DISCLAIMER: OH! I don't remember… Maybe I left it…*rifles through sock drawer* Eh, scratch that. Nope! I don't own this!

Ch. 26: Repercussions

"I can't believe how strong he's gotten!"

Krillin chuckled and parried Goku's punch. "Speak for yourself! How'd you get stronger again anyway?"

"Training in otherworld!" Goku smiled happily.

Gohan grinned as he watched his father spar with his friends. Relaxing against the old apple tree he's known since he was a baby, he looked up through the gently swaying branches and marveled at what happened mere hours before.

His dad forgave him.

The feeling of relief had filled him to the brim. Even now he couldn't help but smile. It was amazing. He'd never felt so free. So indescribably free from the past seven years of guilt. He didn't even realize how heavy a weight it was. It left him in a state of wonder.

He looked around. Things seemed almost too perfect. A picnic in the perfect outdoors, watching the sun start to set. His family and friends having a grand old time on the small hill. Playing catch, talking, laughing, sparring, and enjoying each others company without masses of people everywhere. It was so peaceful. He turned and saw his brother and Trunks wrestle playfully at the bottom of the hill. The only thing that could make this any better would be Videl by his side and…

Oh.

His smile faded. How could he have forgotten? Videl didn't believe him. She didn't believe him and even rejected all his evidence. Heck, she didn't even ask for any evidence! Instead, she denied him. She even hit him. Really smacked him a good one and sent him over the edge. He brushed a hand through his jet black hair in frustration. There was no way she would ever believe anything he told her now. What was he supposed to do?

He was brought back to the present when he received a light bump to the shoulder. "Gohan! Earth to Gohaaaaaan!" Goku waved his hand in his face. "You're spacing out there son!"

"Daaaad." Gohan smirked and bumped his shoulder playfully against his father's. He didn't even notice when Goku plopped himself down next to him. Gohan's smirk died and he turned to look back up through the leaves.

The saiyan warrior frowned. "What's the matter?"

Gohan sighed. "Nothing."

"Really?"

Gohan hesitated. "Well… not nothing I guess." He couldn't lie.

"Thought so." Goku chuckled. "Want to talk about it?"

"Not really." Gohan looked at his father with a half smile. "I just wish I could turn back time."

"I know what you mean." Goku nodded, putting his hands behind his head. "There are so many things that I wish I would've done while I was here. Gone for a hike in the mountains. Checked up on Toto and his wife. Went fishing with you and Goten…" He grinned at his son. "Ate more of your mom's cooking."

Gohan laughed. "Same old dad." His chuckles died away and he averted his eyes. "How long do you have left?"

Goku sensed the change in his mood and sobered. "Not long. A few more minutes maybe."

They sat in silence. The unspoken question hung between them.

Can't you stay?

Goku gave a world weary sigh and ran a hand through his raven hair. "Gohan, I…"

"Gokuuuuuu!" Their gaze was arrested by a little old lady floating on a crystal ball. Where she came from, Gohan could only guess, but he had the sinking suspicion he knew why she was here.

Goku frowned and rose to his feet. He dusted off his backside and faced the old lady. "Hey Baba."

"Goku," Baba nodded, "it's time to go."

"Aww man." Goku whined. "Just a little longer Baba? Please?" The little old woman shook her head and he pouted. "Alright. Just let me say goodbye to everyone and we'll go." He trudged off, leaving Gohan at the top of the hill with Baba.

Gohan looked at the old woman. She turned and caught his gaze. He rose to his feet and came to stand next to her. They watched the group of people gather together to say goodbye to Goku.

His voice was soft when he spoke. "Does he really have to go?"

Baba's expression was pained. "I'm sorry dear, but yes. He has to leave, it's in the rules." She sighed and forestalled the question he was about to ask. "There's nothing I can do."

He grit his teeth and stared at the dirt under his feet. It felt so unfair. He just reconciled with his father after so many years and now he was leaving. He knew there was nothing he could do, but that didn't make it any less difficult. So, pulling himself together, the demi-saiyan straightened his posture. He walked down the hill to the cluster of his family and friends. It was time to say goodbye.

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAW" Goten wailed, gripping Goku's leg fiercely. "I DON'T WANT YOU TO LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAVE!"

