Hey, guys!

I wanted to start off by making a quick address regarding A-man's first review (thanks, btw :D) in order to make something clear: Vegeta died, yes; he chose not to be wished back, yes; but he did NOT know about Trunks. Trunks wasn't born yet, and that's why I specified in the author's notes at the beginning of the first chapter that he was 5 months instead of a year older than Goten. Bulma was about 5 months pregnant at the time of the Cell Games; Vegeta never knew just as Goku never knew of Goten.

Also, in case it went by unnoticed, Vegeta is with Goku at King Kai's. ('At least, they're keeping each other company up there... Poor King Kai.' - Chapter 5 - The meaning of life). I have plans to address this in the future, so you just have to be patient. ;D

l feel like I should respond to A-man's other reviews, so for all of you interested please check out the A/Ns at the bottom.

As I've mentioned in the previous chapter, this one is supposed to be a direct continuation of that last one, hence it begins accordingly.

So close to 100 reviews! Thank you, guys! Keep'em coming! xD

Enjoy!

Bulma gasped instinctively at the sight, bringing her hand up to cover the exhale as it left her lips. Her eyes began to fog with shiny new tears, blurring her vision into indistinct smudges of color but she did nothing to contain them this time. They toppled from her eyes in rivers, hot and fresh as molten lava from her core, and it made the rest of the world disappear around her, rematerializing into that day, that sight, that fate.

The day the world was saved. The same in which her world collapsed.

There could never have been any other subtle yet meaningful gesture; none that could speak for Gohan's heart and its reverence, and no other that could pack this much weight. The last image he had of his father, carved by force into his soul for all eternity, was now out in the open for anyone to see. They would never truly understand it, though. The power those two fingers held...

The pride and love she was feeling overpowered the adrenaline that rushed through her veins and she stood still; looking at him, smiling like he'd just been reborn in front of her very eyes. She only snapped out of it with a cackle when she saw Gohan be violently tackled to the ground by eight different guys from his own team, piling themselves on top of each other like rowdy little kids. Who could blame them?! Not her, that's for sure.

Bulma cupped her own cheeks and rubbed her eyes dry, not really caring that her hands - and probably her face - were now completely smudged with a light shade of mascara gray. How could she care about irrelevant things such as 'beauty' after what had just happened? 'Tomorrow Bulma' could care about the paparazzi. She slowly looked around, purposefully taking a moment to make sure that the sight and the feeling would be forever imprinted on her memory. The night was breezy but warm and she could smell the dirt and grass from the field and its surroundings. The kids were hysterical, screaming and jumping in place with huge grins, taking turns at blowing on one of those annoying plastic horns she didn't really care how they got. Some people were hugging each other, Gohan's two blonde friends were happily kissing... and then there was Videl.

She was sitting back down, completely calm, with a seemingly absent look on her face. It was clear that she was there only physically because the twinkle in her eyes and that delicate smile engraved into her expression told the older woman that she was really elsewhere. Probably back on that field and definitely with someone else. Videl let out a single tear when she blinked and her chin trembled just the slightest, even if she was fast to interrupt it by pressing her lips together. Those emotions were too raw to be concealed and Bulma knew exactly what they were. The ones she herself was feeling in her heart right now: pride and love. Her face etched a soft smile at the realization.

The crowd began to dissipate just as the one-point conversion was obtained but the vibe and the cheers were far from over, Bulma could tell. This was one of those nights for the history books; one that these people would be telling their friends and family for years to come, witnesses to nothing less than magic. Oh, no... this would be a long and deserved celebration. She wished she had insisted for Chi-Chi to come as well, even if it was Gohan himself who dismissed this match as somewhat unimportant. If only they'd known...

"Mom, I wanna go see Gohan!" Trunks whined, tugging at her pants.

"Yeah! Me too, auntie Bulma!" Goten insisted, joining in his best friend's eager puppy-dog eyes; those that she was mostly sure they did on purpose just to melt her insides to mush.

