A/N: Here's the next chapter. I know that my update schedule is inconsistent on how many days between chapters, and I apologize for that. I wanted to get this up sooner; this week wasn't quite midterms, but it was the first week of major tests/papers/projects being due so the couple extra scenes I wanted to add in and the final edit took longer than I thought.
Since Videl searched for the dragon balls in Chances, there was more time in between before Goku caught up with them, and that's where this chapter starts. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Nada, nope! Not mine.
Videl stood next to Mr. Satan, with her heart caught in her throat. She swallowed and forced it down as she reviewed of her decision to come here. They had wished the people who died at the tournament back, leaving the other wishes for later, and were planning to go to the Lookout for news. At the very least, Dende, with his view of the world, will be clued in on what's going on. The rest of the group had suggested that she come with them. She declined, saying there was more she had to do first.
"Are you sure about this, sweetie?" Hercule asked. They were about to go in for a front of a press conference about what happened, and Videl offered (or rather forced herself) to do it.
The last year had reinforced one thing that she valued for her whole life: honesty. Misunderstandings and skirting around the truth bred fear and mistrust. The world did not know who Cell was, didn't up to this day. Videl understood why the Z Fighters wanted their privacy over their involvement and to protect the world from its darkest corners. However, she also remembered being terrified of the menacing Cell, before the bio android made his announcement for the Cell Games. She was frightened of the unknown of the monster and people disappearing in his wake more so than the tournament and the so-called perfect being that held it.
Videl could not allow the people to be in the dark like that again. She smiled at her father and bowed her head. "I'm sure." She could not fight as well as the others, as much as that damaged her pride, but she was a hero. Videl Satan could reassure the masses, despite how her father and the Z Fighters thought it was a bad idea.
Who knows, they may be right and this will cause a mass panic. Majin Buu could be defeated before he caused a disaster. This whole thing could be pointless. Nonetheless, she had to do something.
The worried crowd teetered on their seats, with several reporters with stiff postures or anxious eyes. There were no hungry eyes that she was used to with the paparazzi; it was unnerving. She believed, as a somewhat happy after thought, that if they were honest now there won't be any more blackmailers.
She ignored the notifications on her phone. One was from Krillin, which sent relief through her that her master was alive. A couple were from Bulma, and one from Chi Chi. She guessed all of them had met up at the Lookout. No matter the initial relief, dread coursed through her veins and she refused to glance at them before she went out to the crowd. None of them were from Gohan. Videl had to keep her resolve to do this, prior to having a reason to break down.
Letting her father answer questions about the tournament, she held back and denied giving any miscellaneous answers to questions directed toward her. A lot of the reporters clung to cheerier and juicier topics, like her new skills and flying at the tournament. She also refused to give names, from principle and out of respect for Bulma and Gohan.
She stayed to these self-imposed rules on what she would and wouldn't say. She knew that much. The young woman could not recall what she said once her father passed the duty for her to speak.
Why was she doing this? She had no news besides the word of another on what Buu even was. That was hardly enough for her detective brain, and she wished to share? This was a bad idea; she should have checked her messages to have a slightest hint of what to say. Videl cast her concerns aside as her voice spoke into the mic. It was soft, and through the haze of her mind she could recount two specific phrases she said in the five-minute briefing.
"Majin Buu is an otherworldly being whose influence had interceded at the World Tournament," and "There are fighters out there who I am confident will resolve the issue, and another miracle could happen and bring back any losses that occur." To her regret, she let Mr. Satan calm the crowd and be thrown to the wolves to state he was one of the fighters, as terrified as he was.
"O-of course!"
Videl's head remained cloudy as she stepped away from the antsy crowd. Hopefully, this was not a mistake. It will not cause a mass panic. She hardly had time to comprehend her recent actions when they were met out back by Son Goku.
