AN: Dear reader. Please note that this story is rated for a reason. If you are underage or otherwise sensitive, please pass.

Chapter 1: The Demon's Ultimatum.

Whup-whup-whup.

Huh? What was that? Videl rubbed her eyes and turned in her sleep. Warm sheets rustled as she moved, her brain half-foggy with sleep. The night was warm, her neck damp, misted with perspiration. She kicked off the sheets, wondering if she should turn on the air-conditioner.

Whup-whup-whup.

What was that? She sat up. Eyes peering into the dark. The window was wide open. She swallowed, sagging back in relief. It was only her curtain, white and ghost-like, it billowed noisily in the mid-night breeze. Stupid curtain, she flopped back onto the bed, punching her pillow and curling herself around it.

Whup-whup-whup.

She jackknifed, heart pounding in her chest. That sound again. Stronger, closer. It wasn't the curtain. She glanced around the room. Nothing there. Everything was dark and quiet except for her alarm clock. It glowered from the nightstand, flashing 12:45 FRI, with white teeth-like flickers of searing neon light. The breeze flung in the thick smell of the swimming pool from down below in the grounds, the vaporous odour of chlorine clogging her nose like the nasty chemicals of a science lab.

Something flapped, thick and near.

Oh god, she clutched the sheet close to her body. The space between her scalp and skull prickling with unease, her body locking in place.

She blinked, and suddenly, it was there. Tall like a skyscraper's shadow, it loomed in a dark nefarious silhouette above her bed.

Videl's heart leapt, a loud scream lodging in her throat. She wasn't quick enough to let it out. Sharp claws on bone-like fingers grabbed her neck, squeezed the disks of her throat. "Gack," she choked, as it hoisted her up. Eyes-wide, body thrashing, Videl's hand flew to her neck, grappling the claws, failing to pry them off. "Gack," she was in the air, feet dangling off the ground.

The faint security flood-light coming in through the billowing curtains gleamed on his green skull, gleamed on the twin antennae glaring at her, gleamed on the sharp-pointed ears standing out like rabid canines. "Gurgl," she clawed at the manacle-grip shackling her throat, but the monster's grip was unflinching.

Fear rose like hacked vines of a wild and barbed climbing plant grappling to hold steady. Thinking, all at once seemed hard; she felt the hard pressure of the wall chaffing her back, heard the choking grunts tearing from her throat. Black spots flashed behind the back of her eyes and she couldn't ... couldn't breathe.

She kicked and clawed, a debilitating fear gripping her, hot and constant, something feverish like the throes of a flu. She was going to die, her heart thundered. If she didn't break free or scream, she was going to die. The flood-light made another sweep past her window, momentarily gleaming at the stoic expression of the monster that was quietly strangling her to death.

And when the light faded, the blackness swallowed her.

~0~0~

Videl came to with a start. Throat raw, jaw aching.

White light seared her eyes. Sharp and alabaster, like the very air was bleached. She jumped-up, heart ramming against her chest. But her limbs didn't move. Too heavy. Invisible arms pulling and dragging them down. Oh god, she swallowed, scrambling to her hands and knees. Pulse ticking in her throat.

Something rustled.

She snapped her neck to the side. Nothing. Swivelled all the way round, eyes wide. Nothing there.

Only white emptiness that stretched to forever. Whatever this place was — it was the complete absence of darkness. Of walls or doors. It stretched eternally. No beginning. No end.

The air was thick. Hot. Oppressive. A wet cloud heavy as stone, pushing her down. She could barely breathe. Her body ten times heavier.

Whatever this place was ... She had to run. Escape. Get help.

That sound again. A flap. A wup. Like a flag snapping in the wind.

A drop of sweat trickled down her face, pricked her in the air with small needles of salt. She blinked, turned around. Still, nothing.

Prickles screeched down her spine. Her breaths coming in short bursts of air. Fear slashed in thick lashes, curbing and clawing like a barbed whip around her throat. She could hear shallow breathing. Somewhere. She knew it was there.

Run, Videl.

Her leg muscles tightened, every inch of her ready to run. But she couldn't. Her legs were thick iron bars battling a magnetic wormhole. No matter how she exerted herself, she was sucked in. She couldn't lift off. Oh god. Oh god. Sweat gathered under her chin, the back of her neck.

Another sound. Wup. Wup.

And then a moan — a human moan. Groggy and pained.

Her blood ran cold. She knew where the sounds were coming from now. She pressed her lips tightly together, bracing herself, and then she lifted her chin and looked ... up, up...

A scream lodged at the back of her throat.

It was there. The demon was there. Above her. In the air.

Her breath burst in and out. Her stomach a coiled mass of stone. The demon was tall, like the dark and sinewy tree trunks stacked high in a funeral pyre, and as green as the corpses of the leaves hacked off their limbs. It hovered, white cape flapping like the beckoning wings of death.

"Catch."

Something came hurtling down from it's arms. Videl ducked, instinctively, barely making it out of the way in time. It hit the white tiles with a loud thud. And then a groan broke-out from it's quivering form.

She gasped. Eyes wide. Was that a p-person?

Shakily, she dragged her body closer, every moment a herculean chore now that her body felt as if it had gained a thousand tons. Her pulse raced, Oh god, oh god. What would she do if it was another person? She could hardly lift a finger to help herself. What could she do for someone else?

The stench of unwashed body and stale hair-oil hit her nose first. Oh god, it was a person. They were curled in on themselves, dark shadowy bruises mottled down their arms. Tattered clothing wrapped the rest of their body like dirty, used pieces of gauze. She rolled them onto their back, their wheezy moans and whimpers tugging at her heart.

She gasped. No. And despair tread over her like the rickety groans of an army tank's teeth. "No, no, no," she cried, grasping the bulky form in her arms. "Please, no!"

