Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ House of Cards ❯ Perspective ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: LaurenaGarret 
Erasa has to talk to an old friend, Sharpner can't see the truth and Hercule has some pretty backwards things to think about Bulma Briefs.
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.26.2015 | Pages: 9 | Words: 6.1K | Visits: 575 | Status: Work In Progress
Erasa has to talk to an old friend, Sharpner can't see the truth and Hercule has some pretty backwards things to think about Bulma Briefs.
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.26.2015 | Pages: 9 | Words: 6.1K | Visits: 575 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter 3: Perspective
Erasa Rubber was not an easy girl to shock, it was one of the things that she prided herself on (that and herto always do amazing work for her clients regardless of their budget) and she had only been made to feel that way only a handful of times by Videl.
The first was when she had been told by her best friend that she was going to start helping out the Satan City Police with all the crime that seemed to be taking over the city. Erasa had been sure that her friend had been trying to trick her until she recognised the steadfast look on her face that told her that Videl was 100% serious. Despite her best efforts Erasa had been unable to change her friends' mind and she could do nothing but sit on the sideline while she watched her best friend beat up the baddies.
The second time was when Videl told her that she and Gohan were dating. You would have had to have been completely unobservant to not see the chemistry that sparked between the quiet country boy who had a quick mind and sarcastic comebacks and the teenage crime fighter who hated the attention being the daughter of Hercule Satan gave her. that didn't stop the gobsmacked feeling that flooded her body when Videl told her when a round of teasing regarding Sharpner's most recent attempts tocourt hertoo far for her dark haired friend. It had been completely unintentional on Videl's part and Erasa had been quickly hushed and sworn to secrecy, which she has eagerly complied. After all who wouldn't be happy that their best friend was dating someone as nice as Gohan - not to mention he wasn't too bad on the eyes.
The third time was when Gohan and Videl told her that they were going to get married - and that Videl wasn't inviting her father. Erasa wasn't the ditz that she pretended to be at school, so she had noticed how strained thing became between Videl and her father as the months past after the World Martial Arts Tournament in their final high school year. She knew that Videl had barely spoken to her father since graduation and had all but moved into Gohan's place, but getting married was completely out of the blue. It was obvious that the two of them loved each other, you had to be blind not to see and Erasa was sure that even if someone was blind they would still be aware of the love that was shared between the two teens. So she had done what any good friend should do in that situation - squeal in delight, give a round of hugs and offer to help her clueless friends who knew nothing about planning any kind of social event that didn't involve a barbecue. The wedding was a hit, if Erasa did say so herself, and it helped spark interest in her current career.
The most recent time Videl had unintentionally shocked Erasa was when she told her lifelong friend that she was pregnant, not even six months after getting married, and Gohan hadnoidea. The two of them had sat in complete silence, looking at the two lines that decorated the Capsule Corp 100 percent accurate pregnancy test, unable to fully comprehend what they were looking at until Videl voiced it and it became real and completely exciting in Erasa's world. Together they plotted the best way to tell Gohan that he was going to be a father (which involved a trip to various shops to create aYou're Going To Be A Dadand settle up a camera to capture the moment when he finally realised that it all meant). When Videl showed her the footage later, Erasa hadn't been disappointed when she saw just ecstatic Gohan was. Plus being asked to be Pan's Godmother was pretty awesome as well.
All those things however completely paled in comparison to what she was currently witnessing on TV. Not only was Videl publicly speaking about her daughter and her father, two topics that she had never heard her friend merge together since Pan's birth four years ago, but she was incorporating Gohan, someone that she had been trying to keep out of the press just as much as she had been trying to keep her daughter out of it. She had tried to keep her little family away from the flashing lights and constant questions buthad failed, all due to a nosy reporter who Erasa wanted to track down and punch in the nose.
She was however very proud of her friend for standing up for Gohan, lord knows there was no one who was more worthy to be defended more against the things that Hercule Satan was saying then Gohan, who didn't deserve to be treated that way by anyone in Erasa's book. The boy was one of the kindest people that she had ever met and didn't need to have someone turn the whole world against him because someone refused to actually listen to their daughter instead of acting like a total jackass.
Erasa ran a well-manicured hand through her blonde hair and picked up her phone. She had been putting this particular phone-call off for the better part of the morning and there was no better time to call Sharpner then now. Lord only knows that she would much rather be figuring out those last little surprises that she was trying to work into the designs she had for Gohan and Videl's bedroom, but right now it didn't matter what she wanted. Right now she needed to talk to her old friend and find out what the hell he had been saying to these damn reporters before he said something that wasn't going to
With a reluctant sigh, Erasa punched in the memorised number and waited to hear it pick up.
Sharpner Pencil prided himself to be one of the best looking men in the world. One of Hercule Satan's best students, sponsors coming every which way to sign him to their brand, and it was amazing really that he was able to walk anywhere with all the women who kept throwing themselves at his feet. Sure, it's true he only had eyes for one dark haired, blue eyed, daughter of athat was a bit of a reclusenowadays, but it wasn't like he was getting married any time soon so it was more than alright to have a little bit of fun; at least until Videl came to her sense and realised what she was missing.
He was now starting to feel like he had been cheated however.
For the better part of five years, since they had graduated High School, Sharpner had been under the impression that Videl was somewhere at University or training to beat her father at the next World Martial ArtsApparently that had not been the case and instead of her being away and trying to find the perfect way to apologise for turning him down all the times during High School, she had not only gotten married but she had a kid - who could not be any older than five years old.
When he had first become aware of the pictures through a fellow body building buddy, he felt anger over come him. It was a hit to his pride; someone else had managed to do what he had been unable to do, someone else had been able to bed Videl. It made his blood boil at the thought of Videlwillinglywith someone else. He would be the first to admit that maybe he had run his mouth off slightly to the reporter who had rung him and asked for a quote on the pictures, but it wasn't like he hadn't said anything that wasn't the truth, at least the truth in the way that he saw it. He hadn't really talked to Videl in a while; he had no idea who the father was and really, could you one hundred percent tell him that there was any kind ofthat child and Videl Satan. I mean honestly.
