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

Ki

Standing in the middle of Gohan's apartment, blindfold secured tightly around her head, Videl felt vulnerable. The thick fabric assured not a speck of light could reach her eyes, leaving her unable to see anything that was happening around her. Her only hint was the soft sound of Gohan's footsteps as he pattered steadily in a circle around her.

There were very few people with whom she would willingly put herself in this position—her dad and maybe Erasa—and it surprised her that she wasn't more anxious with Gohan. It just went to show how much she had come to trust her new teacher, despite herself. Ordinarily, she would not even begin to trust someone with as many secrets as Gohan. Something about him, though, made her forget her normal misgivings when dealing with other people, in particular with boys.

"All right, let's begin," Gohan's disembodied voice broke her train of thought. "Your goal is to always keep your face towards me as I move, without relying on your other senses like sound or smell."

"So I use this 'sixth sense' thing like I did with that robber?" Videl asked. She had told him of her encounter, unaware that he had been observing her the whole time.

"Exactly. Now, clear your mind like before."

Videl closed her eyes despite the fact that the blindfold made it pointless. She focused on taking nothing by slow, deep breaths as she had become accustomed to doing. Gohan continued to pace around her as she focused. After allowing her a few minutes, he gave her further instructions.

"This time, instead of focusing inward, shift your attention outward. Hear the sound of my footsteps. Smell the subtle scent of the tea I brewed. Take everything in from your surroundings without trying to decide what's important. Get rid of all the thoughts that distract you and simply feel the world around you."

Just a few days ago, she would have had no idea how to start following Gohan's strange instructions. After the crazy hyper-awareness she had experienced the previous day, though, she was beginning to get a feel for meditation. As a result, it took relatively little time to reach a similar state.

This time, however, instead of the narrow focus she had had before, she opened her mind to take in absolutely everything and was nearly overwhelmed by the barrage of sensations. The soft taps of Gohan's footsteps were like hammer blows against the wood floor. The subtle bitter, earthy aroma of the tea was now heavy in the air, adulterated only slightly by the distinct hint of Gohan's own scent.

The constant flood of sensations, both familiar and alien to her, threatened to break her concentration as it had the last time. Fortunately, this time she was less caught off guard and able to maintain control. She slowly began turning to follow Gohan as he circled her, being careful not to lose her focused as she moved for the first time while meditating. Slowly, she continued rotating, his footsteps and scent allowing her to easily track his movements around the room.

Then suddenly, the footsteps stopped and his scent entirely vanished. She stopped, unsure of what was happening. Did he stop moving? But why couldn't she smell him anymore?

No sooner had she thought that than her concentration slipped and everything went back to normal.

"You're still relying on your normal senses."

Videl spun around and ripped her blindfold off to find Gohan standing directly behind her.

"How did you…?"

"Never mind that. Try again. This time, don't use your ears or your nose. Sense my presence like you did with that robber. Do you remember how it felt?"

She tried to go back and remember every detail of that moment. It was more difficult than imagined. Everything had happened almost in an instant.

"I think so. It was sort of a warm feeling, but it wasn't like any heat I've ever felt. There was this sort of buzzing. Kind of like electricity, but not quite. It's hard to describe. I guess it was almost like…" she hesitated, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Like some sort of energy was coming from him or something."

When she had finished, Gohan just stared at her for several long moments. His expression was impossible to read. She quickly became uncomfortable as the silence remained unbroken. Feeling she had to say something, she added, "But of course, that's impossible."

"No," Gohan corrected, walking to kitchen to pour himself a cup of tea. "It is very possible. You surprised me. Not only have you given one of the best descriptions of sensing ki I have ever heard, but you correctly deduced almost exactly what it is. I am impressed, Videl."

Videl felt a thrill of excitement as he praised her. What was more, much to her embarrassment, she couldn't deny the chill that ran down her spine when he said her name like that. She didn't know why. He had said her name countless times before and she hadn't reacted like this. Not wanting to dwell on it, though, she seized upon the foreign word he had used.

"Ki?" she said questioningly.

