Author's Note: Welcome back everyone! Thank you again for all the support, it really is so amazing to know people enjoy this little project of mine. Today we have a new dynamic we're exploring bit, hopefully to the delight of one of my readers in particular! Otherwise, I tried to make this chapter as sweet and fluffy and comforting and fun as possible! Don't worry; we'll get back into the Black Gloves subplot before too long, not that it's gone away entirely. But I promise it'll have a center-stage conclusion before all's said and done.
Until then, thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy the latest chapter! See you all again next week and enjoy your weekend!
Chapter XIII – Exactly Where I Belong
"You ready Vegeta?"
"Of course I'm ready. I wouldn't be standing here waiting for you if I wasn't."
Bulma rolled her eyes and smirked to herself. When she had enlisted Vegeta's help with this project, she knew he would gripe during the entire process. At least he wasn't outright refusing to help her because he wanted to train this time.
They had commandeered the Gravity Room for their test and Bulma had hooked up the machine she'd managed to recreate; she'd named it the Ki Suppressor. After extensive testing, she had finally come up with a device that might be able to counteract the amplitudes being broadcast by the Suppressor and she needed her husband's help with the experiment. And she had it. What she didn't have was the sunny disposition she'd hoped for.
"It's ridiculous that a device like this even exists in the first place," Vegeta scoffed, clicking his tongue. "The boy's just soft. There's no way a mere piece of machinery will be able to hold down the Prince of all Saiyans."
"Reserve a little judgment, would you? This is some sophisticated tech here; even I'm impressed by it."
"Hmph. When you have no power of your own, it's easy to be amused by toys and trinkets."
"Oh is that so?" Bulma asked, a sly grin creeping across her face. "I guess I was just imagining it when you looked and sounded so concerned back when Gohan and Videl told us what happened."
Vegeta grunted indignantly. "I overestimated the situation back then, that's all."
"It's all right to admit you were worried," she teased, her grin never fading.
"Few things in this universe worry me and I promise you that hunk of garbage isn't one of them."
"Oh lighten up, I'm just messing with you." All she got for her trouble was another indignant huff. Bulma had finally finished hooking up the receiver to the machine and was ready to outfit Vegeta with her prototype. It was a small device; for now she'd just pin it to his bodysuit, but the idea of the design was to eventually outfit the Saiyaman watches with them instead. But to do that, she needed to make sure they actually worked first.
"Okay Vegeta, I'm gonna put this on you. It's the device we're testing. First, we'll see if you can move on your own when I turn on the Ki Suppressor. And then I'll activate this and see if that counteracts the effects the machine has on you."
"You're assuming it will affect me to begin with. I hope I don't disappoint you," he sneered, a cocky grin on his face.
"Why don't we make a bet out of it then?"
"Oh?"
"If you can overcome the Ki Suppressor without my help, then I'll let you train as much as you want for two weeks."
"I already train as much I want."
"Fine, then for two weeks I won't bother you at all while you're training."
"…I'm listening." Bulma laughed before she continued.
"But if you can't do it without my little trinket, then you have to have a date night with me!"
"A what!?"
"You heard me! A date night! Where we go out to dinner and see a movie and do all sorts of romantic things that couples should do!" Vegeta had blushed just slightly and turned away with a huff.
"That sounds utterly ridiculous!"
"Blame Gohan and Videl," she sang, winking playfully. "Watching them have so much fun and go on trips together has me lamenting that I have no romance in my life."
"Pfft. I can't believe you'd expect me to subject myself to that."
"It's only if you lose our bet, right? I thought the Prince of all Saiyans couldn't be held down by a toy," she shot, raising an eyebrow and grinning.
"Fine! You're right after all; there's no way I'll lose this bet."
"Good! It's settled then! Ready?"
"Let's get this over with."
Bulma rolled her eyes again and turned, exiting the Gravity Room and entering the Observation Deck. From here, she could monitor the entire process and get different angles from the cameras set up around the spherical chamber. She had even hidden the machine behind some defensive structures…just in case Vegeta got too angry and blasted the room half to bits.
She leaned towards the microphone that would broadcast her voice into the chamber. "Okay Vegeta, I'll activate the Ki Suppressor and let's see the way you react to it. We already heard Gohan's account of it, so be prepared for it. He said it didn't hurt, but let me know if it's painful okay? I might've messed it up and I'll shut it down right away if I did."
"Fine. I'm ready when you are."
"Okay, here goes!"
Bulma activated the machine and it whirred to life slowly. The receiver was pointed directly at the center of the room, the mark where she had asked Vegeta to stand. She started it out at a low level; she wanted to get some readings across different strengths of signal. Vegeta made a face somewhere between confused and annoyed as he assessed himself.
"How does it feel?"
"Like I'm training in higher gravity. The room isn't activated, is it?"
"No, none of the gravity adjustment tools are running right now. That's the effect of the Ki Suppressor. It's counteracting your natural ki with its broadcast amplitude."
"So basically what you're saying is that machine is making me slower?"
"Essentially, yes."
Vegeta grunted his understanding and started trying to move as if he were training. He was able to throw punches and kicks well enough, but Bulma could see the sluggishness in his movements. Vegeta was much faster than he was currently displaying.
"Hon, is that as fast as you can move right now?" Vegeta scowled. He always took exception to pet names but since Majin Buu, he'd made less of a stink about it. Sometimes she found it slipping out and was pleasantly surprised that he didn't fly into a blustering fit of frustration like he used to. Even this time, he chose not to comment on it.
"In my base form, yes. Let's see how far I can go when I transform into an Ascended Super Saiyan!"
Vegeta let out a roar and his black hair lit up in a blaze of gold, forks of lightning leaping from his body intermittently. Unsurprisingly, he now moved as if he weren't under any restrictions at all. His punches and kicks were lightning fast.
"Just as I thought; this device is no match for me at my full strength."
"Don't get ahead of yourself. I told you right? This is just the lowest setting. We still have two more phases to go through."
"Sure, do whatever you must to get your data. I'll focus on winning our bet."
"Can you power down again? I want to compare the effects the Suppressor has on you in base form and full power." Vegeta relaxed and his Super Saiyan aura vanished.
"Remember," she continued, "tell me if it's painful; it shouldn't do anything but freeze you in place if I did it right."
"Don't worry so much; I'll let you know if anything feels off."
"Thanks Vegeta. Okay, I'm gonna crank it up to level two."
"Whenever you're ready."
Bulma pressed a few buttons and the whirring grew louder. Her husband glowered towards the device and gnashed his teeth together, struggling to remain standing. He showed no signs of being in pain so she just waited for him to report. He did so with some difficulty.
"This setting is more draining. Like Gohan said, it feels like my body is being weighed down. But it doesn't feel like something I can overcome with training. It feels like my very strength is being suppressed, not challenged."
"That's what I figured would happen. This still isn't enough to fully suppress your natural ki but it's limiting you pretty significantly. Can you try Super Saiyan again?"
"Of course."
But Bulma watched in surprise as Vegeta struggled to transform. It was as natural as breathing for him with the amount he'd trained over the years and yet here he was, unable to harness his power. This lit a fire of anger in his heart evidently as he closed his eyes, focusing for a moment. A second later, a vicious roar erupted from him and his ki exploded outwards, the familiar golden aura bursting to life once more.
He was breathing fairly hard as he attempted to move; this time his Super Saiyan form was noticeably sluggish as well. After a few more practice punches, he turned towards the Observation Deck. "Why is this affecting my ability to transform?"
