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

Getting Ready

Boy:

Five minutes before Videl was supposed to pick him up at seven, Gohan got up and threw on the nice jeans and button-down shirt Erasa had bought him. Then, all he did was brush his teeth and put on some deodorant and he was done. It was 6:58, so he went back to meditating until she arrived.

Girl:

Three hours beforehand, Erasa came over to begin the process of getting Videl ready, very much against her will.

To start off, Erasa sent her to deep cleaning, meaning a long, steaming bath accompanied by intensive shampoo and conditioning and extensive scrubbing of every path of skin on her body. When she returned, her friend was waiting with clothes. A strapless bra and a matching pair of panties went on first, followed by the dress they had picked on earlier that week.

With the basics covered, Erasa turned to more detailed matters: hair and makeup.

The hair came first to avoid smearing the makeup later on. Videl simply sat in a chair as Erasa worked her magic. Every hair care device imaginable came out of her friend's bag of wonders. A hair dryer, pins, combs, brushes, rollers, hair ties, headbands…Videl had no idea what half of the stuff was for. In no time at all—or rather after an extended period of time during which she would have fallen asleep if it weren't for the constant tugging at her hair—it was done. "Perfect," in the words of the blonde stylist.

Makeup took nearly as long. Erasa apparently considered her face as a canvas for her next masterpiece. Videl did a lot of begging and complaining to try to get her overeager friend to keep her recognizable. Heavy makeup was not her thing, and she didn't think it was Gohan's thing either. That last point, made in desperation, was what finally persuaded the makeup Nazi. So, Erasa kept it simple—foundation, a bit of mascara, some subtle lipstick, and the like.

For the finishing touches, Videl received some nail polish on her hands and feet as well as a pair of elegant high-heeled sandals that matched her outfit perfectly. She could barely walk, but Erasa informed her she looked "gorgeous."

By the time they were done, it was well past six o'clock. Soon, she would have to leave to pick up Gohan. Before she did, though, it was girl-talk time. She still was nervous about how to act on a date. As much as she knew she would regret it, she had decided to go to Erasa for advice. She knew a heck of a lot more about dating and boys than Videl did. Maybe she could grant her some insight into how to get into boys' heads.

"What do I do, Erasa?" she put it bluntly.

"What do you mean 'what do you do?'"

"Tonight."

"Simple, you pick Gohan up, eat dinner, and talk with him."

"But what do we talk about? What should I say?"

"Lots of things. It's a date; get to know each other," Erasa instructed.

"Get to know each other?" Videl scoffed, "And how do you suppose I do that? He won't tell me anything about himself."

"So?"

"That annoys me. He's hiding something."

"Maybe, but what makes you think you have the right to know what he's hiding?"

"I have every right—!"

Erasa cut her off, "Look, Vi. The fact of the matter is that people have secrets. You can't just expect a person to give you a detailed account of their life to an essential stranger."

"I never asked for his whole life story!" Videl objected.

"But you won't be satisfied until you get it. I know that and he knows that."

Videl was about to protest, but a look from Erasa shut her up. "Alright, I admit it. So what do I do to get him to open up?"

The impish girl perked up at the opportunity to share her questionable tactics. "There are lots of ways to get a boy to tell you something. The most surefire one would require a hotel reservation and some slight changes in your attire. Let's see, first we could…"

Videl did not like where her friend's mind was headed. "No way," she interrupted, "Try again."

The excited girl huffed at being shot down. "I swear! You're such a prude." She thought for a moment. "If that's the case, you could try telling him about yourself. Let him get to know the real you. Then he might trust you enough to show you the real him."

She frowned at this response and subconsciously adjusted her dress. She did not like the idea of opening up to anyone. The only ones she felt comfortable enough to let into her life were her father—for all the good that did—and her friends Erasa and Sharpner, and that was only because they knew her before the Cell Games.

"Got any other ideas?" She asked without much hope of getting the answer she wanted.

"Not that you'd approve of."

Videl rolled her eyes. "Thanks for nothing."

"You're welcome!" Erasa replied enthusiastically, "Now go get him!"

Videl got into one of her many cars and headed towards Gohan's place. On the way, she thought over what Erasa had said. Maybe she was right. Maybe she should let Gohan know a little bit about herself. After all, she didn't want to trust someone she didn't know anything about, why would Gohan? Still, she was nervous to actually go through with it. Better to save it as a last resort. Until then, she would continue with her own plans.