Title: Right in the Kisser
Disclaimer: I own the Gohan shirt I'm wearing. That's about it.
Rating: PG-13 ( T ) – For...well, you want to be surprised, don't cha?
Spoilers: I think the milk in my fridge might be going bad. Should it be green?

Summary: TwoShot. "You have to kiss him, of course," Erasa explained as if this were the most simple and obvious solution in the world. GhVi.

Once again, this is for you, Rara n.n

My entry for SweetestIrony's July contest. Theme – Festival.

Part One: Picture

"Morning, Erasa-chan," Videl greeted, wearily dropping her bag onto the desk before her with one hand and pulling her chair out with the other. As she was lowering herself into her assigned seat, she felt compelled to query, "What's with him?"

The blonde girl shook her head sadly and turned away from the boy to her left, who was slumped over their graffiti-decorated desktop and moaning pitifully. He had his face well-hidden within his folded arms, but a boy six foot, four inches in height could hardly hope to hide himself from the world entirely. The other male member of their little mismatched clique was pointedly missing altogether.

"I'm not sure," Erasa replied without returning the usual morning formalities.

Leaning forward in her chair so that she could lazily rest her chin on her open palm, Videl kept her eyes trained on her moping classmate. "Morning, Gohan-kun," she offered byway of a conversation starter.

All she received in response, however, was another low moan and a few muffled words she couldn't make out. Well, that was friendly.

"Has he been like this all morning?" Videl asked, turning back to Erasa for answers.

Erasa nodded in affirmation before saying, "Yeah, pretty much. Where were you during homeroom and first period, anyway?"

"Another bank robbery," answered Videl off handedly. "You'd think they'd give up after awhile, but criminals aren't the brightest group. So, has he moved from that spot at all since first bell?"

"Nope," Erasa negated, shifting her usually cheerful blue eyes to rest on Gohan in the periphery of her vision. "He didn't even twitch when I offered him my granola bar."

"Is he sick?"

"No, I don't think so. But I asked him how the rest of his weekend went and he...," Erasa trailed off awkwardly, apparently wary of continuing on that stream of thought. Her eyes were stuck to the back of Gohan's spiky head, her expression concerned and sympathetic.

Videl thought she knew what was going on now. "And he what?"

The blonde girl finally looked away from Gohan and refocused her attention on Videl. Leaning in conspiratorially, she whispered, "He started crying."

"Oh, for the love of...," Videl muttered, rolling her eyes as she moved away from her friend and settled back into her former lax position. "Boys are so dramatic over stuff like that. It was just a kiss! It didn't mean anything."

Erasa, ever more tolerant than the hot-headed teen fighter, maintained her sympathetic outlook on the situation and sighed softly. "I don't think that's the problem, Videl-chan. I'm betting it has something to do with his mom."

"How do you figure that?" Videl had to ask.

"Well," Erasa began, touching a finger to her chin as she kicked her brain into gear. "While he was...er...emotional, he said something like, 'I didn't mean it, Mom,' or whatever. And you saw how she was at the festival..."

"Oh, come on! Anyone could tell that was an accident," Videl proclaimed, a little too loudly. One of the more obnoxious braniacs on the row below them shushed her before pointedly returning his attention to the front of the classroom where their teacher (who never had his hearing aid turned all the way up) was scribbling equations on the board. Ignoring this person and the lesson she should have been absorbing, she continued in a lower tone, "You saw what happened. Only an idiot could think that there was any romance involved in that fiasco."

Erasa shrugged, apparently at a loss to explain it. "That's what I thought, but I guess his mom is wound a little tighter than your average person."

As Videl thought back to the situation in question, she decided that Erasa had just made the understatement of the century. "Gee, ya think?"

"Yeah, she seemed really upset."

"That was rhetorical, Erasa-chan."

"What does history have to do with it?"

Returning Erasa's genuinely questioning look with a deadpan one of her own, Videl replied after a short delay, "...Nevermind. You really think his mom is giving him a hard time over that stupid kiss?"