Bulma considered him for a moment. "Hmm. My theory is that since your transformation involves increasing your ki dramatically, the Suppressor is holding down the amount you're generating. So you have to work a lot harder to get to the same amount compared to what you're used to."
"Hm. Very well. There's still the highest setting, right?"
"Yeah. You ready for it?"
Vegeta powered back down to his base form yet again and nodded. "Do your worst."
Bulma raised the settings to max and was shocked to see even her husband, one of the mightiest warriors in the universe, slowly brought to his knees by the machine. Gohan hadn't been exaggerating in the slightest. Vegeta's eyes widened in fury and he struggled with all his might to stand again, but he just couldn't do it.
"Vegeta? You okay?"
He seemed to be struggling to move his jaw even but slowly managed to grunt out a few words. "This is…ridiculous! How could I…be held down…by a toy!?"
"We knew this would probably happen," she reminded him. "Are you in any pain? Aside from your pride, I mean."
He glowered up at her as best he could manage. "No," he conceded, grinding his teeth as he tried to rise.
"So I'm assuming the same thing that happened to Gohan is true for you? You can't stand, you can't move, you're struggling to speak?"
"…indeed."
"Okay. Can you break through it? I've set this one up so if you fry the receiver it won't damage the internal components. Go ahead and give it your best try when you're ready!"
"This machine…will not best me!" Vegeta managed to roar. He tried to transform but nothing was working. She could see Vegeta getting more and more frustrated but, after a long several minutes of his best effort, he slumped forward and stared daggers at the floor.
"Hon? You okay?"
"…how was Kakarot's son able to transform under this thing's influence and I can't?"
"You already know the answer: Videl was in danger."
"Are the depths of our powers really that…vast? Has he surpassed me again?"
"He probably wouldn't have been able to break this thing without her life being threatened. You know you Saiyans get an insane power boost when you're angry. Just imagine what Gohan must have been feeling seeing Videl dying right in front of him. I bet you'd break it too if you had the right motivation."
"Well…as it stands…I won't be able to overcome this barrier. Not today."
"Then why don't we try out my countermeasure?"
"…very well."
Bulma worried that she'd wounded Vegeta's pride a bit too deeply with this experiment. She had just wanted to make sure her device worked but maybe it would have been a better idea to take Gohan up on his offer to help her. She really hadn't wanted to force him into reliving the ki paralysis though. Hopefully Vegeta would forgive her sooner rather than later.
She pressed a few buttons and the small device on Vegeta's bodysuit blinked to life. As if it were night and day, Vegeta began to rise to his feet, albeit slowly. It seemed as if the device hadn't fully countered the effects of the Ki Suppressor but it had certainly made a difference.
"It looks like you're still feeling the effects some, yeah?"
"Yes. Though I can move again, it feels similar to the second level you set the device to." A second later, Vegeta's Super Saiyan aura exploded to life around him again. Evidently, reaching for the energy once had taught him how to do it under these conditions with little struggle. That was just like Vegeta.
"And now it feels as if I'm barely being suppressed at all. So this countermeasure of yours seems to lessen the effects of the Suppressor by one setting as of right now."
"Hmm…that's still not good enough. It helps, absolutely. But tuning one to human ki signatures, for example, would be useless. Videl wouldn't get much out of it as it is now since she can't transform like you and Gohan can. This one might be enough to help Gohan out of a sticky situation, but I'm still not happy with it."
"So you need a way to boost its output without increasing the size, right? If I recall correctly, you said something about putting these in their watches."
"Yeah, that's right." She turned the machine off and the whirring sound disappeared completely. Vegeta threw a few punches and kicks just to feel his full power again before transforming back. She made her way back down to the Gravity Chamber itself and removed the prototype from her husband's bodysuit.
"Thanks for helping me out Vegeta," she told him, offering a smile. She didn't want to tease him right now just in case his pride was in a fragile state.
"It's not like it took much effort from me. Did you get the information you needed?"
"I think so. Clearly my device works but it doesn't counteract the issue entirely…so I either need a way to fit a stronger signal into this tiny box or…"
"Or you could find a way to attach several different boxes to their suits in various places. Wouldn't three of these things solve the issue entirely?"
"You know, that's not a bad idea at all! I'll see if I can refine this build a bit more first, but if I can't, that'll definitely solve the issue. Then it's just a matter of synchronizing the signal remotely to form a sort of barrier around them."
"Sounds like your area of expertise and not mine." Had that been a joke? She looked up in surprise and found her husband smirking.
"Glad you're not too frustrated after our tests," she said, grinning at him. Vegeta just shook his head.
"My pride was injured but that only means I'll have to find a way to overcome even this. But for today, I suppose I was the one who lost our bet." Bulma grimaced a bit.
"Well, I don't feel like I entirely won, to be honest. My device wasn't good enough to get you completely back to normal, only halfway."
"Then how about we call it a draw this time?"
"What do we get for a draw? Do we both lose?"
"Hmm. Perhaps we both win."
"We both win?" she repeated, incredulous.
"Rather than leaving me alone during my training, I want you to aid me in the process. Run that Suppressor on me again until I can overcome it by my strength alone." Bulma rolled her eyes a bit but smiled nonetheless.
"That's exactly the kind of reaction I was expecting. Deal!"
"Excellent. Now go get changed."
"Changed? Why?"
"Because we're going out for your 'date night.'" Bulma's eyes widened in shock. He wasn't just agreeing to it…he was suggesting it? She recovered quickly, shooting a playful grin at him.
"Look at you, you big softy! I knew you'd enjoy it!" He sputtered for a moment and tried to hide the faintest blush as he turned away.
"If you'd rather stay here and mock me, we can postpone indefinitely!" Bulma laughed and shook her head.
"Sorry, I won't tease you so much. I'd love to take the rest of the day together. Mom and Dad can watch Trunks for us. But I have to ask…what brought this on? You were so against it before."
Vegeta began to walk towards the exit of the chamber. "I lost our bet and I always honor my word. Just because your device isn't up to your standards doesn't mean I overcame the Suppressor on my own. It's as simple as that."
The doors slid open granting him exit from the room but he stopped and spoke in a quiet voice. "Besides…I didn't fight to protect this world from Buu for you not to have the romance you want in your life."
With that, he left the room in a hurry, the doors sliding shut behind him. Bulma could only imagine the fiery blush on his cheeks that he had hidden from her as he'd said those words. Frankly, she was a little glad he had left when he did though. Her own cheeks were glowing from his uncharacteristic display of affection.
"Jeez," she muttered, smiling and setting about collecting her equipment, "it's so hard to get him to be honest with me." But Bulma found herself humming giddily as she finished up her work in the Gravity Room, suddenly looking forward to her evening very much.
"Dinner time!" Gohan called out as Videl nudged the door open with her foot.
Erasa and Sharpner were sitting out on the back patio, relaxing around an ornate fire pit. Gohan and Videl had offered to make dinner for their friends, something the blondes had been quite excited for. The two had been working hard on their cooking skills since May and had graduated from "Mostly Edible" to "Hey, This Isn't Bad" over the months. As he saw Erasa's eyes light up at the bowls they carried between them, he found himself thinking how glad he was that their morning hadn't ruined the rest of her trip.
After lunch, Erasa was fine again, her bubbly disposition firmly back in place thanks to her friends, and the rest of the afternoon had been much more enjoyable than the volleyball game had ended. The group had built sandcastles, gone swimming again, relaxed and chatted, and at the end of the day, Gohan had taken Videl for himself and the two had walked along the beach as the sun set, just like they'd wanted. Now, with the night upon them, they had returned home for a fun evening together, just the four of them.
