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

Paradise

For the rest of the week, Videl visited Gohan's house every day after school to practice ki sensing. She improved quickly, according to Gohan. By the end of the next day, she could easily use his energy to follow him wherever he moved with no lapses in concentration. After that, they got rid of the blindfold and worked on being able to sense ki throughout the various distractions provided by having her sight.

Once she got used to that, they started playing a game of follow the leader in Satan City. Gohan would leave to wander the city while she waited in his apartment, trying to keep track of his ki. A minute later, she would set off and follow him as long as she could within the crowded metropolis. At first, she found it nearly impossible not to lose his ki signature amidst the masses of people. Gradually, though, she learned to tune out the energy from everyone but her desired target. As she did, she lasted longer and longer until finally, when she managed to stick with Gohan on his convoluted path all the way back to his apartment.

In the evenings, she did her standard training in the gym in her house with one difference: She still wore her weights. Despite the added 35 pounds, she did her best to do everything in her normal routine. It was brutal, especially at first. Her body was utterly exhausted for the better part of three days. She didn't give up though, and by the end of the week, she had grown somewhat accustomed to the added weight. No longer did she have to push herself to her breaking point just to do some basic exercises. She was fortunate that the police hadn't called her for assistance during the roughest patch. She didn't know if she could have helped them if they had.

Now it was Friday and school was nearly over. All that was left was gym. Gohan still insisted that she spend the time meditating, since they were no longer doing that during their sessions outside of school. She was expecting no different today. When she entered the gymnasium, however, Krillin had gathered everyone together instead of in their usual pairs.

"Today is your last day of martial arts training," he announced. "Starting next week, you will be returning to your regular curriculum with your real instructor."

The class let out a collective sigh of disappointment. Everyone had enjoyed learning martial arts and had come to love Krillin. Even Sharpner had gotten past his wounded pride and looked up to him more than anyone else, except Mr. Satan, of course.

"Because this is our last day together," Krillin continued, "We will be having a tournament to see how far you've come. The winner will get a prize."

The crowd of students burst into a dull roar and everyone began talking at once. Most of the jocks, including Sharpner, were excited to get started. Some of the girls whined that it was unfair to have to go against guys. Through it all, there seemed to be a consensus that it wasn't much of a competition. Videl would win, naturally.

"What's the prize?" one student piped up.

"My autograph, of course!" Krillin responded immediately, flashing a peace sign and a cheesy grin. Everyone groaned, but couldn't help but laugh at the antics of the goofy teacher they had come to love. "Alright, let's begin."

As Krillin announced the first match ups, Videl looked at Gohan. She wondered if he would be participating along with everyone else. She didn't have to wait long before Krillin gave her the answer to that.

"To speed things up, we'll have two matches going on at a time. Gohan will act as the second referee. Remember the rules. If you're down for ten seconds, give up, or go out of bounds, or you lose. And I can call the match at any time if I think it's getting out of hand. Remember, no hitting below the belt. You will be suspended, or worse."

Krillin started the tournament immediately, leaving the class little time to get over their shock at Gohan being made judge. Videl wasn't surprised at all, just disappointed. Without Gohan, there was nobody who stood a chance against her. Sighing, she resigned herself to the prospect of a boring tournament.

And it was. As she expected, she made it to the final match with almost no effort at all. Half of her opponents simply surrendered rather than try to fight the daughter of Hercule Satan. The other half she didn't even have to hit. She just maneuvered them to the edge of the arena and pushed them out just as Krillin had once done to her.

The final match was against Sharpner. She was moderately surprised and happy for her friend. He had done remarkably well up to this point. Unfortunately for him, this was the end of the line. As soon as the Krillin called start, Sharpner rushed at her in typical brutish form. She simply had to sidestep, deliver a light knee to his gut, and give him a firm push out of the ring as he was keeled over.

"And our winner is Videl!" Krillin announced.

She really had gotten better, Videl remarked to herself as everyone cheered for her. She was able to keep calm and think rationally when she fought, now, instead of letting the adrenaline get to her head. She saved a lot of energy that way.

