Chapter 3
"Erasa, I know I'm kind of an ass, but I hope you'll give me a chance. I know you've had your heart broken by other guys, but I promise to be different. I'll treat you right, I promise. Will you be my girlfriend?"
Erasa stood there like a board. She had no idea how to react to Sharpner's confession. She had two paths ahead of her. Accept his confession or reject his confession. On the one hand, Sharpner was a dependable friend, and this seemed really genuine, but on the other hand, Sharpner was a grade A fucboi who knew just what to say to get a girl falling for him. Did she believe him or not?
Sharpner was standing there as Erasa stared straight back into his eyes. She looked afraid, and confused. For some reason, Sharpner felt like Erasa was more afraid than anything else. He knew that Erasa wouldn't just leap into his arms, but he was expecting Erasa to be less afraid than she was now. Sharpner couldn't breathe as he waited in cold anticipation for Erasa's answer. Although there was a crowd of people rushing past them at the school entrance, he didn't hear any of the people walking past, he didn't see any of them either. The only thing in his mind was Erasa's blue eyes, staring at his eyes, with fear.
In the vast majority of cases, there are certain tell tale signs of lying. Sharpner had none of those tell tale signs. He was telling the truth, he really liked her.
Luckily today was a day void of crime, so Videl, Gohan and Lime were there too. Each was held in utter shock at Sharpner's confession. Gohan wasn't so surprised, but he was still shocked at Sharpner's sincerity. Videl gasped as she heard Sharpner's confession, she had always thought Sharpner had a crush on her, not Erasa. Lime was also taken aback, she also thought Sharpner secretly loved Videl, not Erasa.
Erasa nervously said, "Give me the day. I'll give you an answer before the end of the day."
Sharpner silently nodded and awaited Erasa's answer.
It was a breezy Friday morning and as the autumn leaves swirled around Orange Star high school, everyone soon heard about Sharpner's confession. Sharpner was the captain of the boxing team and was also the captain of the football team, in short, he was popular. That said, Erasa was also very popular, she wasn't new to the dating scene and had at least more than a few ex's. Contrary to what you might think, she genuinely liked these boys. She was a sweetheart and everytime she got into a relationship she fell for them, hard. Unfortunately she's been dumped by each and every one of them for some other girl.
For Gohan the day seemed to drag on forever. He could only imagine how Sharpner felt, having to wait for Erasa's answer. Lime also felt like the day was unbelievably slow, however, she was more excited to go home to Chazke village. She didn't say anything to her best friend about the confession, she didn't even mention it. She wanted to let her friend decide how to handle this because she knew Sharpner the best, if it were up to Lime, she would have rejected him in a heartbeat, but Erasa seemed to see Sharpner differently.
When they went out to eat lunch under the big tree, they hung out like the confession didn't even happen. Sharpner did his best to act normal and Erasa seemed to be completely unfazed by his confession. They all wanted to wait for Erasa's answer before the joking around could begin.
As the final bell rang, and everyone started to head home, Erasa, Sharpner and the others all stayed behind to hear Erasa's answer. She'd take the entire day to think about this. Sharpner was fidgeting around as he stood before Erasa.
She took a deep breath and said, "Yes."
Sharpner let out a sigh of relief and hugged Erasa. She was caught by surprise as Sharpner hugged her. After a moment she hugged him back.
"Well, I think I hear someone yelling about a bank robbery, I'm gonna leave you two lovebirds here, bye!"
"Yea, we have a movie to catch, so uhh, we'll leave you two be. Don't make a mess of the place."
"Bye Erasa, bye Sharpner, See you on Monday."
Erasa blushes as she heard Videl and Lime's comments. She quickly broke away from the hug and awkwardly waved bye.
As Gohan and Line walked to the subway station, they began to talk about Erasa and Sharpner's relationship.
"I swear to god, if that little dirt bag hurts Erasa I'm gonna shove his dinky muscles into a blender and feed it to the dinosaurs."
