Chapter 21: Dating Your Fiancée

The cold wind of the winter air would have sent a chill up Videl's spine had Gohan not taught her how to keep herself warm with Ki. Beside her was her best friend Erasa who was not as lucky. The usually bubbly blonde was eating her lunch grumpily as she glared at Gohan who sat across them eating his lunch as he usually did. She was even cursing Sharpner who got away snow free due to having a baseball team meeting despite it being a summer sport.

"I still don't know why you want to eat lunch up here when it's freezing." Erasa huffed.

"Itsh'a only plashe I can eash like dish." Gohan replied with his mouth filled to the brim with Chi Chi's homemade cooking.

"Swallow before you speak, Gohan." Videl said shaking her head as she took a bite of her own Son household provided lunch.

"Sorry!" Gohan replied after a big gulp.

The exchange caused Erasa to look at the two with a raised eyebrow. In the past few months, Erasa had seen such a change in her best friend. Prior to Gohan's arrival, Videl kept mostly to herself and could only really call Sharpner and herself a friend. That was mainly due to them growing up together and after the Cell Games, the dark haired girl could easily tell when people were trying to be her friend for dubious reasons. This and the weight of fame that came with her Father's victory at the Cell Games caused her to be distant and unapproachable. Erasa silently giggled. How Gohan not only became her friend but her fiancé was beyond her. Every guy that had approached Videl in the past few years had been turned away, some rather violently. Heck, even Sharpner had tried twice when they were 13 and 15 and both times resulted in him nearly losing his family jewels. Now here she was acting in a familiar and almost romantic manner with the young man.

"Gohan, you have food all over your face." Videl groaned.

The boy in question looked up and Erasa had to stifle her laughter as Gohan hastily wiped his face with a napkin. She had to hold it in even more when she saw that he clearly missed.

"Ugh fine," Videl sighed before she leant over "here."

She took the napkin from his hand and began to wipe off the mush that had been left on his face. Erasa had to turn her face to hide the massive smile that had grown in the last minute. Now it was definitely romantic. She turned back once she deemed it safe as the lovebirds continued eating. A few minutes later Videl stood up after packing up her lunch box. Both Gohan and Erasa looked up confused as there was still at least 15 minutes til the end of lunch.

"I'm gonna finish up early," Videl announced "Miss wants me to help sort something for her."

"Sounds boring." Erasa huffed to which Videl agreed.

"I'll see you two in class." Videl said.

As she was about to leave she stopped in front of Gohan. The Ox Prince looked up curiously before Videl reached her hand out and touched Gohan's face. Erasa watched the exchange eagerly, drinking in the romantic gesture as Videl plucked a grain of rice that had strayed from Gohan's mouth.

"Kami, you're a messy eater." She teased before flicking the grain right at his face.

"Hey c'mon, I'm still trying to eat!" Gohan whined, trying to ignore his fiancée's playful antics.

She laughed once more before disappearing down the stairs. As Gohan continued to eat he noticed a pair of blue eyes on him. He swallowed his food with a big gulp before slowly turning to the blonde girl that sat near him.

"Err, what's up, Erasa?" he asked.

His friend giggled, no almost snickered to herself as her full lips expanded into a giant smile. In all honesty, it was scaring Gohan a little.

"What is it?" he asked again.

"Oh nothing," Erasa finally answered "Just observing the exchanges between you and Videl."

"Ah I see." Gohan responded blankly before stopping in his tracks "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Oh it's definitely good!" she grinned.

"Right…"

Gohan continued to eat but he could feel Erasa's gaze still on him as she slowly chewed her sandwich.

"So how far have you two gone?" Erasa suddenly asked.

The Half Saiyan looked up confusedly, unsure about the terminology that Erasa had used. That tipped the blonde off to explain.

"You know, have you guys held hands? Kissed? Compete at the Sperm Cell Games?"

It was then that Gohan spat out what little food had remained in his mouth.

"Sp-sp-what?!"

