fate 13

It was like being up among the stars. White Christmas lights hung from above, covered by tissue paper in shades of light blue and purple, casting their gentle light on the dance floor and the table surrounding it. Soft piano music wafted through the air, creating an atmosphere of sophistication and romance. The effect of the light and the music was infectious; couples sitting at tables cuddled, exchanging kisses and sweet nothings.

Videl looked enviously at the couples. Although she was at the prom with the guy she liked, he wasn't her boyfriend and she couldn't kiss him whenever she wanted to. That was the other reason why she didn't like going to those dances.

< I can't stand seeing all of these people being all cuddly with their significant others. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm jealous of all of these couples. I wish I could have the same thing with Gohan. There was that time, that kiss that almost happened, but nothing after that. I don't know whether to give up on him or to continue hoping for something to happen, > Videl thought.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the feeling of Gohan's hand at the small of her back. Leaning forward, Gohan whispered in her ear.

"We should go find somewhere to sit down where we can talk. What do you say?" Videl smiled, turning to look at Gohan.

"I was thinking over there. It's probably the quietest spot in the room; I'm sure that, later, when they start to play music, it'll get louder in here. That'll be the only spot where we can hear each other." Videl smiled as she spotted the table that sat in the corner; it was unoccupied and, because of its location, had no hopes of being occupied by anyone else.

"That's perfect, Gohan. Come on, let's go." Videl started walking in the direction of the table with Gohan not two steps behind her. He blushed as he eyes wandered down to see the gentle sway of her hips as she walked.

< I don't know how anyone could get more beautiful than she is right now, > Gohan thought, < I wish we had actually kissed when she was at my house. > They reached the table in no time, weaving their way through the maze of other tables that stood in their way. Gohan rushed ahead of Videl, pulling out a chair so she could sit; he remembered his mother's manners at the weirdest moments. But, his action was rewarded with another one of Videl's dazzling smiles.

"Thanks Gohan," she said, sitting down as Gohan pushed in the chair. Gohan sat down as well and shook off the action with a wave of his hand.

"It's nothing; just simple manners that my mother has taught me over the years. I seem to be full of those and can't seem to let them go."

"And as well you shouldn't," Videl said, "Polite manners can get you farther than you'd expect. If you show courtesy, people are more willing to listen to what you have to say and comply with your actions. Your mother taught you well." Gohan nodded.

"Well, at least in social skills," Gohan said, a smirk on his face, "In pure intelligence, though, I'm way smarter than you." Videl rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yes, no one can beat the walking encyclopedia," Videl said as if she was addressing a king. Gohan's face took on a look of pretend hurt.

"Hey," he whined, "That hurts. I'm not really a walking encyclopedia, am I?" Videl knew he was just fishing for compliments and gave him what he wanted.

"No, Gohan, that's not all that you are and you know it. You're also nice, funny, and a great friend." Gohan gave Videl a gentle smile that made her heart to flips inside her chest.

"Thanks, Videl, you have no idea how much that means to me." Videl's face took on a light blush. Nervously, her eyes scanned the room, looking for another topic of conversation. Videl's mouth dropped open at what she saw at the other side of the room. Tugging on Gohan's sleeve, Videl spoke in a daze.

"Gohan, do you see what I see?" she asked. Gohan's brow furrowed as he turned to see what Videl was looking at. He, too, gaped.

"Wow, that's a sight I never thought I'd see," Gohan whispered in shock. Videl nodded in agreement. Clear across the room, sitting at another table, sat Sharpener and Eraser. Eraser was sitting in Sharpener's lap...and they were kissing. Videl shook off her shock and looked at the newfound couple with a smile.

"I knew they'd get together one of these days," Videl said with an air of confidence. Gohan nodded, a small smile appearing on his face as well.

"Yeah, I did too. Sharpener was telling me how much he liked Eraser and I overheard you and Eraser talking about her feelings for him one time. I guess it was just a matter of time before the two of them became a couple, don't you think?"