"S-Sweet ... pea," the voice was haggard. The sunken eyes half-peering from the unwashed, unshaven face contorting in horror. "No, please," her father croaked, his eyes moving past her, moving towards the green figure looming above them. "Not my daughter please," his chin quivered, his chest expanding on a deep inhale. He choked then, doubled in on himself and started coughing. Deep and wheezy like a patient in the final stages of tuberculosis.

It wasn't possible. None of this was possible. Her father was thin, and pale, his skin hot to the touch, he was burning with fever. Bruises were everywhere, scars ... burns ... his hair a massive black cloud that made his face look even smaller, and god forgive her but he stank to high heaven.

Videl sucked in a breath. This had to be some kind of nightmare. It couldn't be real because she'd sat with him at 7:30 that night for their ritual Thursday night dinner of every type of dumpling known to man. She had kissed him goodnight with a full belly just before 8:30. So it was impossible that he'd lost this much weight, was this damaged, this sick only 4 hrs later. Impossible.

Her pulse raced, body flushing with hot waves of anger. "What have you done?" Videl whipped up her neck, baring her teeth at the green monster. "What have you done to my father?"

"Everything," it's voice rumbled along a vicious fanged smile. It was a terrible voice, dark and deep like a thick gnarled root that lived deep under the earth scavenging off the death of things long buried.

Videl shivered, clinging closer to her father.

The monstrous demon lowered itself to the ground, pointy brown boots stabbing cataclysmic promise her way. It advanced towards her with grim purpose in it's eyes. "Now, Videl," it's fanged smile was a terrible thing. "You and I, are about to make a deal."

~0~0~

Gohan stretched his arms above his head, arched his back and rolled the muscles of his neck. He'd been at his desk for what felt like forever, though technically it had only been one hour of his advanced physics class. Just goes to show how boring the lesson had been.

He grabbed his books from his desk, stuffed them in his bag and flung it over his shoulder. Ah, friday afternoon at last, he smiled. He could sleep in tomorrow, hang with his brother and fool around in the forest.

Huh? A quick look around the small classroom and yep, everyone else had dashed off in a mad rush to kick-start their weekends.

Bag over his shoulder he walked out, wondering what it was they all did over the weekend. His shoes squeaked as he made his way down the shiny hallway, which had emptied out real quick. Three weeks as a high-school student and he still hadn't a clue. Oh well, he'd better walk to the gate quickly and lose himself in the city. He'd find himself a good spot to launch from and—

Footsteps pounded behind him in a light jog. "Oi! Gohan!"

Huh? He'd thought everyone was gone. He swivelled round to find Erasa and Videl jogging towards him. Oh-uh. This could be trouble.

"Hold up cutie," Erasa flashed one of her bright smiles and grabbed his arm, blonde hair falling against her face in a slant. He couldn't help but notice that her blue eyes were sparkling more than usual.

"Um, hey guys," he gripped the strap of his bag, his stomach twisting in a knot.

"Videl has something to say," Erasa pointed her finger at her friend. The crime fighter stood a few steps back, a piece of paper clutched in her hand. She looked pale. Had looked pale all day actually.

"Here," she passed the paper to him. He wasn't sure, but she seemed slightly hesitant.

Adjusting his back-pack unnecessarily, he grabbed the piece of paper and read it. Eh? His eyes went wide, but he read it again, just to be sure. Wha—

Videl was inviting him to a party? Him? He glanced up, met her eyes and swallowed. Suddenly, he felt rather ... weird. He shifted on his feet, the knot in his stomach twisting into a mangle of badly tied knots.

Videl Satan was inviting him to a party. He honestly didn't know what to say.

"So?" Erasa said expectantly, smile never faltering whilst she nudged him in the ribs. "See you then right?"

"Err," he didn't know what to say. The flyer said the party was on Saturday, as in: tomorrow Saturday. At the Satan Mansion. Whoa. On the one hand it would be nice to go to a party and mingle with kids his own age. Wasn't he just wondering what it was they all did over the weekends? On the other hand, his mother would never allow it. He sighed, dejected. "My mom— "

"Tell her it's a study group." Videl didn't let him finish.

Gohan blanched. He couldn't possibly lie to his own mother! She'd see right through him, and whack him something awful for the attempt.

"I'll be saving you a dance cutie," Erasa winked. She then grabbed Videl and dragged her away, the two girls disappearing around the corner. Gohan stood in the lonely hallway surrounded by white walls, unsure of what to make of it. Shaking his head, he continued down the path until he hit the door to the outside.

The warm air hit his face immediately, a blessed relief from the stale air of the classroom. Students were everywhere, clusters of colourful talking, laughing bodies happily going about their business.

He spied Sharpener standing next to the large bowl-shaped water fountain, Orange Star High's main feature of whooshing streams of water. The blonde boxer was passing out flyers, not to everyone, to a very select few actually. The shake of his head and the look of pure disdain was more frequent that the rare extension of his hand. So in actual fact, it was a mixed group of bodies that walked past the fountain, and out the dark wrought-iron gates. Those with flyers bounced in their step, high-fiving each other. Those without ... they dragged their feet with stooped shoulders.

Huh. Apparently he'd made the cut.

Hurriedly he made his way to the gate, eager to get on home. He'd eaten at lunch, but ... not nearly enough to sustain him for much longer. So even though he had a flyer in his clutches, hunger made it impossible for him to prance around with a kick in his step.

He walked, ducking into smaller streets until he was far enough from the school to not be seen. Ugh. The stench of urine and rotting cabbage assailed his nose; City's could be so disgusting. A click of his watch and poof — his Saiyaman garb covered his body. He launched into the air, sighed in content when he left the foul city odour behind. He flew top-speed towards home, his stomach an angry god that needed appeasement.

He touched down on the grass in front of his house, pressed a button on his watch and fell back into his school uniform. He took two deep gulp-fills of air — it was clean, fresh, scented with the sweet fragrance of blue nigella that was in bloom in his mother's garden. Home sweet home, he smiled.

The front door burst open, "Big-Brother!" Goten leapt at him.

"Hey Squirt," he hoisted him up, his mouth curling at the infectious smile on his brother's face.

