Puppy Love: Mend

Ch. 2

Disclaimer: Do not own.

Their eyes had locked on one another during that brief encounter. She took a moment to re-familiarize herself with those onyx eyes of his. It was almost unreal, spotting him just past the gates of Orange Star High. And her school's badge was pinned onto his shirt, clear as day.

Son Gohan was attending the same school as her now. The very idea was almost paralyzing. No in fact, Videl did feel paralyzed. Laying her cerulean eyes on him, her body went stiff and she couldn't move. It wasn't until she heard a group of students boisterously chattering behind her did she finally snap out of it. And as quick as she snapped out of it, she immediately turned her heels and walked into the school.

However, heading straight to class was the last thing on her mind. She was grateful her school allowed such leniency upon her attendance. She was allied with the Satan police now, and that meant that anytime they requested her help, there was nothing stopping her from going. It was on days like these did Videl really appreciate being able to take a moment or two for herself before heading to class.

There was no doubt about it. It was him. Son Gohan.

Videl's mind immediately flashed back to their last encounter with each other. How he suddenly appeared at her house. How she discovered he was in fact Nos. How her emotions were filled with rage and despair. And how she couldn't bear to look at him anymore, screaming at him to leave. To never see each other again.

How dare he show his face before her now.

Videl let out a quiet sigh as she gazed past the ledge of the school's roof. Her eyes narrowed as they stared past the vast sky, threatened and confused. She had to face the facts. Gohan was definitely enrolled at her school now and there was nothing she could refute about it. She could only hope that he wouldn't be bumping into her as frequently as he had before she found out about his lies two years back.

'There's no use in getting all worked up about this, right? Erasa even told me she saw Gohan a few days ago. I didn't want to believe it, but it looks like she was right,' she tried to contain her emotions. 'Might as well go to class.'

Videl stepped off the roof and headed down the stairs. As she reached her classroom she let out a heavy sigh.

"Sorry I'm late, sir," she swung the door open with a slight bow towards the teacher.

"It's quite alright, Videl. I already know of your circumstance, so why don't you take your seat," her teacher replied.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she slowly advanced up the stairs to her desk.

"Had to put away another criminal?" Erasa's voice broke her thoughts.

"No, not particularly –" Videl cut herself short.

Her eyes set on the boy sitting in front her her.

"Gohan…"

"H-hi, Videl," the half-Saiyan quietly replied.

"See, Videl? What did I tell ya? Told you Gohan was coming to school with us!" Erasa gleamed. It was a rare moment for her to be able to gloat to her friend that she was for once right about something.

Gohan cringed as he waited for Videl to say something. Anything. He watched her dagger-like eyes dart from his hair to his eyes, his clothes, and to the badge on his shirt.

"Guess you were right," Videl muttered before she took her seat and plopped herself down, not giving him even a second glance.

Erasa shot Videl a baffled look. Staring at her, to Gohan, and then to her again. She nudged herself closer to her crime fighting friend and lowered her voice. "Hey, Videl, what's up? I thought you'd be excited to see Gohan again."

"Excitement is relative," she merely replied, which Erasa greeted with an even more baffled stare. Whether it was because her friend didn't understand what she meant, or she knew and disapproved of her attitude was not Videl's concern at that point.

There was absolutely no interaction between Gohan and Videl during class. Although Gohan managed to peek over a few times at the girl, she was rather ignorant of his presence. It was clear to him that that was her intention.

'Oh, boy. This is gonna be tough. Why did you have to do this to me, Mom?' Gohan cursed under his breath as he glanced over at Videl once more. 'I guess I should talk to her. If she'll let me, that is…'

The school bell rang, and Gohan's first class was over. He watched Videl from the corner of his eye. She stood up from her seat and began to gather her belongings. Just as she was turning around to walk out of the classroom, Gohan managed to find his voice.

"V-Videl?"

She stopped in her tracks. Slowly, she turned her head just enough so that the half-Saiyan could get a glimpse of the tip of her nose.

"U-um, I was wondering. If you're not busy right now, could we talk?" Gohan swallowed hard as he tried to stop the trembling in his hands.

Seconds felt like minutes to the boy and he was slowly beginning to think she didn't hear him. As he cleared his throat to repeat himself, Videl spoke up. "Sorry. I'm busy."

