A/N: I love this! I'm getting hooked on the story as well, and am very excited about where it will go. If you have suggestions, questions, critiques, or praise...please LET ME KNOWW! review review review :) gotta love it.

Chapter 4

Leaving the Lookout

Bulma Briefs landed her jet atop the lookout before the meal was fully finished. Gohan was still scarfing down food, while Videl slowly picked at hers. Nerves bounced around inside her muscles as she anticipated her leave from the phenomenal heights the the lookout held. Her thoughts ran rampant in her mind as she tried maliciously to capture them and toss them aside. Being okay was all that really mattered to her. If she appeared to be strong and okay on the outside, as if she could handle anything then everyone would believe she really could. No one would know her true internal battle within herself. She would choose who she was perceived to be.

"Wow, that's Mr. Satan's daughter?" Bulma looked at the girl from a distance as she spoke with the elder Namekian.

"Yeah, that's her."

"She looks so calm. And Gohan is pulverizing that food like a monster and she seems completely unphased!"

"She's been like this since she woke up. We can all sense her internal struggles, but she never shows a hint of them on the surface. It's truely incredible." Yes, the men had all been sensing her fight within ash they felt spikes in her energy from what they perceived to be nervousness or anytime she was startled. The girl's facade was remarkable though. If someone taught her how to control her energy and she gained some real power, she would be a real threat, in all honesty.

Her energy, Piccolo thought. He'd only retrieved her from the Cell Games because of her energy. Something about it was more than the ordinary, special really. And as she spent more time on the lookout, under close observation Piccolo decided she had extreme potential. He was right about her energy being like Gohan's. He had no idea whether or not she had any fighting abilities, but her energy did have something far into it's depths, something electric feeling. It was a spark that felt inspiring, like she was unstoppable. Yet Piccolo could feel her energy and sense the truth, she was only mildly stronger than any average human her age. She was far from unstoppable he thought, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to keep an eye on her.

"Wow, she's a tough one huh? And her and Gohan? Ehh?"

Piccolo looked away in a loss of patience for her earth woman suggestions but replied nonetheless. "Yes, they've spent all their time together and are very adorable, I know, I know."

"Wow! This is incredible, Piccolo!"

"Yeah, yeah. Are you ready to take her to her father?"

"I guess. What am I supposed to say? They're going to interview me about this, Piccolo. The earth has alot of press and with her being the daughter of Hercule, the 'hero' of the Cell Games in a 'desperate' search for his lost daughter, I'm going to be put under alot of heat!"

Piccolo thought for a moment and soon formed an idea to fit Bulma's need for an ease of her fears. As he explained his plan to her, Gohan and Videl were finishing eating and Videl asked Gohan who the blue haired woman speaking to Piccolo was.

"That's Bulma. She can be a lot to handle sometimes, but she's very nice."

"Why did she get picked to take me home?"

"Because Bulma and her father run Capsule Corporation."

"What is that?"

"Capsule Corp. is some big company that makes Bulma and her family rich. They have a huge house with labs and stuff in it."

"Oh, that's pretty cool. Do we get to go see?"

"Sure! I'll just ask Bulma if we can go to her house before we drop you off!"

"There won't be a 'we' dropping her off, kid." Piccolo and Bulma had approached the young ones as they finished their conversation and were now ready to leave.

"What do you mean Piccolo?"

"I mean that Bulma is going to take Videl home alone. I'm taking you home to Chichi."

"What? But I wanted to go! She's my friend and she doesn't know anybody but me!"

"I know, Gohan. But it has to be this way. I promise this is all for a reason, kiddo." Bulma spoke up from next to Piccolo. "Alright Videl, my name is Bulma. Are you ready to go?"

Videl looked at Gohan who wore his emotions on his face as she masked hers away. His sadness filled her own heart as she watched his face, so she looked away from him. "Yes, I'm ready." She stood from her place at the table and walked away with Bulma towards the Capsule Corp jet. Gohan rose quickly and grabbed her arm to stop her. She jerked her face around to look at him, startled.

"Bye, Videl. I'll come and visit you, okay?"

Videl grinned, quietly. She nodded her head and turned back to Bulma. Videl felt her anxiety bublling sporatically in her chest, but she felt at peace. She felt like this was supposed to be happening.

Gohan watched them enter the jet and fly away much slowed than he could fly on his own. Piccolo nudged him and took to the skies, leaving no words behind him. Gohan understood his old master and flew after him, concern on his face. He felt an emptiness for a moment, a lack of satisfaction which was a feeling so foreign to him. She quickly became his best friend, and only friend his own age, and now she was gone. He worried about how she was going to go home to her goof of a father not having a single memory of him. She was so strong, but so helpless. Gohan was supposed to be helping her, and learning from her. She was everything he wasn't. And now he was flying behind his green, alien teacher following him to his own home in the wilderness in a completely opposite direction from where Bulma had taken his new friend.

"Gohan, I don't want you to visit Videl."

"What? Why Piccolo?" Anger had struck him first, but he quickly threw that emotion away and held to his confusion. She needed him, how else would she learn any new things? She didn't trust anyone else! They were all the enemy until Gohan told her otherwise.

"Her father is supposed to be the man who saved the world by defeating Cell and his daughter has no memory of anything except you, Gohan, the one who actually killed Cell. Do you see how problems will surface quickly? We need her transition to go smoothly. Once Hercule realizes she has memory loss and confusion she will be taken to a hospital and they will start treating her to return back to normal, which she will do eventually. You would only disturb her progress. It's best if you stay away from her, Gohan. It's best if she forgets you completely."

Gohan refused to even look at his mentor. He was trying to process everything he'd said. He was trying to understand... But he didn't see it as a closed door. He had options. He could obey, or disobey. And he could disobey openly, or quietly. Though he knew that Piccolo was staying with Dende and Mr. Popo, whom they hadn't even said goodbye to, and would be keeping guard over both his and Videl's lives. They were both in for major transitions upon their homecomings. But Gohan couldn't just leave Videl to go through all of this alone. And with his own father gone, maybe this new friend was what he needed. He couldn't just never see her again, could he?

But it wasn't like Gohan to disobey Piccolo. He was his first teacher, and his father's friend. They trained him together. He obeyed both of them down to the 't'. And if Piccolo was saying that staying away would be better for her, than maybe it was...

But that would be letting her be brainwashed into the lie that everyone else was believing of Hercule. Videl already knew the truth, why couldn't she just keep it? Since when did the truth need to be a secret thing?

Since it was necessary for protection, Gohan thought to himself a thought much like something his father would answer him. The people's safety would always come first. But was Videl really in harm's way?

Gohan had no idea what to do, what was the right decision? He could easily obey Piccolo, but there was something deep within himself, something that sparked some energy from his most inner being that wanted to fight for something else. He couldn't just leave his friend? He was all she had. But he wanted to do what was best for her.

Gohan just couldn't tell what was the right thing to do.