"Did you fight bad guys today?"

"Sorry Kiddo," he chuckled. "There were no crimes in Satan City today."

"Aww man," Goten pouted.

Gohan laughed. "That's a good thing Goten," he ruffled his brother's head. "It won't last though, next week, they'll come out in masses for sure, okay?"

Goten nodded, all bright-eyed and eager, as if crime was a thing to look forward to.

Gohan carried his brother into the house, "Mom! Gohan's home!" Goten started to wiggle in his hold, already restless. He opened his arms and set him free, chuckling to himself. Goten didn't waste any time, he jumped down and went careening into the kitchen. "Gohan's home! Gohan's home!" He could hear him jumping up and down.

"Son Goten," his mom's voice, "will you please take that lizard of yours outside? I do not want it in my kitchen!"

"Sorry Mom!" A blur blew past him and out the door as Goten went to take care of his lizard. Gohan shook his head, smiling.

He walked into the kitchen and man, the smell. It hit him straight in the stomach. The rich scent of cloves and cinnamon mingled with ginger was rich in the air. It could only mean one thing: ginger cookies. And sure enough, right there on the table was a batch cooling, waiting just for him. He grinned, "I'm home," he announced, going round the stove to kiss his mother's cheek.

She took a small pause from stirring the pot in front of her and smiled. "How was school?"

"It was okay," he shrugged, peeking inside the pot. Mnn, white stew. One of Goten's favourites. "Gonna go ahead and change. I'm starving."

"It's almost ready," said his mom, going back to her stirring.

Gohan dashed to his room, hung his bag and slapped the flyer on his desk before proceeding to change. By the time he returned to the kitchen, the stew was ready.

"Eat up Sweetheart, the sky looks a bit suspicious. I better go and clear the laundry off the line."

"Sure Mom," he said, digging into the stew. Time passed in a blur as he devoured bowl after bowl of stew, it was creamy and oh so delicious. The vegetables still nice and crispy while the meat just melted in his mouth. By the time a thought other than 'more' entered his brain, he'd devoured the whole pot. "Crap." Goten was not going to be happy. He cleared up after himself, opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of milk.

Ah, he sat down again, pulling the tray of cookies forward. Now for the best part—

Bang! The table rattled, cookies jumped from the table, up into the air and back into the wire rack.

Gohan jerked. Uh-oh. His mom was on the other side of the table, her face twisted in a scowl. She'd just slapped the flyer from his room onto the table. "What's this?" She slid the piece of paper forward.

"Um," he scratched the back of his head. "It's an invitation to a party?"

His mother growled, her body almost leaning half into the table. "And just who invited you to this cesspit of delinquents mnn?"

Double uh-oh. He shifted in his chair. "Um, Videl and Erasa," he said hurriedly. "You know, the two girls from my class? I've told you about them remember?"

"Two girls?" She straightened, bringing her hands together, a smile breaking out on her face from out of thin air.

Eh?

"Two lovely young girls invited you to a party?" Her voice had gone all fizzpop and root-beer all of a sudden. Sweet and bubbly and loud. Gone was the snarling, growling mom. This mom was all bright-eyed and flushed with colour. Okay...

She yanked him out of his chair, practically dragged him across the corridor, and down to his room. She forced him to sit on the bed while she flung his wardrobe open, wailing: "What are you going to wear?!"

Gohan slumped. This was going to take a while. The last time she'd gotten worked up like this, she'd made him change at least hundred times for the perfect outfit for his OSH interview. He'd been ready to kill himself by the time she'd deemed something fit enough to wear.

Oh man, he should have gobbled up those cookies when he'd had the chance.

~0~0~

Gohan would have enjoyed the music more if it wasn't so loud. Honestly, how did they do it? He'd been on the dance floor for only half an hour and his ears hurt. They hurt real bad. He could feel the bass thumping in the pit of his stomach. In fact all he could hear was bass. Could this noise really be described as music? There was no melody that he could discern, or maybe it was there, trying to be heard but completely drowned out by the cursed bass.

Still, he was trying to fit in, trying to be normal. So he stayed on the dance floor, clumsily trying to mimic the rather suggestive dance moves of his peers. He may have been naïve, but Son Gohan wasn't stupid. All this gyrating and bumping of the lower abdomen — it wasn't good, not good at all.

Out of nowhere, two lanky arms wrapped themselves around his stomach from behind. He could feel the unmistakable softness of two round feminine mounds pressing against his back and his body was forced to sway from side to side, in the same rhythm as his new captor.

He had stopped freaking out at this point. Since coming to the dance floor, he had quickly realised that having some strange girl grab and dance with you for a few minutes before moving on to the next guy was just 'normal'. So he'd tried his best to just go-with-the-flo' — as Erasa had repeatedly encouraged during the evening.

As the girl from behind finally let him go, another one suddenly appeared out of nowhere. With her face dangerously close to his, she started moving her face, her neck and shoulders from side to side whilst slowly lowering herself down, down, down, over his torso. He had seen this particular move a few times already, so he was glad he knew what to do.

Leaning his body back, he began to sway from side to side at opposite intervals and let the girl half hover over him while they both swayed themselves on to the ground. Completely bent like a pretzel — his head just inches from the ground, Gohan didn't realise that he was simply going too low for the poor girl to keep up with. But her alcohol induced senses didn't really register the fact, so she kept going, and going ... until she lost her balance and fell face first into his chest.

The group that had gathered around the dancing duo to enclose them in a circle whilst cheering, was expecting both teens to crash unceremoniously into the ground, but alas, they all gasped out in shock as Gohan simply wrapped one arm around the girl and gracefully — without staggering in the slightest — raised them both back into a standing position.

Blushing, her face still planted on Gohan's chest, the girl steadied herself and made a quick disappearance.