As he had been watching Hercule give his statement a thought started to become morethe more he spoke.What if it wasn't a willing conception? What if some douche of a guy had gotten her drunk and slept with her with the full intention of getting her pregnant so she had no other reason but to marry him? How else could you explain why Videl refused to tell anyone about it? This guy had to be a completelybastard in order to stop Videl from even seeing her father or allowing her daughter to meet him?
The more he thought the more pissed off he became of this mysterious man who had fathered a child with Videl. The bastard that was stopping her from seeing her family. He was contemplating calling Hercule and seeing what he was planning to do when his phone rang.
'Hello?'
'Hey.' The voice was sharp but Sharpner knewit was.
'Erasa, I haven't heard from you in a while, have you seen the news?'
'Kind of hard to miss when they are swamping your front yard,' Erasa replied.
'I've got the same problem. I've had to do my morning workout here at home because I can't get out the front door,' Sharpner said, a smirk covering his face.
'Well aren't you Mr Popular,' Erasa said.
'Well,' Sharpner said. 'What's going on? Are you calling for any reason? Have you heard from Videl?'
Sharpner heard her snort on the other end of the of the phone in anI can't believe that you seriously just asked that'In a way.'
'What?'
'What the hell have you been saying to the reporters?'
'You want to find out what they know so you can out scoop me or something?' Sharpner smirked.
'I don't stoop as low as you, Sharpner,' Erasa said.
'Hey, what does that mean?'
'It means exactly what you think it means,' Erasa said.
'What the hell Erasa, what has gotten into you?'
'Me? What the hell has gotten into you? Back in High School you wouldn't have even dreamed about talking to the press about Videl.'
'Back in High School Videl would have kicked my ass if I did. Not that she would be able to now,' Sharpner said.
'I wouldn't be so sure.'
'How would you know?'
'I just do.'
Sharpner paused and processed what Erasa said before leaning forward in his chair. 'You've been in contact with Videl since we left High School haven't you.'
'She's my best friend, dumb ass, of course I'm going to stay in touch,' Erasa said.
'Youknewabout all this,' Sharpner said.
'So what?'
'How could you not tell me?'
'How could I not tell you? How could I not tell you that Videl had met someone else? How could I not tell you that they got married? How could I not tell you that she had a kid? Quite easily apparently,' Erasa said.
'Why didn't you tell her Dad? You know that Hercule has been wanting to talk to her,' Sharpner said.
'Sharp, I don't need to report my friend's moves to her father when she herself is an adult. Nor do I have to report them to you,' Erasa said.
'How could you do this?'
'How could you do what you did to Videl? For a guy who claims to love her you have a pretty crappy way of showing it.'
'I do not!'
'So claiming that her daughter clearly isn't hers because there is no resemblance has no relevance here,' Erasa said.
'Have you seen the kid? She looks nothing like Videl.'
'Because, dumbass, she takes after her father's side,' Erasa said. 'She's the spitting image of her Grandmother in her younger years.'
'How would I know that? I didn't even know that Videl was married!'
'Maybe if you used the brain in your head instead of the one between your legs more often it would have come to you,' Erasa snapped.
'I can't believe that you would do this to Hercule, Erasa. He thought that you were a second daughter,' Sharpner said.
'Well, maybe he should have started treating his first daughter better and then none of this would have happened,' Erasa said.
'He's got to you too,' Sharpner said.
'Who has?'
'This guy! He's managed to grab control of Videl and stop her from getting away from him and he's managed to do something similar to you.'
The laughter that he got in response did nothing to defuse his anger.
'Sharpner, take your head out of your ass. Videl is not beingher husband. If anything she is the one that has the most control in the relationship,' Erasa said.
Sharpner stumbled over his words as what Erasa said entered his mind and was processed. 'Have you - have you met him?'
'Have I met him? HaveIthe husband ofmychildhood friend? Of course I've met him!Seriously, have you got you head so far up your ass that it's cut off circulation to your brain and stopped it functioning?' Erasa scoffed.
'How the hell could you keep something like this a secret?'
'I don't know, how could you keep trying to win Videl when she has made it clear to you on a number of occasions that she is in no way interested in you?'
'You're really snarky today Erasa,' Sharpner said. 'I don't know why.'
'You are seriously more clueless then a Dad refusing to stop and asked for directions when he's clearly lost,' Erasa said. 'I'm mad at you. You have gone behind V's back and talked to the people that you know that she hates to get involved with. I can't understand why someone who claims to have been her friend would do that, especially when he is constantly trying to figure out how to win her, which - if you haven't already figure out - is pretty redundant at this stage.'
'Not if it turns out that he is the controlling prick that I think he is,' Sharpner said. 'Not to mention a coward.'
'A coward?'
'He didn't even have the guts to face Hercule Satan before marrying her, if that doesn't show how much of a coward he is I don't know what does,' Sharpner said.
'Please,' Erasa said.
'What?'
'You're grasping at straws,' Erasa said. 'You just can't handle the fact that she managed to find someone who isn't you, and you're not the only one either.'
'What do you mean?'
'Do you honestly think that you were the only one who had the hots for Videl? I can't even accurately list the people who tried to get her, let alone those who challenged her father behind her back.'
Sharpner growled. He of course knew that there had been others who had an interest in Videl, he wasn't blind. Videl was a very attractive woman so it was only human nature that so many people were interested in her. Of course he had always assumed that he had the best chance, what with him being one of her closest friends and all, but that apparently wasn't the case.
'Not that it matters anymore who wanted to date her the most, she's completely off the market,' Erasa said.
'For now,' Sharpner replied.
'They have atil death do we partthing going on, nothing is going to break them apart,' Erasa said.
'Until he meets up with Hercule and then death will certainly part them. We both know that Hercule is going to kill whoever this guy is,' Sharpner said.
'Sure.' Erasa's tone was filled with sarcasm and Sharpner frowned.
'Please don't tell me that you're onhisside,' Sharpner said.
'I've been on his side since the beginning. He has done nothing to hurt a Videl and he would die before he did. He's got my support,' Erasa said.
'Traitor,' Sharpner hissed.
