Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or any of its characters

Tea for Two

The next day, as Gohan was walking to school, he heard shouting and screaming a few blocks away. He quickly ran to see what was the matter. He came to a stop before Satan Bank, which was surrounded by police cars. He was stunned to see Videl fighting a group of bank robbers. Gohan stood amazed as Videl jumped up and planted a double footed kick to the chest of one of the men, then backflipped off of him to give a strong knee to the back of the man behind her. She twirled around to come face to face with the last of the criminals, who was holding a pistol to her face.

He didn't get the chance to fire before Videl swiftly used her right hand to knock the weapon out of his hands. Before the man could react, she twisted his arm over and swept his legs out from under him. He landed with a thud on the pavement. The police came over and cuffed the men she had just defeated.

Gohan walked away, slightly stunned to see one of his classmates fighting criminals. But, given what he had seen from Videl at school, it wasn't all that surprising. The suspicious looks, prodding questions, and stalking, for lack of a better word, all fit perfectly with this new discovery.

Interesting, he thought, How does the daughter of the most famous person on Earth get involved with crime-fighting? What an odd girl.

Gohan got to his first class right on time. Ten minutes later, Videl walked in, immediately apologizing for her tardiness.

"No need, Miss Satan, we are well aware of the importance of your work with the police. Go ahead and take your seat."

Gohan did not bring up the subject until lunch with her, Erasa, and Sharpner.

"So, what kind of work do you do for the police, Videl?" he asked plainly after he had finished his food.

"I stop all the criminals that they are having a hard time with. I'm like their clutch hitter."

"That must be dangerous."

"I can take care of myself," she huffed, "Being the daughter of the Champ has its advantages. I've been studying martial arts since I was seven."

"That's right," Sharpner interjected, "My babe's the strongest person alive, except of course Mr. Satan."

Videl jabbed him sharply in the gut. "I'm not your babe."

Gohan continued on as if nothing had happened, "It shows."

"What?" Videl's turned and glared at him—her 'What are you talking about' glare, not her 'I'm going to kill you unless to do what I say' glare.

"You did a very good job with those bank robbers this morning." Videl's mouth rounded into a surprised 'o.' Gohan stood up to take his leave. "But I have a question. What happens when you don't see the gun in time?"

Videl was left speechless.

Gohan again performed well in gym. He caught a couple pop flies and even made a double play. Batting, he managed to get another home run as well as several doubles and triples. And of course, he never struck out.

Throughout the entire game, Videl had one question in her mind.

Who are you Son Gohan?

That afternoon, she again followed him to his apartment, taking care to stay out of sight. It was Apartment 102, so it had to be on the first floor. A few minutes after Gohan entered, Videl saw movement in one of the windows.

That must be him.

Unfortunately, she couldn't get close enough to see clearly without the possibility of Gohan noticing her. She could not afford that, so she returned home, planning to bring binoculars the next day.

Inside, Gohan followed his daily ritual. He did his homework and studied extra material. He ate dinner, which was substantially smaller than a normal Saiyan dinner. His appetite had decreased once he stopped his training, but he could still eat a hearty meal better fit for four people. Finally, he settled in for a night of meditation before finally hitting the hay.

School fell into a predictable routine for the rest of the week. Gohan, Videl, Erasa, and Sharpner ate lunch under the same tree every day. They soon got used to the unusual amount of food that they ate. While they were eating, his friends asked him some questions about himself, which he would try to answer as best he could without revealing something important. But it seemed to them like he would never answer anything the way one would expect.

On the fourth day of school, Sharpner asked, "So where'd you learn to play baseball so good? It doesn't seem like something someone like you would be good at."

"Someone like me?" Gohan questioned, a wry smile on his face.

"Yeah, you know, a book nerd."

"I see," Gohan chuckled lightly and looked away. With this eyes staring into space, he droned, "I can see why you would think of me like that. You want to put me in a category. Make me simple. But you're forgetting two things. First, people are not simple. They don't always fit in neat boxes. Second, people can change and they often do. You do not know everything about who I am, Sharpner, and you don't know who I have been."

