Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z and am not profiting from this work.
All engaging Characters are over 18 years of age.
Gohan knew this was a bad idea. A terrible idea. The worst idea in the long sad history of bad ideas; but he didn't have any choice. He was desperate. He needed her help.
From Satan City to West City, it was only a short flight across the county, but he held nothing back, desperate to put as much distance between himself and
that girl
as possible. Before the urge took him again.
He could still feel it. The heat. The awareness. The throbbing energy cracking through his skin, making it feel too tight for his body. The hunger. The raw, undeniable... need.
Gohan couldn't understand it.
It had all begun the morning he started attending Orange Star High. He'd been flying over the city, on his way to school, when he'd noticed a robbery and had stepped in to settle the issue before anyone got hurt. A simple enough matter really, and after he'd turned Super Saiyan, it had only taken a moment to take their vehicle off the road and arrange for the miscreants inside to take a trip into intensive care to think on their misdeeds. His work done, he'd been all set to get back on his way, then it happened.
It had started like an itch he couldn't quite scratch, a tingle of sensation racing down his spine. Then he'd heard footsteps behind him and glanced around just in time to see a dark-haired girl dressed in an overly large white t-shirt running up the street, snapping for the gathering crowd of people to get out of her way. And suddenly his every sense was focused on her, and as she surveyed the scene, he couldn't stop himself from giving her a long, slow once over.
He'd managed to drag his eyes away just in time, but she must have sensed him watching her because no sooner had he done so than her head had snapped around to fix on him. Her big blue eyes had narrowed suspiciously, but far from being intimidated, the challenging look had sent another tingle down his spine, stirring the beast between his legs even as he did an about-turn and quick timed it down the street out of her sight.
However, he'd soon learned his escape had been only momentary. Videl Satan was not only a student of Orange Star High like himself, she was a part of his very homeroom and sat not two seats down. Just close enough for him to catch her scent on every breath, clean and fresh with a hint of vanilla from her morning shower, and feel her eyes glaring at him, watching him, provoking him.
He didn't know how much longer he could fight it off. The only time he'd felt anything like it was when he had been those times he'd transformed into the giant ape, only this was more concentrated, more focused. This wasn't a transformation, but a single-minded drive, and it was growing stronger.
The last time had been the worst. She'd cornered him in a corridor on the way to class, all fire and brimstone, demanding to know if he was
'that buffoon with a bucket on his head
', as she put it. And it had been all he could do not to push her up against the lockers and silence her with a hungry kiss. He almost had, when she'd stepped in close and started prodding his chest, the beast in him had taken over and closed the gap, his head dipping so they were almost nose to nose, lips just brushing-
If she had stood her ground, he didn't want to think what could have happened. Yet for all her bluster and bravado, she'd softened under him and rose onto her tiptoes to meet him and that momentary surrender had broken the spell. So...
He'd fled.
No apologies, no hurried explanation, just turned on his heel and bolted as fast as his legs could carry him. A misspent childhood of ducking and diving his mother's attempts to get him to study had long since proved that discretion was always the better part of valour after all. And this was no doubt for the best because her furious shouts had hounded him all through the halls of Orange Star High. If he hadn't been able to fly, he guessed he might have been ducking and diving through the city streets as she divebombed him with that blasted chopper of hers.
He needed to sort this out.
If it had been anybody else, Gohan might have hoped she'd forget about it. It was Friday after all, and that meant she'd have a whole two days of free time to get it out of her mind, but Gohan doubted Videl Satan had ever let herself forget anything. She was possibly the most stubborn girl he had ever known, and he wouldn't put it past her to get his address out of the school directory and come all the way out to the mountains tonight, just to kick his ass.
And if that happened, he didn't want to think about what might happen.
He needed help.
He needed to see...
her.
Girlgeta, the Saiyan Princess
The thought sent a chill down his spine, but he pressed on regardless, so intent on his destination, he almost didn't notice the movement below.
When they attacked, they moved as one. The first coming up from the south, rising up on Gohan's blindside in a burst of energy, trying to distract him while the second exploded up from directly below, coming at him hard and fast. Too fast. Too fast to follow as Gohan pivoted aside. Too fast to stop as he rolled in mid-air, one leg extended in a roundhouse kick that caught his attacker in the ribs and sent him tumbling back, directly into the path of his oncoming sidekick.
Only for Gohan to catch them both at the last moment.
