Secret Heart

Chapter 23

As soon as she arrived home, Videl went to isolate herself inside her room, collapsing on her queen-sized bed. She didn't know how much time had passed since then, but it must have been a while because when she opened her eyes again, it was already night.

Time flowed too quickly. In only a few hours, she would have to see Gohan, and it was the last thing she wanted. Maybe she could miss a few days of school… Besides, that way, she would be able to train more seriously; after all, the tournament was nearing.

Ah! How am I supposed to learn how to fly correctly, now? She thought suddenly. She didn't want to ask the boy who rejected her, but she didn't seem to have a choice. The girl wanted to learn how to fly, it would help her greatly during the tournament or when she would fight crime. But how could she without Gohan's help?

I could… I could try to do it myself… She told herself. I know the basics, after all, and I can fly a little already. I should be able to do it; I have to try at least.

Not feeling tired, the young crime fighter decided to get up. Why not begin her training alone now?

Sitting at the table, Gohan waited in silence as his mother was making them hot cocoas; Chichi stayed silent as well, thinking of a way to address the issue of Videl with her son without him setting himself. Before she knew it, the cups were ready to be served and she still hadn't decided.

She put one before her eldest son then settled herself in front of him, with a hot cocoa in hand. Seconds processed slowly, none of them saying a word. Then, finally, Gohan decided to break this silence, which had begun to be heavy.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" He asked.

Chichi didn't answer right away, staring at her milk which was getting cold. She finally decided that it would be pointless to beat around the bush and said, looking up to her son:

"I wanted to talk to you about Videl."

Gohan frowned. He didn't want to talk about Videl at all, let alone with his mother. He loved her but now, really, he wasn't in the mood to hear her talk about his so-called future wedding with the girl and about their future children; after what had happened the night before, it would only remind him that it would never happen.

But Gohan supposed that avoiding the subject would only make his mother suspicious of the fact that something had happened between he and Videl, and that was the last thing he wanted.

Resigned, he let out a sigh and asked: "What do you want to know?"

"Well," Chichi began, choosing her words carefully. "I've been wondering if you knew why Videl had left so early today."

Gohan looked at his mother suspiciously. Could it be that she suspected something?

"I have no idea." He lied.

Chichi knew that her son was deliberately lying to her and she didn't like it at all. She didn't raise him like that!

"You mean nothing happened since yesterday night?" She asked in a suspicious tone.

This time, he was sure of it: his mother was suspecting something. He was about to lie again, but a look at Chichi put him off. She was looking severely at him, almost defying him to dare lie to her again; because it was obvious that she understood.

He lowered his head, ashamed. He was ashamed of lying to his mother, ashamed of what he had done to Videl, ashamed of being such a coward. He wasn't worthy being the son of Son Goku and Chichi.

He wasn't worthy of Videl.

"I don't want to talk about it." He ended up saying.

Chichi supposed that she made some progress; at least Gohan wasn't lying to her anymore. But if her son reacted like that, if he'd felt the need to lie to her and didn't want to confide in his own mother, it meant that what had happened must be affecting him more than she thought. And this only increased the worry of the mother.

She got up from her seat in front of him and went to sit next to her son, who's head was still lowered. She lifted his chin to make him look at her in the eyes, and Gohan could see in them all the worry he was causing her. He really was an unworthy son.

"Gohan." She said softly but firmly. "Tell me what happened."

"Mom I…"

"Please." She cut him off. "I'm your mother, Gohan, and I have a right to know why you're hurting so much."

The young man closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. He couldn't believe that he was about to tell everything to his mother, but he owed it to her. She didn't deserve to be constantly worried for him; she had been anxious enough for him since he was a child, having to fight for Earth since childhood. She shouldn't be worrying for his love stories now. She didn't deserve this.

So, he told her everything. Staring at his still full cup, he didn't dare look at his mother as he related the events of last night.

"I love her… so much… but I'm so scared of her reaction if I told her about my past, my origins… That's why I couldn't go further with her, even though I was dying to." He sighed. "I know you think that we never should've found ourselves in such a situation, that we're too young for that and that we should wait to be married before going that far but… when she kissed me I… I lost control and I let my feeling lead me." He paused, his head still lowered, then said: "But anyway, after what I've done to her, I doubt she'd still want me, be it as a lover or as a friend."