"I know Goten, I know." Goku soothed. "But I gotta go. It's the rules."

Goten sobbed against his leg. He'd just gained a dad and now he was leaving. It was so unfair.

"Oh Goku…" Chichi took a shuddering breath. She smiled beatifically through her tears. "It was so good to see you. I wish you were staying."

Goku's expression was sad, but he smiled none the less "Me too Chi." He looked at his friends and saw their sad faces. With the exception of Vegeta and Piccolo, everyone was openly sad to see him go. "Aw, cheer up! I'll see you around."

"Yeah," Krillin muttered, "after we've died."

Goku chuckled and pried his youngest son off his leg. "I'll miss you guys." He turned to go and everyone started calling out their farewells.

"We'll miss you too Goku!"

"Keep in touch!"

"Remember to eat well!"

"Don't let King Kai give you grief over long distance calls!"

"Thanks guys." He grinned cheerily in the classic Son way and lifted into the air alongside Baba. "See you later!" He saw them waving and threw them a two fingered salute. They watched as he and Baba slowly became insubstantial until they disappeared altogether.

Gohan stood solemnly, looking up at the sky where he'd last seen his father. That heavy sadness settled on him once more, but in a different way. It was more like how it should've felt. Losing a father that is. He barely noticed Vegeta come up beside him.

"Brat." Vegeta said gruffly.

"Vegeta." Gohan acknowledged without turning his head.

They stood in silence, side by side. The proud saiyan prince didn't speak for a good while. Perhaps he was allowing Gohan a moment to grieve. Perhaps he didn't know what to say. Perhaps he just didn't know how to say it. When he decided to speak, Vegeta's gruff voice rang out like a bell. "You didn't find your limit."

Gohan stiffened. The people around him stopped their conversations. He groaned inwardly. Way to be blunt Vegeta.

"No. I didn't."

He heard several people around him gasp and someone said a soft curse. Vegeta just growled angrily. "You fool. I told you to let it go."

Gohan shook his head. "I couldn't." His father was right there. There was so much left undone between them. He beat his ki down with everything he had to make it right. It worked. With his father's help it worked. He didn't want to fight him. It wasn't right.

The saiyan prince ran a hand through his dark hair in frustration. "You don't know what you've done."

Gohan frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

Vegeta scowled back at Gohan. "I watched your fight. Had your pathetic excuse of a father not stopped his attack…" He grit his teeth angrily. "… your rage would've been unleashed in its fullest potential. You would've reached your peak!" The next words were hard for him to say. "With Kakkarot gone, there's no one to reign in your power."

Gohan's eyes went wide. "You mean…"

"Yes you idiotic excuse for a saiyan." Vegeta ground out bitterly. "You've run out of time. The next time you transform, you sign this planet's death warrant."

The sandbag hung from its carbon steel frame in dejection. All it wanted out of life was to be a punching bag. It sounded like a good deal when everything started. Help fighters become stronger, give in to its masochistic tendencies, all in all a win-win situation. It never expected to be snuffed out so soon. Why did life have to be so cruel?

Another vicious punch landed on its midsection, threatening to tear the already threadbare material. It had gone through beating after beating for hours on end. The fighter in front of it didn't show any signs of stopping. Had it a voice, it would've cried out for mercy. But in the end, it was still just a simple sandbag.

One that bore the brunt of Videl's frustrations.

Videl grunted as she pummeled the unfortunate sandbag. Training was the way she coped with her problems. It served to clear her head and work out her anger issues. Driving her body mercilessly, she'd been at the sandbag for nearly the entire night. She tried to empty her mind. Tried to beat her problems into oblivion.

But it wasn't working.

She shouted in frustration and unleashed a barrage of kicks at the weary sandbag. She couldn't shake off her feelings. Her thoughts swirled in her agitated brain in a never ending circle of problems.

Dad lied to me.

That jerk lied to me.

The Gold Fighter beat Cell.

She stopped kicking the sandbag and rushed it again with a battery of punches.

My father's been lying to me for seven years.

He's been lying to be since day one.

Who is the Gold Fighter?

Frustrated, she went at it with a will, putting her full weight behind each of her blows.

How could he justify it? I'm his daughter!