"That's what I'm guessing. How did it happen, anyway?" the blonde girl queried, leaning over her portion of the desk to prop herself up on her folded arms. She was settling herself in for a long, juicy story, Videl could tell.

"What do you need me to tell you for?" Videl asked, raising an eyebrow at her blonde friend. "You were standing right next to us the whole time!"

"Yeah, but I missed some of the specifics right at the end. I like to get my facts straight," she explained, her smile shining innocently. "Y'know, just in case anyone asks."

Sighing, the pigtailed champion of justice acquiesced without further complaint. "Well, since you signed us up for the kissing booth..."

— — —

'I guess this is what I get for blowing off homeroom to chase a purse snatcher,' Videl griped silently, leering at the crowds swarming around her as she did her best to project a visible aura that kept them all at bay. She was doing a pretty good job of it, too; the few random individuals that accidentally caught her eye immediately blanched a horrified white before racing away in a panic.

"Are you...okay, Videl-san?" a brave voice spoke up, calling her attention away from a middle-aged man that looked about ready to wet himself.

Pivoting her chin on her palm, Videl turned to Gohan who shared the rickety, student-made structure with her and her radiating malice. "No," she replied, softening her gaze only a little to address her likewise-trapped classmate. "This is stupid."

"It's not that bad," Gohan said, offering her what appeared to be a placating smile. It didn't help, but Videl appreciated the effort (a little).

After a few long seconds of staring at him with her best deadpan expression, Videl shook her head in frustrated disbelief. "So you're saying that running the class kissing booth was your first choice?"

As expected, Gohan blushed vibrantly at the suggestion. "N-No, not exactly, but now that we're here we might as well make the most of it, right? And it's for a good cause."

"Raising money for cancer and organizing food drives for orphans are good causes, Gohan-kun. Swapping saliva for the sake of buying the marching band MP3 players is not," she retorted, turning away from him to resume glaring away the masses. Just in time, too; a gaggle of teenaged boys had been looking her way with lust in their eyes and tents in their pants.

"Well...music education is important," Gohan continued, apparently under the impression that their conversation hadn't ended yet. This was funny considering the fact that he'd been shy and quiet for the past two hours of his own volition. "And I'm sure that the money won't go towards just that. I heard they're thinking about repainting the cafeteria."

"They just painted it last year."

"But didn't the chemistry club use the kitchen for one of their experiments a month ago?"

Videl searched her memory for details about that particular incident and couldn't help but smile as they came to her. The tuna surprise hadn't tasted right since, but then again it never had. "Oh, yeah..."

In the corner of her eye, Videl could see Gohan leaning toward her a little, smiling enthusiastically. "See? It's not so bad. And we're contributing to our school."

"You're really into this school spirit thing, aren't you?" Videl asked, deciding that it was worth the risk to look in Gohan's direction once again. She supposed it sounded more like an accusation than anything, but felt a spark of genuine curiosity for his answer anyway.

Oddly, Gohan reacted with another blush and sat up straight on his stool. "Not really, but my mom says that it's good for me to get involved a little. She sent me to school to make friends, after all."

Forming a mock scowl on her face, Videl joked, "Oh, and I suppose I don't count?"

Obviously incapable of recognizing sarcasm when it smacks him in the face, Gohan immediately began stuttering an amendment to his previous statement. "N-No! I mean, of course you count, Videl-san! You're a very nice girl and – "

"Gohan-kun, calm down!" Videl said, raising her voice so that he could hear her over his own panicked rambling. It was all she could do to prevent herself from laughing aloud at the dumbfounded expression that followed. "I was just kidding. I know we're not close, or anything."

Gohan's face twisted in confusion and (if she wasn't mistaken) a touch of hurt. "We're not?"

It was Videl's turn to blush a little, from shame rather than embarrassment. "Well, not yet, anyway. It's not like I dislike you, or anything."

"So...," Gohan trailed off, clearly straining his huge brain over this issue. In Videl's opinion, he looked funny with his brows furrowed in sincere concentration. He never looked this way in class, which only amused her further. "We're friends, then?"