Stunned by her blatant rejection, Gohan silently watched her walk down the stairs and out the door.

"Oh, bummer!" Erasa's voice broke his trance. "She totally just put you down."

"Y-yeah…" he softly agreed.

"What's up with you two? I thought you were Videl's friend?"

"Yeah. I was…"

"Chin up, new kid," Sharpner chimed in. "There's more fish in the sea than her, anyway. Plus, she's pretty popular with the guys. Even I barely have a chance with her."

"Yeah. Hey, Gohan, did you know that Videl's dad is Mr. Satan?" Erasa asked, "Add that to the mix and that'll make it a whole lot tougher to go out on a date with her, you know."

"D-date? N-no! I wasn't trying to ask her out on a date!" Gohan immediately countered.

"You don't have to be shy about it. You're not the only one," Sharpner sighed. Clearly he had been shot down by Videl before. "Videl's one of a kind, you know. She's not the clingy type like most girls. She knows how to take care of herself. If you get on her bad side, well, I'd feel sorry for you."

'Looks like I'm already heading down that road,' Gohan sighed to himself.

o (o) (O) (o) o

Lunch break finally came around for the half-Saiyan. It was a rare occasion that Gohan didn't feel the least bit hungry. Instead of heading to the cafeteria like the other students, he decided to use his break to get to know his new school.

Gohan walked up and down the hallways, figuring out where everything was. He eventually turned a corner and looked down the hallway, reading a sign above a large door labeled, 'Gymnasium'.

"Oh, so P.E. will be here, huh?" he said to himself as he walked up to the door.

He peered into the little window of the door and noticed it was more than just a basketball court. There was even a designated area for weight lifting and cardio work. Even a punching bag hung from the ceiling.

"Wait… someone's over there," the boy narrowed his eyes, focusing on the person standing by the punching bag. He watched the bag swing around on its chain, waiting to see the face of the person punching it. "Videl?" His eyes widened a bit as he watched a pair of pigtails bounce around. Yup, it was definitely her. Gohan quietly stood by the door and watched her through the window as she continued to jab at the bag of sand.

'Wow, I'm impressed! Videl's pretty good. Definitely didn't expect to see her improve this much in two years. Guess Erasa and Sharpner weren't kidding about her being a crime fighter now.'

The half-Saiyan continued to study Videl's movements. Each punch she delivered to the bag was straight and clean. Each kick flawlessly connected to the bag, causing it to swing crazily.

After a few minutes, Videl finally brought her fists down. She took a deep breath and reached over for a towel. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and nose before she had a funny feeling she was being watched. Slowly, she glanced up from her towel over to the door and locked eyes onto Gohan's.

'Eep!' The boy quickly retracted from the window and took a few steps back. He could still see her and she could still see him behind that door. 'Crap, she spotted me.' Gohan quickly turned around and ran off.

o (o) (O) (o) o

Videl watched the boy dart away from the door. Was he spying on her? What was he doing there? Her blue eyes narrowed as her emotions began to take over. She could feel her legs were beginning to give out from underneath her. Slowly, she let herself plop down onto the gymnasium floor, wrapping her towel around her neck.

'That damn Gohan.' She pounded her fist against the floor. 'Why did he have to come to school here? The last thing I wanted was to see him. Didn't he understand that when I said I never wanted to see him again, I meant it? Is this some cruel prank he's pulling on me?' Rage began to boil inside of her as she slammed her fist down once more.

"I hate him," she hoarsely whispered. Quickly she stood up on her two feet. Her teeth grinded against each other as her brow furrowed even deeper. "I hate him!" she cried out as she threw a forceful right hook at the punching bag. As the chain rattled and the bag aimlessly swung around, Videl huffed and puffed, her eyes staring into nothingness. The sound of leather tearing apart caused her to fixate her eyes onto the punching bag. She watched as the seams ripped apart and pounds of sand poured onto the floor.

"God damnit!" she fumed through gritted teeth. She was livid. Especially now that she could feel her eyes were damp with tears.

'I trusted him… I trusted him and he betrayed me! I don't care if it was two years ago. He did something unforgivable. How could he play me like that? How dare he pretend to be someone else and befriend me like that? Nos was… Nos… was…' Videl had a hard time finishing her own thoughts. She fought hard against the tears that were threatening to stream down her face.