"To put it simply," Gohan explained, returning with tea in hand, "Ki is exactly as you described—energy. More specifically, it is the life force that is inside every living thing. Most of it is contained within our bodies, but some of it escapes. To the average person, it is undetectable, but with enough practice, anyone can learn to sense it as easily as you can hear my voice right now."

Videl mind raced to process everything he was telling her. It was possible to sense some one's life force? She would have dismissed it as nonsense if hadn't done it herself a few hours earlier. Even now, it sounded like something straight out of a teen fantasy book. But if it were true….. Her mind raced to grasp the implications.

"And you can do this? Sense ki?" She needed to check to make sure.

"I can," he answered, "The ability to sense energy is one of the most useful techniques for a fighter. With it, not only can you tell exactly where your opponent is at any time, you can tell how strong he is"

Videl's eyes widened in surprise. This ki sensing thing would have saved her a world of trouble on more occasions than she could count.

"How far away does it work?"

"Enough questions," Gohan said abruptly, "Try it for yourself."

She resisted the urge to ask more questions. As much as she wanted to find out more about this ability, she also was excited to get started. She wanted to perfect it as soon as possible. So, restraining her curiosity, she put the blindfold on, took a deep breath, and started again.

Like the last time, it took her a few minutes before her senses once again heightened to an extraordinary degree. Like always, it was overwhelming, but she was becoming accustomed to this change, making it easier not to get distracted.

This time, she didn't latch onto Gohan's footsteps or scent—neither was present anyway—instead trying to find him using some other sense entirely. For a long while, there was nothing. It was like he didn't exist.

Minutes could have passed. Or hours. Time lost all meaning as she searched for a trace of Gohan's presence. Eventually, though, she felt it—a familiar hum somewhere deep inside, as if something was seeking entrance to the door of her consciousness. It would have been easy to ignore, but that would be failure. So, cautiously, she opened the door.

Her senses were bombarded with almost electric waves of energy. She instantly ascertained the source and turned 90 degrees to the right to face where she knew that Gohan stood.

"Good," Gohan praised, "I'm going to move now. Don't lose me."

She felt him begin his circuit around her. Somehow, he didn't make a sound, but she could still feel the steady flow of energy coming from him. She turned with him until he suddenly reversed directions. From that point on, she followed as his movements became increasingly chaotic, all the while picking up speed. At one point, it even seemed like jumped above her and landed on the other side, although she had no idea how he could do so without making a sound.

Finally, he came to a stop.

"Excellent job," he complimented her, "You've gotten a feel for it much quicker than I expected."

Videl gave a pleased grin. She was slightly short of breath a little bit dizzy from all the spinning. When she thought of what she had just done, however, all that disappeared as exhilaration bubbled up inside her. The effervescent feeling kept swelling until she had to struggle to prevent it from exploding in a girly squeal right in front of Gohan, which would have been horrifying.

"I can't believe it," she said, doing everything she could to contain her giddiness as she spoke, "How come my father never told me about this?"

"Because he doesn't know about it," Gohan explained.

"What?" Vide was shocked. "But you said anyone can learn it."

"Theoretically, yes, but there are only a handful of people in the world who actually know this technique."

"But my dad's the strongest fighter in the world! Surely he would be—"

"Strength has nothing to do with it. Sensing ki requires exercising the mind, not the body."

Videl was stunned. Despite her father's obvious personality flaws, she had always thought of him as the ultimate fighter. The near impassable hurdle on her way to becoming the strongest. And now there was something that she knew that he didn't—the very idea of it sat heavy in her gut. Was it possible that her dad wasn't as invincible as she thought he was? But he was the man who defeated Cell. The savior of the world. Surely there was some kind of mistake.

Confused, she found herself looking at Gohan. She didn't know if he somehow he guessed what she was thinking, but what he said next helped put her mind at ease despite the clipped tone he spoke with.

"There is much your father does not know, Videl."

Of course. She was stupid to put her father on such a pedestal. He was no god. Of course there would be things he didn't know, just like her and every other fighter. What mattered was not what he didn't know, but what he did know. And that was enough to make him strong enough to beat Cell.

Suddenly, she laughed. She couldn't help it. Her father wasn't perfect, which meant she had a chance to surpass even him one day. And she wouldn't waste her strength like him. She would use all of it to help the people she cared for.

