Hey, guys!
So I just want to point out a slight correction I made on the previous chapter. Hercule never went to talk to people in person, but he told his investigators to throw his name around if needed. It won't change the story itself, but as I went over things in my head, I don't think Hercule would be getting his own hands dirty, so to speak. So instead of him saying "even when I went over to speak in person", he now says "even when I ordered my guys to throw my name around", okay? Minor change. No worries. :D
Can we make it to 200 reviews? :O You can do it! xD
Happy belated b-day, Huggy-bear! :D It was slow coming but here's your present. ;)
Enjoy!
"Wait!"
The scream was desperate, filled which such intensity that actually scared the shit out of him. Sharpner pushed the door fully open again and walked back into the room a couple of steps, a frown of anticipation staring back at one of panic from his roommate.
Gohan was breathing loudly, his chest heaving with the same weight that was contracting all of his muscles. His face was tortured and tense, and somewhat pleading for something that the blond couldn't comprehend but that he could somewhat imagine. All this time he had wondered if Gohan simply hadn't cared if he'd been watching or not, as he took off into the sky that night. It was now clear that he simply didn't consider it at the time.
When they'd found all that blood, entering the girls' home, the guy had ran off in such a rush that he'd simply forgotten to conceal himself, apparently. He didn't even realize that Sharpener had come after him to make sure he was okay, and that he wasn't going to get himself hit by a car or something. Never would the blond have guessed "shooting off flying onto the stars" instead, but in some odd way, it didn't surprise him as much as he thought it would. Or maybe as it would if it had been someone else producing the same feat.
From the moment they'd met, there was something about Gohan that branded him "special" in some sort of way. The blond had always attributed it to his kind personality, or whichever past events had wounded him deeply before ever coming to college - because no doubt something had - but it was now clear that there was so much more behind that word. Gohan was indeed "special". Probably in many, many ways.
"What is it, G?"
"Wh-Wha... What..." he stuttered. "What do you mean?"
Concealment again, playing dumb. Whatever allowed him to fly without some sort of jetpack was clearly meant to be hidden. It made sense, since he and Gohan had seen each other almost everyday in the course of the past school year, and that had been the first time the blond had witnessed it. Surely he'd made use of that ability on other occasions, so the only possible explanation was that no one was meant to know about it. Understandably so; God only knew the media rampage that would come from this "outlandish phenomenon" or some other headline bait. Forget the daily harassment, the military could see it as a threat to national security, and the government could feel the need to bring him in for a full-out questioning on the matter. They were all valid concerns, but in the end there was still something he had to know.
"Is it a lie?" Sharpner asked point-blank.
They stared at each other, speechless but only on the outside. No way could he begin to fathom the panic boiling in his roommate's head, but he could definitely see it torturing him with every twitch of his frown and every shake of his clenched fists. He'd always imagined this to be a big deal for him, but maybe it was just that much bigger than he'd envisioned. Well, to be frank, he'd had a whole month and a half to mull over this and what it meant, so the issue was only fresh and critical in Gohan's mind. Even if he could've asked him about it when they went out for drinks after leaving the hospital, no way would G have been able to have a conversation of that magnitude with such a wide array of raw emotions crackling skin deep all over his body. He'd meant to ask him about it when he were to come back, but that never happened, and in a way it was all for the best since it gave him time to cast his judgment on the whole situation.
It took Gohan a while, but just as he was starting to grow wary with wonder of what his best friend would say or do, he saw his answer in the form of a infinitesimal shake of his head. A silent "no". It made the blond smile. "Thank you," he said.
"F-For what?" Gohan croaked.
"For being honest. I know what I saw."
"You… you saw me?" His roommate was lost in himself for a moment, focusing on a vacant spot over the blond's shoulder while clearly retracing every step he could bring up from memory, but ultimately being unable to pinpoint the slip. His eyes returned to Sharpner, and he responded with a soft nod.
"W-When?" he asked.
"When you stormed off. When you went to find Videl. No clue on how you managed that, though." Well, if the guy could fly… who knew what else he was capable of.
Gohan pressed his eyelids shut and sighed, shaking his head and tiredly rubbing his face in a berated internal lecture of some kind. He knew the guy; he'd be agonizing over this for weeks. After a while they went right back to staring, but this time the panic was giving way to thoughtful analysis. Like he was studying the blond's face for something. Sharpner waited for the words that would surely ensue.
"Sharp…" Hesitation. It became clear what he was gonna say, or rather beg. "Please, you… you can't-"
"I thought you knew me better than that, G."
Another silent stare but this time it came with a small nod, and eventually a quiet, somewhat pained smile. "Do the girls know?"
"I didn't tell Erasa, and I'm pretty sure she was too busy on the phone with the police to even see you bolt out," Sharpner explained. "As for Videl… I'm not sure."
His eyes widened, his lips gaped. "W-What do you mean?"
"I didn't tell her either, and she never mentioned actually seeing you but…" He shrugged a shoulder. "She kept telling us about this dream that she had where you found her and flew her to the hospital. 'He was like an angel, with blond hair and everything', she said." Sharp chuckled. "She did say that the last time she saw you was the day before all of that had happened, so maybe it was just her imagination acting up."
Gohan let his gaze get lost on the floor below. "Yeah… maybe."
"Anyway, I really have to go, so if you wanna talk about this we can do it when I return, 'kay?"
The other looked at him really strangely; it almost seemed like admiration, but definitely with some amusement thrown in there. "That's it?" he asked after a timid snicker. "Aren't you even curious?"
Sharpner laughed. "There was a time when I considered hunting you down to beat it out of you, but I would probably have gotten lost it those damn woods of yours so I kept put."
Gohan chuckled. "And now?" he asked, still shy and nervous, but it was probably the first time he'd had this type of conversation, he guessed. One where the weight of his secret was reduced to yet another ordinary talk between two ordinary friends. Though there was nothing ordinary about this man right here, that's for sure.
"Now... I had time to think. And I know you'll tell me when you can. If you can," Sharpner said. "But I won't force you, and I won't take it personally if you can't trust me with it."
"I do trust you, Sharp."
"I know, G," he injected before any other words. "But sometimes... some things are just plain hard to explain."
It was the truth - one he wouldn't have cared to consider a just few years ago, when he played the part of that douchey jock everyone always accused him of being. Accurately so, as sad as it was to admit. A truth that was summarized in the form of that incredibly deep breath out of his best friend, right before he spoke a surrendered, "I don't know what to say."