Doing her best to reign in her smile lest he get the wrong idea, she answered simply, "I guess so."

Unlike Videl, Gohan apparently did nothing to restrain his grin and allowed it to beam at her from his side of the booth at full intensity. Finding it difficult to look directly at him without heat flooding her cheeks, the periwinkle-eyed girl turned her head away from him so fast that something pulled in her neck. She winced a little, but ignored it.

In an effort to change the subject to something less...weird, Videl asked, "So, is your family here or did you come alone?"

Videl could hear him shifting back and forth on his stool as he answered, "Um, my mom and little brother are around here somewhere, probably checking out the food stands. I'm supposed to meet up with them when our shift is over. What about you?"

Taking her eyes away from the swarm of festival patrons once again, Videl slid her eyes in Gohan's direction. "What about me?"

He was scratching his head, visibly confused, as he rephrased his question; "Uh...Is your dad here?"

"Oh, no, he's at home," Videl replied matter-of-factly. "At least, I think that's where he is. No telling on the weekends." So many strip clubs, so little time before the two-on-one coupons expired.

Gohan's expression melted into a look of infuriating pity. "Oh...is he working, or something?"

A little miffed that he was feeling needlessly sorry for her, Videl snipped, "No, I just didn't tell him that we were having a festival. People tend to get a little too...excited when he's around. I figured it would be a bad idea to incite a stampede in an area with structures held together by duct-tape."

The teenaged daughter of Mr. Satan smirked a little as Gohan turned his attention to the corners of their own stall which were, indeed, bound with the silvery, all-purpose wonder adhesive. When he laid his eyes upon it, his hand seemed to reflexively find its way to the back of his neck and he laughed. "I guess that makes sense."

"That's what I was thinking," Videl agreed, her smirk softening into a smile as Gohan turned back around.

Instead of returning his attention to her, however, Gohan's eyes rose over Videl's head and focused on something else. "Hey, it's Erasa-san and Sharpener-san!" he announced, grinning cheerfully.

"Oh, great...," Videl lamented, turning around to witness the two blondes approach.

Erasa – who she strongly suspected was somehow involved in her assignment to the kissing booth in the first place – was waving enthusiastically at her from the short distance away, looking (literally) luminous in her peridot green yukata. A smugly subdued Sharpener was at her side, strutting confidently toward the stall in his everyday attire. (Apparently, he was the only one of their quartet that was allowed to dress like a real person for the festival. Looking down at the deep indigo kimono she'd been forced into by her so-called best friend, Videl automatically declared this turn of events unfair.)

"Videl-chan, Gohan-kun!" Erasa called, racing towards them as fast as she could in the confining skirt of her summer kimono. "How's business?"

"Great," Videl answered with a satisfied grin. "We haven't had a single customer."

"Not even one?"

"Nope."

Leveling Videl a disapproving look, Erasa accused, "You've been scaring them all away, haven't you?"

Videl shrugged, doing her best to feign innocence. "Hey, it's not my fault if they don't have the guts to come over here."

"Yeah, sure," the blonde girl drawled sarcastically. "Well, whatever. You guys look great."

Gohan, a slight strawberry pink washing into his cheeks, looked down at the pressed shirt and tie he was wearing for the occasion. "Th-Thanks," he said to the bubbly blonde, raising his face to smile at her in gratitude.

"You would know since you're the one who made me put this thing on," Videl complained, lifting up one of the heavy sleeves that draped her wrist and waving it around. The pale violet butterflies that made up the core of the pattern imprinted on the yukata's fabric appeared to be floating carelessly on the breeze created by the sway of her arm, but the teenaged champion of justice was glaring at them as if they were at fault for her discomfort. "And what was wrong with my pigtails? I feel weird with my hair down."

"Oh, stop complaining, Videl-chan," Erasa scolded, wagging a disapproving finger at her. "You're lucky that I had time to make your yukata, too. If I hadn't finished mine early, you'd be here in your regular, boring clothes."

