It has been a year since I posted a chapter, I nearly forgot about it. But I recently saw that views have nearly reached 4,000 so I decided I must continue this saga. I appreciate everyone's patience and promise to make the wait worthwhile. Have fun reading and as always: R&R and I don't own DBZ, DBGT or any of the characters and you all should support the official release. XD
The next three days passed by like an unreal dream. Videl distracted herself from thinking about what had transpired by pouring over her work endlessly. Bulma didn't think much of Videl not training with Vegeta anymore, and piled more tasks onto Videl's workload. Each day Vegeta became more infused with his training, sparsely being seen throughout the house, much to Videl's relief. Much to her own horror, Videl found herself primping in the morning: carefully choosing her outfit, styling her long black hair out of the usual braid. The cuts and bruises on her thighs had begun to heal but the thoughts about what had happened flurried in and out of her mind throughout the day.
Videl walked through the big house after a uneventful day of work. Bulma, seeing her, popped out of her study and walked quickly to catch up with her.
"Guess what?" Bulma said with a giddy inflection. Videl shrugged, avoiding eye-contact. Being unable to even accept what she had done to her own marriage, she couldn't even began to think about the effect this would have on Bulma if she ever found out. She quickened her pace,as if she would outrun the feelings of accumulated guilt.
"Gohan is coming for dinner!" Bulma shrieked, oblivious of Videl's avoidance of her. Videl paused and quickly realized that she must have had a horrified look on her face due to Bulma's confusion.
"Well I thought you would be a little more enthusiastic than that! I set everything up, it took a lot of convincing but I knew he would cave eventually. I think he can spend one evening away from training to spend with you." Videl nodded slowly, subconsciously shielding herself with her crossed arms.
"Well, I'm going to go get ready then",Videl said carefully. Bulma smiled and squeezed her arm.
"This is going to be a great evening, I'm sending the kids to the movies. We can have a couples night!"
Bulma scampered off to the kitchen and the sound of pots rattling ensued. Videl continued slowly down the hallway and out of the corner of her eye saw Vegeta standing in a dark doorway. She hurried off and shut her bedroom door behind her.
This is going to be a horrible evening. Videl thought to herself as she pulled on her little black dress. She sighed and placed her hand over her reflection in the mirror, only a glimpse of her sapphire eyes shining through. I need to tell Gohan. She snapped her eyes shut at the terrifying conversation that was to come.
The next hour dragged on as Videl sat in Kitchen watching the clock like a hawk. Bulma scurried to and fro preparing elaborate dishes with even more elaborate machines.
"I bet your excited!" Bulma said watching Videl's eyes draw toward the clock again. "When was the last time you and Gohan had a night alone?"
"Oh god, I don't even remember" she replied, momentarily distracted from the upcoming doom-filled evening.
"Probably before Pan to be honest" she continued with a smile, fondly remembering her uncomplicated past. Bulma nodded, half-listening, as she tried to balance a three hot pans in her hands. The doorbell rang and an automated-servant went to answer it. Soon enough, the dread crept over her again.
Gohan walked in with an air of confidence about him. He strolled past Videl to Bulma who had not seen him come in.
"Geez you scared me!" Bulma said with a laugh.
"Are you happy? Here I am" he said slightly annoyed, Bulma rolled her eyes at him. He walked quickly over to Videl and kissed her softly on the forehead.
"How is your training going?" Videl asked quietly, gazing at her husband. It had obviously been going well, Gohan looked like he did in his prime and was brimming with youth.
"It took me a while to get back to where I was, but I still have a lot of training to do." He mentioned the last part systematically, careful to make sure she knew it.
"Well you look great. I am really happy you are here." Videl held onto his arm and smiled up at him. I need you so much more than you realize right now. Gohan pulled his hands through her hair.
"You look...interesting. Why did you change your hair?" He pulled a long curl that bounced up into her face.
"I don't know, change of pace? You don't like it?" she asked pensively.
"No it's nice." He said and tousled her hair. Really, a tousle? Videl thought and pulled her hair back self-consciously.Gohan wrapped his arm around her and turned towards Bulma, who had begun to bring plates to the dining room.
"Where is Vegeta? I could go for a sparring match before dinner." He asked releasing his grip on Videl. That didn't take long before he wanted to run off again. Videl began to feel irritated, partially because she felt she had no right, after what happened, to judge his actions and partially because she began to remember how this whole situation had started in the first place.
"No Gohan, I don't want any mud in my house, thank you." Bulma said with a nod towards Videl.