Fortunately, Mia stepped up as the voice of reason and reminded her not to give in this time around. "Gohan's with his team, celebrating. We just have to wait a bit, right?" the little girl argued calmly and maturely, looking up to the adult for confirmation. This wasn't the first time Bulma had seen this side of her show through, but now more than ever she saw just how much Mia took after Gohan and not their father. Bulma smiled and nodded in response to Mia's inflection, trying not to laugh when she thought of how Goku would have already transmitted himself onto that field, crashing the Tiger's party loudly and cheerfully like there was nothing to it. Gohan would've loved it...

"Mia's right. We can be with him later," Bulma finally agreed while studying the surroundings once more. "Maybe we should get going. We'll wait for him outside where it's less crowded." She looked over to the three older kids. "You guys are coming too! You're with auntie Bulma, tonight!" she beamed and chuckled back when they did.

Man, this was going to be one of those nights, she thought, carefully stepping down the metal bleachers and over to the ground. It had been so long since she'd had the opportunity - let alone the company - to go out and paint the town red... did she even know how anymore? Booze: check. Music: check. She ran over the mental checklist for the awesome celebratory party she had planned in advance - and guarded up her sleeve, lest the outcome be different - as the group left the crowded venue. Oh, some pizzas! That'd be awesome! She looked around again, pointing while counting all the members in their little group to add to the Tigers players and coaches, and totalizing the respective number of pies to accommodate for the saiyan-appetite multiplier. Bulma was on the verge of deciding between pepperoni or cheese - or both - when she realized something.

"Hey, guys?" She asked. "Where's Videl?"

She felt tiny, looking around.

Everyone was euphoric, singing songs of victory at the top of their lungs as if the whole world needed to hear of this triumph. Videl was mesmerized by the sight like it was weighing her body into not moving an inch; like she didn't belong in this place, in this planet, with these people that spoke in alien words she didn't understand. She didn't feel like herself but at the same time it all felt perfectly normal. It was all happening as it should, this time around. Were it any other event, any other of her favorite sports' teams and she'd be right there on the same boat as all these elated fans, hugging random people or jumping up and down with complete strangers; but not this time.

This time she felt misplaced, holding herself tighter still and pressing her leaning body against the metal base of the raised bleachers as if trying to disappear into them. This should be her party also - this was her team, after all - but even if her insides were bubbling up with joy there was no way she could be a part of this. The Tigers' astounding performance, a miracle victory, the free-pass to the Capsule Cup... this moment was nothing of that.

This was his moment. How could she celebrate it without him?

Videl knew there was no place for her on that field with them, even if she knew most of the players and even if the shot of adrenaline was almost too much to forbid a sprint over to that group and those cheers. She had to respect their celebration because it was their achievement. She did nothing but watch from the sidelines, praying for the best, anything else would feel like taking credit for the greatness that'd just took place. That was what she told herself and it all made sense in her head, but it was a strange thing coming from her - the happy-go-lucky girl, the party starter. There was no way she'd react this way before - she never did - but now... now it felt different.

The Tigers were no longer her team. They were her team through him.

Videl Satan had never been afraid to let her tears speak for her emotions and life had taught her that times like these were as precious as they were scarce, so she let it all overwhelm her at will; mind, body and soul. Feelings were meant to be felt and one could only thank all the lucky stars above for the ability to have them, to live them like she was living them right now. What a blessing...

Videl watched him in the distance, following his movements through her watery eyes and relishing in his boyish blissfulness. He was so happy... If only she could save this moment. A photo or a recording, they would never be enough and neither would a simple memory. This feeling was something she'd felt so many times before but only now was she realizing how those other occasions would pale when in comparison to their true potential. Like appetizers in a banquet, they'd never make this any justice.

Gohan and his teammates were walking closer to the sideline and she could see it in his face how this win was feeling particularly sweet, transforming his entire aura into a rainbow of light that charged his every move and expression. He looked so incredibly beautiful, right now. Not just handsome - and God knew how handsome he was - but so damn stunning like a country scenery in early Spring or a warm sunset on a secluded beach. Videl was drinking from his energy like they were connected, like she had been the one to catch that ball and score that touchdown. She'd had nothing to do with it and she honestly didn't want to because watching him right now, watching this kind of happiness she was mostly sure he had never experienced before... it was enough. And it was amazing.