I thought that jerk was my friend!

He's the one who really beat cell! Why didn't he say anything?!

"GRAAH!" Videl let fly a most vicious punch and felt the bag tear under her knuckles. She withdrew her hand and watched the sand pour from the gaping wound in the material. Her frustrations overwhelmed her in the sudden lapse of movement. She sunk to her knees, panting, hands clenched into fists.

"Why does everything have to be so hard?" She scrubbed at her eyes with the back of her fist. She didn't know what to do. With everything coming to light at once, her life felt like it was falling apart.

She slumped in exhaustion. Now that she was kneeling it was harder to fight the fatigue that had built up in her body since she began. She pushed herself to her feet and moved to another sandbag. There were at least a dozen in this particular training room. She brought her fists back up into a fighting position and started punching anew.

As if she heard the new sandbag's silent pleas, her hands fell back to her sides after a few minutes.

"I'm not getting anywhere." Videl muttered. Instead of clearing her mind, she only succeeded in frustrating herself further. She sighed deeply and moved over to a bench to take a break. It was far past midnight by this time. She'd shut herself in this training room since they'd arrived home. The few times her father had come to check on her, she didn't let him in. He was one of the last people she wanted to talk to.

She slumped down on the bench. What do I do now? She shook her head tiredly. Face the facts, Videl. Just gotta face the facts. Your dad, the guy who raised you, lied to you for seven years. That guy you liked lied to you since you met him. That guy you had a crush on beat cell and never told anyone. What was she supposed to do now?

Take your personal feelings out of it. See what answers you find.

"Shut UP Yamucha!" She muttered under her breath. She didn't want to put aside her personal feelings. Her personal feelings were what drove her to find the truth in the first place! Her feelings about each situation were strong and she didn't want to be torn apart again by another lie.

She sighed again, feeling spent from all the angry tears. Maybe he's right though. She acknowledged begrudgingly. I'm obviously not getting anywhere hanging on to my anger. She pressed her hands against her eyes, willing the tension to go away. I just wish I had some advice.

The young crime fighter leaned back against the wall. All the angry adrenaline was gone. Her emotions quelled temporarily by her body's exhaustion. If she wanted to evaluate things apart from her personal feelings, now was the time to do it.

First things first. She reasoned tiredly. Dad.

It was obvious that he told her the truth in the limousine. He'd gone to the cell games to protect the planet. He grandstanded back then to keep himself from shaking in his boots. Something anyone would've done in his position. He'd done his best, but couldn't compete with the greater fighters that were there. He had pure motives when he took the credit. Protect the broken little boy who saved the world. Then things got out of control as the lie grew. He had to lie to everyone. Now, he lived off his fame and slandered those who put their lives on the line seven years ago.

But he's not a bad guy. She thought he'd be corrupt about it, but he wasn't. He didn't claim the victory out of selfish desire. Yamucha was right. He was still her father through and through. Thinking on it further, she felt like she understood a little better why he acted the way he did. One way in front of people, another way around her. The guilt ate him up on the inside and he did his best to drown it out with booze and women. He was a media hound to keep up appearances for the sake of keeping the lie alive.

And now the truth was out, at least to his daughter.

Videl massaged her temples. And then he asks me what I want him to do. What kind of question is that? He should know what to do already! But did he really? Did the years of lying wear him down that much?

She considered the consequences. What would happen if she told him to come clean? Go to the presses with the real story? It would cause a mass panic. She realized sadly. People would take drastic measures. No one wants to live in a world where crazy monsters can blow you up with the slightest provocation. Where guns are useless. Things would only get worse from there. Their family would be ostracized. Everything they had, taken from them. People embittered to them for generations. All the good that they had done would disappear. Sure the cities had been rebuilt, but the faith that people had in them and their safety would vanish. No, she would not ask him to tell.

But he needs to change. She thought to herself firmly. This can't continue! No more slander! No more continuing the lie! No more drinking, no more women… And he's going to give it all back! Everything he earned through deceit. I don't care if it's charity or whatever, but he's going to have to return all the fancy statues, all the self portraits, all the videogames, action figures, and bobble head dolls! I don't even care what he says, I just want it done! She allowed herself a small smile. Yeah. That'll be good. Give it all back. Her eyelids drifted lower. All of it… The power tools, the butler… even the widescreen…

Videl slapped at her cheeks. "Wake up!" she murmured. "Stay awake!" She still had more issues to deal with! She gripped her knees and leaned forward.

