Sorry it took me a little longer, I hope it is worth the wait.

I have also been writing other things, other than Golden God even. But I won't be preaching about that here.

Special thanks to Queenkeesie for beta reading and giving me inspiration.

Chapter 10, to the Party,

"He walked out." Gohan colourfully told his story. "His hair had grown, and his power had gone through the roof."

"A full year in one day..." Videl shook her head, smiling in disbelief. It wasn't like she didn't believe him, it was just unbelievable.

"Yeah, well, I was next." He continued. "My father and I spent a full year in that chamber as well."

"No way…" She breathed. "Are you really already eighteen?"

"Yes, actually." He grinned. "But not legally though, which is kind of weird."

"I imagine." She replied. "So, what was the time chamber like?"

"You can't begin to imagine it." He sighed. "Endless white void, no horizon, most of the time just one large plane of nothingness. It took me a while to get used to it. And the gravity! Ten times higher, you know? But it did…" He stopped all of a sudden and looked over at the balcony door with a slight annoyance. "You have got to be kidding me." He sighed.

And true to form, someone landed just outside, and walked in. Except they knew this someone.

"Topaz?" Videl asked, half surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were having a farewell party, and decided to crash it." He returned. "Also, there's a trial I wouldn't want to miss."

"A trial?" Gohan repeated. He had heard of no such thing.

"You mean Dick-Dick is going to be judged?" Videl had caught on. "Can we be there?"

"You are witnesses, so, yes." Topaz replied. "In fact, I'm here to collect you. It'll be a bit of a drag, but don't worry, the actual trial is going to be short. The evidence is overwhelming, and we caught him red-handed."

The trial was held on the other side of the city. Which meant Videl could fly under her own power. And this conflicted her a little.

On one hand, she still found joy in her newfound abilities, and that wasn't likely to wear off anytime soon.

On the other, being carried by Gohan was something she had grown to secretly enjoy. It was thoughtful of him to let her do her own thing where she could, but a part of her wished he'd just pick her up sometimes.

On the third hand, she was Videl Satan, and she had an image to keep up. A problem that would must certainly not follow her to her own time.

And she did make that promise, and making him carry her when it wasn't necessary was not an option.

So she flew by herself.

Topaz was right. Most of the time of the trial was spend summarising the crimes. And what a list it was. And they kept it only to the crimes they could easily prove on the spot.

Yeah, Dick-Dick was Cell'd.

By the way, the guy tried to gain sympathy points by pleading he had lost his mother at an early age, and was abandoned by his father.

But, it was him who had committed the murder, which made his defence kinda useless.

And thus the verdict fell.

"Richard Dikinson, by the authority of the prime premier, for your excessive crimes against the common laws, the Satanists and Humanity itself, I hereby sentence you to death. May Videl have mercy on your soul."

"I will not!" She yelled from the sidelines.

"Well, you heard the lady, it's Piccolo for you." The judge joined her in mocking the guy.

"Piccolo?" Gohan repeated.

"I don't even want to know." Videl sighed.

Thus the two stood up. Dick-Dick was being taken away, heavily protesting how he was a victim of society.

The pair didn't care for him and left. Outside they took too the air, several of the Satanists in tow.

"I guess it is party time." Videl mentioned off handily.

"And then back to the past." Topaz added. "Which is good for me. I haven't gotten in this much trouble since I was a teenager myself."

"I'm sorry for you." Videl said politely.

"No, you're not." He replied.

"No, I'm not." She admitted. "By the way, is there anything left to do?"

"Let's recap, shall we?" Topaz started off. "You upset the counsel, set records at Capsule Corp, instated a rebellion, overthrew said counsel, captured the world's most dangerous criminal, questioned the order of life, casually visited Kami, shot a floating city into space, burned three sofas and a bed."

He chuckled. "What's left to do?"

"We could always start a band." She suggested. "Gohan sings, I'll play the drums."

"I can't sing." Gohan protested.

"Perfect." Videl nodded. "It'll be the most hideous sound ever produced. How much are you willing to bet that it'll be a best seller anyway, just because it'll have our names on it?"

"Not a dime." Topaz knew she was right.

"A what now?" two voices repeated.

"A dime." He repeated. "A small coin, worth almost nothing."