The guys cheered and patted Gohan on the back as they resumed their dancing. Before he could even take a second to contemplate what he had done to earn the congratulatory smirks and pats, another girl had grabbed him, another round of bumping and grinding had begun…

~0~0~

Skulking in the fringes of the crowd, Videl picked up another tot glass with shaky fingers. She tossed the liquid down her throat and cringed. It burned all the way down her throat.

She clutched her neck, but couldn't claw it out. A dry heave or two later and the burning stopped. A warm fire settled in her stomach instead. She picked up another one, and did the same. And another.

She had never taken alcohol before, but tonight, she had no choice. She couldn't seduce Son Gohan sober. She was not a coward. Just a realist. She was ill prepared for the Demon's task. This was out of her league. She was excelled at breaking jaws and balls; not seducing boys.

She needed a little boost, something to give her the confidence to jump out of her skin and become someone else. Someone capable of doing what needed to be done. Overall, she was pleased with the turnout of this last minute party. No one would suspect that this whole gathering was a mere set-up to get Son Gohan alone.

Shuddering, she tried not to think about Thursday night. The demon had made it painfully clear. She was to fulfill his demands as quickly as possible, or her father would die slowly and painfully. Videl was worried he was already halfway there. Her poor father. She blinked rapidly, tossed a fifth shot of tequila down her throat and braced herself.

She had a job to do, her father's life depended on it.

~0~0~

Gohan cursed his alien genes as the music assaulted his sensitive ears. He'd managed to get away from the dance floor a few times to grab some punch, but Erasa always found him and brought him back.

He would have enjoyed himself better if the music was a little less loud. Sighing, he tried not to blush as his current dancing partner started a crazy move that involved spanking herself lightly on her ample backside as she bumped to the music. To his horror, she took his hands and motioned for him to take over the spanking part of the dance.

He was glad the dance floor was dim, otherwise the whole party would see how crimson he probably was. His cheeks felt way too overwarm. Another swig of that punch would be heaven. The more he drank it, the less uncomfortable he felt. It was incredible.

Was it all the fruit?

Thankfully the song died down and his current partner gave him a thumbs up, then made her way back to her group of girls. Now was his chance!

He managed four steps in the direction of the punch before a small hand linked itself with his larger one. Turning to beg his new would-be-dance partner to excuse him, he was gobsmacked when he recognised the owner of the hand to be none other than Videl Satan. Drat.

His stomach made a flip-flop. Videl always spelled trouble. She was either scowling, glaring at, or interrogating him as himself. Or, scowling, glaring, shouting at, or trying to unmask him as Saiyaman. If it hadn't been for her prying, his date with Angela would have ended on a better note. But then again, maybe he should be thanking her for helping him dodge that bullet.

Tightening her grip on his hand, Videl closed the small space between them and tip toed up to his ear. Oh boy, his stomach was really about the somersaults tonight.

"C'mon," she said, rather loud. Too loud. His ears hurt as it was. "I could use a break from this music."

Wincing, he didn't know what to do. On the one hand, he desperately needed a break from the noise. On the other hand, he was terrified of going anywhere with Videl. Knowing her, she was probably trying to lure him into some sort of trap to expose him.

She didn't give him much of a choice though, she was already moving with his hand in tow. He could easily pull out of her death grip, but he'd probably rip her arm clean if he did. Reluctantly, he followed.

~0~0~

Videl's heart hammered her chest. Her hands moist and disgustingly clammy. Oh god. She had to get over these nerves, otherwise she'd never have the guts to go through with it.

She took comfort in the little things: Gohan was just a teenage boy, and teenage boys were universally known to be easy. But, there was another little thing. A not so comforting little thing. Son Gohan, with his cheery disposition, had proved in the 3 short weeks that he'd been going to OSH, that he was not a normal teenage boy.

The boy was utterly oblivious to all the sexual innuendo that routinely carried on under his nose. He may have made perfect scores in his entrance exams, but he was completely clueless when it came to everyday life. Which bode badly for her plans.

He was so innocent and good. She felt guilty about harassing him in those first few days when she'd stupidly thought he was Saiyaman. It's a good thing he didn't bruise after that crook had punched him in the face, otherwise she would have lost sleep over it. But then again, she didn't get any sleep that night either …

Shuddering she closed her eyes for a brief second to keep the memories at bay.

She needed all her wits about her for what she was about to do. Picking up her pace, she continued her meandering as she led Gohan to one of the guest rooms in a different wing of the mansion.

~0~0~

Gohan grew increasingly nervous with each new step. On the one hand, he was glad to venture far from the accursed dance floor. His ears were benefiting greatly, already on the mend. On the other hand, he didn't trust the distance Videl was putting between them, and the rest of the party.

His mind was in overdrive. Maybe she was taking him to some secret torture chamber where no one would be able to hear his cries for help. Since taking that punch in the face, Videl had not been on his case like she usually was. In fact, in the last two days, the young crime fighter had been uncharacteristically quiet. She'd even offered a few genuine smiles.

As Saiyaman, he'd noticed that she had been a little extra brutal with the criminals, so brutal that he'd had to step in to stop her from bashing a guy's skull in.

But now, as they turned yet another corner, he was beginning to think that the invitation to the party had been nothing more than a ruse to lure him. Lure and expose him.

They turned another corner into a dark passage. His stomach knotted. He slowed, not at all sure he should walk on. Should he just ... yank his arm out and make a run for it? His heart pounded. It's not as if she could hurt him but—

She stopped.

Okay... He squinted his eyes. There was a door. She was standing in front of dark wooden, 6 paneled door with a golden twist knob. Huh. A very average sort of door.

She grabbed the knob and twisted.

He held his breath but, nothing ominous happened. It didn't even creak. She pushed it in and suddenly there was light. She walked right in without saying a word. Exhaling a long breath, Gohan followed her inside. What else could he do, with his hand still in hers?

It was a large room by any standards. The smell of furniture polish and freshly laundered sheets hung low beneath ... what was that smell? He took a deep breath, what was it? Something sweet like ah ... a flowery-scented candle flickered lazily on the dresser. Gardenia. It was gardenia he was smelling.

