fate 23

Dende stood up top of Kami’s Lookout, watching the earth faithfully as he had done for the last 7 years. One hand was closed around his staff while the other was resting at his side, brushing gently against the Guardian robes he wore. His face was settled in a look of worry and concentration as he looked down at the planet’s surface.

< Something’s not right. I’m not sure what, but something doesn’t feel right, > Dende thought to himself as he stared intently at the Earth. He had been extra watchful of the Earth in the last several months, particularly because of the new threat that Gohan had discovered. He knew as well as Gohan that the only person that fit the description of what the enemy wanted was Videl, the girl that Dende watched Gohan fall in love with. He hoped for his friend’s sake that she wasn’t taken from him.

< I don’t even want to imagine what Gohan will be like if Videl is taken from him. I wouldn’t want to be the enemy, that’s for sure, > Dende said to himself, not noticing the presence behind him.

“Are you ok, Dende?” Dende gave a small smile as he heard the older Namek’s voice. Piccolo had become somewhat of a companion atop of Kami’s Lookout. Piccolo, ever since he fused with Nail, had had a soft spot for Dende, just like Piccolo did for Gohan.

“For the moment. But, I sense that something is coming and it’s centered around Gohan. I don’t think he’ll need your help, Piccolo. But you should be on guard just in case.”

“I know Piccolo, I know. Well, there’s nothing I can do about it except for watch.” Dende sighed as he turned his back on the edge of the Lookout. He looked at Piccolo who was standing behind him with his arms crossed over his chest.

“So,” Dende said, a small smile on his face, “To keep my mind off of it, how about a friendly game of poker to pass the time?” Piccolo smirked. Ever since Gohan taught Dende and Piccolo the card game, the younger Namek leapt at any chance to play the game. Piccolo turned around and walked farther into the lookout.

“Sure Dende, let’s go. But only a quick game, ok? I have to be ready in case Gohan needs my help.” Dende’s smile grew even wider as he followed Piccolo into the lookout.

“No problem, Piccolo. Hey, maybe we can rope Mr. Popo into playing with us,” Dende said excitedly as he walked behind Piccolo. Piccolo laughed quietly as he continued to walk into Kami’s Lookout.

“If you can find him,” Piccolo said, “I’m sure he’d love to play.” Dende smirked and stopped following Piccolo in order to search for the black genie, Mr. Popo.

Videl stared furiously at the piece of paper in front of her and she sighed in frustration, her pencil tapping rapidly against one of the tables in the Orange Star High School library. She hated Calculus; she hated it with a fiery passion. Even though she was getting a B+ in the class, it was still giving her a hard time. She was stuck on a problem having to do with the applications of derivatives and looked over at her studying partner with a hopeful look on her face.

“Gohan,” she said with a sigh, “Can you help me figure this out? This is the only problem that I can’t do in this stupid homework assignment and it’s pissing me off.” Gohan pulled himself out of his literature homework and looked over at his best friend and crush.

“Because you’re the only one who’s acing the class, Gohan. You’ve already taken Calculus before and you understand it perfectly. Now, look at the problem and help me, please.” Gohan looked at Videl’s eyes and saw the pleading look lingering behind the frustration that was held in her blue depths. Gohan smiled a couple of moments later, the gentle up curving of his lips transforming his whole face, making Videl’s heart skip a beat.

“I’ll help you,” Gohan said, holding out his hand to receive Videl’s Calculus homework. She placed the piece of paper in his hand, reveling in the way his fingers brushed up against her own. Gohan felt a jolt of electricity run up his arm at the feel of Videl’s fingers touching his, but he shook off the feeling and concentrated on helping Videl.

Videl stared at Gohan’s face as he looked over her Calculus homework, his face a mask of concentration. Most people found the look to be too serious; Videl found it sexy. She found herself wanting him more and more as the days went on, her daydreams and night dreams filled with images of them together.