Silence followed, Gohan still not daring look at his mother. As for Chichi, after she had listened to her eldest son's story without interrupting him, she didn't know what to respond, knowing that no matter what she said, she couldn't soothe her son's pain.

So, she held him in her arms.

Gohan held his mother against him, closing his eyes tightly. To know that she always accepted him despite his actions comforted him. He knew that he could always count on her, and that she would always be there for him.

As soon as her feet touched the ground of the training room, Videl collapsed on her knees to catch her breath, exhausted after the effort she'd just made. However, she couldn't hold herself back from smiling proudly. She was doing it. She was making progress, by herself, without anyone's help. She will be able to keep up her flying training, without having to go back to Gohan's. This thought relieved her. She didn't feel ready to face the young man after what had happened between them; she needed time in order to pick the pieces of her heart. She would go back to school… but not right now.

Having caught her breath, Videl got back up. She looked at her watch and decided to train for another hour before going to bed.

She concentrated again, gathering her energy under her feet without much difficulty. The girl took off from the ground, levitating a few feet – thankfully the ceiling of the training room was very high. She concentrated more, moving in the air. Videl was so focused that she didn't even notice when her father entered the training room. Confused to find nobody at first – the servants had told him that his daughter was here – he then raised his head and his eyes widened.

"Vi… Videl?"

The young crime fighter, so surprised by the sudden appearance of her father, lost her balance. She hit the ground with a wince; Gohan wasn't here to catch her anymore.

"Videl!" Mister Satan exclaimed while rushing to his daughter. "Videl, are you alright?"

"I'm okay…" She said as she straightened up. "But please, don't surprise me like that."

"Sorry honey." He apologized as he helped his daughter up. "But I didn't expect to see you floating in the air. It's that boy who taught you how to fly, right? What's his name again? Gohan?"

"Yes." Videl replied, not showing how painful it was to hear the boy's name.

"By the way Dad," she then began, changing the subject quickly. "I would like to focus on my training until the tournament, and I thought that it'd be better for me to take a break from my studies until then. Before you protest," she added when she saw her father open his mouth, "I'll only miss a month of school, and I'll catch up with all of my classes after the tournament. If I want to have a chance in this competition, I have to focus on my training."

Mister Satan felt divided. He was proud that his daughter took martial arts so seriously, but her studies were very important for her future.

"Please, Dad. I have to train." Videl insisted, her eyes begging.

Her father sighed. He could never say 'no' to her when she gave him that look. Besides, Videl was a smart and serious girl, and she assured him that she would catch up with all her classes once the tournament was over; he didn't really have any reason to refuse.

"Alright, you can miss school until the tournament." He finally said. Videl's face lit up and she jumped in his arms while exclaiming:

"Thanks Dad!"

Holding his daughter in his arms, Mister Satan smiled. As long as Videl was happy, it was all that mattered.

As he flew towards his school in his superhero disguise, Gohan felt apprehension well up more and more inside him. He dreaded the time he would have to see Videl again, though unavoidable. He didn't feel ready to see her again after what had happened the other night. After he'd abandoned her when they'd been about to…

Gohan shook his head sharply, wanting to dispel from his thoughts images of this infamous night that were coming to him. He didn't want to think about it anymore; he just wanted what happened that night to never happen. The young Saiya-jin sighed, knowing very well that it was a lie. In fact, what he would've actually wanted was that he wouldn't have had to abandon Videl at all. He would've wanted to continue what they were doing, spend the night with her, wake up next to her the next morning. He would've wanted to show her just how much he loved her, tell her, and stay with her forever.

But that would never happen.

Videl never came. It was already lunch time and there was still no sign of the teenage girl. What was strange was that even Erasa, her best friend, knew nothing about the girl's absence.

"It's very strange." The young blonde said with a worried look, as they were having lunch. "There was no crime to fight this morning, so it can't be the reason she's not here. Maybe she's sick… But why didn't she tell me anything?"

Gohan stayed silent. He knew that it was because of him that Videl hadn't come today; he would've done the same, for that matter, if his mother hadn't insisted that he faced his problems. Besides, she flatly refused that he missed a day of school, no matter the reason. His education was much more important than anything else.