Most of the space was taken up by the large bed arranged in the middle of the room. It was huge. Lilac swirls mingled with pale yellow designs on the fancy looking linen. There were so many pillows of different sizes and shapes, he wasn't surprised the room didn't appear lived in. What a job it would be, having to remove those pillows every night.

On each side of the bed sat bold mosaic lamps that curved in blues and reds and browns. The walls were bare, save for a large painting of what looked like slashes of colour hung over the bed. And to the left, a closed door led ... err ... somewhere.

No medieval torture devices in sight.

"Sorry for the long walk," said Videl. "It's difficult to have a conversation with the music so loud," she sighed, releasing his hand. She walked round to each lamp on the side-tables and and them on. Big and colourful, they threw prisms of light in the room which set a rather cozy mood. Then she did away with the main lights with a click of a remote control. Okay...

He rubbed his neck. He couldn't think of a single good reason she might have for bringing him here. But it was at least, quiet. They must have walked all the way to the other wing of the mansion. He couldn't hear the music at all. Not even with his super-hearing.

"There's a small sitting area slash kitchenette through here," she pointed towards the closed door. "I'll grab us a drink," she added, disappearing behind it.

He could hear her shuffling things in there, but for the life of him, he didn't know what to do with himself. She'd said something about talking? He could only hope it wasn't code for interrogation.

He walked around aimlessly. Paced more like. Everything about this situation rubbed him the wrong way. And the room itself didn't offer anything of interest, so he couldn't even pretend to admire the décor. Or read a magazine. It was empty, just a pretty shell. He rammed his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall, settling on going over the main points of his next essay.

A few minutes later, she emerged through the door carrying two extra large glasses. They were filled to the brim with something orange.

"Here we are," she said. "Rootbeer," she handed him one of the drinks. He took it gratefully and took a sip. Hmm. His favourite. With a lack of something better to do, he settled fully against the wall and took small sips.

"So," she turned those blue eyes on him as she sat down on the corner of the bed. "What do you think of the party?"

"Um," he scratched his head. "It's ... interesting?" He didn't really know what to say. The party was ... loud. Weird. Uncomfortable. He didn't think she'd appreciate any of those descriptions so he tipped his glass to his lips and gulped down the full contents of his drink.

Wow. That hit the spot! He hadn't realized just how thirsty he'd been! There was nowhere to put the empty glass but on the dresser so he took a few steps from the wall and gently placed the empty glass down.

Now he really had nothing to do.

~0~0~

Videl took a small sip from her glass, smiling despite the bitter taste. She didn't care for the taste of alcohol. But she'd loaded her glass with a generous helping of vodka nonetheless, right after loading his with a little something, something too.

No way she could do this sober. And no way would she do it without some reassurance that he'd respond. And now he'd have to respond. That is, if all the hype about the little blue pill was to be believed. And now that he'd downed his root beer — it was time to put things into motion.

She crossed her leg, uncrossed it, and crossed the other one. Her fingers unsteady on her glass. "You don't hold it against me do you?" she asked. Oh god. Sweat was gathering on her back.

"Huh?" He looked puzzled.

"The whole me thinking you're Saiyaman thing," she said. Her free hand going to her throat. "You know, getting punched in the face?" God. Her hand was shaking. She told herself over and over that he was just a teenage boy. Just a teenage boy, but—

"Err…no," he said. "I don't hold it against you. Anyway, I'm sure you had your reasons."

Videl swallowed. He looked like he meant it. Which made her feel even worse 'cause really, he was a nice guy. "Cool," she did her best to paste a smile on her face. "We can start over then, you know?"

"Start over?" he looked genuinely optimistic.

She nodded.

"Sure," he agreed readily. Nodding. "I'd like that."

Poor sod. So gullible. She would do what she had to though, to save her father. "I'm sorry about the Angela thing as well." Sorry my ass.

"Nuh, that's okay," he shook his head. "It was only one date. She has a boyfriend now so... " he shrugged.

That much was a relief at least. With Angela out of the way, maybe things would be easier. Unless ... "And you?" Please say you're single. Please say you're single.

"Me?"

"Yeah," she took another sip of her drink and steeled herself. God it was nasty. "You said Angela already has a boyfriend now. What about you? Are you seeing someone?" Please say no. She already felt like shit doing this, if there was a girlfriend in the background somewhere ... that'd be 2 people she was screwing with. Please say no.

"No," he shuffled his feet. "I'm not seeing anyone."

That was a relief. Not that she would have changed her plans if there'd been a girlfriend ... but, it was good to know she'd keep the damage to the minimum. And anyway, she glanced at her watch impatiently. How long did the little pills take anyway? Shouldn't he be trying to make a move on her or something. Now she had to wreck her brain for conversation. "What's it like?"

He blinked. "Not seeing someone?"

"No," she chuckled. "Where you live. The mountains. I guess it's pretty out there." She honestly couldn't think of anything to say to him. Her sweat glands were overperforming. Her stomach a mess of knots. Any more of this small talk stuff and she'd lose her nerve. She wasn't exactly an ogre! Any normal boy would at least try his luck after being dragged by a girl to a secluded room in the middle of a party. Hadn't she hinted anything by killing the big lights huh? What was wrong with him? He wasn't even trying to flirt with her! He was glued to the wall as if it was the most attractive thing in this room.

"It's a bit secluded," he cleared his throat. "But it's nice and peaceful. I like it." He shifted in his spot, crossed his leg. Uncrossed it, then crossed it again.

She patted the empty spot next to her on the bed. "Come sit down," she said. "It looks uncomfortable over there."

"Um," he bit his lip as if trying to find a good enough excuse to say no.

"Come on," she patted the spot extra hard this time. "It strains my neck having to talk to you all the way over there."

Unable to come up with an excuse, he made his reluctant way to the bed. He sat down alright, but he sure kept a healthy distance between them. Oh well, baby steps.