'I really shouldn't be surprised that you are acting like this. It's almost like you've put blinders on and can't see the trees through the forest. Videl is happy, she has a loving non-controlling husband, a beautiful daughter and a happy life - all things that you and her Dad could have been a part of is the both of you had actually listened to what she wanted instead of thinking that you both knew what was best for her,' Erasa said. 'I can't stay and talk with you anymore, I just called to find out what you said to the damn reporters but I guess I don't really need to know, I know you well enough to guess. My suggestion would be to keep your mouth shut Sharp, V's husband won't use his fists to fight you - he prefers to talk things through - but he will if he has to, especially if he thinks that his family is being threatened.'
'Are you threatening me Erasa?'
'No, merely warning you. I know you well enough that you aren't going to leave this alone Sharpner, so you better be prepared. There is a line and if you cross it you will find it hard to hide, not only from Videl but from G as well.'
'You're not scaring me,' Sharpner said. 'Besides, do you honestly think that this guy will be able to do a damn thing to me? I'm Hercule Satan's best student.'
'Not only will he send you flying into the closest wall Sharp, but he's got enough connections that he could make your life a living hell if he so desired to,' Erasa said. 'Take my advice and just drop this. Sit down, shut up and just deal with the fact that Videl is taken.'
'You honestly believe that this coward is able to beat me, don't you.'
'You know what, I tried to warn you and be nice for the sake of what was left of our friendship, but honestly Sharpner you're too thick to take this is, you've got too much hair preventing anything other then what you want to hear entering your ears or you've just taken one too many blows to the head - regardless of why, you're obviously not getting it. Back down, sit down, shut up, smile and look pretty for once in your life, and if you can't do that then maybe you should start looking for places to hide because there is going to be a hunting party looking for you if you keep this shit up Sharpner.'
There was no goodbye, no nothing, just an angry growl of frustration before the beeping started that signified he had been hung up on. Sharpner looked at the phone, unable to believe that Erasa had actually spoken so rudely to him and had actually defended the coward who Videl was married to.
If anyone else had just received the talking to that he had from Erasa they would have done exactly what she had told them to. It wasn't often that the petite blonde got mad but when she did those around her needed to sit down and just listen to the home truths that were coming out of her mouth. Sharpner, however, wasn't anyone else, and had been friends with Erasa long enough to allow these explosions to just roll off his back and take no notice of them. If he was completely honest with himself then he would admit that it never ended will for him, however he wasn't about to admit that now.
His pride had taken a hit and he wanted nothing more than to find out who this controlling coward was that had their claws dug into Videl and get them to leave her, and her now confirmed daughter, alone. Whoever this Gohan was he had no idea who was coming to confront him.
Gohan. The name wasn't completely unfamiliar to him. He had known a Gohan in high school, the nerdy kid had hung around with him, Videl and Erasa but they hadn't kept in touch after graduation.The nerd is probably knee deep in some kind of maths equation that will amount to nothing in the long runSharpner thought. The kid had been good to have on side, especially when something needed to be said quickly in order for their little group not to be ridiculed by some of the popular kids (though very few really tried anything), but he was thin, nerdy and in all honesty Sharpner doubted if the kid had even watched a Martial Arts fight, let alone trained for one. It was all but proven when Gohan hadn't been able to recognise Videl the first day of school.
So that easily ruled him out.
There was no doubt in his mind that Hercule Satan had already gotten in contact with the best Private Investigator money could buy, and if Sharpner could lend a hand to find out who this guy was then he was all for it. Plus if his suspicions about this guy were right (and surely they had to be, there was no way that Videl would have married someone who wasn't a martial artist if they hadn't forced her) he wanted to be there to watch as Hercule Satan beat him into next week.
Grabbing the phone, he began to dial the still very familiar number belonging to Hercule Satan.
Hercule Satan had built his empire high enough that he could no longer see the ground from where he stood. The tower was sturdy, made of the finest bricks and mortar that money could buy and there was nothing on Earth that could make it collapse.
Until this morning.
Hercule Satan was not a fool. He knew that a Videl was mad at him for building his empire on a foundation of lies. It was one of the reasons that he hadn't heard from his daughter in nearly six years. He had, however, believed that she would eventually see the error of her ways once she saw just how hard and rough the world was without him (and his money) there and would come running back. So far that thought had yet to be proven, and if anything it had been shattered into a million pieces once his PR team had shown him the pictures.
His little girl was a mother. He had a granddaughter and his daughter hadn't even told him about her. His daughter had grown into a beautiful young woman, who looked so much like her dearly departed mother, right down to the way that her eyes sparkled when looking at her daughter. Her daughter. The pictures were clear enough that Hercule could make out her little face, her tiny little nose and bright eyes that reminded him so much of Videl at that that age.
He could not get his head around the idea that Videl had purposely kept this little girl out of his life. There was no way that his daughter, despite refusing to talk to him for such a long time, would have done this if she had had a choice. It had to be the father of his granddaughter, there was no way that Videl would have done this otherwise.
Hercule Satan gripped the paper in his hand tightly. He could picture the no good coward now, the manipulative son-of-a-bitch knowing exactly how to get into Videl's head with a few well-placed smiles, hugs and promises that life was better without him in their daughters life. He had to be strong, not only physically but mentally in order to get such a hold on his little girl; but regardless of how strong this guy was there was no way that he would be able to beat Hercule Satan. He was the World Martial Arts Champion, defeater of Cell and all around good guy. When he got his hands on the man who claimed to be his daughter’s husband he was going to beat him to a pulp.
And then his poor Videl was going to come home, with his granddaughter, and they would be safe, and happy and away from that son-of-a-bitch that kept them from him.I mean just look at her there, talking to the press, she is obviously being manipulated. Look at how hard she is holding that podium, and how she keeps glancing behind her as if waiting for someone to loom out of the shadows and grab her. She needs to be taken away from this guy NOW! And that Bulma Briefs, I always knew that there was something wrong with that woman. Capsule Corp hides too many secrets, not to mention she refuses to sell to me, plus how did she even manage to get to the position that she's at, surely there was someone else, some otherman, who could do the job for her; and I thought her father was supposed to be a genius. She must have workedreallyhard in order to get to the position that she's in. I knew there was something not right with that woman; you can truly see someone's true colours when you look at the people that they hang around with.