"You're right, Gohan, there is," she said happily. She hadn't felt this hopeful in years. Unable to contain her exuberance, she started hopping lightly on her toes impatiently. "Let's keep going."

Gohan looked at her oddly. He had clearly expected her to react differently, but chose not to comment.

"Okay," he agreed after a short pause, "Now that you got the hang of the basics, it's time to move on. First, we'll work on speed. Meditating is useful for a beginner because it heightens your senses, making it easier to sense energy for someone with no experience. In a fight, though, having to clear your mind every time is impractical. So, your next goal is be able to sense my ki naturally."

"And how do I do that?" Videl asked.

"Practice," he answered, "Practice sensing energy until you become so accustomed to how it feels that you don't need the help of meditation. Eventually, you won't even have to think about it. It will become instinct. For instance, even while I'm talking to you, I know that there are two people walking by the door of this building and one that just walked in."

As he said this, something dawned on her.

"That was how you knew I was following you at the beginning of the year, wasn't it?"

The corners of his mouth raised in a slight smile.

"That is correct."

She finally got an answer to one of things that had been bothering her since she met Gohan. Of course, there were still many more mysteries, but it was still satisfying.

"How long will it take to get that good?" She was intent on reaching that level as soon as possible.

"Patience, Videl. There's no need to rush things."

She did nothing but stare at him in response. He sighed.

"If you're that anxious, we can start immediately. To start with, put the blindfold back on and track me using my ki just like last time."

She obediently tied the cloth around her eyes.

"This time, pay special attention to my energy and try to remember how it feels," Gohan instructed.

She nodded and began to clear her mind again.

Another dizzying session of spinning in circles later, Videl had successfully kept up with Gohan for a second time. At least she assumed she had, since he said nothing to the contrary. She was about to take her blindfold off when he stopped her.

"Wait," he ordered, "Try to sense my ki again without meditating this time. Remember what it felt like and try to find it."

"Alright, I'll try," she said. Concentrating as hard as she could, she tried to find that tendril of energy that she had felt before, but that was easier said than done. Without the hyper-sensitivity she experienced when meditating, everything else seemed to crowd out the tell-tale buzz of Gohan's ki. Frustrated, she released the pent-up breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Relax," Gohan advised, "You're trying to force it like you did with your meditation. Relax your muscles, take deep breaths, and just listen."

Listen? That was an odd term to use. Then again, that was probably the closest description of what it was like to sense ki. Following his advice, she opened her clenched fists and deepened her breathing as she tried to relax her body and 'listen' for Gohan's energy.

It didn't come right away. For a long while, she felt nothing but the mundane sounds and smells of the apartment. Then, in an instant it hit her and she could feel it, plain as day.

"I can feel it!" she exclaimed excitedly. It was like staring at one of those optical illusions with the face hidden within another face. If you just stare at the picture, you'll never see the trick. But if you simply change your perception a little bit, it becomes clear.

"Alright," Gohan said, "Now try to follow me like before."

He moved slower this time, which was good because Videl struggled much more than she had before. Relying entirely on her normal senses, she would occasionally lose track of Gohan's ki for several seconds before she re-adjusted and found him again.

This session was much longer than the previous two, most likely because Gohan could tell she was having difficulties. As time went on, the times when she lost him became rarer, but even by the end, it was a challenge to go more than thirty seconds without slipping up.

"You did very well," Gohan complimented when they were finished.

"Thanks," Videl said somewhat half-heartedly as she removed her blindfold. She was proud at her progress but couldn't help but be somewhat disappointed that she was still frequently losing track of his ki even after all their practice.

"I think that's enough for today," Gohan said, "I'll see you tomorrow at school."

He held his hand out to take the blindfold from her. Without a word, he set about returning the apartment to its normal configuration. She took that as her cue to leave and slipped out of the apartment, giving a perfunctory "bye" before shutting the door behind her.

As soon as the door closed, Gohan let loose a heavy sigh. He wasn't sure he could do this.

He had not expected training Videl to be so painful. Every question she asked, every answer he gave, and every success and failure she had were all reminders of his own time training with Piccolo and his father. The bitter pain of loss and regret accompanied each memory. Add on to that the worries over Videl's safety—not to mention the terror he felt during her near death experience in the gravity room—and he didn't know how much more he could take.