Done with his impromptu lecture, Gohan looked back at Sharpner and smiled slightly. "To answer your question, an old friend of my father taught me to play baseball."

Everyone was a little off-put by the sudden change in mood. Videl had listened intently and filed the conversation in her mental 'figure out Gohan' list. He clearly had many secrets—a fact which she hated. As far as she was concerned, anyone with that many secrets could not be trusted. She would tolerate him for now, but that was it.

Gohan continued to excel in baseball—he was now the most desirable player with the exception of Videl, who was helped considerably by being famous. Videl followed him home every afternoon and set to watching through his window with a pair of binoculars. She would come by once in a while at different times of the day. She, of course, thought Gohan had no idea, and she might have been right, if not for the fact that he could sense her energy.

She didn't see much. Though she had a great view into the apartment, all she saw was Gohan at his desk, studying. He occasionally got up to get a snack, or went to the bathroom, but he gave no indication that he did anything else after school than what he had said. As far as she could tell, he never left the apartment except to go to school. By the end of the week, Videl was less than convinced she would find anything about Gohan this way.

On Friday, though, things would change. Videl was stationed in her usual spot across the street, watching as Gohan approached his building as usual. As he stood in front of the door, however, she heard the words that would change things forever.

"Would you like to come in?"

He didn't even turn around. For a second, Videl questioned whether he had even said it, but then he said her name in his characteristically mellow voice.

"Videl, would you like to come in?"

Stunned, she didn't know what to do, so she simply started towards the building. Just as she reached the other side of the street, Gohan slipped through the door. Videl had to hurry to catch up to him. She just saw him entering his apartment, leaving the door open for her. Inside, Gohan was in the kitchen.

"Would you like some tea?" he asked.

"Uh, sure," she relied tentatively, examining the room.

The place was small. A kitchen with the basics was in front of her, with a table that functioned both as a make-shift island for the kitchen and a dining room table. To the left of the kitchen were two doors, which she assumed led to a bathroom and his bedroom. The desk she had seen him at was to her right, and there was a couch underneath her peephole window. There was no television. Nor was there any sign of pictures of family and friends, at least that she could see.

"Take a seat. The couch is fine," Gohan interrupted her silent inspection.

Doing as she was told, Videl looked to see Gohan approaching with two steaming mugs. He handed one to her, then settled onto the opposite end of the sofa.

"Careful, it's pretty hot," Gohan warned, but didn't seem to heed his own warning, immediately taking a sip of the scalding liquid. "Well?"

"I-er-I…I don't," Videl couldn't seem to find her words, something which rarely happened. "How long have you known?" What she was referring to was obvious.

"Since the first day," came the plain reply.

"But that's impossible! I was so careful…" She paused. "Wait, you're not mad?

Gohan smiled gently, "What would that accomplish? Anger only serves to blind you. While it can spur you on and give strength to your body, it clouds your mind and…" Gohan trailed off as he lost himself in painful recollections. He took another sip of tea and redirected his attention toward Videl. "What's done is done. I understand your suspicious nature—your fame and your work with the police require it of you. However, I do suggest you try a more direct approach. We are here. What would you like to know?"

Videl was gaining confidence. "Alright, then. If you want me to be blunt…I want to know everything! Who are you now, and who have you been?"

Gohan was genuinely surprised. "Ah, you have been paying attention. Unfortunately, we don't have time for me to tell you everything. Besides," he reminded her, "as you undoubtedly have noticed, there are things that I wish to keep hidden. I have secrets that affect people beyond just myself, and memories that I do not want to relive. I'm sorry if that bothers you, but that's just the way it is."

Videl scowled, looking daggers at the secretive character that had come into her life. "Then what can you tell me?"

"Let's find out, shall we?" Gohan said almost playfully. As he took another sip from his mug, he leaned back in his chair. "There's no time like the present, so let's start there. What do you want to know?"

Videl thought for a moment, "Well, first of all, what do you do here every day? When Sharpner asked if you were going to study all day, you told him 'more or less.' What was that supposed to mean?"

