Chapter One; Questions

The sun had barely begun to show itself, taking its time as it slowly appeared over the horizon. It was nature's way of saying good morning and the slow movement of the orb with which nature chose to awaken those that slumbered suggested that perhaps even the sun prefers to sleep in. It seemed to be in no hurry to rise into the sky to illuminate yet another day. All this was seemingly lost to all the critters and living creatures within sight of the not yet fully risen ball. It was morning, and the morning activities would commence with or without the steadily rising sun.

Not just the animals had agendas to be carried out at such an early hour. A lone figure clad in a familiar blue gi was sitting on the ground, cross-legged with arms folded. His eyes were closed and an intense look of concentration was etched across his face as sweat trickled off of his head. The lone spiky bang that hung down his forehead was matted to his face as testament to all the sweat from previous exertions. He tensed up as to signal that his concentration was reaching the climax and the dam was about to break. Even the air was becoming thick and tense as the tension built up. Then suddenly...

"Gohan!" called the high-pitched voice of a young boy. The semi-Saiyan looked up, as he suddenly was jolted out of his concentration. "Breakfast is ready!" the orange gi clad boy shouted as he ran towards the meditating teen Saiyan.

"Thanks Goten." he called back to his younger brother. "I'll be right there!" he said as he wiped the sweat off his sodden brow.

"Okay! You better or I'll eat your share!" taunted Goten as he ran back inside.

"Ha! In your dreams squirt!" called Gohan after him. He paused to look forlornly at the target that was previously causing so much concentration. A lone boulder the size of a car sat on the ground, looking as if it had been slightly disturbed. "Shoot...I almost had," said Gohan regretfully.

Gohan had been focusing on the boulder so he could mentally levitate it in the air then dismantle it into many small pieces. It was an exercise that Piccolo had promised would help with his ability to manipulate ki and obviously that would increase the potency of his mental powers. Gohan had learned this exercise after inquiring from his wise childhood master how he could achieve the kind of mental strength and dexterity he frequently brandished. So far Gohan was a long way away from the level of mastery that Piccolo boasted.

"I'll just have to try again later." Gohan said determinedly as he went to wash up and satisfy his gargantuan Saiyan appetite. After a quick but refreshing shower, a school clothe-clad Gohan made his way to the nearly stuffed to collapsing breakfast table. A young semi-Saiyan was already helping himself to the goodies piled high on the table.

"Morning mom. It looks great!" exclaimed a hungry Gohan as he prepared a 'plate' of food.

"Good morning Gohan. Training again I see?" said a busy ChiChi as she prepared an extra round of everything for good measure.

"It was just some morning exercise to wake me up," Gohan half lied. He was well aware of his mother's displeasure in his continued training over the years. He only managed to earn her approval by convincing her it was simply maintenance so he could be ready for anything. If she had any idea of how extensive his continued training had been, she would have more adamantly objected to it for fear of interference with his studies.

"Well alright," she grudgingly consented. "So long as you are well rested for school, there is nothing wrong with that. Just don't get carried away," she said as placed finished food in their respective places on the 'mountain'. "Alright boys, I'm sure there's enough to fill those bottomless pits you call stomachs," she giggled. "Me and Goten will be going on errands before you leave. So we'll see you after school and...maybe you can tell us if you've found any girlfriends by the time you get back," said ChiChi with a wink.

"Gah! Mom!" sputtered a red Gohan as he struggled to get a bite down. "You know I don't have time for that!" As he was saying this, one particular girl came to mind. He quickly shook it off.

"Oh, you know I'm only teasing you Gohan!" ChiChi said with a smirk. "Although, I'm not getting any younger you know. Oh, how I await the day when my baby will settle down with a nice girl!" ChiChi wistfully said with clasped hands and stars in her eyes. To which Gohan and Goten could only sit in awkward silence as a giant sweat-drop appeared on their heads.

"Ahem...well that's all well and good mom," coughed an uncomfortable Gohan. "It'll happen when the time is right," he muttered. Again, a particular girl came to mind as he was speaking. He shook it off again.

"Oh, I know Gohan. It's just such a joy to tease my baby about his love life." ChiChi said with a smirk. "Come on Goten! Let's go so we can get done early," called ChiChi.

"Okay mom! Can we get ice cream while we're out?" asked a hopeful Goten.

"Hmmm. I don't see how a bit will hurt. We'll get some on the way home though. Okay?"

"Okay! Yay! Ice cream!" cheered an excited Goten. He jumped around and ran for the door. "Bye Gohan! See you after school!"

"See ya squirt! Bye mom...but are you sure you want to do that?" said Gohan as he imagined the sugar high that was soon to follow. He shuddered involuntarily as he remembered the last time Goten had ice cream. Trunks had also consumed the dreaded sugar infested snack. It resulted in a very expensive and destructive escapade that Bulma had to pay for, the respective frying pan and GR treatment, and an extremely exhausted and embarrassed Gohan.

"Oh, you're right," said ChiChi as she sensed his thoughts. "We'll just have to stop by the park and then take a scenic route home," she shrugged. "Bye! Don't be late!" called ChiChi as she left.

