Chapter 10
:Gohan's Lamentations
Disclaimer: I Do Not Own Dragon Ball Z. All rights are owned by their respective owners,Toei, Toriyama, etc. This is purely a fanfictional work done by a simple fan done for fun. I do no get profit from this in any way.
The next day, when Gohan went to pick up Videl, what he instead found at the gates was a girl with a short haircut that looked like a cross between a bowl cut and his haircut. She was also wearing a purple t-shirt under a long sleeveless white shirt. The new look left Gohan wondering who the new girl was until she spoke out with a very familiar voice and the unmistakable determination backing it up. "I'm ready to continue my training." she said in that unmissable Videl tone. 'Man! I don't think I'll ever understand girls.' was all that Gohan could think on the matter.
Over the course of the next week, Videl continued her training under Gohan's tutelage. Now Videl could fly much like a Z-Fighter could, though not as fast as they can go. Videl was flying through the clouds and enjoying every minute of it as Gohan followed her from a safe distance. Videl then elected to land for a short break. Gohan landed next to her as she wiped off the sweat on her forehead and then she sat herself down on the ground to catch her breath. "Gee Videl, you're really coming along, a day or two more and you'll be ready for the next step of your training." said Gohan. "Thanks Gohan, coming from you, that means alot to me." responded Videl. "Hehehehe... Say, why don't we play a game of airborne tag after you catch your breath? It'll be great for your training." Gohan suggested. "Sounds like fun... I'm in!" agreed Videl. Once Videl got herself back on her feet, then they were off into the skies.
Over the course of nearly an hour, Gohan and Videl played a game of cat and mouse in the clouds. As the game went on Videl got more and more frustrated as try as no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't catch, outfly nor outfox Gohan. All the way through the game Gohan just kept out of her reach with a smirk on his face and the occasional taunt. When they finally stopped due to to Videl's exhaustion she was fed up with Gohan's taunting.
"You know Gohan? You didn't have to rub it in my face. I already know that you're a lot stronger than me." Videl said in annoyance. "Heheheh... Sorry about that Videl, I guess I shouldn't have done that. But don't worry, you'll get real strength soon enough." Gohan again taunted a little bit. "Well thats easy for you to say, you saved the whole world with your strength. No one else can say that but you." Videl practically yelled out. Videl expected Gohan to just laugh off her comeback but instead he looked down at the ground with a sad expression. Those words had sent Gohan down a flood of bad memories. "My dad could say that." he said in almost a whisper. Videl could see that her words had somehow struck a nerve and she now felt sorry about it. "Hey... Will you be alright?" Videl asked. "I'll be fine. I just need to be left alone for a little bit... Got to clear my mind of some bad memories." Gohan said as he then lifted off and flew away at high speed. Videl was just left there to wonder just what he'd meant.
As Gohan flew through the sky, his thoughts continuously revolved around what happened to him and his friends at the Cell Games. 'Dad... Why couldn't I have finished off Cell when I had the chance? I wasn't the real hero that day dad, you were. I had given up all hope when Cell came back and prepared to destroy everything. But then, you didn't even let death itself stop you from saving all of us when you encouraged to fight back. Without you I would have let him live and would've let everything get destroyed. I'm such a failure and you're such a... Hero!' Gohan depressingly thought about himself. While thinking about his father's actions that day and his own, a more nagging set of questions came across his mind.
'Why did I have to feel so angry that I not only wanted to hurt Cell, but to torture him before killing. Thats not like me, not even when i'm super angry am I supposed to think that way. What was it about my new powers that made that way?' Gohan asked himself. It was indeed a question that the more that he thought about it the less he seemed to understand it. Finally, Gohan came to the conclusion that he needed help in solving this mystery. 'Maybe Piccolo can help me find some answers. He knows me better than just about anyone and he saw everything that happened when I unleashed my powers.' Gohan concluded. He then headed to where the Lookout was at maximum speed.
Meanwhile, Videl thought about what Gohan had said before he left. 'I guess its true that his dad did a whole lot to save the planet that day. But his sore feelings for that shouldn't account for what he just did. There's a whole lot more to this puzzle that i'm missing. Its true that I don't know much about his past and whenever I've asked him he or his mother just avoid the question. I think its time I got some answers and I think I know just where to look.' Videl thought to herself as figured out what to do. She set a course for herself and immediately headed into the sky in the direction of the Lookout as fast as she could go.
Gohan touched down on the white tiled surface of the Lookout. Dende and Mr. Popo were nearby and were delighted to see him. "Oh Gohan! Its good to see you. What brings you up here for?" Dende greeted. "I'm here to talk to Piccolo about something. Is he around?" Gohan stated with a more or less neutral expression. "What is it kid?" said a gruff sounding voice from out of nowhere. It was Piccolo! He was leaning against the doorway of the temple entrance like had been standing there the whole time. "I need your opinion on something very important to me. But I want to discuss it between just the two of us." Gohan said as walked up to Piccolo. "Sure Gohan, whatever you want." said Piccolo. Picccolo then looked over to Dende and Mr. Popo and gave them a narrowed eyed look that seemed to say 'Don't disturb us.' to them. Both Dende and Popo just gave a simple nod at Piccolo and they both then started to walk in the opposite direction. Both Gohan and Piccolo entered the temple together so they could be alone.