"What happened to the zeni?" Gohan wondered.

"Paper money was too easy to counterfeit, and digital funds can be hacked. So we went back to the age old metal coins, but imbued with special energy. Haven't had a successful counterfeit since."

"Of course not." Videl replied. "If it was successful, it wouldn't be noticed."

"Ouch." He replied dryly. "It's also related to the great inflation, at the height of which people were using stacks of zeni as toilet paper."

"Wow, that's crazy." Videl stated.

"You don't know the half of it." He just shook his head. "But I won't bore you with the details."

"Thank me." Videl jested. "Damn, am I actually becoming used to that?"

"I believe you are." Topaz replied. "Dammit, I'm going to miss you two."

"Don't get dramatic on me." Videl crossed her arms. "Besides, since I supposedly became one with the spirit of the Earth, I'll always be there, and watching you."

"Even in the bedroom?"

"Especially in the bedroom." She returned. "A girl has her needs too, you know?"

"Aren't you the little pervert?" He said off-handily.

"LITTLE?!" She flared up.

A feeling of horror spread through both men.

"I meant that as a complement." Topaz made an excuse as he tried to gain a little distance. He was still planning on becoming a father after all.

"It's just that's its kind of cute." Gohan tried to defend himself

It made her stop dead in her tracks. And she blinked in surprise.

'Did I say something wrong again?' He wondered. Usually he was pretty level headed, but when it came to these things he felt as graceful as a drunk giant trying to pick a tiny flower.

"Cute…" She repeated. She couldn't believe her ears.

On one side, Gohan did agree she was a little pervert. She absolutely loathed her height. And being called a pervert didn't do much for her dignity either.

On the other, he did say she was cute for it. She! Cute! The mere idea… made her heart flutter.

Thus she felt so conflicted, she was nearly ripping in half.

So she kept her silence.

And Gohan didn't talk anymore either.

Both of them were reminded of what happened earlier. The clumsy confession of their feelings to one another. Now, they both knew the other liked them, but it suddenly felt different. Real.

"Ok, what's going on here?" The guy noticed the sudden awkward silence. Something had changed between those two while he was away, that much was certain.

"It's nothing…" Videl said in a tone that told everyone it was most certainly something, but asking anymore questions would result in them being lowered six feet into the ground.

So, naturally, Topaz pursued. "I'm not blind."

"Do you want to be?"

"I'll pass." He skipped over the threat. "So tell me, did you two confess or something?"

"How did you know?"

"I saw that coming from day one."

…

"Was it that obvious?"

"Yeah." He nodded. And flew in a little closer to Videl. "Oh, and one more thing." He continued softly. "If you want to drop a hint for Gohan, remember to apply it with a sledgehammer."

"I kinda figured that one out already." She returned.

"Hey!" Their topic called out, slightly offended. "I am not that dense."

"Yes, you are." Videl returned.

"Yeah, you kind of are." Topaz added. "By the way, is it true that you two launched North High City into space?" He suddenly changed topics.

"Apparently." Videl sighed. "Mr. Genius over there missed a spot check."

"Spot check?" Topaz laughed. "I'd love to see the checklist on that one.

Civilians evacuated? Check.

Super Satan witnesses? Check.

Rogue Super Satan to beat up? Check.

Ego of an entire word to crush? Check.

High City? Whoops…"

"I am never going to live that down, am I?"

"No."

"Not likely."

Luckily for Gohan, they had arrived back at Super Satan Headquarters.

"Well, then." Topaz addressed the both of them. "Since the trial lasted a little longer than expected, we are a little late."

"Fashionably late."

"All the guests are there, except for you two."

"In that case, we better leave then." Videl stated. Gohan agreed, and they left for the main hall, where the people were gathered.

There were a lot of people here. And security was fairly tight. Mainly because some old pervert tried to sneak in. He was on the blacklist. At the top, in fact. The guards were not willing to share what earned him this post.

Topaz vouched for them, and they were allowed in without any hustle.

Once they, or more specifically Videl, went through the door and passed a certain cyborg, people abruptly stopped talking, and looked at her in awe.

Just great.

Oh well, speech time.

Videl looked for a podium, or something else to stand on, but then remembered she could fly, and just did that instead.