"A-aren't you going a little too far there Lime?"
"What do you mean? Sharpner's a jerk, a fucboi and an all around asshole. There's no way he really likes Erasa, he's just trying to get into her pants."
"Really? I thought he was really heartfelt. He even asked me beforehand to ask Erasa what she thought about him."
"He did?!"
"Yea. So I asked Erasa and she seemed to think that he was a really nice guy."
"On what planet?"
"Umm, I uh . . . don't know how to answer that. I mean, I've been to other planets before, but like they're pretty similar to Earth."
Lime stopped and took a moment to comprehend what Gohan just said. She blinked a few times and steam started to pour out of her ears as stopped working, windows will notify you when a solution is available.
Gohan waved his hand in front of her eyes and got no response. He grabbed her shoulder and shook a little to try and wake her up.
After a moment Line looked at Gohan straight in the eyes and said, "Wait, I know you have super powers, but like, are you serious? You've been to other planets?"
Gohan nodded and Line exclaimed, "That's so cool! Wait so you have a spaceship? You definitely have to let me see it."
"Well, it's not exactly my spaceship, it's my godmother's, but I think she'd let you see it."
"Your godmother's? The same one who made your superhero costume?"
"Yea, why?"
"Gohan, you live out in the mountains, who on earth is your godmother?"
"Bulma."
"Bulma?"
"Yea, ummm, oh! Bulma Briefs!"
"Wait, as in head of Capsule Corp?"
"Yep, why?"
Lime took another moment to process what Gohan just said.
She then exclaimed again, "Your godmother is Bulma Briefs? The richest woman in the world?"
"Is she? Oh I guess she is."
Lime nearly fainted on the spot. Gohan actually stuck out his arm to catch her.
After Lime got back up she took another look at Gohan and thought to herself, wow, that's insane, the kid with superpowers is also related to the richest family in the world.
Lime took a deep breath and decided to disregard everything she just heard. So what if Gohan was related to Bulma Briefs, that doesn't change anything, he's still the same innocent Gohan she knew.
As they got to the subway station, Lime pulled out her subway card and realized that Gohan didn't take the subway so he wouldn't have one. So she went over to the kiosk and bought a one way card.
"Here, swipe this card at the turnstile and walk through."
Gohan took the card and looked at inquisitively. He did as he was told and found the entire process fascinating. He had never taken the subway before and never had to swipe a card before either. These were all new experiences for him.
At the platform, Gohan was looking around and asked, "Umm, this is where the subway comes through right? I read it in a book somewhere."
"Yea, we're taking the N train to 34th street."
"O-okay. . . Hey Lime?"
"Hmm? What's up?"
"You're from the mountains too. How did you learn so much?"
Lime grinned and said, "What, jealous? I know I'm amazing. I pick things up quickly, and besides, it's already been a year since I moved here, it'd be weird if I didn't know my way around."
"That's true, I just find it really cool, since you're not very similar to the Lime I remember."
"The Lime you remember? What's she like, I'm curious."
"Well, she's brave and unafraid to speak her mind, but she gets into a lot of trouble. Actually, now that I say it, you haven't changed at all."
"Hmph, well that's a little rude. I'd like to think I've changed a lot. I'm smarter, definitely, a lot taller and I've got friends now. Unlike a certain someone, who hasn't changed one bit."
"Are you referring to me?"
"Who else? You're still the same clueless kid from back then. Then again, I think that's what makes you kinda cute"
"Wh-"
rumble rumble rumble rumble
The N train trotted along into the station, drowning out any other conversations on the platform. With a loud exhaust of air, the doors opened and people began to flow out of the subway. Lime pulled Gohan to the side of the door and said, "Y'see, if you stand to the side, you can let all the people out and then we can get in. It's common etiquette in subways."
As they got into the subway, Gohan finally understood why rush hour was such a despised event and commonly complained about. Lime and him were squeezed into the oversized tin can as they desperately looked for some kind of handrail or pole to grab onto.