Nos was someone special to her. She didn't care he was older, she cared that he had protected her. Saved her life. But then when Gohan revealed to her that he was Nos, all of that went out the window. Sure, it was Gohan who really saved her, but he tricked her into thinking Nos was a completely different person. Every feeling she possessed about that mysterious red-haired man was all fabricated because of him.

On top of it all, Gohan heard her confess her feelings to Nos. She was confessing to Gohan all along.

"I'll make him pay for humiliating me like that," she sneered.

o (o) (O) (o) o

Gohan managed to find the table Erasa and Sharpner were sitting at in the cafeteria and plopped himself down.

"Why the long face?" Sharpner asked.

"Nothing."

"I bet you're still thinking about Videl, aren't you?" Erasa gave him a wily grin.

Gohan paused for a moment. He then asked Erasa, "You're good friends with Videl, right? How did she become such a good fighter? She wasn't this strong two years ago."

"You don't know?" Erasa asked in shock.

Surprised by her reply, he asked, "Am I supposed to?"

"Well given the circumstances now, I guess not. But I thought you and Videl were still friends before today. I figured you'd at least know why she decided to train so hard."

Gohan quickly looked over at Sharpner for some type of confirmation. The blonde boy merely shrugged.

"I mean, I don't know if I should tell you, but I guess I have no choice now," Erasa continued. "Videl improved so much in martial arts because of you, Gohan."

"Huh?" His eyes widened in befuddlement.

"Well, I think she did. I'm pretty sure she did…"

"What are you talking about, Erasa? Videl trains hard because of her pops, obviously. He's the strongest man on Earth! Of course she would follow his steps," Sharpner quickly rebutted.

"Sure, there's that… but she's always had that goal ever since she was little – to be strong like her dad. But I remember back in junior high, she told me something." Erasa trained her eyes on her food as she reminisced. "She was practicing martial arts when I came over one day, and she wouldn't take a break. For hours, she trained non-stop. I tried to make her rest, but she refused to listen to me. She told me she wasn't going to stop until she was as strong as Gohan."

"What?" Gohan couldn't believe his ears. "Did Videl really say that?"

"Along those lines, yeah. I mean, it might not be word for word… that was like, two years ago or something. But she definitely mentioned you. She said she wanted to be strong like you, Gohan."

"Strong like him? No way! Gohan, you're stronger than Videl?" Sharpner asked with skepticism.

"U-um… I, uh, I don't know, heh. I mean, that was a long time ago. I know some martial arts, but…" Gohan attempted to mask his true powers.

"I don't believe it. And here I thought you were just full of brain power, not… power!" Sharpner scratched his head.

"Didn't you hear? Gohan fought in the junior division tournament with Videl a couple years back. I didn't see him fight, but she told me he got second place!"

As the two blondes chatted, Gohan drifted into his own world. 'Videl said that? That's impossible! She told me she never wanted to see me again. She was pissed! There's no way she could have said that after she found out I lied to her.'

"Oh, speak of the devil, here comes Videl," Erasa pointed straight ahead.

On edge, Gohan sprung his head up and hesitantly turned around to see. The pigtailed girl was walking right over to them. Quickly, he turned his head back to face his two new friends and felt his body go rigid. He could hardly breathe when he noticed Videl plopped herself in the seat across from him.

"Hey, Videl. Where did you run off to?" Erasa casually asked.

"I was at the gym."

"As always," Sharpner gave her a quick smirk.

Videl smiled back, "Yeah. Now I'm starved. Gohan, did you eat yet?" She pointed at the empty spot on the table in front of him.

"Oh, u-um, n-no, I haven't," he stammered, not expecting her to speak to him, let alone look at him. Her question even caused Erasa and Sharpner to stop eating and glance up at her.

"Aren't you hungry? I could eat a whole cow right now!" she joked. Videl then stood up from her seat. "I'm gonna grab some chow. You should eat something too, Gohan."

Mind blown, the half-Saiyan watched Videl walk off to get food.