"Now for your prize," Krillin said. Videl tried to seem honored as she waited to receive his autograph. While she respected Krillin as a fighter, autographs weren't really her thing. To her surprise, though, the corners of his mouth raised in a mischievous grin. "You get to fight Gohan!"

Videl blinked, not sure if he had heard him correctly. One look at Gohan told her he had been blindsided as well. Surprisingly, though, he began to walk slowly into the ring where she stood. Was he really going to fight her?

"Do you really want to fight, Videl?" he asked so softly that only she could hear. Something told her that he would fight her if she wanted, but he did not sound happy at the idea. When she looked in the eyes, she could the pain behind them. She unconsciously clutched her hand until it began to shake.

She didn't get it. This was the chance she'd been waiting for, the chance to get a first-hand look at what Gohan could do. She had wanted to fight him for weeks. Now that she was presented with opportunity on a silver platter, she never would she have imagined that she would be so hesitant to take it. Why did she care so much about this one boy?

"I forfeit," Videl said loudly, her eyes never leaving Gohan's. To everyone else, he probably appeared his normal stoic self, but she could see the relief that washed over him as soon as she said those words. She knew she had done the right thing.

Ignoring the whispered comments and speculations of her classmates, she turned and headed to the women's locker room. She hadn't been there thirty seconds before Erasa followed her in and cornered her.

"You like Gohan."

Videl tried to contain her groan. Not again.

Videl and Gohan would often walk together to his apartment after school for her training. It only made sense, since they were going to the same place anyway, but ever since Erasa discovered that little fact, Videl had been forced to endure no end of teasing from her nosy best friend. Videl insisted that he was just training her, but Erasa was relentless and had an unrivaled imagination.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Videl tried to feign ignorance.

"Don't try to play dumb with me. I've seen the way you look at him ever since you went on that date. And now you're alone with him every day after school."

"I told you, we're just training."

"Are you sure?" Erasa asked deviously. "That's an awful lot of time to be alone in a guy's apartment. I wouldn't be surprised if you two had already—"

"Gross, Erasa! We haven't even been in his apartment very much lately. We go outside for at least—"

"Outside? You really are a naughty one, Videl," Erasa teased with a wink. Videl let out an exasperated sight and pushed past her perverted friend to finish getting dressed.

"In any case," she said as she pulled on a fresh shirt, "Even if I did like him, Gohan's my teacher now."

"So?"

"So, it would mess things up if I told him that I like him." Videl froze, immediately wishing she had just kept her mouth shut.

"Ha! So you admit you like him!" Erasa shouted triumphantly. Videl sighed. She had lost. In the sparring ring, she was nearly invincible, but in a war of words, Erasa had the clear advantage.

"Maybe," she admitted. Deep down, she had known it for a long time, but had tried to deny it. Finally saying it out loud felt kind of freeing. "But it anyway, it makes no difference."

"It makes all the difference!" Erasa exploded. "You just need to tell him how you feel. I've seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one else is watching. He likes you. And I'm sure he'd love to do a different kind of 'training' with you, if you let him."

Videl shut her locker with a slam and jerked her head around to look her friend. Erasa's final nasty comment barely registered in her brain, too shocked after hearing what came before it.

"Gohan likes me?" she asked softly, as much to herself as to Erasa.

"No doubt about it. I can tell these kinds of things," the busybody assured confidently.

Videl's mind was on hyper-drive, racing through everything Gohan and said and done since they met. Nothing seemed to give any indication that he thought of her as any more than a friend. The only thing that seemed odd was that she was the only one he had allowed to get close to him at all. But that was just because she was so persistent, wasn't it?

In a daze, she slowly walked out of the locker room, barely aware of Erasa calling her name from behind. Her body on autopilot, she made her to the school exit and walked about a block until she reached the spot she normally met Gohan to walk together to his apartment. Gohan was already there, waiting for her. As soon as she arrived, he started walking without so much as a greeting.

Videl usually looked forward to these walks. For a short time, they were not teacher and pupil. They were just normal friends, walking home from school and talking about homework, movies, and the like. Gohan, while still by no means a chatterbox, always seemed more relaxed when they talked about something other than martial arts and his past. Today, though, they made the trip in silence. She was always the once who started the conversations, and she didn't know quite how to talk to him anymore after what Erasa had told her. Plus, Gohan seemed to be even more withdrawn than usual, so even if she tried, she doubted she could get him to talk much.