They endured this for twenty minutes until they squeezed and pushed themselves out of the tin can onto the platform of 34th street.
"*gasp* You do that everyday?!" Gohan asked Lime.
" *pant* *pant* yea, you get used to it after a while."
After catching their breaths, they climbed the stairs and walked to the movie theater, Sat & Ann's Cinema. On the way there, Lime took Gohan to the nearby convenience store and bought some bags of chips and bottles of soda. She stuffed them into her and Gohan's bags and after buying tickets to Dependers: Infinity Crusades, they snuck their snacks in. Gohan nervously approached the ticket checker and Lime stomped on his foot. She walked in front and gave the checker their tickets. The checker, being the underpaid zombie he was, tore off the barcode and let them in without checking their bags.
Lime flashed Gohan a toothy grin and said, "Piece of cake, they don't get paid enough to care."
"Wait, but it's still against the rules."
"Aww, don't be such a stickler. This is good, it saves us a lot of cash, since all the movie stuff is super overpriced."
"I guess, alright then."
"That's the spirit."
2+ hours later . . .
"That' movie was awesome!"
"Right?"
"All those superheroes had their own costumes and powers and they were so cool!"
"You get it now right?"
"Yup, compared to those costumes, my costume is kinda weird."
"I'm glad you see things my way now. With that being said, what kind of costume are you gonna go for now?"
"Alright, so I definitely want a cape."
"Yep, you fly around, so you definitely need a cape."
"And I want to be a symbol of justice, like Captain Canadia, so that means I need some bright colors."
"I mean, not necessarily, but like it'd be nice, you'd be real eye catching. I suggest going with lime green as one of your colors. Hehe."
"Really?"
"Hell no! Lime green is super tacky."
"Right, hmmm . . . how about orange and blue?"
"Complementary colors? I'm not opposed to it."
"Well, they're the colors of my dad's gi, so I kind of wanted to honor it in some way."
"That's . . . really cute. You should totally do it! But, no dresses tied together okay? You have to get it in spandex. You should show off those muscles of yours."
"W-what are you talking about?"
"Don't lie to me, I know you're hiding some crazy muscles under there. You're a martial artist aren't you?"
Gohan nervously chuckled and said, "N-no not really. I think I've gotten skinnier."
"Oh yea, and throw out that stupid bug helmet of yours. It makes you look like a bootleg astronaut. You should get a domino mask."
"A domino mask?"
"Yea, here," she looked up a picture of Green Flashlight and showed it to him."
"Ohhhh, I see. That's cool"
"Yep. That way you can hide your identity."
"It seems kinda ineffective."
"I mean, as long as you can keep your hair down, it should be fine. It's really spiky."
"I guess, I don't know, I'll think about it during the weekend. I'll let you know if I come up with anything."
"Let me know?"
"W-well, I mean, you're kind of my coach on this."
"Coach . . . I like it. Well as your coach, let's go check out a fabric shop to make your costume."
"Sure, are there any nearby?"
"Yea, there's one a few blocks from here. Let's go."
The fabric shop was a small hipster store called Satanic Fabrics. The store was aimed towards the cosplay community and had a mannequin dressed up as Deceasedpool and another as Zora from Two Piece. The store clerk was a young man with a beanie and a scruffy brown beard. He was . . . eating a sandwich . . . and was counting the cash from the register.
jingle jingle
A little bell rang as Gohan and Lime entered the shop.
"Hey dude and dudette, sorry, but the store is closed. Like, I'm just about to close up. Sorry about that. We'll be open on Monday, but uh . . . What're you two lookin for? Maybe I can get it ready for you two on Monday. I don't usually get a lot of high school students coming in here."
"Oh, my bad, umm, we were looking for some orange and blue spandex."
"Spandex? Yea we have a whole bunch in the back room. Any specifications?"
"Well we need enough to make an entire costume."
"No problem. Drop by on Monday and I'll hook you two up."
"Alright then, thank you."
"See you later then, dude and dudette."