She constantly wondered what it would feel like to have his hands touching her intimately and whenever she did, she found herself blushing. But she couldn’t help herself. Her attraction to the young man in front of her was growing by leaps and bounds every day; it was quickly becoming unbearable. Her only hope was that he felt the same about her…

“Aha!” Gohan exclaimed proudly, “I see your problem.” Gohan set the piece of paper down in between them and began explaining the rudiments of the problem. Videl leaned in as well, intently focused on trying to understand what Gohan was saying about the problem; she wanted to get her damn Calculus homework over with.

Gohan was having a hard time explaining the problem to Videl with her leaning in so close. It was like just having her near was enough to make his brain short-circuit. He struggled through his explanation and when he was finished, he leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smirk on his face.

“There, done!” she exclaimed as she put her homework and book away, “I never thought I’d be finished with this stupid homework. I hate calculus.” Gohan’s brows furrowed together in confusion as he looked over at her.

“Well,” Gohan said gently, “If you ever want any help, all you have to do is ask. I’ll be glad to help you any time.” Videl looked over at Gohan with surprise; ever since their argument after Gohan snuck out of the hospital, Videl had become increasingly sensitive to Gohan’s generosities.

“Then, do you think you could come over to my house tomorrow night so we could study for our upcoming test? It would make me feel a lot better to know that you helped me,” Videl said. Gohan could feel a light blush spreading over his face.

“I can do that,” Videl said, smiling at Gohan. Gohan smiled back and was just about to turn back to his literature homework when he felt something strong heading for the school.

< Uh-oh; this doesn’t feel good at all. I can sense a strong, unrecognizable ki heading straight for here. I better go take care of it before it becomes a problem. Lucky for me, this is my free period, > Gohan said to himself as he stood up, walking away from the table.

“Sure,” Videl said, “See ya.” Gohan rushed out of the library and Videl opened up her backpack, pulling out the history reading that she had to do, settling into her chair to begin reading.

Gohan raced outside, quickly ducking into a small alcove in one of the hallways to turn into a Super Saiya-jin. The now blond-haired warrior sprinted outside, finding the open courtyard luckily devoid of people. He looked around, trying to find the source of the energy, but not being able to do so. His frustration surrounding him like a cloud, Gohan growled, his eyes narrowing in anger.

< I could have sworn that I felt something. I can still feel it. Now where is it! > Gohan exclaimed mentally. Suddenly, realization dawned on him and he looked up into the air, focusing on the clear, blue sky. That’s when he saw him. Gohan spotted the warrior long before he entered the courtyard and when he did, Gohan was shocked.

The great, hulking man landed on the ground with a boom, the sound resonating throughout the courtyard. Gohan couldn’t believe the size of the man in front of him. He was at least 9 feet tall with arms that were as wide as Gohan’s torso. How one got that big, Gohan didn’t know. He felt a tremor of fear run through his body before logic pierced his mind.

< Size doesn’t matter. You know that, Gohan. Remember your fight against Cell? He was twice your size, yet you still managed to beat him, > the voice of reason told him inside his head. Gohan nodded to the thought and prepared himself for battle. From sensing the ki coming from the warrior, Gohan knew that he himself was the stronger fighter, but the newcomer could always be suppressing his ki, so Gohan kept his guard up.

< Assumptions are the mother of all mistakes. Never assume anything about an opponent that you don’t know and you can never go wrong, > the same voice said. Oddly enough, the voice of reason inside Gohan’s head sounded like Goku and it comforted Gohan; it was like Goku was right along side him the entire time, backing him up through everything. His determination resolute, Gohan challenged the warrior.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Gohan shouted, his turquoise eyes shining with anger. The warrior smirked, his big, black eyes sparkling with anticipation of the upcoming fight.

“I am your worst nightmare. But, if you must call me by a name, call me Korinth,” he spoke, his voice booming and deep.

“If you think I’m going to let you take your sacrifice, then you are gravely mistaken,” Gohan spat out, his raw power glowing around him with his fury; no one was going to take Videl while he was around. To Gohan’s great surprise, Korinth started laughing. Gohan looked wonderingly at the large warrior, his stance not relaxing for a moment.

“I’m not here for the sacrifice, though that will be taken care of soon enough. I take it you are the young Saiya-jin that knows the sacrifice, right?” Gohan was taken aback by Korinth’s words.