"Thank you all for coming." She addressed them. "Yes, it is an honour to be here, and meet you all. And yes, I am quite sad I am leaving soon. Please don't bring that up as a conversation starter. It gets old."

She was answered by confused stares of people who didn't get it, and amused chuckles of people who did.

Gohan was part of the first group. She could practically read the question in his eyes.

"If I don't do that, I'll be having the same conversation all day, and I really don't feel like doing that." She explained herself.

"How do you know?" He asked back.

"Gohan, I am one of the most famous people in the world. It happens every single time. You have no idea." She sighed. And looked over at a specific corner, what could only be described as the science convention. "But you're about to learn."

Someone made his way forward through the crowd. He looked rather official.

"Madam Videl." He made a small bow.

"Madam?" She repeated. "Do I look like an old bat to you?"

"Well, you are hanging above the ground." He replied.

"Ouch." She landed in front of him. "I walked straight into that one. So who are you?"

"I am King Sakura Fury." He introduced himself.

Videl just look dumbfounded. "Is that your real name?"

"I am afraid so." He nodded solemnly. "But allow me to thank you for all of your assistance."

"It was my pleasure." She stated flatly.

"I propose a toast!" He then yelled louder. A waiter nearby rushed over to bring him, Videl and Gohan a few glasses.

And those did not hold orange juice.

"Are you even old enough to drink?" Topaz questioned.

"I was born over four hundred years ago." Videl replied as she took a glass. "Relax, I'll only take the one. I know the drill."

"A toast." The king held his glass up. "To the heroes of the past, who, with their massive power and unmatched intelligence, did what we had failed to do so far."

"You forgot irresistible charisma." She added softly.

"Don't push it." He replied. "You have our eternal gratitude. May your glory never be forgotten."

He raised his glass, as did everyone else. "To the legends!"

And they drank.

Probably the most epic toast they ever had.

Afterwards, Gohan was quickly surrounded by nerdy looking people. Probably scientists.

"Mr. Son. It is such an honour to meet you." One stated, a middle aged man, while furiously shaking his hand.

Gohan was just standing there, dumbstruck, having his hand shaken, and absolutely no idea what to say next. So he looked at Videl for help.

It was just so cute, she almost started laughing. And she took pity on him.

"Yes, and he is honoured to meet all of you as well." Videl yelled in his stead, addressing the entire group. "You're welcome." She said softly to him.

"It's nice to have had the opportunity to have been here." Gohan said, not entirely sure what he was supposed to say.

"I would just like to say that your work on energetic relativity is truly groundbreaking." Another joined in.

"I really haven't done anything yet." The poor boy grinned shyly.

"He is modest to a fault." Topaz informed the others.

"Oh, but where are my manners." The first one spoke again. "I am the head chief of Capsule Corp. Doctor Pantyhose Briefs."

"Pantyhose?" Videl repeated, having overheard. "Sakura? Kami Bob? Dick-Dick?" She summed up. "What kind of sadistic idiot was in charged of naming all of these people?"

"Not a clue." Gohan grinned. "By the way, you people are the leaders in the research of energy, right?"

"Indeed, we are." One of the scientists replied. "Why? Do you have a question?"

"Well, I've never really done extensive research into it, but it's something I was at least planning on doing." He answered. Being surrounded by people like himself, he was starting to feel a bit more at ease. "But there is something I have been wondering. How come, when you gather energy into your palm, it still follows your will, even though it is no longer connected to your body?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"You see, like this." Gohan made himself a small ball. "The energy is… clearly… why are you looking at me like that?"

"You know how to use energy?" One asked him, looking completely shocked.

"Err… obviously?" He suddenly felt all of his doubt ever return to him. "You mean you don't?" He asked as he let the ball go out again.

"Of course not."

"You mean that the most knowledgeable people in the world about energy, the ones who know all about the theory, can not actually use energy themselves?" Gohan asked very specifically. He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Well, yeah." One replied, hesitantly. "But the use of energy is really hard to learn, you know?"

This made Videl scuff. 'Bitch, I learned it within the week!' She thought to herself, feeling a little disappointed by these people.

'Yeah, but you're talented.' Gohan telepathically replied. He figured it would be better not to say that out loud. 'It'll take these people a lot longer than that. Still, it means they have do not a clue what they are talking about.'