Trunks looked up at him, his face red but eyes triumphant. "We almost had you that time, Gohan."
"Yep, you sure did." And Gohan couldn't help grinning at his enthusiasm. It didn't matter how many times he'd caught them, the little guy would just shake it off and try again.
Sniffing, Goten twisted to look up at his big brother, almost on the point of tears. "Did I do good, Gohan?"
Stretching his grin, Gohan ruffled the miniature image of their father's hair. "Yeah, you did great Goten, excellent work, I had no idea you guys were there." The lie was hopelessly transparent, but at only seven, his little brother hadn't quite learned to look at the glass as half full yet.
Unlike Trunks.
"Don't sweat it, Goten, we'll get him next time!" he cheered, giving the other boy a thumbs up. "So what are you doing here Gohan? Dad's not home, he had to fly off to Europe. There's some trouble in the Berlin lab and the director needed his help personally... and hey, I know, do you want to come and play with us up in the valleys? We've been watching these old movies and-"
"Yeah, they're called Star Wars, Gohan," Goten pipped in, suddenly a little ball of excitement. "And they're so cool, with guys who have laser swords and can move things with their hands-"
"No, idiot, they don't move things with their hands, anyone can do that. "Trunks corrected, annoyed by the younger boys interruption. "They do it with their mind, their hands just direct the force and then-"
However, Goten wouldn't be dissuaded. "No, they use their hands, remember, we saw Obi-Wan do that thing when he-"
Gohan wasn't listening.
Boxer wasn't home, that was probably for the best. He certainly hadn't been looking forward to broaching the subject with his dad's oldest friend, and the guy could get funny when people came by, just to see his wife.
Then again, Girlgeta had never been the easiest person to talk to. A buffer was always a nice way to break the long awkward silences. Even if it was Boxer's ramblings about sport and his own narcissistic genius.
"Th-thanks Trunks, but I can't play right now, I've got to speak with your err... mum."
Both boys gave an exaggerated groan, that was as sincere as crocodile tears, but never failed to tear at Gohan's heart. "Hey, come on guys, I promise we'll play later, ok, I just really need to speak to your mum now Trunks."
"Ok," both kids groaned, then Trunks gestured back over his shoulder with his thumb, where Gohan could just make out the great yellow dome of Capsule Corp against the horizon. "She's training in the ship."
Gohan swallowed, that one word sending a cold shiver down his spine. "The ship?"
Trunks nodded. "Yeah, she broke the gravity room the other day, and dad hasn't had a chance to repair it, so she moved into the ship until he does. She's been pissed off ever since." He said it offhand as if it was almost an everyday fact of life, rather than a premonition of his friend's premature demise.
Then again, no one had ever accused Girlgeta of being a placid madden.
"Ok, come on Goten, last one theirs a Wookie nurf herder!" Trunks beamed, suddenly seeming to remember their plans to go play and taking flight, shouting back as he went "best of luck Gohan, and remember you promised to play with us later."
Goten was right behind him. "Bye Bro, hey Trunks, wait, no fair..."
"Yeah, have fun guys," Gohan commented, lingering there for a moment to watch the boisterous pair fly off into the endless blue horizon, before resuming his own race towards the ominous yellow dome that loomed over West City.
Yet, however much he needed to see Girlgeta's help, he couldn't shake the feeling he was flying out of the frying pan, and into the fire.
A feeling that became a certainty when he flew over the Capsule Corp grounds and saw the all too familiar figure standing outside, besides the corporation's fourth, and last remaining, Starship. Waiting for him.
Leant back against the hatchway, with her arms crossed over her breasts and dressed in her customary black bodyglove, Girlgeta watched him with her customary glare. A look that made Gohan feel like she was looking straight through him as he dropped out of the sky to land softly on the ground before the Saiyan Princess.
"What are you doing here, boy?" she growled.
It wasn't that Girlgeta particularly disliked Gohan. Quite the contrary, she was relatively fond of him. While she might have loathed and respected his father in equal measures, the son was not the father and while she never pretended to like him, she never pretended to particularly like anyone. He might have been part Saiyan, and a powerful fighter, but he was no warrior, and so she felt the same complete indifference towards him, that she did for the rest of this pathetic planet. He had saved her life once, however, so she made an effort to tolerate him more than most. But that didn't give him carte blanche to interrupt her training whenever he bloody well liked!