"You know, have you been getting your banana peeled? Have you glazed her donut?" Erasa continued much to Gohan's embarrassment as he picked up on what she meant.

"N-n-no! Not at a-all!" he stuttered before dropping his voice. "We haven't even kis-"

He stopped when he remembered that moment in the moonlight during the ball. A light blush dusted his cheeks that was not missed by the busty blonde.

"Ohohoho what's this?!" she squealed in delight "You've kissed?! When?! How?! I can't believe she didn't tell me!"

Gohan turned away in embarrassment.

"It was… well, that is… um…" he trailed off.

"Was it during the ball?!" Erasa asked, beaming at her friend.

Gohan awkwardly nodded as the girl bounced in happiness. He kept his silence as she began to daydream about how it happened. Hoping that the conversation would either end or change, he continued to eat before his bubble was burst when Erasa moved to ask a question.

"Have you gone on a date with her yet?"

"D-d-d-date?!" Gohan stuttered loudly "What do you mean 'date?'"

Erasa frowned.

"You know, going out somewhere nice together. Maybe for dinner or a movie." She said before thinking some more "Well, I guess you wouldn't really have to go too far for fancy food since you live in a castle now but there's plenty of places you can go to for a date!"

"Uh I well, I've never thought about it, I guess." Gohan replied "I've never gone on a date before."

"Huh… that's kinda lame." Erasa huffed "Not the part about you never going on a date before but more not having thought about it."

"R-really? I didn't know."

"I mean you really should be considering how beautiful your fiancée is."

"I-True, I guess." Gohan agreed before realising Erasa had caught him a little trap.

"Oho! So you do think she's beautiful?" Erasa said with a smirk.

"I, um! W-well…" Gohan stuttered again "I gu- yeah. She is."

"And do you love her?" Erasa continued with the unfading grin that had been building.

"L-l-love?!" Gohan spluttered "I-I don't know about l-l-love."

The blonde shuffled closer to Gohan and began to study his face. The Half-Saiyan was sweating balls as he felt his friend's eyes boring into him.

"B-but, I am fond of her." He admitted.

Erasa's eyes beamed at the boy. It seemed the relationship between two of her best friends had been steadily growing to the point that one would even admit their attraction. Not to mention how near lovey dovey they were earlier. That caused her to ponder a few questions.

"Do you two act differently when you're not around us?" she asked.

Gohan thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"No, not really." He replied "At least, I don't think so."

"Huh, well what do you do together? Other than all the royal stuff, that is."

The boy pondered. Most of the time they spent together was pretty much to do with the Ox Kingdom.

"Uh I guess we train together, sometimes meditate."

"Meditate?" Erasa asked before sighing "Uh well I guess if that's what you guys are into…"

"It's actually really calming." Gohan retorted "I think Videl's been feeling a little lighter because of it."

"If that's what floats your boat then." The blonde huffed.

Gohan gave her a weak smile.

"But yeah, other than that, I don't really think we do too much else together." He finished.

"So ask her on a date." Erasa bluntly said.

"A d-d-d-d-date?!" the boy stuttered "I c-c-can't ask her out on a d-d-d-date!"

"Why not?" Erasa said as she frowned at him.

"Well that's because… um well… you know…" Gohan droned before trailing off.

"Gohan," Erasa said her name firmly as she placed a hand on the arm closest to her. "You two are going to get married in a few months. And from what I can tell, you two are pretty attracted to each other. Why not just go for it?"

"Is she… did she say that?" Gohan asked.

"No but trust me, I can tell."

The boy desperately tried to fight off a blush again. He cleared his throat.

"I um, I don't really know what to do…" he replied.

"You've already kissed her and you know, you're engaged so it's not like there's a specific formula or chain of events you have to follow." She instructed "Just ask her to go somewhere with you and have some fun together."

"Where would we even go?"

Erasa pondered for a moment.

"Hm, well a movie or dinner might seem a little tame, I suppose." She stated "And you don't want to do something you guys typically do already."