“Oh, I don’t want you…but my Queen does. She’s taken quite an interest in you, young warrior. She’s determined to have you for herself and nothing will be able to stop her.” Gohan gritted his teeth and continued to power up, his anger forcing his ki to rise to incredible levels. It seemed that Korinth was unaffected though.

< Either he doesn’t have the ability to sense ki or he’s stronger than me. I hope it’s the first one, > Gohan thought, panicked. Suddenly, without warning, Korinth attacked, rushing forward to deliver a swift punch. Gohan quickly brought his arm up in time, the appendage taking the force of the blow. He was shocked.

< This guy may be quick, but he’s not that strong…I hope. > Korinth then dropped to the ground, his legs cutting through the air, almost making contact with Gohan’s legs so that he could knock Gohan to the ground. Gohan was too fast for him, though, and moved out of the way, appearing in the air high above Korinth.

“I know you’re out there somewhere,” Korinth said, looking around the area. It was obvious that he couldn’t sense Gohan’s ki at all. Otherwise he would know that Gohan was above him.

< So, he can’t sense me. Maybe that’s why he was so confident. He probably figured that his size would give him the advantage in this fight. Well, I’ll show him that size doesn’t mean a thing against pure power! > Gohan thought as he called down to Korinth.

< How did he get up there so fast? > Korinth thought to himself, thinking that Queen Milena had seriously underestimated the Saiya-jins. Korinth yelled in anger before sending a huge fire blast racing towards Gohan. Gohan dodged it, moving so fast that Korinth couldn’t see his movements. Suddenly, Gohan appeared in front of Korinth and landed a solid punch in the stomach, sending the hulking warrior into the side of one of the school buildings. Gohan faintly noticed as Korinth hit the wall that they were gaining an audience of people who were wondering what was going on outside.

Korinth struggled to get up, finally pushing himself to his feet. He moved away from the side of the building and the nicely sized dent his body created upon impact and faced Gohan, fury in his eyes.

“How dare you?” Korinth yelled, charging for Gohan. Gohan only moved to the right slightly as Korinth approached and used his elbow to send Korinth flying face first into another wall. Gohan could tell that Korinth’s ki was dropping and quickly.

< This guy doesn’t pose any challenge to me, > Gohan thought, watching as Korinth extracted his head from the stone wall, a pile of broken plaster and stone gathering at his feet. He turned around and faced Gohan again, his breathing heavy. There was blood pouring from a cut on his cheek, the warm, red liquid sliding languidly down his cheek and off of his jawbone, splattering on the ground beneath in red blotches.

“You will pay,” Korinth said fiercely, “Maybe not by my hand, but by someone else’s. Mark my words, Queen Milena will have you…and then it will be too late for you or the sacrifice!” With a loud yell, Korinth extended his two hands, fire leaping from his outstretched palms and racing for Gohan in a long stream. Gohan moved to dodge it again, but he would regret doing it. The fire seared past the spot that Gohan had just been occupying and burst into several open windows of the school building, setting it on fire.

“Oh no!” Gohan exclaimed, watching as the fire spread rapidly over the school. In his shock, Gohan didn’t notice that Korinth had charged at him again until he felt himself flying through the air, his cheek throbbing from the result of Korinth’s fist being planted there. Gohan stopped himself from hitting one of the walls and charged after Korinth, but was knocked back by Korinth’s fire attack.

The fire surrounded him and went past him, entering another school building. Gohan’s ki protected him from the brunt of the fiery attack, but his skin still was slightly singed by the time the fire went past him.

Gohan looked around briefly, noticing that the people who had been watching had fled when the fires started. Gohan hoped in the back of his mind that the fire department was on its way to help stop the fire. Otherwise, many people would get hurt. Gohan looked back at Korinth, who was standing there with a satisfied, evil smirk on his face. Gohan growled in anger.

“Look what you’ve done to my school!” Gohan exclaimed in anger, knowing that no one was around to hear him besides Korinth, “I will make you pay for this!” Gohan rushed for Korinth, moving faster than the bulky man could see, and picked him up, sending him flying through the air. Before Korinth had the chance to stop himself, he found a huge ki blast heading his way.