Gohan looked at her with an odd look on his face. "I see this is going to be a very detailed Q and A. I'm afraid you're reading too much into what I said. I really haven't done much of anything but study this week. I only said 'more or less' because I also spend a bit of time meditating, which could be considered a different type of studying."

Videl blinked. Meditating?

"By the look on your face, I'd say you've never tried meditation."

"Uh…no." She was a bit weirded out by the idea.

"I suggest you do. It's excellent for calming the mind and controlling your emotions, both invaluable skills for a fighter such as yourself."

"What do you know about fighting?" Videl demanded, her eyes narrowing. It infuriated her that this essential stranger would dare to give her, the daughter of the strongest man in the world and most likely the second strongest person in the world herself, advice about fighting. Who did he think he was?

"No need to be offended," flashing his trademark disarming smile. Videl did not notice the trace of regret in his eyes. "Let's move to another subject. What other burning questions do you have in your mind?"

Videl was still pissed, but decided to let it go for the moment. "Fine, do you ever leave your apartment besides for school?"

"Yes. I have a job to pay for all this, but I requested the week off so that I could get adjusted to the new school."

"Where do you work?"

Gohan finished off his tea and took the mug to this sink. He replied cryptically, "Oh, you'll find out eventually. I'm sure of it." Videl scoffed. From the kitchen, he motioned towards her untouched tea. "You should probably drink that. It's getting cold."

Videl looked down and realized she had forgotten about the tea entirely. She took a large gulp as Gohan returned and pulled up his office chair.

Just as he was getting comfortable, Videl brought out the big guns. "Who is your father and why doesn't he live with your mother?"

She saw the normally relaxed boy tense slightly before leaning back in the chair. There was silence for a few moments as Gohan appeared to be considering what to say. In the end, he sighed.

"I think that's enough questions for today. How about you return the favor and answer some of mine?"

Videl was not happy. She glared at him for a few seconds, but that proved ineffective as always.

"If we have to," she muttered.

"Great, I only have two questions. First, how and why did you start your police work?"

Videl was surprised by his line of questioning. "Why do you want to know that?" No answer. "Fine, I started about two years ago when these two guys tried to rob a movie theater I was at. I kicked butt and took names, and the police asked if I wanted to work with them. I accepted, and I slowly got called more and more. There really was no why. It just sort of…happened."

"There is always a why, Videl," Gohan let the observation hang in the air for a few seconds, "We'll move on. My second question is this: Do you like having a famous father?"

The question hovered over Videl's head like a dark cloud. Of all the questions he could have asked. How could this boy seem to see right into her soul and find all the sensitive areas? Trying to escape his inscrutable gaze, she hung her head and examined the carpet with great detail. Dark memories swirled around in her head: All the slutty fangirl her father had brought home, the missed school and sports events, the manipulative friends only trying to get to her father. The list ran on and on. It all hurt. A lot.

Gohan saw the pain he had caused the girl in front of him and felt horrible. He wanted to do something—anything—to soothe her, but didn't know what. He decided it would be best to give her some space. Piercing through her veil of self-pity, he said, "It's okay. Why don't you go home now? I think I've given you enough to think about."

Videl closed her eyes and nodded. It took her several seconds to will herself to stand up slowly. She knew if she spoke or looked him in the eyes, she'd break down, and she'd be damned if she let anyone see her cry. Respectfully, Gohan took her mug and led the miserable girl to the door.

"We'll talk again sometime else. See you at school."

Videl left without a word, utterly shaken by the unexpected turn in their conversation.

Thanks again for all your support. It's been really encouraging. I hope you like this chapter. It should start to pick up a little from here on as Gohan and Videl start to have more interaction and the characters start to develop. In theory, anyway. As always, make sure to review. I welcome all suggestions, even if you're just pointing out a typo that I missed. Feel free to ask questions as well. What I would most appreciate, however, is comments on writing style and how you think I can improve. That is really going to be my focus as I move on in the story.