Wow, this got way more attention than I expected. I just hope I don't disappoint anyone.

Thank you all. All I can say is that I'm grinning like an idiot while writing this note.

I guess I could answer two questions.

To anonymous reviewer: Yes, the aliens were getting Gohan's power rather than Videl's. I thought I made it pretty obvious, But I guess I'll just state it outright here.

And I did have a scene of the aliens measuring Gohan's power in the hundreds of millions before he turned Super, but it was mostly just them screaming their heads off without actually contributing anything, and it felt so out of place, I decided to scrap it.

To WiffleDick678: To be honest, I hadn't really thought of that. But I guess I'm going with a no, Gohan didn't train after the Cell Games. His power is equal to that of the cannon Gohan before Buu came along. It's still incredibly high though.

Chapter 2

Godhood

Videl came to a rest in a dark alley, where she believed no one would look for her. It was there that she finally took the time to catch her breath. At first, her blonde friends had tried to keep up, but she simply outran them both.

"Gohan…" She whispered. "The Golden Fighter…" There was no mistake, Gohan was the Golden Fighter. And the Delivery Boy.

And real. So very real.

"Why did he do that?" She asked herself again. She shook her head. No use in thinking about it now. She could ask him the next time she saw him. Try to press him… into…

But it's real. And if it's real, she can't make him do anything, not someone who can shake the earth with his voice.

Her train of thought was derailed by her ringing phone. 'Dad.'

She picked up.

"Videl." He said before she even had a chance to say anything. "Are you safe? Where are you?" His voice sounded worried, and frightened.

"I'm fine." She replied, somewhat annoyed he had to call at this exact moment, and yet glad to hear his voice.

"Get out of the city, right now!" He commanded. "Get out, and hurry! Don't let anyone follow you! Don't take anyone with you! Just throw away your phone and run!"

And he hung up. Just like that.

"But why?" She asked, even though the line had disconnected. "What's going on? What am I supposed to do?"

"This is not fair!" Trunks screamed at his mother. "I can't even lift a car outside without being grounded! But when Gohan just goes Super Saiyan in the middle of the city, it is fine?"

His mother shook her head, setting down her coffee on the table.

"It is not fine." Bulma sighed. "This is very bad. What possessed him to do that?"

"Maybe he was getting sick of the liar?" Trunks suggested.

"He's not you." His mother replied in a tired tone.

"Whatever." The boy shrugged. "Just ask him when he gets here."

This made his mother shoot up. "He's coming this way? She asked.

"He's here already." Trunks pointed to the front of the house.

"But why?" Bulma asked, more to herself than to Trunks.

"I don't know, he just flew around the world for a bit, and then came here."

"Just…" Bulma sighed. "Just go get him, would you?"

He did so, and not even a minute later brought Gohan into the spacious kitchen.

"H-hey Bulma…" The teenager greeted her nervously.

"Gohan." She nodded. "Sit down."

"Oh, you're in trouble!" Trunks gleefully said to the taller half-blood.

"Trunks, go someplace else." His mother told him.

"But I want to see!" He complained. A single glare from his mother, combined with a finger pointing to the door send him running out.

"Gohan." She looked him dead in the eyes. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure." The boy started. "I was walking out with three of my classmates, and I was about to leave when I noticed their energies getting low. It was being sucked into the sky. Even my own. So I raised my power and restored their energy, but it wasn't just them, the entire city was being drained. So I spread out my energy, to be drained in their stead, and increased my power more to stop the draining. But then they turned up the strength of the drain. So I kept increasing until I surpassed them, then send all of it up at once."

"I see." Bulma nodded. This was just like what Goku and Vegeta had done to the Big Gete Star. And Vegeta against android 19. Try to drain the energy of a Super Saiyan, and you might bite off more than you can chew, especially when they start to actively ram it down your throat.

"But did you really have to go super?" She asked him. She knew second-hand how much power that state possessed. It just seemed a little overboard to her.

"Probably not." Gohan admitted. "But I was compensating for the entire city. If I let go for even a moment, everyone would be dead. I couldn't take that risk."

She nodded. That must have been a terrible pressure he had been under.

"But who did it?" She then asked.

"I don't know. Aliens, I think. By the time I noticed them, they were already trying to kill the entire city."

"What happened to them?" Bulma asked, though she did have an idea.

"I took care of them." Gohan replied.