Videl looked at him as if she had seen a ghost. 'What was that?'

'Telepathy.' Gohan answered simply. 'I told you about it, didn't I?'

'Yeah, but… why are you replying to my thoughts?' She frowned at him. 'Were you mind reading me?'

'Strong thoughts and emotions are reflected in your energy.' He replied. 'And you're the one who send that telepathic message around anyway.'

'I did not… hold on, I can do that?' She changed her mind midway. Literally.

'Anyone can do that, but it takes an experienced telepath to pick up on it.' He explained. 'It's not like I can look into your head, I only get what you send me.'

'Ok, fine, more on that later.' She felt just a little violated in her privacy. But then, they didn't really have a telepathic conversation before, so perhaps it didn't really matter.

'It doesn't.' Gohan's unwelcome voice sounded.

'Get out of my head!' She thought angrily. 'And second, why does them not knowing energy even matter?'

'Energy is emotional rather than logical.' He replied. 'Studying energy is a good thing, but there is always the human element. And if they do not know what energy actually feels like, they can not understand what it is.'

'Just tell them that.' She told him. 'Also, people are looking at us weirdly.'

Indeed, the two had only been staring at each other in silence.

"So." Gohan said awkwardly.

"Had a telepathic conversation?" One scientist asked.

"You know about telepathy?" He asked, taken aback.

"Sure." His reply came. "Plenty of people can use telepathy. There once as this gang called the Cranes who could…"

"Anyway." Videl cut him off. "We were having a little discussion, and we found your lack of energy disappointing."

"Oh, really? And why is that?" The admiring looks turned somewhat sour.

"You may have knowledge, but no actual experience for yourselves." Gohan told them. "Energy is more than just a scientific phenomenon, you know?"

"Excuse me?" One replied, slightly offended. "Even if you are the one who wrote the books, they have been expanded on a long time ago. We know what we are doing."

"Yeah." Another agreed. "There is no one else in the world who knows as much about energy as we do."

This made Videl grin. "And that makes you the same as nerd who thinks he's an expert at martial arts because he has watched a lot of movies."

"How dare you?" One got upset.

"How dare I?" She returned. "How dare you? You call yourselves experts, but I have yet to see anything practical that Gohan didn't know already."

"Is that so?" One took it as a challenge.

"That is so!" She meant it as a challenge too. By now, most of the people in the room were watching them, or at least listening.

"How about a wager then?" He suggested. "The loser will have to publicly announce they were wrong."

"You're on!" She returned.

"Eh, Videl? Gohan finally spoke up. "I don't think this is such a good idea."

"Oh, I have confidence in your knowledge." She stated arrogantly.

"And I wrote the books they studied from, not to mention with knowledge I don't have yet." He pointed out.

"Err… oops." She realised her mistake.

"No takebacksies." One of the more humorous scientists said.

"Let us start." The arrogant one decided. "What is the thordion theory?"

"I said practical." Videl argued. "I highly doubt that falls under the heading practical energy."

"You didn't." He accused.

"I did so." She said in her most childish tone.

"She did." Topaz added.

"Indeed, she did." King Fury mixed in.

"Fine. The man sighed. "In that case, how about something else?" He thought for a moment. "Ah, yes. What is the Chestnut Deception?"

"Excuse me?" Gohan didn't understand.

"You're throwing terms around that haven't been invented yet." Videl accused him.

"So you don't know?" The man demanded, ignoring her.

One of the others came to Gohan's aid. "He is asking why beginning energy users often overestimate their own attacks."

"Oh, that's easy." Gohan then stated.

"It is?" Several voices echoed at once.

"You see." He made a ball of energy between his hands. "The act of creating and maintaining energy attacks also requires energy, which is not spent on the attacks." He drew some energy from the ball, making it a bit smaller, and created a small ball on his other hand. "Now, compared to ones power, lower strength attacks do not require as much to create compared to the energy in the attack itself as the high level ones do." He directed more energy from the large 'attack' ball to the smaller 'technique' ball. "That is why the latter can feel more powerful than it actually is."

…

"Oh my shit." One gasped.

"He heh." Videl grinned. "Don't underestimate him just because he's a nerd. This is what he does for a living. He is an expert at energy control. In fact, he is even better at it then I am."