When they reached the front of his apartment complex, Gohan unexpectedly told her to wait outside. He went in the building for a few minutes and returned with a capsule in his hand.

"We're going on a trip," he informed her, decapsulating the plane they had rode to West City.

"O-Okay." Videl stuttered, mentally cursing herself for getting so flustered just by the sound of his voice. She didn't bother to ask where they were going. She knew she wouldn't get an answer, anyway.

Once they were both in the plane, Gohan took off and headed south. Videl paid little attention to their course, however. Instead, she tried to use the time of the flight to clear her head. She desperately needed to pull herself together. She was acting like some high school girl who just found out her crush liked her. Never mind that she was exactly that. She was Videl Satan, and that meant she had to think rationally.

She took a few deep breaths.

Alright, Videl. Calm down. It doesn't matter if he likes me or not. He's my teacher. It would be a bad idea to get involved with him. If things went wrong, I wouldn't have anyone to teach me these things anymore.

She kept on telling herself that for the rest of the maybe half-hour long flight. By the time they landed, she was determined to simply ignore any attraction she felt towards Gohan and focus on her training. That was what she had been doing up until now, anyway. Determined, she jumped out of the jet onto the soft grass below. Curious to see where they were, she looked around.

"This is…" Words ran dry as Videl stared wide-eyed at her surroundings. She could think of nothing that would adequately describe what she saw.

They stood in the middle of a field of lush, green grass encircled by dense forest as far the eye could see. Tall, purple mountains towered above them to the north, east, and south. The sky to the west was clear, allowing sunlight to fill the valley until set below the horizon. On the east side of the clearing lay a crystal clear lake. The water reflected the azure brilliance of the sky like glass, and the sparkles of refracted sunlight on its surface made it all the more splendorous.

A cool breeze whipped over the mountains and through the valley, rustling through the trees and grass in a grand symphony of nature's own creation. Videl inhaled deeply, savoring the smell of the fresh forest air.

"This is where we will be training, today," The sound of Gohan's voice beside her broke her from her reverie.

It took Videl several moments to respond. Words seemed so vulgar compared to the beauty that she saw around her. Eventually though, she managed to come back to her senses and speak.

"What will we be doing?" she asked.

"Playing tag," he answered. She wasn't positive, but she thought she heard a bit of playfulness in his voice.

"Okaaay," she said, not sure if he was serious. "When do we start?"

"Right now. Tag, you're it." With that, he grabbed both her shoulders and pushed her to the ground with a thud. By the time she got up, Gohan had reached the edge of the clearing and slipped into trees.

I see your game, Videl thought, realization dawning on her. Using her senses, she searched until she found Gohan's ki. When she did, she burst into a sprint in his direction. If it was a chase he wanted, it was a chase he'd get.

"Don't rely on your sight. Follow my energy. It will tell you where I am going faster and more reliably than your eyes or ears." Gohan admonished Videl for the fifth time as he watched her run right past the tree where he was hiding.

"I know!" She shouted, exasperation filling her voice.

They had been at it for nearly an hour already. For the first thirty minutes, Videl had chased after him with the relentless ferocity of a lion closing in on its prey. Even though he used his ki to mute the sound of his movements, she had managed to follow him no matter how many tricks he used to confuse her other senses. Twice, she had even almost caught him, but he had managed to slip away at the last second.

After a while, though, Gohan could tell that exhaustion and frustration were taking their toll on her. She started moving slower and losing track of his ki. Eventually, she was spending more time walking than running. Still, he had to admit that she had surprised him. Her speed was astounding considering she was still wearing the weighted clothes he had given her. More impressive, though, was how fast she had developed her senses. That she had been able to track him for a half an hour while running through dense forest, all after training for less than a week, was incredible.

Videl had come to a complete stop and now simply stood with her hands at her sides, her eyes were closed, and her chin rested on her chest. She looked as if she had fallen asleep standing up, but Gohan knew better. He could still feel her energy burning strongly. Suddenly, her head snapped up and locked her gaze on him. The fire in her eyes had returned.