Which is how he and Videl had volunteered to make a vegetable stir fry for everyone. It was a dish they had been working on for months now with Majin Buu as their taste tester. He had willingly come back for a second bowl the last two times, so they knew they were making improvements. Videl had said tonight was some of their best work and Gohan was inclined to agree. The rice they'd been able to throw into the cooker the kitchen was equipped with was a nice addition. Videl had even mentioned how she wanted to get one for the house when they got back; for whatever reason, they had basically every other appliance in existence except that.
"Wow you guys! This looks so good!" Erasa sang as they set down two bowls in front of her. Steam was pouring off of the food and her eyes continued to sparkle, her mouth beginning to water somewhat. Sharpner agreed with her enthusiastically, eyeing his own dishes with longing.
"Thanks, you two!" Videl's cheery voice rang out, placing her own bowls down at her spot. Gohan took his spot next to her and placed his own on the side of the fire pit.
It wasn't a huge fire, just enough to warm them up from the cool ocean breeze that blew over the coastline. The firepit itself was pretty deep so they could all see each other quite clearly. It was a very cozy little area and Gohan was glad Erasa had suggested they eat out here tonight. There was something uniquely satisfying about it.
They all started eating together and he was pleasantly surprised to find that he and Videl had done a pretty great job after all. Their best work yet, in fact! Everyone was too busy enjoying their food to speak much for several minutes but as they worked their way through the meal, Sharpner spoke up.
"So hey, E and I were kicking around ideas for the evening while you two were inside. How does a movie sound?"
"Ooh I like that idea," Videl agreed, grinning. "We haven't gone to a movie since last year!"
"Oh we didn't mean go to a theatre in town," Erasa corrected her, grinning. "We have an enormous entertainment room in the beach house here! It's basically a theatre already!"
"Wow, you have something like that here too?" Gohan asked, stunned by the admission. Erasa just nodded, her smile never fading.
"Yep! This place basically has it all! It's so great!"
"I'm okay with that," Gohan agreed. Videl nodded.
"Yeah, let's do it! We can be more relaxed and comfortable if it's just the four of us, too."
"Exactly! What do you wanna watch?"
"Hang on a sec, E," Sharpner interjected, his eyes flashing. "When have we ever settled something so casually when Videl and I are part of the group?"
"He's right," Videl challenged immediately, her competitive grin resurfacing. Gohan smiled sheepishly at Erasa who just giggled and rolled her eyes. "So what did you have in mind Sharpner?"
"We'll decide it over a game! Whoever wins picks the movie!"
"Are we playing too?" Gohan asked timidly.
"Of course! I can't call myself the winner if I don't beat everyone out here!"
"Slow down there, champ," Videl chided. "You might break something when you fall off that ego of yours." Sharpner grinned and raised an eyebrow.
"You'll have to knock me off it first."
"Okay, okay, we get it," Erasa scoffed, trying to hurry the discussion along. "And if you're gonna strongarm Gohan and I into competing with you too, then we get to pick the game!"
"Wait, what?" Sharpner was a bit surprised but Erasa just smiled at him.
"Otherwise you two will pick some macho test of strength. And then Gohan'll win and you'll both say he cheated because he's stronger and we'll all end up arguing! So let's do something we all have an equal chance of winning!"
"I like that idea," Videl agreed, "but didn't you say you and Gohan were gonna pick the game?" Erasa laughed sheepishly and rubbed her arm, grinning across the fire at him.
"Sorry Gohan, I kinda usurped you there, huh?"
"It's okay!" he called out, more intent on devouring his food than anything else still. "You can go ahead and pick the game; I don't mind at all!"
"Really? Thanks! How about we play Never Have I Ever then?"
"What's that?" he managed with a mouthful of food. Videl giggled and scooted closer to him.
"It's a game where we all take turns admitting something we've never done. You hold up ten fingers and if you have done it, you put one down. Last one standing wins!"
"Oh I see; that sounds fun! Ten seems like it'll take a little while though, don't you think? How about five instead? We do wanna watch a movie after all" Gohan suggested. Everyone agreed and they readied themselves to begin.
"Okay, since E picked the game, I think it's only fair that I start."
"How is that fair?" she asked, grinning at him. "You're totally ignoring how competitive Vi gets."
"No it's okay; he needs all the help he can get to beat me anyway. He can start," Videl shot at him, her competitive fire somehow even more ablaze than before.
"Yeah, yeah, we'll just see who the last one standing is. Here goes! Never have I ever…cheated on a test."
Erasa put a finger down and stuck her tongue out but, to Gohan's surprise, Videl put a finger down too, lowering her eyes sheepishly. "Wait, you cheated on a test 'Del?"
"I wasn't proud of it!" she cried out, blushing obviously even in the dim lighting. "It was our first year in high school and I had just started helping the police out. I didn't study for our first big test of the year because I was out fighting crime and I cheated off the girl next to me so I didn't fail…"
Gohan wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her close. "Hey it's okay! I'm not judging you; I was just surprised."
"Well, what a shocking revelation! I think it's our secret cheater's turn to ask a question though." Videl scowled across the fire at Sharpner before clearing her throat.
"Fine. Never have I ever gotten into a fight at school, not counting boxing club."
Sharpner still put a finger down. "Some guys have rubbed me the wrong way over the years. Probably not a big surprise."
No, the big surprise was Erasa putting a finger down too and giggling. All three of them looked at her in amazement. "You fought somebody?" Videl half-demanded. The rest of her tone was reserved for abject shock.
"It was before we met," she sang, her mood unspoiled. "In kindergarten, there was this girl who called me an idiot when we were playing together and I smacked her!"
"You sound way too proud of that," Sharpner teased her, smirking.
"I had a bad temper back then," she shrugged, though the amusement never left her face.
"Wow, I wouldn't have guessed it," Videl managed at last, still surprised.
"Yeah, it wasn't my finest moment. But it was pretty funny! Anyway, Gohan's turn to ask a question!"
He considered his options for a moment before deciding to follow Sharpner's line of questioning. "Um…never have I ever failed a test before."
Erasa and Sharpner both reluctantly put a finger down, leaving them with two and three, respectively.
"Neither of you have ever failed a test?" Erasa shot at them in disbelief.
"No, I can't say I have," Gohan admitted, racking his memory and coming up with nothing. Sharpner leaned in and pointed obviously to Videl.
"Well she would've if she hadn't cheated that one time."
"Can we please just drop that?" Videl cried out, burying her face in Gohan's arm. He chuckled and wrapped her up close to him. He ran his hand up and down her arm, trying to console her. It was Erasa's turn now.
"Okay, well Gohan hasn't even put one finger down yet. Sorry but I have to fix that! Never have I ever saved the world from a big gross alien bug man!"
"That feels awfully direct," Videl admonished her, but she grinned the whole time. She had only put down one finger so Gohan was beating her too.
"Someone's gotta even the playing field! Put that finger down Gohan!"
"Well…" he began, stifling a grin, "Technically Cell wasn't a man, bug, or alien. He was an android – a robot – and he was created right here on Earth. So no, I've never saved the world from a man, a bug, or an alien myself."
Videl burst out laughing, drawing her feet up onto the bench they were sitting on and falling against him. Erasa's mouth hung open in disbelief and a frown creased her brow. "That's cheating! I couldn't have known Cell was a robot! That's not fair!"