"There's nothing to say," Sharpner concluded dismissively, turning once more towards the door, but spinning right back around when he remembered something. "Oh! As a matter of fact, there is something I've been dying to say." He stepped closer and stared menacingly at his best friend, intense scowl and accusing finger poking at the guy's chest. G cowered a bit. "I know you have a lot of shit going on inside that brainiac head of yours, but you're my bro, and if you take off on me like that again so you can go sulk in a corner all by yourself, I will crack that thick fucking skull of yours until you understand that there are people out there who fucking care about you, you got me?"
Gohan was frozen for a bit, but a smirk started to rise on this lips. "Do you kiss your mother with that filthy mouth, you piece of shit?"
"Fuck you, you damn asshole," Sharp grumbled back, mimicking both his tone and expression. Truth be told, he was dying to get a glimpse at the guy's "real" life and what it encompassed, his hidden past, but being able to have his best friend back in one piece just like this, just like he'd left all that time ago was all the blessing he needed as of right now. Maybe G would in fact be able to tell him about it… he surely hoped so. Man, how cool was it? Being able to actually fly…
Slowly, they both maneuvered for a strong hug, relieving the tension that hovered in the room, and most of the one on his brother's shoulders before leaning away and staring one last time. They'd be okay. Sharpner nodded a "see you later" and left.
Half past eleven… Sigh. If she'd doze off again, she'd be asking for another one of Videl's nag-fests about her being a "damn blond slob", so maybe it'd be best to just get up. Oh, but her new comforter was so comfy! … Sigh.
Like a bandaid, Erasa kicked off the bed covers and jumped to her feet, stretching as far as she could to feel that familiar pull in her muscles. That'd always helped speeding through the process. Her eyes were heavy still, so she rubbed them with the palms of her hands while stepping out towards the kitchen for some coffee. Hopefully Videl had made some already.
With the next turn, she arrived at the common area and stopped in her tracks, confusion smacking the remaining sleepiness right off of her. "Vi...? What are ya doing?" she asked warily and slow to her stationary pensative friend. Her eyes couldn't decide whether to analyze Videl's expression or the green sofa that was causing it, but normally, a person standing still and silent like that, looking fixedly ahead was the stuff of those nightmarish horror movies that Sharpner always dragged her to. She shivered at the thought.
"Did you leave your room since last night?" the other asked back.
"Wha…? No. Why?"
Videl shook her head in confusion, eyeing the sofa. "I could've sworn I'd folded that blanket." She pointed. "And I definitely put away that big pillow. Didn't I?"
Erasa looked at said items but saw nothing. With all the neat-freakyness Videl swore she didn't possess, the girl was probably gonna start asking questions and taking names from the ghosts she'd have to nag from now on. Less heat on my end, at least. "Oh, it was Casper," Erasa teased dismissively. "He knew Sharp would be away tonight so he came over for a booty call."
"Shut up…"
With a giggle she went on ahead to get her coffee - freshly brewed… yummers. Erasa took her favourite cup and served herself some of the precious, precious liquid, taking a sniff before a sip and a moan of delight. "Thank God for coffee," she breathed out. She then turned around and leaned against the kitchen counter, watching while Vi took a seat at the table with her own fuming hot cup. She decided to join her instead. "So…"
"So?"
"How did things go with your dad?" Vi shook her head. Not good, apparently. "Did he tell you anything else? About Gohan?"
"Well," the other started, eyeing her cup with a frown, intense and heavy yet soft at the same time. "He's a prince, as it turns out. His mom's the daughter of some king on the Southeast. A 'mass-murdering dictator' were the words. From some place called Mount Fry… something. Never heard of it."
"Wow…" Erasa didn't know Gohan's grandad - or his mother, for that matter - but even if that turned out to be true, a person shouldn't be accountable for another's misdeeds, should they? Even if they were family. Even if… "Wait, what?A prince?" Their shy little Gohan, in the line of succession to rule some exotic kingdom far, far away? Was it…? How can that…? She shrilled like a schoolgirl. "I can't believe it! You've hit the jackpot! You have an actual, real-life prince for a boyfriend! Like Cinderella… How lucky are you?" Videl didn't seem to get the magic of the new discovery, sullen and unfazed. Did she even hear what she'd said? That expression had Gohan written all over it, which reminded her that Videl's conversation with her father wasn't exactly the main stage event of last night. "How did it go with Gohan?"
Videl sighed and thought about it for a while before eventually saying, "You and I both know how he has some sort of secret, right?"
"Yeah." No doubt about it.
"We've talked about it and it's clear that that's what's been holding us back, since he can't tell me about it but at the same time he feels like he has to. I told him I didn't need to know what it was for us to be together, and I don't but…" She shook her head. "It just pains me that he has to hide who is from other people. To such extents that he actually has no past, no evidence of a life, like my dad said." A ghost… A recluse living in the woods where no one could find him. Erasa always knew how his secret would have to be a big deal as opposed to some sort of occasional bed-wetting type of situation, but the more she thought of it, "a big deal" just felt like an understatement. How in the world did an eighteen-year-old manage without some sort of social media outlet? Or even a commodity as simple as a cellphone, since she knew he only got his once he came to college. Did he not have any friends back home? Videl was thinking the same, since she went on to say, "He has no one to talk to. He must feel so lonely…"
Could that be true? He seemed like an introvert at first, but nowadays that image didn't really click with that of their friend, since he was actually pretty funny and outgoing. Somewhat. The fact that it took him so long to open up to the three of them would certainly account for a lifetime of social detachment, but… "Surely he must have someone…"
"I believe he has people who care about him besides us," Videl said, "and there has to be someone out there that knows of his secret, but... I don't think he has. With the way that he acts, with the way he always recoils from any kind of affection, even though his body all but begs for it…" It was killing her, this new understanding, perfectly clear on the worry lines that burdened her face as well as her entire speech. A little twinkle appeared on the corner of her eye. Oh, Vi… "I can feel it, E, every time I kiss him, or rub his arm, or play with his hair. His body wants so desperately to be touched but it can't because that means proximity in his mind. And proximity means exposure."
And fear of exposure meant classified information, no doubt - "something big to hide", just like Hercule had said - but unlike the man had hypothesized, no way she'd believe their Gohan to be some sort of criminal. No way! They all knew how he was damaged, and they'd all made up every sort of scenario for his past to account for just that, but she could never believe that the sweet young man they knew was some sort of outcast delinquent trying to outrun the law. It just wasn't possible.
"Who knows how many years he's been like this…" Videl half-whispered.
"Probably since his father died." It was obvious in his eyes whenever he talked about the man. The love, the tension, the hurtful memories. A life suspended because it lacked another.
