is the store we have to run errands in?" Videl asked, without really looking at Gohan.

"Follow me." He said, starting to walk toward their destination. Videl followed him.

They entered a little store, and the clerk's face lit up at seeing them entering.

"Gohan!" She said, as she went to hug the young man.

Videl narrowed her eyes, her fists clenched. Who is that girl??

Gohan smiled, hugging back the clerk. "Hi Lime. It's good to see you."

Lime stepped aside from her childhood friend and put her hands on her hips. "And can you tell me why you don't come to see me more often? It's been months since the last time I saw you!" She reproached.

Gohan scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Lime. I was a little busy with school and all…"

Videl coughed, starting to be tired of being ignored, which attracted the two childhood friends' attention.

"Oh, right." Gohan said. "Lime, this is Videl, a classmate. Videl, this is Lime, a childhood friend."

"Glad to meet you, Videl." Lime said, all smiling. She extended her hand, which Videl forced herself to take, not wanting to seem rude.

"Same here." Videl said, shaking Lime's hand.

"Hmm… I think I already saw you on TV…" Lime said, looking closely at Videl. "Oh, I remember! You're Mister Satan's daughter, right?" She then turned toward Gohan. "And you are friends??"

"We're not friends." Videl said. "I just came to his house because I wanted to meet his mother."

"Oh."

She still doesn't consider me as her friend… Gohan thought sadly. Even thought we had a good time together at the lake, yesterday…

"Well!" Lime said suddenly. "I suppose that you are here to get your groceries. Give me the list, Gohan, I'll take care of it immediately."

Gohan got the list out of his pocket and gave it to Lime. "Here."

"Thank you." She smiled. She looked at the list's content. "It will take me a while. I know! I going to ask my grandfather to take care of it, like that, I will be able to spend some time with you and get to know Videl better! Wait here, I'll go look for him! Grandpa!!"

And she went looking for her grandfather. Videl crossed her arms. She didn't, but really didn't want to "get to know better" this Lime girl, who was way to close to Gohan in her taste. But it seemed that she didn't have a choice, because Lime came back a few moments later with, she supposed, her grandfather.

"Ah, Gohan." Lime's grandfather said. "It's been a long time since we last saw you. So, you're going to high school, now?"

Gohan smiled. "Hello, Mr. Lao. Yes, I started a few months ago."

"And who is this lovely girl? Your girlfriend?"

Gohan and Videl blushed.

"No, she's not my girlfriend, Mr. Lao. She's just a classmate." Gohan said.

"Oh, I see." The old man said. He then turned to Videl. "I am Lao."

Videl smiled. This man inspired her confidence – in contrary of Lime.

"Videl." She said simply.

Lao smiled. "Well, go have fun, while I'm taking care of your groceries."

"See you later, Grandpa." Lime said. She took Gohan's hand – causing Videl to narrow her eyes – and dragged him outside with her, barely giving him the time to say goodbye to Lao.

Videl said goodbye politely to the store owner and followed Lime and Gohan outside. She watched, her eyes narrowed, the two childhood friends' joined hands, and couldn't help but feel jealous. It was a stupid feeling, really, but she couldn't help but feel that way.

She decided to start the conversation. "So, since when you two know each other?"

"Since we're ten." Lime replied. "It was a few days before the Cell Games, actually. I had fallen in a river and Gohan saved me from drowning. I thought he was a pervert though, at the beginning."

Videl lifted a brow. "A pervert? Why is that?"

Gohan blushed slightly, while Lime explained to Videl how his hand had been touching her breast, when he had got her out of the water.

Videl chuckled. "Gohan, a pervert. I would never have thought that of him."

Gohan blushed furiously. "Hey! It was an accident if my hand landed there! I'm NOT a pervert!"

The two girls laughed, as Gohan was more and more blushing.

"We know you're not a pervert, Gohan. But it's so funny to tease you." Lime said, pinching Gohan's cheek.

Videl clenched her fists. She envied this complicity Gohan and Lime had, and the more she watched how they were, together, the more the jealousy she was feeling intensified.

Why am I jealous like this? She thought. It's not like… I have feelings for Gohan…

Oh really? An annoying little voice in her mind asked.

Videl stopped walking, watching the two childhood friends as they were joking with each other, still holding hands. Gohan then turned toward her, having noticed that she had stopped, and smiled at her.