The running back, Luke, grabbed him in a bear hug and patted his back violently. They laughed and she smiled, but then they pulled back from each other and she noticed how Gohan's eyes were focusing elsewhere now, looking up and aimlessly onto the nearly empty bleachers. Was he looking for them? For her?

Yes, he was, and he found her the very next second. Their eyes met and his grin toned down into a smile, peaceful, complete. Perfect. She couldn't stand the sight and her hands shot up to cover the erratic exhale that left her lips, bringing yet another batch of tears right along with it.

He walked over, slowly, like he was taunting her with the distance even if she knew he wasn't the type to do so on purpose. Videl couldn't move a muscle, subconsciously sure that she'd stumble and fall at the very first step she'd attempt. He didn't speak but his body and his spread hands told her what he was asking, and no, she couldn't believe it either.

Gohan let out an uneven chuckle and rushed the last couple of steps, making her shriek in surprise when he grabbed her by the waist and twirled her around himself. She felt so childish and elated, his laughter sounding like a melody to the beats of her heart. Videl held onto his neck, arms snaked tightly around it just for the contact because there was not a trace of fear that he would let her fall away from his grip. When he stopped, she brought her hands over to cup both his cheeks and looked down into his dark wishful eyes, shining brightly not only because of the small little tears that dampened its corners. She would never know what she did to deserve this moment but thanked whoever dealt the cards for the gift of being in the receiving end of that gaze.

To think she'd actually assumed she knew what love was... how naive. All of those butterflies that tickled her stomach and all those girly wishes she made for the future; how could she ever had thought that that was it? She had no clue because whatever she felt before, whenever and towards whoever... it was nothing. Not like this. Nothing like this.

Videl let her forehead rest against his and both closed their eyes. He was still holding her up from the ground and she was still cupping his cheeks and maybe for some, the position would look awkward and uncomfortable, but not to her. His body had always fitted like a glove around hers and more than that, it always felt just the right size, just... right.

They spoke without uttering a word and she could swear he was actually inside her head, hearing her thoughts as they popped into awareness, because he chuckled when she mused about what a great job he'd done on kicking Rick's ass like she'd demanded. It may have been true, but even so she wanted him to hear the actual words coming from her mouth and so she whispered. "I'm so proud of you."

He grinned. "It wasn't just me."

"Shut up and take the compliment," Videl half-joked and joined in his laughter for a moment, but it was suddenly too much to bear. She couldn't delay this anymore. Those sweet lips were calling for her for what seemed to be an eternity now and she took that inch that stood between them. It felt so amazing and pure that when he pursed them a touch to kiss her back, she knew that this was how they belonged. Together, connected. She'd do anything to have this feeling in her life and not only in her memories. This was worth any and everything, and it filled her with warmth from head to toe.

Until it vanished, like a dream when waking up, leaving an after image of something you thought - you wished - to be real but it turned out that it wasn't.

He tensed.

His lips pressed together and away from hers; he released his grip around her waist and she touched the ground while his hands and his arms avoided any further contact with her body. She eyed him as he stepped back, furrowing her eyebrows with a concern he couldn't see given that he'd made an extra effort to look anywhere but back at her. Like she had just clipped his wings and brought him crashing down from cloud nine.

It wasn't new, but this time... this time it hurt.

Ever since that night on Valentine's day she would notice this happening. She'd kiss him, he'd like it for a moment - or at least he'd reciprocate - and then he'd do this: tense, look away, try to seem like he hadn't done it on purpose with some obvious lie or excuse.

"We should get going," he said. "I heard Bulma booked some place for us to celebrate."

And there it was, Videl thought as she watched him turn away and take off towards the exit. Celebrate what? The fact that she just wanted to cry?! That her throat just knotted and that she could barely contain her sobs? Her heart was beating so furiously inside her chest that it was making it hard to breathe. She tilted her head down in concealment, stupidly ashamed for this reaction she could explain better than what made it come to be. Why did he behave like this? What happened?!

"Videl?" She heard Gohan call and looked up instinctively. He was smiling. "Come on," he invited softly as his right hand reached out, wanting and waiting for her to take it and so she did. How could she ever say 'no' to that damn smile of his? Even if it was just adding fuel to the heartbreak. Beauty is pain, she gloomed, even though she knew it wasn't the true meaning of the idiom.