Vi nodded. "I just wish he'd open up to somebody. If not to me then to Sharp or to you. Anyone."
"Give him time. It's been eight years since his dad died. You can't cure cancer in a day." The other sighed, since the truth of the solution damaged more than the actual problem, sometimes. Erasa took her hand and squeezed it lovingly. "Besides, he got himself a hot new girlfriend!" the blond teased good heartedly: the failsafe way to get her bestie out of a slump. "One which he adores to pieces, I might add. I'm sure it'll get better now that you guys are finally a couple. Finally!" It made Videl chuckle and blush. What a victory! "Did you talk with him this morning? Is he gonna join us for lunch?"
"We've texted, but neither lunch nor dinner, unfortunately," Videl explained with an adorable pout. "Though we're gonna go get some ice-cream in the afternoon. He said he's gonna eat with them back at Bulma's today and tomorrow, since his mom and the kids are spending the weekend. She's been really 'clingy' apparently."
"His mom?"
"Yeah, like needlessly worried about him and such. Post-vacation blues, I guess."
Sigh... Why did school and work still have to be there after the holidays? Couldn't she just vacation until forever? "I'm suffering from the same."
"Shut up! Your classes don't even start til next week, you lucky brat."
"Hey! Who says I can't suffer from anticipation, huh?" Miss Nosy McKnowitall… No one understood how it's like being a smart blonde. It's a lot of pressure! "Besides, I thought you were supposed to be a lawyer, not a doctor."
"Gah, don't remind me," Videl almost grunted. "I'm starting to wonder how in the world lawyers get to be good at their jobs and have lives... I still have to read four more chapters due Monday."
"They probably aren't masochist overachievers, and they certainly don't aim to pass the bar in three years instead of five." Though knowing her friend, those four chapters in a day and a half were gonna be a breeze, for sure. The girl had a knack for the law.
"I can do it."
"I hope you can, but don't forget you have a boyfriend to tend to, now," Erasa said while getting up to place her empty cup in the sink. "And by 'tend to', I mean get in his pants, of course."
The expected rush to change the subject was substituted by a shy smile and a blush instead, which told the blonde just how much, in fact, the other had been craving to "tend to business" with the guy. She couldn't blame her. Truth be told, she didn't think she'd be able to wait that long herself. How many months were there? Let's see…He came to college a year ago… and I started dating Sharp somewhere around... November, was it? … Hmm…
"I had a boyfriend before too..." Videl whispered, mentally slapping Erasa with its gloominess.
"That shitty bastard is dead and buried," she almost scolded. Videl needed to be reminded of that as often as possible. "He didn't even exist, as far as I'm concerned. No boyfriend worthy of that name would do what that monster did." And she didn't even mean the kidnapping and all the crap that came with it, since what he'd been doing before was still as shitty as they came. "You have a good one now. A true gentleman with rock-hard abs. And he's perfect, Vi."
"You're right." Her smile was dreamy. "He is."
"Not as perfect as my Sharpie," she added, "but still." They chuckled together. With all his flaws, there was still no one else she'd rather see Videl with because that happiness that would always glisten her eyes was the real deal, and Gohan was the one to put it there. She deserved it so, so much. On a whim, Erasa dashed to hug her from behind, squishing a giggle out of her best friend. Like that, for the longest minute, they held together like glue, unwinding from the bad thoughts and cherishing the good ones. "I just know things will end up just peachy between you guys," Erasa spoke after a while, eyes closed shut. "You just have to be patient."
Videl sighed. "I love you, E."
"I love you too, baby girl."
The doors swooshed open, and the uneasy feeling was back like the flick of a switch.
It wasn't that Gohan didn't like the mall - he had come here on multiple occasions before - but the easy pop tune and all the forced appearance of standardized normality was just too… perfect for his taste. The white picket-fence-type railings were just plain awkward, but he guessed that they played well with the few green areas of assorted shrubbery and small trees. It was clearly supposed to induce the imagination into thinking you were in some sort of hellish suburbia cul-de-sac where all the liberty of being "out in the country" seemed nothing of the kind.
To mimic life in harmony with nature... He never thought nature could look so artificial, though.
However, this time around the feeling came from another place as well, he guessed. It was the annoying uneasiness that came with your "firsts" - your first test, your first battle, your first space trip… Or your first real date.
It was just ice-cream, he told himself; he'd had ice-cream before with Videl as a company - on many, many occasions - but this time things were different. The word "date" had never popped up, but they were supposed to be somewhat "official" now, right? In a relationship. If they decided to go out for ice-cream, just the two of them, then that constituted a date. Right?
Like a couple. … Right?
Videl stopped in front of him as they entered. He'd missed that beautiful smile so much. "Are you ready?"
Gohan chuckled. "I'm always ready for ice-cream."
And those giggles; he'd missed them too. "That I am very much aware of," she teased, and then her features softened. That small inconspicuous bite at her lower lip would always come whenever she was nervous, so it caused his own smile to tone down as well. "I'm… gonna throw something else at you, okay? Something new. Tell me if you're not comfortable with it."
Something new? He nodded slowly, readying himself with a dry swallow for what it could be but she wasted no time to show him. She caressed his right hand first, and then took it in hers, interlacing their fingers.
Like a couple.
"Is this okay?" she asked.
Walking around the mall, holding hands… Yeah, he could live with that, though it was anything but comfortable. In the back of his mind he considered telling her just how much louder his heart was thumping in his ears, but he couldn't because then she'd just take it away. He wanted so badly for it to be comfortable… Maybe it would, someday. He nodded in response, and smiled shyly when she did.
They started walking again, but a lot slower than when on their way there from the car. Videl would eye the products on display across the various stores as they passed, while he strolled beside her, quiet in concentration and as casually as he mustered considering how he forgot how to walk properly for a bit. All eyes were on them, he was sure - that guy by the water fountain, and that family coming out of the toy store; how could he be expected to do this properly if they kept staring like that? And was it normally this hot in there? If only it was just the two of them, surely things wouldn't seem so overwhelming. Who needed society, anyway? He missed his woods, his treacherous Mt. Paozu, and all the dangerous beasts that surrounded it. He felt so much safer there. Videl's touch on his upper arm made him look back to her. She was smiling.
"Relax," she said. "Nobody is looking. It's just the two of us."
Wow… was he being that obvious with his musings? He tried for a smile, and then nodded while looking at his feet in embarrassment, since he had somehow been able to up the ante of being uncomfortable with childish self-consciousness. And all in front of his new… his… g-girlfriend? Was that what she was? They didn't mention any titles on their conversation yesterday, so maybe they weren't on that exact level just yet. What constituted more than friends but still not quite boyfriend and girlfriend yet? Was that what they called "friends with benefits"? … Oh! No, no, no, those benefits were… something else, he remembered. He sighed internally for dodging that particular bullet. Just imagining if he'd refer to her as... that... He sighed again. Should he just ask her about it?
