Hi everyone! *Looks out at empty room* Well I know I promised this update to a few people last week but once again, life got in the way. So I'm very sorry for the lateness. Anyway this is a relatively long chapter so I hope you guys enjoy it! I don't own DBZ.
Last Time...
"I just want to know what happened to her, you know?" Videl said. "I just want to know whether she's dead or alive or if she has a new family now or lives alone. It just hurts not knowing."
Gohan and Videl sat in silence for a while. Videl had stopped pacing the room and resumed her perch on her bed, staring at the floor. "I'll help you find her," Gohan said after a long while.
"How are you going to do that?" Videl asked bitterly, looking up at him.
"I know some powerful people," Gohan said with a smirk.
Videl smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks," she said.
"Anytime," Gohan responded.
888
Gohan grimaced as a sound from down the hall awoke him from his slumber. He was lying in a comfortable bed, one he could tell was not his own. His senses immediately went on high alert as he took in the unfamiliar surroundings. A slight weight rested on his chest and he could feel thin arms draped across his bare chest and legs tangled with his own. He opened his dark eyes only to come face to face with a mass of ebony hair. A small smile came over his face as he remembered who it was. He brushed the dark locks away from his face and caressed the girl's cheek.
"Time to wake up, babe," he whispered softly in her ear.
However the girl just tightened her grip on his muscular arm and snuggled deeper into his chest.
"Come on! We've got to get ready for school!" Gohan tried again and smirked as the girl gave an annoyed groan before opening her emerald eyes.
"I don't want to!" Kiara whined before she tried once more to make herself disappear into Gohan's chest.
"You know you have to. Don't you want to make some new friends?" he tried to coax her.
"I'm fine with Marron and Goten and Trunks. I don't need anymore friends," she replied stubbornly. "And how come I have to go to school and Goten doesn't?"
"Because he tends to be too rough on the other kids," Gohan answered patiently and instantly picked up the thoughtful look that crossed his surrogate daughter's face seconds later. "And don't you dare try picking any fights!"
Kiara pouted and rested her head in her palms as she lay on her stomach on top of Gohan. "You're no fun," she challenged, looking him straight in the eyes.
Gohan raised an eyebrow. "And here I thought you were the one begging to stay with us. Maybe we should take you back to minor services and see if they can find a more fun family for you huh?" he rebutted.
Kiara faltered for a second but didn't tear her gaze away from his. "You'd miss me too much," she smirked moving closer to him.
Gohan rolled his eyes. "Aah…I guess you're right," he whispered before kissing her on the nose causing her to giggle. "Now time to get up!" he said getting back to business.
"Never!" she refused but found herself dissoving into fits of laughter as Gohan picked her up and held her upside down by her ankles
"Gohan! Stop!" she shrieked through giggles.
"Not until you go get ready for school!" Gohan said in a sing song voice.
"Okay! Okay! I'll do it!" she capitulated.
Gohan held out his hand for her to take and turned her right side up. "Now get in the bath. I'll come help you in a second," he said.
"Okay!" the little girl said reluctantly and trudged off to the bathroom.
Gohan shook his head and laughed as he watched Kiara leave the room. He had heard her scream in the middle of the night and found her having a nightmare. He held her in his arms until she calmed down and she had asked him to stay with her until she fell asleep. It seemed he had fallen asleep as well. She was such a spirited young girl that it was gut wrenching to see her sobbing her heart out as a result of the monsters who killed her parents. No child should have to see that.
She was also starting a new school near Gohan's: Orange Star Elementary. With the paperwork needed to start her so late in the term, she was starting today, the day Gohan went back to school after his week-long fall break. Bulma and Chi Chi had talked it out with minor services and they agreed to grant Gohan temporary custody of the girl for now, provided she be enrolled in school, see a child psychiatrist at least twice a week and they agree to random inspections. With Gohan being so young, they were rather reluctant to let him take her in, but as he had help from his parents, they were willing to give him a chance. If he made it through a probationary phase, then they could think about adoption. For the official records' sake they opted not to include Videl as the couple was not yet living together. However, she was allowed to visit whenever she wanted to. Gohan and Videl had decided this amongst themselves. It made more sense for Kiara to stay with Gohan as he had both his mom and dad at home at least most of the time and she would have Goten to play with. With Videl's dad traveling all the time, and Videl enrolled in school, the Satan Mansion seemed hardly the place to raise a child.
