Glancing across at the boy discreetly, Videl, smiling fondly, slowly shuffled closer till there were only a couple of inches of space between them. Tucking a stray hair behind her ear at the same time, she turned to look up at him once again and whispered, "Hey, Gohan."
Turning to his left, the demi-Saiyan was caught off guard when he saw how close Videl was to him.
He'd been so caught up in thinking that he didn't even sense her edge closer to him, which really spoke wonders about her ability to take advantage of a person's lapse in attention. Nevertheless, the young warrior smiled politely and acknowledged his friend's attempts to make conversation with eye contact and respect, "What's up, Videl?"
The tomboy grinned, "How close are you to achieving the next level of Super Saiyan?" It was a strange question to ask in that moment, but one that the Saiyan didn't do anything to dismiss. "During the last training session we had together a few days ago, you said you weren't that far off from actually making the jump."
"Oh, I'm… getting pretty close now," Gohan chuckled while reaching up to rub the back of his head. "I know I'm much stronger than I was a few months ago. But it seems like this next transformation is going to need a little something extra to push me those last few steps." Apparently, in order for him to achieve this illusive third form in the Saiyan transformation process, he was going to need a lot more than raw power and determination in order for him to ascend. "I won't be able to accomplish this through brute force alone. Something more is needed. I just… haven't figured out what that 'something' is yet."
"Well… if nothing else, at least you're trying," Videl replied, a smile pulling across her lips as she gazed up at the dashing young man. "At the rate you're going and considering how rare you said Super Saiyans are, I bet you'll be the first Saiyan in history to achieve the third level transformation. If not the first Saiyan then you'll at least be the first half-Saiyan."
Gohan's expression then became filled with a mixture of both pride and delight at his friend's supportive comments. "Yeah. That would be quite the crowning achievement." He then clenched his fists excitedly and looked down at them. "To become the strongest Saiyan ever… man, I wonder what that would be like." The only time he even considered going for the top spot was when he actually started training seriously seven years ago.
But now that he was old enough to realize his dreams, aspirations and potential for success, there was no doubt in his mind that he was more than capable of going for it himself. His father and Vegeta had been fighting for that title for years now.
What was wrong with a little healthy competition?
"Sounds like a lot of fun," Videl answered, before suddenly leaning over and resting her head against the boy's muscular shoulder. Though her action did certainly startle the hybrid out of his determined reverie, he didn't react beyond a momentary jerk and a surprised blink. When he looked down at his partner, he saw the girl sigh, relax into his side as if he were a pillow, and gaze up at him with a soft look in her eyes. "I'll be rooting for you from the sidelines, Gohan-kun."
The demi-Saiyan considered her words for several moments, after which he spared her a gentle smile and returned her gesture by leaning into her as well. "Thanks, Videl."
They then returned to staring over the horizon and remained there until the sun had well and truly set over the distant hills. Needless to say, it had been a really great day.
Doing the gentlemanly thing, Gohan escorted Videl home once they'd clocked off with their chief over the radio. Landing outside her home's front door, the pair strolled up the steps and stopped. It was here that the demi-Saiyan decided to make an announcement to his friend; one that he was certain would add some cheer to her day.
It certainly made him happy when he told her.
"Hey, Videl."
"Yes, Gohan," the teenager replied, turning around so fast that the hybrid was worried she'd throw herself off balance.
The spiky haired young man, standing beside the girl and beaming at her, finally broke to her the news he'd been dying to tell her all day. "I'll be taking the Orange Star High school entrance exam in a few days. That means when I pass, I'll be able to attend the same school as you."
Her eyes widening told Gohan she'd heard him, "No way. For real?"
"Yeah," the boy nodded, giving her the trademark Son grin as an appropriate follow-up. "I figured I could end my schooling period as a student at an actual school for a change. After thinking on it for a couple of hours, I then thought to myself what better place to end it than at the same high school my best friend is attending?"
Almost instantly the girl gasped and stepped towards the demi-Saiyan in excitement. "Wow! That's great, Gohan! You're going to ace that exam easily!" It was clear she'd wanted the boy to attend school with her for a while now, but she never got the chance to pitch the idea to him. But after hearing that he was going through with it on his own accord, it had the crime fighter jumping with joy, both on the inside and the outside. Clenching her fists, Videl pumped them excitedly, "Oh man. Erasa is going to flip!"
Chuckling at his friend's response, he then reached forward and gently nudged her in the shoulder, bringing her delighted gaze back around. "I guess I'll be seeing you soon, yeah?"
Videl nodded vigorously, her eyes shimmering, "Yes."