"Hey, see? Videl's not mad at you! I knew it," Erasa gleefully exclaimed. "You should go get lunch with her, Gohan! C'mon, what are you waiting for? Shoo!" She flicked her wrist, waving him towards Videl.

"Wh-what? Uh, well…. OK…" Hesitantly, Gohan stood up from his seat and walked towards the pigtailed girl.

Gulping, he thought to himself, 'Oh man. What am I supposed to say to her? Is she still mad at me? I can't tell.'

As he approached Videl's side, she pointed at the array of food and asked, "What are you going to eat? The udon noodles are pretty good here. Oh, they even have ribs today! My favorite!" Quickly, she reached for one of the tongs and scooped up a plate full of barbecued ribs. "Here, try some of these, they're great!" She then plopped a few ribs onto Gohan's plate.

"O-oh, thanks," he quietly replied. "U-um, Videl –"

"Wow, they got everything today!" the pigtailed girl exclaimed as she piled more food onto her plate.

"Videl," the boy lowered his voice, "are you still mad at me?"

Videl stopped her hand from reaching for the fried tempura. Slowly, she loosened her grip on the tongs and placed them back down on the serving tray.

While facing away from Gohan, she quietly answered, "No, Gohan. I'm not mad at you."

"R-really?" he asked, surprised.

Videl paused for a moment. She then replied with a smile on her face, "Let's go sit and eat." And walked back towards Erasa and Sharpner.

"O-OK," Gohan quickly piled more food onto his plate and followed.

'Wow, does she forgive me? I really hope so. She says she's not mad at me, so she must, right?' Gohan couldn't help smiling in relief.

"So, Gohan," Sharpner began as the half-Saiyan seated himself at the table, "Are you gonna join any clubs?"

"Clubs?"

"Yeah. Like I told you, I'm the captain of the boxing club. I mean, now that I know you're not a stranger to martial arts, why not join?" he offered.

"How did you know he knows martial arts, Sharpner?" Videl asked.

"Erasa told me that –" Before Sharpner could finish, the accused blonde quickly kicked him in the shin. "Augh! What the hell! Owww!" He grabbed for his shin and began to rub it.

"Sharpner was about to say that I told him that Gohan told me, is all!" Erasa countered.

"Oh," Videl replied. She then looked up, giving the half-Saiyan a glance. "Gohan's really strong, you know."

'Uh-oh,' the boy began to freak out. 'I never really thought about it, but now that I am… oh shit! Videl knows about some of my powers!'

Gohan began to reminisce back to the fight he had with Vegeta at the tournament. He was disguised as Nos back then, but now that Videl knew he and Nos are the same person… well, that meant every punch and kick Nos delivered at lightning speed against Vegeta was actually him! Gohan thought hard. He tried to remember every move he made during that match. He remembered delivering a blow hard enough that caused Vegeta to plummet deep into the ring. He could also remember flying for a brief amount of time during that fight. Gohan could feel his heart sink to the pit of his stomach. He could only pray that Videl didn't remember any of that, or at least hope that she wouldn't mention it in front of Erasa and Sharpner.

"Remember how I told you he fought in the tournament with me two years ago?" Videl reminded Erasa, "Gohan won second place. He's no push over."

As the three continued to converse, Gohan's mind started running. 'Wow, it almost seems as if Videl is praising me… This is too bizarre!'

Erasa eventually took over the conversation, and Videl leaned back in her seat. She glanced over at Gohan and noticed his uneasiness. Slowly, her eyes narrowed menacingly as she stared at the boy.

'Two can play your game, Gohan.'

End, chapter 2.

A/N: Oh no! What's up your sleeve, Videl? ;)

If Videl seems really confusing right now, I'm sorry! Everything will be clear in the next chapter. (No time for revision)

Readers, thank you sooo so much for being patient with me! It's been real tough lately because I've been busy as hell. And now I'm moving into a new apartment so it's been even more hectic. I'm so glad I managed to finally finish this chapter, though (it took foooooreeeeverrrrr). I really hope you guys enjoyed reading, and I really hope I'll have the time to update the next chapter quickly! I will try my best. :)

Comments, criticisms, suggestions, etc. You know the drill! And I'm thrilled to see so many reviews for the first chapter! Made me feel wicked bad it took me so long to update. I hope I didn't disappoint with this update! :/