Of course he did. He was just like his father. Pure of heart, and caring for life. But when push comes to shove, he'll kill his opponents without hesitation, or remorse.

But Bulma had long since gotten used to that.

"So I guess we can't ask them what they were here for." She sighed. "This is a real mess. But what's done is done; best we can do now is minimising the damage. And speaking of damage, your little action caused quite a bit of it."

"If I hadn't done it, the entire city might have been killed." Gohan tried to explain himself.

"I know that." Bulma acknowledged it. "But the rest of the world does not. The news doesn't have a word about aliens, or anyone else being involved but you. Or rather, the Golden Fighter."

"So what do you think I should do?" He finally asked the one question he came here for.

"To be honest, I'm not sure." Bulma replied. "I think it is best if you lay low for a while. Did anyone see you transform?"

"Probably." Gohan said. "I was with some classmates at the time, after all. And there were a lot of people in the streets, but of course they don't know me."

"Well, I guess your identity is up for grasps then." Bulma concluded. "Or would be, had I not been one of the most influential people in the world."

"You'd do that for me?" Gohan asked, sounding happy.

"Of course I would, I know you wouldn't like the attention." She put him at ease. "But for now, I think it is best if you lay low, and don't make more appearances as the Golden Fighter. By the way, have you passed by your mother yet? I'm sure she's worried sick about you."

"Ah." His eyes lit up with realisation. "I guess I'll better be going then. Thanks a lot, Bulma."

"Anytime kid." She smiled as he flew out the window.

Then the smile vanished, Replaced by a large frown.

This was not going to be easy. Gohan had made a very big impact, who knows what's going to happen now?

"The death count is over three thousand. Who was this…" "…terror in the streets, asking only…" "…must be millions of…" "…And no one knows who he…" "…golden figure. Yet there has…"

"Will you stop that?!" Erasa cornered the other blonde.

They were in a small room, Sharpner's room. It was the closest.

Sharpner pressed once more on his remote, turning the TV off. All it had was news about the incident only twenty minutes ago. On every channel.

The people were wondering who this man was. The connection to the Delivery Boy was made in seconds.

They didn't need the news. They were there. They had seen, they had felt.

An unpleasant silence hung between them now.

At first they had been worried for their friend, especially after she just started running. But that soon changed.

Mr. Satan had not been available for comment. He had set out in a hurry, only minutes after the incident.

The man, who had convinced the world that it was all just a trick, had vanished the moment undeniable proof had come. He and Videl ran without hesitation.

There could only be one explanation. They knew. Those two had known all along.

And Gohan, Gohan, he was the Golden Fighter. And powerful beyond comparison.

Bulma was right about Chichi being worried. She got Gohan somewhere between a hug and a stranglehold, crying and scolding and smouldering all at once.

It was long into the night before anyone went to bed in the Son household.

Or Satan City in general. Many people were discussing the event well into the next morning.

All schools, jobs, everything had been closed. The only people still working were the T.V. crews, and they worked overtime.

Debates, discussions, analyzations, it was the only thing on everyone's mind.

Crowds had come up to the Satan Mansion, but found neither Hercule nor Videl at home. They were not there to answer their questions.

The return of the Delivery Boy had made them both disappear. Some said they were taken, killed or hostage, while others were convinced they were hiding from this person.

And by morning, many had come to the same conclusion.

It was no trick, no fakery.

It was a display of very real power.

This person had come to Earth for a reason yet unknown.

He was an Angel of Light, or the Golden God.

Videl peeked inside the building. It was an apartment, still under construction, which meant no people. After all, she didn't expect anyone to return to work just yet. Not after yesterday.

She had spent most of the night walking, trying to understand what had happened. But she could not. She could not explain it, or accept it. It kept going on in her head like a bad mantra.

Gohan was the Delivery Boy.

His powers were real.

He was at the Cell Games.

If Cell's power was fake, then he didn't have to show up. Or he would just have dealt with Cell and move on.

Nothing fitted.

Except for one.

Cells power was real too.

But her father did not have such powers.

Then how did he defeat Cell?

He hadn't.

But that couldn't be true. She did not want that to be true.

Her life was not a lie. Her father was not a phoney.

'But then what is he?' She asked herself again. 'Who is he? Who am I?'

Once again she tried to drive the thoughts from her head, knowing very well she'd be back at the same place in ten minutes, tops.

She was tired. The long day, horrific event, and sleepless night were adding up. She was so tired, and longed for a dreamless sleep.