“MASENKO!” Gohan cried out, shooting the powerful blast up at Korinth. The sheer force of the blast was enough to rip Korinth apart and, if that didn’t do it, then the explosion soon following would have killed him off for sure. Gohan was barely tired out from the attack, a part of him knowing that Korinth was one of Milena’s weak warriors. He was devastated to think about what would happen if Milena had someone under her power that was as strong as Gohan, if not stronger.

His eyes moving off of the remains of Korinth, Gohan looked around, noticing the blazing flames around him. The entire school was on fire; he needed to get out of there. Suddenly, a feeling of panic pierced his heart as a familiar ki rose sharply in distress and danger.

< Videl! She’s in trouble! I have to save her! > Gohan thought hurriedly as he rushed off towards the library, determined to help her at all costs.

Videl’s eyes moved over the words on the page in front of her, her mind immediately soaking in the information like a sponge. She wasn’t particularly fascinated with the history in front of her, but she needed to know it so she could answer the questions that went with the reading assignment.

History had always been her strong point in school. While she didn’t like the particular history in front of her, her inquisitive nature was always looking for reasons why these people of the past did the things they did. She wanted to know what made them do the things that put their names in the history books forever. Simply put, Videl liked to know everything.

That’s why Gohan holding back on telling her things about himself made her annoyed. She understood his need for time and everything, but couldn’t he hurry it up? She had a dying curiosity to know just what that look in his eyes was from, the look behind the happy innocence that told her that he had seen too much in his younger years, things a child shouldn’t have to see.

She wanted to understand him better, but the only way for her to do it would be for him to tell her. And since he wasn’t particularly forthcoming about his past, she was left in the dark. And, speaking of Gohan…

< Where did he go? He said he just had to go the bathroom. It’s already been 10 minutes. Where the hell could he be? > Videl thought as she pulled away from her reading, her eyes scanning the room for signs of the tall, dark-haired young man. She nearly jumped out of her seat when she heard the fire alarm go off.

“What’s going on?” she asked herself, standing to her feet and rushing over to one of the windows. Her eyes widened in shock as she spotted the leaping flames that sprouted out many of the school buildings. Just as she was wondering how it happened, her nose picked up the smell of smoke. The room was slowly beginning to get hotter and Videl froze, knowing that the fire had spread to the library.

“No, you idiot, the school’s on fire!” she growled, “And it’s spread to the library. Hurry up and get out of here before the whole place is burnt down to the ground!” Her voice carried out through the entire library and people rushed to get out as fast as they could, running to safety.

Videl stayed behind with a worried look on her face, making sure that everyone had gotten out safely. Confident that the library was empty, Videl made a run for the exit, stopping several feet in front of it when her ears picked up a sound.

“HELP! Someone help us, please!” Videl heard the cry for help and turned around, looking at the whole of the library. Many of the bookshelves were being consumed by the raging flames, making the area dangerous to be in but Videl didn’t care. She had to help those people. Knowing well the dangers of her actions, Videl rushed back into the library, searching for the source of the voice that had called out for help. The fire’s heat burned against her skin, making her sweaty and hot as she focused on saving the people who were obviously trapped.

“Hang on!” she shouted, “I’m coming to help you!” Above her, she heard a crackling noise and looked up to see that the fires had burned through the rafters, causing the ceiling up above to lose its support. Weakened from the fire, the burned timber broke apart and fell to the ground. Videl moved out of the way just in time to see the burning pieces of wood blazing exactly where she had been standing.

Turning her back on the pile of timber, she continued her trek through the fiery hell, lifting the collar of her shirt up to her nose so she didn’t have to breathe in the smoke, though she could offer no protection to her eyes, which were watering from the smoke. Finally, after many moments of searching, she found the two people who were trapped. Apparently, a large bookcase had fallen over in the rush to escape the library, blocking off the escape route for these two people.