"Is there anything you can't do?" A Satanist asked, amazed.

"Account for a floating city, apparently." Videl threw in.

"Ow, Satan burned." Topaz laughed.

"Speaking of which, that still has to come down." One of the scientists pointed out. "They have a limited amount of air, after all."

"Why can't you just bring the place back down?" Videl wanted to know.

"Do you know how heavy a flying city is?" She got asked in return.

"We didn't notice, so no, we don't." She replied.

"Touché." The man laughed. "Well, in layman's terms, the anti gravity can not adept fast enough once we get back into the atmosphere. In theory, if we lower the anti gravity, the place will just come down, but the system doesn't change fast enough to prevent the place from crashing."

"Then do it slowly." She suggested.

"Not enough air." And shot down again.

"Ship air up." The next logical conclusion was.

"Too expensive." Of course.

"Just let it cash, and put a hundred Satanists u beneath, holding it up with their energies until it is low enough." Videl stated. It made sense to her. That was how it ended up in space in the first place.

"Come again?" He looked confused, as did everyone else.

"It got pushed up by energy." Videl explained herself. "Let energy slow it down until the gravity machines can take over."

"A hundred isn't enough." One pointed out.

"A thousand then!" She said in annoyance. That was not the point.

"Actually, that could work." Another stated.

"But the entire place could fall apart." The first argued again.

"Spread them out!" Videl was becoming tired. "Dammit, you're the people who get paid for this!"

"Ouch." One replied, but they did look genuinely hurt.

"Deal with it!" Videl did not give in. She could see what was happening. "We're willing to help, but we're not going to solve your problems for you." Indeed, these people were trying to take advantage of Gohan's kindness.

"She's got a point." Topaz came to her aid. "Besides, this is a party, not a conference."

"Alright then." The other gave in. "But we still have a bet to settle."

"Fire away." Gohan encouraged him.

"Is it possible to detect latent energy?" He then asked.

Gohan looked at him. The man looked back unflinchingly, yet with a hopeful glint in his eyes.

"You don't even know yourself, do you?" He called him out.

"Ow, man." He laughed. "Ah well, worth a shot."

"By the way, the answer is yes." Gohan then replied.

"It is?" His answer came.

"Sure it is." He nodded.

"So you have a way of telling if someone has energy, even if that person has never known themselves?" He continued asking.

"Err…" Gohan actually looked back at Videl in confusion. He wasn't sure he understood that right.

"Everyone has energy." Videl answered for him, telling them what he had taught her.

"Oh, come now." The scientist scoffed. "That is an unproven theory."

"Written by Son Gohan." Another added. "Let's hear them out."

"Not just everyone." Gohan stated. "Everything has energy. Even the very air around us has energy in it. Every strain of grass has its own unique signature. Most of it is just so minute it is nigh impossible to detect."

"Then how do you know?"

"I can sense energy."

The ensuing silence was deafening.

"You can?" The scientist asked, sounding sceptical, yet not entirely disbelieving.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that." Topaz suddenly remembered. "How do you do that anyway?"

"Oh, I just… you know… picked it up." Gohan gave his detailed and helpful explanation. Then he decided to send a telepathic message to the other. 'I think it is something Kami taught my father. Or Korin, perhaps. I don't remember.'

Topaz didn't reply. Either he didn't know how too, or was just too dumbfounded by suddenly hearing Gohan's voice in his head he was unable to form a coherent thought.

"I see." The scientist of course didn't know about that, and had a dark look. Videl didn't like it. She did not like at all how Gohan, who was supposed to be a revered legend, was suddenly treated.

So she charged up an energy ball, shocking the crowd around her, making them jump out of her way, and shot it towards Gohan's back.

He didn't even turn, just caught it, and made it disappear. "That's dangerous, you know?" He said to Videl, finally turning around.

"No it wasn't." She replied. It really wasn't. It was not a blast, just a ball of energy, and a weak one at that.

But it did have the desired effect. Jaws were dropped, and eyes went wide enough for someone's glass replacement to pop out and smash against the floor.

"You weren't kidding." One breathed.

"I think it is safe to say I won the bet." Videl said.