"I hope there'll be something to eat. I'm starving," Gohan confessed and the emotions she was trying so hard to keep bottled up made her blurt out a chuckle at the thought. There she was, confused out of her mind by his accord and of course he was thinking about food. What else?

"You're always starving," Videl coerced herself to say, her voice low and raspy.

"Yeah, but I kicked some major ass today! I think I deserve it," Gohan defended, beaming, and he was kind of right. He did deserve it.

Videl forced a giggle so as to keep him oblivious of her struggle as they walked, and eventually peeked up at his face. His eyes were red and tense - naturally, he must be really tired - and he was nibbling at the inside of his lower lip in that adorable way she loved. She sighed, defeated.

What was she going to do with this guy? Or better yet... what was he going to do to her?

The warm breeze blew at her hair as she leaned over the cool metal railings, eyes glazed aimlessly at the view that filled the horizon.

The Platinum Lounge took up the entire penthouse floor of the Millenium Tower building downtown, a place she'd been more times than she cared to count given her father's status and fame. The building had a privileged location, sitting right next to one of the city's busiest nightlife districts but that wasn't its top attribute as far as she was concerned. It was its sheer height of over a thousand feet tall that allowed for the beautiful shimmering lights down below to spread to what seemed like infinity and up to a point where she wasn't entirely sure on where exactly they transformed into stars.

There was nothing in her mind right now and a hot sensation was all that overcame her. It wasn't the good kind of hot, though, but that feverish feeling that came with anxiety and uneasiness; the one she normally felt just before an important test or when she had to defend a case in a mock trial. Total and complete discomfort, and this time around, a whole lot of doubts, too. She sighed.

Was she seeing things? No, it couldn't be. That night... back on Valentine's day... the way they kissed... she didn't dream it. Given that she started it, as she did every single time their lips touched, but he was into it, too. He definitely kissed her back and his whole body was enjoying the contact. He even came after her lips when she managed to peel herself away from him, she remembered.

But then... what happened?! It was like he was himself around her only until he was reminded of something that immediately sent him miles away. His body language would change, his expression would sink and it would all happen in the fraction of a second, normally when things got a little more intimate or when he was happier. It was so incredibly confusing...

She saw it happening every single time but she'd shrug it off as his inexperience, but today... today she felt it in her heart. She retraced their steps for the umpteenth time that night, trying to pinpoint what exactly could she have done to provoke it this time around. Because there had to be something, anything; she had to have done something wrong. In the happiest, most incredible moment of Gohan's life since she knew him, after he'd sought her through the crowd, after he'd run to her and held her tight against him... why else would he hold back like that when she tried to top things off with a kiss? Why did it feel like she was bringing down the party?

She really thought he liked her kisses - she sure liked his! For a moment she even considered how terrible her kisses must be for him to wince every time she attempted one, but then her memories would remind her of that night, the feeling of his strong arms around her, pressing her firmly against his chest... and her mind would knot yet again. 'Damn it... and they say girls are complicated...' Another sigh.

"Are you ok, there?" a voice from behind startled her and she turned around.

"Oh, hi, Ms. Briefs. Didn't hear you come over," Videl explained with a shy smile.

"Please. Bulma. I insist," the older woman requested for the second time that night and Videl punched herself internally to have let it slip once again, since it was starting to feel kinda rude of her. She watched from the corner of her eye as the blue-haired pulled out a cigarette from her engraved metal case. "Are you? Ok?"

The young brunette averted her gaze from the question and back to the horizon. "Sure. Just... admiring the view."

There was silence for a moment but as little as she truly knew Bulma Briefs, Videl was certain that it wouldn't last. "I may not know many things about you Videl, but you don't seem like the kind of person to pass on the celebration of one of your best friend's achievement to come out and look around to nowhere."

"It was really crowded inside. Noisy," she lied.

She kind of knew that the attempt at avoidance came out flat out obvious, but even if Bulma didn't add to it with further words, that intense stare spoke on her behalf. Videl felt it piercing right through her shell and took a deep, calming breath, deciding to open up just a tad. "I don't know what to do."

"Regarding...?"

