Together We'll Fight

Gohan's Secret

Chapter 3

Videl's Point of View

A sudden barrage of sharp pains danced across my rib cage, startling me into conciousness. A few soft cuss words escaped my lips as my eyes fluttered open. Above me stood the blue-haired woman, armed with a needle. "Do you need more painkillers?" Her voice was soft and kind, yet somewhat stern and concerned. I shook my head (inducing a bit of pain), remembering how strange the drugs had made me yesterday. Vaguely, I recalled the guy - Gohan - tucking me into bed. Never had I let anyone do that, not even my own father.

"Are you sure?" The woman's voice - for the life of me, I couldn't remember her name - punctuated my thoughts. "Yes, I'm positive," I said, sitting up slowly. "They make me a bit loopy... And forgetful." I glanced up at her, smiling sheepishly until she understood. "My name is Bulma," she stated. "Bulma Brief."

Bulma Brief? Why does that sound so familiar? Just as I was coming to a conclusion, there was a soft knock at the door. Bulma looked up. "Oh, that must be Gohan with your lunch." Lunch? I thought. I must have looked flabbergasted, because Bulma gave me a pointed look. "Yeah, kid, you slept through breakfast, and most of lunch. It's 7:30 already." She turned to the door. "Come in!"

Gohan entered the room, bearing a heaping tray of food. "Bulma, I've got the stuff. I just didn't know which went where and..." He trailed off, placing the tray on the table next to me. "Hi, Videl," he said suddenly, almost shyly. "How're you feeling?" I shifted in the bed, pulling my pained body upwards. My only response was a small shrug of my shoulders. There was a moment of silence, only to be interrupted by a crash in the other room. "Oh, that's my cue," Bulma sighed. She stood and exited the room, muttering something about Trunks.

Gohan and I stared at each other for a solid minute, neither of us making any movements. "Hey, you can sit down, ya know," I said, breaking the silence. "Oh. Um. Yeah, I guess I can." He sat on a chair next to me, placing the tray of food in his lap. "Let's see..." He looked down at it, holding it tightly with one hand and brushing dark locks of hair out of his face with another. "I didn't really know what you would like, so I got a bunch of stuff that I thought a girl would like." I glanced at the tray, raising an eyebrow; it was overflowing with brightly colored fruits. Despite how sexist - 'what a girl would like'? -his remark had sounded, I couldn't help the sudden rumble of my stomach.

I plucked a strawberry from the array and took a bite. The exploding juices felt like heaven on my dry tongue. "Dear Kami, this is amazing," I moaned, savoring the taste. Gohan smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck. It seemed like a nervous habit. "I'm glad you like them," he said, "'Cause Bulma made me crawl into the garden to pick them all." I laughed a bit as my eyes travelled over his dirt-streaked clothing. "You did a good job," I said graciously. My eyes caught on the firm muscles that graced his arms, then up to the strong line of his jaw. When I caught his eye, I noticed he was blushing. "Sheesh, you think you work out enough?" My attempt at a joke wasn't lost on him, and he smiled. "Always room for improvement," he said lightly, pulling the tray into his lap.

"Hey, watch this!" Gohan grabbed a grape from the plate. He threw it upwards, then caught it in his mouth. "I can do that!" I exclaimed. I tossed a strawberry into the air and cringed as it hit me between the eyes. He caught it as it bounced off my face and held it out to me. "It takes practice," he said, and I took the fruit from his hands.

"Yeah, I bet," I snorted, popping it into my mouth. As I chewed, he looked me up and down. Geez, I thought. What's he looking at? As if answering my silent question, he gestured towards my tattered clothing. "That can't be comfortable," he stated. "You should probably change." I glanced down at my shirt, the high school logo at the edge of it. The last remnant of my old life.