Chapter 6 – Who is Gohan?
Videl could feel a slight tingling on her palms as she attempted to block out her emotions and focus on the task at hand. Her palms begun to slowly warm as she was building a concentration of energy. In order to bring out her ki, She had to dig deep within her body, which was, once again, an incredibly challenging feat for her, and nothing like she'd trained for before.
Suddenly, there was an increase of wind surrounding her. She could feel the channel of energy from inside the outside of her body connect, and suddenly she formed a small ball of pure ki within the palms of her hand. She gasped in amazement and the unfamiliarity of it.
"Great. Now continue to build it up and when you are ready, push it away," the calm determined voice Tien explained.
She closed her eyes once more building the energy within her palms. Then, there was a reaching point when she felt like there was enough energy thus she released the ball of ki into the air. It pushed away from her body forcing her back a little and then a ball of energy dissipated not far from where she stood.
She had to catch her breath because she wasn't expecting all this ki stuff to be so exhausting. She was slightly disappointed at the size and power of her blast yet she was glad she finally succeeded in releasing it.
"Good. It's okay to be tired. You'll get used to it eventually," said Tien as he landed on the ground next to her.
Videl meekly smiled at the compliment of her master. So, that's how the people at the Cell games fired those explosions. They are really energy within your own body, she thought. After all those years of being fed lies that the ki manipulating technique was merely a trick, it was nice to feel how real it was, even if it was tiny in comparison to those ki blasts at the Cell Games.
"How long will it take for me be as strong as those at the Cell Games?" asked Videl.
"A very long time," responded Tien.
Her eyes narrowed. How was it that a child much younger than her could become so strong in ki manipulation so quickly? Heck, even Son Goku was just a little kid when he toppled some of the world's best fighters at the tournaments using ki manipulation.
"But Son Goku was just a kid!" argued Videl.
"Goku was very special. He was unlike any other human in existence," explained Tien.
Videl remembered back to the grainy videos of the earlier tournaments when Goku competed. She remembered the one thing differentiating him from the rest was a tail. She didn't think much of it, but now that she considers about it, the tail is quite bizarre. Was it possible that Goku wasn't a human? Because really, humans don't have tails. She would really appreciate some clarity on that, and the only way to find out was from her master. Usually, she wouldn't ask something so stupid, but given the circumstances of the last few months, she had heard crazier things. She had to be careful not to push Tien too far.
"Was Goku human?"
She looked closely at her master and noticed that Tien was a bit surprised by the question yet he remained quiet. Was this not a subject she was allowed to approach? Her desire for the truth drove her to push Tien on the subject.
"Well," Tien hesitated. He had already said that there were aliens called Saiyans that went after the dragon balls many years back. Videl already knew a lot, so would a little more clarity be appropriate? Tien could see the potential in Videl. She was determined yet acted selflessly. She deserved to know a bit more.
"No, he was not human. Goku was a Saiyan sent to this planet to destroy it; however, he chose not to."
Videl didn't want to believe such an absurd story, but she has learned to open her mind to things she couldn't understand. She opened her mind up to the fact her father didn't defeat Cell. She opened her mind up that those tricks were not really tricks and she was now living proof of that.
"…Okay, but where do you fit in all this? You knew Goku, right?" Videl asked confused on the whole subject. Every time she learned something new, more questions arose.
Tien cleared his throat. "Well, believe it or not, I was trying to kill Goku when I first met him. Goku trained under Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit School, while I was trained under the Crane School. The Crane school was harsh and lead by an immoral yet powerful person. A while later, I found Goku at the World Martial Arts Tournament, and after I learned that he killed my master's brother who was an evil mercenary, I was determined to destroy him. However, Goku showed compassion and love, and somehow changed me."
Videl was shocked to hear of her master's confession. She realized she hardly knew her master at all based on this story. Tien didn't seem like the type to do wrong; however, she was suddenly questioning that now. She had to remind herself that people can and do change.
Tien felt the need to continue judging by Videl's reaction. "I'm not some saint. But ever since meeting Goku, I have done everything I could to live selflessly."