"You got too specific," Sharpner teased, resting his arm around her shoulder. "You gotta be a bit vague in that kind of situation. Like this: never have I ever saved the world."
This time, Gohan put a finger down, laughing lightly. Videl had finally started to recover from her bout of mirth and straightened up again, though she still held his arm firmly. These days, he always found that arm feeling quite light and lonely when she weren't wrapped around it.
"Okay, I'm good," Videl sighed after taking a deep breath and recentering herself. "Never have I ever…gotten food poisoning."
Sharpner put a finger down and Gohan laughed to himself as he did the same. "You have? Your mom is such an amazing cook though!"
"She is! But…Dad's not. He cooked once when we were in the Room of Spirit and Time and…let's just say we missed a few days of training because of that one," Gohan explained, laughing all the while. He had almost forgotten about that little debacle.
"Room of Spirit and Time?" Erasa repeated, curious. Gohan grimaced just a bit as he realized he'd said something strange out loud in front of his two friends. Only Videl knew his life story, after all. She came to his rescue pretty quickly, though.
"It's another one of those things he and his friends use that doesn't make tons of sense to us ordinary people."
"Ordinary like everyone except you, right?" her best friend teased, winking across the firepit at her.
"W-well, yeah I got to hear more than most people," she admitted. Sharpner grinned at Gohan before shaking his head.
"We promised we wouldn't pry though, didn't we E?" She sighed heavily.
"Yeah…I'm just so curious!"
"Well, I can tell you a little bit, if you really want to know," Gohan offered. The blonde lit up immediately.
"Yes please!"
"You sure?" Videl whispered from next to him. Gohan nodded, smiling at her.
"I'll just tell her what the Room is; that ought to be enough for now."
"So? What's that place you just mentioned?" Erasa was incredulous.
"It's a special place that exists in a different dimension. One day on Earth is the equivalent of a year in the Room of Spirit and Time. My dad and I trained in there for one Earth day before the Cell Games."
"…you mean you trained in another dimension for an entire year?" she demanded, stunned. Gohan just nodded.
"Then…you're not younger than us at all," Sharpner realized aloud, his eyes widening. Gohan rubbed the back of his neck and nodded, a sheepish grin on his face.
"Guilty as charged."
"You knew, huh Vi?"
"Of course I did," she admitted. "since back in May."
"Wow! That's amazing!" Erasa sang, smiling widely again. "That's so cool that you've been able to do the things you've done! I hope we can hear more someday!"
"Yeah, I think that'd be fine!" Gohan agreed, a genuine smile on his face. He found himself much more comfortable with trusting Erasa and Sharpner after the last few months they'd spent together. They had gone from people he was worried might reject him to people he was glad to share his life with. Maybe it was okay to share more of that life with them.
"Gohan's turn!" Erasa called out, pointing at him. And just like that, they were back in the throes of their game. It made his heart light that she and Sharpner never so much as batted an eye at the strange things he said anymore.
"Uh, let's see…never have I ever been on more than one first date?"
The blonde couple both put a finger down, leaving them at one each. Videl, of course, remained at four right alongside him. Erasa let a devilish grin spread across her lips as she locked eyes with Gohan.
"Never have I ever spent a year training in another dimension."
"I feel very targeted right now."
The four burst into laughter as Gohan exaggeratedly lowered a finger. The game went on for a while longer and quickly Sharpner and Erasa were eliminated. Videl, her competitive streak knowing few limits, used her deep knowledge of Gohan to back him into a corner and eliminate him swiftly and without mercy. Gohan had also felt too worried about embarrassing her to return the favor (and he secretly wanted her to win).
With Videl crowned their champion, she took a moment to boast before settling into Gohan's embrace again. A movie night in a literal home theatre did sound quite delightful, but honestly Gohan would have been thrilled to just sit here all night with his arm around his girlfriend, chatting with their friends and enjoying their time together.
In the years since Cell and even just the weeks since Buu, Gohan had grown accustomed to peace, but he never took it for granted. He had seen the world almost lose everything many times. But it was moments like these that made every struggle he'd ever faced worth it. Laughing with his friends, cuddling with his Videl, planning which movie they were about to go watch together. Things were as perfect as he could imagine right now.
"All right! It's movie time! Let's go!" Erasa called out, leaping to her feet.
As everyone rose and headed inside, Gohan was stricken by a thought he was never sure he'd have. No matter how hard his life had been, no matter the struggles he'd gone through, no matter the tragedies he'd witnessed, it had all led him to this exact moment. And here, with his girlfriend and best friends, he couldn't help but feel happier than he ever had in all his life.
'This is exactly where I belong.'
With a wide smile on his face, he slipped his hand into Videl's and followed Erasa and Sharpner inside, eager to enjoy the last night of their trip.
Videl slowly came back to reality, her eyes heavy and feeling quite groggy. It was still dark, clearly the middle of the night. She didn't feel like she'd been asleep very long. The four of them had indeed watched their movie, an action film she'd been curious to see for a little while, and they stayed up chatting until it was far too late. She and Gohan had only managed to get in bed after 2:00am and, while Gohan had fallen asleep quickly, Videl had forced herself to stay awake just a few minutes longer to relish the feeling of him cuddling her to sleep.
This was only the second night she'd shared a bed with her boyfriend, fallen asleep in his protective embrace, and she was in absolute heaven. Feeling his strong arms around her, his gentle breath splashing across her hair, his fingers intertwined loosely with hers. The way she fit against him made her feel like they'd been made to slot together without flaw, like pieces of a puzzle lying perfectly next to each other. She still couldn't get over how safe and loved she felt when they were together like this.
As her mind became slightly more alert, though, she realized that the sleepy grip Gohan had kept on her hand for the last two nights was much more tense than usual and his breathing was somewhat labored. He was squeezing her hand quite firmly. He wasn't hurting her but he definitely wasn't as relaxed as usual.
"No…don't take her…"
She heard him mumbling in his sleep. After she processed his words, she felt him cling a little tighter to her. Was he having a nightmare, the way she'd had about Buu a few months back? Snapping fully back to reality, she very carefully shifted and rolled until she was facing him and felt her heart start aching. His face was twisted in fear and anguish, the kind she'd seen when he recounted his battle with Cell. She reached out and placed a hand gently against his cheek.
"Gohan," she whispered, not wanting to startle him awake. "Gohan, you're having a nightmare. Can you hear me Darling?" She shook him very gently, trying to rouse him from whatever haunting images he was seeing without making it worse. After a little persistence, he finally groaned and his eyes fluttered open at last.
"Vi…del…" he managed in a timid whisper.
"I'm sorry I woke you; you looked like you were having a really bad nightmare. Are you oka-" Videl stopped short as he pulled her into a tight hug, his whole body trembling.
"Oh Sweetheart," she whispered gently, wrapping her arms around him and cradling his head against her chest. "It's okay, I've got you."
He wasn't hysterical like when he'd been when he'd told her about his father's death, but he wasn't very far from that point. At the very least, he wasn't crying like she had been when she'd had her last nightmare about Buu killing him. He was shaking pretty badly though and she ran her fingers through his hair, kissing his forehead as best she could.
"It's okay; it wasn't real. You're safe right here with me. Nothing can touch us here Darling, nothing at all."
"I had a…terrible nightmare," he croaked at last from beneath her chin.
"I know, I know you did. You can tell me if you want to but you can just let it go, too," she reassured him, holding him even tighter. He clung to her and, after a few moments more, finally managed to calm his breathing some.