I have to find someone to corroborate the story for me. She reasoned. I need to know that this is the truth for sure. She believed her father, but needed the peace of mind that proof would give her. But who could she ask? She would try to get a hold of Yamucha, but it was a well known fact that Yamucha stopped accepting personal calls a while ago. His manager had gotten tired of his practices being interrupted all the time by fans. She had no idea how to contact Krillin or Tien Shinhan. They practically dropped off the map after the cell games. She didn't want to talk to Vegeta. He was scary.

I'll ask the Gold Fighter! Videl brightened. She'd wanted to see him for a while now. Now that she knew more, she was excited to have a legitimate reason to seek him out. The only way to contact Goldie was to talk to…

He-who-must-not-be-named.

She scowled darkly at the opposing wall. Figures. The one person she didn't want to see, talk to, or think about above all else. She didn't want to even consider anything to do with he-who-must-not-be-named. In fact, he-who-must-not-be-named could go die in a fire right now for all she cared!

Videl sighed in frustration. Well, maybe not in a fire. I have to talk to that jerk again whether I like it or not. The Gold Fighter defeated Cell. Goldie will be able to corroborate dad's story and help me sort this mess out.

She tilted her head and stared at the ceiling. She thought about he-who-must-not-be-named and felt a twinge of guilt. What if… hypothetically speaking of course… what if he-who-must-not-be-named really was the Gold Fighter? What if he was telling the truth? What would that mean?

It would mean that he defeated cell. It would mean that he's been telling the truth all along, barring the lies he told to keep his secrets. She frowned. It would mean that he's the same guy. The same guy who saved my life countless times. The same guy who I had a crush on as a little girl. The same strong, handsome, kind, lovable, nerdy, spankin' hot…

"AGH!" Videl stood up from her seat and started pacing. "No! I do not like him! He is NOT the same guy! They are very different people! That jerk is lying and doesn't deserve my trust!"

But, in retrospect, what did the Gold Fighter do to deserve her trust? Apart from knowing he was at the cell games and defeated Cell, she didn't really know the Gold Fighter all that well. If anything she knew he-who-must-not-be-named far better. In fact, they'd become pretty good friends.

Videl winced. Well, we used to be good friends. Their argument at the carnival earlier definitely ended whatever friendship they had.

Videl continued pacing as the memories came back to her. The anticipation, the reveal, the hurt… The more she thought about it, the more she wished that last conversation with he-who-must-not-be-named had never happened. Frankly, she didn't want to be angry with him. She was more hurt than angry. Hurt and tired of being hurt. She got in too deep and genuinely wanted to be his friend. Then he told her his 'secret'.

"Why… why did you have to lie to me?" Videl voice got slowly quieter until it was barely above a whisper. "Why couldn't we have stayed the same? Why did you have to make this so complicated?"

Try as she might, Videl couldn't put the entirety of the blame on him. They could've had a grand old time at the carnival, but she couldn't let go of the fact that he still kept secrets from her. She wanted to know. Why oh why couldn't she let sleeping dogs lie at least for a day?

Easy, her pride wouldn't let her. She had to know because... Well, because she wanted him to trust her. Videl didn't get that you can't force trust. You had to give it out before you could receive it.

Videl rubbed her eyes tiredly. Things are going to be great on Monday. She really didn't look forward to seeing him in school. Hopefully she could avoid him like he-who-must-not-be-named (voldemort?) avoided her for the beginning part of their relationship. She scowled. That was not the right word to use. They were certainly not in a relationship.

Suddenly Erasa's voice echoed in her head.

You obviously like Gohan! Your reaction from him giving you something as sweet as a kiss on the cheek tells me that much!

Videl lifted a hand to her cheek as she remembered the kiss from the balcony. Her scowl fell from her face. An expression of heartbreak took its place. "I don't know enough. I don't know if he's lying again." She murmured.

You HAVE enough information! It ain't rocket science, Videl.