It was obvious that Bulma Briefs was not the woman the world thought her to be, at least in his eyes. He wanted to storm over to where Videl was giving this press conference and bring her back to the safe confines of his house, where his PR team could handle the fallout and get the truth about this man out there.
'Her father is in no waycontrolling, as some reports have suggested. He is just about one of the most kindest men that you will ever meet and doesn't have a hurtful bone in his body. He's a loving father and son and quite honestly the only man that I could ever picture myself marrying let alone have a child with. These comments that have been made against him are hurtful and in no way describe him, especially as the people who are making them haven't met him, let alone know him. Today he was called a coward because he didn't front up to my father and fight him like so many others had done, trying to get the chance to date me. That is not an act ofcowardice, it is the opposite. Gohan has done everything that I asked of him in regards to my father, and he didn't go and see him face to face because he refused to get in the middle of our disagreement. He is strong in character and in mind and given the chance I know that he could beat my father. You see he did the one thing all the others were unable to do. He got me to fall in love with him and vice versa, which is something that all the other boys who tried to fight my father never managed, because they were more interested in themselves then me.'
'Oh my baby girl, what have they made you believe? It's almost like when you told me that I knew nothing about the tricks that Cell and the other fighters used,' Hercule said as he watched his daughter.
'He doesn't need to fight my father, because regardless of what happened in any fight that they have from this point on, he's already won.'
'HA! He's going to fight me alright, and the only way he is going to walk out of that fight is with the help of paramedics,' Hercule growled, turning off the TV and looking over at John Standing, his PR manager, who had just finished talking on the phone. 'What do you think John?'
'This is going to be a tough one Hercule,' John explained. 'The information that we have is that Videl has been working with Bulma Briefs since she finished University last year. We don't know how close they are, but it's pretty obvious that there is some kind of connection for her to be allowing Capsule Corps PR team to manage this.'
'Got to be this husband of her's, this Gohan character,' Hercule said. 'How else could she have gotten so close to Bulma Briefs?'
'Exactly. We need to be careful what we say and do from here on in. Right now, while everything is still out in the open, there isn't a lot of information out there about your Granddaughter or who this Gohan even is. We're going to have to do a lot of digging in order to find out who we are dealing with,' John said.
'Worst case scenario?'
'Well,' John said looking Hercule dead in the eye. 'If it turns out that you are wrong and Videl has done everything of her own free will it could backfire amazingly, especially if this Gohan has got other friends in high up places.'
'You think he does?'
'It's not just an amazing coincidence that Videl has got Bulma Briefs' PR team helping her on this. Chances are that this guy has some good contacts, but we won't know for sure until we get some more information on him, and Videl hasn't exactly given us a lot to go on.'
'Couldn't we look for my Granddaughter's birth certificate or something?' Hercule asked.
'It's on the list of places to look, but those kinds of records aren't exactly easy to look at, it may take some time and money,' John explained.
'Right now I don't care,' Hercule said. 'Thisguymy daughter behind my back. I want to know everything about him before I pummel him into the ground.in touch withRenaldo; he's never failed me when I've wanted to know information on the competition before.' Hercule said.
'Of course. But you need to be prepared if things don't go the way that you want them to,' John said as Hercule's phone started to ring.
'Thingsalwaysmy way,' Hercule said, picking up his phone. 'Hello. Sharpner, how are you?'
'Seriously V, I couldn't recognise the man I was talking to, it was like he had morphed into some idiot who couldn't see the truth that was hanging right in front of his eyes,' Erasa said.
'E, we both know that Sharpner has had an unhealthy hero worship type thing with my Dad for years, even before the thing with Cell. It's just gotten worse over time with all the time he's spent with him,' Videl replied and Erasa could hear Gohan's voice saying something in the background. 'Gohan said not to worry about him. If he wants to bury his head in the sand, then let him.'
'I know, but it would still be nice to get the old Sharpner back,' Erasa said as she head the tell-tale click that Videl had switched her over to speaker.
'Erasa, you have a huge heart, you could rival my Father in that regard, but when it comes to Sharpner it's a lost cause. You know that right?' Gohan said.
'In regards to usevertogether? Yes. In regards to this? No.'
'E, I love you but you need to once again step away from Sharpner. Focusing on him is just going to take you back to where you were months ago and you'vefinallystarted to move on with your life,' Videl said.
'If I could I would send Sharpner to rehab so he could get over whatever is stopping him from seeing how amazingly perfect you would be for him, but they don't have a five step program for stupid,' Gohan said.
'I know,' Erasa said. 'How is it that you two have had the worst day on record and you're now comforting me?'
'Just the way the tables have turned I guess,' Gohan said. 'In all seriousness Erasa, just back away from Sharpner. I don't want to see him drag you down like he did, you're worth more than that and as much as I'm sure he could make you happy if he ever got his head out of his ass, I think you can do so much better.'
'I agree,' Videl said.
'So here is what you are going to do. You're going to say goodbye to us, lock your doors, turn off your lights, light a few candles and just relax in the tub with that new romance book I know you've been secretly hiding somewhere in your bedroom. Forget about Sharpner and his idiotic ways and fall in love with a duke or prince or cad or whatever the love interest is,' Gohan said.
Erasa giggled. 'Videl, how is it that you managed to snag this boy from under my nose? I'm sure I had eyes on him first.'
'You did, but he doesn't have a thing for blondes,' Videl said.
'Yeah, he only likes to become one every now and then,' Erasa giggled.
'At least there is no cross dressing involved,' Gohan said.
Erasa giggled and said her goodbyes to her friends. Grabbing her favourite candles, she lit each one as the bath filled with water set at the perfecttemperature before she started to walk around the house and turn off all the lights. Her finger was about to flick the lounge room light when a knocking on the door made her pause. He looked at her watch. It was only six thirty, late but not late enough that it would be considered rude if you knocked on someone's door. Checking to make sure that her robe was done up properly, the blonde walked over to the door and opened it enough that she was able to see the two men standing on her doorstep, but not enough to make the chain go taught..