"Mud?" he asked casually and turned towards Videl. As she started to answer, Vegeta walked into the kitchen, looking surprisingly clean and put together. She ignored his presence, though he was staring at her intently.
"Vegeta and I were sparring earlier this week." She said, quick to gulp down the fresh wine placed before her. Gohan smiled with surprise and laughed boisterously.
"I'm surprised he didn't destroy you!" He said still laughing though his words. "Why would you agree to such a thing?"
"I used to enjoy fighting quite a bit, I thought it would be fun." She responded sheepishly and started to feel as old as ever.
"Well that was a long time ago." He said chuckling softly still. "I surprised you lowered yourself to these standards Vegeta." He said, intending to poke fun at Vegeta.
"Actually she's very strong." Vegeta said forcefully, refusing to take his eyes off of Videl. "She should keep training." Gohan preceded to roll his eyes at this claim.
"Well...I know...I was just playing around." Gohan said, befuddled with Vegeta's volatile demeanor. Bulma walked in, interrupted the unusual feeling in the air.
"Dinner's ready!" she exclaimed.
Dinner passed by quickly with stories of intensity training and new technologies going back and forth across the table between Bulma and Gohan. Vegeta glanced often toward Videl, perhaps sensing what her plan was for the rest of the evening. Videl couldn't help thinking about the brief exchange of words between her Gohan and Vegeta. I wonder if he really thinks I should keep training?
After dinner Gohan walked with Videl up to the roof terrace. This is it. When they got to the terrace Gohan turned towards and spoke before she had a chance to.
"I know this is hard on you, me being gone and all. But I hope you're not getting carried away with this 'training'." he said in a serious tone.
"We just sparred once Gohan. Listen, I need to tell you something..."
"I'm serious Videl. I thought you were done with this nonsense." Videl was caught off guard by the demand in his voice.
"What? You are training right now. So why shouldn't I? Pan is older now, I don't think there is anything wrong with it." She began to forget the whole purpose of them stealing a private moment together.
"I am training so I can complete an important mission with my father not dillydallying around trying to be something I'm not." he said becoming more annoyed with every moment.
"This is who I was at one point Gohan, though you don't seem to remember that."
"I remember. And I remember when you decided to knock off the 'crime fighting' too."
"I didn't decide." Videl said sharply.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that I wasn't done dillydallying, as you so nicely put it. If you bothered to take into account my goals in your life plan you would have known that." Videl felt tears begin to well up in her eyes.
"Well excuse me for not wanted you to delude yourself your whole life like your father!" he spat furiously. Videl shook, with anger and sadness at his cruel words, unable to speak.
"I can't believe that's what you think." she managed to say, choking on the words. Gohan turned away from her and walked toward the terrace-railing.
"I need to get back. Maybe if you calm down we can talk about this as adults when I get back in a few weeks." Without even turning around he flew off quickly into the distance, leaving Videl on the pitch-black terrace. She gripped her hands onto the cool steel railing and stared off into the distance. Salty tears began to dry on her face as the wind blew against her. Suddenly she felt very cold, and more alone than ever. He thinks I'm an idiot, disregarding what I feel as nothing. He doesn't even recognize who I am, or who I was. Videl sat her head down against her arms contemplating the future.
"How was your evening?" Videl spun around to see Vegeta leaning against the wall in the shadows.
"How long have you been there?" She demanded.
"Not long. You didn't tell him did you?" he asked, knowingly.
"No...but...I am going to." she said, only half-believing it herself. Vegeta began to move toward her. The moonlight shone across the top of his face so she could only see his eyes, they scanned her intermittently.
"You look beautiful tonight" he said softly, much softer than she had ever heard his voice before. The tenderness scared her.
"We can never speak about what happened. It would destroy Gohan...and Bulma" she spoke frantically, becoming more nervous as the conversation progressed. "It was wrong, we were wrong. We destroyed our marriages...our lives."
Then he moved forward much more aggressively.
"From what I can tell your marriage hasn't been much to brag about for a long time...and you know my current...situation." His face was now fuller viewable in the blue light. She had forgotten how much light could be reflected in his dark obscure eyes. She suddenly felt compelled to kiss him, however wrong it may be. She couldn't help feeling a sense of empathy radiating from him, something that she didn't know he was capable of. He understood the emptiness she felt, and he sympathized with her. He looked at her, waiting for a response. She collapsed into his arms. He held her: silently, strongly, and nothing needed to be said anymore. She buried her face against him, and didn't feel alone anymore.
More to come...I promise ;)