Hey everyone! It's been a long time since I've been able to continue this fic but I think I finally want to start writing again. I don't have much else to add so all there is to say now it enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ
The next morning didn't take the smell of his mother's breakfast to wake young Goten up, by the crack of dawn he was already getting ready to leave for his first flying lesson. Meanwhile, the eldest demi-saiyan was just waking up.
Gohan yawned as he entered the kitchen, "Good morning mom- and Goten? You're never up this early, squirt".
"Mhignghahsibedaltdnahy"
"Goten, don't talk with your mouth full!" Chi-chi scolded as Gohan chuckled at the scene, his little brother definitely seemed to be a splitting image of their father.
Goten quickly chewed and swallowed his rice before continuing, "I'm going to go play with miss Videl early today!" he boasted before wiping his mouth and going to the sink to put his bowl away.
"Only because you don't have any chores today and as long as you're back before dark, mister. You need to study tonight so you can go to school and get a scholarship like your big brother!" she ended.
Gohan stood a bit baffled at his mother's actions, she's nothing like how she was with him. "Wait bu-"
"Ok mom I will, bye Gohan!" Goten yelled, grabbing a light jacket before rushing out the door before Gohan could finish.
The teen sighed before turning to his mother washing dishes, "Aren't you concerned about who this Videl person is?"
His mother smirked, "come on now Gohan, he's just like you were with Icarus. There's no one who lives within 100 miles of here, Videl's just one of his animal friends." she assured, turning to him. "You saiyans can look after yourselves, as long as Goten does his chores and studies then he's able to go out and play with his friends."
Gohan was taken aback at his mother's comment, though, it did make sense. Chi-chi knew much more about the saiyans and the power they held than when he was young. He still didn't understand why she wasn't as strict on Goten as she was to him about studying however, maybe it had something to do with Goku's death.
"Whatever you say, mom, I have to get to school, see you later!" he exclaimed after looking at the time on his watch and giving Chi-chi a quick kiss on the cheek before going out the door.
It wasn't long until Goten arrived at the large field, eager to start learning how to fly. Meanwhile the female saiyan had just landed down as well, almost surprised to see the boy so early. "So you're really serious about this kid" she grinned.
Goten nodded, "yeah, I want to fly just like my big brother."
She raised an eyebrow yet disregarded the comment, it wasn't unlikely that Earthlings wouldn't be able to fly since the rest of the universe practically held such ability. It just felt strange to her as to why none of them ever did, except for the one she ran into months ago. "Alright then Goten, since you already know how to manipulate ki well this shouldn't take too long. Let's begin."
Needless to say, Videl was surprised at the progress the boy was making- for an Earthling, of course. It had taken a half hour alone for Goten to grasp the concept that jumping is not the same as using his energy. Regardless, within the next half hour he was zooming through the sky.
"Look Videl I'm a bird!" he called out, flapping his arms while hovering above.
The saiyan teen couldn't help but chuckle, "Oh yeah? Well I'm a faster bird than you!"
The next thing Goten knew he was doing somersaults in the air, blown away by her speed. Taking a second to catch his breath he looked back to the girl yards away, who seemed to be mimicking his impeccable bird-like movements.
"If you were in battle the enemy would have annihilated you by now, let's see how fast you really are!"
With that said, hours felt like minutes as the pair flashed above the forest as if in a game of tag. To Goten it seemed like just a game that he would play with Gohan except running on the ground. To Videl it was all a part of his training… for the most part. Being conditioned for only battles to the death for some time now had taken its toll, and it was a while since the girl had let go. She couldn't help but smile, memories of doing simple training games such as this as a child on her home planet.
Before he came along, of course.
As everything, the game eventually came to a halt as the two hovered over the other side of the river from their meeting spot. Videl had been observing the terrain for a while over the course of their training. Unlike the field they usually remained in, this was much more rigid. Mountains of rock struck up from the earth, as if it were a forest in its own way.
"Let's take this to the next level, I want you to spar with me while flying. First person to touch the ground loses."
Goten's brows furrowed, excited for the challenge he nodded at his opponent and fell into a mid-air fighting stance. Prepared for the teenager speeding towards him he quickly began to dodge and block her onslaught of punches and kicks. Their sparring continued as such for a while, back and forth the two did a mix of their own offence and defence.
It was time to spice things up a bit.
Realizing it was futile to continue at the current pace of things, the young demi-saiyan decided to figure out a way to get the upper hand. After dodging the girl's attacks he made a quick turn towards the nearest mountain. He waited for the girl to pursue before destroying the mountain as a distraction.
Videl raised her arms to her head to shield herself from as much debris as possible. 'Good… it's about time he thought of a strategy.'
Not a second later the boy sent a flurry of ki blasts towards the girl who easily dodged and blocked the blows with her own ki. As the battle went on Goten started to be more cautious about his moves, planning them accordingly rather than repeating moves continuously or simply dodging and sending punches back. Yet it was clear his friend had been holding back, and the longer the fight continued the more of her true energy she put forward.
Meanwhile Goten was trying his best to not show growing signs of exhaustion. The two began raising through whatever mountains were left with Goten in the lead, approaching their normal spot once again. Little did he know their fight was not over, while he tried to avoid the newly fired flurry of unexpected ki blasts from behind. Unable to foresee them all, one finally hit.
Stunned by the blast Goten found himself smashing into a nearby mountain at the edge of the "forest" only to drop to the river below.
