Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Happy Birthday Vegeta ❯ Videl's Search ( Chapter 18 )

Author's Note: OH MY GOD! It's a new Chapter. It's awful really, but it feels pretty darn good to be writing again. Thank you so much, those of you who wrote to me and helped to keep my spirits up…and those of you who WROTE NEW CHAPTERS FOR YOUR STORIES...and inspired me again. See Ya Soon! Jada

Chapter Eighteen

Happy Birthday Vegeta

Videl walked down another short carpeted concourse, a frown wrinkling her brow.

'I swear! I had no idea Capsule Corp was so complex! Where do you suppose he could be?' She muttered as she turned right at the intersection of two walkways.

"OH!" her eyes widened as she instinctively pressed herself to the papered wall, preventing a collision that would have sent both of them abruptly to the floor in a distracted flurry of spiced silk and flailing pigtails.

It was humiliation enough being perused by the woman as if she were a trespasser. Eyes like twin gold doubloons swept down her informally dressed shape, taking in the smudge of chocolate chip cookie dough on her blouse, and the dark defensiveness gathering on her face. In truth, she felt like a peasant next to this woman, who was tall and gloriously garbed in evening finery, her hair elaborately braided with beads that shimmered in even the poor light of the hall. Then a smile parted her mouth and rained down on an unexpecting Videl like liquid sunshine.

"Well." Sirabi's voice was a friendly melody that danced between them; there was no small amount of humor in those golden eyes as they fixed on her reddened cheeks, not openly taking, but certainly searching for something. Her own blue eyes narrowed indignantly.

"Are you lost?" she demanded of the goddess.

"Are you?" Sirabi laughed, delighted. There was a moment during which Videl studied the arresting features of the goddess before she answered, with a minute headshake and a rueful smile. "Maybe."

"Myself, as well. I am Sirabi, Advisor to Prince Vegeta. I found myself unable to sleep and thought a stroll might help. Alas! I had no idea how…complex…the building was." A grudging smile formed on Videl's mouth, hearing her own words echoed so succinctly.

"I'm looking for Son Gohan…" she left the sentence hanging, because Sirabi had…sharpened somehow at the mention of his name. A thin coil of some unnamed tension squirmed in Videl's stomach.

The ripe, plum smile faded slowly from Sirabi's face as vivid images flickered on the mental screen of her mind. 'This girl and Gohan are…meant. Oh. But she has no idea what for. Well. This is something of a dilemma. Damn. Damn. Damn.' She fixed her intense stare on the clueless girl. Could she just let her waltz in…not knowing the probable consequences? No. But she couldn't just knock her out and leave her lying in the hall either. So, she attempted a distraction. She nudged Videl, with an invisible ribbon of conviction. She planted the surety that all was well with Son Gohan, and that her own warm bed was waiting, that she'd been on her way out of the compound when she ran into Sirabi.

Videl yawned and battled to hold the so heavy lids of her eyes open. She couldn't imagine why she was still here…she'd finished with her baby-sitting duties hours ago.

"You were on your way home then?" Sirabi soothed a hand down Videl's back and began walking with her, back the way she'd come.

"Mmmmhhh." Talking seemed too much of an effort as she let the woman lead her. Thoughts turned sluggishly in her fatigue-enhanced state of mind…but she knew there was something she had wanted to do before she left….wasn't there?

"Oh!" Videl's voice rang with disappointment and Sirabi new the game was up unless she planned to be forceful. She didn't. "I wanted to see Son Gohan before I left."

"Son Gohan? Oh, yes. I had the definite pleasure of meeting him. Sweetly handsome with the devil's own smile." She paused, "He hardly looked dangerous…I can't imagine why they confined him like they did…although he did go willingly." She rambled on with intentional vacuosity.

"What?!" Anger cleared her mind of the fog of sleep and blackened Videl's features. She advanced on Sirabi, her fingers curled into threatening fists at her side. "What happened to him? Where did they take him?" Sirabi read clearly that she was being held accountable by this impertinent whelp for Son Gohan's well being. She ducked her head and hid a small smile at the girl's unfortunate strength of will. 'She'll need it.'

Videl's mind was racing with derision for herself and the Briefs. 'I knew I didn't trust them! Hold on Gohan…I'm coming.'