Videl approached the bookcase carefully, assessing the situation. She looked past the bookcase at the two people who were trapped by the fallen piece of furniture. They were two freshmen, one boy, and one girl. Videl recognized them as one of the freshmen couples that could normally be found making out with each other in the hallways. The girlfriend was huddled against the boyfriend’s arm in fear, waiting to see if anyone would help them and preparing to die if no one would help them.

“Videl!” the boy exclaimed, “You can help us!” Videl smiled, regretting not knowing his name to reassure him.

“I’ll get you two out; don’t worry,” she said, a comforting smile breaking out on her intense face. She bent over and placed her hands underneath the bookcase, holding onto it tightly. Using her raw strength, Videl straightened, her arm muscles protesting violently to the strain of the bookshelf’s weight. She wanted to give up, give her arm muscles a chance to rest, but she knew she had to help the two people who were trapped.

“Come on,” Videl forced out, “Crawl underneath.” Both of the trapped teenagers didn’t need to be told twice. Both of them scurried through the small hole and ran out of the library, frantically dodging the flames as they moved. Videl quickly pulled her hands out of underneath the bookshelf and the heavy piece of furniture dropped to the ground with a crash.

Unfortunately, for Videl, the sound of the bookshelf falling to the ground masked the noise that sounded above her. Videl looked up just in time to see a huge pile of burning lumber fall from the ceiling right above her. She didn’t even have time to scream as its flaming mass knocked her to the ground, burying her underneath it.

“VIDEL!” Gohan cried out as he entered the library, floating above and around the flames. His eyes frantically searched for Videl, but he couldn’t see her.

< Where is she? > Gohan asked himself, switching tactics and searching for her by sensing her ki. It only took him a few moments to locate her ki. Without hesitation, he rushed over and saw the burning pieces of wood on the ground. If not for the fact that Gohan could feel her ki, he would have thought her to be dead underneath the deadly pile. Using his ki to quickly blast the wood pieces away, his eyes fell onto Videl’s limp form, lying on the ground.

He saw her body jerk as she coughed, having inhaled too much smoke while trying to save the two freshmen. Gohan rushed over and picked up Videl’s weak body, holding her close to him as he flew out of the burning edifice. He was so glad that she was all right and never wanted to let her go. As he flew out of the library, he glanced down at her body and saw the numerous burns that covered her flesh.

< I’ll go and get her a Senzu bean. Right now, though, I think I should hand her over to the paramedics. If the officials can’t find her body, then they’re going to think that she’s dead, which wouldn’t be true, > Gohan said to himself as he flew through the air.

“Gohan…” Videl murmured in her semi-conscious state, snuggling closer to him. Gohan felt the light blush spread over his cheeks as he neared the area where the paramedics and the fire fighters were. He set her down on a soft, grassy area close to the ambulance, looking down at her face; she wasn’t quite unconscious, but she was almost there.

Videl’s vision was filled with an image of a turquoise-eyed, blond-haired, handsome young man, looking down at her with concern, but she didn’t recognize him; her vision was too blurry. His face was the last thing she saw before she slipped into unconsciousness. Gohan smiled as he saw her unconscious form breathing easily.

< At least the burns are just surface burns, > Gohan thought, bringing up a hand and caressing her cheek gently. The softness of her skin was amazing and Gohan briefly wondered if the rest of her felt the same. His gaze rested on her face, catching movement out of the corner of his eye. He knew it was the paramedics on their way over and Gohan knew that it was time to go. Giving Videl’s sleeping form one last smile, he leaned over and gently brushed his lips up against hers, noting their silky quality.

“I love you, Videl. I’ll be back soon,” he whispered before slowly taking off into the air, leaving the paramedics baffled as to who the golden-haired young man who had the ability to fly was.

“Are you sure you’re going to be ok, Sugarpea?” Mr. Satan asked with a frantic voice as he stood in front of his daughter, who was sitting on a hospital bed, her arms and legs covered with bandages that hid the burns she received from the fire. Videl nodded and rolled her eyes.

“For the last time dad, yes, I’ll be fine. They’re only second-degree burns; they’ll go away in a couple of weeks.”