Videl had always been aware of Son Goku and also Tien Shinhan and the evil Piccolo who she thought somehow fit in this whole thing, but never understood how incredible Son Goku was. It's a shame her father insulted someone so great. Yet the entire group of silent warriors at the Cell Games seemed to have tainted pasts? Videl frowned at the thought of that.
"So the Delivery Boy and Goku save the world and my father takes credit. What about the rest of that group? Are you saying some of them are bad guys?"
"No. Most have a bad past, but people can change and do well. Someday, you'll understand. That's enough for now. It's time to get back to your training," said Tien while Videl pouted.
The training continued until Videl was too exhausted. Tien had instructed her to practice her ki blasts (albeit slowly) and sensing ability on her own time before they meet again. Videl left her training session with more questions than answers. How can people that have done harm want to save the world from Cell? How does one person change the evil bent track of others?
One day at a time, thought Videl as she entered her classroom. She looked up toward the seating area where her friends, Sharpner, Erasa, and Gohan sat. All three arrived at school earlier than normal, probably to start on a good note for the first day of the new week.
Life at home was a challenge for her because while she wanted to keep some distance from her father, it pained her to know he was lying directly to her face at all times. She didn't know how much longer she could hold out because her father was all she had left. She was also thankful for her friends, Erasa, Sharpner, and unexpectedly, Son Gohan.
Walking toward her desk, her bubbly friend Erasa was the first to greet her.
"Videl! Girl, we have to hang out next weekend. You're always gone, and your phone is off! What gives?" said Erasa as Videl put down her bag and sat down. It was true. For the past few months, she had trained vigorously with Tien, trying to learn ki manipulation.
Videl smiled. "Sorry, Erasa. Life's been crazy for me. Let's definitely plan something for this weekend!"
"Good morning Videl," said Gohan in his cheery voice.
"Gohan," said Videl as her eyes narrowed.
Gohan's eyes blinked. Oh man, what did I do now, he thought.
Gohan. The boy who showed up a few months ago and somehow got in their tight-knit friend circle. Erasa adored Gohan. Sharpner tolerated him at first but now seemed to have forged a friendship with him. However, Videl was struggling with him not because he wasn't a good person, no definitely not that. It was the fact that she was struggling trusting anyone at this point after finding out her life was a lie, but more so because somehow Gohan connected with her on a deep level. It was like he knew what was happening to her.
Gohan was the boy who appeared out of the blue one day at school, right after the Gold Fighter made his one random appearance. Yes, she was suspicious of the coincidence, but the Gold Fighter must have had the capability of ki manipulation. He might even be the 'Delivery Boy.' She wanted to ask Tien about the Gold Fighter, but she was afraid to dig too deep and be pushed away. Here Tien was going out of his way to train her, the daughter of a liar, who directly impacted Tien and his friends.
Also, Saiyaman appeared shortly after Gohan enrolled. That had to be a coincidence. A little country boy having the capability in ki? She now realized how stupid of an argument it was. Maybe she should let off on Gohan for good on that. The boy was mysterious and a horrible liar, but a loving, compassionate person not wanting to be friends with her because she was Videl Satan. Her father meant nothing to him, which meant something to her.
"Umm, is everything okay?" asked a concerned Gohan.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"So what's going on this weekend? Are we finally going to all hang?" asked Sharpner.
Erasa squealed. "Yeah! It's been too long!"
"Great, what should we do?" asked Sharpner.
"Videl? What do you think? Maybe we can escort you on your mysterious adventures that you've been on the past several weeks," said Erasa.
Videl frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Silly Videl. We have hardly hung out and you haven't told me why. You are obviously doing something mysterious," insinuated Erasa.
Yeah, like wander deep into forests, Gohan sarcastically thought. But really, what has she been doing all this time? Why was she out in the woods?
"I bet it's boys. All this time not having a boyfriend has caused you to secretly go after them without telling your best friend," Erasa said while smirking.
Videl's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? Don't be stupid. Of course, it's not that," she said.
"Okay then, what have you been doing this whole time?" asked Erasa.
"You know, I'm kind of curious also," Sharpner added.
Videl couldn't tell a soul. Not that she didn't want to tell her best friend what she has been struggling with and that she is training with a trickster, but she had been sworn to secrecy. No, she had to come up with something.