Her heart beat accelerated.

"You're coming, Videl?" He said, still smiling at her.

I think… I'm in love…

In love with Gohan…

"Thank you so much, Mr. Lao." Gohan said, taking the capsules containing his grocery.

"It's always a pleasure, Gohan." Lao replied.

"Come see me more often." Lime said. She approached him and kissed him on the cheek, making him blush lightly. Videl had to hold herself back from strangling this girl at this very moment.

"Well then, goodbye!" Gohan said.

Videl got her Jet Copter out of its capsule, and they climbed on it, waving at Lime and her grandfather before taking off.

"Lime is really nice, don't you think?" Gohan asked, as they were flying toward his home.

"Oh yes, absolutely lovely." Videl said sarcastically. But Gohan didn't seem to notice, because he was smiling.

"I think so too." He said.

Videl clenched her jaw. Calm down. She told herself. I have nothing to be jealous of. I'm the one he loves anyway; he had said it clearly to Goten the other night.

But why the heck did I have to fall in love with him??

Gohan was helping his mother to put the groceries away. Chichi had flatly refused Videl's help, saying that she was a guest. Videl had tried to argue, but there was nothing she could do; Son Chichi was even more stubborn than her.

So here she was, sitting at the table, watching them as they put the groceries away while discussing. And the subject of their conversation was really starting to get on her nerves.

Gohan was telling his mother about their morning, and he was talking particularly about Lime, which annoyed Videl more and more. Finally, she snapped.

"And then Lime-"

"Enough!" She exclaimed, standing up abruptly. "Lime here, Lime there! There is only for this Lime!"

She got out of the kitchen, furious, but also feeling very stupid to have blown up like this. Gohan blinked, not understanding Videl's reaction.

"What's with her?"

Chichi smiled knowingly. "I think… that Videl likes you more than she lets on."

Gohan stared at his mother without understanding. "Huh?"

Chichi rolled her eyes. Her son may be a genius, bit when it came to girls, he was just as good as his father.

"She's jealous!" She said.

Gohan blinked again. "Jealous? Videl? Why would she be?"

"It's really impossible to be that blind! It's obvious that she's in love with you!"

Gohan blushed. "Wh… What? Videl, in love with me? But she hates me!"

"Trust me, she loves you." Chichi assured. "I know how to detect this kind of things."

They continued to put the groceries away, this time in silence. Gohan was deep in thought.

Videl would be… in love… with me? I… I can't believe it. Of course, I'd dream for her to have feelings for me, but it's just a dream. She doesn't even consider me as a friend.

But Mom is rarely wrong…

Gohan knocked softly on the guest room's door, but he didn't get any reply.

"Videl?" he tried. "It's me, Gohan."

"Go away!!" He heard Videl shout from inside.

"Videl, it's lunch time." He tried again.

"I'm not hungry!!" Videl shouted again. "Now leave me alone!"

He sighed, and started to leave, but he stopped after a few steps. He made a U-turn, a new determination in his eyes.

"Videl, I'm entering." He announced, opening the door.

"I never allowed you to enter!!" Videl shouted, jumping up from the bed she had been lying on.

He sighed. "Videl, I don't understand… I thought you liked Lime?"

"Well you're wrong! I hate her! In fact, I can't stand her!"

"Why?"

"Because!"

"That's not an answer."

"I don't give a damn about it!"

Gohan hesitated a few moments. "You wouldn't happen to be… jealous?"

Videl felt herself blushing despite herself. "And just why would I be jealous?"

"Well… Err… It's my mother who told me that… Me, I don't know…" Gohan replied, uneasy.

Videl cursed Chichi inwardly. "Well you're mother is wrong! I'm not jealous at all!"

"Then why you don't like Lime?"

"Because I don't like her, that's all! There are people you like and other that you don't!"

"But… Lime is a good person…"

"If you like her so much, why don't you go out with her?"

"I don't like Lime that way. She's like a sister to me."

You're the one I love. He added silently.

"I really don't care!" Videl said, even if deep down, she felt relieved that he said that. "Can you go out, now? I'd like to stay alone."

Gohan sighed, and went out of the room, leaving Videl alone, like she wished.

Mom has to be wrong. He thought. Videl certainly isn't in love with me.

To Be Continued…