With no warning, she dashed for the tree and began hopping up its branches with remarkable quickness. Gohan didn't waste any time and immediately set flight, leaping from tree to tree with the agility of a squirrel. Videl followed suit, pursuing him through the tree tops. This surprised him. Up until now, she had kept to the ground as much as possible. She must have decided to change her strategy in a last ditch attempt to catch him.

Alright, my turn, he thought to himself. Using his ki, he summoned a gust of air to stir up the trees ahead of him. As the wind did its toll on the foliage, he went straight into the conflagration of leaves, using it as a cover to hide his movements as he jumped to the ground. Not waiting to see if he had fooled Videl, he set off at full speed in the opposite direction. Within seconds, he felt her join him on the ground and give pursuit.

He was breathing hard, now. That little trick with the wind had cost him more than he had expected. With the ki suppressor doing its job, he just didn't have that kind of energy to spare anymore, not when he had been running like this for an hour. He had to admire Videl's persistence. It was a long shot, but at this rate, Videl might actually catch him despite being weighed down and many years less experienced. He decided to give her a chance.

Videl was in hot pursuit as he weaved his way through the trees in the direction of the clearing. He could hear her heavy panting and feel the condensation from her breath. She was close. Putting on a burst of speed, he bulleted out of the forest and into the grassy glade with Videl just a few seconds behind him. It was a sprint to the other side and she was gaining fast. He risked a glance behind his shoulder. The steely look on her face told him he would not make it out of this one, at least not without resorting to flying.

Not one to go out without a fight, though, Gohan made one last ditch effort to escape. Digging his heels into the ground, he strained to increase his speed. It didn't work. Videl was apparently an expert sprinter. Acknowledging his defeat, he slowed down to a trot. Unfortunately, Videl failed to notice his deceleration until it was too late.

She slammed into him in a full-on tackle, throwing them both to the ground. They rolled three or four times in the grass before coming to a stop, dazed and out of breath. Gohan moaned as he tried to reorient himself. He saw Videl right beside him in a similar state. Her pigtails had come undone and her hair was going everywhere, save what was had been plastered to her face by her sweat. Grass was on her clothes and her face.

When her eyes managed to focus, she looked at him, spitting out a piece of grass that had made it into her mouth. Gohan couldn't hold it in. He chuckled softly before abruptly bursting into an all-out laugh attack. Videl joined him in short order and they both laughed hysterically until their sides hurt and they were having difficulties breathing. Even when they finally recovered, they continued to break out in random bursts of chuckles for several minutes.

"That's the first time I've heard you laugh like that" Videl noted, turning on her side to face him.

"This is the first time I've really laughed in a long time," he told her, rolling over to a similar position. For a while, they said nothing, enjoying the moment together in silence. Laying there with Videl, Gohan felt that feeling of happiness return and lips turned up in a smile of contentment. He found himself wishing that this moment would never end.

On an impulse, he reached out and grabbed Videl's hand. Her eyes widened, but she didn't pull away. His own pulse quickened substantially, but he didn't shy away.

"I want to show you something," he told her. Rising to his feet, he helped Videl up. "Follow me."

Gohan began pulling her along in the direction of the lake. Once she started following him, he let go of her hand and broke into a light jog along the edge of the water. The lake extended nearly a mile into the forest, with the far end bordered by a sheer rock wall. Slowing down to a walk, he led Videl along the cliff wall for another mile. The ground sloped gently upward until they were high enough to double back along the top of the plateau. Finally, the trees around them grew fewer and fewer until they broke out of the forest and reached their destination. He stepped to the side to allow Videl an unobstructed view.

She gasped. They stood on an overhang with a panoramic view of the entire valley. It was like a painting. The brilliant blue of the lake and subtle greens of the grass and trees were framed on either side by the majestic blue-grays and white of the snowcapped mountains. The sun hung low in the horizon, bathing the land in soft yellow light and casting long shadows on the ground.