"I see," Gohan replied "I guess I'll look out to see if there's something nice we can do or go to."

The blonde girl smiled.

"Be sure to give me all the details after!" she beamed.

That afternoon Gohan had found himself at Capsule Corp with Videl. Bulma had finally finished his partner's costume much to Videl's delight. It was similar to his own Gold Fighter-Saiyan inspired one, with a matching chest plate that was slate black with light grey trimming. Instead of tassets on the side like his, Videl's had a flexible skirt connected to a white belt to provide more modesty. Underneath were a pair of black tights and the outfit was finished off with the trademark spacefaring gold capped boots and a pair of black wristbands. Despite the fact that the populace already knew her as a public hero, she wore a similar domino mask to cover her face, just like the Gold Fighter's. If Gohan could be honest, seeing her decked out in her costume was rather intoxicating. Especially due to how the chest plate hugged her petite frame and how exposed her arms were. They were really nice arms.

"How do I look, Gohan?" Videl asked with a tentative smile.

The question broke Gohan out of his rather inappropriate thoughts.

"Oh um!" he stuttered "You look good."

She grinned and stuck her fist out at him, posing.

"The Black Devil is ready for duty." She saluted.

"You're really going with that?" Gohan asked awkwardly, embarrassed at the off the cuff nickname he had given her.

"Yeah, why not? I mean if you mix up the letters in my name it does become Devil."

"I guess it is fitting."

"Oh its fine, Mr Gold Fighter." Bulma said, interjecting herself in the couple's conversation.

Trunks came up from around the corner.

"I kind of want one now," he commented.

"Do you mind if I go test my movements out?" Videl asked.

"Go ahead," Bulma said with a smile "Trunks, can you take her to the Gravity Chamber?"

"Sure thing, Mum."

"You coming, Gohan? Videl asked.

He shook his head and smiled.

"Nah you go ahead, I'll come by in a bit. I wanted to ask Bulma some things."

"Suit yourself."

Videl and Trunks soon left the room and Gohan was left with Bulma who leaned against a nearby desk.

"Have you made any progress on that sample?" Gohan asked.

"Sadly, not really." Bulma sighed "I mean, I've managed to separate the compounds and I can tell that humans are the base genome but there are a lot of mixed strains that I can't really get them to separate."

"Did you want help? I can fill in if you-" Gohan began before Bulma cut him off.

"No, you already have a lot on your plate and it's been a while since they've appeared. Hopefully they're gonna lay low for a while to give us time to figure them out."

"I see," Gohan said "What about that tag on the wolf I gave you?"

"Well I analysed it when I had time and it definitely looks like experimentation on animals which I hate to say, isn't as farfetched as it sounds. People just tend to keep things like that wrapped up to stay away from public attention."

"Damn, I guess we can't really do anything until we find out more or see them again." Gohan said.

"Yeah, I had Vegeta fly over the area quickly but he didn't find anything on the surface." Bulma ended as she lit a cigarette. "So, how are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"How are you and Videl? You're going to marry that girl in a few months, you know."

"We're good, I guess." Gohan said awkwardly.

"Are you in love with her?" Bulma suddenly asked.

That was the second time today someone had asked him that. He had to admit, he was very fond of her and his attraction towards his fiancée had been steadily growing over the months. He didn't think it was love but he did like her. Quite a lot. Enough to lose control and kiss her on that evening. The thought made him want the taste of her strawberry scented lips once more and his cheeks flushed red. His predicament didn't go unnoticed as his godmother grinned from ear to ear.

"You are! You are!" she giggled in delight.

"N-no!" Gohan denied before pausing to think "At least, I don't think so."

Bulma laughed some more before a thought struck her. Gohan watched her walk over to a nearby drawer. She proceeded to open it and dig through the contents before she pulled out a thin envelope. She handed it to Gohan and he opened it. Inside were 2 tickets with the name of the West City Aquarium on it as well as a subheading announcing the opening of a new section.

"An aquarium?"