"You're a hard man to find, nowadays."
The new voice stopped them in their tracks. He almost didn't recognized it but frowned instantly when he did. "Y-Yamcha?"
"Hey," the other said. "It's been a while, huh?" Almost a year, since the Halloween Masquerade, yeah. If not for his words - "a hard man to find" - that smile would've tricked Gohan into thinking this encounter was nothing short of a coincidence, which it was clearly not now that the surprise had cleared from his senses. Something was off. Yamcha's eyes immediately shifted to Videl. "And who's this?"
Panic again. "This is…" My girlfriend? He looked at her but her sparkling eyes only added to the pressure so he looked back away towards Yamcha. Why didn't these things have predetermined, clear rules and terminology? Just like his Physics and his Math. Those were simple. Those were reliable. Because Gohan plus Videl equals "complicated", that's why. "This is... Videl," he decided to go with. She didn't untangle her fingers, so that was a good sign, right? Good-ish, at least.
"It's really nice to meet you, Videl."
"Likewise," she answered.
Cut to the chase. "Is everything okay, Yamcha?" Gohan asked.
"Yeah, hum… I kinda needed to have a word with you." His eyes jumped to Videl for half a second so this wasn't just a mere social visit. Which fit the bill, since the only times he'd see the man after their second trip to Namek would be at Bulma's social gatherings. And he could count those with only one hand. This was business.
"Sure," he said. "Just give me a minute." Yamcha nodded and went away. He looked back at Videl, turning fully around so he'd stand in front of her. "I have to go talk to him."
"Okay." She looked at Yamcha from afar. "He's that baseball player, isn't he? The batter for the Taitans?"
"Yeah. I didn't know you liked baseball."
"I follow it somewhat," she said, but… her eyes didn't leave Yamcha. Her face was all serious with this soft thoughtful frown. And her voice wasn't as perky and lively as before. She must've assumed the need for privacy to be linked to his secret; she'd always been really perceptive like that.
"I'm sorry, Vi."
Her beautiful eyes returned to him, as did that wonderful smile. Though it was the half-forced one… "Hey, no worries. We have an agreement, remember? If it has something to do with your secret, just tell me and I'll go away." She looked around and pointed at the store behind them. "I'll be waiting in the ice-cream shop, okay?"
There was a nod and a small tug of his lip and she went away. They did have "an agreement" but it just felt so... impersonal. Like she was contractually obligated to not wonder about it, to not want to know. He told himself the jury was no longer out on this thing, that he'd made a decision to give it a go and follow Videl on this path - as cloaked and as secretive as it would surely be - but there were no doubts about it now: that face would unintentionally be stabbing him in the gut so many more times in the future... Too many. Silently, he watched her as she walked, sighing and turning around when she entered the shop. Yamcha was already approaching him.
"Good God, Man, is that your girlfriend?" Yamcha asked with gapped lips, eyeing the shop behind him. Gohan looked back as well just for a second. Videl was sitting down by the window.
All things considered, as special as the circumstances were regarding their relationship, he truly wished that she was his girlfriend. His girlfriend. It just fit so well with her name… He responded a shy, "Yes." Probably blushing like crazy but who cared.
"She's... gorgeous. Congrats."
His hand crept up behind his head. "Thanks."
"So, what's up with your energy? Why is it so hard to sense, now? Even when I saw you from back there I still could barely feel it."
Hard to sense? Oh, that's right, the ki suppressor.
If one knew the energy they were seeking well enough, they could find it much more easily, even with the low levels that the gadget allowed, but Yamcha and him didn't have that kind of connection. And not only because they'd became mere acquaintances over the years; if he remembered correctly, he could pinpoint his father's energy from far away - farther than anyone else - but it wasn't a thing he was able to do with any other person, not even Piccolo.
Maybe it was a father-son thing, he considered, though it certainly couldn't hurt that Gohan's energy had been strong from very early in his life. Even if it wasn't normally kept high - since he'd long learned to conceal it - it was denser, in a way, as were all the others' in their group. Low energy levels were hard to locate, but once you did, if you were masterful enough at reading them or if you were familiar with its signature, the density could surely tell if it was accurately a low level or if it was simply being hidden to appear so. There was a lot to be said about ki control, that's for sure.
He should try it out with the kids, make them practice concealing their energies. Probably just the boys, though, since Mia's was still too muted in comparison. But anyway. "It's really low," he went on to explain, lifting up a bit of his sleeve to show the scar on his wrist. "Bulma made me this device that suppresses your ki. It's implanted beneath my skin."
"Wow, cool!" the other said in awe while staring at the shiny line. Hopefully he wouldn't try to touch it… "Why would you want to suppress your energy, though?"
"It's... a really long story." But mostly, he didn't want to be justifying his actions to the guy. Once upon a time he'd jump at the opportunity to explain the science behind the copper disc and the lever mechanism, but not anymore, and certainly not right now under the weight of this unexpected meeting.
"Sure," the other said after a light snicker, lazily eyeing their surroundings under the faintest of worry lines. "Hum… you must be wondering why I'm here."
"Yeah."
"Well…" Yamcha immediately took on a deeper scowl, ditching the gazing around for a serious stare. "Someone came to me yesterday."
Gohan matched his expression. "What do you mean?"
"These guys. They came over to my house and started buttering me up with all sorts of compliments and whatnot. And then they went all business and began asking me questions."
"About what?"
"My past. My 'known acquaintances'." Those had been the exact words, he reckoned. "But mostly… about you."
His eyebrows flew up. "Me?"
"And your mom, andGoku, and even the kids, yeah."
Gohan's scowl returned, thicker than ever. It was one thing to have some strangers ask about him, but his family was off-limits, in whichever way those guys intended. It was his job to protect them, his responsibility. No matter what those guys wanted, they weren't interested, but the issue went much deeper than that. Why would anyone want to know about them? And who? But mostly, what were they planning on doing with that information?
Maybe he was being paranoid, but Sharpner had been able to find out, so how many people out there were in it to unveil his secret? Well… Sharp only knew about the flying, and something inside make him trust his best friend would respect the need to keep it confidential, but that very same something was firing up the warning signs and sounding all the alarms, and if nothing else, he'd learned long ago to trust his instinct more than he did rational mind. This could get ugly. "Did you know who they were?"