She didn't respond, looking down to her hands as they dangled from the edge. Bulma knew exactly how to answer her own question, of course, and her gaze followed Videl's, aiming for the far away. "He's... a special kind of man."

"That he is," Videl whispered, allowing for a microscopic little smile to adorn her lips. Special, sweet, loving, handsome, perfect... all of the above and dozens more. "I know he's not used to these kind of things but... it's like he's holding back on me, or something," she tried to rationalize out loud as if it would suddenly make sense if she did. "Maybe he doesn't like me like I thought he did."

"You can't honestly think that, can you?"

"I don't know what to think anymore. He's sending me all these mixed signals and I..." She paused, overwhelmed, trying to shake away that feeling in her heart that doubted the nature of Gohan's affection towards her. "I don't know, maybe I'm the one who's all mixed up."

"Look," Bulma started. "He had a different upbringing than you and me. He's... different. I know that you like him and I know that he likes you too."

"Did he say anything to you?" The young woman was quick to ask with a matching inquisitive look, hopeful to an extent that made her feel that much more distressed but brushing it aside. Any clue, any suggestion or hint... anything. She needed it like she needed the air in her lungs, right now.

"He didn't have to. I can see it as clearly as I see you right here in front of me," the older woman answered and Videl couldn't help but feel disappointed. A confirmation would've been greatly appreciated and that glint of energy that she was showing vanished as quickly as it came to be. Bulma noticed this and slowly, she continued. "I know that it's hard. The waiting, the patience. I know, but Videl... I couldn't say this about any other man alive." She paused. "He's worth it. All of it."

"I know that."

"We're people of action, you and I," Bulma continued. "It's hard for us to stay idle while others do their best to analyze their feelings and make sense of them. It can become... frustrating."

"Don't get me wrong, Bulma, I don't have any problem with waiting, but I'm not even sure if I'm waiting or just... hovering around him or something. I truly thought that he liked me but now...? It's like I hurt him when I try anything... more," Videl said, truthfully, ignoring the embarrassment that flushed her cheeks when she remembered who she was actually confessing her feelings to. Not Bulma Briefs per se - although that in itself was enough - but Gohan's aunt/mother-figure.

It would be one of the hardest things in her life - at least right now, still fresh in her heart - but she could live without any kind of romantic relationship with Gohan. She could read the hurt in his face during those more intimate moments and just the thought of being the cause of it... ultimately she kept hurting herself. "I've never been so confused in my life..." Videl concluded.

Bulma didn't respond to that and took a thoughtful puff on her cigarette, leaning over the railing as well, next to the younger woman. After a while she spoke again, almost in a whisper. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

Videl's eyes widened as they shot back to hers, horrified. "Oh, God no! Please, don't say anything!"

"Sure. Don't worry," the blue-haired chuckled and resumed their silence, taking a deep, slow breath. Videl looked up at the stars, something that she came to understand gave her a comfort they never did before. Not before she was told of Polaris. A small sigh escaped her as her eyes were warming up. She closed them.

A long time passed in this manner while Bulma slowly took care of her cigarette. When she finished she carefully tapped it against the outside of the railing to put it out and tossed it in the nearby trash can, resuming the previous position before setting free the last cloud of smoke she held in her lungs.

"Have I ever told you about Trunks' father?" she asked, catching Videl off guard with the sudden break in the silence.

"Hum... no," the younger woman responded, eying the other one as she waited for her to continue. Bulma was silent and seemingly peaceful but Videl saw that glossy shine in her eyes; the one she herself must have been displaying at that point in time. Patiently, she waited for her words.

"He was... he is the most stubborn man I ever knew in my life," Bulma finally said with a small, wishful smile, eyes anchored on the night's sky. "I never told him this... and it haunts me to this day that I never did, but... I truly admired him. His mind was set and he knew exactly what he wanted out of life and, even though I may appear to have all my life straightened out... I kind of envied him in that way." She paused, like she was only now admitting her own feelings to herself. "He was doubt-free. He had an objective in life and he would see to it that he made it happen, to his last breath. ... Literally." At that last word, Videl couldn't help but wonder what had happened to this man as she saw Bulma re-live him through her memories. 'He died doing what he loved,' were her thoughts.