'Hi,' Erasa said. 'Can I help you?'
'Are you Miss Erasa Rubber?'
'Yes,' Erasa said cautiously.
'We would like to talk to you about Miss Videl Satan.'
Erasa Rubber was not an easy girl to shock, it was one of the things that she prided herself on (that and herto always do amazing work for her clients regardless of their budget) and she had only been made to feel that way only a handful of times by Videl.
The first was when she had been told by her best friend that she was going to start helping out the Satan City Police with all the crime that seemed to be taking over the city. Erasa had been sure that her friend had been trying to trick her until she recognised the steadfast look on her face that told her that Videl was 100% serious. Despite her best efforts Erasa had been unable to change her friends' mind and she could do nothing but sit on the sideline while she watched her best friend beat up the baddies.
The second time was when Videl told her that she and Gohan were dating. You would have had to have been completely unobservant to not see the chemistry that sparked between the quiet country boy who had a quick mind and sarcastic comebacks and the teenage crime fighter who hated the attention being the daughter of Hercule Satan gave her. that didn't stop the gobsmacked feeling that flooded her body when Videl told her when a round of teasing regarding Sharpner's most recent attempts tocourt hertoo far for her dark haired friend. It had been completely unintentional on Videl's part and Erasa had been quickly hushed and sworn to secrecy, which she has eagerly complied. After all who wouldn't be happy that their best friend was dating someone as nice as Gohan - not to mention he wasn't too bad on the eyes.
The third time was when Gohan and Videl told her that they were going to get married - and that Videl wasn't inviting her father. Erasa wasn't the ditz that she pretended to be at school, so she had noticed how strained thing became between Videl and her father as the months past after the World Martial Arts Tournament in their final high school year. She knew that Videl had barely spoken to her father since graduation and had all but moved into Gohan's place, but getting married was completely out of the blue. It was obvious that the two of them loved each other, you had to be blind not to see and Erasa was sure that even if someone was blind they would still be aware of the love that was shared between the two teens. So she had done what any good friend should do in that situation - squeal in delight, give a round of hugs and offer to help her clueless friends who knew nothing about planning any kind of social event that didn't involve a barbecue. The wedding was a hit, if Erasa did say so herself, and it helped spark interest in her current career.
The most recent time Videl had unintentionally shocked Erasa was when she told her lifelong friend that she was pregnant, not even six months after getting married, and Gohan hadnoidea. The two of them had sat in complete silence, looking at the two lines that decorated the Capsule Corp 100 percent accurate pregnancy test, unable to fully comprehend what they were looking at until Videl voiced it and it became real and completely exciting in Erasa's world. Together they plotted the best way to tell Gohan that he was going to be a father (which involved a trip to various shops to create aYou're Going To Be A Dadand settle up a camera to capture the moment when he finally realised that it all meant). When Videl showed her the footage later, Erasa hadn't been disappointed when she saw just ecstatic Gohan was. Plus being asked to be Pan's Godmother was pretty awesome as well.
All those things however completely paled in comparison to what she was currently witnessing on TV. Not only was Videl publicly speaking about her daughter and her father, two topics that she had never heard her friend merge together since Pan's birth four years ago, but she was incorporating Gohan, someone that she had been trying to keep out of the press just as much as she had been trying to keep her daughter out of it. She had tried to keep her little family away from the flashing lights and constant questions buthad failed, all due to a nosy reporter who Erasa wanted to track down and punch in the nose.
She was however very proud of her friend for standing up for Gohan, lord knows there was no one who was more worthy to be defended more against the things that Hercule Satan was saying then Gohan, who didn't deserve to be treated that way by anyone in Erasa's book. The boy was one of the kindest people that she had ever met and didn't need to have someone turn the whole world against him because someone refused to actually listen to their daughter instead of acting like a total jackass.
Erasa ran a well-manicured hand through her blonde hair and picked up her phone. She had been putting this particular phone-call off for the better part of the morning and there was no better time to call Sharpner then now. Lord only knows that she would much rather be figuring out those last little surprises that she was trying to work into the designs she had for Gohan and Videl's bedroom, but right now it didn't matter what she wanted. Right now she needed to talk to her old friend and find out what the hell he had been saying to these damn reporters before he said something that wasn't going to
With a reluctant sigh, Erasa punched in the memorised number and waited to hear it pick up.
Sharpner Pencil prided himself to be one of the best looking men in the world. One of Hercule Satan's best students, sponsors coming every which way to sign him to their brand, and it was amazing really that he was able to walk anywhere with all the women who kept throwing themselves at his feet. Sure, it's true he only had eyes for one dark haired, blue eyed, daughter of athat was a bit of a reclusenowadays, but it wasn't like he was getting married any time soon so it was more than alright to have a little bit of fun; at least until Videl came to her sense and realised what she was missing.
He was now starting to feel like he had been cheated however.
For the better part of five years, since they had graduated High School, Sharpner had been under the impression that Videl was somewhere at University or training to beat her father at the next World Martial ArtsApparently that had not been the case and instead of her being away and trying to find the perfect way to apologise for turning him down all the times during High School, she had not only gotten married but she had a kid - who could not be any older than five years old.
When he had first become aware of the pictures through a fellow body building buddy, he felt anger over come him. It was a hit to his pride; someone else had managed to do what he had been unable to do, someone else had been able to bed Videl. It made his blood boil at the thought of Videlwillinglywith someone else. He would be the first to admit that maybe he had run his mouth off slightly to the reporter who had rung him and asked for a quote on the pictures, but it wasn't like he hadn't said anything that wasn't the truth, at least the truth in the way that he saw it. He hadn't really talked to Videl in a while; he had no idea who the father was and really, could you one hundred percent tell him that there was any kind ofthat child and Videl Satan. I mean honestly.
As he had been watching Hercule give his statement a thought started to become morethe more he spoke.What if it wasn't a willing conception? What if some douche of a guy had gotten her drunk and slept with her with the full intention of getting her pregnant so she had no other reason but to marry him? How else could you explain why Videl refused to tell anyone about it? This guy had to be a completelybastard in order to stop Videl from even seeing her father or allowing her daughter to meet him?