"If it is Son Gohan you seek, I believe he is at the end of these halls." Sirabi pointed behind them. Videl scowled and shook off the feeling of déjà vu, the feeling that she'd been down that hall already…

"Thank you." Videl nodded and eased passed Sirabi. Her thoughts were whirling and there was a chill in the pit of her stomach that scared her. 'They'd just better pray he isn't hurt….or I'll make them pay.'

"Videl?" Sirabi laid a hand on her arm to stop her.

"Yes?"

"Gohan is very much himself tonight. Although, it is perhaps a side of him you haven't seen."

At Sirabi's touch, Videl was overcome, swamped by the physical memory of Gohan's assault on her body. She remembered gruff hands, eyes edged with wilderness, and the…absolute certainty…of his kiss. Her toes still tingled from one, single kiss bestowed hours earlier. 'I think I could get used to it.' A grin curved her gamine face at the thought of being regularly 'handled' by Son Gohan. The grin quickly dissolved into a thin grim line under the pressure to find and release Gohan from whatever pretty prison they'd installed him in. NOW.

"I…believe you will." Sirabi let her hand slide from Videl's arm as she set off at a jog down the carpeted hall.

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Almost an hour later, Videl stood outside the door to the suite she was certain housed an unwilling Son Gohan. Frustration made her face red and her pulse race. The doors were seamless and obviously hingeless, there was no way to pry them open. She didn't want to try the security scan on the offchance that she had clearance…for fear of tripping an alarm…She was stricken with a sudden clarity of thought.

"Oh my God. How did she know my name?" Videl's face paled, color receding in a crimson wave, leaving her dizzy. "I never said my name but she knew it anyway." The more she considered the encounter with Sirabi, the more she was convinced that there was something weird about Vegeta's advisor. She sighed uneasily. 'Gohan first. Weirdo later.' She focused her attention once more on the impenetrable doors. 'If I had my gear with me, I might be able to bypass security…but I don't.' Her sharp eyes scanned the hall, and returned with a gleam to an air conditioning vent in the ceiling.

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Gohan smiles in his sleep and in the main room, the cover comes smoothly off the air conditioning vent.

Videl peered around the edge of the metal tunnel checking the room for occupants. Seeing none, she somersaulted soundlessly to the floor, and turned to replace the vent cover. Keeping to the wall, she took a more precise inventory of the suite. The only lighting appeared to be recessed above a tiny kitchen, the focal point of which was a sleek bar with padded leather edging. She gasped as her agile mind connected the acrid scent in the back of her throat, and the charred spot on the bar. Fire? How had the bar caught fire, and how could it burn so…precisely. A laser? "Oh, Gohan. I hope you're all right." There was only one way to go given the layout of the suite. There was a small dark hall that had to lead to what she assumed was the bedroom. She was on guard for opposition as she made her way down the hall, frequently checking her back.

She stood a silent sentry just in front of the bedroom door, straining her ears for any sounds coming from the other side. Minutes ticked by as she achieved a Zen kind of quiet, a state of non-being from which she monitored the room for signs of activity. Finally satisfied that there were none, she crouched low, pushed the door open, and rolled in. She landed on her feet next to a king-size bed, upon which rested, Son Gohan.

A quick scout of the room confirmed that he was alone and apparently asleep. Curious. The whole thing was just…very curious. And oh…my…god. He's….NUDE!! The breath whooshed from her lungs in a hiss and she clamped her hand over her mouth to prevent any further noise from escaping her stunned body. Reluctantly, she took in the splendidly long, lean line of him, her modesty scarcely preserved by a swath of satiny blanket that covered his loins. One arm tossed carelessly over his eyes, the other, by his side, fingers curled loosely into his palm. That mouth, full kissable lips, held the barest hint of a smile, as though his dreams were pleasant. He looked positively angelic, and she couldn't breath. She quivered there, heart pounding, lungs burning…and the angel moved like summer lightning to grab her arms and yank her down on top of him. She was shocked speechless as their bodies came together as though they'd been made that way. Two parts of a whole. She swallowed.

"Are you going to betray me as Psyche betrayed Eros?" The words were soft spoken, in a deep voice, husky with sleep, as though he feared she might vanish if he spoke louder. Gohan forced leaden lids to open, and finding that his dream had more substance than ether, he smiled, a hot, hungry smile. Huge pupils, surrounded by tawny rings of gold, struggled to focus on the pale oval of her face, and sharpened only as Morpheus fled his consciousness.