"Yeah," Bulma nodded "I got those tickets as part of Capsule Corp's sponsorship program with the Aquarium but you know Vegeta. He'd never go to that sort of thing."

"Haha yeah he'd probably be more tempted to eat the fish there." Gohan laughed.

"So take Videl there this weekend." Bulma suggested.

Gohan eyed the two tickets in his hand. A whole day with Videl that'd be different from what they normally did. No training or meditation, no royal lessons or castle attendants. Just the two of them together enjoying each other's company.

"I think I might, actually." He stated.

"Good," Bulma smiled as she took a drag of her cigarette "Be sure you two dress up nicely. Not too fancy but something that suits a date."

Gohan blushed at the word date before thanking Bulma once more and leaving the room to go find Videl. Now he just needed to find the courage to actually ask her.

It was already Friday and Gohan still had yet to ask Videl. He had tried on numerous occasions but every time he made an attempt he either was interrupted or just couldn't find the courage to. School had just ended and they were ready to fly to the castle. In the past few months, Videl had pretty much all but moved there permanently, very rarely returning to her home in Satan City. Just before they took to the skies, Gohan had noticed Erasa looking at him.

"Hurry up and ask her." She mouthed.

He nodded knowingly and followed Videl who had already leapt into the air. As they drifted through the sky, Gohan began to muster up his courage and steel himself. He took a deep breath as they flew over a small mountain range.

"H-hey Videl?" he began.

"What's up?"

For the first time since he could remember, Gohan was sweating during normal flight. He cleared his throat.

"Do you um, do you have plans tomorrow?" he asked.

Videl looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Err don't we usually train and do Ki practice on Saturdays?"

Gohan couldn't help but blushed lightly.

"Oh right hehe…" he said.

"But other than that, no not really." Videl answered "Why?"

The boy swallowed a gulp of saliva that had been building in his mouth.

"Well it's just that, Bulma gave me a pair of tickets to West City's Aquarium and err…" he trailed off and mumbled the rest of his sentence.

"I'm sorry, what was that? Aquarium?" Videl asked.

Gohan grit his teeth and exhaled the breath he didn't know he was holding. He had fought intergalactic tyrants, beings hell-bent on perfection. He had travelled all over the world and through space. Surely that was nothing compared to asking out Videl on a date. She was his fiancé for crying out loud!

"I said do you want to go to the Aquarium tomorrow with me?!" he accidentally shouted "I erm, I have two promo tickets."

Videl almost lost her place in the sky at his outburst. Was he asking her on a… She blushed a little.

"Are you asking me on a date, Gohan?" She bashfully asked.

"Err, yes actually." He answered.

Videl could feel a rush of blood flow towards her cheeks. She had never really thought about that before. Over the years there had been plenty of guys that had tried to ask her out, including Sharpner but she had always rejected them, sometimes in slightly violent ways. But she had never thought about that when it came to Gohan, even though they were going to be married. He just didn't seem the type to go out on dates like that but then again, neither was she. But deep down she could feel that she did want this. It was something completely new to her and she had to admit, she was curious about the experience. Not only that, she would be spending a whole day with Gohan that wasn't at school or involved any royal business.

"I… I'd be happy to go with you." She said with a smile.

He couldn't help but smile back.

"We'll go before lunchtime."

They both couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.

That night Videl stood in front of her opened wardrobe. While she was silent on the outside, internally she was screaming.

'WHAT THE HELL DO I WEAR?!'

A part of her didn't want to ask Erasa for advice. Her best friend was going to eat this up and constantly tease her but Videl knew nothing about going on dates. Her last outfits had been planned and ordered for her by Siri and the castle staff. She was about to reach for her phone when she heard knocking on her door.

"Come in." She called out.

The door swung open to reveal Lime with a rather amused expression on her face.

"Oh, good evening." Videl said, greeting her friend.

"Picking an outfit for your date?" Lime grinned.

Videl's mouth was agape.

"How did you know?" She asked "Did Gohan tell you?"