The former world champion appeared in top health, no wounds present. Despite this, Videl guessed he was in a major fight as his gi was more tattered than hers. His face was what stopped her in her tracks though. It was drawn with worry, brows creased together and lips pressed into a thin lie. For as little time she had known him, and with every one's stories on the dead fighter, she knew whenever he was visibly stressed or angry it was not a good sign. Her heart stopped. "Go-" She couldn't ask.
Mr. Satan was intent at first to confront the man on what happened; however, her father clamped up, speechless on what to say. Goku smiled at her.
"Hey. Everyone said they want you up at the Lookout. My Instant Transmission can get us there in a second, so I came by to pick you up." He was avoiding lying to her. Videl ran her sweaty hands on her pants. She agreed she would meet everyone again after she was done. There was nothing wrong here.
She nodded to Goku then turned to her father. She took his hand and offered a squeeze. "I'll see you soon, Daddy." There was so much more to say, but her throat refused to deliver more words. It already met the quota for stress-inducing speech today.
X_X
"Goku, what were you thinking?"
Videl did not think she could voice her resentment for possibly not seeing Gohan again to the boy's father. The father-son pair had been through so much, and whatever she said would have came out as shallow on her ears. For this, she had no idea how to process her immediate grief.
Bulma, as it turned out, had no such qualms. His oldest friend stormed up to the Saiyan and grabbed his gi. "Tell me, what were you doing?" The older woman had tears trailing down her face, and it did nothing to lighten up her glare. Videl assumed Goku, or Piccolo and Krillin, had already delivered the news before she arrived, as everyone was distraught, with Bulma and Chi Chi in tears. Bulma scowled and crossed her arms. It seemed she recovered enough to get answers from her friend.
He rubbed the back of his head and took an abashed step back. "Well, I was fighting Vegeta. But then he knocked me out. It was a real sneaky move, honestly." He put his hands up placentally as Bulma continued to glare. Videl could see the gears turning in his head, as he tried to find a way to explain. In the hollow feeling in her stomach, a speck of curiosity was able to form.
"He wanted to do it alone. And you know how he is, nothing would have changed his mind afterward." He placed his hands on Bulma's shoulders and managed a lopsided grin. "There was nothing we could have done. In the end, he went out how he wanted."
She pulled away and rubbed her tears. "You are hopeless at comforting people, Son Goku." She sighed heavily, the tension slowly leaving her shoulders. "You Saiyans are such idiots."
Goku was about to make a comment on them all being gone now, since he was dead, but stopped himself as Bulma walked away in a huff. That was probably for the best. He turned to Chi Chi. The usual cheerful fighter was speechless. He rubbed the back of his head, this time much more self-conscious. "I'm sorry, Chi."
Videl wanted to be with the couple, cry over losing Gohan, but the restlessness in her heart would not allow her to. She internally screamed at the heavens, yet her mouth would not move. Why did her heart not want to express the loss?
Maybe because then she would have to admit that it was real.
Scrubbing her face, she walked to the edge of the Lookout. Dende was several yards away, staring down at the earth, and having no wish to speak to or disrupt the guardian, she turned her trajectory to different spot. Videl sat at the edge and gazed to the direction where she said goodbye.
X_X
Gohan should get going if he was to catch up with his father and the others. As the wind tugged at their clothes, that was on the back of their minds. Videl refused to admit how the flight had already tired her out, since she already conceded to turning back in the first place. Instead, she squeezed Gohan's hands lightly, "You have to play the hero, nerd."
"Heh, heh. I guess." Gohan chuckled weakly and pulled her into a hug. She was surprised, out of the two of them, she was more apt to initiate physical contact. She always had rolled her eyes that her boyfriend would be afraid to break her in half or something equally outrageous. She trusted Gohan and leaned into the embrace. "I-"
She placed a finger on her lips and shook her head. "It's fine, Gohan. Go kick his ass. I'll be here when you return." He grinned, and she leaned forward and kissed him gently. "I'll let everyone in on what's going on. You do you, hero."