She shook her head. "But there's no evidence. I can't just…"

Heck you already KNOW the Gold Fighter! I could've SWORN you would've figured it out by now!

Videl buried her face in her hands. Could it be true? Could it really be that easy? She was so sure that he was lying… at least she had been an hour ago. In all honesty a part of her wished she could believe him. How perfect would it be? The guy you liked, liked you back, and was also a secret crush of yours from your childhood. But no. That would've been far too easy.

And nothing was ever that easy.

"Wait… how did Erasa know?" Videl asked herself suddenly. She hadn't considered that. She figured that Gohan was just spreading the lie around. If that was the case, why didn't anyone else at school know about it? Videl scrunched her brow up in concentration. Gohan wasn't the kind of guy to just spread rumors about himself. She'd learned that much at least from studying the guy. If her previous investigating was worth anything, she knew him to be the complete opposite of a normal teen!

You work for the police Videl. Use that detective brain of yours! She scolded herself. She plopped herself down in the middle of the exercise floor to think. Look at the facts. Gohan, Saiyaman, and the Gold Fighter had never been seen together. But that was because Gohan was really Saiyaman and the Gold Fighter didn't show up unless saiyadork was incapacitated in some way. It was plausible that her unassuming classmate was really all three and that the Gold Fighter was just his backup plan.

Come to think of it, they really do look alike. Videl allowed. She had been witness to Gohan's hidden muscles and super strength. The two had more in common than she originally thought. Both lost their fathers to cell. Both of them knew the group of warriors who were at the cell games. Both of them were about the same height and had spiky hair.

It was unusually plausible.

But then, why would he feel the need to lie to me? Videl rested her chin in her hand, barely keeping her weariness at bay. He must've told Erasa when she questioned him about it. Why couldn't he tell her too? Wasn't she closer to him than Erasa was?

Gohan didn't tell you because he didn't want to hurt you! By the sound of it, you probably wouldn't believe him if he had!

Videl smacked her forehead as she remembered Yamucha's words. He didn't tell me because I'm Hercule's daughter! If he was the Gold Fighter, then he knew her father was a liar! He didn't want to hurt his friend! The more she considered it, the more it matched up with Gohan's character.

It was completely plausible.

The fem fatale paused in her sleuthing. It really was too easy. What if it was all some sort of ploy? She frowned sleepily. What if this is just some weird mysterious arrangement of circumstances? What if it's a setup?! I got to find proof! Proof was the one thing her pride wouldn't let go of. She relied on it to divide the truth from the lies.

She sat there pondering until her body started to argue with her mind. Videl was unaware of her eyelids slowly falling closed. Her mind spun in sleepy circles until it turned to unintelligible mush. She slumped to one side, exhaustion finally taking over as she sank into a dead sleep.

On the other side of the mountain, Gohan stared at the ceiling. He glanced over at the clock and winced. 3:20 AM. His mental groan echoed in the caverns of his mind. Sleep stayed far away from the poor demi-saiyan. He'd tried to rest, but his mind and his energy kept him wide awake. Counting sheep didn't work. Counting sheep never works.

He flipped over and mulled over the day's events. Things really hadn't gone well for him. After Vegeta's blunt proclamation at the picnic, everyone seemed to go ballistic. His mother attempted to strangle Vegeta for insinuating that her precious baby could ever harm somebody, his godmother tried to keep Vegeta from killing Chichi, Tien tried to calm a hyperventilating Yamucha, and Roshi and Oolong kinda shrugged. They gave in to the idea that they were toast and went out for drinks.

Krillin was the calmest out of everybody. He just shook his head and smirked wryly. The former monk figured something like this would happen eventually, but he never thought Gohan would be the one to snap and destroy everybody.

Gohan rolled over in bed again. But I haven't! I haven't gone insane! Everyone is acting like I'm going to go psycho any minute now! Everyone except Vegeta and Piccolo started treating him with the utmost caution. Even his mother acted like she was treading on eggshells when they got home! It was infuriating. People kept asking him if he was okay. He felt fine! If anything all the extra attention would be what drove him crazy!

Giving up trying to fall asleep, Gohan got up from his bed and stared out the window at the serene nightscape. Casting his senses, he made sure that everyone else in the house was asleep before opening the window. He drifted outside and glided over the lawn. Slowly he turned to float on his back inches above the blades of grass. He stared up at the sky and sighed.