"Didn't need to." Lime laughed as she moved to sit on Videl's bed "I walked past his room earlier and heard him repeating the words 'what do I do on this date?.'"

Videl couldn't help but smile a little at her fiancé's dorkiness. At least she wasn't the only one that was nervous about it. The auburn haired girl stretched and eyed her.

"So, what do you have planned to wear?"

Videl eyed her wardrobe. The majority of clothes she had were simple shirts, shorts and her go to spats. Hardly the ideal outfit for a date.

"There isn't much variety, is there?" Videl sighed.

Lime got up and sauntered over towards the wardrobe. She nodded in agreement before pondering a thought.

"You know what? We're about the same size." She said as she inspected the future Ox Queen "I'm sure I have something that'd fit you."

Slightly deflated, Videl followed Lime out of her room, hoping that the outfits weren't too risqué or flashy.

It was now the next day and Gohan was patiently waiting for Videl in the entrance hall foyer. They had seen each other at breakfast and though they didn't say too much to each other due to nervousness, one could easily tell both were excited for today. He was lucky that in recent times, both Lime and Erasa had upgraded his wardrobe from the dorky Momma's boy look he used to be known for to a more "modern man" look.

His outfit for the day was relatively simple yet he couldn't help but feel good about how he looked. He wore an open grey coat over a beige sweater and white undershirt as well as dark denim jeans and chestnut suede brogues. His hair was still a mess however and he had long given up on styling it. As he was waiting for Videl he heard footsteps approaching from the western hallway. He turned to see Sangha, the daughter of Angus.

"Oh good morning, Prince Gohan!" she greeted with a smile.

"Good morning."

The young lady walked over towards him and he could feel her eyes inspecting him.

"You're rather dressed up today." She commented "Going somewhere?"

"Y-yeah actually," he replied "I'm going on a date with Videl."

For some reason his words seemed to bother Sangha. He noticed her taking a few deep breaths and took note of her Ki. It was rather erratic and for some reason, he could feel something conflicted within her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, a little concerned.

"Oh yes." She said as she put on her best smile "I'm quite fine, thank you."

She walked a little closer towards him.

"You're so sweet for worrying about me." She said, in an almost seductive tone.

He wondered why she was getting so close. Nervously, he rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh well, you know, you are Angus' daughter and from what I've heard, you've been learning to take over his job in the future," he said "…or well something like that."

The girl clasped her hands together and smiled.

"That's right! I'm sure we'll be working together quite often in the future."

Gohan was slightly taken aback at her change in tone.

"Y-yeah," he stuttered "I'm sure you'll be a great help to Videl and I."

The mention of his fiancée's name seemed to strike a chord in Sangha as her face visibly contorted into a frown. She was about to say something when they heard footsteps from behind them. Both turned towards the stairs to look at who had just arrived. The sight blew them away.

"Woah…" Gohan couldn't help but say.

Descending down the steps was Videl, dressed up and ready for their date. She wasn't as extravagant as during the ball but Gohan couldn't help but admire her beauty regardless. She had a rather sophisticated turquoise peacoat that was buttoned up over a black turtle neck and a pair of rather tight black pants and finished off by calf high chestnut boots. Like that night, Videl had elected to leave her trademark pigtails behind and instead her hair was left free flowing, held out of her face by a charcoal hairband that resembled a braid.

As she took several steps down and came closer, Gohan could see her face a little more clearly. He could see that she had some make up on. It was light unlike the Masquerade Ball but he could definitely see it. He had been so used to her make up less face that he could probably figure out if she wore even the lightest of touches. And while he already thought she was beautiful, there was something about the way her makeup had been done that seemed to accentuate that natural beauty. His mouth couldn't help but subconsciously drop at the breathtaking sight of his fiancé.

"…Videl." He breathed out.