Gohan shrugged and made his way to the bathroom as he heard Kiara yelling at him to hurry up. Who would have thought that in the space of two weeks he would have gotten himself a girlfriend and a daughter?
888
In about forty-five minutes, Gohan and Kiara had both gotten dressed for school, eaten breakfast and were saying goodbye to the rest of the Son family. Gathering Kiara in his arms, Gohan whispered to the girl, "Hold on tight," before he rose slowly to the air, making sure the capsule belt containing his and her school bags was properly attached to his belt. He flew slower than usual towards Satan City, not wanting the girl to get too overwhelmed.
However, Kiara seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. No matter how much her eyes watered, a massive grin remained on her face as she took in the surroundings. Nevertheless she had a death grip on Gohan's shirt. She had never flown with Gohan before and she could hardly wait until she could do it herself.
As the city loomed in the distance, an uneasy feeling settled in her stomach. She was always uncomfortable around new people, Videl, the Son and Chestnut families being obvious exceptions. Questions raced through her mind. Would they like her? Would she make any friends? Would her teachers be nice?
Before she knew it, Gohan had touched down in a deserted alleyway behind the school. He put her down and uncapsulated their bags, slinging his brown satchel over his shoulder before helping her put on her light blue backpack. He took her hand in his and the two walked the two blocks to the front of the school.
As they reached the fence, Kiara's grip tightened on the Gohan's index and middle fingers, causing him to look down at her. She looked up, worry evident in her eyes, her past courage long gone. Small tears began to well up in her eyes as the gravity of the situation began to hit home.
"Hey," Gohan said, kneeling down to her level. "You're going to be ok. It's just for a few hours. If you need me I'll be two buildings over. If you really need me just press this button and I'll come get you, ok?" he said, handing her a pager as he wiped the tears from her eyes. "You're a great girl and you have to be strong today, ok?"
Kiara nodded hesitantly. "Ok," she said in a small voice.
"That's my girl," Gohan said, patting her on the cheek. "Ready to go in?"
Kiara looked up at him and took his fingers again. "No… but if I must, I shall," she said dramatically.
"And she's back," Gohan quipped before leading the way through the halls.
Soon enough he found his way to the principal's office. Spying a brown haired secretary, intrigued by a game of solitaire, he made his way over to her. "Excuse me," he said trying to get her attention.
The secretary looked up and gave him a once over. "Oh aren't you the cutie? Sorry but this is the elementary school. The high school is two buildings over. But you can leave your name and number if you need anymore help if you know what I mean," she said giving him a sultry wink, not noticing Kiara from behind her desk.
"Oh, that won't be necessary. I'm actually dropping off my daughter, Kiara Hiiwatari. I was hoping to speak to the principal," Gohan replied, ignoring her advances.
The brunette peered over her desk to see the young girl holding on tightly to Gohan's hand. "Oh! I'm sorry! You just seem rather young to have children! Follow me," she said, getting up and leading them to the door behind her. "Principal Miyami. This is the new student and her father," she said to a graying round woman with rectangular framed glasses, before closing the door behind them.
"Good morning, Principal Miyami," Gohan said. "This is Kiara."
"Ahh good morning. And how are you two doing?" the woman asked kindly.
"I'm doing well. Kiara's just a bit nervous," Gohan answered.
"Well my dear, you have nothing to worry about. Your teacher and I are going to take very good care of you, ok?" she addressed Kiara.
The little girl nodded but did not let go of Gohan's hand.
Principal Miyami lowered her voice. "Well given her…situation, is there anything I or her teachers need to know?" she asked.
"Well she's allergic to nuts and I'm a bit concerned about naptime because she tends to have nightmares about what happened. I don't think it would be a good idea for her to participate in that just yet." Gohan replied.
"I understand. I'll be sure to let her teacher know. She can go colour or do a puzzle while the other kids nap," Principal Miyami compromised. "Alright, all I need you to do right now is sign some documents then we'll take her to her classroom."
About ten minutes later, the trio was standing in front of a glass door with brightly coloured butterflies glued to the door. The principal knocked on the door and a beautiful young woman in her early twenties with auburn hair in a bob cut opened the door.