"It's the same…as it always is. I see someone…hurting you…killing you. It's the worst thing in the world…"
"I'm okay, I'm right here. It was just a nightmare, my love." Silence fell between them for a few minutes longer as she held and comforted him. Soon, she could feel that he was calming down at last. Placing one more kiss on the top of his head she started rubbing his back lightly, finally giving into her curiosity.
"Gohan," she began. He nodded against her. "You said 'it's always the same.' Do you have these nightmares a lot?" He hesitated for a long moment before nodding timidly.
"Not every night…but often enough since June," he admitted.
"Why didn't you tell me Sweetheart?" She wasn't upset with him; she just felt bad that he'd endured it all alone.
"I didn't want you to worry," he managed at last. "You were just getting over your own nightmares about Buu and I didn't want to put more on your plate."
"You're so sweet and good to me," she told him warmly, kissing the top of his head. "But Gohan, you never have to be alone with things like this. I know we've both been through a lot lately. You never have to be by yourself, okay? I don't want you to hide things like this from me because you're worried about me. I want to be your partner that you can rely on."
She had made sure her tone and timbre were gentle and loving so he didn't think she was chastising him. He held her a bit tighter and nodded at last. "I know you do…I want you to be. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."
"You don't have to be sorry, I'm not upset with you," she promised. "I'm only upset that you had to bear this alone for all this time. But you're not alone anymore."
"I know 'Del…thank you."
"Always, Love."
After another few minutes of silence, Gohan shifted back so he could look up at her. His onyx eyes met hers and he took a deep breath. "It started after you got shot down at the warehouses that day," he told her, his eyes somber. "Seeing that Han guy blast you like that made me remember the tournament…and that night I saw your match play out again in my head. It was a little different but…that was the first one…"
"I'm so sorry you were alone with that. You can always tell me things like this; I don't care what else is going on. Please don't ever feel like you have to endure something like that by yourself for my sake. I want you to come to me when you need me."
"I will. I promise you. I was thinking about it the wrong way before."
She leaned in and kissed his cheek gently. "Thank you, Darling."
"After that…the nightmares kept popping up once in a while, but the person attacking you changed. It's been Juzai too many times now…"
"That was a scary day; it's only natural you'd have some bad dreams about it."
"I hate seeing them so much. I've tried to meditate the way Piccolo taught me after Dad died, but it only works for a few days. Then they come back again. I know you want me to trust your power and I do. I'm just…I'm so scared of losing you," he admitted in a tortured whisper.
Videl hugged him tight and pressed her forehead to his. "I know. I know you've never seen me as weak. I was wrong to overreact back then and I don't want you to be scared to tell me things like this. I know that feeling too; when your dad said you were…gone, back when Buu was running wild…I don't ever want to relive that pain. That agony."
"It's the worst feeling in the world," he agreed, gripping her a bit tighter.
"Well I've got some good news for you then," she told him, a small smile playing across her lips. "We're gonna train for the rest of the summer after we get back and the next time we have to fight you won't even recognize me!" At last Gohan smiled at her.
"I absolutely believe that. I can't wait to see it!"
"I know it won't stop you from worrying, but it'll at least let me help protect you too."
"I'd worry about you even if you were the strongest fighter in all the universe." She blushed a bit but grinned at him.
"I couldn't blame you; I'm dating the strongest fighter in the universe and I still worry." Gohan's cheeks darkened and he smiled sheepishly at her.
"I don't know about that…"
"I do."
"You're the best and you're always so sweet to me. Thank you, Angel." Videl felt her cheeks catch fire; she still wasn't used to hearing that pet name from him but it was rapidly becoming her very favorite.
"I'll always be here to take care of you; I swear it."
"I know; I trust you with all my heart."
"And you know I trust you with my life. You okay to try getting back to sleep? It's gotta be the middle of the night right now."
"Yeah, we should get some more rest. We have to fly home tomorrow afternoon."
"Oh, that'll be fine; I mostly just want to spend some more time on the beach with you before we go." Gohan smiled warmly up at her.
"Then we really should get some more rest so we're not too tired to get up in the morning."
"I think that's a great idea," she agreed, preparing to roll over again.
"Hey Videl?"
"Yeah? You okay?"
"I'm okay, yeah. I just…uh…would you mind…staying like this, maybe, while we sleep?" He sounded so shy and she couldn't help but smile widely.
"Of course Love! I'll hold you all night long."
"Thank you 'Del."
"You're welcome, my sweet Gohan."
It only took a few minutes for him to fall back to sleep, his chest rising and falling slowly again and his face much more relaxed. She watched him sleep peacefully for several minutes before her own eyelids grew heavy once more. Videl wasn't happy that Gohan was having nightmares, of course, but she was glad she'd been here to help him through it. And she was determined once they got back to push her strength further than she'd ever taken it before. Maybe that would help Gohan's nightmares go away. Until then, though, she'd be here for him every step of the way.
Videl drifted off to sleep with a gentle smile on her face, her arms wrapped lightly around her Gohan, his head tucked safely under her chin for the rest of the night. It the most peaceful night of sleep she'd ever experienced.
After returning home from their trip, Gohan and Videl fell into a very enjoyable routine for the remainder of the summer. In the mornings, Gohan would train hard with Goku and Goten, practicing with his new Super Saiyan Mystic transformation while Videl would spend the early hours with Mr. Satan and Buu. She had told him she felt a bit guilty that she'd be leaving for college next year and Papa would be alone, so she wanted to spend time with him each day during the summer.
In the afternoons, the two would meet up for lunch, usually on Mt. Paozu or at the Satan Mansion (though occasionally they'd go out and grab food in the city). And then they would take to training on the mountain in the late afternoons, furthering Videl's command of her ki. The evenings played host to all sorts of different things: relaxed movie nights, chats with family, double dates with their friends, or just lying under the stars – and sometimes Videl's bed – and cuddling.
Since their trip had been so early in August, they still had several weeks to enjoy before school started back up. Slowly, summer break marched on and soon they were within a week of returning to Orange Star. But the several weeks that they'd spent training had resulted in amazing progress for Videl.
Gohan was incredibly impressed with how far she'd come in such a short time. Before their trip, she had just been getting the hang of deflecting some small ki blasts. Now, she pretty much had the technique down. She still had to concentrate on it, but as long as she was focused, she could deflect even one of his stronger ki attacks. The Black Gloves would never be able to hit her with their weak artificial blasts as she was now.
From there, Gohan had taught her about using her ki to shield herself while she flew. He had explained that it was the reason he was able to fly directly into the wind without so much as batting an eye whereas she had struggled the day Buu had awakened, even reminding her of the time he flew them through a cloud without either of them getting wet. It hadn't taken her long to get the hang of using her energy to form a ki shield. All her practice with raising it on command was really paying off.
And so, with all those techniques under her belt, Gohan decided he'd try to teach Videl how to sense ki. It wasn't the easiest thing and it had even taken his father a bit of time to master, but with how much she practiced and how dedicated she was, he felt pretty confident she'd start to get the hang of it before too long. To that end, they stood under their familiar tree, partway to the summit, ready to begin another training session, though this one was much earlier than the rest had been.
"Thanks for starting early with me Darling," Videl smiled up at him. "Papa's gone for a few days for his next media circuit and I would've been so bored being at home till lunchtime."
"Of course! Goten wanted to focus on trying to become a Super Saiyan 2 anyway so it worked out perfectly; we'll train up here and he and Dad will train at home!"
"Still, I don't want to interrupt your own training."
"You aren't. Hey, why don't you come by early tomorrow and you can watch us; it might give you some inspiration!" Videl lit up in excitement.