In the corner of his eye he could see Sangha looking at Videl as well but instead of contempt, he noticed a different emotion. He glanced down slightly to get a better look. It wasn't jealous born of hatred. It was more akin to envy that came from… admiration? He turned back to Videl as she reached the bottom of the stairs. Her eyes seemed to glare momentarily at Sangha before they greeted him.

"Hey." She said.

"H-hey." He managed to return.

She was about to say something when Sangha spoke.

"If you'll excuse me, Prince Gohan, Lady Videl." She mumbled before bowing respectfully at the two and soon left.

For a moment silence filled the room as they watched the young woman disappear down the opposite hallway.

"What were you two talking about?" Videl asked.

Gohan pivoted to properly face her. He scratched the back of his head as was his habit.

"Nothing really, to be honest." He shrugged.

Videl's eyes narrowed before relaxing. No, she probably shouldn't think there were any ulterior motives even if she didn't trust that girl. After all, she had today to look forward to. It wasn't just her first date with Gohan but her first date ever. The thought got her feeling all giddy again.

"S-shall we go then?" She suggested.

He smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, let's go."

They had decided to take Videl's jetcopter after flying towards Capsule Corp when they landed in West City. As they arrived at the Aquarium, Gohan noticed Videl giggling to herself. The sight made his heart skip a beat. He swallowed and asked.

"What's so funny?"

Videl shook her head and steadied herself.

"Sorry, I just can't get over the fact we have to switch to my jetcopter when we're near something."

An amused smirk graced Gohan's lips as he nodded in agreement.

"That is pretty funny when you think about it."

The two walked towards the entrance where a teenage clerk was working. Gohan rummaged in his coat pocket for a moment before pulling out the two tickets.

"Are you two on a date?" the girl asked as she scanned them.

"O-oh um y-yeah." Gohan awkwardly stuttered.

The girl giggled at him as she handed back the tickets before turning her attention to Videl.

"Your boyfriend's adorable." She winked.

Videl couldn't help but blush as she murmured a quiet "yes" in agreement. The two walked in beside each other, faces burning bright red. Videl was silently thanking Dende that the entrance was dark as she glanced at Gohan. Her face suddenly was heating up more than she realized. She had spent most of the past few months with Gohan, whether it be with their friends, their advisors or by themselves and yet it felt different somehow. Was it because this was their first official date?

As they walked into the main hall of the aquarium she glanced up at him. The glow of the ceiling lights were illuminating his face, enhancing his features.

'Was he always this good looking?' Videl asked herself.

She didn't realize it but she was staring. His chiselled chin, his dark eyebrows. The strands of hair that flickered just between his eyes. The way his black eyes were looking around the room. The way they were suddenly looking at her.

"Videl?"

"Oh!" She suddenly gasped.

In the corner of her eyes she could see Gohan's arms moving up. Was he going to do something? Hug her? Tell her off for staring? Neither of those apparently as a piece of paper was held up to her face.

"Huh?"

She looked at it carefully to see it was a map of the aquarium. Silly her.

"Where do you want to go first?" He asked her.

After much deliberation they decided to check out the penguin exhibition that was sponsored by Capsule Corp. That was the reason for the tickets they had been given after all. As they got closer to the exhibit, Gohan witnessed something he did not expect at all.

"Oh my Kami they're so cute!" Videl practically squealed.

Videl Satan, the tough heroine of Satan City was actually a big fan of cute things. Then again, he supposed she was a lot more feminine than she would let on. He watched her practically sprint up to the glass.

"Look at that Emperor Penguin, it's so big!" She beamed at him.

He smiled and walked over to stand beside her. There were penguin species of all kinds from the crested penguins of the southern islands to the mighty emperors of the polar caps. There were families huddled up together and young ones frolicking in the exhibit's pools.

"Hey that one's crest kinda looks like you when you go Super." Videl giggled as she pointed to a rather goofy looking penguin.

"Hey come on, it does not." Gohan whined much to his fiancée's amusement.