"Why don't you call her?" Sharpner suggested. He was looking at Gohan nastily; he still hadn't digested that the dark-haired boy had kissed the girl he wanted. If only he knew…

With determination, Erasa nodded her head. She got her cell phone out of her purse and dialed Videl's personal phone number. After a while, she hung up.

"She's not answering."

"Try her home number." Gohan proposed; the blond-haired girl nodded her head again and did as she was told.

"Satan Residence. Who is speaking?" Someone answered at the other end of the line.

"Hello; I'm Erasa, a friend of Videl's." The teenage girl introduced herself. "May I speak to her please?"

"I'm sorry; Miss Videl is busy at the moment and asked me not to disturb her on any account."

"Oh…" Erasa said, disappointed. "Do you know why she didn't come to school today?" She still asked.

"Miss Videl has decided to adjourn her studies until the Tenkaichi Budokai in order to train."

She blinked. "Huh?"

"I'm sorry, I have to hang up. Goodbye."

Before she could say anything, the line was cut, leaving Erasa completely dumbfounded by what she just heard.

"Well?" Sharpner asked.

"Videl… adjourned her studies." Erasa replied slowly, still registering what she just said.

"Wh… What?" Gohan stammered, barely believing it. Surely Videl wasn't going to risk wasting her studies because of him, was she?

The blonde-haired girl, having finally recovered. "She decided to train for the Tenkaichi Budokai; it's all I know."

"Are you serious? Videl is quitting school?" Sharpner asked, incredulous.

"Yes; it's what the butler told me."

"But… What about me? Who am I going to hit on now? No girl is as great as Videl!" The long-haired boy complained.

Erasa rolled her eyes. "Stop whining, will you? Besides you know very well that Videl will never be interested in you."

"Ha! As if! No girl can resist me!"

The girl shook her head, vexed. This boy's ego was bigger than the planet. His ignorance, too. Seriously, how could he still think that Videl was interested in him after all the times she had rejected him?

Erasa then turned to Gohan; the boy had spent a lot of time with Videl those last weeks, giving her "math lessons" (although she didn't believe it one bit); maybe he knew something about Videl's sudden decision?

When she asked him, he stayed silent – a silence full of meaning. Erasa frowned.

"You know something, then?"

Gohan chose to not answer, knowing that he couldn't lie. It was obvious that Videl decided to adjourn her studies because of him, but telling them what had happened was unthinkable.

"Hey, nerd-boy, she asked you a question!" Sharpner said; he had a bad feeling.

"Sharpner! Don't be so rude!" Erasa reprimanded. "And stop calling Gohan "nerd-boy"; he has a name, in case you forgot."

"I call him like I want. Besides it's not the question. You know something right, nerd-boy?"

"Stop calling him that!" Erasa said, getting worked up.

"Stop bugging me Erasa; I'm trying to get answers here." Sharpner retorted.

"Exactly! If you want Gohan to answer you, you should start by talking to him politely!"

"Ha! As if I was going to talk politely to a mountain-boy!"

"Politeness and you are two different things, that's for sure!"

"That's right! And I have no shame admitting it!"

"You ill-mannered jerk!"

"Yeah yeah, right. Now, nerd-boy, tell us what you kn…" Sharpner interrupted himself; Gohan was nowhere to be seen.

"Nerd-boy?"

Hiding behind a tree, Gohan let out a sigh of relief. This argument between the two blonde-haired teenagers had come just at the right time, giving him the opportunity to escape.

His thoughts turned to Videl and her sudden decision to adjourn her studies; he never would've thought that she would go this far just so she wouldn't see him again. In any case, it was clear now: Videl didn't want to hear from him ever again. He couldn't blame her.

In the middle of a dark room, two figures, one significantly shorter than the second, were watching a crystal ball. The shorter of the two creatures was saying kind of incantations, a twisted smile on its hideous face.

"Yes… That's it… Don't fight… Let yourself be invaded by evil…" the short, brown creature was saying. "Good… Now you're mine."

"Master," began the other being, which was much taller than the first. "Are you sure that you will be able to find enough energy on this planet? Earthlings are particularly weak and frail beings; we will get nothing good from them."

"Don't worry about that; I know exactly where to find all the energy I need. And those two Earthlings whom I now have control over will help me."

The short, brown being then went towards an enormous ball that was pulsing in a steady pace. It placed its hand on it and said in a sinister voice:

"Soon… Very soon… You will get out…"

To Be Continued…