"Really? I'd love to! I wouldn't be intruding?"
"Not at all!"
"Then count me in! I'd love to see the three of you train together!"
A soft breeze blew across the mountain, ruffling her raven-black hair and Gohan couldn't help but watch her warmly. Her hair had gotten a bit longer and he wasn't surprised in the slightest that what he'd told her on his birthday had been true: he was enamored by her no matter what length she wore it.
"What is it?" she asked playfully, raising an eyebrow. There was a time Gohan would've blushed badly for being caught staring but at this point he had nothing to hide from her.
"I was just thinking how nice your hair looks when the wind catches it like that." Videl blushed lightly but wore a warm smile.
"See, you have gotten smoother since we started going out," she teased, grinning. "But thank you Darling, I'm glad you like it!"
"Are you growing it out again?"
"I think so! I don't mind it short but I kinda miss my long hair, you know? Especially after a certain someone told me it was the first thing they noticed about me." She shot him a quick wink that absolutely did cause him to blush.
"I…that's definitely true. A-anyway, your hair grows pretty fast, huh?" He tried to redirect the conversation and she just giggled before following his lead.
"Yeah, it always has. I figure by the time we're graduating it'll probably be down at my shoulders again. Maybe a bit shorter than that."
"I bet you'll look amazing as always."
"Flatterer."
"Takes one to know one."
Videl rose up onto her toes and kissed him gently. Even after months of sharing kisses just like that, they still caused his heart to flip and race. Pleased with herself, she smiled widely up at him and drank in the clear elation on his face.
"So! Unless there's something you want to teach me this morning, I actually had something I wanted to ask you to show me," she explained, shifting gears.
"I do actually, but we have a lot more time to train today if you want it. And we can learn the rest in any order you want. Go ahead with your thing; we can do that first!"
"Well, now that I can mostly deflect ki blasts and use my aura, I was wondering how you actually use ki attacks." Gohan was a bit surprised by her interest in it but it made sense. If he had thought himself a normal person and someone had told him he could theoretically fire golden bursts of energy out of his hands, he'd have been curious too.
"It's a bit tricky, honestly. It's the hardest part of ki usage to learn, or at least I feel like it is. I can start showing you the concepts and techniques if you want though! Just don't get down on yourself if you don't get this one right away. We're kinda jumping right into the deep end with this."
"I promise I won't!"
"Come closer then and face away from me."
Videl did as he asked and stood with her back towards him. He crouched a little lower and placed his head next to hers, gently resting on her shoulder. He felt her breath catch for just a moment before she relaxed again. Gohan raised his left arm and she did the same, mirroring him.
"Since you're left-handed, it'll probably be easier for you to practice with it start, but you'll be able to do it from both soon," he explained. She nodded firmly.
"Got it."
"Now, I want you to focus on the way it feels when I do it, okay? You'll probably be able to feel my ki move since we're so close."
As slowly as he could, Gohan managed to form a small orb of golden energy in his palm. Videl's eyes widened as she watched the ki rest gently in his hands. "That's amazing," she whispered, unwilling to shatter the atmosphere of awe around them.
"Here, do you wanna feel?"
"I can do that?"
"Yeah! Just do what you normally do to deflect blasts but don't swing at it. I'll just place it in your hands."
She did so and, moments later, Gohan let the energy fall into her outstretched palms. Her eyes widened as she held it and moved it around curiously. "Gohan, this is so wild!"
"Right?" He stepped back from her and gave her some space. She continued to toy with the ball of ki and get a feel for the concentration of the energy as well as how to manipulate it.
"Can…can I throw it?" Her eyes were wide and she sounded a bit nervous. Gohan chuckled lightly.
"Of course you can! Just be careful and aim it towards the sky."
"How do I do it?"
"Hmm…actually, here; let me show you and you'll understand better."
He took up the same stance as before but placed his arm atop hers, his palm resting against the back of hers. "Now go ahead and aim it where you want."
Slowly, Videl took aim at a nondescript spot on the horizon and she nodded, more hesitantly this time. Gohan forced his ki forward and down his arm, hoping Videl would feel the directional movement as it passed around her hand. She gasped as the ki blast went flying exactly where she had aimed and, seconds later, the orb popped into a small starburst of energy.
"Wow! That was amazing! So you can just use your ki direction to influence it?" Gohan felt a triumphant grin cross his face.
"Exactly! I knew you'd get it!"
"But I'm still a little unclear on how to generate energy like that."
"Hmm…do you remember when you first found your ki during your flight lessons?"
"Of course! It was like nothing I'd ever experienced."
"It's a lot like that, except instead of drawing from your core, you use the excess ki you've built up inside you and channel it down your arm. You draw it into your hands and, with the right amount, you can shape it like I did."
"Wow…that sounds intense."
"It is a little. Some enemies I've seen could channel their ki through their eyes or mouth too; I never tried that. I don't really want to, honestly," he chuckled as her horrified eyes darted to his. "But just like there are different martial arts styles, there are also different styles of ki usage. My Dad's beam attack, the blue one? That's a different kind of approach than the simple blast I just showed you."
"There are so many layers to this! You can do that beam too, right? What's it called?"
"It's called the 'Kamehameha.' And yeah, I can do it, he taught me in the Room of Spirit and Time. It's actually Master Roshi's technique; he taught my dad and Krillin when they were pretty young."
"Wait, that old guy can fire that beam too?"
"Not only can he fire it, he's the one who invented it!"
"What!?"
"Yeah! Kinda surprising, isn't it?"
"Yeah…I wouldn't have guessed that."
"Yamcha can use it too. And even Goten! He used to struggle with it some but Dad's really helped him control it these last few months."
"You're kinda blowing my mind right now. But…if Krillin and Yamcha and Master Roshi can all do it…then could I do it too?" Gohan smiled at her.
"I bet you could, absolutely! It'll just take some time and focused training with it."
"Can you teach me that too?"
"Honestly, you might be better off with my dad for that one. But if you really don't want that, I can have him explain it and try teaching you myself!" Videl considered him for a long moment.
"Hmm…let's think on it for a while then! I can't even generate a ki blast yet; I don't want to get too far ahead of myself."
"That's a good idea. So, you wanna try shooting some blasts of your own?"
"Yes!"
Several hours passed and Videl found herself no closer to forming a ki blast than when she'd started. She was a bit annoyed that she hadn't made any progress at all but reminded herself that Gohan had warned her how difficult it would be. She'd get there; she had a great teacher to help her along, after all.
They stopped for lunch, returning to the Son House for a while before heading back to their training spot for the next exercise. Gohan wanted to teach her how to sense ki and he'd been explaining the ideas as they hiked their way back up the mountain. They could have flown but it made for good endurance training. Once they reached the tree, Videl fell to the ground and sighed heavily.
"You know, that climb's a lot worse when it's this hot," she grumbled, fanning herself. Gohan sank to the grass beside her and nodded.
"You're not kidding. I always forget how miserable it becomes this time of year."
"Ugh, I'm sweating so much." She wasn't happy about it. Her training shirt was sticking uncomfortably to her. Without much thought, she started to remove it. She was wearing a sports bra beneath it after all and she had done this while training or working out from time to time in the past. It wasn't until she realized Gohan was stammering and sputtering next to her that she even realized what she'd done.
"Oh! Sorry Gohan, I forgot you've never really been with me when I do that."
"Uh, it's, um, okay! Don't worry!" She raised an eyebrow and grinned slyly at him.