She flew back a couple feet and they smiled at each other. The goofy grin on his face imprinted on her mind, before he turned around and sped off to where Kibito was waiting.
"Good luck, Gohan."
X_X
Videl wondered if she had done her goodbye wrong. One, she had already proved a failure for today. While she did tell the boys and everyone else, it amounted to nothing. She glanced behind her. Goku wanted to train the boys until he had to go back to the Other World. She wasn't sure if anything would be enough, yet she admitted she had trouble paying attention when they talked about it.
Did she do anything else wrong? She was worried that Gohan had wanted to say 'I love you,' and Videl did not want that weight on her as he went off to save the world. They never stated it in such clear terms, and she conceded that it would have been best if he got it off his chest. She could have taken that burden if she had known he wouldn't come back.
She was selfish. No news of riots breaking out over her announcement about Majin Buu at the press conference, but that was bound to happen too. As she gazed down on the earth leagues below her, a couple tears dropped from her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she wiped them away. Damn it, Gohan couldn't be dead.
"Uh, Videl." She glanced up to see her master standing there. For a person who died a couple times, Krillin seemed torn up about surviving. It was a tough pill to swallow when they couldn't do anything. She pulled her legs up and turned to sit in front of him. If this was any other day, it would appear like she was ready for whatever the day's training entailed.
"Goku is going to try and teach the boys a fusion technique. If you want to watch it, um, may help."
X_X
Trunks felt numb. His dad was dead- except he was sure that was impossible. No one could beat him. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to contain his emotions with little luck. Goten was having worse luck at it, as his best friend bawled over the loss of his brother next to him. The older boy wished he would shut up. The sound of his friend's tears just cemented the reality even more, and Trunks did not want to acknowledge it.
He sniffed and rubbed his nose. He needed a tissue. What he really needed was for his father to tell him to suck it up. That wouldn't happen though, so a tissue would be nice.
"Snap out of it, you two!" Goku stood over the two, his lips downturned to a frown. "You can deal with the grief later. Right now, you need to help finish what they started to save the world."
The dead Saiyan tried to shepherd them out of the room with the help of Mr. Popo. Through his blurry vision, Trunks managed to glare at the taller male. He grew up with mixed opinions over Son Goku – Kakarot – but even with his father's disdain, it was clear he was worth someone to be claimed as a worthy adversary. He couldn't get the hype, not when Dad and Gohan were dead.
However, it was what his father would have wanted him to do, not waste time on tears, so he followed the older Saiyan anyway.
Once they were a few minutes into training though both boys refused to yield. It didn't help that they had to do that ridiculous fusion dance (Gohan would probably say yes to it), but that was not the reason they shared a look and then crossed their arms as they glared at the Saiyan.
"Hm? What's wrong?" Goku was confused. Most times, with Gohan or the others, they liked listening to his input, for the most part.
"Why should we listen to you?" Trunks spoke up, with Goten nodding beside him. "You weren't there to help Dad or Gohan. What were you doing?"
Goku was stuck with the question again, and he rather not be. He didn't appreciate being knocked out either. He could not lie to the boys, not when he had to get this through to them by the time he left. "I was sort of unconscious the whole time." For whatever reason, he did not want to ruin the kids' impressions – especially Trunks' – of Vegeta and say his rival did it. With Bulma it was easy – because they both knew how the Saiyan Prince could act already – but speaking the truth would likely turn them against him.
Nonetheless, just wow, the lack of context did make the words sound weak on his tongue.
Trunks stared at Goten, and the two focused back on Goku, neither relenting. Goten's lips trembled as he managed to speak up for the first time since he was told Gohan was dead. "You're a coward, Dad."
Piccolo was about to speak up to defend him when Goku interrupted him. "You're right. I should have done better. However, even this coward could help you learn this technique so you can stop Buu." Before he could have the chance to further convince the two, Babadi's voice echoed in the heads of all the denizens of earth.