"Fine." The man sighed. "I was wrong."

"Yet you sound happy." She noted.

"Well, we just discovered a few whole new angles to energy. And I think this means the less likely theories of Son Gohan are worth looking into."

"Is there anything he was wrong about?"

"Yes actually. But between the things he was right about, and things that could neither be proven nor disproven, it is negligible."

"Looks like even the great Son Gohan is not flawless." Videl stated teasingly. And looked at the guy for his reaction. He was no longer there.

He had spotted a waitress carrying snacks and was now stalking her like a tiger ready to pounce his prey.

'Right, sometimes he thinks with his stomach.' She reflected, abandoning the scientists and followed him.

And true to form, he was stuffing his face.

"Hey!" She called. "Leave some for the rest of us."

"But I'm hungry." He complained childishly. It was just so endearing.

"You have dinner waiting for you at home." She stated. "Save your appetite for that."

"Wow, she's sounding like a mother." Someone behind her stated.

"He's behaving like a kid." She defended herself.

"The two most legendary people in history everyone." The same person continued, pointing to them as if presenting them. "Talk about a broken pedestal."

"Yeah, about that." Videl seized her chance. "We are just people, you know?"

"Don't bother." A new voice sounded. A familiar one. Videl looked to the one who spoke.

And there he was.

The Guardian of the World.

The one responsible of looking after the Earth.

The trainer of heroes.

The owner of the Lookout.

The title holder of God.

Bob.

She knew she should probably make a gesture of respect. A bow, a greeting.

Instead, she was so surprised all she could do was voice her thoughts. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to say my goodbyes, and express my gratitude." He replied without missing a beat.

"Excuse me?" The King of the World addressed him. "I do not believe we have met. Who are you?"

"Oh, I am no one of importance." Kami Bob said humbly.

"Do you have an invitation?" King Sakura asked, not so humbly. "This is a private affair."

As he said so, a few Satanists standing guard walked up to him.

Of course, since he was not widely known, Kami Bob had no invitation. And was promptly removed from the room.

"Did they just kick out God?" Videl asked, dumbfounded, yet soft enough to be only heard by Gohan and Topaz.

"I think they did." He said back, equally dumbfounded.

"That right there represents everything wrong with this time." She felt the need to point out.

"Like you knew the Kami in our time." Gohan felt the need to point out. "If he showed up to one of your father's parties, that would be you sending him out."

"Ow, did Gohan just burn me?" Videl turned to Topaz.

"I think he did." The man returned.

"I am so proud of him." She faked wiping away a tear. "I will treasure this memory forever."

As she said it, Topaz suddenly avoided her eye. As did everyone else.

"You didn't tell them?" The king wanted to know.

"I didn't get around to it." Topaz made his excuse. Then he sighed, and addressed the two. "I am sorry, but we believe it is best to erase all memories of this time. To prevent any funny time stuff from happening."

"That's not necessary." Gohan objected immediately. "This line of time is no longer connected to our own."

"That's nice for you to believe, but we can't take that risk." A new voice sounded. Again. This one belonged to the cyborg captain. Did he just get here, or had he been there the whole time? "It is in everyone's best interest to erase everything from your minds." He had a rather venomous glare as he spoke, looking at Videl.

"Does he hate me?" She asked Topaz.

"Well, you did kick him where it hurts the most then you two first met." He pointed out.

"Oh, right, I did do that, didn't I?" She grinned at the memory.

"Actually, it is not a risk." Gohan got back on track. "I know for a fact that anything we are going to do when we get back to our time will not affect this one. They have branched off the moment Topaz popped into the past."

"And how do you know for sure?" The king asked him.

"Because he is not the first time traveller I've met." He replied calmly. "There was one more. Two, actually."

"You've met other time travellers?" The dumbfounded reaction came. One would think they were getting used to this by now.

"Indeed, I did." He replied. "The first one came to warn us about something terrible. That terrible thing has been averted, but the time he came from was not."

"So, in the end, travelling through time did nothing for him?"

"Not exactly, he did find the means to end the horror, and rebuild. The other one came from the same timeline. Namely Cell himself."

Gasps were heard, even Videl was shocked by the revelation. He had not yet gotten to that part yet. It may have blown their cover, had anyone been paying attention. But all eyes were now on Gohan, as a dead silence hung in the air.