Videl stared at the river below, drawing in lost breaths from their spar. "You can't fool me kid, I know your tricks!" she shouted with a near exhausted yet satisfied smile. Few minutes had passed with no signs of the young saiyan. With worry setting in the teen lowered herself down above the water.
"Goten! The joke is over you can come up now!". Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to feel for his ki, a trick recently learned from the Earthling. 'Oh no…he must have gotten knocked out!'
She clenched her teeth, anxiously staring at the rushing water directly below, then turning to look at the bracelet-like device on her wrist. Was she really about to risk everything she has worked toward for a mere earthling? She shuddered at the memory of her last encounter with water and the bracelet, the effects it had caused. Lucky the tyrant had a large staff of scientists and medics to fix her and the device to health. Minutes past and time was running out for the boy.
'It's now or never…' the girl took a breath before delving into the icy waves.
Goten gasped for air, sprawled on the now drenched grass of the field as he proceeded to cough any of the water remaining in his lungs. He stared at the fuschia painted sky above, trying to recall what seemed to be just previous moments. His fingers grasped the grass as a cold rush of wind ran through him. "W-what happened… Miss Videl…?"
He gasped at the condition of the girl on the ground next to him. Her eyes were clenched shut in pain as she let out small moans, struggling with each breath. 'I can't move a thing… those damn scientists didn't even bother to fix the bug. Like they'd even care and he probably told them not to, sick bastard…'
She could hear Goten's cries beside her, unsure of what to make of the situation. The two had grown closer than Videl would have liked over the last month or so from their initial meeting. After all, it seemed they both needed someone to keep them company. The training had turned into something the saiyan looked forward to when not looking for more dragon balls, rather than a chore. "G-Goten…"
The boy stifled his breath, "M-miss Videl don't worry…! I'll help you!" She felt her body being lifted from the ground, slung across the young one's arm.
'Heh… good thing I taught him how to fly today…'
Goten's eyes narrowed, feeling the teen getting heavier on his back and began to increase speed through the forest, recalling where the cave she'd been residing was.
Flashback:
"So Miss this is where you live?" he inquired, walking around the small interior of the cave. There wasn't much, only a firepit in the middle, some pelts of animal fur that had been killed during her time on Earth that were now being used for warmth, and a small collection of dragon balls almost hidden in the far side of the cave. Since she spent so much time training her young apprentice she'd only been able to gather four out of the seven total.
The saiyan nodded, the storm outside which interrupted their training growing heavier. Seeing the earthling shiver she proceeded to light the fire in the cave, "looks like we'll have to train here for today, it'll be a good opportunity to work on meditation."
Goten settled on one of the large pelts, "mmm… you know you should live with me, mommy, and Gohan! It's a lot warmer and cozier than your cave!"
The girl shook her head, "I don't think that would be a good idea, Goten-"
"Why not? You're like my big sister! Gohan would love to meet you too! He's super strong, so we can all train together after school and mommy makes the yummiest food-"
The teen stopped listening as he trailed off, 'big sister… I haven't heard that for a while.' She'd grown up an only child, but found herself close with a lot of the other children from her planet, though it was improper there were a few in particular that would address her as such.
"Goten" she stopped the child, "let's begin…"
Getting the hint he stopped, both sitting cross legged in front of the fire the duo relaxed into meditated states, the rain outside filling the silence.
Anxious footsteps echoed through the cave as Goten continued to carry his "sister" before lightly laying her down on one of the pelts. By this time she had passed out completely from the pain. Her breathing was shallow yet consistent, for now. He quickly lit the arranged logs with his ki, igniting the fire. 'I need to get Gohan, he'll know what to do!'
Goten bursted into the small home, finding his older brother sitting in the kitchen as his mother cooked their regular, abnormally large dinner. "Mom, Gohan!"
"Just in time squirt, mom was getting worried" the oldest saiyan proceeded, moving toward the little one. "Goten, are you okay?"
All eyes turned to him, his cheeks still bright red from a combination of the frigid weather and predicament that just unfolded. Tears returned to his eyes, "G-Gohan, Videl needs help!" he croaked. "She went into the river to save me and now she can't move I don't know what to do, please Gohan!"
Gohan knelt down, wiping away the now flowing tears. His face turning serious "don't worry Goten, we'll help her." He turned to face the woman in the kitchen, "Mom we'll be right back!"
Before she could respond the two boys were outside, Goten leading the way. "A hero's work is never done" she sighed, a thought of her late husband returning before going back to cooking.
Gohan's eyes widened, "G-goten when did you learn to fly?" he asked shocked seeing his brother lift into the air. "Did Trunks teach you?"
He shook his head, "Miss Videl did! Today actually, that's how I fell into the river…" he responded without thinking, but leaving specific details about their training out.
'This doesn't make sense… Goten hangs out with animals, like Icarus and I! But of course Icarus couldn't teach me how to fly.'
It wasn't long before they reached the entrance of the cave, 'time to see who this Videl really is.'
He stepped slowly, following Goten's lead. Gohan's eyes narrowed, trying to get a better look of the figure sprawled in front of the flame.
No, it couldn't be.
His eyes widened, her soft features and raven hair in clear view.
'It's her...! The super saiyan!'
And after two years here it is, Chapter 3! Please review, let me know what you think, I tried to leave it off on a cliffhanger ;) and hopefully I get Chapter 4 out by next week so stay tuned!