Then the situation the earth faced went from bad to worse.
X_X
The only thing that made the dead Saiyan tired was going Super Saiyan 3. Also, that fight with Vegeta. That exhausted Goku out, and that was part of the reason why he held back the transformation when the Saiyan Prince wanted an all-out battle. They'll never get the chance to have a fight where the stakes weren't life and death, and that saddened him. He was really looking forward to their fight today. Under different circumstances, he would have enjoyed it more. As it was, it was still a good test of his skills (and patience) fighting his angry rival.
The second reason why he did not go SSJ3 was simply because it tired him out so much. On top of that, it was never this bad. Having a physical body in this plane again was more taxing than he remembered. He could feel his time slipping away as he ascended and his hair grew longer. He did it though. And he did it again when Trunks and Goten begged him to show them.
Nevertheless, whatever lack of trust they had in him seemed to disappear as they stared at him at awe. Piccolo chuckled in amusement when he noticed the change of demeanor in the boys. It switched to concern as he stared at his friend. "Goku, you all right?"
'No, not really,' he mused. He was breathing heavily, and moving his muscles caused them to ache in protest. The last time he felt this way, and not due to injuries from a fight, was when he was dying of heart failure. That was a great train of thought to go down. "I'll be fine. It takes a lot of me, is all. I've only done it in the Other World before." Bonus, the next time he could probably cut the transformation time even more. The practice was making it easier.
"Are you boys ready?" He crossed his arms. He could not pull off a strict atmosphere as much as Vegeta, or Piccolo, or Chi Chi for that matter, but nonetheless the pair snapped to attention. "I don't have much time, so let's get started."
They went unhindered on their training for a bit, until Baba came and told him he only had twenty minutes left. "What? Is there any way I can stay longer? Please?" Dang, those transformations took more out of him than he would admit. As he looked at Trunks and Goten, he hoped he didn't make a mistake not defeating Buu there. His acute ki sensing abilities picked up whenever a new city was wiped out. He was assured that the pink fighter will keep to his curiosity and wait the time allotted before he blew up the planet, and the little ones could fight him.
"I'm sorry, Goku. You should prepare your goodbyes."
X_X
Goten at first did not know what to think of his father. On one hand, he was everything Mom and big brother told him. On the other, he let Uncle and big brother die. By the end of the Goku's time back on earth, the small child had learned to look up to him. One who he wished was in his life longer.
His father was currently saying goodbye to Bulma and his friends, while Goten held back with Chi Chi. If they shared one thing in common, it was that both father and son liked the simple things in life. Goten was not complicated, he liked to be happy, and see others happy around him. Thus, being with his father for half this day had thrown his typical sensibilities into a loop, with all the losses making it worse.
His eyes prickled when he felt tears start to well up. He would not cry. He saw Trunks cry when he was with Vegeta, but now he understood his friend's distaste in showing them. His father was super strong – that much was clear – and he did not want to shed tears in front of him.
"Hey Goten," Goku smiled, having said goodbye to his friends and walking over to his family. Mom had silent tears on her cheeks, yet she handled it like an adult. Goten was clueless what to do. He took a step forward, and then he looked away, abashed.
"Do you want to give your father a hug?" Chi Chi asked, as if she could read his mind. Moms could do that. He nodded, thinking of Vegeta hugging Trunks goodbye. That was nice. Goku quirked his lips up and bent down so he was eye-level with his youngest. Lunging in his father's arms, he clung to his chest desperately. Goten sniffled as Goku rubbed his head comfortably.
"Grow up nice and strong, Goten. I don't want you have to meet me in the Other World soon. You can do this." The seven-year-old nodded.
The older fighter faced Chi Chi, and for far too many times in their marriage, he apologized. "I'm sorry, Chi. I'll make sure to tell Gohan that you guys love him."