"Why hello!" the young woman said. "You must be Kiara!" she said bending down to her level. "You can call me Miss Lisa."
"Hi," Kiara said shyly, tightening her grip on Gohan's fingers again.
"We'll introduce you to the class and then your daddy's going to have to go ok?" Miss Lisa said.
Kiara's eyes widened but she nodded, following the young woman into the room.
"Hey everybody! This is Kiara! Please make her feel welcome!" Miss Lisa said.
"Hi Kiara!" the class chorused.
"You can go take a seat right next to Sakura and Kari. You guys raise your hands!" she said. Two identical little girls with blonde hair and green eyes raised their hand enthusiastically and smiled at the shy Kiara.
"It's time for me to go," Gohan spoke, easing his fingers away from Kiara's grip. "Remember to be the strong little girl I know you are, ok?" he said, giving her a hug.
"Ok. Bye Gohan," Kiara whispered.
"Bye Kiki" Gohan replied, releasing her, and leaving the room when the girl took her seat.
"You can come pick her up at 3," Miss Lisa said before she closed the door behind him.
"Will do," Gohan said, smiling at her before making his way to Orange Star High. Looking at his watch, he sighed. He still had a lot of time before class started.
888
Erasa jumped up and grabbed her bag as she heard a car honk twice outside her house. Quickly checking over her makeup at the mirror by the door she yelled goodbye to her mom and headed out to join her now short-haired boyfriend. Tossing her bag in the back of the new red convertible capsule car Bulma had given him; she hopped in beside him and gave him a quick kiss.
"Hey you," she said happily. "How's it going? Ready to go back?"
Sharpner smiled over at her. "As long as you're with me," he sighed. Most of his football buddies were not in his class so he was slightly nervous about how they would react to his new haircut and girlfriend. No doubt they had already heard about it by now.
Soon enough, they pulled up in front of the school. Sharpner hopped out and opened the door for Erasa, grabbing both their bags and slinging them over his shoulder before recapsulating his car. The blonde teens walked through the hallways, hand in hand, smirking to themselves as the students they passed gossiped about their new relationship. Like Videl and Gohan, Sharpner and Erasa hadn't been open about their relationship while amongst their classmates. As they headed toward their lockers, the not-so-subtle whispers flying around surrounding their admitting their feelings for one other grew more and more absurd; the last one involving Sharpner saving Erasa from a killer whale.
Erasa barely suppressed a giggle as she retrieved her books for first period from her locker. "A killer whale?" she asked incredulously. "Where the hell were we supposed to find one of those in the wilderness?"
Sharpner smiled back. "I really don't know 'Rase," he answered, shaking his head in disbelief as he slammed his locker shut. Suddenly a wicked grin crossed his face. "What do you say we give them something to talk about?" he asked, a playfully seductive grin on his face.
Erasa grinned back and grabbed his collar, slamming him against the lockers as she kissed him fiercely. Sharpner was a little stunned by her forceful actions but quickly reciprocated the kiss, his hands sliding dangerously low on her hips.
Like dogs being fed scraps, the students erupted into another round of frenzied chatter as new stories about Orange Star High's new 'Power Couple' surfaced. However, one particular person was not very happy. It was Angela, a tall, busty redhead. Jealousy burned in her eyes as she witnessed her former lover and his new belle locked in a passionate embrace. Sure he had had many romantic partners between their time together and now, as had she. But there was something different about this one. He was now with his best friend, not some random slut. He was serious about this one. She knew he placed this girl on a pedestal and for that reason she never thought he would have the balls to go after her. She had thought Erasa was safely in the friend zone but the sparkle in Sharpner's eyes as they broke apart clearly demonstrated otherwise. The boy was absolutely smitten. And we can't have that now, can we?
Adjusting her already low-cut top to reveal even more cleavage, Angela sauntered up to the still-embracing couple. Clearing her throat to get their attention, she put on a sultry smile. "Well, well, well, Sharpie! Looks like you got yourself a little girlfriend. Adorable isn't she?" she said, giving Erasa a condescending smile.
Sharpner's jaw stiffened at the sight of her. This could only mean trouble. "What do you want, Angela?" he asked forcefully. He would not allow Angela to mess things up between him and Erasa. Just because she had taken his virginity in his sophomore year, she sometimes acted as if she owned him. They never even dated.