"I always knew they would hook up eventually, with or without my help," Videl said with a mischievous grin. Gohan smiled conspiratorially at Videl.

"You little matchmaker, you. I bet you've had a hand in this the entire time, slowly pushing them together. And don't try to deny it. I can tell by the look on your face." Videl shrugged.

"I guess you've found me out. Yes, I have been nudging them in the right direction. You know, setting up plans for the three of us where I would have an "emergency" to take care of, leaving the two of them alone for the day. Stuff like that. I don't think they ever caught on and, if they did, they didn't really care. Gohan stole a glance at the kissing couple and smirked.

"From the looks of it, I don't think they'd care if you had shoved the two of them in a closet for an hour." Videl chuckled.

"I'd have to agree with you there, Gohan; you have a good point." Videl looked critically at Sharpener and Eraser.

"Though they probably should be in their own little enclosure, seeing how heavy they're getting." Gohan shrugged.

"Eh, they'll realize how heavy they're getting in public and stop it eventually. Now, after the prom when they're alone...that's a different story," Gohan said with a smirk. Videl looked shocked at Gohan, not believing what he was insinuating.

"Gohan, I'm shocked! I never believed you would say something that suggestive. If you mother heard you talking like that, she'd hit you upside the head." Gohan smiled.

"It's all that time that I've spent hanging around you and your friends. Do you know that you are the first real friend I've had that's my age?" Gohan leaned back in his chair and sighed. Videl looked at Gohan with curious eyes.

"Well, when I was growing up, I didn't know anybody my age. Everyone I knew was either a friend of my mother or, more often than not, a friend of my father. Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Piccolo, Bulma, Master Roshi, all of these people that I've grown up around were close friends of my father. They were the only friends I knew. Before I came here, I only knew how to interact with adults. If I seemed a little awkward around school for a few weeks, it was because I didn't know how to act around people my age." Gohan stopped and looked at Videl's sympathetic gaze.

"I know that's a pathetic way to have grown up, but I live out in the middle of nowhere. The nearest house is miles away. I guess if you're to blame anybody for the way I grew up, it's my father. It was his decision to build his family's house out in the 439 Mountain Area. He liked the woods and nature; he wasn't too fond of having people live right next to him."

< Besides, with all of the things he destroyed while training, it's probably a good thing that he chose to place our house so far out of the way so it wouldn't destroy other peoples' houses, > Gohan thought, resting his elbows on his knees, leaning forward so that his head was supported by the heels of his hands. Videl rested a sympathetic hand on Gohan's knee.

"I understand somewhat of what you went through," Videl said quietly, "Because of my father's fame, I've been isolated from other kids my age up until I went to high school where I met all of the friends I have today. I know what it's like to have no friends your age because that's how I grew up also." Gohan threw Videl a soft smile.

"You and I see eye-to-eye on a lot of things. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who experiences all of the things I have throughout my life," Gohan said. Videl smiled and allowed her eyes to scan the room once again. Her eyes lit up as she saw drinks being set up across the room.

"Hey, Gohan, look. They're setting up drinks. Come on, let's go get something to drink. I'm kind of thirsty." Gohan stood up and politely offered his hand to Videl to help her rise to her feet, even though she didn't need the help.

"Whatever you want," Gohan said as Videl took his hand. Giving Gohan a dazzling smile, Videl walked towards the drinks bar with Gohan close behind.

"Is Vegeta really that stupid?" Videl asked after Gohan finished telling her about one of Bulma and Vegeta's fights. Gohan shook his head.

"Stupid? No. Arrogant? Yes. Vegeta has this deep sense of pride and just thinks he knows everything. The more you get to know him, the more you realize that he is anything but stupid." Videl looked at Gohan with one eyebrow raised.

"Well," Videl said, "With all that you tell me about Vegeta, it makes me less inclined to want to get to know him. How does Bulma put up with it?" Gohan shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. They seem to have this special bond...I can't quite explain it. She's extremely tolerant of his behavior and he, sometimes, can be really sweet around her. Now, I know that thinking of Vegeta as sweet is a hard thing to believe, but you have to see it to understand. It's like he's less volatile when he's around Bulma." Videl laughed.