Gohan's attention was soon taken by the nearby information stands that documented the various species of penguins as well as the conservation efforts of both the aquarium and Capsule Corp. Gohan could recall learning about some of the factoids listed during his pre-teen years. His mother had wanted him to learn about everything he possibly could, studies on penguins and other animals included. The thought caused him to think back and reminisce a little before his mind drifted to his current situation. If he hadn't been home schooled for so long and attended school like a normal kid, what would he be like? Would he be more outgoing than his current shy self? Would he have gone on dates like this with a girl?

For some reason, he couldn't see himself doing things like this with anyone else but Videl. Was he actually falling in love with her? Both Erasa and Bulma had asked him that question this week. He looked over to where she was as she tried to coo at some baby penguins that had wandered near the glass. Ah why did she have to be so cute? She turned to face him and their eyes met. He was almost scared she was going to yell at him for staring but she simply smiled. A smile that caused his heart to skip a beat.

Yeah, he was pretty sure he was falling in love.

After the penguin exhibit they decided to take a walk through the main tank tunnels. There was an abundance of colour with schools of fish swimming through the clear blue water. Larger fish and even large rays broke up the masses of colour as they glided through the tank. Gohan had seen so much in his life already but there was still something about things like this that blew him away. Glancing down at the girl beside him, it seemed she was in the same boat. With as much beauty around them, she was still the most captivating.

As he was watching her practically bounce through the glass tube, she suddenly turned back and pointed behind him. He was about to turn to look when a large shadow flew over him, startling him a little as he bent down to dodge whatever it was. Gohan looked up embarrassedly at Videl who was holding in her laughter. Behind her he could see the manta ray that had passed continue into the distance. He pouted a little but as soon as she broke into fits of giggling, he too joined. Normally he would've noticed the ki of every living being around him as if it were second nature but he just felt so distracted. Was it because he was falling in love?

"Ah that was too funny!" Videl beamed.

He couldn't even be mad. The sight of her smiling and laughing with him was too good.

Yeah, he was definitely in love.

The sun was beginning to set and the aquarium's outdoor lights began to turn on as the couple walked through the complex courtyard. They had just watched the final showing of the seals program for the day and both were in a great mood. Gohan had never actually seen seals before, despite having an affinity with wildlife. They looked so happy as they did various flips and tricks, with one of the presenters even calling them rather "seal-ly", which earned a groan from Videl. She had absentmindedly said she hoped Gohan wouldn't pick up lame jokes when he became a Dad before both of them flushed bright red and paid strict attention to the rest of the show.

"Do you want to go look for somewhere to eat?" Gohan asked.

"Yeah, let's go look for a restaurant around the area." Videl said.

Gohan had to admit, today had been a lot of fun, much more than he had been expecting. While yes, he genuinely enjoyed Videl's company, he thought he would be a massive bumbling mass of awkwardness throughout the whole day. But as their date went on, they eased into it and acted as natural as they felt they could. It honestly felt really nice to do something that seemed so normal for their age.

As they were walking beside each other, Gohan couldn't help but look down at Videl's hand. A big part of him wanted to take hold of it. He looked away as they continued to walk towards the exit when he glanced back down to it. He really wanted to hold her hand. He swallowed the saliva that had been building in his mouth and spoke.

"Hey Videl?" He asked.

"Wh-what's up?" She stuttered.

It seemed he startled her a little.

"We're… we're together, right?" He asked.

Videl looked up at him and nodded as a light blush began to dust her cheeks.

"Y-yeah, we are." She replied. "W-why are you asking all of a sudden?"

He didn't actually know why he had asked that or worded it that way but something in his heart told him to go for it.

"Can I hold your hand?"

They both stopped in their tracks. For a little while Gohan thought he had overstepped his bounds and was about to blurt out an apology when he felt her take his hand.

"V-Videl?" He stammered.

She answered by letting go of his hand momentarily before wrapping her arm around his and leaning on his shoulder.

"It's um, it's a bit cold so… can I…" she trailed off.

Gohan couldn't help but smile a little. As dense as he could be at times, even he knew that she just wanted to be closer to him. He had taught her how to keep herself warm with ki after all.