"What's wrong with my 'regular, boring clothes'?" retorted Videl, folding her arms across her front.

Erasa shook her head to and fro sadly and sighed. "If you have to ask, I feel bad for you."

Though Videl probably wouldn't have deigned to respond to that anyway, she was never given a chance to as Sharpener took his turn to speak next. "Aw, c'mon, Videl. I think you look hot in that thing."

Frowning at the male half of the blonde duo, Videl snipped, "Thank you, Sharpener. Now I have another valid reason to never wear this again."

"Okay, okay, stop it," Erasa commanded gently, pulling out a cheap disposable camera from within the depths of her billowing sleeve. Holding it up to her eye, she positioned her index finger on the shutter button, pointed the lens in Videl's direction and exclaimed, "Say cheese!"

Instead of acquiescing easily like she probably should have, the teenaged crime fighter frowned sourly instead as the flash went off in her eyes. There, that would show her.

"C'mon, Videl-chan," Erasa whined, lowering her camera so that Videl could properly see the pouting expression she had just donned. With her eyes big and watery and her bottom lip puckered and trembling, she looked downright pathetic. "I just want a picture. Is that so much to ask?"

"You already got one," Videl retorted snidely, doing her best to ignore the guilt beginning to nibble away at her insides. Why was it so hard to remain stern in the face of Erasa's puppy-dog pout?

After a soft, dramatic sigh, Erasa corrected, "I want a nice picture."

Folding to her demands like a broken lawn chair, Videl rolled her eyes in a high, exasperated arc and snapped, "Oh, fine! Just stop looking at me like that."

"Yay!" the blonde girl exclaimed, raising the camera up into position once again. "Smile!"

Feeling utterly foolish, Videl did as asked this time and spread her lips in what she hoped was a convincing grin. She froze in that position for a few long seconds, waiting for Erasa to click the damn button, before muttering out the side of her mouth, "Well? Are you going to take it or not?"

"Hmm...," Erasa replied, peeking over the plastic photography equipment at something to Videl's right. "Gohan-kun, could you get in the picture with Videl-chan, please?"

"M-Me?" Videl heard him stutter in a squeaky voice. Shifting her eyes so that she could observe him better, she witnessed him flush a bright cherry red as he continued, "I thought you wanted one of just Videl-san."

"It'll be better with both of you in it," Erasa replied breezily, beaming at him in away that automatically made Videl suspicious of her intentions.

"Wait a second, Erasa – "

"Now put your arm around her, Gohan-kun," the blonde instructed, waving her hand in the direction she wanted him.

Gohan, obedient boy that he was, inched as close to Videl as he dare, leaving about two feet still between them. "Is this better?"

"Nope, closer."

"Erasa-chan, don't make him – "

Erasa interrupted her again with an annoyed sound and flapped her hand harder at Gohan. "No, no, closer, Gohan-kun. There, that's perfect! Now wrap your arm around her shoulders and – "

"Hey, how come poindexter gets to – "

As Sharpener doubled over in gasping pain, clutching at the point of impact Erasa's elbow had made with his solar plexus, she beamed brightly at the stunned pair awkwardly forced together in the wooden festival stall. "Now, put your arm around her, Gohan-kun."

Videl heard Gohan gulp hard as he slowly raised his trembling hand to rest gently on the shoulder furthest from him. Even through the heavy material that Erasa had insisted on cloaking her in, she could tell that the Son boy's palm was moist with sweat.

When she took a covert peek at him through the cover of her bangs, she found him looking utterly petrified at this strange and uncomfortable circumstance. Though she wasn't normally the type to get miffed over what guys thought of her, Videl couldn't help but feel a little offended that he was this against sharing his personal space with her. She'd pegged him for a dunce with girls the moment she'd seen his panicked expression at the scene of the Gold Fighter-foiled bank robbery, but wasn't this a little much?

"Chill out," she commanded, probably a little harsher than necessary.