"I come here when I just need to be alone and think," Gohan said. He had found this hidden gem of Mt. Paozu two year after the Cell Games while wondering around after a particularly vivid nightmare. It was his own private hideaway. Sharing it now with Videl was immensely personal, but somehow it felt right.

"It's incredible," Videl said with wonder, never taking her eyes from the view before her, as if she thought it was a mirage that would disappear the moment she looked away. Slowly, she advanced forward, each footstep stretching on like she was walking through mud. Less than ten feet from the edge, a log lying on the ground served as a crude bench. She plopped down onto it, her legs simply collapsing under her. Joining Videl on the log, he looked out at the familiar landscape. For a while, they were content to simply drink in the beautiful scenery in silence.

He had never imagined bringing Videl here of all places. This was his private sanctuary. He couldn't count the number of hours he had spent in this very spot, wishing he could go back to redo everything, wanting to cry tears that wouldn't come, staring at this same horizon looking for solace but finding none.

Sitting there with Videl, however, he could almost forget about all of that. In its place was a fragile peace that he wished could last forever. Tearing his eyes from the horizon, he let them rest instead on Videl. Just watching her as she sat, entranced by the beauty before her and unaware of his gaze, he knew. It was because of her. Somehow, just being in her presence made him feel lighter. Happier. More alive.

"Do you love her?" Piccolo's words rang in his mind. To be honest, Gohan didn't know exactly what it meant to 'love' someone. He did know that he couldn't imagine a life without her, or rather the life he imagined was one he refused to accept. The thought of ever losing Videl, of ever having to go back to the life he had before he met her…it scared him. What made it worse, the closer he got to her, the more painful it would be if something were to happen. Like with his father…

He may very well love Videl, but what good was that if he couldn't protect her? Even if he could bring himself to accept his power again, she wasn't some damsel in distress that would passively accept his help. No, if he knew Videl, she would resent the idea of him constantly protecting her. She would insist on continuing to fight criminals, no matter the risk to her life. That meant he only had one choice.

He made a decision. He would no longer deny his feelings for Videl, and he would do everything he could to keep her safe. But before he did any of that, there was one thing he had to do.

"Thank you," he blurted, finally voicing the gratitude he had felt all day. Videl, broken from her trance by the sudden noise, turned and stared at him blankly while her mind switched gears to process what he had said.

"What for?" she asked.

"For earlier today," he explained.

"But I didn't do anythi—"

"You gave up the match so I wouldn't have to fight. That meant a lot to me." He reached out and grabbed her hand like before. Holding it tightly, he tried his best to convey his sincerity through that simple contact. To his disappointment, she pulled away, looking anywhere but at him. Embarrassed, Gohan returned his gaze to the horizon.

He felt foolish. He had been so wrapped up in his own head that he hadn't even considered what Videl was thinking. He was beginning to understand how he felt about Videl, but that didn't mean she felt the same way. In fact, her obvious discomfort said just the opposite. To her, he was nothing more than her teacher, someone who could make her stronger, a means to an end.

But that didn't matter. Even if his feelings were one-sided, that didn't change what he had to do. It was wrong of him to expect more from her, especially when he was acting as her teacher. With more determination than he had possessed in a long time, he stood up.

"I'm going to make you strong, Videl," he declared. "Stronger than you could ever imagine."

That's it for this chapter. This one was a bit longer than most. In fact, I'd have to check for sure but I'm pretty sure it's either my longest chapter yet or right up there. That means you got even more to read this week. Isn't that great? :)

As always, thanks for reading and please review. A lot of writing and re-writing went into making this chapter, so I'm particularly interested to know how you thought it turned out (glaring typos, writing style, pacing, overall feel, etc.). Plus, this story is getting really close to 200 reviews. I'd love to see it reach that mark before I post the next chapter. It would make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside (Not that all your reviews don't already make me feel warm and fuzzy, haha).

Well that's it for now, so without further ado, my current schedule for the last few chapters.

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

No changes as of yet. I'm starting to get behind, though. I have two more chapters to write and only two weeks to do it. Give how busy I'm going to be with work and other stuff, that will be a challenge, but I want to do absolutely everything I can to finish it by the 31st for reasons I'll probably let you know next week.

Until then!