"I've just been taking some time off," Videl said while frowning. All these criminals lying to you and that's the best you can come up with?
"Oh come on! I know my best friend better than that. If you don't tell the truth, I'll just assume it's boys," Erasa explained.
"Pff, think whatever you want, but I assure you, it's not boys," Videl explained.
"I think we need to have some girl to girl talk so I can find out what you've really been up to," Erasa said.
That would be nice but I can't, Videl thought. "Whatever. You all could come over and watch a movie or something."
"Yeah, that might be a good idea! Or maybe, we should go to the mall," Erasa suggested.
Sharpner's eyes widened. "No! Not the mall," he yelled.
"Umm yeah, I'm with Sharpner on that one," explained Gohan.
"Ugh, all boys want to do is get dirty, train, fight, and play hard," Erasa complained.
Sharpner laughed. "Fight and Train? Gohan does that? I don't think so. No offense Gohan, but I don't think you can throw much of a punch."
"Umm," was all Gohan could muster.
"Well maybe not Gohan, but most guys and I bet Gohan could fight if he wanted to," Erasa said and winked at Gohan.
"Nerdy Gohan? I don't think so," insisted Sharpner.
Erasa looked toward Gohan. "Well? Can you fight?"
Videl intently listened for his response. While she decided to let go of the fact that Gohan jumped far higher than anyone she'd seen before, throw a ball incredibly fast, and the coincidence of the Gold Fighter, she was still curious to his response. Because of being put on the spot, Gohan became nervous. He knew he was a horrible liar and had been almost caught by Videl countless times, but he had to come up with something.
"Umm, not really," was all he could come up with.
Not really? What type of response is that, thought Videl as she rolled her eyes. She needed something more concrete than that response.
"What does that mean Gohan?" Videl asked sarcastically.
"Well, uhh."
"You wouldn't be happening to be lying Son Gohan? Well?" Videl taunted.
Erasa rolled her eyes. "Take it easy Videl. This is Gohan, the sweetest guy ever."
"Well umm, I guess living up in the mountains, we get roughed up, I mean with my little brother and all, but I wouldn't say I'm a fighter," said Gohan.
"Oh my god! You have a little brother! How old?" Erasa squealed.
"Oh, he's seven," said Gohan.
"Aww, that's awesome! I wish I had a little brother!" said Erasa.
So we learn a little something more about Gohan, Videl thought.
"Does he look like a mini you?" Erasa asked.
Gohan opened his bag and pulled out a small picture. "Here, this was a few months ago." He passed a small picture of Goten, who looked like he had just gotten out of bed wearing normal clothes.
"Oh my god! He's adorable! Why didn't you tell us about him before!" Erasa whined.
Videl caught a glimpse of the picture and was surprised. He looked like someone very familiar but couldn't place it. Yes, he looked a little like Gohan minus the crazy hair, but something about the boy screamed familiarity. Maybe her memory was just playing games with her, but she could have sworn she'd seen that boy before.
"Here you go," Erasa said while handing the photo back to Gohan.
Why does Gohan do this to me? she thought. Now his little brother was etched in her mind. As if she thought about Gohan enough, now his family was making her curious? If it hadn't been for her own issues, she'd try to figure out why there is so much familiarity with Gohan's little brother, but she had other things to be worried about.
"I think a movie sounds good," Sharpner said bringing back the conversation of what to do that weekend.
"Works for me," Videl thought. Maybe having some friends at home might be helpful for me.
"Gohan? You're coming right?" asked Erasa.
Videl was a tad peeved that Erasa would assume it was okay with her that Gohan comes but who was she fooling. She didn't really feel that way. Well not because of her own feelings but there was the concern of Gohan meeting her father. The last thing she wanted was somebody looking up to her dad and his lies.
"Umm, I guess? If it's okay with Videl," said Gohan as he looked over to her friend.
"Yeah but I can't promise dad will be okay with it," said Videl. "Anyway, our cooks can make you mounds of food."
Gohan perked up at the mention of food but had to quickly start paying attention. The teacher walked in the class, and all the kids settled down, got out their notebooks, and started taking notes. Videl pondered the conversation that she just had instead of listening to the teacher. She learned something more about Gohan and his family, which begged the next question, why does she hardly know anything about Gohan's family? More importantly, she needed to know why Gohan was so humble and compassionate. What was his secret?