Would it be as bad as Vegeta said it would be? It's not like it would be the end of the world or anything. He would just to have to wish everyone back with namek's dragonballs. Then he'd probably have to explain to everyone why he killed everything. He made a face. That would end badly. Even if they all believed him, he'd be public enemy number one. And Videl…

Another sigh worked its way past his lips. As if things couldn't get any worse, he remembered that Videl wanted nothing to do with him. The one girl he'd developed feelings for, the one girl who he couldn't get out of his head for anything, was done with him. And now he couldn't give her any proof. If he transformed again, there was a high probability of him losing control. Vegeta made that abundantly clear.

Gohan chuckled dryly at the irony of it all. I really dug myself into a hole this time. He should've told her the truth from the beginning. Instead, the lies built up so that she wouldn't believe him without him outright showing her. Now it was impossible.

I shouldn't think about her. He thought to himself firmly. It's more important that I figure out how NOT to destroy everything to try and reach my limit. He'd been pondering this dilemma since arriving at home. He didn't eat at lunch or dinner, he couldn't sleep now even in the wee hours of the morning, and he didn't feel like he needed either of those things. It was probably a bad sign, but what was he supposed to do about it?

Gohan huffed. He flipped back over and continued to glide along like a manta ray. He wasn't in a very good mood. In fact, ever since his father left he'd been rather irritable. His mother hadn't commented on it, thankfully, but he was sure she noticed. Evidenced by the way she was almost too careful in dealing with him. The lack of sleep only compounded his irritation. Perhaps it was a side effect of not finding his limit?

The dark eyed teen frowned heavily. Stupid hormones. He reached up and rubbed his temples. Why's everything got to happen to me? He felt unsettled yet again. The power under his skin compelled him to move. It made his muscles twitch. Like it was begging for Gohan to run wild.

"Fine." He muttered to himself. "Not like it's going to make a difference." He surrendered to the restless energy and shot up into the clouds. He went as high as he dared before falling back down to the planet's surface. He swooped down, skimming along the ground as he did before, but at a far faster pace. The countryside rushed past him. Farmland became a blur as he zoomed along. Suddenly he was in the city.

Even at dark o'clock, people were still driving and walking the streets. Gohan skimmed over the pavement, dodging cars, startling pedestrians and causing a general ruckus. He zipped in and out of crowd of people, giggling when they shouted in alarm and dismay at the wind in his wake. He abandoned the streets as he flew toward a skyscraper. Keeping flush against the building, he shot up the side of the glass. At one point he stopped and waved to a janitor that was making his nightly rounds.

The janitor looked at him, wide eyed and pale. It made sense that he was a bit startled since Gohan was only wearing pajama bottoms and floating at the 40th story window. Nevertheless, the poor janitor slowly waved back at the youth. Gohan grinned and shot up further up the building. He finally slowed as he came to a stop at the tippy-top of the lightning rod attached to the skyscraper.

He looked out over the city and smiled, reveling in the height at which he stood. Far above the city, looking down at its people, he felt a surge of adrenaline.

Gohan stopped himself. "What am I doing?" He muttered. Having fun was one thing, but flying around at night, shirtless, and scaring random janitors was not usual for him. He ran a hand down his face and frowned. "Stupid hormones. I've got to figure out what to do about my power. I just wish I had more time." Suddenly he snapped his fingers. "Time! That's it! The hyperbolic time chamber! That's just what I need!"

Gohan looked down at the bright lights of the city. He grinned in a most devil-may-care way and allowed himself to fall backwards. He almost made a Gohan pancake on the sidewalk before IT-ing to another part of the world completely.

"BOO!"

"BAAAAGH!" Dende fell backwards as his saiyan friend popped into existence two inches in front of his nose.

"Scared you didn't I?" Gohan grinned mischievously.

"You most certainly did Gohan!" Dende sat back up. He'd been meditating on his bed when Gohan popped in on him. "How'd you learn to do that?"

"I don't know. Just kind of happened." Gohan shrugged. "Listen, I was wondering if I could ask for a favor."

Dende looked at his friend curiously. "A favor?"