Angela sent him a sickly sweet smile and looked at him doe-eyed. "I only wanted to congratulate you," she replied. Turning her gaze on Erasa, she added, "Take care of him, sweetie." As she turned to leave, she called out over her shoulder, "And Sharpie, when you realize she's not woman enough for you, remember who had you first!"
Sharpner grimaced, holding Erasa closer to him. "Be sure to hold your breath!" he replied in the same sweet tone his former lover or shoud he say one night stand had used. Turning to the girl in his arms he asked, "Remind me why I ever slept with her?"
Erasa giggled. "You were a drunk kid desperate to lose his virginity. Just be thankful you didn't get some STD," she laughed.
Sharpner looked down at his shoes, an embarrassed look on his face. "Oh, right," he replied sheepishly. His face becoming serious he turned back to his girlfriend. "Don't pay any attention to her though. I'm 100% yours," he added.
Erasa reached up and kissed him softly. With a smirk she asked, "Do I look worried to you?"
Sharpner hugged her close. "Thanks," he whispered in her hair. "And if for some random reason I do, I give you permission to call Gohan and his buddies to beat me up."
Erasa smirked. "Oh, I already have them on speed-dial," she said and walked off giggling as she noticed Sharpner's stunned look.
As the warning bell rang, the two made their way to their first class of the day. They walked through the door and found Gohan sitting in Erasa's seat next to Videl. The two seemed locked in a heated debate about fighting strategies.
"Well, look who's early for once," Sharpner teased.
The dark-haired couple looked up at their friends and blushed.
"And sitting all cozy next to each other too?" Erasa added.
Gohan looked around and as if suddenly realizing he was sitting in Erasa's seat, got up, apologizing profusely.
Erasa just shook her head and placed a hand on his shoulder, pushing him down in her seat. "Don't worry about it. I was hoping we could switch seat anyway. That way Sharpie can switch with the guy next to you.
"Ok, but if anybody asks, it was your idea. I haven't told my dad about us yet and I don't want him to find out through some gossipy kids," Videl answered in a low tone, conscious of the student trickling into the classroom.
"Our lips are sealed," Erasa chirped, moving her thumb and index finger across her lips in a zipping motion. Her smilr fell and her voice dropped as a concerened look crossed her face. "Did you talk to your dad about the other thing…you know?" she asked, giving Gohan a sidelong glance.
Videl's countenance became grim as she stared at her fingernails. "Honestly, I haven't seen or spoken to him since I got back. I just…I still can't believe he didn't tell me. I don't think I can face him right now," she said quietly. Gohan patted her shoulder reassuringly while Sharpner and Erasa sent her looks of pity.
"Just know no matter what, we're here for you, ok?" Sharpner said. He too was having trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that his hero since he was eleven years old had lied to the world. He could not imagine how betrayed Videl must feel.
The group was snapped out of its melancholy as the final warning bell rang and the remaining students poured into the classroom along with the teacher.
888
Meanwhile, Lime stirred lightly in her bed as the sunlight peeking through her bedroom window caressed her face. Her eyes opened groggily and she yawned and stretched her stiff muscles. Throwing her legs over the side of her twin bed, she made her way out of her bedroom door and down the hall to the bathroom. She showered, brushed her hair and picked out a cute outfit for the day. She knew she had a busy one ahead of her. Grabbing her planner, she gave it a once over, making sure she hadn't forgotten anything. However, all prior arrangements became secondary when she noticed the date. No! It can't be the 21st! Did I miscalculate? Frantically, she ran through the math again and again but each time she came to the same conclusion: her period was late. Six days late in fact.
Ice cold fear gripped her as she sank to the floor, rumpling the mini dress she had paired with tights for the colder weather. No. This could not be happening. Maybe it's just late. Never mind the fact that it's never been late before. There's a first time for everything right? I cannot be pregnant right now! I'm not ready! I still live in my parent's house! Forget that! I still sleep with a freaking night light! I can't take care of a kid!
'Ok Lime, breathe'. She tried to coach herself. 'Don't freak out. Maybe you're not pregnant. Maybe you should stop referring to yourself in the third person! Oh my Kami what am I going to do?!' But she knew exactly what she needed to do. She was going to have to go see Bulma…today.