"Anyway, about Mt. Paouzu," she feigned interest in the conversation by going back to it. "Maybe I could come out there and see it sometime, you know on a weekend or something?" God. How much small talk was it going to take anyway? She was sure she'd given him double the dosage. Was he going to sit there and fidget all night or leap on her already?!

"Err— "

"Erasa and Sharpener would like it too," she added quickly. He looked a little ill at the suggestion of her visiting him. Not good. Maybe he genuinely hated her. Not that she'd blame him if he did. "I mean," she licked her lips. "We could have a picnic or something. All 4 of us."

"I like picnics," he said, uncrossing his leg once more.

"You just like anything that ends in food Gohan," she teased. Probably the first honest moment she'd had all night. Hmm. Maybe she should grab some snacks from the kitchenette and throw them all over herself and try to—

"It would be pointless to deny it," he admitted with a small smile. "The food they served tonight was very good by the way. And um, thanks for inviting me tonight. I've never been to a party like this before."

She shrugged. "I saw you dancing out there," she'd had enough of this waiting game. It was time to change tactics. Clearly the little blue pills were not all they were cracked out to be. "You're really, really, good."

"Um," he blushed. "I've never really danced like that before. I was just trying to copy the others. It was ... pretty interesting."

"Good interesting or bad interesting?" She scooted towards him. No choice but to try a more direct approach. But god, she wasn't nearly tipsy enough for this.

"Good. Definitely good. Just ... the music was so loud you know?"

She shrugged. "I guess," she said. "But when you live in the city, there's always something."

"I guess," he added rather uncomfortably.

She had no experience at all in these matters, but even she could tell that he did not like having her near him. He looked about ready to bolt. Damn it! What was she doing wrong? "You think you'll move to the city one day, you know, when you're a multibillionaire with your own empire?" she batted her eyelids, feeling stupid. Even a bimbo wouldn't say something that dumb as an attempt at flattery. She was pathetic.

"My own empire? I don't think so. I'll be happy if I can make one great scientific breakthrough."

"You never know," she placed her hand on his thigh. He flinched.

"Y-Yeah. I-I guess you're right," he stuttered. "Anything's po-possible." He was going to bolt. He was going to bolt. Damn it to hell. Think Videl! Think!

"So, are you ready?"

"F-For?" His eyes grew wide, the disks in his throat bobbing.

"A card game of course," she added irritably. Things were not going as she'd envisioned at all. "Didn't I say before? I like to play cards and I know there's no getting Sharpener or Erasa away from the music. I thought you might wanna play?"

The relief in his eyes was maddening. "Cards are good," he nodded vigorously. "Cards are nice. I like cards."

"Good!" she pasted a smile. "Let's play!"

"What do you wanna play?"

"It doesn't really matter," she said flippantly. "Loser has to strip one item of clothing."

He jerked his head back. "You've got to be kidding!"

If only. "Don't be shy," she put everything into that smile. "It's just a game," she winked, and cringed inside.

World swallow me now.

~0~0~

His ears were hot. Good thing there were no mirrors around, 'cause then he'd be forced to see the red of their mortification as well as feel it. He couldn't look up, couldn't look at her. He'd won every single round. Including the ones he'd been trying to lose on purpose.

So while he sat fully clothed, Videl was ... down to her frilly bra and matching panties. They were red. Blood red. No doubt the same colour as his face.

"It's okay Videl," he cleared his throat, staring at his cards. "We don't have to finish this last round." Looking at his hand — there was no way he was going to lose. Were the cards trying to screw with him? If they finished this round then ... Videl would have to take off something else, and Kami knew he'd die if she did.

Right now he was trying to sit at an angle, trying to hide his monstrous erection. And he couldn't even blame her half-naked state. He couldn't even blame it on all that frilly red lace. The disturbing truth was: he'd been getting hard from the word go. Painfully. No matter how many Freeza's or Cell's he'd tried to imagine. Nothing helped. He'd been as hard as stone since the second he'd sat next to her. It's not as if he'd had a single improper thought prior to that. How was it even possible?

He had literally, never been so mortified in his life. And if Videl lost one more piece of clothing, he was going to burst without question. How the hell had he gotten himself into such a mess? Please Dende o'l pal. Let me walk away from this with some of my dignity.

He was so busy not looking up, that he didn't see her move until she was standing right before him. He lifted his eyes, only to find his face level with her breasts.

His heart jerked. "V-Videl… I— "

"Shh," she brushed his lower lip with her finger. He was so startled by that action that he didn't have time to react to her next move. She straddled him.

Oh god. He froze.

She moved against his groin.

He groaned, his heart a hammer in his chest. What is she trying to do to me?

She nibbled his earlobe.

Gohan hissed, hands frozen on his sides. Mother, you warned me about these city girls!

"Touch me," she murmured against his ear.

No way! No way in hell was he t-touching her. His heart raced. His pulse thick and fast on his neck. Oh my god. Oh my God. Her warm breath sent shivers down his spine. His groin throbbed. "V-Videl— "

She wrapped her tongue against his earlobe, gyrating her groin against his. He groaned, again. This was hell. This was heaven. This was no good at all. He couldn't hear himself think. His heart was roaring in his chest. This kind of thing—

"Touch me," she murmured again, planting small kisses along his neck.

Oh god. Oh god. His fingers curled, clicked, curled again, aching to touch her. But he shouldn't. He shouldn't. She shifted against his crotch again and he nearly died. Come on! He was a good guy, not a saint. How much longer was he expected to hang on?

This couldn't be happening, not really. It had to be some kind of dream. He'd be waking up any minute now. Oh yes, he'd had these kinds of dreams before. They always ended before the really good part.

He shut his eyes tight and tried to think of—

She touched his hands. Grabbed them and lifted them up until they cupped her breasts. He swayed were he sat. They were so soft. Oh god.

Right. He had to escape, he swallowed dry. Had to make a quick run for it.

There was no way this was happening. Videl had to be drunk. Or something. He grasped her shoulders to gently pry her off of him. His body on the other hand though, did something a bit different. Somehow, don't ask him how, he'd flipped her over and pinned her to the bed. He'd sent all those fancy looking pillows and cushions and things scattering on the floor.