Bulma's next words came pitchy and in whispers. "I love him so damn much." A tear rolled down her cheek. "I don't really know if he loves me back but..." she looked over to Videl, "I'll wait for him. To my last breath."

The older woman's hand moved to rest on top of Videl's and they looked right into each other. Blue on blue. She could feel Bulma's words shinning through her eyes and trickling down through her tears. It was like looking in a mirror. A few seconds passed and Bulma got up and left, skilfully blotting out any wet patches with a used tissue so as not to ruin her makeup. Videl watched her as she took her leave and closed the door behind her before returning her gaze to the view ahead, not bothering to clean out her own tearful cheeks.

The whole concept of this kind of love... one that crosses the boundaries of death... Videl brushed aside those nagging voices that told her how utterly impossible that was and bathed in the idea of it being true. Someone, somewhere in time said that love breaks all barriers, she recalled. Life would sure be wonderful if that were to be real.

Bulma would wait for a dead man. How disrespectful would it be for her if she couldn't even wait for a living one...

A hand startled her as it touched her back, making her abruptly stand up straight and around to check who it belonged to. "Hey," she heard him say. "Are you ok?"

Gohan's expression turned concerned in a heartbeat, as she knew it would; her face must've been all puffy and gross, right now. "You're crying," he stated, a tiny bit alarmed, cupping her cheeks and thumbing them clean. "What happened?"

His touch was everything she wanted and the last thing she needed right now, only adding to the lingering uncertainty that took over her entire conscience. Videl looked into his eyes, hoping for something she knew they couldn't tell her. Or if they did, she didn't know how to believe them. Valiantly, she looked away, back into the night. "I miss my mom," she spoke after a sniff, justifying to herself how it wasn't exactly a lie.

Her mother had died when Videl was still very young so it wasn't like she missed the actual person, given that she didn't even remembered her. But the concept of a mother was something she never had before. She had female friends like Erasa, and female role-models like some of her teachers, but a mother... This night, a few minutes ago, was the first time she ever felt like she had one - or something close to it. Hearing Bulma, feeling her presence right next to her, she saw herself in the older woman and in her life that everybody else thought to be perfect. There were more tears ready to burst out of her but she managed to push them back.

Until he hugged her from behind...

Once again his touch was as wonderful as it was fuel for all of her doubts and insecurities, and the hot rush that took over her eyes was too much for her to contain. In a second she let them all out again, sobbing to her heart's content, trying to keep him oblivious to the fact that he was the main reason she was even doing it in the first place. Gohan was patient and caring, as he was every previous time they'd shared this type of moment, rubbing her arm and kissing her hair. Videl gave in and turned around to his hard chest, nestling against it like it was where she belonged.

After a while, she managed to calm down and remember why they were all here in the first place: to commemorate the Tigers' awesome victory and their place in the upcoming Capsule Cup. She was ruining his moment with all of her girly nonsense and enough was enough. Her pillow would take care of the rest of her tears later that night, so she pulled herself together and swallowed dry, wiping her face clean with her palms.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gohan asked softly and she could clearly see the fondness in his eyes. It made her smile. She was so lucky to have him in her life altogether, that it would just be too selfish of her to try and define what they had, to want more. She cupped his jaw for a second, shaking her head negatively in response. "Let's just go back inside, ok?" she suggested, starting to pace away and towards the glass door.

He held her hand tightly, making her look back at him. "Thank you," he said.

"For what?" she asked, truly curious.

"For being here with me," Gohan responded, hinting with a tilt of his chin that he was referring to the party inside. "This wouldn't feel right without you here."

Videl kicked herself for being so damn defenseless against him and his smile, and tried not to read anything into his words other than exactly what they said, because no will-power would grab hold of her tears if she did. "I wouldn't be anywhere else." It was the truth, as much as it'd hurt her. Her arm moved on its own to circle his as they opened the door and walked inside. It would hurt her, yes, but her mind was made up.

She'd wait for him. To her last breath. But... she had to know...

She just had to... o.O

Thoughts? Opinions? Let me know. :D Thank you gue22 for editing the chapter. (XOXO)

A-man:

First of all, thank you for taking the time to review. I really love to know my readers' opinions. :D I've responded to Review #1 at the beginning.