"They wouldn't give it away at first, but one of them mentioned how 'The Champ would be very much appreciative of any information I could give them'." Mr. Satan… he should've know. "Do you think the guy knows about you? At the games?"
Gohan shook his head. "I'm not sure." Though, he reckoned the big man would've came to him directly if he'd already made that connection. So, it all boiled down to what did the guy know. After he was told of his slip from Sharpner, Gohan had retraced that night over and over again in his head, and was mostly sure that, if nothing had came up in the news so far, then nobody else had seen him flying around to save Videl. And he surely didn't do anything suspicious back at the hospital, so it begged the question, "What did you tell them?"
Yamcha snorted. "I told them I'd be getting my shotgun if they didn't get the hell out of my property!" he said with a proud grin. "Not that I own one." And a chuckle, but then his whole posture changed, as did his tone and the expression on his face. He hadn't seen one of those in ages: compassion. "Look, I know things have changed ever since… that day, but…" He paused, ridden with anxiety that made him look away as he continued. "I care about you. And your mom, and your brother and sister. You've lost what I've lost, though much more than that at the same time. It still consumes me, nowadays, but you were just a kid. We made you grow up from a very early age, but you still had the right to your childhood, even after your father died, and even if you are the most powerful being in existence. You were just a kid." Yamcha's eyes came back up to meet his. "I'm… really, really sorry that I wasn't there for you, but no matter what my actions made you think, Gohan… I'll always be on your side."
He… didn't really know what to think. There was no way he would've believed him a year ago, but then again, much had changed since then. It was so clear now, that day and what'd happened... His father dying and this incredible power of his making its debut not only changed everyone, it scared everyone, each in their particular way. Life without Goku was a horrible fate all on its own, but Gohan now understood all those faces that would stare back at him in the months after Cell had been defeated - the ones people told him were all in his head. The fear in them was comprehensible since the power he'd produced would be just as terrifying as his father's absence from the world.
It consumed them both, that day, though in completely different ways. What right did he have to think his pain was more legitimate than the others'?
And what would he say to the guy? He was in no position to forgive him just yet - since he wasn't even sure of what he blamed him for - but he felt the need to give back some of that compassion. His dad would've wanted it that way. There was nothing he could bring himself to say, so he nodded instead, with a smile much more heartfelt than he predicted to be able.
Yamcha gave up a single nod in appreciation, just before putting out his right hand for a handshake. Gohan took it without a second guess, staring back, smiling back. A second ran by, and then another, and from out of nowhere, that same instinct that'd always looked out for him, the same one that made him be constantly aware of his surroundings, or that would make the final push towards that place of no return that was the beast he had within… That instinct made him ditch the hand and hug the guy instead.
He felt his father's presence for some reason. A triggered memory, he reckoned.
Videl couldn't help but smile, looking at them.
It wasn't that often that Gohan displayed affection like this to anyone other than his family or his closest friends, not to mention that this was his own doing; he was clearly the one initiating the contact. A big, strong bear-hug like the ones he'd share with Sharpner from time to time. It just warmed her heart that he had someone else to count on in his life, even more so considering how that particular issue had been grinding at her mind all night long, and pushed her to the blurry verge of tears during her conversation with Erasa that morning. This guy Yamcha knew of the secret, for sure. Hopefully, Gohan could rely on the guy if needed.
But as quickly as it came, that feeling vanished with the thought of last night's havoc. Yamcha wasn't a big-time celebrity, but he was well known in the sports universe, and only a few years seniority short of becoming a legend in the baseball world, specifically. It made perfect sense now, what her father had said, since he couldn't be referring to anyone else. The pro-baseball player that'd refused to talk to his investigators. Would it be any other time she wouldn't speculate about their current conversation, but it was too much of a coincidence that the guy had come looking for Gohan the day after her father's goons had gone to him. Even more so since he made it look like they hadn't seen each other in a very long time before today.
Yamcha was probably telling Gohan about it right now, letting him know how her father wasn't only a rude and obnoxious man with some kind of personal agenda against him, but also an overprotective paranoid on top of that. Daddy wasn't reduced to those flaws. He also had a good side, a kind heart. Why couldn't he show that off as well? Unfortunately, that seemed more and more like the person he once had been rather than the one he was.
What Gohan must be thinking of her…
The guys parted ways outside, and she followed Gohan's steps as he walked over, both smiling in acknowledgement when he was close enough for eye contact, though hers was weighted down by anxiety. "Hey," Videl said then.
"Aww, you've ordered for me," he cooed as he sat down next to her at the round little table. That grin was a touch more peaceful than usual, which accounted for the extra appeal in her eyes. This was how he should be all the time, living in the present and not in the dark memories of his past. If only she'd manage to make him forget about those horrors, to appease that storm in his mind so he'd feel this way every single minute of his life, she'd live forever with this secret among them. Just her and her handsome prince…
"It's a Triple Trouble Chocolate Supreme cup, so it just screamed your name to me," she explained.
"Yum," Gohan simply said before licking his lips and widening his grin like an idiot. It made her chuckle while he shoveled the thing to his mouth, but the pressure of their situation was quick on the comeback, drowning her spirit yet again. The conversation with Yamcha seemed to have gone well, so maybe he didn't tell Gohan of her father? Curiosity was burning her up.
"Gohan?" she uttered softly, scraping up a small chunk of the strawberry scoop of her banana split, just so she had an excuse to look at it instead of at his eyes. "Can you tell me what you guys talked about? Outside?"
As expected, he didn't say anything right away, so she peeked up to study the rest of his reaction - tension, a frown… yeah, the familiar companions. After a while, he actually responded; with nervousness, sure, but no evasion. "Apparently… some guys have been asking about me. And about my family."
She sighed and shook her head. "My father's men."
"You... knew about it?"
"He told me yesterday, after you left. He-"
A cellphone started to sing loudly among them. After the first few seconds of analysis, it wasn't her song but rather Gohan's. He patted his pockets and stood up slightly to take the device from his jeans. His lips produced a crooked half-smile. "I had a feeling I'd be hearing from you soon enough," he said, and then paused to hear from the other side. "Yeah. Yamcha." Another pause. "Humm…" Now he glanced at Videl, for just a second. "Not right now. I can stop by later." Oh, so he simply couldn't talk in front of her. If she had to guess, that was Bulma on the phone, since her dad had implied that she and Yamcha were the only ones his investigators could find to shed some light on Gohan's past. "The one on the corner, near the main office? … Okay, sounds like a plan. See ya, bye."