After school ended, the four walked out of the front doors of Orange Star High ready to go home for the day.
"Well, see you tomorrow guys," Gohan said as he was about to walk away from everyone, find a hidden area to transform into Saiyaman, and fly off.
For some reason, more than usual, Videl wanted to know why Gohan was the way he was. Maybe he went through some life-altering event as she had. That's the only reason why he might know something was wrong with her when her two best friends failed to notice. Going out on a limb, she did something she never thought she'd do.
"Wait," said Videl as Gohan was walking away.
This surprised Erasa and Sharpner. The way she said wait was just different than your typical Videl. Gohan stopped at the unexpected request. While she might hear this from Erasa or even Sharpner, to hear it from Videl? It had to be something trivial. Gohan didn't want to get his hopes up.
"Yeah? What's up," Gohan said turning back around.
Videl closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Can you talk for a bit?"
Sharpner and Erasa were surprised. They'd never thought in a million years that Videl would want to talk to Gohan about something serious other than interrogating his past.
"Umm, of course, what is it?" said Gohan.
"Alone."
Again, more shock from Erasa and Sharpner. Both did well at hiding their surprise. This was so unlike Videl, and they wanted to see where this was going.
"Sure," said a smiling Gohan.
Of course, Gohan was smiling, but inside, he was worried. Videl had never wanted to talk to him alone before except when he was in his alter ego, Saiyaman.
"Well, I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow. Let's go Erasa," Sharpner said to a smirking Erasa.
"Bye you two!" Erasa teased.
Videl rolled her eyes. "Bye."
Erasa and Sharpner started walking in the other direction leaving Videl and Gohan alone.
Sharpner turned to Erasa. "Okay, what was that all about?"
"I don't know! How weird!" hissed Erasa.
Meanwhile, Gohan was wondering if he should break the silence. He had no idea what she wanted. Was she trying to corner him again into confessing his lies? Did she want to talk about how he was spying on her in the forest? The thought of that caused a great deal of anxiety for him.
"Is it okay if we start walking back to my house?" Videl suggested.
Gohan nodded. "Yeah."
The first few moments, they walked in silence. Gohan had no idea what was going on, but he wasn't going to complain. It was almost an honor for him to walk with Videl, in his true self, not his alter ego, Saiyaman. It was almost as if Videl considered him a true friend; however, he could be totally wrong. He had no idea what Videl wanted.
"So what's up?" asked Gohan finally breaking the silence.
Videl wanted to talk, but this was so unlike her. Here was her chance and she couldn't because of her pride based on lies. She closed her eyes at all the anguish she has had the past few months.
Gohan had a hunch it had something to do with her father. She remembered when Videl lost her control many weeks back when they were fighting crime. Gohan believed her father seemed to be centered around her anger. However, he had no idea what it was with her father. He considered that her father confessed to her about defeating Cell, but Gohan knew it was not in his personality to do something like that. Somehow he had to get Videl to talk. He would love to help Videl with whatever it is she is going through, but he had to be careful with someone and proud and determined as Videl.
"Gohan."
He broke his concentration and looked over toward Videl while continuing to walk.
"Yes?"
"I hardly know anything about you. You keep a pretty secretive life, and you are coming over to my house this weekend," said Videl.
This was merely a distraction. She was just making up an excuse to be walking with Gohan right now, but she knew what she really wanted to talk about.
"Umm, there isn't a whole lot about me," said Gohan.
"That's a lie."
Oh man. Not good, thought Gohan. "Umm, what makes you say that?"
Videl sighed. "There's way more to you than meets the eyes. I can just feel it. Why do you have to lie to me?"
So she was sort of cornering him in a sense. Gohan was thankful that this wasn't about how he was spying on her the other day in the forest. Yes, it could have been a lot worse, but how was he to answer her questions. There was certainly more to him than meets the eye, but he couldn't just tell her that he had watched his family and friends die in front of him, traveled through space trying to defeat a galactic tyrant, struggled with his Saiyan powers, and even defeated Cell. No, he couldn't risk his friendship with her, but maybe, just maybe, he could share a little.