“Dad, there was nothing you could have done to stop the fire! We don’t even know how it happened and anyone who does hasn’t said anything yet. So quit worrying about me, ok?” Mr. Satan hovered close over his daughter.

“But it’s just so hard not to! You’re all I have left of your mother. I don’t want to lose you, Videl!” Videl laid a comforting hand on her dad’s arm.

“Dad, I’m not going anywhere, don’t worry.” Mr. Satan opened his mouth to say something in response when a young nurse popped her head in the door.

“Excuse me, Mr. Satan, I was wondering if I could take you from your daughter for a moment? There’s some paperwork you need to fill out at the front desk.” Mr. Satan gave the woman a nod.

“Don’t go anywhere, sweetie. Daddy’ll be right back.” With that, Mr. Satan bolted out of the room, leaving Videl with a few quiet moments by herself before someone else entered the room.

“Gohan!” she exclaimed happily as he entered the room. He was dressed in jeans and a navy blue, silk, button-up shirt, looking handsome as ever.

“Hey there,” Gohan said, a smile on his face, “It’s nice to see that you’re all right. I heard about what happened to you. It’s amazing that you survived.” Videl smirked.

“I’m not that easy to kill, Gohan. You should know that by now. I’m just happy that you’re all right. I had no idea what happened to you during the fire and was worried that you hadn’t gotten out. By the way, what did happen to you when the fire started?”

“Well,” Gohan said, sitting down next to Videl on the bed, “When the fires started, I was busy fighting the creep that started them.” Gohan thought it was best if he told her the truth…well, at least some of it.

“You fought the guy who started the fires?” Videl asked as Gohan nodded, a small smile on his face. He thought she looked so cute when she was shocked.

“Well, what happened to him? Did he get caught by the police?” Videl asked, hoping that the man got his comeuppance.

“He died in the fire,” Gohan said, fabricating the events a little, “I caught him starting the fires and we started fighting. Soon, I realized that I needed to get out of there, so I did. Obviously, that guy didn’t make it out in time and he died with the fire.” Videl nodded.

“Well, good. He endangered the lives of the entire student body. But, still, I would have rather had him put in jail than have him dead.”

“Yeah, but there was nothing I could do to save him. It was either save myself, or the both of us die. I chose survival in that case.”

< And I’m glad you did, > Videl thought, mentally shuddering at the thought of losing Gohan. A silence fell over the two of them for several moments as each of them searched for something to say. Gohan looked down at Videl’s hand, which was resting next to his, bandages covering the top of her hand. He grabbed her hand and fingered the bandages. Videl looked up at him with shock, confused at his uncharacteristic tenderness. Gohan looked at Videl, his face all relief.

“I was worried about you. When I heard that you were buried under parts of the collapsed roof, I thought you might die.” Videl smiled and gave Gohan’s hand a firm squeeze.

< If I have anything to do about it, she won’t, > Gohan added to Videl’s statement. Smiling down at his best friend, Gohan pulled Videl into a hug, wrapping his arms around her while being mindful of her wounds. He quietly sighed as she hugged him back, snuggling into his embrace. He was quickly beginning to love the feeling of her in his arms; she fit so perfectly into the circle his arms created; it was like they were two halves of the same whole.

Videl smiled; she felt so safe inside of Gohan’s arms, drawing warmth and strength from him. When he hugged her, Videl was filled with the feeling like everything was ok and nothing could go wrong, no matter what was happening.

“HEY! What are you doing with my daughter, you little punk!” a voice cried out from the doorway, causing both Videl and Gohan to pull apart. Videl shot a look at her dad.

“Well, that’s what it always starts as, just hugging. Well, I won’t stand by and watch this guy lay his dirty hands on you, Videl,” Mr. Satan yelled.

“Daddy!” Videl cried out, “That’s no way to talk to Gohan. He was the one who tried to stop the guy who started the fires.” Mr. Satan smirked as he looked at Gohan.

“Well, what happened? Did he get away?” Mr. Satan said, thinking that Gohan had managed to give the rat bastard who started the fire a chance to get away. Gohan shook his head.