With a touch he disconnected the call, returning to his ice-cream but playing around with it instead of finishing the thing up. The silence grew awkward… dammit, how she hated when this happened. It wasn't her intention to put him on the spot with her prying. Did he take it the wrong way? Hopefully not. This was supposed to be a get-to-know-each-other date, a happy occasion, relaxed. And definitely easy; this was turning out to be anything but. Immediately, she started putting together the best words to get them back on track, but Gohan beat her to it.
"So… your dad's been digging, huh?"
So, so embarrassing but true. She sighed in resignation. "He just worries about me. Don't worry, I'll get him to call off his dogs."
"R-Really?" he asked, incredulous. "You'd do that?"
She stared into his eyes. Why was it so surprising? Was he doubting of her intentions? It was her idea to keep things going without him disclosing his secret; she wouldn't be taking advantage of her father's persecution to find out about it. How could he ever think that?
One thing was to be all secretive and not trust her enough to share this seemingly crucial piece of information about his life, but another was to trust her so little as to think she'd sink that low and do things behind his back. She'd never do that! How could he... If only she could trade her heart for his, only for a moment, just to make him feel this warmth she had inside, he'd never be doubting an ounce of her devotion ever again.
It made her so incredibly sad… "I love my dad, but I'd never betray you," she murmured, looking down. "You should know that by now."
"Vi… I didn't mean…"
"It's fine," she injected. "Let's just eat, okay? The ice-cream is melting." This day was growing to be too heavy on her, so she worked on doing just that, taking a bit of each flavour onto her spoon since she couldn't bring herself to choose only one. But then, just as she was about to bring it to her mouth, he stopped the motion with his hand on hers. She scrunched her eyebrows together more out of reflex than anything else, and looked up at him only to acknowledge his face an inch from hers and the warm breath that escaped his lips. An inaudible gasp was her sole reaction just before he kissed her tenderly.
Her muscles got frozen in place, astounded by the gesture she quite frankly didn't see coming, but wasn't that the easiest way to feel those lovely butterflies flapping around in your belly? There they were, making her all warm and fuzzy inside with his sweet touch, and she wasn't even considering the delicious chocolate taste that kept enticing her senses.
Numbness fogged her mind and the spoon got forgotten - though she heard it chime bluntly against the table - relinquished for a touch of his muscular chest and then a ride up to his neck. His chair screeched against the pavement as he scooted closer, amplifying the heat at her cheeks to the rest of her body when his arms took her fully and brought her possessively into him. What was she thinking? How could she have ever doubted his heart?
Such a hypocrite… If actions spoke louder than words, why in the world was she reading into them instead of these kisses? These were the ones which told her how deep Gohan's feelings went; these were the ones which brought along the goosebumps and the butterflies, and the memories of every touch and every meaningful action out of him. They kept rekindling the wish of an easier future, and by God she was gonna have it. She was gonna man up and march ahead, because if every and all doubts would come to cloud her judgement, the truth was final and supreme. He was worth it; every twinge of her heart and every jab at her gut.
She just had to be reminded of it, now and then.
Shit, she was running late again.
Those damn suits and their stupid issues. Did a graduation magna cum laude in Finance from some preppy university occupy so many neurons that they actually had to be babied through the most basic of common knowledge? Or common sense, rather. Cutting back salaries to improve profit, just because the law had changed in that favour. On this day and age… Were they for real? Capsule Corporation lived of technical ability and unrestrained ingenuity; how in the world could those coexist with monthly struggles to pay the bills, or having to choose between feeding your children or sending them to school? The cost of something wasn't only what you payed for them, but what you'd lose if you didn't have them anymore. Was that too hard to understand? Fucking hell...
Oh, but as the heavens would have it, it was that glorious time of the day - a quarter to six - the third batch of cinnamon rolls should be leaving the ovens of the cute little corner bakery any minute now. Bulma detected the enchanting aroma as she neared the coffee-shop. Jackpot!
A bell jingled as the glassed door was opened, and instantly she searched the location for the familiar face she was meeting. Her eyebrows scrunched when she didn't find him - the place wasn't that big - simply because Gohan was always on time, as it was instilled in him from a very early age through rigorous "gentleman lessons". And she was already fifteen minutes late…
Deciding for another try, she scanned the area once more while reaching for her purse in order to call him up on the cellphone. It was not necessary in the end. She stopped, analysing the young man in the back that had caught her eye, wondering if that was him, but that head of hair was unmistakable, second only to his father's - and little brother's, by extension. Okay, maybe third, since Vegeta's was really unconventional too, at least in earthling standards. But why was Gohan leaning on the table, face hidden against his arms? Oh, dear… that wasn't good.
She approached him and caressed his shoulder with a gentle touch. He looked up. "Hey, big man. You okay?" she asked while sitting down.
"Yeah," Gohan croaked, sitting up straight on his chair.
"Are you sure? 'Cause you look like crap." And tired, poor thing. That head of his must've been overclocking for hours, though that didn't shock her one bit. If Yamcha had come to him earlier that afternoon, then he already knew of Mr. Satan's quest to unearth his skeletons. How would that possibly play out with Videl and his obvious feelings towards the girl? Not to mention all that'd went down over a month ago - too intense of a media frenzy, if you asked her, but her father wasn't your average Joe, was he? It wouldn't surprise her if it had been the buffoon himself calling them up, though.
Gohan was undoubtedly the henceforth named "good samaritan of anonymous nature" in the upcoming newscasts and publications, but he refused to talk about what'd happened. Surely in order to keep Chi-Chi oblivious of Videl, since he still wasn't ready to introduce the two, but a greater part would be because he himself must've been struggling with the emotions the event had erupted in him. He'd just shake his head whenever she'd approach him privately, denying any words to be uttered on the matter, but those torn jeans and bloody t-shirt Chi-Chi had showed her the day after the fact were downright scary. No wonder his mother had been an overly attached mess during his school holidays. If only she could help him out. If only…
"I just have a lot on my mind," he explained, but it was just another dodge.
She cupped his hands with hers. "Please talk to me, Honey. A person can only take so much on their own…"
There was no response for a moment, but he hinted with a shake of his head that he simply didn't know what to say. Or what to do, or what to think. At the end, he just pressed his eyes shut and sighed, whispering a pained, "I miss my dad" that nearly slapped the heat out of her heart. She could never hold him accountable for the gloominess, since she'd plead guilty of the very same whenever the memories of moments passed just seemed too much to overcome.
Goku always had a solution. Goku always knew what to do, what to say, how to resolve the unresolvable. And even if there was nothing to be done, Goku would always make you see the good instead of the dreadful.