"See you later mom! Don't worry. I won't be late!" Gohan called after her. He promptly finished his breakfast then after covering the remnants of the breakfast mountain he brushed his teeth and gathered his stuff. He took off at a comfortable speed, knowing he would just make it with a few minutes to spare.

Something weighed heavily on Gohan's mind as he flew towards his high school. It was the same thing distracting him as he meditated and during his mother's teasing. Videl had been a constant source of distraction for Gohan lately and he didn't really understand. Sure, she was a skilled fighter that used her abilities to help others. Sure, she was intelligent and attractive. But she's just plain confrontational, rude, and nosy, for lack of better word.

"Come on Gohan...you know you like them with a bit of vinegar and fire to them." teased some inner voice inside his head.

"Shut up!" said Gohan as he shook it off. "Great, now voices inside my head are in on it. She's turning me into a nut," muttered Gohan.

Much to his relief, Gohan had no more teasing from his inner self for the duration of his trip to school. He landed on the roof per usual and made it to his first class with five minutes to spare. He stretched back in his seat enjoying that he was early for once.

"Now if I can avoid airheads latching onto me and the interrogations from hell, this should be a pretty good day."

"What's that?" inquired a feminine voice. Gohan spun around to see his almost daily interrogator in the flesh.

"Oh...hey Videl." Gohan greeted nervously. "Was just saying it should be a pretty good day today...?"

"Really? I could have sworn that I heard you talking about avoiding airheads and 'interrogations from hell'?" she paused on the latter item for dramatic effect. She stood with her arms crossed in rather close proximity to the nervous Saiyan. She eyed him with a scrutinizing look as she awaited his response.

"Uhh...well, I do get bimbos attaching themselves to me on a regular basis." offered Gohan. He gulped knowing very well that Videl would soon follow up on the latter thing.

"So who is subjecting you to the interrogations from hell then? Is there anything I should know about Gohan?" For most of the couple months they had known each other, she had been suspicious of him hiding something from the start. Unfortunately, Gohan was horrible at hiding things and it only confirmed Videl's suspicion.

"Umm...you?" said Gohan deciding to be brave. He awaited her response with dread. To his surprise it wasn't as severe as he had anticipated.

"Oh? Well it's not my fault now is it? Whenever you feel ready to spill whatever you're hiding, I'll be waiting." She said snidely and took her seat just as Erasa and Sharpner entered the room.

Gohan blinked as he processed what had just transpired. Did Videl just take his accusation without a ripping his head off? Was it because he had merely been honest? Thoughts began flowing in his that he quickly blocked from his mind. He just couldn't bring himself to trust her yet.

"She would freak out if I told her the truth! Yikes! She's just as scary as my mom when she's pissed off too..."

"Hey Gohan! You're early for once." greeted the bubbly blonde.

"Yeah, brains. You're usually late." said Sharpner not far behind. He put up a front, but in truth, he really thought Gohan was alright.

"Oh, hey guys," said Gohan as he was broken from his train of thought. "Yeah, it must be my lucky day today." Gohan grinned sheepishly as he scratched the back of his neck. Sharpner took his seat next to Erasa, giving Gohan a slap on the shoulder as he walked by. Erasa ruffled his hair as she took her seat. Videl just stared at Gohan out of the corner of her eyes then went back to looking straight ahead as the teacher entered the room.

"Can't this guy ever be transparent? Anyone who paid attention could see that fifteen foot wall he always has up when you talk to him." Videl harrumphed as she shook the thoughts of Gohan out of her head.

"Always staring at me out of the corner of her eye. She's on me like a hawk from the time she walks in to the time we leave. No...I don't like the attention..." Gohan mentally argued with himself.

"Good morning class!" greeted the middle-aged teacher. "I hope you all finished those assignments over the weekend!" This was met with a collective groan minus Gohan who never had any problems turning in assignments. His general attitude was that the school might as well hand him his diploma. He really only came for the social interaction. A certain trio consisting of two blondes and a raven-haired girl made life very interesting.

"C'mon teach!" exclaimed a student rather obnoxiously. "Don't you know it's just plain gross to send a student home with an assignment over the weekend?"

"Hey! No complaining! It was a small assignment and you had the whole weekend to finish it. Now, if we're all done moaning let's turn in your book to chapter seven, and pay attention. We have a lot of material to cover today." This was met with another groan of displeasure from the general student body. Even Gohan couldn't help joining in. He was already familiar with the material anyway, so learning it all over again was a bore.

"Wake me in an hour guys," whispered Gohan as he leaned back in his seat. His three friends couldn't help snicker or a smirk at his comment. It was just as boring to them, albeit for different reasons

"Leave it to brains to already know the material," Sharpener picked on Gohan.

"Huh? How did you know I already know the material?" Gohan asked as he straightened up and turned his head towards toward Sharpner. His signature naive expression was painted on his face as he scratched his neck.

"I didn't...I was just...nevermind," Sharpner muttered as he shook his head. "He really is a nerd."