"She's probably bribing him with sex," Videl bluntly pointed out. Gohan nodded his agreement, his cheeks reddening slightly at the mention of the passionate action.

"Yeah, somewhat, I guess. I think that's what brought them together. They are the most passionate couple I've ever seen. They can go from being in the midst of a huge argument one moment to kissing the next. Take my word on it; I've seen it." Gohan looked away from Videl and out towards the dance floor where people were dancing to the frenzied beat of the music. The upbeat song faded, changing into a soft, simple slow song.

Gohan smiled widely as he realized something; he and Videl hadn't danced all evening and this song was the perfect one to dance to. From what he saw, slow dancing was easy; even Gohan, as inexperienced as he was, could pick it up.

Rising to his feet, Gohan stood in front of Videl and gave her a charming smile. Bowing slightly at his waist, Gohan spoke.

"May I have this dance?" Gohan asked, holding out his hand for Videl to take. Videl, in return, gave him a soft smile and took his hand.

"Yes, I would love to dance with you," Videl said. Together, the two walked hand in hand out to the dance floor. Once on the dance floor, Gohan and Videl stood there a little nervous about how to proceed. It was Gohan who made the first move.

Moving towards Videl, he pulled her into his arms, wrapping one arm around her waist. Videl gasped as she felt herself pressed up against Gohan's body; the feeling was exquisite, warm, and safe. Smiling gently down at her, Gohan took Videl's hand in his other. Videl looked at their joined hands with an expression of wonder on her face. She could feel the heat radiating off of his hand and the contact made her heart skip a beat.

Videl looked up at Gohan, the expression on her face soft, tender, and peaceful, as she laid her other hand on the arm that was wrapped delicately around her waist. As one, they began to sway slightly on the dance floor, moving gently to the beat of the music that surrounded them. Staring into each other's eyes as the music continued, they allowed the lyrics to wash over them.

They slowed their movements as the song faded, eventually stopping all together. Gohan and Videl stood in the middle of the dance floor as the song once again changed into an upbeat one. People crowded around them, dancing to the music, yet Gohan and Videl were impervious to the movement around them; they were too lost in each other.

Gohan drew in a shaky breath as he looked down at the beauty in front of him. He just wanted to kiss her and never stop. Videl, too, was becoming overwhelmed with the feelings stirring inside of her.

"Yeah, that's fine. Let's go," Gohan said in a voice that was equally as quiet as Videl's was. Grabbing Videl's hand, Gohan walked off of the dance floor with Videl not far behind. They walked back to their table to grab Videl's wrap before wordlessly leaving the room and their dancing classmates behind.

Gohan looked down to see Videl's form shiver slightly as they walked up to her front door. Moving so that he was standing right behind her, he grabbed the wrap and brought it up so that it covered her shoulders. His hands lingered on her shoulders until they reached the doorstep. Videl turned around in his arms, causing his hands to leave her shoulder. She immediately missed the warmth of his hands on her shoulders as she spoke nervously.

< If I come in, there's no telling what could happen between us, things that I'm not sure I'm ready for, > Gohan thought, gulping to swallow the nervous lump in his throat.

"I can't. I have to head home. I'm needed at my house tomorrow. Otherwise, I would come in." Videl nodded understandingly.

"It's alright," Videl said softly, "I understand." Videl looked down at her feet as she struggled to words to say. Looking back up moments later, her face wore a soft smile.

"Then we should do this more often," he said happily. Videl laughed slightly at the happy, innocent tone in Gohan's voice. Taking a few steps forward so that she was standing directly in front of Gohan, Videl daringly rose onto her toes and planted a tender kiss on Gohan's cheek. Gohan's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates at the feeling of her soft lips on his cheek.

"Good night, Videl," Gohan said, shock resonating through out his voice. Videl gave him one last dazzling smile before closing the door on Gohan, leaving the half Saiya-jin outside in the crisp December air. Mindlessly, Gohan raised a hand and felt the spot where Videl's kiss had marked him.