He made the world spin in the right direction, a gift even greater than the fighting he mastered.
Bulma sighed too, verging on crying but gulping the feeling down for now. "How did things go with Videl yesterday?"
"If you don't mind, I'd prefer to talk about Mr. Satan's investigators."
"I do mind, actually," she insisted, leaning back against her chair and crossing her arms authoritatively. "You're gonna talk to me right now because I'm pretty sure you aren't talking to anyone else about it, and you're due to blow up from a nervous breakdown if you don't spit it out soon, so… go on."
"Bulma, I don't-"
"You know me well enough not to attempt any kind of stubbornness contest," she said, raising a daring eyebrow that all the kids - young and younger - knew meant serious business. "Besides, they didn't get past security at the gate, so there's nothing to be said about the Satan's minions."
He smiled and looked down to his hands. After a while he said, "I don't know what to do."
"Well… what are the options?"
"Tell her. Not to tell her. Not to tell her and walk away. Though I'm not sure that last one is an option anymore…"
"How come?"
"I'm pretty sure I'd die."
Bulma couldn't help but laugh her heart out, rejoicing on that handsome smile of his that'd also came out. When her breathing stabilized somewhat, she continued with the onslaught, lest he'd manage to divert away from this topic yet again. "I know you, Gohan. Is 'not telling her' really an option, too?"
He sighed. "She told me she didn't need to know."
"Oh?"
"We're supposed to get to know each other better, and if I ever decided to tell her about me, then she'd listen."
That didn't sound too bad. "But…?"
"But, one day I'm gonna tell her, and she's gonna freak out, and I'll die a slow and painful death anyway."
Bulma contained a smile from the exaggeration. Was she ever this dramatic when she was young? "How do you know? I mean… she seems to really like you."
"She likes the human, socially awkward mountain boy, not the half-saiyan, messed up murderer."
She kicked him in the shin with all her might, hoping that it would somehow hurt him through that thick saiyan skin of his. "Don't you ever call yourself that! You're not a fucking murderer!"
He shook his head, ignoring the order, surely. "It doesn't matter. She doesn't know who I am. She knows nothing about me."
"That's not true. She knows who you are, just not who you were."
"That's the same."
"It's not. It means she doesn't know what made you but she knows what you've become. She doesn't like Gohan, the five, twelve, sixteen-year-old, she likes Gohan the man right here in front of me right now." She pointed. "Who cares who you were?"
"Everyone cares because I'm not just a man, Bulma. I'm half of one."
"You're half-earthling; that doesn't make you half a man."
"It makes me half a freak," he mumbled.
She kicked him again - two, three times in a row - but he didn't even flinch, damn him. The waitress approached them so she had to postpone the hailstorm that'd go with it. They ordered a couple of rolls for her, plus a baker's dozen for Gohan, though he'd probably be taking most home for dinner. His appetite would always take a serious hit whenever the whirlwind would get too intense inside his head. Nothing his mother's cooking couldn't fix in an hour or two. "You're still gonna head home for dinner tonight?"
"Yeah… And tomorrow, lunch and dinner. I promised her."
Bulma nodded.
"Had to lie to Videl about it, so if you run into her, mom and the kids are spending the weekend at your place and I'm joining you there."
"Sure," she said. "No need to make a one hour imaginary bus-ride back and forth every time." She smiled.
"I hate lying to her so much… And it's all I ever do. That or simply say I can't tell her about it, which in turn makes her think I don't trust her."
"But you do, right?"
He looked up from his hands and widened his eyes, desperate to show just how much. "I'd trust her with my life. With the kids'. Completely."
"Then… why don't you just tell her?"
"It has nothing to do with her, it's me. It scares me to death that she'll just… leave," he confessed. Selfishly, her thoughts reverted to Vegeta and how he'd never be as sensitive as to admit he was scared. Gohan had the same insufferable "manly man" genes like all the saiyans, but he managed to keep them contained most of the time. More than Goku, and incredibly more than Vegeta, that's for sure. Trunks and Goten would have a better role-model on that front, though that didn't really bring her the comfort she'd hoped. "You don't know how it's like, Bulma, nobody does. That's why it's so hard."
"Gohan…"
"You never had to hide who you are, and you knew perfectly well who Vegeta was when you guys got together."
"But your mom didn't know of your dad," she disputed. "We only found out he wasn't born here when you were already four years old. And she stuck with him even so."
"Even if she didn't know about him being a saiyan, she knew perfectly well he was not a 'regular' human being. She knew he was special, you all knew. Heck, you guys even knew he'd transform in the full moon."
"She didn't know that."
"Maybe not, but bottom-line is none of you guys were brought into this world. You knew of it, you grew into it, as I did. How can I expect a normal person to start believing in aliens and time travel and wish-granting dragons just like that?"
It might be too much to ask, but Videl seemed to be open-minded enough to comprehend the nuances of the world that most didn't know about. She kinda reminded her of Chi-Chi in a way. And of herself, when she was younger. But not only that, Gohan was still missing a crucial piece of data. "You're forgetting something."
He watched her warily. Silence. Anticipation.
"You forget that you'd be the one telling her. If it was the other way around, if she was the one telling you, adamant and serious, that there's this holy porcupine living in the desert that cures cancer if you rub its belly, wouldn't you believe her?"
More silence. Consideration.
"Well?" Bulma asked.
"I don't know…"
"And you never will. Not unless the situation presents itself and when it does… not unless you trust the hope in your heart instead of the logic in your head." If only he'd manage to turn off that brain of his from time to time… Then he'd see it. She took his hands again. "Love isn't logical, Gohan. How in the world would Trunks even exist if it was?"
They laughed together at the dire reality of that statement, but then his phone ringed, vibrating against the table top. He glanced at it. "It's my mom."
Bulma nodded as she got up from her seat. He did the same. "Head home. Play with the kids a bit, and relax. Things will seem better after your mom pampers you with a ton of food."
Gohan snickered. "Yeah, probably." They hugged it out after a short stare. "Thank you, Bulma."
"You've got this, Gohan." He sighed and hugged her tighter. "You've got this."
It had been one of those first days right after he and Dad had come out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber - easy to remember since it was the only time in their lives where Goku had been rocking the blond hairdo instead of his natural black. The only time when it came to out-of-battle situations, of course. The memory was as clear as day.
He couldn't sleep that night, the rustling trees outside that would normally lull him were being too loud and disturbing, nightmarish whispers heralding the end of things. The tournament day was so close… He'd wanted to be strong, he'd wanted not to worry like Dad would always ask of him, but he wasn't sure he had it in him. All the logic he'd grown to assimilate kept assuring his restless mind that there was nothing outside - the Androids had been absorbed, and Cell was spending the countdown at his arena back in the northwest wastelands, miles away - but whenever he'd close his eyes, all he'd see was darkness instead of nothing. A recurrent feeling, in those days...