He was instantly and profoundly aroused by the tender weight of her body against his. 'She…is wearing too many clothes…but that is easily remedied.' He inhaled slowly, drawing the winter spice scent of her deep, and rocking his hips against hers, he groaned. Every thing he could possibly want…this woman is everything. He trembled before the magnanimity of his desire, and the complete lack of his control, as another part of him captured her lips in an unexpected kiss. She squirmed in his rough grip, her mind turning…going…gone. He pulled his mouth from hers, breathing heavily.

"Videl!! What are you DOING here?" his voice was as exasperated as his body was thrilled.

"You have to go." He sat up abruptly, that kissable mouth thinned determinedly, and he pushed her away.

"WHAT?" Videl was completely confused by his sudden change of heart. Stunned, she blinked back tears. Not only was he rejecting her, but he was an ungrateful SOB on top of it. Fury Erupted. Anger was far more tolerable than, than the surprising pain in her heart.

"I just spent half the night hunting for you! I'm not leaving until I get some answers. What, is with your eyes? Are they giving you some kind of drug that changes their color? Did you know they have you locked in this room like some kind of animal? You can thank me for your rescue later."

"SHUT …UP!" He grabbed her by the arms just as he had earlier, but this time his grip hurt for real as he shook her. "How the hell did you get IN here? I thought better of Bulma's security, I really did…" he muttered to himself.

"The air conditioning vent. Pretty clever huh? Your rooms are down here by themselves, so I had to go several halls over to find one I could actually reach…then backtrack. I will not tell you how long it took me to make my way back to your suite."

"You CAN NOT stay." His voice was frigid. "Who told you I was here?" He pinned her with a suspicious stare.

Videl was bemused. "Vegeta's new Advisor…um….Sirabi. Very interesting…woman."

He seemed surprised by her answer, and looked thoughtful for a moment and then suspicious again. "What else did she tell you? About me?"

"Huh? Nothing, Gohan. Well, except that you were very much 'yourself' tonight. Whatever the hell that means." Gohan looked away, but her scent imbedded itself in his head and heart…he froze, absolutely petrified that he might not be able to get her out of here fast enough…afraid the damage had already been done as her smell laid on the back of his tongue like a sweet/tart candy. He knew the scent of his mate. But she knew NOTHING, nothing about him. His pounding heart twisted in his chest.

"Videl, leave…now. Go out exactly the way you came. GO!" His voice broke and he shoved her back off the bed.

"But Gohan? Why? Why are you here and why do you want me to leave so badly?" Her confusion ate at him, guilt taunting him. With a snarl of sheer frustration he leapt from the bed and advanced on her, gloriously naked, and furious. But not in the slightest embarrassed by his nudity or his very aroused state. Denim blue eyes widened in shock as he stalked towards her nude and menacing.

"Dende-sama, Gohan!!! You have…a…tail!! They HAVE been experimenting on you! I knew it!" Concern for him filled her eyes with angry tears. She searched his face, looking for some sign; some acknowledgment of what she'd said…some familiarity. She found no comfort in the shadowed planes of his face or in the lupine gleam of his eyes. "It's okay Gohan…we'll find a doctor who can remove it…" she sputtered as he continued his sensual stalking, his tail a black satin whip of irritation behind him.

"It will NOT be removed! I will KILL the first person that tries, and the second, and the last." He scooped the slender body of his soon-to-be mate into his arms and made his way to the air conditioning vent he'd stood below only a few hours before…with his treacherous body gone slack from the impact of his all consuming desire for Videl…and here he was, trying to shove the object of his desire back out the way she came. The irony was lost on Son Gohan as he fought to hold the now violently struggling woman in one arm and remove the vent cover with the other.

"Gohan! Son Gohan! What the hell do you think you're doing? How dare you man handle me like this! Put me down!" Her squirming indignation took off with his imagination as he reviewed all the ways he'd like to 'manhandle'her.

'Must. Get. Her. Out.' His body had risen to the occasion the moment her scent had preceded her into his bedroom, and it was steadfast in its conviction that Gohan should get some. Vibrating with the effort of controlling his baser impulses, he grasped her hips and shoved her, butt first into the vent opening.

"OOWW! Gohan are you insane? That Hurt!" she cursed him, and rubbed her elbow. Golden eyes locked with hers, his reply was a throaty, threatening growl.

"You do not know--pain. You do not know me. GET. OUT." He pushed her further into the vent.