Run. His chest expanded with deep rapid breaths, he forced his hands to let her go. Run. He started to pull himself up—

She snaked her arms around his neck, pulled him down and kissed him. Oh god. Her mouth, her lips, her tongue. He was spiralling. Losing all sense of decency.

He kissed her back. Hard. She made a guttural sound at the back of her throat and he forgot that he meant to flee. She wrapped her legs around his waist and then he really kissed her. No more holding back. Their tongues tangled, strokes against each other, his mouth hot and urgent over hers. Every reason why this was a bad idea disappeared in the rush of hot sensation that engulfed him. He couldn't get enough of her. She tasted so sweet. So warm. Oh god, he was lost.

~0~0~

He's sniffing me! He's sniffing me! Ew! Videl froze underneath him. His mouth was everywhere, the hot brush of his tongue licking everywhere. He lay fully clothed above her, his hips nestled at the juncture between her legs, his groin thrusting. Ew! He thrust faster and faster, his mouth fastened on her neck. Sucking, licking, pulling.

Um ... what was he doing? Wasn't he suppose to take his clothes off for this? His breaths came fast and rasp, his thrusts pushing her into the mattress. She should stop him! She should—

Another thrust, and another, faster and faster, until…

He shuddered on top of her. His whole body trembling.

Oh god, no! He'd just up and finished. All done. All in his clothes. Damn it! How the hell was she supposed to come through for the Demon if he was just going to finish in his blasted clothes!

She threw her head back and just ... lay there, under him, staring at the ceiling with his wet crotch at the juncture between her legs. What was she going to do now?

~0~0~

"Mnnn," Gohan groaned and opened his eyes. His lust induced fog finally clearing. He froze. Shit! There it was, that warm, sticky and moist feeling in his pants. Double shit.

The word mortified didn't cut it. He'd much rather be lying neck broken and paralyzed on Namek than on top of Videl, his bodily fluids all over his pants. Cell — arise and kill me now.

He rolled off of her, his stomach tightening with a manifestation of something cold and painful. He turned his back to her and cupped his face in his hands. Not that covering it would shield or erase what had just happened. Oh god, a hot tingle of shame crept up the back on his neck, spreading quickly in red-hot sheets of unadulterated shame.

He could never face her again. And if she told anyone about this, he would never be able to face them either. He could imagine Sharpener snickering behind his back. Oh god, his heart beat in a sluggish pulse. He'd have to find a new place to sit in class. He shifted, his need to flee superseding all else. He moved to slide off the bed—

And flinched at the feel of her touch. Her tiny hand sliding over his t-shirt where it covered his ribs.

He couldn't face her, he could never face her. What the—

Now she was pulling and tugging at the thing, intending to take it off! My god, this girl! Couldn't she just let him be mortified in peace? Apparently not, because she began to graze her fingernails against the ridges of his abdomen. Oh. All the muscles in his body clenched.

He caught her wrists, stilling her movements. He couldn't take anymore of her torture. But in typical Videl fashion, she simply ignored the hint. She didn't even try to wriggle out of his hold. She simply clambered over him, in two swift movements and went for one of his nipples instead. Wrapped it around her tongue and —

His breath hissed between clenched teeth.

She'd bitten him. Nipped him. Lightly. Barely. But the heat of it shot straight to his groin. He hadn't thought it was possible to get excited again so quickly, but there was no question — his little friend was up and hard and standing to attention once again. What the hell?

He was still mortified from his lack of control. He may have been inexperienced and naïve, but he wasn't clueless. He had read all about 'copulation', and even though his mom always made it a point to get the most academic material on the subject, he wasn't without resources of his own.

He had read the self-help books. The 101 books. The Idiot's Guide books. The fictional books. Any and everything he could get his hands on. In theory he knew what had to be done, but this whole episode had caught him completely off guard. Besides, he still wasn't entirely sure that he should be doing such a thing so callously. He'd always imagined he'd fall inlove one day and—

Oh, god. Her hands, her nails, her scent … they were everywhere. How could he say no, how could he resist what was being offered so plainly?

He may be accused of a lot of things, but his mother had raised him to be a gentleman. And since he'd already lost his head and indulged himself, he owed it to Videl to at least make it worth her while. He owed it to his pride to at least do a good job. He was a nice guy, some would even go as far as saying he was a momma's boy, but Kami be damned, he still had his pride.

So, even though mortification still beat in his chest like falling tin soldiers, and even though he was scared shitless of failing to perform again, he sucked it up. He'd never let fear deter him from jumping into battle before. He had faced Radditz, Vegeta and Nappa, he'd faced the accursed Ginyu force and the monstrosity that was Freeza.

He could do this, he could have sex with a girl.

~0~0~

He flipped her. Suddenly.

Videl was startled out of her ministrations when she suddenly found herself on her back, arms pinned above her head by his arm. Before she could take in her new position, Gohan effortlessly ripped her bra clean off her body. Her nipples perked up, stared at him daringly with hard pink peaks. A rough sound erupted from some deep part of his chest, the vibration curling around her hardened nipples, making them ache in a way she'd never felt them before.

His chest expanding, he wrapped his mouth around one peak and—

Videl gasped, a hot bolt of current shooting sensation down her body. His mouth was soft and rough at the same time. He sucked and flicked and nibbled, the texured hot-wet sensation making her whimper. A hundred new sensations travelled up and down the length of her body. She bit her bottom lip, oh god. He was really turning her on. If the students of OSH got wind of this, it would go down in the gossip archives for sure. Son Gohan, class-nerd, the mountain-boy from the middle of nowhere, was actually turning her on.

She'd been prepared to go through with this from the very beginning. She'd been prepared to suffer it many times if she had to, as many times as was necessary to ensure that she got pregnant. She'd even been prepared to fake it if the moment called for it.