"Okay. Fine. I guess there is more than meets the eye. I've been through a lot in my life, a lot of good, and a lot of bad, but I'm still the same person you know at school," admitted Gohan.
Super vague as always, Videl thought, but she realized this was more than he'd ever said before. It's hard to imagine any bad in his life given his personality.
"What bad?" asked Videl.
Gohan turned away surprising Videl. I guess there is really some bad in there? Gohan of all people doesn't deserve any bad in his life. But I do after what my father has done. Videl stopped walking causing Gohan to stop also. She took a deep breath.
"I've got some bad in my life too right now," Videl finally admitted.
That just now was one of the hardest things to do in her life: to admit that. She didn't tell Erasa or even Sharpner. But to tell Son Gohan, the nerdy kid who randomly showed up three months ago at Orange Star High, was difficult for her.
Gohan was stunned that Videl would reveal that to him. What did it mean? He knew there was something going on, but he had no idea the root cause.
"Like what?"
"I can't say, but life is not great right now," she admitted.
It pained Gohan to see someone as brave as Videl go through something so bad. It had to have been bad if it was affecting her for the past few months. Instinctively, Gohan pulled Videl into a hug, wrapping his surprisingly muscular arms around her and pulling her in close. At first, she wanted to resist, but couldn't bring herself to do so.
The heaviness in her stomach and the anxiety that has plagued her for the past few months seemingly disappeared for a moment. She wanted the moment to last longer, but as quickly as it came, Gohan let go. His hug left a tingling sensation, and suddenly, the wave of heaviness and anxiety returned.
Gohan realized that this was not his brightest moment. Sure, his family and friends would appreciate this, but Videl Satan? Probably not. He didn't want to see her reaction in fear that he made a drastic mistake. He took a look at her and saw what almost appeared to be a smile, surprising him.
Although Videl knew it was just a kind gesture, it made so much of a difference for her at that moment. She almost felt normal again. She hadn't truely hugged her father in months since she found out his lie. If anybody were to see this, let alone Erasa or Sharpner, she'd never hear the end of it. If a paparazzi managed to take a photograph of that, she felt like she'd lose all credibility. But somehow, it just felt right. She knew she'd probably never get that feeling again, but for today, it felt right.
Videl whispered "thank you" not expecting him to hear. It was so quiet that nobody could possibly hear that, not even a human, but unbeknownst to her, Gohan had incredible Saiyan hearing.
"Of course," he said surprising Videl. He went on. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"
She winced at that. No, she couldn't tell him everything sadly.
"I know."
She felt so weak allowing a boy to do that to her, yet even now, she wished it lasted longer. Oh, how weak you have become.
Gohan had to reassure her. "I'll say one thing. I've been through hell and back, and whatever is going on right now, you will feel better eventually. I know you can't feel it now, but one day, you'll grow stronger from it. You know it to be true."
Tien's training. The truth of her father. All of it made sense to her. She will bounce back from this low point, but she had to do something's first. She had to confront her father, meet the real savior, and become the strongest she could. Yes, she was on the right track, and somehow, unexpectedly, Son Gohan was with her on that journey. One day, she hoped to tell him the truth, but when? Unfortunatly never.
Gohan left shortly after to avoid raising suspicion from Videl's father if they walked to the Satan mansion together. Videl knew she'd never hear the end of it from Erasa and she thought that Sharpner would even have some things to say about it. Thankfully, they don't know what happened during the walk. Gohan was a good guy, and she had to learn to trust him despite her instincts ingrained in her.
Once returning home, she remembered she still had to return the precious dragon radar to Bulma. She cursed at herself for forgetting and hoped Bulma would be understanding if she returned the device that next day. She entered her room, closed the door, and sat down on the floor. She decided to calm her self down and decided to practice her sensing abilities for the evening.
A/N: Whew! Thank you so much for the reviews! Glad I still have readers! Anyway, still waaaaay more to go in this story. Some more characters will be introduced *hint* *hint*. We aren't even half way. Well, Gohan and Videl strengthen their friendship in this chapter. What will happen when Videl returns the dragon radar tomorrow? What about her increased sensing capabilities? Not even I know. Taking this one chapter at a time. We'll see.