Unsure

Gohan told her not to worry too much about the dinosaurs lurking in the forest. They would keep to themselves, and really, if there was any trouble at all, it would take the four of them only a split second to get out of it. Videl didn't know if he meant that he would kill any rogue dinosaurs, or that it would take only a split second for them to relocate. Judging by how close the Son family were to some of the reptilian residents of the mountains, she judged the latter.

The stars weren't so bad. The ground was plenty uneven, but the grass smelled good, not like the city grass. Still, she wouldn't trade the familiar comfort of her bed. But that bedroom was gone now. Blasted by Buu on a candy rampage. Again. It had been the fourth time this year.

So the Sons, friendly and accommodating as they were, invited her over to their house, as hers was getting fixed. Normally, she stayed in their guest bedroom, but tonight, Trunks came along for a play date, and they decided that the four of them – Videl, Gohan, Trunks and Goten – would spend a night out camping in a clearing by the woods. Videl had gone to camps before when she was younger, so she knew what it was like to sleep without four sturdy walls surrounding her. But after the events of the past half-year, she wasn't sure she was certain of anything anymore.

Videl turned her head to the side to look at Gohan. He lay several feet away from her, closer to the tent where the two younger boys were sleeping; they had insisted they wanted to sleep in a tent. Videl had an inkling they were up to some kind of trouble, perhaps hiding a prank or two, inside those canvas walls. Kids were so terrible at being inconspicuous. Heh, well she'd let them be. She was with Gohan. How bad could things get?

“Can't sleep?” Gohan asked, and she realized she had been staring at his direction without really seeing anything. Getting lost in thoughts could do that to a person.

She blushed, embarrassed to have been caught gawking like that, but answered nonetheless, “No. Still thinking about stuff.”

Gohan settled himself on his side to face her, indicating that he was all ears. She sighed; sometimes she felt as if he was too good of a friend for her. But she also knew that wallowing in self-pity wouldn't make her a better friend either, so she used her energy pulling her own weight in the friendship.

“Gohan, why are you here? In the mountains, I mean,” she asked, hoping she did not sound so obnoxious. Lately she had been monitoring herself, as she became much more self-aware since... well, since everything that happened. All of a sudden, with the world shifting beneath her feet, one of the things that she became uncertain about was herself. After all, it wasn't really that the world had changed... Gohan and his family showed that the world had always been much larger, much diverse, much more dangerous and exhilarating than she initially thought. No, if anything, it was her who

changed. And she had to make sure it was for the better.

“Why do you choose to be here?” she asked, and she saw him nod, almost imperceptibly. He understood what she was trying to say. “You could have all that my father has. And more. Because you're actually the real stuff.”

“I don't want any of that,” Gohan said. “Those things aren't important to me. I like life here, like this. These mountains make me feel safe. Here, I'm free to be whatever I want. City people – I mean, not necessarily you or anything – they have lots of expectations. They have their ways, and I don't think I would ever be truly comfortable wearing their skin.”

“But everyone can use your help. I wouldn't admit this to you before, but Satan City is so much safer because of Saiyaman. But what if every city had a Saiyaman? The world would be a much better place.”

Gohan shrugged. “I think about that too. And I help when I can. But... I don't think I'm the type of person who'd want to change the world so much,” he trailed off, his gaze steady on hers “But you are. I can tell.” He smiled.

She couldn't help but return the smile. Gohan had a habit of making his so contagious. In an impulsive move that surprised even her, she sat up and pulled her sleeping bag closer to Gohan's.

“Would you teach me?” she asked him. “Some of the things you can do? Ki-blasts and all that other cool stuff?”

Gohan chuckled. “I'm surprised you're even asking me! What happened to just showing up at my house for a lesson?”

Videl blushed. “I don't know...” she replied. “Maybe the world would end again, and I realize I don't want to die as a trespasser.”

“Aw, haha!” Gohan patted her shoulder comfortingly. “You were never a trespasser.”

She gave him a dull look.

“Okay, fine. Maybe that first day. And then I didn't mind at all after that.”

“I'm sorry,” Videl said, taking his hand from her shoulder and playing with it absentmindedly.

“We've been over this, and honestly if I hear you apologize one more time for being interested and not thinking I'm crazy, I'd send you back to your half-chocolate house.”

“How could I not be interested? You could do things I've always wanted to do, but thought I never could. You probably don't know how that feels.”

He looked at her curiously then, his bafflement with her assumption quite evident. Gohan was easy to read; he might have walls built, but their effectiveness depended on whether people came knocking in the first place.

“No, that's not true,” he said quietly. His gaze searched her eyes, as if trying to assure himself that he could divulge something to her. Videl tried to look as trustworthy as she could, eyes widening with mock innocence, which sent him chuckling. Then he shook his head. “No, there is something I can't do even if I want to.”

She nodded, and released his hand, rubbing his forehead instead. “You know what I think? I think you can. You're just afraid. At least, you are right now. Maybe in the near future you won't be.”

He smiled gratefully. She settled down beside him, fully aware that what he wanted to say had something to do with her. Videl thought she might have an inkling of what it was, but true to her decision to stop being so presumptuous, she let the topic go.