The more he thought the more pissed off he became of this mysterious man who had fathered a child with Videl. The bastard that was stopping her from seeing her family. He was contemplating calling Hercule and seeing what he was planning to do when his phone rang.
'Hello?'
'Hey.' The voice was sharp but Sharpner knewit was.
'Erasa, I haven't heard from you in a while, have you seen the news?'
'Kind of hard to miss when they are swamping your front yard,' Erasa replied.
'I've got the same problem. I've had to do my morning workout here at home because I can't get out the front door,' Sharpner said, a smirk covering his face.
'Well aren't you Mr Popular,' Erasa said.
'Well,' Sharpner said. 'What's going on? Are you calling for any reason? Have you heard from Videl?'
Sharpner heard her snort on the other end of the of the phone in anI can't believe that you seriously just asked that'In a way.'
'What?'
'What the hell have you been saying to the reporters?'
'You want to find out what they know so you can out scoop me or something?' Sharpner smirked.
'I don't stoop as low as you, Sharpner,' Erasa said.
'Hey, what does that mean?'
'It means exactly what you think it means,' Erasa said.
'What the hell Erasa, what has gotten into you?'
'Me? What the hell has gotten into you? Back in High School you wouldn't have even dreamed about talking to the press about Videl.'
'Back in High School Videl would have kicked my ass if I did. Not that she would be able to now,' Sharpner said.
'I wouldn't be so sure.'
'How would you know?'
'I just do.'
Sharpner paused and processed what Erasa said before leaning forward in his chair. 'You've been in contact with Videl since we left High School haven't you.'
'She's my best friend, dumb ass, of course I'm going to stay in touch,' Erasa said.
'Youknewabout all this,' Sharpner said.
'So what?'
'How could you not tell me?'
'How could I not tell you? How could I not tell you that Videl had met someone else? How could I not tell you that they got married? How could I not tell you that she had a kid? Quite easily apparently,' Erasa said.
'Why didn't you tell her Dad? You know that Hercule has been wanting to talk to her,' Sharpner said.
'Sharp, I don't need to report my friend's moves to her father when she herself is an adult. Nor do I have to report them to you,' Erasa said.
'How could you do this?'
'How could you do what you did to Videl? For a guy who claims to love her you have a pretty crappy way of showing it.'
'I do not!'
'So claiming that her daughter clearly isn't hers because there is no resemblance has no relevance here,' Erasa said.
'Have you seen the kid? She looks nothing like Videl.'
'Because, dumbass, she takes after her father's side,' Erasa said. 'She's the spitting image of her Grandmother in her younger years.'
'How would I know that? I didn't even know that Videl was married!'
'Maybe if you used the brain in your head instead of the one between your legs more often it would have come to you,' Erasa snapped.
'I can't believe that you would do this to Hercule, Erasa. He thought that you were a second daughter,' Sharpner said.
'Well, maybe he should have started treating his first daughter better and then none of this would have happened,' Erasa said.
'He's got to you too,' Sharpner said.
'Who has?'
'This guy! He's managed to grab control of Videl and stop her from getting away from him and he's managed to do something similar to you.'
The laughter that he got in response did nothing to defuse his anger.
'Sharpner, take your head out of your ass. Videl is not beingher husband. If anything she is the one that has the most control in the relationship,' Erasa said.
Sharpner stumbled over his words as what Erasa said entered his mind and was processed. 'Have you - have you met him?'
'Have I met him? HaveIthe husband ofmychildhood friend? Of course I've met him!Seriously, have you got you head so far up your ass that it's cut off circulation to your brain and stopped it functioning?' Erasa scoffed.
'How the hell could you keep something like this a secret?'
'I don't know, how could you keep trying to win Videl when she has made it clear to you on a number of occasions that she is in no way interested in you?'
'You're really snarky today Erasa,' Sharpner said. 'I don't know why.'
'You are seriously more clueless then a Dad refusing to stop and asked for directions when he's clearly lost,' Erasa said. 'I'm mad at you. You have gone behind V's back and talked to the people that you know that she hates to get involved with. I can't understand why someone who claims to have been her friend would do that, especially when he is constantly trying to figure out how to win her, which - if you haven't already figure out - is pretty redundant at this stage.'
'Not if it turns out that he is the controlling prick that I think he is,' Sharpner said. 'Not to mention a coward.'
'A coward?'
'He didn't even have the guts to face Hercule Satan before marrying her, if that doesn't show how much of a coward he is I don't know what does,' Sharpner said.
'Please,' Erasa said.
'What?'
'You're grasping at straws,' Erasa said. 'You just can't handle the fact that she managed to find someone who isn't you, and you're not the only one either.'
'What do you mean?'
'Do you honestly think that you were the only one who had the hots for Videl? I can't even accurately list the people who tried to get her, let alone those who challenged her father behind her back.'
Sharpner growled. He of course knew that there had been others who had an interest in Videl, he wasn't blind. Videl was a very attractive woman so it was only human nature that so many people were interested in her. Of course he had always assumed that he had the best chance, what with him being one of her closest friends and all, but that apparently wasn't the case.
'Not that it matters anymore who wanted to date her the most, she's completely off the market,' Erasa said.
'For now,' Sharpner replied.
'They have atil death do we partthing going on, nothing is going to break them apart,' Erasa said.
'Until he meets up with Hercule and then death will certainly part them. We both know that Hercule is going to kill whoever this guy is,' Sharpner said.
'Sure.' Erasa's tone was filled with sarcasm and Sharpner frowned.
'Please don't tell me that you're onhisside,' Sharpner said.
'I've been on his side since the beginning. He has done nothing to hurt a Videl and he would die before he did. He's got my support,' Erasa said.
'Traitor,' Sharpner hissed.