Truthfully, he was beginning to question his decision to train Videl. This was only the third day of training and already he was at the end of his rope. The return of his nightmares only made things worse as well. He had had half a mind to call the whole thing off as she was leaving.

And yet, something had stopped him.

Part of it could have been the dream he had seen that night that felt so long ago when in reality it had been less than a week. He had resolved to follow the path Videl led him on in search of something that would save him. But now, that resolve was in pieces and he more confused than ever.

No, it wasn't the dream. That truth lay not with any midnight vision, but with a very real figure in the light of day: Videl Satan. He couldn't deny part of him enjoyed training Videl. If she could have seen past her blindfold, she would have been shocked to see Gohan floating around, smiling like he rarely did anymore. Seeing her eagerness to learn and delighted wonder when she succeeded made anything else impossible. Somehow, her smile had the power to make him forget everything else that troubled him, at least for a short while. Just being in her presence warmed his heart in a way he had not felt in years. If he had to put a word to it, he was happy.

That small bit of happiness was an oasis in the dry desert he had wandered for seven years. He would be a fool to walk away from it, no matter what he would have to endure to protect it. Even so, he was afraid. Afraid Videl would be snatched right out from under him. Afraid he would do something stupid and push her away. But most of all, he was afraid because he was falling for her, and there was no stopping his downward dive.

He needed help. He was confused, and there was only one person in the universe he knew he could turn to. Putting two fingers to his forehead, he focused his energy and searched for correct ki signature. When he found it, his apartment disappeared before his eyes and was replaced by a rocky desert.

A single figure sat meditating on the cliff. He was wearing a purple gi with a white turban and cloak. "Hello, Gohan," he said in a neutral tone, his voice a deep bass. He turned around, revealing his green skin and pointy ears. The slightest hint of a grin was on his otherwise stoic face. "It's been a while."

"Piccolo," Gohan said warmly. He walked up to the Namekian who had become like a father to him. "I need your help."

He told his mentor everything. About asking Bulma to put the ki suppressor into him and everything that had happened since. Most importantly, he told him about Videl—her efforts to dig into his past, how she had convinced him to train her, and all the confusing emotions he had started to feel when he was around her. Piccolo, having fused with Kami, probably knew some or all of it already, but Gohan desperately needed to tell somebody. Piccolo was the only person he could confide in. He trusted him even more than himself these days. So, he waxed on for nearly thirty minutes, going into every detail

Finally, when he had started to repeat himself, he asked, "What should I do?"

Piccolo sat in silence for a long while before he spoke. "This girl. Do you love her?"

"I don't know," Gohan answered, shaking his ahead, "I don't know how I feel about her. What should I do?"

"I can't answer that. You have to figure out how you feel about this girl and decide for yourself if you're willing to let her go."

"I don't want to let her go, but being with her reminds me of dad." Gohan eyes fell to the ground

Piccolo's eyes softened. Gohan had been his first true friend, the first person to see him as something other a monster. Throughout the years, the bond between the two of them had only grown stronger. He hated to see him in pain. The last seven years had been torment for him as he was forced to watch powerlessly as Gohan suffered through crushing guilt that mere words couldn't break through. Maybe this girl, Videl, was the key. If she was, he couldn't afford to be soft now.

"Sooner or later, you'll have to stop running away," he said sternly. The conversation was over. Gohan absorbed his final reprimand without comment.

"Thank you, Piccolo," he said and then he was gone, leaving Piccolo unsure as to whether the demi-Saiyan had taken his words to heart.

We'll just have to see, thought the Namekian and returned to his meditation.

I'm back as promised. Thank you so much for all the awesome reviews last chapter and I hope you enjoyed this new one. I'd love to hear what you thought. So review...OR ELSE :)

I'll keep it short this time, but just as an update, I'm still trying to stick to the same schedule and finish by the end of August. I haven't fallen hopelessly behind yet, at least, so that's good. Here's my planned updates again. Until next week!

Chapter 22 - 8/16
Chapter 23 - 8/23
Chapter 24 - 8/29
Chapter 25 - 8/30
Epilogue - 8/31