What she hadn't been prepared for was this. That his touch would lick her skin in flames. That the weight of his body pressing against hers would make her melt into the mattress. That the touch of his tongue, his lips, his teeth would feel so good as he lapped, and sucked and nibbled on her that she wanted him to do it forever.

It was inconceivable to have prepared to turn to mush with each groan, each moan, each grunt. Places she hadn't felt before were actually clenching, others throbbing, her skin a sheen of sizzling sensations and hot need. Even an inexperienced novice like her knew that the throbbing and aching and tightening in all her unmentionable areas as she gasped and groaned and yearned for more was the real thing. It was white hot desire.

~0~0~

Gohan was praying to Dende and all the deities above him that he was doing this right. He was trying to stay focused, trying to read her body. But man, the way she was touching him back, kissing him back, he was so hard it made his mind blur. He wanted in her so badly, but he took a breath and forced himself to remember the Idiot's Guide.

He pecked and licked her skin with his lips, feeling even more inspired by the sweet sounds coming from deep within her throat. He braced himself and rubbed at the little hard knob between her legs in gentle circles over her panties. So relieved when it seemed to work. Her head fell back, a shudder wracking her body with little airy gasps. He licked the soft flesh beneath her ear, as his thumb continued to circle her knob, loving the little gasps she made.

He was thankful that she had her eyes closed, otherwise he never would have pulled together enough guts to follow the Idiot's Guide to the letter. He bit his lip and peeled aside the thin strip of her red panties. His heart in his throat, he slipped his index finger inside her. She gasped, arched her back almost off the bed.

Oh god. She was wet and snug. Ready. He pulled out and pushed back with two fingers. He couldn't hold back a moan of delight as she gasped, her hips circling onto his thrusting fingers. Oh god. He could feel the blood rushing to his face. He couldn't believe he had his fingers inside Videl Satan.

She was panting, and clutching at him. In and out he went, relief washing over him that he was doing this right. His little friend strained rock-hard and painfull against his pants. He felt so overheated, like he'd spontaneously combust if he didn't get inside her. And he did not want a repeat of earlier. One case of disgrace per night was more than enough thank you.

Acting quickly, he reached with his other hand and started to unbuckle his pants. It was a little more difficult than he thought, trying to keep the in and out rhythm with the one hand, while trying to take off his pants with the other. Luckily, Videl pulled herself up and did the honours.

Kicking off the remnants of his clothes, he pressed his body on top of hers and kissed her neck, her throat. God, she smelled good. With one hand he cupped her breast, rolling her nipple between his fingers. Her breath grew choppy, and he loved how she gave a little cry when he pressed his mouth to her nipple.

Oh god, he was so hard he was in pain.

"Gohan," his name was a hot breath against his skin as she pressed closer to him. His mind scrambled. He could feel her eyelashes fluttering and tickling his face. Her fingers raking down his back. Hot blood and urgent need roared like a wild beast set loose, and Gohan just couldn't wait one more second.

His knee parted her legs and he thought he might have heard her speak. "Gohan, be gentle I'm— '", but he was already pushing into her. Hard. Fast. No holding back. He was in so deep and it was so deliriously good he could barely stand it.

Her scream snapped him out of his sexual trance. It didn't sound good. Even to his inexperienced ears, it sounded bad. "V-Videl?" His chest heaved with frantic breaths.

She sucked in a deep breath of air, and dug her nails into his shoulders.

"It's okay," she said, her voice rasping. "It's okay."

It didn't sound okay to his ears. Not really. Her body language— which had been eager and pliant just a short while ago, had gone stiff and rigid. It seemed far from okay. But he'd never done this before, so what did he know about it anyway. Still ... sweat beaded his forehead as every instinct he had urged him to move. He kissed her, pulling back his hips and thrust —

She gasped, tearing her mouth from his. "Stop. Please stop." Her small hands pushed at his chest in an unmistakable get off me gesture. He blinked through the fog of lust. Did he do it wrong? "V-Videl?"

The fingers digging into his back were trembling and she didn't bury her face in his neck fast enough to stop him from seeing the tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. Wha—

Horror. Suddenly he was horrified. Biting hard on his bottom lip, he eased back, wanting to scream. It was agony, the feel of her as he pulled out. He was so sensitive it was unbearable. He meant to roll off of her completely, but she kept him locked and bracketed in her arms.

"Sorry," she mumbled in a ragged voice. "I know it's 'suppose to hurt the first time just— I wasn't expecting..."

He went rigid. First time? Oh god. His eyes closed, his body arched, tight, was a virgin? He didn't expect her to be a virgin! She had come onto him, plainly, with no reservations. She'd encouraged him, unmistakably when he'd been ready to cut his losses and go home. He thought she had at least some experience.

He may have been one hundred percent inexperienced, but even he knew that a girl's virginity could be a delicate matter. She was a virgin, and like some battle possessed saiyan brute he'd gone plundering in without much finesse or holding back. He'd hurt her. Oh god. All the heat he'd felt receded into a marked chill. He didn't move a muscle. He worked on a hard swallow. "I'm sorry," he rasped. Oh god, he'd hurt her.

~0~0~

Videl knew that he had to finish inside her at some point. That was the whole point of tonight, of abasing herself to this degree. But right now, she was glad to have him out of her. She had been expecting a bit of discomfort but jeepers creepers, she needed just one damn second!

Who had written that Idiot's Guide anyway? Mild discomfort? Yeah right! No one who had ever been impaled like that before would have ever described that sensation thus. So she'd take a moment to re-group and—

"Ah!" she gasped, her back bowing like a string. She panted, trying to figure out when and how he'd moved. And more importantly — he wasn't really doing what she thought he was doing, was he?

The rough texture of his tongue speared into her, sending shock-waves of pleasure straight to her toes. She bit her lip, her skin misting. "Oh god!" She threw her head back, her hips moving on their own. He was definitely doing what she thought he was doing.

Son Gohan, mountain-boy, the smartest kid in her class had his head buried between her legs.