Review #2:

I don't really get it how I'm 'double speaking' when it comes to the ki suppressor and its explanation, but I respect your opinion if that's how you see it.

That being said, why wouldn't the ki suppressor bring their power down to a fixed number/level? It actually makes perfect sense to me. Bulma never stated that the ki cuff was made with the purpose of decreasing one's power level to 1%, that number came from the tests alone and, as the tests were only done on Gohan, then that 1% corresponds to Gohan's 1% and not any other's.

And in case you're wondering "what if someone else puts on the cuff, what would it do then?" Well, it would probably depend on how high their actual power level was initially. If it was Rick or Sharpner, for example, it would probably do nothing, considering that Gohan's 1% is still higher than theirs. If it was Krillin, on the other hand, then it'd probably reduce his strength to Gohan's 1% too. Don't forget that Bulma made the cuff to use on Vegeta. She wanted to be able to reduce a saiyan's power and not a 'normal' human's.

I can just imagine if the cuff's actual ability was to reduce someone's ki to 1% of their overall level... if someone like that farmer from the beginning of DBZ was to put it on, (1% of 5 being 0,05...) it would probably kill him, don't you think? No, Bulma didn't create a 'weapon' of some sorts, she created something that would bring Vegeta down closer to her level (he'd still be a lot stronger, but still :D).

Note that I do use the expression 'power levels' but it's only as a referral to someone's power/strength and not exactly a level,per se. A Birdy told me (;D) that the only reason they introduced power levels to the story was to demonstrate the unreliability of them in terms of assessing a warrior. I agree with this.

I don't hang on to power levels. They are not a true measure of a warrior. I understand if you feel differently.

In conclusion, you are overthinking this whole thing. I gave it my explanation, what I really think would be the cuff's abilities and I only shared my thought process for the cuff because it came up in one of the reviews. I didn't need to explain it and I won't redefine/rename it because it's not an important aspect for someone to understand the story. It limits Gohan's resistance, endurance, etc; he can turn it off; there are some things he can't do (that he normally could) when it's turned on. This is what you need to know.

Finally, thank you for your compliment. I really do try to make it refreshing and new.

Review #3:

It's your own prerogative if you skim through some of the fluff to more action packed scenes but this is a Gohan/Videl romance fic. I don't think one could write one of those without fluff. :D

As I state in one of the more recent chapter's author's notes, I still have a lot up my sleeve. If I do get to include a crisis-type scenario (someone asked me if Buu would be making an appearance, for example) it will have to be told as it revolves around Gh/Vi's relationship because that's what I promise my readers when they start this story: Gohan/Videl; Angst/Romance genres (not Action).

I can't say if you will or will not be disappointed (your words) but I also don't think that you should be expecting an actual enemy to automatically be a part of a romance genre Gh/Vi, just because this is DBZ fanfiction - emphasis on the 'fan' and the 'fiction'. "The root of DBZ" is not a concept that is (or should be) the same for everybody and the only thing that a DBZ fanfic should actually abide by is that the author was inspired by DBZ when he/she wrote the fic. As a reader, I do look for many things more than just that (non-OOC characters, and so on) but those are my expectations and mine alone.

The 'Mr. Satan' thing and 'Gohan's power being revealed' thing are to be expected but in this particular story Gohan is more of his own enemy than anything else (so far), hence the Angst genre. This does not mean that there won't be an actual crisis but it also doesn't mean that it will. You just have to wait and see. :D

Also, I don't really know what discerns a college genre from a HS genre but when I went to college, it was pretty much like this... I don't think that a HS Gohan would live on campus, hang out with his friends like this (in a more 'adult' manner), go to parties... - I know I've only described one party in their building, but I've mentioned that there is one every week on each floor... I won't/can't describe them all. If there's anything you can suggest that would make it more of a college genre other than an HS one, let me know and I'll take it into consideration.

I'm glad you're liking the story so far. I'll update ASAP.

P.S.: Gohan is a prince... I forgot about that. :D Thanks!

If you (or any other reader, of course) want to discuss this or any other topic further I'd be happy to. Just PM me.