"Yeah, you definitely can."

He felt her grip on him tighten a little as they continued their way out. If this was what falling in love was like then he was definitely okay with it.

There was a violent cough that vibrated through the walls of a lab. A rather thin and sickly looking man with grey hair covered his mouth to keep it quiet. He looked down at his hand and saw red dripping. Slowly, he took out a handkerchief from his coat with his clean hand and wiped off the blood.

"Damn these experiments…" He muttered.

He eyed the large glass tubes that were on the other end of the laboratory. If only he had never helped that lunatic Gero. When the Cell Games happened all those years ago, he knew the work he had done would lead to death and destruction. He tried to move on from that and yet now here he was, basically doing the same thing. Working for someone with selfish motivations, using science that could be used to better the world for nefarious reasons. And it had now involved his little girl. He would do anything to make sure she was kept safe. So far, they had kept their promise and shown her being treated as a regular guest but he knew that wouldn't last if he couldn't produce results.

His eyes glanced at the giant figure in the main tub. The one they had been experimenting on the most. A specimen of peak physical strength. He looked human enough but he was much larger, dwarfing even Hercule Satan. Whatever he was, he definitely wasn't human. He could tell that much.

"Where do you come from?" He had been asking for months but knew the hibernating figure wouldn't answer.

It's not like he should've cared but he felt a little wrong for what he was doing to this being's body. It was unnatural and was taboo everywhere else, not to mention how volatile the samples he was using were. He coughed again and a bit of blood splattered on the tile flooring. He didn't know what would come first. These experiments leading to the death of others first.

Or his own.

Author's Notes:

Waw hand holding, so lewd. Reason why it's rated M.

I'll be honest, I've been a little burnt out with this story and do have other interests that I want to write in but I really don't want to leave this unfinished. I hope that 2-3 months between chapters isn't too long of a wait and I'll try my best to release them faster while keeping the quality as high as I can. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this more fluffy chapter. The plot will definitely move on in the next chapter but I felt I needed to show their relationship growing more instead of focusing on the story outside their relationship.

Mr. Me2, oh yeah, I slaved over that part for weeks. ;) Ahaha I actually completely forgot you had that in Golden God! Let's just go with "Geniuses think alike". Yeah, angsty stuff isn't my strong point but I didn't just want to skip that and have them act like everything was okay like in the anime. I think that was a realistic enough depiction where Videl forgives him but isn't completely going to forget it. The experiments will definitely be a big part after that last segment in this chapter.

Aaron Leach, RKF22, thanks for always reading and encouraging me with your comments.

Krugerfan18, yup! Even if the chapters might be coming out slower than before, I'll still be updating this. I definitely plan to finish it!

Enforcer209, yea same. The way I usually read things is I want to experience the joy and happiness coming from characters I like. I'm not saying I think angsty/heavy emotional stuff isn't good, it's just not my cup of tea but I think in certain parts of the story, I'll have to have it there. Hopefully you found the little physical part of this chapter enjoyable!

Mann of No Consequence, I'll take that critique and work on my fixing up my grammar and yes I do admit, my earlier chapters aren't the best in terms of grammar and I think I've worked on that a bit but I will say, I don't actually think it's a "terrible eyesore" as you put it. We're not professionals and this is simply us writing fanfiction so I think nitpicking stuff like that is a little too pedantic and doesn't really take away from the story as long as it's legible and makes sense. At least, that's my opinion, I don't know how others feel.

cc512, haha look I finally updated! I hope you liked that their relationship is progressing further that they've admitted they are actually together and have accepted the arranged marriage as their future. Gohan's also been learning how to handle others and Videl after being around them for so long so he isn't as dense as he used to be.

iMysticalDBZ, always makes me feel happy when people reread my work. Thanks for your support!

As always, leave a review on your thoughts, favourite and follow if you like and if you want to follow my twitter where I just post dumb things, feel free to. It's MadmanJrs.

Until next time.