"Yeah." Gohan nodded eagerly. "I was wondering if I could use the hyperbolic time chamber to sort out my limit problems."

Dende put a hand to his chin in thought. "That's… not a bad idea."

"I know right?"

The namekian guardian frowned. "Except…"

The smile dropped from Gohan's face. "Except what?"

"You'd be alone." Dende said. "Vegeta said that you'd go looking for challenges. I'm guessing you wouldn't last more than a few minutes in there by yourself before charging back out here. And even if you brought someone with you, who's to say that you wouldn't destroy the doors in a rage?"

Gohan felt a lead weight sink into his stomach. "You… you think that would happen?"

"If that door goes, you're stuck forever." Dende said gravely. "I don't think we should risk that."

"Man…" Gohan paced back and forth in Dende's little bedroom. "What am I supposed to do Dende? I can't go into space because the lack of inactivity till I reach the next planet would doom us. I can't IT to another planet because it would doom the inhabitants of that planet. I can't use the hyperbolic time chamber because I might doom myself in a fit of rage."

Dende tracked Gohan with his eyes and with his ki as he paced. "Sorry Gohan. I don't know what to tell you." He shrugged. "Guess you're going to have to ride this out the old fashioned way."

Gohan groaned. "Yeah, but how? I don't want to see everything as a challenge. I don't want people treating me like a ticking time bomb either! I just… I just want to patch things up with Videl and… "

Dende watched, slightly tense, as Gohan seemed to slump where he stood. Ahh, girl problems. He smiled ruefully. "I can't help you with that either."

"Some guardian you are." Gohan muttered.

"Hey, you want to trade places?" Dende said with a cheeky grin. "You try dealing with all the problems of the world plus all you saiyans messing things up."

"Oh yeah?" The demi-saiyan put his hands on his hips. "Try evading an angry Videl through a day in high school. One day! Then on top of that, try keeping your powers secret from everyone while suffering from stupid saiyan hormones. Then, after they've ridiculed you and your family, go ahead and help them with their petty little problems. See how long you last."

Dende was slightly taken aback. "It's been that rough for you?"

"Yes… no!" Gohan corrected himself. He frowned at the little guardian. "I mean it would be difficult for you, being Kami and all."

Dende shuffled back on the bed uneasily. He held up his hands in defense. "Sorry Gohan. No offense meant."

Gohan scowled. "Don't do that."

The little green man tensed fully, slightly afraid. "Do what?"

"That!" He gestured to Dende's body language. "Go all defensive on me! I'm not going to go on a berserker rage if you tick me off!"

Dende flinched. "Well, actually…"

"Are you kidding me?!" Gohan shook his head angrily, forestalling Dende's excuse. "No, you know what? Forget it. It's late, I'm going back home." He stiffly bowed to the guardian and left the room.

Dende watched his friend leave, shame filling his chest. He hadn't meant to raise his defenses. It happened unconsciously! He didn't mean to make Gohan feel that way. There was just something about him that put Dende on alert. Something instinctual within him was worried about survival.

He felt Gohan's ki leave the lookout. His friend was really feeling the effects of the hormones. Gohan never would've gotten so easily aggravated before. He was far too laid back to take personal offense like that. If this was any indication of how bad things were going to get… The little namekian grimaced in a very ungodly manner.

This is going to suck.

A/N: And there you have it! Gohan's berserker tendencies are on the way!
*studio audience applause*
I know some of you want angsty angsty Gohan to make an appearance. Like… go all hardcore on the pathetic humans of high school. Those kind of stories are extremely popular methinks. While I don't intend for him to go all Vegeta on them, believe me when I say he's going to be struggling badly. Things are gonna escalate rather quickly in the next chapter.

*pulls out megaphone*
ALRIGHT PEOPLE. THIS NEXT BIT'S GONNA BE ROUGH. PLEASE KEEP YOUR HANDS AND ARMS INSIDE THE RIDE UNTIL IT COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP.
Hold on to your butts.

Thanks for reading! If you are one of the lovelies that happen to leave me a review, I just wanna let you know that I appreciate it like nothing else. I may not always respond (I don't have internet in my apartment) but know that I appreciate it nonetheless. Thanks again! :D