Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Why Us? :The CampOut ❯ Let's Go Cool Off... ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I do not, nor ever will own Dragon Ball Z, or any of it's characters. Jen and Christine are based on the author of this FanFic and her best friend.

"Easy Jen, calm it down. Don't go by just anger here!" Gohan said quickly, arms up and criss-crossing across his chest as fists pounded against them in the cold night air, the frame in front of him glaring death and framed by the stars. She growled low in her throat at him, spotting an entrance and pulling her fist down and up, sweeping it under his shielding arms to hit into his gut. The air was forced from his lungs as he doubled up, clutching his stomach, but he wasn't even given anytime to recuperate as his jaw was slammed up, teeth biting against each other with the uppercut to his chin.

Gohan flew backward, away from the enraged full Saiyan. He worked his jaw slowly, touching a hand to his bleeding lip, but she wasn't any better. Hair messed up, a ripped sleeve, breathing heavily and covered in dirt from taking a rather nice face dive into a cliff with blood slipping from her nose to prove it. An animalistic glint in her eyes made Gohan frown and drop into fighting stance again, preparing for her next leap.

He was right to prepare, as seconds later she was in front of him, kicking, punching, jabbing, slicing at him madly, crying out with rage. It wasn't all her fault. In two words, it just about summed up all her aggressive and violent tendencies. Saiyan Blood. It wasn't a real primal blood lust all the time, just a need to get out energy and Jen was bent and determined to make Gohan eat some dirt too.

"Ow...ow! Hey, I mean GAH! Jen, easy! That's it!" he cried out, a high kick sending her flying upward, but not before she could catch herself and aim her hands downward, eyes narrowed. Blue energy formed in her palms and Gohan blinked. "Uh oh…"

"Ka me ha me ha!" she yelled out, pulling her hands back then plunging them forward as a blast of streaking blue escaped from her digits to screech toward its target; Gohan. His eyes widened slightly before he held out his hands, setting his jaw and eyeing the blast rapidly coming toward him.

"Masenko-ha!" he returned, purple swirled of energy streaming from his hands as they were doubled over each other in front of him, aiming up to clash against her blast. A fight ensued, of who could push the strongest, a tug o' war of Ki. Violet crackled against cerulean, and mixing together, sending the colors over the area until the pressure became too much. Energy swirled in a growing ball of red before it simply burst and expanded rapidly and the blast knocked both fighters back, both shielding themselves with their arms and legs pulled up.

"G…Gohan?" Jen asked, coughing as smoke and dust filled the air around her. Her arms were singed, hair a mess, the taste of blood flowing to her lips. Once she opened her eyes and waved her arm weakly in front of her to try to see clearly through the veil of fog caused by their blasts. Smoke blocked her view, shrouded everything in a hazy suffocating glaze. Blue eyes squinted vainly through the veil with a charred hand held across her nose and mouth. She couldn't see him anywhere. Not in front, behind, left or right. Only the thick billowing sheets from the explosion. What if the blast had knocked him out? Sent him flying somewhere in the Abyss, and the cold night? A chill ran up Jen's spine at the mere thought of him, injured, unconscious, or worse! Horrifying images raced though her dazed mind as panic gripped her in steely claws, madly making her look in all directions.

"GOHAN?!" she cried, her voice ringing out fearfully through the cold dark. Her words ended in a sharp fit of choking coughs as the smoke filled her lungs, made her light headed. Head swimming, she floated carefully through the smoke, too worried for her friend to think of leaving the dark smoke cloud that wounded the star littered sky. She coughed violently, squeezing her watering eyes closed and bringing her hands up to cover her face. She never got used to the explosions, how they hurt her sensitive eyes, ears, and hurt to breathe in. Jen foolishly inhaled more as it began to clear very slowly with the faint wind, but she still floated further into it in search of Gohan, continuously calling out his name.

Finally she gave up in the search for the moment, as she cough harder, now searching for a way out of the cloud. The blast had hurt her more than she thought; it had knocked the wind out of her chest and it was then replaced by the thick tarry smoke, instantly attacking her throat. Weakly she sank as she flew, coughing fitfully before giving a light moan and loosing control of her levitation. But, the back of her training suit was seized from a hand above the cloud, and she was yanked up hurriedly.

"JEN! What are you doing?! Didn't I just say like a few days ago that staying in an aftermath isn't the smartest thing? Only use it when you can stand the smoke and if you need the cover," Gohan cried, seemingly in anger toward her, like a teacher talks to a student, forgetting their homework. Still the harsh lecture was lost as he held her up, an arm around her back and resting on her opposite hip, hoisting her arm over his shoulders as he supported Jen. His eyes filled with concern as she coughed and groaned with embarrassment.

"I know…I just thought….that maybe you had gotten hurt," she said lightly, rubbing her temple with bare fingers, the gloves she wore shredded and hanging limply from around her wrists. She took them and ripped them off with her teeth, then letting them fall to the ground as Gohan carefully led them away from their battle site.