"Would you STOP THAT?" she kicked, and the blow landed with a solid thump on his bare chest. His eyes narrowed on Videl's face, catching the heat of satisfaction in her eyes at the well-landed kick. A wolfish smile curved his mouth.

"Is That what you want? Are you here to challenge me? Prove yourself worthy of being my mate?" Arrogance radiated from his sculpted form, dripped from his words and his smile. He tilted his head to the side as if considering her potential 'worth'.

"If that is the case, come down from your perch and let us begin in earnest." He licked his lips with a flicker of anticipation. Oh…the sweetness of this encounter… unbelievable.

'Challenge? Mate?' Videl was lost, but hooked just the same. She rather liked the idea of being Son Gohan's 'Mate.' But he said she had to prove herself? The daughter of the World Martial Arts Champion does not prove herself to anyone! And why, was he licking his lips like she was some cream puff to be devoured? Like this outcome of this 'challenge' was a foregone conclusion? Jerk!

Anger gathered on her features, drawing her brows together and tipping the corners of her mouth down. With a small push she was on the floor in front of him, forcing him back a step. His lips curled, but it was hunger that gleamed in his eyes as he moved back into a ready stance, tail wrapped securely around his waist. "Come." He signaled for her to attack.

"Clothes, Gohan?" She nodded, indicating that he needed them. He arched an eyebrow at the sad delaying tactic, but acquiesced.

"As you will." He turned to the bedroom with a wicked grin. "Wouldn't want you to claim I had an unfair advantage." He laughed aloud at her outraged sound, and would have taken her second kick between the shoulder blades if he hadn't been trying to provoke her. He twisted at the waist, grabbed the ankle and used her own momentum to pull her in front of him. She landed on her back, the breath knocked from her lungs, but she didn't hesitate to roll out of reach and into a defensive stance.

"Well, that was dirty." His tone was dry as he watched and waited.

"You, are entirely too sure of yourself, Son Gohan." She gasped quietly, trying to fill her lungs and figure out when he knew she had moved. He smirked, an irritating, arrogant thing that reminded her uncomfortably, of Vegeta.

"Maybe you are entirely too predictable, Videl." He shrugged those beautiful bare shoulders inconsequentially, and muscle rippled the length of his body. Videl shivered and pinched her mouth in aggravation…she wouldn't be quite that easy.

Amusement glimmered in his features. "Do I still need clothing?"

"I'll try not to take advantage." Videl sneered. Gohan nodded.

"If you'll excuse me a moment." She didn't let down her guard until he was actually in the bedroom. He returned half-dressed in dark blue training gear. A sleeveless tank emphasized strong shoulders and a lean torso. Cycling shorts molded themselves to his every curve and bulge, clinging to well-muscled thighs the way only spandex can.

His tail was secured around his waist like a velvety belt. It snugged around his middle so sleek and shiny, that she felt the need to touch it, to confirm that it was as soft as it looked. She clenched her fingers into fists and dismissed the idea that it might be…responsive…to her touch. 'Well. That helped.' She didn't know which was more distracting, the excruciatingly faithful fit of his training gear, or knowing what was underneath. She shook her head abruptly to clear that train of thought. Gohan crossed his arms over his chest and arched one dark eyebrow at her. "Better?"

"Not really." The words reached his ears in a breathy whisper that hardened his already aching ardor.

"Hn." He glanced around the suite from their place in the hallway. "There is no room to really run, Videl. But you are welcome, to try." He unfolded his arms and charged her, throwing punches designed to find and crush her weakness. His aim was exacting, the power behind the blows staggering, but Videl, was agile and clever in her defense. She dodged a roundhouse kick, vaulted backwards over the couch. He leapt the couch as if it weren't there, and the kick he landed slammed the air from her lungs. She scrambled away rubbing newly bruised ribs and wheezing.

"Are you finished?" he asked.

"Hardly." She wheezed back and launched an affront of her own. A slight smile formed on Gohan's face as he worked to block her blows. He mentally shook his head in admiration; she was damn near as good as he was. She might not pack the power that he did, but she was incredibly fast. A sheen of sweat glistened on her face, her eyes almost black-blue with intensity, completely focused on the task at hand. 'Mine.' Thrilled through his mind and body, right down to the tip of his tail. She would be his tonight.

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Okay!!!! Break it up! Break it up! LoL…I already have most of the next chapter written, so I promise it won't be long. And no, I haven't lost sight of the original story.

Lovies,

Jada