She buried her head in her lap in embarrassment as she thought about it. It wasn't that she didn't like Bulma. After all, just like Chi Chi, the woman had been like an aunt or second mother to her. It was just that having her boyfriend's mom check to see if she was knocked up wasn't exactly appealing. And it wasn't as if she could go to a regular doctor because if she was pregnant, it would be pretty interesting explaining why her unborn child had alien DNA. Her mother was a doctor but having her do it seemed even worse than Bulma! And preganancy tests didn't always work.
A wave of nausea hit her as her mind went into overdrive. Oh my Kami what am I going to tell Mama? What am I going to tell Papa? What if Mirai doesn't want the baby? What if he was just saying that but when he actually has the kid he'd freak out. What if she had to give up her career? Why oh why couldn't she wait a couple more days so they could get some birth control?
Shaking her head in an attempt to clear her thoughts, she got up shakily and reached for her phone, dialing Bulma's number. The blue haired genius picked up on the third ring. "Hey Lime," she greeted happily. "What's up?"
Lime forced a smile, trying to project it in her voice. "Hi Bulma!" she replied. She didn't know whether it was fortunate or not that Bulma instantly picked up that something was wrong.
"What happened, sweetie?" she asked gently, concern evident in her voice. "Was it that son of mine? If he treats you wrong he'll be wishing he was getting his ass kicked by androids…"
"No! Well not exactly," Lime interjected, cutting off Bulma's impending tirade. "Actually, c-can I come see you? Like in about an hour?"
"Of course! Come right over. I'll be in my lab. Just come right in," Bulma replied.
Lime put on a brave face before leaving her bedroom and entering the kitchen, making a beeline for the door. What she didn't expect was to see her parents sitting at the kitchen table, each sipping a cup of tea.
"M-mama! Papa!" the auburn haired girl exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
The older Mizuki woman looked up at her. "Last time I checked, we live here," she replied, merriment evident in her emerald eyes. Like Lime she was petite and slim. It was obvious who Lime had inherited her looks from. The older woman had the same wavy brown hair and bright green eyes as her daughter. The only exception was that Chiharu Suzuki's hair was a chocolate brown while Lime's amalgamated that of her mother as well as her father's ginger hair. Akira Mizuki was the complete opposite of her mother. He was a burly man with sky blue eyes and a height that could rival Goku's.
A sheepish smile came over Lime's face as she waved her hands defensively in front of her. "N-no! I didn't mean it like that It's just that you guys are usually gone by now," she apologized. With her father running his own large scale farm and her mother being the village doctor, they usually weren't at home when Lime woke up in the morning. It was her grandfather's duty to take care of her in the village shop as a child during holidays and after school and it was a job he continued until he died three years before.
"Were you hoping we were gone so you could call that Briefs boy?" her mother teased. "Darling you need to make your move before some other girl snags him. He's perfect for you!"
Did she mention her mother was about as crazed about her getting married as Chi Chi was about grandchildren? How do I say this? Well Mama, do you remember the trip we went on? Well Mirai and I kissed, proclaimed our love for each other, made love several times in a cave and now I'm going to see his mother to see if I'm pregnant with his baby. Oh yeah! Did I mention that I'm bonded to him for life? Yeah because that will go over so well. "Actually, he asked me out!" she said convincingly excited. It was the truth actually. Mirai had asked her on a date at seven.
Her mother bright her hand to her mouth in shick while her father beamed. "At long last! Please tell me you said yes!" her mother went on.
Lime smiled genuinely at her parent's enthusiasm. You would think she was a 30-something old maid with the way they were acting. Oh well, the less they knew at this point, the better. "Of course I did!" she replied.
"Oh my Kami! We have to go shopping to get you something to wear! I'm so excited! Where are you going? When?" Chiharu said, her voice reaching new octaves as her excitement builded.
"Tentatively tonight. It depends on when my photo shoot this afternoon ends. And he told me it was a surprise," she said. "But I have to get over to Bulma's right now. We have a pretty important meeting. I'll try to come back in time so you can help me pick out something Mama," Lime continued as she inched towards the door. If she didn't stop her now, her mother would continue gushing for hours.
"Alright sweetie, call me and let me know!" her mother called as Lime took to the air.