'I really shouldn't be surprised that you are acting like this. It's almost like you've put blinders on and can't see the trees through the forest. Videl is happy, she has a loving non-controlling husband, a beautiful daughter and a happy life - all things that you and her Dad could have been a part of is the both of you had actually listened to what she wanted instead of thinking that you both knew what was best for her,' Erasa said. 'I can't stay and talk with you anymore, I just called to find out what you said to the damn reporters but I guess I don't really need to know, I know you well enough to guess. My suggestion would be to keep your mouth shut Sharp, V's husband won't use his fists to fight you - he prefers to talk things through - but he will if he has to, especially if he thinks that his family is being threatened.'
'Are you threatening me Erasa?'
'No, merely warning you. I know you well enough that you aren't going to leave this alone Sharpner, so you better be prepared. There is a line and if you cross it you will find it hard to hide, not only from Videl but from G as well.'
'You're not scaring me,' Sharpner said. 'Besides, do you honestly think that this guy will be able to do a damn thing to me? I'm Hercule Satan's best student.'
'Not only will he send you flying into the closest wall Sharp, but he's got enough connections that he could make your life a living hell if he so desired to,' Erasa said. 'Take my advice and just drop this. Sit down, shut up and just deal with the fact that Videl is taken.'
'You honestly believe that this coward is able to beat me, don't you.'
'You know what, I tried to warn you and be nice for the sake of what was left of our friendship, but honestly Sharpner you're too thick to take this is, you've got too much hair preventing anything other then what you want to hear entering your ears or you've just taken one too many blows to the head - regardless of why, you're obviously not getting it. Back down, sit down, shut up, smile and look pretty for once in your life, and if you can't do that then maybe you should start looking for places to hide because there is going to be a hunting party looking for you if you keep this shit up Sharpner.'
There was no goodbye, no nothing, just an angry growl of frustration before the beeping started that signified he had been hung up on. Sharpner looked at the phone, unable to believe that Erasa had actually spoken so rudely to him and had actually defended the coward who Videl was married to.
If anyone else had just received the talking to that he had from Erasa they would have done exactly what she had told them to. It wasn't often that the petite blonde got mad but when she did those around her needed to sit down and just listen to the home truths that were coming out of her mouth. Sharpner, however, wasn't anyone else, and had been friends with Erasa long enough to allow these explosions to just roll off his back and take no notice of them. If he was completely honest with himself then he would admit that it never ended will for him, however he wasn't about to admit that now.
His pride had taken a hit and he wanted nothing more than to find out who this controlling coward was that had their claws dug into Videl and get them to leave her, and her now confirmed daughter, alone. Whoever this Gohan was he had no idea who was coming to confront him.
Gohan. The name wasn't completely unfamiliar to him. He had known a Gohan in high school, the nerdy kid had hung around with him, Videl and Erasa but they hadn't kept in touch after graduation.The nerd is probably knee deep in some kind of maths equation that will amount to nothing in the long runSharpner thought. The kid had been good to have on side, especially when something needed to be said quickly in order for their little group not to be ridiculed by some of the popular kids (though very few really tried anything), but he was thin, nerdy and in all honesty Sharpner doubted if the kid had even watched a Martial Arts fight, let alone trained for one. It was all but proven when Gohan hadn't been able to recognise Videl the first day of school.
So that easily ruled him out.
There was no doubt in his mind that Hercule Satan had already gotten in contact with the best Private Investigator money could buy, and if Sharpner could lend a hand to find out who this guy was then he was all for it. Plus if his suspicions about this guy were right (and surely they had to be, there was no way that Videl would have married someone who wasn't a martial artist if they hadn't forced her) he wanted to be there to watch as Hercule Satan beat him into next week.
Grabbing the phone, he began to dial the still very familiar number belonging to Hercule Satan.
Hercule Satan had built his empire high enough that he could no longer see the ground from where he stood. The tower was sturdy, made of the finest bricks and mortar that money could buy and there was nothing on Earth that could make it collapse.
Until this morning.
Hercule Satan was not a fool. He knew that a Videl was mad at him for building his empire on a foundation of lies. It was one of the reasons that he hadn't heard from his daughter in nearly six years. He had, however, believed that she would eventually see the error of her ways once she saw just how hard and rough the world was without him (and his money) there and would come running back. So far that thought had yet to be proven, and if anything it had been shattered into a million pieces once his PR team had shown him the pictures.
His little girl was a mother. He had a granddaughter and his daughter hadn't even told him about her. His daughter had grown into a beautiful young woman, who looked so much like her dearly departed mother, right down to the way that her eyes sparkled when looking at her daughter. Her daughter. The pictures were clear enough that Hercule could make out her little face, her tiny little nose and bright eyes that reminded him so much of Videl at that that age.
He could not get his head around the idea that Videl had purposely kept this little girl out of his life. There was no way that his daughter, despite refusing to talk to him for such a long time, would have done this if she had had a choice. It had to be the father of his granddaughter, there was no way that Videl would have done this otherwise.
Hercule Satan gripped the paper in his hand tightly. He could picture the no good coward now, the manipulative son-of-a-bitch knowing exactly how to get into Videl's head with a few well-placed smiles, hugs and promises that life was better without him in their daughters life. He had to be strong, not only physically but mentally in order to get such a hold on his little girl; but regardless of how strong this guy was there was no way that he would be able to beat Hercule Satan. He was the World Martial Arts Champion, defeater of Cell and all around good guy. When he got his hands on the man who claimed to be his daughter’s husband he was going to beat him to a pulp.
And then his poor Videl was going to come home, with his granddaughter, and they would be safe, and happy and away from that son-of-a-bitch that kept them from him.I mean just look at her there, talking to the press, she is obviously being manipulated. Look at how hard she is holding that podium, and how she keeps glancing behind her as if waiting for someone to loom out of the shadows and grab her. She needs to be taken away from this guy NOW! And that Bulma Briefs, I always knew that there was something wrong with that woman. Capsule Corp hides too many secrets, not to mention she refuses to sell to me, plus how did she even manage to get to the position that she's at, surely there was someone else, some otherman, who could do the job for her; and I thought her father was supposed to be a genius. She must have workedreallyhard in order to get to the position that she's in. I knew there was something not right with that woman; you can truly see someone's true colours when you look at the people that they hang around with.