This place was perfect. No one would come bother her, while she sorted herself out.

She spied left and right. No one in sight. So she ran to the fence surrounding the construction site, jumped and climbed over with a single smooth movement.

Whatever was fake, whatever was real, no matter what was going on, she still had one certainty.

She was strong. And she would make it through this, one way or the other.

Morning had passed into midday when Erasa woke up again. At first she was confused why she was still wearing her normal clothes, even more so at the fact that she was at Sharpner's place.

She stretched herself out a little. She had slept reasonably well, considering recent events. Such as Gohan turning out to be a God.

She looked down at the floor, where Sharpner slept. He had offered her his bed, and took the floor himself. She didn't really expect that one, as in her tired mind, she didn't think on it, and kind of assumed he'd be sleeping in the bed with her.

It would have been fine if he had though. He wasn't the person he pretended to be.

Most people would have thought he'd do something to her while she slept. Most people didn't know him.

His perverted attitude and skirt chasing were just that, an attitude. If that were the real him, he would never have two girls as his best friends.

'Videl.' Erasa sighed. 'What have you done? Why did you do this to us? How could you?'

She saw Sharpner open one eye.

"Ah, you're awake?" She asked.

"No." He replied in his usual jock manner.

Erasa just rolled her eyes, and found herself flopping back on her back.

"Do you think we should come forward?" Sharpner suddenly asked.

"Forward?" Erasa rolled over so she laid on her back on the very edge of the bed, and looked down at him. "About what?"

"Gohan." Sharpner looked up at her. "We're probably the only ones who know."

"Probably." She replied. "But why did he pretend to be Videl's friend? She was pretty hostile to him." Then she shot up a little. "Do you think she knew?"

"About Gohan?" He added. "I don't think so. Or she would have been long gone the day he rolled in."

"Gohan." She dropped down again. "I just can't believe he did that."

"I don't believe that was even possible." He added.

"But why?" Erasa asked the one question no one could answer.

"Do you think it has to do with that strange black thing in the air?" Sharpner suddenly realised. "He's all over the news, but not a word on what that was."

"Maybe they missed it?" She reasoned. "I only saw because I happened to be looking up." She sighed. "Maybe we should come forward." She then stated.

"But we don't even know why he came to our school at all." He then objected. "We don't know anything about him."

"Then what?!" She yelled in frustration.

He sighed, and opened his arms. "Come here." He said to her. She unceremoniously let herself roll off the bed and fall on top of him. It wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but he'd take it.

"It's ok." He embraced her. "I'm scared too."

"I just don't know what to do." Her muffled voice replied. "My best friend lied to me all along."

"It's ok." He repeated. "If we stick together, we'll be fine."

"But Gohan." She freed herself just enough to be able to look at his face. "What if he's angry with us?"

"We didn't know about the lies." He tried to reason.

"But what if no one believes us?" She continued.

Sharpner opened his mouth, and closed it again.

"We have been abusing her fame for years." She continued. "What if people think we were in on it all along?"

"We'll just have to explain we didn't know." He replied. "Maybe if we tell about Gohan, they'll believe us when we say we didn't know either." He gripped her a little tighter. "Hopefully."

Erasa just stared sideways blankly.

"Videl." She mumbled. "How could you?"

Evening was falling. Dinner had just been had. There was peace in the Son household. Chichi was understandingly upset about the whole thing, but at least she understood why he did it.

Gohan was outside, meditating, trying to get some peace of mind. Tomorrow he would go back, as school would be back on Thursday.

So far, no one knew his identity, which he was thankful for.

Until his little brother came running with bad news.

Bulma had called. ZTV had started up a special program, just like any other channel. Unlike them, they had something substantial. The identity of the Golden God.

It took Gohan a whole three seconds to reach his house. Going through the door he dropped out of his Ascended Super Saiyan. He was just in time to see his mother turn on the TV.

"…ing in a few moments." The voice sounded as Gohan wordlessly took place.

"Gohan." His mother called over. "Bulma said she did everything she could, including trying to buy out the company, but she couldn't stop them."

"I know." Gohan replied softly. He knew Bulma would never allow this to happen.

The scene changed to a room with three people. Gohan instantly recognised two of them.

"Welcome." The presenter greeted them. "Sorry for the mess, but we had to put it all together on short notice.

Nonetheless, we have people claiming to have learned the identity of our Golden God."

"I wish people would stop calling me that." Gohan complained. He got no answer.