After twisting and turning in his bed for an hour or so, he'd decided to go get a glass of warm milk - oh, and a piece of cake Mom had baked that afternoon, he remembered - so he'd gotten up and tiptoed towards the kitchen, but stopped when he reached the living room door. That picture, it turned out, had stayed with him until this very day.
Mom and Dad, sitting on the couch, watching TV. Such a simple arrangement and yet it touched him so much. At the time he didn't realize exactly why that scenario had made him stand still in the hallway, just staring, but now he understood. It had been a mixture of things: the image of his dad sinking into the couch, totally relaxed; his mom drowsed in a snug embrace against his chest; but mostly… his father's smile. Soft and peaceful, completely satisfied. At that time the world wasn't ending; not there on that small room in front of that grainy television set and its uninteresting movie. There were no life-threatening monsters, and no concerns about their efforts being sufficient or not to defeat them.
A man and his wife, curled up and cozy in their home; a family tucked safely for the night. It brought serenity, and a yawn, and eventually the much needed sleep.
That night had been imprinted in him, so it was with no surprise that he was the one sporting that very same smile this time, on this sofa, with his arm wrapped around his beautiful girlfriend while watching this uninteresting movie. That dear childhood memory, the sweet green apples of her hair, the way she was lazily tickling the skin of his forearm… They almost made him forget the god-awful day he'd been having. Almost.
Late as it was, at least it was practically over.
"Gohan?" Videl interrupted his daydreaming.
"Yeah?"
"Can you... tell me about this?" Videl asked, automatically crumpling his gut into a mess. Her hand had travelled from forearm to wrist, slender fingers now tracing the thin scar over his ki suppressor.
Dammit. Another thing he had to refuse her.
"I'm sorry." How he hated those words now... They made him feel like shit but even worse than that, they'd break a little bit of her heart every time he'd say them. She could deny it all she wanted, but it was as clear as if it was happening to him.
"It's okay," she said, so heart-wrenchingly sweet. It brought the need to hold her tighter and furrow his nose into her hair. He hated this. He hated this so much.
"Hey," Videl added, shifting her position to look at him. "It's fine, Gohan, really. We have an agreement."
"I fucking hate that word," he vented roughly without thinking. Her eyes widened a bit in surprise but it was the truth, as crude and unrefined as it came out. That agreement was what allowed him this moment of intimacy, and though he loved it more than he could ever put into words, it was the worse thing for his mental health and spirit. Before the agreement he could simply withhold information under the pretext that he didn't owe it to her - although their ties were already morally binding, in his mind - but now, every thing he didn't say was bad as a lie. He sighed, staring into her gorgeous blues. "That was rude, I'm sorry. It's just that… I don't want you to be stuck with me because we have a verbal contract of some sort."
"I'm not stuck with you."
"I kinda feel like you are. That agreement forces you to be with me, no questions asked, and as a reward all you get is more doubts and confusion."
"That's not all I get…" she corrected before leaning closer and closer. "It's in our contract that I am entitled to as many of your heavenly kisses as I want, so…" That sexy grin was magic and brought his right up from his funk. One kiss, then another, and a handful more until she shifted positions again, sitting on his lap.
What had he been saying? He wanted to make his point, or to throw in some witty remark about how she must've hidden that bit with the rest of the incomprehensible lawyer mumbo-jumbo, but it ended up slipping his mind. It was those lips' fault, and the delicious way she was arching her back, plumping out her breasts against his chest. Damn it, this was too easy for her! As effortlessly as a snap of the fingers and there he was, left at her mercy with nowhere to hide. Fat chance he'd want to, anyway.
In a few minutes the heat had increased, and dear God in heaven she let out a tiny little moan that revved up his heart rate to the thousands. Though it revved up something else too, he noticed. Down there. Shit, how in the world could a single tone of sound make him this crazy and ready for… much, much more. Whatever she would gracefully lend him.
He couldn't resist. His hand had to move, threading sluggishly from her back, to her waist, and intending to dash down to her wonderful hip, but it got caught by the feeling of the hot strip of skin showing up at her belly. Like luscious warm silk. It was calling for him to have it, to explore every inch of it and chart it thoroughly, every plateau and ridge of her surprisingly defined abs. Now he wanted to see them. And lick them? ... Yeah, lick them.
But right then, the familiar pang.
It's not right, you're taking advantage of her, she doesn't know who you are, and all those others. Her kissing was getting more passionate, and she moaned once more, so he put a stop to it by fisting his hand and taking his lips away from hers to the safety of her elbow. It wasn't getting any easier, denying her flesh, but alas he was getting much better at it, wasn't he? I'm sorry, Vi.
In the very next moment, she surprised him with a rushed, "I-I'm sorry." She jumped off of his lap and stood nervously in front of him, a hand to her temple while averting her gaze to anywhere but his figure. "Do you want something to eat? I make some killer popcorn. With orange zest, and some sugar, and-"
"Vi," he interrupted, taking her hands when she stopped talking and bringing her down to his side once more. Their eyes connected, hers were apologetic. "It's not you, it's just-"
"I know," she injected. "I just keep thinking this is a normal relationship, but It's not. And I'm okay with it but…" She sighed, staring bashfully at his hands while massaging them with her thumbs. "I know it will take time. I just missed you so much."
Gently, he lifted her chin up. "I missed you too, Vi," Gohan half-whispered. If only you knew how much… They smiled at each other, and then kissed one last time before intuitively drifting back into their original positions. The movie was still going but he didn't even remember what it was about anymore. As he returned to previous relief of her warmth and the apples of her hair, his father's content smile was long lost on his lips, living only in that distant memory of the past. Simply because that comfort was bringing a different feeling now.
Something had changed… Physically or mentally he wasn't sure, but something had cracked deep inside, flooding his being with the kind of absolute certainty like he hadn't felt in forever. The kind he remembered feeling way back then, when his father was still alive. Staring vacantly at the flatscreen, there was nothing else he was able to think of other than it. The final verdict.
One day had been enough to make up his mind. There were no more doubts.
He couldn't do this to her.
I'm sorry if it felt like a filler chappie, but it had to be done. There were some pieces of information in there that I needed you guys to know, and of course I had to account for this "one day". The next installment will make up for it, I promise. :D
The most important chapter of the story so far? Yeah, you could call it that. :P
Please review!