"Ooh, so smart as always Gohan!" gushed Erasa. "And cute to boot! Maybe I made the wrong choice." She said that with a smirk as she looked at Sharpner.

"Whoa, watch it Erasa! I might have a bone to pick with brains later on." Sharpner said as he put his arm around her. He turned and winked at Gohan.

"Nah, she's all yours Sharpner. I just don't have time for girls ya know? No offense to you Erasa."

"You know I couldn't take offense from someone as cute as you Gohan," she responded after which the teen Saiyan could only blush.

"Bah, if he ever got any ideas in his head, I could beat them out of him. Right brains?" joked Sharpner.

"Sure Sharpner. Sure," Gohan weakly chuckled. He wasn't about to tell the buff jock that he could kill him with one finger with his eyes closed.

Meanwhile, an inner battle was raging inside a certain raven-haired girl. She couldn't help but glance at Gohan and let a slight look of disappointment grace her for face an instant. It was gone as quickly as it had come. She put her silent struggle aside as the teacher droned on about the dull and trite details of literature. Oh yes. Today was going to be a good day for sure. There's nothing like the smell of literature in the morning.

School dragged by at a slow and uneventful pace. It was proving to be a fairly quiet and peaceful day today. There wasn't a hint of crime to be heard of during class, which was a welcome change. However, despite the relief, this was a minor source of vexation for Videl. She had been hoping to take another crack at unmasking Saiyaman. Much to Gohan's relief that chance had to live to die another day. Gohan sighed in relief as school finally let out and he breathed the fresh air of freedom. He was glad he had people other than family and super powerful martial artists/aliens to socialize with, but school was such a headache.

"See you guys! I'm off!" called Gohan as opened his capsulated jet copter. It was merely a ruse so that he wouldn't raise suspicions on his very long commute. It had been successful on everyone except Videl for obvious reasons. She was much too stubborn to immediately believe any alibi or excuse Gohan could offer.

"Bye Gohan!" his friends waved back to him. Only Videl remained stationary as he took off in his aircraft. She managed a courtesy wave just before he flew off. The reluctant gesture didn't go unnoticed to Gohan or her friends. Gohan couldn't help sighing in slight disappointment as they began to shrink from view.

"Gee Videl, don't be too enthusiastic about waving back," teased Erasa. "It's been two months already! Don't you think it's time to really treat Gohan like a friend?"

"Yeah Videl. He may be a nerd, but the guy is alright." Sharpner said as he shrugged.

"Hey! I'm civil to him and I don't pick on him." defended Videl. I just can't trust him like I trust you guys. He always hides behind a wall and I know he's hiding something."

"Whatever girl. You know you like him and are just covering it up. All this stuff about him hiding something is just an excuse for you to hide your interest," teased Erasa.

"Shut up about that! I already told you that I DON'T like him!" dismissed Videl. "I mean, I'm sure he's nice and everything, but he's not my type!"

"Yeah Erasa. Of all the guys why would Videl choose a scrawny nerd like him? I mean, nothing against the guy but she could beat him up in 5 seconds flat! That's not exactly appealing you know?"

"Whatever Sharpner! Some girls actually a guy to be sweet sometimes." muttered Erasa

"Hey! I can be sweet!" whined Sharpner

"Ugh, you guys are giving me a headache. See you tomorrow!" Videl shook her head as she took out her jet copter. She left the bickering couple to their drama as she took off and headed home. A sigh of frustration escaped her lips as she rolled her eyes. She loved her friends, but they were honestly so goofy at times. She blamed the blonde hair.

Her thoughts went back to a previous vexation from that day. When Gohan said that he had no time for girls, it somehow got underneath her skin. She had no idea why it bothered her that he wasn't interested in dating anyone.

"I'm not interested in him like that. Right?" She asked herself. The answer didn't come back so certain. "I just want to find out what he hides in the closet, because I can never trust him like my friends do until I do. But why does that matter?" The question remained unanswered for the remainder of her flight home.

"Good afternoon sweet pea," greeted Hercule. "How was your day?" he asked as got up from his chair and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"It was okay. It was just boring as usual," she responded quickly so she could go to her room. "I'm going to do some homework so I'll be in my room."

"Alright. I'll be here if you need me. I'm going to order takeout for tonight because I'm giving the cook a break. Anything you want?"

"Just order me the usual." She said as she went up to her room. She was eager to escape into the sanctity of her room. She loved her dad, but his inflated ego and wild antics got to her sometimes.

"Sure thing sweetie!" Hercule called as he went to his trophy room. He flexed in various ways and punched the thin air. "Oh yeah! I'm the greatest dad AND the strongest man in the world!" crowed Hercule.

"Ugh, he's so full of it," muttered Videl as she closed the door. She was left all to herself and her thoughts of finding out Gohan's secrets.

Meanwhile, Gohan was just landing. He opened the door and knew instantly that his family was still out on errands. That left him all alone to ponder his day and predicaments.

"She just won't quit. No matter what I say or do, she can't stop being suspicious of me and trust me like her friends. I wonder why I care so much that we aren't friends though...?" His musings continued without much of an answer.