Giving her a wave, the gi wearing young man then started to head off. But just when he was walking down the steps, his friend called out to him.
"Uh. Gohan."
Stopping just short of the bottom step, Gohan turned around and smiled, "Yes?" When his eyes fell upon her, he saw the girl clench a fist over her chest a couple of times and an air of anxiousness fall over her.
As if grappling with a life-changing decision, the raven haired tomboy attempted to speak. "D-Do you… umm…" With a bead of sweat trickling down the side of her face and her cheeks red, you'd initially believe she had some kind of fever. "Uhh…" However, after several moments of wrestling with the words she wanted to get out, she eventually swallowed them and instead gave him a smile.
"It's nothing. I'll see you later," the crime fighter eventually said.
Confusion framed the demi-Saiyan's face for but a moment, before it was shortly replaced by his kind smile once again. "Yeah. Good night, Videl." With another wave, which earned one from his friend, Gohan turned heel and, after taking a couple more steps, he vanished in a flash of golden light.
After seeing the boy off, the human fighter slowly let herself into her home. As soon as she stepped into the well-lit entrance hall of her father's domain and shut the door behind her, Videl immediately pressed her back against the wooden surface and took several deep breaths of air. Looking up, a mixture of fright, embarrassment, and dismay filled her face as she clenched her fist tightly and banged it a few times against the frame.
She ended up hitting it so hard that she caused the entire room to shake.
"Damn it! I couldn't do it…" Videl whispered, cursing to herself several times before she ended up smacking her head back against the door, rattling it under the force of her skull.
It was as plain as the nose on her face. As of a couple of months ago, Videl had come to the realization that she was slowly but surely falling for Son Gohan… and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it.
For years she'd spent hours hanging out with the boy; training under him, studying with him, and going out on countless adventures and excursions with him. The young Saiyan had introduced her to his family and friends, showed her a side of the world she never knew even existed, helped her to unleash her true powers and trained her in how to harness them.
Looking back on all the times they'd spent with each other, Gohan had done more things for her than any other boy could ever hope to do, and not only did he do it without question, but he didn't ask for anything in return. His selflessness and kindness was otherworldly, and on top of his friendly and incredibly benevolent nature, she'd become captivated by his personality as well.
But what she had originally thought was a deep friendship with him after all these years of knowing him was actually an attraction to his personality, one that complimented hers so well. At first it'd seemed harmless and platonic on the surface, but in truth… it was becoming something so much more than that.
It wasn't until a few months ago that Videl realized she'd become physically attracted to the demi-Saiyan as well. His dazzling smile, his striking charcoal eyes, the complexion of his face… over the past couple of years, it'd become almost impossible for the girl to deny how handsome he was. Not only that, but after seeing how fit a male specimen he actually was on the field and in their free time, she could also acknowledge without a shadow of a doubt that he had a fine body as well.
Simply the thought of her peeling away that excess layer of obstructive clothing to see exactly what he was hiding under that baggy gi filled Videl with a desire she'd never experienced before. And it scared the hell out of her because she'd never felt anything like it before and she didn't know how to handle it.
To put it simply, Gohan had in all translations of the words; captured her heart.
"Why does he have to be so God damn good-looking?!"
She had been so close! So class to asking him out on a date! But… thanks to a combination of shyness and stubbornness, her body just couldn't do it.
Feeling hot from hanging out in his presence for so long and frustrated at being unable to follow-through with her intentions, as her head started to fill with nothing but images of her crush's smile, Videl decided to take her frustrations up into her room. Hopefully she would be able to hash out these complicated feelings in her dreams…
And maybe destroy the punching bag a few times in the process.
While the daughter of the Champ mulled over her emotions in her room, many miles away, when Gohan eventually returned home later that night, he went to bed with a culmination of new thoughts and feelings on his mind.
The thoughts of Videl were one thing. That made getting to sleep almost an impossibility for him, as he tossed and turned for a better part of that entire night. However, while the images of the girl's face and sudden influx of fantasies involving her were definitely the most prominent thoughts to stick out of his mind for those few hours he spent awake, it was the things Videl had told him earlier that evening that he used to help distract himself from her, if only for a moment.
Thanks to his best friend's timely advice echoing in the deep recesses of his brain, Gohan couldn't help but spare a moment of reflection over his current training regiment and the goal he was striving towards.
Had there ever been a Super Saiyan 3 before?
He could go and ask Vegeta or his dad about it. But as far as he was concerned, he was the only Saiyan in the universe to have even gotten this far.
Thinking about it helped Gohan settle his nerves and get to sleep…
...
...
But that didn't stop Videl from popping back into his dreams later that night.
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