(The very next day)
By the time the sun started to rise over the mountains, the sounds of battle had finally died out, and calm and tranquility had once again returned to the countryside. Now that the landscape was no longer being ravaged by violent tremors, explosions and the chorus of shouts that were the results of said conflict, the denizens of the forests and grasslands could finally emerge from their hiding places and groom themselves for the day ahead. The same went for the ones that were directly responsible for the ruckus that'd been carrying on since five, only they were going through it in an entirely different way.
Breathing a sigh of relief as steam wafted around him, Gohan sunk a little more into the drum his family often used for hot baths. Aside from being an ideal way to save money on their water bill by filling it up directly through the nearby river, it was also comfy, cozy, and served as an excellent place to scrub down following a vigorous morning of training.
The half-Saiyan could certainly agree on that last point as he allowed his sore body to go limp in the human-sized barrel. After spending the last couple of hours learning to control his newfound strength and his newest Super Saiyan transformation, which required an insane amount of effort to maintain, his muscles felt like they were about to burst.
"Ahh… this is heaven," Gohan groaned, eyes closed as he rested his head back against the edge of the metal cylinder. "Of all my favorite things in the world… this is definitely somewhere in my top ten."
Among the many others included training, fighting, assorted foods, and spending time with his loved ones during his off hours. The rest he could list off on a later date. But right now he was simply content with just floating weightlessly here in his pot of boiling water and let sweet, irresistible bliss take over.
The sensations were so overpowering that he almost lost all sense of time and place.
Breathing out a sigh of relief as he ran his hands up and down his arms to clean off the grime and tension, the young hybrid smiled as he gazed down at the water thoughtfully. "If I died right now, I would have no regrets…"
"Oh, I'm sure you might have some regrets," came the amused chuckle from his family's closest resident. "Try not to pass out while you're still in there. Don't forget, there are a few other people in this house who want to use that barrel too."
Looking up, Gohan found himself staring at the orange haired form of his most regular training partner. Decked out in a white bathrobe with a towel slung over her shoulder, the blue skinned Zangya threw the boy a cheerful smile as she watched him simmer away in the broth.
"Enjoying yourself?" the Hera asked.
A wide grin formed across the spiky haired boy's lips, "You could say that." Obviously he was. The expression he had been wearing before was so half-lidded and relaxed that it looked as though he was about to fall asleep. Thankfully his friend showed up just in time to stop that from happening. "It's so nice and quiet out here that it's so easy to get lost in your thoughts."
Chuckling at the man's laidback tone, the woman placed a hand on her hip and shifted her weight to one side. "Perhaps it also has something to do with the fact that you're taking a dip in something equivalent to a hot spring."
"There's that too."
Shaking her head, the alien woman smirked. "Speaking of which, are you going to be done soon? I have to get to work in about an hour and I've got a lot of hair to scrub out," Zangya informed, at the same time waving said locks about for the boy to take notice of. "You didn't exactly go easy on me while we were kicking each other across the valley the day before. My head is a complete wreck."
Realizing the actual amount of time he'd spent in that barrel, the boy quickly splashed his face and shook his hair out. "Ah. Yeah. Just give me a second." Wandering over to the girl's side of the drum and crossing his arms, he then rested against the tub's edge and smiled across at the patiently waiting female. "I really appreciate the spar this morning, Zangya. Thanks a bunch."
A warm smile quickly followed his words of gratitude. "Don't sweat it. Throwing down with you and the Green Man every morning is always a blast. It really helps get the blood pumping."
Gohan chuckled and cleaned out his ear with his finger. "The spars are also helping me tons with my control. The first and second stages are easy for me to keep up for extended periods of time, but staying in Super Saiyan 3 for longer than fifteen minutes… that's asking quite a lot."
"Give it another month or so. I'm sure you'll get used to it eventually," Zangya said with an encouraging smile. "You're one of the hardest working guys I know. If there's anyone who can pull this kind of crap off, it's going to be you."
Feeling his spirit and energies lift at his friend's confidence, the boy straightened up in the tub. "I'm glad to hear you say that." Upon looking the Z-fighter in the eye and sharing a smile with her, Gohan then gripped the sides of the cylinder and prepared to hoist himself out. "I think this weekend I'll pop over to say hi to my dad. After seeing my fight with Set and the amount of damage we caused, I know he's going to want to see what Super Saiyan 3 is like before giving it another shot. Knowing him as well as I do, I'm sure he's probably trying to figure it out for himself right now."
"I've seen the guy work. Your dad is crazy talented," the Hera remarked, tilting her head with an amused grin on her face. "I suppose that answers the question as to why you're so good as well."
"You know what they say: blood is thicker than water," Gohan recited, before then bending and hoisting himself up.
Upon realizing that the teen was coming out of the tub, Zangya freaked. She opened her mouth to protest, not wanting to see him in such a state so early, but the instant the boy leapt over the side and landed on the grass, the girl balked in shock.
At first the young Hera was expecting the boy to be buck naked, a sight that she admitted she wouldn't have any problems in seeing. But as it turned out, the lower part of the young man's body was clad in a pair of tight black swimming trunks, an item of clothing that concealed the most important parts of his person yet accentuated all the rest.
As she watched the teen stretch out to the morning sun and watched the water droplets roll down his toned body, the orange haired girl stiffened like a board as her eyes panned up and down his muscular physique. Having caught numerous glimpses of his frame on a number of occasions, the Hera had been driven to wonder what it'd be like to see the boy without any clothes on at all. The fact that she was attracted to both his personality and his dashing façade made her thoughts on the matter all the more impactful. It literally had her quivering on the inside.