"And we have the witnesses to back it all up." The man continued. "But first, a few words from two certain people. It was them who learned his name, and them who came to us. They are former friends of Videl Satan. Erasa and Sharpner."

The two teenagers came forward. Instead of the expected applause, boos and hauling was heard. The audience clearly didn't agree with them taking stage. It took the host a few tries to get them quiet again.

Sharpner raised his hand. "First, I would like to state that neither me nor Erasa, nor our families knew about the Satan Deception. We think it is disgusting what they have done, and they should pay for it all."

"A likely story." The host argued.

"If it wasn't true, we wouldn't be here, wouldn't we?" He then stated. "If we were in on it, wouldn't we have gone in hiding like those two as well?"

"Wasn't there a third one in your group?" The host then asked pointedly.

Sharpner and Erasa shared a glance. "Yes, there was." Erasa said. "Son Gohan."

"Where is he now?" The man asked.

"We don't know." Erasa admitted. "He vanished after the incident yesterday."

"So he fled as well?" The man concluded. "Was he aware of the lie? Some say he got in with Videl a little too quickly."

"Possibly." Sharpner replied. "He was likely aware, but I doubt he was in league with them."

"And why would that be?" The man continued. "How could he possibly have known about the Deception if he wasn't part of the conspiracy against the Golden God?"

Erasa looked at Sharpner again, and he nodded.

She took a deep breath.

"Because he is the Golden God."

…

"That guy?" The man asked. He was clearly having trouble believing that.

"We were there." Sharpner stated. "At the incident, we were with him. And we have other proof as well."

"Like what?"

"Ask our other classmates about him." Sharpner continued. "They'll tell you the same stories. First off, there are the three appearances of the Golden Fighter. The first and second one fall on the exact same days as Gohan's arrival to register and his entrance test. The third on his first day. Not to mention they were wearing the exact same clothes."

"And then there's his first day." Erasa continued. "During PE we played baseball, and he caught a ball by jumping eight meters in the air. And he stayed up there for a few seconds, floating, before coming down again."

"He took my cannon ball pitch straight in the face without even flinching." Sharpner switched in again. This was clearly rehearsed.

"He accidentally ripped off the door of his locker."

"He communes from really far away, out of the city."

"And he communes on a golden cloud. No one else can sit on it, just him."

Their host looked left to right. This was clearly not how things were supposed to go. Perhaps this was just a stunt to ridicule Videl's friends. That's certainly how it started.

Gohan had seen enough. If there was something important later, his mother would probably tell him. He walked out again, to fly away to a waterfall and cool his head.

Just two days ago he was starting to become a part of a group of four friends. Some begrudging, but they were starting to get along then.

But now those two had sold both of the other two out. In an effort to save themselves, they had condemned Videl and revealed Gohan.

The worst part? Gohan couldn't bring himself to be angry at them. They must be frightened and confused. Just trying to get by in a world suddenly turned hostile.

Gohan could read the signs. An anti-Satan purge would follow soon. He didn't particularly like Hercule, but he hoped he and Videl were someplace safe.

"And he communes on a golden cloud. No one else can sit on it, just him."

Videl's head was spinning. She was no longer listening, her mind shutting in.

Having the fact shoved into her face, she realised. Yes, the signs were there. They had always been there. And she was so close. So close to the truth. But she had closed her eyes, put her fingers in her ears and twisted what she knew to fit her view.

Her lie.

But that wasn't the worst of it. She already knew who Gohan was. The worst was at the start, where her two lifelong friends publicly denounced her.

The people she trusted the most, had turned their backs on her, without even hearing a word from her side.

She felt alone.

But this was not the time to sit around moping. The news was rapidly becoming more aggressive towards her and her father. Especially with a lack of a counterbalance to stop them.

Finally she understood the meaning of her father's phone call.

"Get out of the city! Don't let anyone follow you! Don't take anyone with you! Just throw away your phone and run!"

She unwrapped her wrist communicator, put it down on the ground, along with her cell phone and the capsule containing her recognisable jet copter.

Yes, she had to run. Before the angry mobs found her.

Or Gohan did.

End of Chapter

And that's it for chapter 2. I hope it lived up to expectations.

I'm going a bit on the slow burn, things are going to spiral more and more as time goes on. That M rating isn't for lemons. Well, probably. Just don't count on it.

I thank Queenkeesie, once again, for beta-reading this chapter, as well as the previous one for me.