When he jumped at her words, their bodies came fully into contact for the first time, Videl's shoulder and hip cushioned against the less dramatic curves of Gohan's frame temporarily. When he eased up a little, however, they drifted apart again and a respectable bubble of space kept them separated. "S-Sorry...," he apologized, keeping his eyes averted from her.

"Almost there," Erasa proclaimed, tilting her head at them as if she were still contemplating their positions. "Just pull her a little closer and – "

"Would you just take the damn picture?" Videl snapped, her last nerve trampled beyond recognition by her friend's overt attempts at matchmaking. It was becoming all the more likely with every passing second that ending up with Gohan as her kissing booth partner hadn't been a random coincidence...

"Okay, fine. Say cheese!"

She and Gohan posed together for the few seconds it took for Erasa to snap three pictures and then broke apart (well, leapt apart was more like it; to Videl's disgruntlement, he moved to the opposite end of the booth as soon as he was free of her).

"Couldn't I get just one more – ?"

"No."

"You don't have to, like, get snippy about it," Erasa retorted, tucking the camera back into her yukata sleeve with obvious reluctance. "I just wanted to get pictures of you in your kimono. Who knows if this will ever happen again?"

"If it's up to me, it won't," Videl declared. "Every time I put on something even remotely girly, everyone freaks out about it. I'd rather not deal with the hassle."

"It's just because you look especially nice."

As Videl felt her gaze drawn to the boy standing beside her, she could visualize her two blonde classmates following her example, stunned wide-eyed expressions firmly in place. Unable to stop herself, she had to query, "Huh?"

Visibly uncomfortable under the stares of his three peers, the spiky-haired dipped his head to stare down at his shoes as he added, "N-Not that you don't look nice every day, this is just...um...different. A good kind of different."

Not sure how to best respond to that, Videl merely blinked in Gohan's direction and, after a long, stunned pause, said, "Uh...thanks."

Gohan dropped his head to bashfully stare down at his shoes as he brought one of his hands up to rub the back of his neck. "You're welcome..."

"Pfft, you're such a dweeb, brains," Sharpener scoffed, guffawing at Gohan's awkward words and stance.

In return, the spikey-haired boy forced a nervous laugh that dissolved quickly into silence. Were Videl not already aware of the context behind it, she might have assumed by the disheartened expression on his face that someone had just thrown his puppy into the path of an oncoming train.

Indignant and offended on Gohan's behalf, Videl clenched her jaw and huffed angrily through her nostrils. "Better than what you are," she snipped at the bulky jock, her eyes narrowed in contempt for him.

His swagger still at full power, Sharpener bent down to prop himself up on the wooden counter and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Videl. "You mean a stud?"

Videl quirked a disbelieving eyebrow in his direction before snorting in mean-spirited humor. "That's not the word I'd use, but go ahead and think that."

"Oh, I know it, baby," Sharpener assured her with a self-satisfied wink.

"Ugh!" Videl groaned, scrunching her face up in disgust. "You don't ever listen to yourself, do you?"

"Why should I? I'm much more interesting to look at."

"You're such a – "

"Okay!" Erasa interjected quickly, putting a halt to the escalating argument. "We really came over here to let you know that your shift is over. It's mine and Sharpener-kun's turn to run the booth."

"Good!" Videl declared, wasting no time in hopping up onto the counter so that she could maneuver herself over it and out of the cursed kissing booth. If she didn't drag herself away from Sharpener soon, she got the feeling that she'd somehow ruin the traditional garb that Erasa had crafted for her (she had worked hard on it, after all, even if all of her effort was completely unsolicited).

It was a little difficult to get up there with the yukata confining her legs, but she managed to swing them up onto the wooden plank and hop down from it on the other side without injuring herself in the slightest. And all before Sharpener could reach out and cop a cheap feel under the premise of "helping" her or Gohan could rush to her aid in some annoyingly misplaced sense of chivalry (Videl didn't play "damsel in distress" very well). "Let's get out of here, Gohan-kun."