Once they were deep enough in the structure they stopped and began their discussion. "Alright Gohan. What's this all about? It must be something pretty important for you to come all this way to see me." Piccolo asked, straight to the point as always. "Piccolo, I want you to tell me what you saw of me when I transformed at the Cell Games. What were your thoughts as you saw me tearing through Cell and wanting to make him suffer." Gohan asked with a regretful look. Piccolo was very surprised to hear Gohan asking this question but was by no means shocked about it. He knew that Gohan wouldn't have asked him this in the way he did if he didn't want an honest answer and Piccolo was going to oblige him.
"Kid, I don't know what to say, so I'll just tell you like it is. Gohan I've seen your hidden powers almost from just about the first time you used them. I've seen you grow over the years and i've seen you powers grow along with it. I've always known that your powers were connected to your anger but what I saw you become that day shocked and terrified me like nothing before. It was like I was whatching a whole other person doing terrifying things. You became something so terrible that you equalled or even surpassed the monster you were trying to destroy. Even Cell himself retreated in fear of the monster we all saw you become. I can't say as I blame him. I was also scared of what I saw in you that day. I was scared that you would stay that way for good and that i'd never see the innocent kid I met so many years ago. I don't know how else to describe it." Piccolo summerized up.
The explanation that Piccolo gave him left Gohan in a shocked state. 'Monster? He thought he saw me as a monster? For him to call what I became by that name I must've been something truly frightening. What are these hidden powers of mine turning me into?' Gohan wondered in his mind. Piccolo was worried by Gohan's expression. Did he break it to him too hard? Gohan's head then hoisted itself up a little bit with a saddened look on his face with a half-smile attached to it to cover it up. "Thanks Piccolo... I think you've just confirmed it for me. Now if you'll excuse me. I need to be alone for a little while." Gohan said with a somber tone. "Kid... I..." Piccolo tried to say something with a sorry face but before he could get the chance to say whatever he was about to say, Gohan turned his back and began to walk away. As he got out the door he started walking faster and faster until he broke out into a run. He ran passed Popo and Dende and when he passed they both noticed the serious expression he had coupled with tears in his eyes. Gohan ran to the edge of the Lookout, powered up and flew down in the direction of the ground below. Everyone on the Lookout including Piccolo had the same collective thought. 'What was that all about?'
As Gohan made his way to Earth. Videl was approaching the Lookout for answers to her own questions. Videl landed only a few minutes after Gohan had gone out of sight. Dende and Popo were both vexed, first by the state that Gohan had left the Lookout in and secondly by the appearance of a flying girl with a short bowl-like cut. Neither Dende nor Popo could recognise who she was at first. "Uuuum? Excuse me miss, but could you tell us who you are and what you're doing here?" Dende politely tried to ask. Videl felt very annoyed, even a little bit insulted that they didn't recognise her and she was on the ferge of exploding in anger at them. Fortunately for Dende and Popo she managed to convince herself to just chalk it up to her new haircut and attire. So she decided to cut them a break and she calmed herself down so she could respond properly.
"Mr. Popo, Dende, its me Videl! Don't tell me my new look threw you guys off that much." Videl practically whined out. It was only then that Mr. Popo and Dende both recognised that it was Videl that they were talking to. They were both surprised at her new look and at the same time embarrassed that they didn't recognise her. "I-I'm sorry Videl that we didn't recognise you but your new shorter hair makes you look like a totally different person." Dende apologised.
"Apology accepted. But I came up here for a reason, and that's to get answers." Videl stated. "Are they about Gohan?" asked Mr. Popo. "Yes? How did you know?" Videl asked, slightly surprised. "Gohan was just here. He came, talked with Piccolo alone and then he left with tears in his eyes only a few minutes ago." Mr. Popo summed up. "You wouln'd happen to know why he did that did you?" asked Dende. "Actually, I was hoping you guys could shed some light on his behavior. All I know is, is that all I said to him was, quote: 'No one else can say that they saved the world with their strength but you.' and then he just left saying something about 'clearing his mind of bad memories.' Does that mean anything to you?" Videl explained. Dende and Popo just exchanged worried glances at each other.
"Look, I know that something else other than his memories of the Cell Games are bothering him and dammit I want to know what it is. I can't help Gohan if I don't know what's wrong with him." Videl nearly yelled with a look of concern on her face. Dende and Popo both looked at each other again, only this time they had hesitant looks on their faces. Finally Dende's face took a more serious appearance and he then nodded as if confirming Mr. Popo to do something. Popo just stared at him with a blank but noticeably nervous look. "Mr. Popo will take you to a special room inside the temple. Once there, you'll get all the answers that you need." Dende stated with a serious expression on his face. Videl nodded in agreement. "Please follow me." said Mr. Popo as he placed his arms behind his back and started walking towards the temple doorway. Videl closely followed him into the door of the temple and off to whatever room Mr. Popo was leading her to. Hopefully, she would find the answers to whatever mysteries that surrounded Gohan inside.
Author's Final Thoughts: So basically now Videl's a miniature version of her older self with the cut hair and Gohan's lamenting about his fears about anger in the Super Saiyan 2 state. Now I know that this has been done a million times in fanfics. But in this instance I think it works, because it's not just him feeling depressed about his father's death anymore, but something deeper and about with what should be his real concerns. And as well Videl's about to learn about Gohan's past in an up close and personnal way. Not much else to say here.