"A long story short." Gohan decided to simply explain. "He stole the time machine and went to the past in order to find the means to become 'the perfect warrior', since he couldn't do that anymore in his own time. Unfortunately, he did find what he was looking for, but as it turns out, he was now quite as perfect as he had hoped to be."

"I suppose we really had a close call with that." The kind replied, mostly just to say something.

"Yeah, but that was not my point." Gohan returned. "What I wanted to point out was by taking us from our time, and bringing us here, the time we are from is no longer your past. Therefore, our memories, or even our return will not have an impact of any kind on this time."

Videl couldn't help but grin and clap a few times for him. She was the only one. "Well spoken." She said, feeling pure admiration. Once again she was confronted with just how brilliant the guy was, to understand such concepts so easily. She had quite a bit of trouble wrapping her head around it, as were many of the non-scientists gathered there, and even a few scientists as well.

"Well…" The king started. "This does go against our decision, but I suppose we could make an exception. Let's just say I have faith in your judgement."

He raised his glass, as did many others. The atmosphere had changed. People were looking at the two of them differently now. Respectfully, but still a little casual.

It was a good improvement.

But why was there such an air in the first place? Weren't they the revered legends?

She decided to ask. "Hey king-dude!" She addressed the King of the World.

"That is King Fury for you, Miss Videl." He said arrogantly.

"That is Lady Satan to you, Mr. King." She said equally arrogantly. He started it.

The two locked eyes for a moment, staring the others down. Most people were shocked by this display, but Gohan and Topaz were only barely able to stifle their laughter.

"Was there something you had wanted to ask?" The kind seemed to decide it wasn't worth it.

"Yeah, there was." Videl replied. "Gohan and I are supposed to be living legends. I'd think people would be a lot more respectful to us. Half the time they don't even recognise us. Hell, Topaz here had to vouch for us so we could enter our own farewell party. What is up with that?"

"Easy." The king replied. "Neither of you really look like how you are portrayed. It tends to throw people off."

"That's true." Topaz felt the need to add. "When I first met you, I wasn't even sure I got the right person. It's mostly the pigtails, I think. There is not a single portrayal of you with pigtails."

"That should be remedied, don't you think?" Gohan asked him.

"Relax, us girls go through a lot of hairstyles." She threw over her shoulder. Then she reached up and pulled out both of her hair clips. She swung her head, making her hair flail over her back and shoulders.

"How's that?" She asked the king.

"Actually, that is a bit better." The man had to admit. "But most portrayal has you with rather short hair."

Come to think of it, he was right. So far, she had only seen herself with short cut hair.

"Hm." She grunted through her closed lips. "I'll have to think about that."

Since her outfit didn't come with pockets, she put the clips down on a nearby table.

"I think it might be good to cut it short." Gohan said innocently.

"You like girls with short hair?" She asked, suddenly hopeful. She had gained such a cute blush that many people present were trying their hardest not to go 'aww'.

"N-no. I didn't… didn't." He stammered. "I just thought short hair would be better in a fight." He started talking rapidly. "Long hair could get in the way, or your opponent could grab it."

"SO WHAT?!" She suddenly yelled at the top of her lungs. "MY HAIR IS MY BUSINESS YOU JERK!"

And she stomped off, shoving someone unfortunate enough to be in her way.

"Ah, young love." One of the people commented with a grin.

"YOU SHUT UP!"

"I'm-sorry-please-don't-kill-me." The poor man was backing off, swinging his hands and shaking on his legs.

All Gohan could do was watch her go.

"What did I say wrong?" He asked out loud.

"Everything." Topaz replied.

(This has nothing to do with the story, just a random thing.

Videl reached up and pulled out both of her hair clips. She swung her head, making her hair flail over her back and shoulders.

A random gust of wind picked up and spread her hair to the side.

L'Oreal.

"Because I'm worth it."

Ok, back to the story.)

Quite some time later, and way later than actually planned, three people were making their way down to the underground of Son Laboratories.

After a cooling down period, the two were pretending their little fight never happened, and both were quite happy with that, actually.

Gohan didn't mention it because he didn't want to upset her again, though he still had no idea why she was upset. Videl, well, she knew she overreacted, and wanted to apologise, but not in front of a crowd.