Her past few nights of sleep had literally been dominated by nothing but thoughts and dreams of herself and Gohan entangled in situations that were a little bit more than friendly, which always made her wonder what the real deal was actually like.
Now that she was able to see what his body was actually like up close and personal, from his broad shoulders, to his chest, to his toned abs and to his gorgeous legs, Zangya could now say without a shadow of a doubt that he was all she imagined him to be and more. The shock of his athletic form and her proximity to it had her face light up, her body freeze, and her heart start pounding against the inside of her chest.
Running a hand through his gravity defying hair, Gohan lent down, tossed a couple more pieces of wood into the fire underneath, and smiled across at his friend. "The bath's all yours, Zangya."
Swallowing nervously, the girl murmured as her eyes darted over his majestic form. "Um… Gohan," she stammered.
"Yeah?"
"Why are you wearing shorts?" she asked, her eyes locking onto the black spandex outlining his pelvic area.
"Oh? These?" He then tugged at the waistband and released it with a snap. "I've decided to join the swimming club at school."
"Swimming club?" Zangya repeated, looking up at the ripped teen in surprise. "Really? That seems a little bit out of left field."
"Yeah. I had three to choose from and this one seemed like the most appropriate choice. Since boxing wouldn't exactly be fair on the other kids and because I'm already technically proficient at using tools and such thanks to my job, I thought I'd try out something a little more recreational. Who knows… it might even take me somewhere after I graduate."
Hearing what he had to say on the matter, the Hera smirked. "You being in a club focusing on any kind of physical activity wouldn't be fair on anyone. Period."
A chuckle of amusement came from the boy as he tentatively scratched his nose. "I know. But hey, at least I'm participating. I'll make sure to slow up for the other students and give them a chance to show their stuff. Make it more exciting for everyone." Gathering up his towel from the floor, he then began moving towards the orange haired girl, who sucked in a breath of air when he got real close.
However, unlike what Zangya was expecting from the moment, the boy then walked right past her, drawing her gaze around and to his back.
When the boy stopped, he glanced over his shoulder. "Now that I think about it, I might put my name down for the automotive club as well." He then saluted the girl and proceeded towards the door. "I'll see you after school, Zangya."
"Y-Yeah… see yah…" the girl murmured as her eyes strayed down to his backside, which was perfectly showcased in the tight swim trunks he was proudly sporting. Watching it as he ambled away from her at a casual pace caused Zangya's face to heat up some more as some very erotic thoughts started to worm their way into her subconscious.
So entranced by the sight of Gohan's toned ass, the Hera was unable to sense the presence of a familiar figure landing nearby. It was only until they spoke up several seconds later that her pilot light finally switched back on.
"What are you doing?"
Startled, Zangya spun around to see Paprika standing nearby with her arms crossed and a deadpanned expression fixed squarely upon her. When the blue-skinned fighter realized that their group's informal member had been standing there and watching her actions closely, the fighter's cheeks turned red and her mind fell into a panic.
"W-What? N-Nothing! Nothing! I'm not doing anything."
Unconvinced by the woman's stutter, the white haired Makyan raised an eyebrow. "It didn't look like you were doing nothing."
Gritting her teeth in frustration, the orange haired martial artist turned heel and marched towards the tub. "Look, I don't know how long you've been eavesdropping on our conversation, but I could care less about what you think I was doing. So just drop it, okay?" Grabbing her towel, the woman tossed it to the ground and proceeded to hastily undo the tie of her robe.
Watching the fuming Hera stomp towards the barrel and hearing her heated reply drew a grunt from the ever stoic Paprika. "Hmph. Whatever." She then watched the shapely fighter drop her bathrobe, leaving her standing nude in the morning air to stretch and flex her muscles. "Goten said he wanted me to come over and play today. Do you know where he is?"
Not even bothering to turn around, the naked Z-fighter pointed over her shoulder towards the building. "He's inside having breakfast with Chi-Chi."
"Ah." Acknowledging her directions, the scarf-wearing girl swiveled about and followed the same path Gohan had taken. "Thanks." It was just as she arrived at the steps of the building's front door the Makyan then heard the telltale splash of Zangya jumping into the barrel.
Breathing out a long sigh when she resurfaced, the Hera ran her hands through her hair and stretched. Her body quickly adjusting to the temperature, she then began to rub down her skin with her delicate hands, a chore that allowed her a moment of silence and a chance to meditate over her rampaging thoughts. Settling in, she hoped the hot water would settle her tempest of emotions and quell the fire burning in her chest.
But as the seconds ticked by, more and more explicit images of Gohan's half-naked form began to bleed into her mind, causing her stomach to tighten up and her face to get even hotter.
Whether it was the water or her own body's natural chemistry acting on its own accord Zangya didn't even know anymore. All she knew was that she was starting to feel really strange and, after wrapping her arms securely around her body and feeling her thighs press together, she attempted to drown her thoughts by submerging herself completely into the pot.
With only the top half of her head bobbing about on the surface, the Hera blew out a stream of bubbles in an exasperated manner.
"Damn it. Now I need a cold bath…"
As soon as she was done scrubbing down, the woman got out, wandered over to the nearby river, and jumped straight into it. She came back seconds later feeling like a million zeni…
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