888
Thirty minutes later, Lime walked in through the door of Bulma's lab, to find the genius elbow deep in some sort of machine. "Hi Bulma," she said quietly, not wanting to startle the older woman.
She turned around revealing oil stained gloves. She took them off along with her jumpsuit and came over to give Lime a hug. "So sweetie, what was it you needed to talk to me about?" she asked, although she had an inkling.
"Well first of all, where's Mirai?" Lime asked. She couldn't sense him in the building and her ki senses weren't strong enough to detect him from a distance.
Bulma smiled. "Oh he, Vegeta and Trunks are off on a father-son training expedition or something. They said they'll be back later this afternoon. Are you all ready for your date?" she teased.
"Um yeah, but that's not what I needed to talk to you about," Lime replied, taking a seat. "Um, well. Mirai and I have been… how do you say… active?" Lime started, a burning blush already coating her face. "And…" she trailed off as tears started welling up in her eyes. "And I didn't get my period so…"
"You want to know if you're pregnant?" Bulma said, looking compassionately over at the teenager.
Lime nodded, wiping her eyes. "Can we find out now?" she asked, her voice cracking a bit.
"Sure sweetie, why don't you go on to the medical wing and put on a gown. I'll wash up and join you in a moment," Bulma said sympathetically.
Lime nodded before turning down the winding halls, eventually ending up at the door to the Briefs' private medical wing. Pulling the curtain around one of the hospital beds, she stripped to her underwear and put on one of the backless gowns, folding her clothes neatly on a chair. Her heart racing, she sat on the edge of the hospital bed waiting for what seemed like ages for Bulma to come through the door.
Soon enough, the blue haired woman came in donning a clean lab coat and some gloves. "Well can you tell me how long it has been since your missed period and when you first had intercourse? I'm guessing you were a virgin before you guys had sex?" Bulma asked profesionally.
Lime blushed again. "Um yes. It's been six days since my missed period and um, we slept together for the first time about two weeks ago," she replied, fiddling with the hem of her gown.
"Well, it's a bit early but we still should be able to see traces of hCG in your urine. We'll also do a blood test to be sure as well, ok?" Bulma said, handing her a small glass container. "Well, fill her up! The bathroom's on the right."
Lime took the container gratefully and returned a few minutes later with it full. She sat on the bed again as she watched Bulma prepare the apparatus for taking a blood sample. She tied a rubber band at her elbow and had her squeeze a stress ball as she wiped her inside of her elbow with an alcohol wipe. When she finally found a vein she poked the needle in and Lime watched as the blood left her vein and entered a small cylindrical tube. After a few minutes, the needle was removed and cotton swab and small bandage was placed over the wound.
"Alright, well I'll have this machine test the samples. Usually the blood sample takes a little while but my machine will have it done in ten minutes," Bulma said, gathering the samples. "You can get dressed and wait here."
Lime nodded again and complied but that ten minutes felt like hours.
Finally, the blue haired woman came up to her, her face a neutral mask which freaked the hell out of Lime. Oh my Kami I'm pregnant!
"You are not pregnant!" Bulma suddenly said breaking out a smile.
Lime sat there frozen for a second before a smile grew on her face as well as she breathed a sigh of relief. She flopped back on the bed, as tears of relief escaped her eyes. Getting up, she looked at Bulma, a bright smile on her face as she hugged the woman. "Oh my Kami. I'm so happy. I could not handle a baby right now!" she exclaimed.
"You and me both! Don't you see I'm too young to be a grandmother!" Bulma joked. "No offense but I don't want my baby and my grandbaby to be months apart!"
"Yeah I know. Could I get some birth control pills or something? Goku was mentioning something about super sperm so I don't know if conventional ones are going to work," Lime asked, too relieved to feel embarrassed now.
"Oh sure," Bulma said, handing her a couple boxes of pills and condoms. "These are reinforced so those darn swimmers don't make their way through. I gave some to Mirai as well. Kami knows they're the reason Chi Chi and I don't have 20 kids by now."
"Thanks Bulma," Lime said.
"Oh by the way, how was he?" Bulma asked with a wink causing Lime to go cherry red.
"Bulma!" the girl whined.
888
Well I hoped you liked it. If so, let me know. If not, still let me know. I'm always looking for ways to improve my story so constructive criticism is always welcome!
Review!