After a profound goodbye, good luck wishing, and a spontaneous serenade, since apparently there had been songs writing for the both of them, they left with Topaz, to finally, and regretfully, return home.

But not before going back to their room one more time. Gohan had looked around. Despite not being awfully futuristic, it did have a touch he was most definitely going to miss.

Then Videl kicked the both of them out. She needed to take care of something private, she stated. It would only take a minute.

It did, and it somehow involved her jet-copter.

Whatever she had been up to, she emerged a minute later, and was ready to leave.

They took place in the elevator, and went down into the underground parts.

It brought back some memories.

"You know, things would have been so much easier if this actually was a teleporter." Videl stated to the other two.

"Probably." Topaz said. "But like I said, it doesn't work."

"That reminds me." Gohan started, as he watched the floors go by. So many pieces of technology he was just itching to dissect. "My father had a teleportation technique."

"Instant Transmission, right?" Videl remembered.

"Excuse me?"

"He could put his fingers to his forehead, and disappear, and reappear pretty much anywhere else. I don't know how he did it exactly, since he never got around to teaching me, but I am pretty sure it transported the actual body, rather than break it down."

"And that's all on record." Topaz grinned to them. "Wow, even in your last bit of time here, you're still providing us with new insights.

It made Gohan blush.

They continued walking, making some small talk.

And all too soon, they arrived in that room with light grey walls, and bright white light from the roof.

And in the middle, slightly raised on a platform, stood the large and bulky time machine.

Topaz opened it. They saw the two glass phone-booth-like spaces inside. They were going to have to share again.

Gohan had already lend Videl his vest, since by now even he knew what kind of effect this was going to have on her body.

Gohan took place first, and Videl pressed herself against him. And Topaz closing the door made them press a little closer. In contrast to the way here, neither of them felt uncomfortable being in this closed space. But they had been spending a lot of time having close contact, and even slept in one bed several times.

Now it was something they enjoyed, and didn't have to hide anymore.

This was good for Gohan, since his reaction was a little more noticeable than Videl's.

And it did not escape Videl's notice either, since her stomach was pressed against the place where his Saiyan blood was gathering.

Last time she was disgusted. This time she still found it a little disgusting, yet it also made her feel wanted. Desirable. Happy to be able to invoke an involuntary reaction in the other.

Yet they avoided looking at each other. It was more than they could bear. They really did like this, yet they were still blushing deeply.

Somehow, knowing for sure the other liked them, it made them feel a little awkward, insecure even, since neither of them actually knew how to deal with this.

'What is taking so long?' Videl thought in annoyance. She turned her head, and had to move her hair out of the way, to look at Topaz, who was once again taking his sweet time.

She had to shift just a little to be able to turn her head, but it was enough to involuntary shift against the guy.

And she got a bit of stimulus in return. Yeah, she'd be going strong for quite a while again. And judging by the poking, he'd need some downtime too.

Which reminded her.

"Stop poking me, you pervert." She said, to him.

"I'm not doing that on purpose." He tried to defend himself, somehow missing she was just teasing him again. "Besides." He then continued, to her surprise. "I'm pretty sure you're just as perverted."

"No, I'm not." She replied with a small sigh. "I am much worse."

"You two ready?" Topaz, who could hear every word by the way, interrupted them.

"Yeah, just hurry." Videl said.

"Alright, here we go." And he activated the machine.

They felt the pull once again. And Gohan was willing himself to remain perfectly still once again.

He felt Videl shift against him, just like last time. And made a horrifying realisation.

Unlike last time, the glass could not withstand the pressure she put on it, and it shattered into thousands of pieces. By pure reflex, Gohan protectively put his arms around her.

Then the pull on their bodies changed. And just kept going. They could hear alarms, and through his closed eyelids Gohan could see the flashing red light.

Then some kind of shock and…

Nothing.

End of chapter.

Random product placement is random. :)

Sorry about the cliff hanger, I swear I didn't do that on purpose, but since this is the only natural break, cutting the chapter anywhere else just kept feeling weird.

I'm not trying to build hype here, it's just a coincidence.

Thank you for your support, and special thanks to Queenkeesie for beta reading and giving me inspiration.