It was obvious that Bulma Briefs was not the woman the world thought her to be, at least in his eyes. He wanted to storm over to where Videl was giving this press conference and bring her back to the safe confines of his house, where his PR team could handle the fallout and get the truth about this man out there.
'Her father is in no waycontrolling, as some reports have suggested. He is just about one of the most kindest men that you will ever meet and doesn't have a hurtful bone in his body. He's a loving father and son and quite honestly the only man that I could ever picture myself marrying let alone have a child with. These comments that have been made against him are hurtful and in no way describe him, especially as the people who are making them haven't met him, let alone know him. Today he was called a coward because he didn't front up to my father and fight him like so many others had done, trying to get the chance to date me. That is not an act ofcowardice, it is the opposite. Gohan has done everything that I asked of him in regards to my father, and he didn't go and see him face to face because he refused to get in the middle of our disagreement. He is strong in character and in mind and given the chance I know that he could beat my father. You see he did the one thing all the others were unable to do. He got me to fall in love with him and vice versa, which is something that all the other boys who tried to fight my father never managed, because they were more interested in themselves then me.'
'Oh my baby girl, what have they made you believe? It's almost like when you told me that I knew nothing about the tricks that Cell and the other fighters used,' Hercule said as he watched his daughter.
'He doesn't need to fight my father, because regardless of what happened in any fight that they have from this point on, he's already won.'
'HA! He's going to fight me alright, and the only way he is going to walk out of that fight is with the help of paramedics,' Hercule growled, turning off the TV and looking over at John Standing, his PR manager, who had just finished talking on the phone. 'What do you think John?'
'This is going to be a tough one Hercule,' John explained. 'The information that we have is that Videl has been working with Bulma Briefs since she finished University last year. We don't know how close they are, but it's pretty obvious that there is some kind of connection for her to be allowing Capsule Corps PR team to manage this.'
'Got to be this husband of her's, this Gohan character,' Hercule said. 'How else could she have gotten so close to Bulma Briefs?'
'Exactly. We need to be careful what we say and do from here on in. Right now, while everything is still out in the open, there isn't a lot of information out there about your Granddaughter or who this Gohan even is. We're going to have to do a lot of digging in order to find out who we are dealing with,' John said.
'Worst case scenario?'
'Well,' John said looking Hercule dead in the eye. 'If it turns out that you are wrong and Videl has done everything of her own free will it could backfire amazingly, especially if this Gohan has got other friends in high up places.'
'You think he does?'
'It's not just an amazing coincidence that Videl has got Bulma Briefs' PR team helping her on this. Chances are that this guy has some good contacts, but we won't know for sure until we get some more information on him, and Videl hasn't exactly given us a lot to go on.'
'Couldn't we look for my Granddaughter's birth certificate or something?' Hercule asked.
'It's on the list of places to look, but those kinds of records aren't exactly easy to look at, it may take some time and money,' John explained.
'Right now I don't care,' Hercule said. 'Thisguymy daughter behind my back. I want to know everything about him before I pummel him into the ground.in touch withRenaldo; he's never failed me when I've wanted to know information on the competition before.' Hercule said.
'Of course. But you need to be prepared if things don't go the way that you want them to,' John said as Hercule's phone started to ring.
'Thingsalwaysmy way,' Hercule said, picking up his phone. 'Hello. Sharpner, how are you?'
'Seriously V, I couldn't recognise the man I was talking to, it was like he had morphed into some idiot who couldn't see the truth that was hanging right in front of his eyes,' Erasa said.
'E, we both know that Sharpner has had an unhealthy hero worship type thing with my Dad for years, even before the thing with Cell. It's just gotten worse over time with all the time he's spent with him,' Videl replied and Erasa could hear Gohan's voice saying something in the background. 'Gohan said not to worry about him. If he wants to bury his head in the sand, then let him.'
'I know, but it would still be nice to get the old Sharpner back,' Erasa said as she head the tell-tale click that Videl had switched her over to speaker.
'Erasa, you have a huge heart, you could rival my Father in that regard, but when it comes to Sharpner it's a lost cause. You know that right?' Gohan said.
'In regards to usevertogether? Yes. In regards to this? No.'
'E, I love you but you need to once again step away from Sharpner. Focusing on him is just going to take you back to where you were months ago and you'vefinallystarted to move on with your life,' Videl said.
'If I could I would send Sharpner to rehab so he could get over whatever is stopping him from seeing how amazingly perfect you would be for him, but they don't have a five step program for stupid,' Gohan said.
'I know,' Erasa said. 'How is it that you two have had the worst day on record and you're now comforting me?'
'Just the way the tables have turned I guess,' Gohan said. 'In all seriousness Erasa, just back away from Sharpner. I don't want to see him drag you down like he did, you're worth more than that and as much as I'm sure he could make you happy if he ever got his head out of his ass, I think you can do so much better.'
'I agree,' Videl said.
'So here is what you are going to do. You're going to say goodbye to us, lock your doors, turn off your lights, light a few candles and just relax in the tub with that new romance book I know you've been secretly hiding somewhere in your bedroom. Forget about Sharpner and his idiotic ways and fall in love with a duke or prince or cad or whatever the love interest is,' Gohan said.
Erasa giggled. 'Videl, how is it that you managed to snag this boy from under my nose? I'm sure I had eyes on him first.'
'You did, but he doesn't have a thing for blondes,' Videl said.
'Yeah, he only likes to become one every now and then,' Erasa giggled.
'At least there is no cross dressing involved,' Gohan said.
Erasa giggled and said her goodbyes to her friends. Grabbing her favourite candles, she lit each one as the bath filled with water set at the perfecttemperature before she started to walk around the house and turn off all the lights. Her finger was about to flick the lounge room light when a knocking on the door made her pause. He looked at her watch. It was only six thirty, late but not late enough that it would be considered rude if you knocked on someone's door. Checking to make sure that her robe was done up properly, the blonde walked over to the door and opened it enough that she was able to see the two men standing on her doorstep, but not enough to make the chain go taught..
'Hi,' Erasa said. 'Can I help you?'
'Are you Miss Erasa Rubber?'
'Yes,' Erasa said cautiously.
'We would like to talk to you about Miss Videl Satan.'