"Um," he glanced over at Videl, who met his eyes confidently. She had spent the last couple hours debating in her heart what she was feeling. It was odd, and at first, she attributed it to denial, however she could not convince herself or be upset with Gohan's death. "I'm sure Gohan's alive."
Goku blinked, and Chi Chi had a face crossed with hope and frustration that it could all be for nothing. Videl was confident. Her heart kept steady that such an important part of her life was not suddenly cut out. She placed a hand over her chest and grinned. "I know."
He grinned and placed Goten back down gently. The child stared up at her with confused and pleading eyes. "It'll be great if Gohan was alive." Goku replied, eyes lighting up. Hugging Chi Chi, he turned back to her. "I'll keep hoping. And if not, I'll say hi for you." Videl returned the gesture with a sheepish smile.
The dead Saiyan leaned closer and his eyes flickered briefly over to Krillin. "Don't let him get lazy and look after him. Good luck with your training." He waved and walked over to Baba.
As the two started to fade and rise in the air, Goku raised his hand in a final farewell. "Take care, everyone. See you when you die!"
Her master facepalmed. "Goku…" Krillin laughed feebly at his best friend's strange outlook and optimism.
X_X
Mr. Satan had gone through a lot in his life. Losing his wife, facing Cell, learning the guy that beat Cell was his daughter's boyfriend: all of those shook his life to its core. He remained alive through it all, and if he could he will muster up that Satan charm and luck that did him well so far.
This was a separate thing entirely. Well, it could equate to the Cell part. He had to face Majin Buu because the people of the earth depended on him to. If he was truthful he knew it would do little. He would stay in his secured bunker and see if Videl's new friends can do it.
No, he conceded. That was the coward's way out, and the people needed him to step up. He was a hero, and he needed to act like it. While he was not worrying or calling his daughter to make sure she was all right (she was, up in a place called the Lookout as the mysterious fighters prepared to fight Buu), Hercule was thinking of his own confrontation.
What could he do if the strongest beings on earth needed more time to prepare to even try?
He had no more time to prepare as the security officers and reporters made their retreat outside Buu's home. It was oddly shaped, but otherwise seemed normal. There were rumors it was made of people, yet he took some credence from his daughter's lifestyle (despite his own) and did not believe them at face value. He was the guy that denied ki as tricks for the majority of his life.
Hercule needed to do this. Videl did her part, as the world could at the very least comprehend what was going on with her words, and his daughter had faith in her fighter friends that they would do theirs. His job was to act as a hero, be a hero, for the people of Earth. Most importantly, for his daughter. She had faith in him, even if she would think he was crazy for attempting to approach Buu at his strength.
Blank gaze to where his company fled, he sighed. Maybe it was best that this didn't get televised. All he had to do was face Buu. And then, well, he could die a hero.
He walked up and made a fool of himself. The good part was that Buu was not home. Now, the best thing to do was to- nope, he was clueless.
X_X
"Does Mr. Buu like video games?"
…
"My daughter says I make a mean omelet!"
"Mm. Hmm. What's a daughter?"
"Um, she- she's like a little me. But a whole lot tougher."
…
"Why do you need to make candy out of people?"
X_X
"I cannot believe it." Piccolo sounded baffled as he stared down at the Earth. Dende was next to him, equally confused. He tapped his staff and tilted his head to the side. The Guardian of Earth spent most of the last day trying to find Gohan, if he was alive. Ever since Videl had mentioned it, Dende searched high and low for his friend. He could not bare to tell her that his ki was not on this planet, and the chances of being alive then were low.
However, that was not what had his and Piccolo's attention at the moment. As a proper guardian, Dende had kept close eyes on the rest of the Buu situation. And he was speechless.
"He became friends with Buu."
The two shared a glance. They were left out to dry on how to comprehend this. Goku had a habit of making friends with his enemies, but this was a whole other level of bizarre. Piccolo was not friends with Goku practically overnight. That was years of begrudged respect and cooperation, and Gohan's influence, that led to that conclusion.