Aforementioned boy lowered his hands (ah, so he had been about to "rescue" her) and slowly nodded his assent. "Um...Okay," he agreed verbally, wasting no time in reaching one of his own legs over the booth's splintering counter top. To Videl's annoyance, it took him absolutely no effort at all to reach his lengthy appendage to the ground outside the stand and then heave the rest of himself out likewise.

"It's all yours, guys," Videl announced, turning her back on the contemptible structure that she hoped never to lay eyes on again as she walked away. Ah, freedom...

On her way past the long-haired jock, she slapped him on the shoulder and bid him the fondest farewell she could muster; "See ya. And keep your hands – and anything else you might think about sharing – to yourself."

Before she could declare herself completely clear of him, however, he used her temporary proximity as an opportunity to grab hold of her. Reaching out with one of his surprisingly slender hands, Sharpener took possession of the elbow closest to him and pulled her back against his chest. "Wait a sec," he whispered in what he probably assumed was a sultry tone. "I haven't got my kiss yet."

Knowing full well that Sharpener didn't have the guts to make any real moves (a public ass-kicking by a girl less than half his size was far too great a risk to his pride, after all), Videl turned her head so that she could properly present him with her no-nonsense glare. "Didn't you hear? My shift is over. If you want a kiss, go jump in the booth and start begging."

"Aw, c'mon," Sharpener wheedled, daring to lean in a little closer. "I'll even trade you a ticket for it. Or does this booth take two?"

"Hey, maybe you should let her go."

All eyes were on Gohan yet again, who was standing just behind Sharpener and looking tense. Videl wouldn't say that he was glaring, exactly, but the goofy, laid-back countenance that was so familiar to his persona was gone. He was serious about this, that was for sure.

"Stay out of this, nerd," Sharpener commanded, smirking with confidence. He obviously thought he could kick the ever-living crap out of Gohan and it showed.

Videl, on the other hand, wasn't ready to discount Gohan's prowess as a fighter so easily. If her suspicions were correct – and they usually were – Son Gohan's secret revolved around him donning a helmet and cape and lifting tour buses full of senior citizens over his head single-handedly. If Sharpener couldn't stand up to her fists of fury, what would happen if she was right and that blond idiot actually picked a fight with the Great Saiyaman?

Tempting as it was to let the moron make his own mistakes, Videl felt it her duty to prevent any form of slaughter on festival grounds. That included pig butchering.

With that thought in mind, she pulled her arm out of Sharpener's weak grasp and said, "Forget it, Gohan-kun. He wouldn't really do anything anyway."

Apparently affronted by such a challenge, Sharpener scowled and said, "Oh, yeah? You think I won't?"

"I think you won't if you enjoy your ability to chew solid foods," Videl replied with a sneer. "Come on, Gohan-k – "

Videl's sentence stuttered to an abrupt stop as, against all odds, Sharpener boldly breeched his usual modus operandi and made a sincere attempt at trying to kiss her. He'd spun her around to face him and, taking aim with his lips, moved in for the –

POW! Right in the kisser.

Sharpener twirled on the spot several times in the wake of the punch, rotating like a top on his tippy-toes. His velocity eventually slowed (which was probably for the best considering he was beginning to take on an unhealthy green hue), however, and he began a rapid descent to the packed earth below.

When the dust settled, all was perfectly still and silent. Not a single parent, child or teenager on the crowded festival street made a sound. Some even held their breath in the aftermath.

Seemingly frozen from shock, Sharpener had yet to move from his position on top of Gohan a full minute after first landing there, not even enough to pull his lips away from the resident class nerd's. Instead, the two teenaged boys stared at each other with wide, horrified eyes, apparently incapable of anything else.

Videl didn't envy Gohan trying to get that taste out of his mouth.

"Mommy, what's 'Nii-san doing with that boy?" a young voice asked, finally breaking the awkward silence.

"Breaking his poor mother's heart, that's what! Why, oh whhhaaaa!"

— — —

"Wow...," Erasa said with awe, blinking slowly at Videl. "It sounds even worse the way you tell it."

"Great, thanks," the pigtailed-girl replied, her tone dripping in bitter sarcasm. She glanced around Erasa to take a peek at Gohan, but the boy hadn't moved even a single inch since she'd first walked into the classroom. "I'm betting his version is even more painful than mine."