"What? Are you embarrassed? You've seen me in a lot less, you know." She tried to be teasing but couldn't help but blush as she remembered their perfect night together at Erasa's beach house. Gohan clearly remembered it quite vividly himself as his cheeks darkened significantly.
"I know, it's just…it's hard not to…notice when you're not wearing normal clothes…"
"Mm, I get that. I feel the same way when you wear that Gi honestly. But hey, we've gotten a lot more comfortable with each other the last few months, right?" Gohan was finally starting to calm himself again.
"Y-yeah. I guess you're right. And it's not like this is any less than when we wore swimsuits on the beach…"
"Exactly! So let's just go ahead and train like normal!"
"Yeah…yeah, you're right."
"And I don't mind if you enjoy the view while we do it," she whispered coyly, winking at him despite her pink blush. Maybe she shouldn't have said that; all the progress she'd just made with getting Gohan to relax evaporated in an instant.
Once he had calmed down again, he began to explain ki sensing to her. It was the same concept Krillin had touched on back on the Lookout all those months ago. The way he described it was that it was something of a sixth sense, similar to 'seeing' energy signals and 'feeling' where they were around you. Someone with a lot of practice or a particularly good vantage point would be able to sense ki signatures quite easily and from further away. It was one of the benefits of the Lookout being positioned the way it was. And, unsurprisingly, the larger the signature, the easier it was to spot.
She also learned you could do it the other way too. If you suppressed your ki, buried it as deep down as you could, it was possible to evade detection, even from someone adept at sensing energy. They spent the next hour or so hand in hand while Videl focused on feeling Gohan's ki across from her. He held her hands the first few times and she got a good feel for how to search for his signature. Then, after she was more comfortable, he let go and scooted back from her a few feet. This one took a lot longer to figure out but eventually she started to feel him across from her again, something she was surprised and ecstatic about.
"Gohan! I can sense you! I think…"
"That's wonderful! Okay, tell me if I'm increasing or decreasing my ki." She studied his signature for several moments before it seemed to vanish.
"Either I lost what I was sensing completely or you're hiding your energy," she spoke softly. Gohan laughed triumphantly.
"You didn't lose anything; I was absolutely hiding it! That's so great Angel, you're doing it!" Videl still wasn't fully adjusted to that adorable little pet name and felt herself blush noticeably. She opened her eyes and met his onyx gaze, sharing a smile with him.
"So you said it'd be easier to sense you if your signature was larger right?"
"Exactly. In fact, we could play a little game if you're feeling up for it. It might be a bit much to start with since you just got the hang of ki sensing though." Videl's eyes flashed and she grinned.
"I'm always up for a challenge, you know that! What'd you have in mind?"
"Well, I was thinking I could hide somewhere on the mountain and you search for me by sensing my energy. I won't suppress or hide it from you."
"I love that idea! But…I don't think I'll be able to find you if you're that far away. I'm not good at feeling your energy right next to me still."
"That's why I was planning to transform into my Super Saiyan Mystic form and stay above the house on the mountain. You'll have a bigger energy signal to lock onto and I won't be too far away."
"Ooh, I like that! It'll be pretty obvious right? Your signature, I mean."
"Here, you can try sensing it yourself before we do this."
Gohan drew into himself for a moment before his golden aura burst to life. Of course, Videl wasn't yet fully adept at sensing ki but even she could feel the tremendous change in energy he had just undergone. It was as if his energy were…washing over her? Maybe wrapping around her. It was almost a bit overwhelming, whatever it was doing. But it was so much more obvious than before she couldn't stifle a laugh.
"Yep; it's really obvious!" Gohan laughed and stepped closer again, taking her hands and letting her feel his signature up close.
"This is really you, huh?" she managed at last. "Before I could get a feel for how much stronger than me you were, but now? It's like…like I'm feeling energy the size of a planet or something!"
"You'll get used to power levels like this if you spend much time around us and try to sense energy. Eventually you'll be able to feel Vegeta training in West City from your house," he joked. Somehow, she believed it. Vegeta struck her as the type to train with every bit of power he possessed.
"Okay! You ready?" he asked suddenly, his now-teal eyes shimmering with excitement. She gave him a firm nod and grinned at him.
"You've made this into a competition; I have to find you now! I'm ready!"
"Just in case," he began, raising his hands preemptively, "if you haven't found me in thirty minutes, why don't we meet back here under the tree?"
"That sounds fine to me," she conceded, before her devilish desire to tease him overwhelmed her. "You just don't want to be away from me that long, do you?"
"I don't want to be away from you ever." He rolled with the punch so well he almost turned the tables on her. He'd gotten pretty good too. She wasn't about to give up yet though.
"Seems like you don't want to miss seeing me like this either," she sang, winking at him. That got the reaction she wanted: a deep blush. "Don't think I haven't noticed you watching me all afternoon."
"B-but you said it was okay! And I didn't mean to! It's-"
"Relax Sweetheart, I'm only teasing. I promise!" Gohan actually managed an adorable pout that made her heart soar into the stratosphere. That was not fair.
"I'm sorry I teased you so much," she told him, leaning up and kissing him on the cheek. "Will you forgive me Love?" He could only keep the façade up for a bit longer before he cracked and smiled.
"Like I could ever be mad at you 'Del."
"Still, I do feel a little bad about it," she sang, floating up on the wind and leaning her mouth right next to his ear. "So how about this? After I search for you, let's call it an early day and head back to my house before dinner; we can play a different kind of game together…" She nibbled his ear for good measure and left him stammering again.
"Um, I…uh, Videl, y-you…"
"Okay! I'm 'It,' so you'd better get going! Thirty seconds till I come after you Mister!"
Gohan was still reeling a bit as she turned and closed her eyes, counting out loud. It took him about ten seconds to collect himself before she heard him blast off in a hurry. Videl smiled to herself. He was so wonderful and perfect. And he was just so easy to tease. She shouldn't get too carried away, though. He was learning how to do the same to her, quicker than she'd expected. She wouldn't always get away without enduring a fair amount of teasing back.
Besides, she thought to herself as she opened her eyes and took off in search of her boyfriend…she wasn't just teasing him about tonight…
Gohan and Videl found themselves walking into Bulma's lab once more the next afternoon. She had called Gohan early that morning and asked if they would be able to come by; apparently she had some big news for them. Eager to find out exactly what was going on, the young couple had taken to the skies and headed to West City following a late breakfast together.
Since Mr. Satan was still out of town, Gohan had gone to the Mansion to cook with Videl and keep her company for the morning. She was thrilled, especially since Buu liked to sleep in usually (today being no exception). They had struggled to get their dishes exactly right though so by the time they'd finished cooking it was almost 10:00am. Their food had been pretty good though; they were definitely improving overall!
Even on the flight over, Videl was focused on improving her ki abilities. She playfully challenged Gohan to a race and worked on raising her ki into a shield around her to keep the wind from affecting her eyes the way it used to. She was doing a great job and flying faster than ever. Even though she knew he was holding back, Gohan made it a point to let her win in the end, but he made it enough of a challenge that she had to work pretty hard to get there first.
Now, they were descending into the pristine labs of Capsule Corp., Bulma excitedly leading them and practically bouncing with excitement. Once they arrived, she asked them to wait by the table and started rummaging through a drawer for a moment, before returning with a tiny box in her hands. It was only the size of her pinky nail, if that.
"Tah da! Guess what it is!" Videl leaned in and eyed it closely.
"This is the thing that'll stop that machine that paralyzed Gohan, right?" she suggested. Bulma nodded, grinning triumphantly.