Mr. Satan and Buu were strange.
"What's going on?" Videl walked over to them and handed Dende a water bottle. She was sure that the two were stressed, and even if they didn't eat, she could offer a refresher in water. Dende had the whole earth to worry about, and Piccolo had to wait until Gotenks returned (she was sure it was over a half hour by now).
Piccolo had no idea how to answer her. The months since he met her, he respected her attention to detail and what she did for Gohan. He wasn't attuned to human relationships, yet his old student was happy, and that made his fatherly instincts happy. He could not say he had the same respect for Hercule Satan. He smirked. "Your father thought it would be a good idea to become friends with Buu." Videl clapped her hands to her mouth.
"Is he all right?"
The Namekian nodded. "He's fine." Watching over the Earth, he went on. "All we imagined was to fight him. But your father showed him kindness and deescalated his encounter that way." He shook his head. "I can't see how he did it, but Mr. Satan is a hero. In his own way."
Videl frowned and clasped her hands at her sides. Eyes on the planet below, she muttered softly. "Be careful, Dad."
X_X
Hercule Satan watched as his new friend – Majin Buu of all people – blew his top. Literally. He thought that he had made progress. He was a people person, and he made Buu see the light and not kill people anymore. It was a miracle, and for all his bravado, he had a hard time believing in miracles.
That all went out the window. With the healed pup at his side, he stepped forward and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Buu-"
He could not go on. The face, that was exuding steam at unnatural rates, turned to glare at him. "RUN!" He stutter-stepped away, grasping his head. "I… can't."
Glancing at his canine companion, they both focused on Buu and then scampered for cover.
He watched in horror as a second Buu formed, his over-realistic brain coming to a dead stop. That…? What happened to his friend? His mind went through sludge as it tried to guess what else could go wrong. He needed to reason with this Buu too, that's all! He was Hercule Satan! It did not matter that this, this version seemed eviler, more malicious.
There was no chance to, as he stood up to confront him, his Buu was beaten back and then eaten. When the new Buu met his eyes, Mr. Satan stood frozen in fear. The creature only laughed maniacally and flew off.
X_X
Meanwhile, before his father joined him, Gohan arrived at the Supreme Kai's world, healed from his injuries and having no idea what was going on. He would do whatever he could to save his planet, as weird as any solutions sounded.
He bent down and tapped the hilt of the sword lightly. It seemed normal. He stared up to Supreme Kai and Kibito. "So, I just have to pull this out?"
A/N: Woo! This chapter wasn't all over the place as the last one, thankfully. There is a bit of backtracking in the next chapter, as the beginning scenes take place before Mr. Satan's and Buu's friendship and then once Super Buu appears it jumps back ahead. I debated about it and establishing their bromance makes more sense in this chapter as compared to the direction the next chapter takes.
Despite having over a couple hundred episodes for reference, Goku is still one of the harder characters for me to get right. His actions line up with what goes by canon at this point, and I hope I explained what I believe to be his reasoning all right.
And the only Saiyans left on earth at this point are two boys with the combined age of fifteen. Dende have mercy on the planet's souls.
Review Responses:
ValdieWhittaker123: Heh, heh, eh... Yeah, the last chapter was meant to be a rollercoaster :|. I'm happy how it turned out, but darn it all that was rough to write. Thank you! The majority, besides the first chapter, I wrote a couple months after I finished Chances, and it was difficult to get into Videl's head again from where she was at the end of the last story. Good to know I'm still doing a good job at it.
SaiyanPrince541 (for chapter 1): Thanks! The two little tricksters are the best. There are a couple small changes, but the big changes haven't come in yet. I don't know if that's the best course of action, but we'll see! I have fun stuff planned, but the general groundwork for the Buu Saga needs to remain the same beforehand.