"Yeah, no doubt," agreed Erasa, following Videl's line of sight so that Gohan was in her range of vision, too. "I wonder if that was his first kiss."

Ugh, that would make it even worse. "Let's not think about that," Videl suggested, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Even if he were into guys, I'm betting his first choice wouldn't be Sharpener as a make-out buddy."

A long moment of silence passed between the two girls as they stared openly at the moping boy at the end of their row. It was all so unfortunate and...stupid at the same time. How did one comfort a boy who'd had his manhood compromised in public and – worse – in front of his own mother? Hallmark just didn't make a card for that.

"This is all your fault, you know," Erasa finally said, drawing Videl's attention away from Gohan.

"Huh?" the Satan girl sputtered, turning her wide-eyed stare on her best friend. "How do you figure that?"

"Well," the blonde girl began, lifting up the index finger of her unoccupied hand to make her first point. "For one thing, it never would have happened if Sharpener-kun hadn't been trying to kiss you."

"How could I help that? It was his – "

"Second of all," Erasa continued, raising a second digit to join the first. "You put too much spin on your punch. If you'd just held back a little, he probably would've just hit the ground like usual."

Okay, Videl had to give her that one. But she'd panicked when she'd seen Sharpener's lips coming straight at her...both the punch and the force of it had been complete reflex. It was just Gohan's bad luck that he didn't have the same reaction time.

Taking her lack of response as an agreement, Erasa ploughed on with her thoughts. Lowering both her hands back down to the desk in front of her so that she could prop herself up on her forearms, she scooted close to Videl and issued her this conspiratorial whisper; "You know what you have to do, don't you?"

Videl's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, c'mon, Videl-chan," the blonde girl said, rolling her eyes upward and back down again. "You're a better detective than, like, half the police force put together. You can totally figure this out on your own."

"I'm still not following."

"You have to kiss him, of course," Erasa explained as if this were the most simple and obvious solution in the world.

Heat overwhelmed Videl's face instantly and she leaned around Erasa to see if Gohan had been listening in. His head was still buried in his arms, so the likelihood of eavesdropping was low. "What good would that do?"

"Duh, it would prove to everyone that the thing with Sharpener-kun was meaningless. If he kisses a girl – a really popular girl – then all the rumors about him being gay will go away. And, since this is your fault," she reminded Videl with a stern, know-it-all look, "you should be the one to do it. You owe it to Gohan-kun and his mother."

"Forget it!" Videl refused, taking absolutely no time to even think it over. The intense heat was still burning just below the surface of her face, only serving to annoy her more. Stupid girly emotions; they always came out at the wrong time. "There's no way I'm kissing Gohan-kun in front of everyone! It's not happening!"

Erasa giggled at her expense before elaborating, "I didn't say you'd have to kiss him in front of everyone, silly. That would just make him more uncomfortable. This is something you should do in private."

Feeling the warmth of the blush beginning to dull, Videl had to ask, "Then...how would that help? I thought the point was to dispel the gay rumors and prove to his mom that he's straight as an arrow."

Erasa's grin spread to Cheshire proportions, but she didn't answer her dark-haired friend directly. Instead, she slid her chair back and bent down to rummage through her school bag, straightening back up only after she had a small object safely clutched in her hand.

Pivoting her upper body so that she faced Videl again, she grabbed hold of the teenaged fighter's gloved wrist and deposited the item into her open palm. It was the disposable camera she'd used to take Videl's picture with at the festival. "There's only one picture left so take a good one."

— — —

Author's Notes: Um...uh...Gah, I'm way too tired to think right now. If you have any questions, leave them in your review n.n;

I won't be posting part two ("Perfect") -- Gohan's POV of what happens next -- until after the July voting session is over. It wouldn't be turned in on time for consideration and I don't want people getting confused.

Un-beta'd.

. ( . Ms. Videl Son . ) .

– Who's your daddy? GohanVidel