“Dad, stop it! He can touch me whenever he wants! He’s my best friend, dad.” Gohan stood up from the bed and took a few steps away from it.

“Well, I think it’s time I were going. But, before I go…” Gohan reached into his pocket and pulled out a Senzu bean. Moving closer to Videl, he took her left hand, which was undamaged, and pressed the Senzu bean into it. Videl looked up at Gohan questioningly and Gohan smiled reassuringly. Leaning forward, he whispered into her ear, his warm breath brushing past Videl’s ear, forcing shivers to go down her spine.

“Take it when you get home,” he whispered, “It’ll make you feel better. Trust me.” Videl nodded and smiled.

“I trust you, Gohan. I’ll eat it when I get home,” she said, her voice equally as quiet as Gohan’s was. Gohan flashed her another smile and walked over to the doorway.

“Bye Gohan,” Videl called out as Gohan walked away, presumably to go home. Gohan smirked as he walked out of the hospital and found an inconspicuous spot to take off from, flying through the air with the wind whipping against his face.

As he flew off towards home, he thought about his mother’s reaction when he told her what happened earlier that day. She had been so proud of him, claiming that he had, once again, saved his “future wife”. Gohan only blushed at the remark and said he would have done it for anyone that was close to him.

< She’s so dead set on Videl and me getting together. If it weren’t so embarrassing, it’d actually be kind of funny. > Gohan shook his head to clear those thoughts as he raced off towards home, thoughts of dinner filling his mind. Gohan’s stomach grumbled in anticipation and Gohan forced himself to move faster, eager to relieve the hunger in his stomach.

< Well, I’m just glad that Videl is going to be ok. That Senzu bean should do the trick. Hmm, I wonder what she’s going to think when she eats it and finds out that it heals all of her wounds? >

Videl sat on her bed, her bandaged legs dangling off of the edge. Resting in her hand was the small bean that Gohan had given her. Holding it in between her thumb and her forefinger, she examined the green bean carefully.

“I wonder why he wanted me to eat this? How could this make me feel better? It’s so small.” Videl wondered out loud. But, for some odd reason, she trusted him. She knew that if he said it would make her feel better, it would make her feel better. Without hesitation, she put the bean in her mouth and chewed on it, crunching it in her mouth.

< God, this is hard. Maybe it went stale, > Videl thought, remembering that most beans were softer than this one. After a few moments of chewing, Videl swallowed and waited for something to happen. Suddenly, the pain of her burns disappeared. Videl brought up her bandaged right arm and, with a dazed look on her face, slowly unwrapped the bandages. She gasped as she saw that the burns on her arm had disappeared.

“What? How did this happen?” she whispered in awe. She hurriedly unwrapped the rest of her bandages. She found that she was completely healed all over and she wanted to know how it happened. She rushed over to her phone and hurriedly punched in Gohan’s number. After a couple of rings, the phone was answered.

“Oh, I fine. That’s actually what I wanted to talk to Gohan about. May I speak with him?” Videl asked. Chi-Chi smiled on the other end of the phone.

“Sure, I’ll go get him. He’s in the middle of eating dinner, so hold on a moment while I pull him away from his food.” There was a long pause where all Videl could hear was muffled voices then, suddenly, Gohan’s voice sounded on the other end.

“I’m doing great and that’s what I want to talk to you about. How did it do it?” Videl asked. Gohan’s face took on a look of confusion.

“Oh, you mean that? It’s a Senzu bean. It has the power to heal all of your wounds in an instant.” Videl spluttered on the other end.

“All right. But, how much longer am I going to have to wait to hear your story?” Videl asked impatiently, a slight hint of a whine in her voice.

“Not much longer, Videl, I promise. But, anyway, I have to go because I’m in the middle of eating dinner and I have to go back before Goten steals all of my food, ok?” Videl chuckled.

“Bye Videl,” Gohan said, hanging up the phone, leaving Videl alone on the line. Videl slowly hung up the phone, walking over to her large window to stare at the dusk that was settling over the sky, thinking about the Senzu bean and how Gohan could have possibly gotten one of those; they had to be rare indeed.