"Wow," he whispered, a smile slowly forming on his face. Giving the Satan estate one last glance, Gohan walked back to the capsule car, pressing the button that would put it back inside the small, pinky-sized capsule.

Gohan secured the capsule in his breast pocket before swiftly and soundlessly taking off into the air, a faint ki trail following him as he left Satan City. He smiled satisfactorily to himself as he flew home, the brisk wind whipping his face and hair.

< Mom is going to be happy with me. I got her pictures and I had a good time, > Gohan said to himself. His smile grew even wider as he thought of the pictures he took with Videl. The photographer at the prom was the one who instructed them how to pose and eventually worked it out so that Gohan was standing behind Videl with his arms around her waist and Videl grasping Gohan's hands gently as they rested on her stomach. Both of them were smiling widely for the camera.

< It should prove to be a good picture, > Gohan thought, < I hope mom is happy with them. But, wow, Videl was beautiful tonight. I've never seen anyone look so good before in my entire life. She was gorgeous; it radiated off of her. I could barely control myself the entire evening. I just wanted to kiss her and hold her all night. > Gohan shook himself out of his daydream.

< What is wrong with me? Why can't I get my feelings under control? I have to because I'm pretty sure that Videl doesn't feel the same way about me, > Gohan thought, reprimanding himself as he flew home mindlessly; he knew the way home like the back of his hand. Trying to get his mind off of Videl, Gohan contented himself with admiring the country scenery as he flew past it.

Shortly after he left Videl's house, he landed several feet in front of his doorstep. He was relieved to find that all the lights were off in his house.

< This is a good thing. This means that mom's asleep and can't ask me questions about tonight until tomorrow when I get up. > Gohan stealthily opened the door and maneuvered himself to his room, floating his way up there just to make sure that he didn't awaken his mother.

Once in his room, he closed his door and flipped on his light. Unbidden, his mind drifted back to Videl as he undressed and got ready for bed. Climbing into his bed, he slowly drifted off to sleep with a smile, his last thought, as always, of Videl.

Videl twirled herself around her room, giggling contently. Landing on her bed, she stared up at the ceiling as she lay on her back, a soft smile on her face as she thought about the evening. All evidence that she had gone out to the prom had disappeared, except for her hairstyle and her corsage. She was dressed comfortably in shorts and an oversized t-shirt, an outfit that was more her style than the dress she wore earlier that evening.

< But it was fun, dressing up like that. I especially like the look on Gohan's face when he saw me in the dress. It was worth the hours of shopping Eraser and I spent to find the dress just to see the astonished look on his face when I entered the room. And, oh, he looked good too, > Videl thought as she rose from her bed, walking over to the vanity she had on the other side of the room, the same vanity that belonged to her mother when she was Videl's age.

Sitting down in front of the vanity's mirror, Videl gazed at her reflection, noticing that her hair was still up in the French twist that it had been for the past several hours. Videl hugged herself as she thought about the rest of the evening.

< That one dance we shared...I'll never forget the feeling of his arm around my waist. I've never wanted him as bad as I did as we danced when I was pressed up against him. He was so warm and solid. I felt so safe when we were dancing, like he would never let anything happen to me. > Videl sighed as she removed the corsage from her wrist and set it gently onto the vanity's table. Giving the corsage one last lingering look, she rose from her vanity and walked over to her bed.

She reached up and pulled out the comb that held her hair up. Shaking her head, she allowed her hair to cascade gently down her shoulders until its ends rested on her mid-back before reaching over to the lamp on her bedside table, turning it off. She climbed onto her bed, crawling to the middle of the queen-size mattress.

Pushing back the covers, which were simply white, she climbed underneath them, reveling in the warmth they provided. Making herself comfortable, Videl reclined onto her back, once again staring up at the ceiling. As she fell asleep, she smiled gently before whispering to the darkness of her room.

"I love you, Gohan," she said quietly, her words fading into the darkness as she drifted off into the land of dreams.