After the two left the store, Gohan asked Lime, "Hey Lime, what was that smell?"
"Oh that, it was . . . a sandwich . . . don't worry about it, you'll get used to it. Anyways, it's late now, you should take me home."
"No problem."
"As the sun was starting to set, Gohan and Line snuck into a back alley where Gohan clicked his watch and transformed into the Great Saiyaman.
He asked Lime,"Now, how do you want me to carry you? I can hold you like this." He then proceeded to bridal carry her.
She began to blush and quickly said,"N-no, just put me on your back."
"Sure."
He bent down and gave Lime a piggy back ride. She carefully climbed onto his back and just as she wrapped her arms around his neck, he took off into the skies.
He began to fly towards the mountains, passing over Satan City. He had to fly slower than usual because Lime was with him, and if he flew any faster, she might get blown right off of him.
"Wow, the city looks so beautiful from this high up. You're so lucky to be able to see this everyday."
"Lucky? I . . . guess I never really thought about it like that before."
As Gohan flew across the skies, Lime took in all the views, from the sea of greens from trees and bushes, the warm snowy mountain tops, the glistening crystal rivers, the golden egg yolks in the lakes.
Lime stared at everything around her, her eyes digesting all gorgeous things nature offered. She saw the barren wastelands in the distances and the huge rock formations in the desert beyond. The tall thin mountains that made up the mountain range they lived in were blossoming with life and abundant flora dotted the milky white rocks.
Soon Chazke Village grew larger and larger. The familiar ruins of a large domed shelter popped out from the blanket of leaves.
"Hey, whatever happened to ?"
"Oh, that asshat, he invested all his money into the bunker, and when it failed, the crowd swarmed the bunker and took their money back. So he went bankrupt. After that, he just sort of faded away."
"Hmm, karma works in mysterious ways doesn't it."
"Yea, it does . . . "
They softly landed in the middle of Chazke Village. Lime got off of Gohan and squealed. She took off her bag and flopped onto the grass and took a deep sigh.
"Ahhhhh, Chazke Village, how I've missed you."
The sun had just set and the stars and the moon were starting to become visible. The sky was a navy blue and the moon shone down on Chazke Village.
Lime patted the area next to her and said, "Come on, lie down with me."
In the full moon's light, Lime's auburn hair draped down and framed her face. She had the brightest smile in the world and as she laughed, Gohan felt a weird tug in his chest. He laid down next her and looked up at the stars. As he laid there next to her, the sound of her breath and his own beating heart went at a steady pace, causing him to feel calm. The scentl of fresh citrus washed over him as Lime pushed her hair out her face.
His hand found itself moving closer and closer to her hand. He stopped himself a few centimeters away from her hand.
"Hey Lime."
"What's up."
"Thanks for today."
Lime turned her head and looked at Gohan. Gohan turned his head and looked back. Lime asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Thanks for showing me so much, I'd never been to a movie or taken the subway before. I also have to thank you for accepting me."
"Accepting you? What are you talking about?"
Gohan's face began to blush and he quickly blurted out, "N-nevermind."
"Hey look, if anyone should be saying thank you, it's me."
"What do you mean?"
"You took me back to Chazke, took me into the realm of birds and showed me how beautiful this world is."
"I . . . I guess I never really thought about it like that."
"You're amazing Gohan, you've got all these super powers, your life must be super exciting right?"
"Exciting? Far from it. I think I'm pretty boring. I don't know anything about this world. Nothing at all. Your life is the exciting one."
Lime paused and looked at Gohan. He's not just a bookworm who doesn't know anything about real life, he's so much more, so why? Why does he keep himself tethered like this. He has these amazing super powers that allow him to fly and save people, so why does he think that he's boring? That doesn't make any sense.
Lime leaned down and kissed Gohan's forehead. After realizing what she just did, her face began to burn up and she quickly got up and said, "G-Good night Gohan, you should get back home."
"R-right! Good night Lime."
He bolted off into the sky and flew as fast as he could towards home.