"Bingo!"
"It's so small! I can't believe you managed to fit everything you needed into it," she noted in amazement. Bulma made a sheepish face as she shook her head.
"Well, I didn't exactly manage it. See, this was the initial design but it wasn't effective enough by itself. It was just too small to output the signal I needed it to."
"So what'd you do?"
"Hmm…Gohan why don't you try your hand at guessing? You were pretty spot-on last time!" He considered the device for a moment before coming up with a theory he was decently happy with.
"Well…judging by its size, either this isn't the final design and you've made something more efficient we haven't seen yet…or you found a way to synchronize the outputs of several of them."
"Wow, right again! Sorry to disappoint, but this is the best design I can make with the knowledge I have. But your second theory was exactly what I went with. I figured out how to sync up a web of these and they'll be able to counteract the Ki Suppressor entirely!"
"Ki Suppressor?" he repeated, confused.
"Oh, right; that's the name I gave the device. Calling it 'that machine that paralyzed Gohan' was too difficult, especially when I was working with Vegeta. He's not all that patient, you know," she winked, earning a chuckle from them both.
"How was that, by the way? I'm sorry I wasn't the one to help you out with it," Gohan offered. Bulma just shook her head and grinned.
"Don't worry about it! Actually, it was fine! We even used it to further Vegeta's training, though he's not happy with the results just yet. But I managed to score a date night with him because of it!"
"Wait, you did?" Videl asked her in shock. Bulma nodded eagerly.
"Yeah! We bet that if he couldn't break out of the Suppressor without my help, he'd go out for a date night with me. We decided it was a tie but he still went with me in the end. It was nice! It was also the first time we've done something like that in…maybe ever? It's hard to remember honestly with all the world-ending catastrophes we've dealt with since he and I met."
"Wow, I can't imagine Vegeta sitting in a movie theatre holding hands or something like that," she pondered aloud.
"Well, it wasn't the easiest sell, but I did manage to get him into a theatre. I had to compromise on the movie though; there was no way I'd ever get him to watch a romance or comedy with me."
"So what'd you end up seeing?"
"Some action movie that just came out; I don't remember the name."
"Did he like it?"
"Not even a little." Gohan and Videl laughed, unsurprised. "Griped about it the whole way through. At least he had the decency to do it so only I could hear."
"Sorry he didn't like the movie." Videl offered her a sweet consolation.
"Actually, it was a lot of fun! Listening to him criticize the whole thing made it a lot more enjoyable! I'm not into action films but that was the best one I've ever seen!"
"Sounds like things worked out then!" Videl was thrilled for her.
"It really did! But then the next day it was back to training. I'll keep working on him though; maybe I can convince him to have a few more nights like those."
"I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!"
"Thanks Videl! Now, let's get to why I asked you two here so I don't keep you all afternoon. I need to borrow your Saiyaman watches for a few days."
Gohan and Videl started unfastening their watchbands as she continued speaking. "I need to put this little device on the interior of each watch, but then I also need to put a few more in the seams of the Saiyaman suits themselves. You won't notice they're there, but I guarantee they'll keep you from getting paralyzed by the Suppressor again.
"Videl, I've tailored yours to shield you from a frequency that suppresses heightened human ki – thanks to some help from Krillin a few weeks ago – so you'll be protected from the machine always. Gohan, you're a bit trickier." He raised his eyebrows but didn't interrupt; they hadn't discussed this last time.
"See, you're only half-Saiyan. So while they were able to paralyze you with Saiyan ki amplitudes last time, they might be able to do the same if they tried to suppress your human ki, too. So your suit's gonna have a few more of these attached to it and your signal will shield you from both Saiyan and human suppression at the same time!"
"Wow Bulma, thanks! That never even crossed my mind."
"It was Vegeta who thought of it, actually!"
"Thank him for me too then if we don't see him before we leave today!"
"I will! By the way, I call this whole thing a Ki Barrier. I'll program it so you can activate it with a button on your watch and you won't have to worry about anything the Black Gloves throw at you anymore!"
"This is amazing, thank you Bulma!" Videl echoed, her eyes wide with excitement.
"Don't even worry about it; it was a fun challenge for me to figure out too! It helped me understand ki from a scientific standpoint a lot better."
"I may pick your brain about that sometime if you don't mind," Gohan began, earning her curious gaze. "I'm doing a little research project of my own about it and I'd love to understand everything you figured out."
"I'd be happy to help! Look at you, becoming the scholar your mother always wanted you to be!" Gohan laughed sheepishly but shook his head.
"As much as I'm glad it makes Mom happy, I really am doing it for myself too. I've been enjoying it a lot lately."
"I'm glad kiddo! Well you can always ask me for help with anything, any time you want!"
After chatting with Bulma for a while longer, she finally decided she wanted to go find the tools she needed to get to work. Gohan and Videl wished her well before heading back outside, hand in hand. Even now, Gohan still relished the feeling of Videl's soft hand in his as much as he did the first time he'd ever felt it.
"Should we head back to the mountain and get started on today's training?" Gohan suggested but Videl leaned in close and shook her head.
"I was thinking; why don't we skip training today? We've been at it every single day for the last three weeks and Bulma's story about she and Vegeta made me realize we haven't really been out for a real 'date day' in a while, especially not just the two of us." Gohan smiled uncontrollably.
"I'd love that 'Del, that sounds great!"
"We can get back to training tomorrow. For today, maybe we can just stay here in West City and enjoy ourselves?"
"Yeah, that's perfect! We never really hang out here; I'm sure we can find tons of fun things to do!"
Gohan felt Videl reach for his arm like usual but decided to surprise her a little. Rather than let her grab his arm, he reached up and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her in close. She gasped softly and her cheeks glowed pink as she found herself up against his side.
"I figured it might be nice if we walked a little closer today," he told her softly. She smiled sheepishly before nodding, slipping her arm around his waist.
"That sounds really nice."
"You okay? Are you embarrassed?" She shook her head quickly.
"N-no! Not at all! I was just a bit surprised, that's all."
"Oh good," he sighed before giving her a mischievous grin. "If you were this embarrassed, especially after last night, I'd think maybe you just didn't like it." As Videl's cheeks grew scarlet, he shot her a playful wink. Her eyes widened in shock and amusement before she hit his arm playfully.
"Guess I'm not as safe from being teased back as I thought, huh?"
"What can I say? I like to keep you on your toes! If I don't, you might get bored!"
They joked for a few moments more before setting off towards the streets of West City, excited to enjoy their impromptu date together. Before they left the Capsule Corp. gates, however, Videl turned her face up towards him and smiled softly.
"I'll never get bored of you, my love. No matter what."
She floated up slightly and kissed him, a soft, gentle kiss that took his breath away a lot more than their flight race to West City earlier had. As she touched gently back down to the ground, Gohan squeezed her close.
"I love you, Doll."
"Doll?"
"Yeah! I was thinking of pet names I could use for you and I figured 'Doll' sounds a lot like ''Del.' I wanted to try it since it's so close to your name and see if you liked it!" He felt a lot more comfortable telling her that this time than the first time he'd called her by her nickname all those months ago by the lake.
Videl blushed again and beamed up at him, her smile shining below sparkling sapphire eyes. "I love it so much! Look at you; two for two on perfect pet name choices!"
"I'm glad you like it! I'll ease you into it."
"You don't have to; you can just use it whenever you like!" She tugged at his side and they started walking again, arms around each other, lost in a daze of elation and adoration.
"And I love you too Darling, so very much."
12/09/2022