"Thanks for your vote of confidence on my strength Jen! That hurts more than the blast, you think something like that would have hurt me?" he pouted, watching her carefully. He was, as he said, not hurt in the least bit. Just a few smudges of dirt and sweat marked his skin, the tips of his black hair bowing with the weight of perspiration. Jen giggled lightly blushing and adopting the classic pose known by all; hand behind head, downward gaze.

"I guess so… Sorry, I know you're strong, I just…"

"Was worried?" he finished kindly, smiling in his gently innocent way. Jen nodded and laughed, before carefully glancing down to his arm that was now securely wrapped around her waist while he still seemed to think it necessary to support her weight while they flew slowly.

"You know…I'm fine to move by myself now," she added with a raise of her eyebrow as he watched her with a slightly confused look. He glanced down. He blushed furiously, all but ripped his arm away from her and put a good distance between them, laughing loudly and with embarrassment.

"Oh geez!! Oh…I'm so sorry! I just…just thought that you were still a bit shaken up!" he blubbered before clearing his throat and nodding forward, changing the subject quickly. "Ahem… That's enough training, we should go clean up quickly and then we should go off to bed… SEPARATE beds I mean, like you should go to your own sleeping bag and then go to mine. I mean I'LL go to MINE! We'll sleep in different beds until morning… when we EAT! " he cried madly, stumbling over his own words as his own tongue disobeyed him. Finally, he slumped his shoulders and hung his head, in defeat toward the humiliation.

"Gohan? I think you inhaled more smoke than I did," Jen laughed hysterically, holding her sides with laughter at him. She didn't want to make him feel worse, but he was so helplessly digging himself into a deeper hole, it was hilarious! "Oh Gohan, I'm sorry. It's ok," she reassured, smiling sweetly at him as he avoided her gaze. "Come on. Let's get goin'."

He nodded dumbly as she powered up and shot downward toward the edge of a thick forests dotted with large angular and odd shaped looking rocks, rimmed by the wide valley wall. Gohan followed obediently, dodging around trees in a different path then the female Saiyan in front of him. The trees were wide set at first, progressively becoming tighter and thinner. They maneuvered smoothly, like fish in a river easily skimming through the forest. Eventually, Gohan's mood changed to as chipper as the birds that sang in the morning light as he grinned happily, flying easily to race along side his companion. They both gave a nod and a wicked smile as the race began.

The rocks sprung from nowhere to anyone who might not have known the forest, but the land was familiar to the two, since it bordered around the Son residence and they quickly dropped to touch rock. As quickly as their boots tickled against the mineral, they pushed forward to bound in sharp flashes of light, bouncing from tree to rock, to rock then tree again. They laughed happily, Gohan leading at first before he absently glanced back toward Jen, only to miss a certain tree in his way and giving the female a chance to zip past in a flash of purple, blue and white. Her laughter chimed out as a reminder that she was winning.

Gohan's eyes narrowed slightly as he poured on the speed to catch up, bouncing off a rock to rush down a thin and narrow path of open land as fast as possible. He didn't take loosing against Jen easily, since she had a thing with gloating shamelessly. He saw her springing gracefully from a rock to bounce forward off a tree, using it as a spring board. The rush of water also met his ears as well as the spring and shake of the said tree. The waterfall was quick approaching and both kicked it up to finish the race.

"You won't win this time!" Gohan yelled out, grinning as he plowed past her in a last ditch attempt, but she dropped down to the grass and rock strewn ground to run along side him, both of their legs passing in a blur. Set and determined, they saw the top basin of the shallow and ladder like waterfall, set at a very mild angle dipping downward with about five different steps in a sort of water slide fashion. The water dropped down into a peaceful pool at the bottom, dotted with rocks and causing a Jacuzzi effect of swirling water. All of this was framed by thick woods, the left side of the falls bordered by a giant rock wall. Conveniently huge blocks of cracked mineral residing on the right, making yet another set of steps that spanned all around the pool. It was so close, and both raced to the water's edge, jumping forward to the slide like channel and inadvertently splashing down with a cry of laughter at the same time. It was, luckily, large enough for two as the slid down. Bouncing in the rapids, eyes wide as the squealed happily, only to let the laughter fade to a cry of shock as the barreled into the basin of water at the end of the ride. Colliding into another pair of startled swimmers.

"What the -?!" cried one.

"GAH!" screamed another, followed by a series of bubbly and water drowned words.

"OH Kami!" came another voice.

"AH!! Something's got my leg!" shrieked the last of the four beings.

Finally, the mayhem settled as Gohan raised his hand, light emitting from his palm to cast a glow over the confused scene. Three sets of eyes blinked at the new light, waiting for pupils to adjust. Then, laughter escaped their lips.

"Gohan! Jen! Man, you nearly scared me to death! Don't ever do that!" Christine cried, holding a hand to her heart, blonde hair turned darker with the weight of water and her flashy orange and blue training suit visibly saturated with water. Then, she paused for a moment and her eyes went wide. As if she had lost something, she turned around in a circle, standing waist high in the swirling clear water until she plunged her arm under water and hurriedly pulled up a disgruntled and choking Krillen.

"Oh Krillen!" Jen and Christine said simultaneously. The bald bather groaned as Christine carefully released his arm and set him down on a near by rock protruding from the surface of the pool. Gohan bit his lip sheepishly and waded over to his friend while Krillen hit the left side of his head, tilting it the opposite way to get out as much water as physically possible.

"Geez guys, I'm real sorry about that! We didn't know you were down here, otherwise we wouldn't have slammed into you!" Gohan said apologetically, patting the smaller warrior's back sympathetically, while trying to keep a somber and ashamed face, at the same time as Jen and Christine giggled lightly.

"Yah…I'm real sure. It's alright I guess. Not like I was planning on doing anything beyond getting drowned," Krillen muttered, crossing his arms huffily over his t shirt clad chest and glaring daggers at Gohan. Both girls burst out laughing before Christine swam over and grabbed her teacher's arm, pulling him down to the water with a gentle smile.

"Don't be so mean Krilly Willy!" Jen and Gohan glanced at each other, the female of the pair mouthing over the nickname `krilly willy' with held in laughter. Gohan covered his mouth with a hand and coughed to cover his own fit of giggles. "They didn't mean it, they were just having…fun," she added at the end with a devious glint in her eyes. The word was said with a very feisty underlying meaning as she glanced at the two, standing waist deep in water while their clothes and hair were soaked.

It took a moment to set in before Jen glanced at Gohan and he glanced back. A slight raise of the eyebrow, a narrowing of the eyes and a silent message was sent. Both the snickering Christine and Krillen found themselves suddenly dunked underwater, Gohan holding the back of Krillen's head, and Jen leaning on Christine. Of course neither of the two would stand for this as a war of dunking ensued.

"Ok, truce!" Jen screamed finally, gasping as Christine leaned on her shoulders again, sending her under for another few seconds. Gohan blinked several times, ceasing his attack of splashing on a bewildered and soaked Krillen to glare at Christine, who acted like she didn't here to plea for peace. Finally, Jen was released to rise to the surface and they all sighed heavily with relief.

"So, what are you guys up to down here anyway?" Krillen asked, back against the rock siding of the basin, arms up behind him for support. Christine lay on her stomach just behind him on the flat plateau, chin resting on her arms and legs kicking up behind her lightly. Both Jen and Gohan looked over and smirked lightly with a dull shrug. Jen resumed swimming back and forth in a slow form of laps from one side to the other, Gohan watching her for a second before moving his attention to the question.

"Sort of late night training. Just a bit of exercise, and we thought we'd cool off and clean up down here," Gohan replied, lazily swimming over to the other pair, pulling himself up on a flattened rock submerged partially in the pool. "How about you guys?" Jen's battle armor sat on the shore beside Christine who inspected it with mild interest, noting the great chunks of the pliable yet hard material missing. Beside that were a pile of gloves and boots from everyone, leave most in their training outfits, all except Krillen still wearing his soaking wet sleeping t shirt and shorts.

"Well, we were walking around for a bit, you know, just sort of talking about stuff. Eventually we got bored and wound up over here. Though, Hey, why not go for a swim and here we all are," Christine explained, smiling lightly as she rolled onto her back, letting the warm night air dry off her clothes. Krillen nodded his agreement, hoisting himself fully out of the water to sit along side the teenage girl, crossing his legs with his hands behind him on the ground for leaning purposes.

"Hmm, sounds like we all just needed a bit of relaxation," Jen chimed in, floating over to the rest of the group. They all nodded their agreement. "So this means…Vegeta is out training by himself. Big surprise there, and Goku is back at camp with the boys, right?" Another bit of nodding. Jen shrugged her shoulders mildly, feeling a pang of sympathy for passing animals and their eardrums. Perhaps they could hear them snoring from here.

"How about Bulma and ChiChi? They're staying at your place right?" Yet again, Jen and Gohan nodded together while the female Saiyan joined the rest on the bank, glancing behind her for a moment to let her slick brown tail shake like a dog might, flecks of water glinting in the night as she slid it around her waist again.

"Mom and Bulma rarely get to see each other without it being for a small afternoon of Vegeta training with Dad, or Trunks and Goten fooling around. We all thought it would be best if they had some time together too," Gohan stated.

"Amazing Vegeta let that happen!" Krillen said. The others raised an eyebrow oddly. "He's possessive of everything in his life, even Bulma. I wouldn't be surprised if he went to go check up on her tonight."

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