A/N:

Wow, a 100+ followers on two chapters? What is going on here? Am I being pranked?

Seriously, I did not expect this. I had hoped, of course, but I didn't actually expect it.

I'd like to thank the reviewers for making me go back to this chapter and patch a few things. Although this chapter was pretty much done already, I found I still had to make a few adjustments.

I'm only one person writing this, I make mistakes.

And I thank QueenKeesie for beta-reading.

Chapter 3

Madness

It was evening. The street lights had already been turned on, and soon the sun will have set entirely.

Videl walked down the street, disguised as a boy in her freshly stolen clothes, eating the last of her burger. Black pants and a blue jacket, which she wore over her usual clothes, as well as a baseball cap to hide her face under. Her long black hair had been crudely cut short, in the hopes to blend in better.

Once done finished eating she threw the wrapper of her burger in the trash bin.

Two days ago she was worth literal billions. Now she had to steal her clothes and food. She wasn't proud of it, but she was happy she pulled it off without being noticed.

She was headed towards her home. So far, the plan was to take one of her father's jets and fly herself to West City or something.

So set and certain she was of herself, she never stopped to consider one point.

She was still a few blocks away when she heard it. Shouting. Rioting. Sirens. Something was amiss. She started running. Only a block away, and an orange blaze was reflected off of the surrounding buildings.

Her belongings, her place, her home, it had been set ablaze. The crowds cheered as a small part of the massive mansion collapsed.

Fire-fighters were there, but they did nothing. Nothing but cheer alongside the crowd. The police was on the front, not even trying to keep the unruly riot under control.

She wavered on her legs, but remained standing. Yet another piece was ripped out of her.

More people were running towards the burning mansion. Some looked weirdly at the strange boy running in the opposite direction, but paid him no heed.

In a certain house, on a small island in the middle of the ocean, Krillin was on the phone with Bulma.

"I see." Krillin said in acknowledgement. "That does explain a lot. Don't worry, we're not about to do anything rash. Last thing the world needs right now is learning there are more people like Gohan."

"Yeah." Bulma replied. "The world is pretty much in shock right now. Maybe, when things have calmed down, we can slowly easy everyone into the knowledge of energy."

Considering all that happened, Gohan had slept rather well. He woke early in the morning and went to sit outside, watching the rising sun, wondering what to do.

Go to school? He had no idea what everyone's reaction would be. Not go to school? He knew how his mother would react.

No, he had to do something. People were running around, claiming he was a God. It probably wasn't all that serious, but if he didn't appear soon, they would show up at his doorstep. And then there would be no stopping it.

So he made up his mind. He would just go to school, and pretend nothing happened.

And thus a few minutes later he found himself speeding over Satan City. For a second he wondered if it was going to be renamed again.

Then his school came into view. And the street before it looked black with people. Every single reporter, journalist and cameraman of the entire city had gathered there.

Probably looking for a scoop about the Golden God. Gohan grimaced, and sped to the roof.

It was left empty, for some reason. Seriously though, they knew he could fly, what did they expect? Then again, maybe they weren't allowed in.

Several flashes went off below him, as the news crews obviously got sight of him.

Gohan shrugged it off, and landed. He checked his watch. If he casually strolled to his classroom, he'd easily be on time.

So he did.

Walking down the stairs, he passed several people, who didn't recognise him.

Thankfully.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long. When Gohan got to the floor his classroom was on, he passed by two students, a boy and a girl, who were leaning close and speaking softly to each other.

Until the boy looked at him. At first he looked back to his girl, and did a double take, this time with eyes so wide they nearly popped out. Then he shut his eyes, folded his hands and bowed his head.

'Is he worshipping me?' Gohan asked himself, so shocked he was frozen in place.

The girl, annoyed to lose the interest of her boy so suddenly, turned to look at him, and promptly made the same pose.

Gohan stepped away quickly. But now others had noticed, and were praying to him as he passed. As such, they didn't see the incredibly uncomfortable look on Gohan's face.

He speed walked down the hall, got to his classroom and entered immediately, away from the worshipping crowd.

Inside it was noisy. He clearly heard Angela, surrounded by half the class, talk loudly.

But as more eyes were drawn to his figure, the voices dimmed, until Angela noticed she was the only one talking.

"I thought he was going to see Videl." She continued, obviously talking about their date. "But now I realise he was about to use his godly powers to…" Her voice had steadily grown quieter, and trailed off completely when she noticed no one was listening anymore.

Gohan grinned awkwardly. 'I really should not have come.' He realised.

But he was here now, and running off would only make things worse, so he walked up the stairs, to the place he used to sit. There he saw two people, and two only. Everyone had cleared a large circle around them, clearly not wanting to get close.

Said two people, Erasa and Sharpner, were looking down, avoiding his eye.

Nonetheless, he sat down next to Erasa.

"Hey." He greeted them, the only sound in the room.

"Hello." Erasa looked sideways. He could tell she was frightened, it was so obvious even if he couldn't sense her energy.

There were several words written on her desk, as well as Sharpner's next to her. All of them insulting.

"I'm sorry." She then stammered. "I swear, we didn't know."

"I knew that already." Gohan stated evenly. "I'm not angry."

"You're not?" She finally looked up at him.

"Of course not." Gohan made sure to reply happily. "If I was angry, I wouldn't be sitting here, would I?"

"I guess not." Erasa admitted, sounding a lot better. Sharpner next to her let out a sigh of relief.

"So where's Videl?" He then asked.

"No one knows." Sharpner replied bitterly. "She and her father disappeared. I guess you scared them off."

"But why?" Gohan didn't understand what he meant. Surely Videl would understand he wasn't here to take revenge. Right?

"She and her father had been robbing and deceiving us for years!" Erasa stated harshly. "I thought I was her friend, but she was just using me. Just like everyone else. But when… well…" She trailed off.

"Then you returned." Sharpner continued. "And shown us the light. They must have ran off in fear. Good riddance!"

Gohan had to take a moment to process that. Videl was hiding from him? What was she thinking? If he wanted revenge, he could have taken it on his first day. Hell, he could have taken it seven years ago, when Hercule made his claim.

He didn't. Didn't they understand he never wanted this?

Clearly not.

Gohan wanted to ask something, when he noticed the clear silence around them. While he was talking, the teacher had came in, and the students taken their places.

But the teacher hadn't called out to him. No, he was patiently waiting for Gohan to finish.

Gohan looked at him for a moment, expected to be scolded. But no. The teacher looked around, seemingly unsure of what to do.

When Gohan didn't keep talking, he finally said something.

"Good morning students." He said. "And your Divinity." He bowed to Gohan.

"Please don't…" Gohan started. "Just… pretend I'm not here, ok?"

"Well." The man most certainly didn't expect that one. "Ok."

Thus he began his lecture about… something. Gohan didn't pay attention. He was lost in thought. 'Do they actually believe I'm a god?' He asked himself. 'I thought that was just an expression.'

He glanced around. Everyone was making a point of looking forward, something which never happened. 'Were they really… worshipping me? Like, literally?'

He sighed, and looked at the empty chair next to him. As much as this whole thing affected him, it would affect her more. So he calmed his mind, and focused, find Videl's energy. But Satan City was vast.

"Excuse me." He heard Erasa softly to his side. "Is there something wrong?" She asked him.

"Not really." Gohan guessed his deep focus must have shown. "I'm just looking for Videl." He answered.

"Looking for her?" Sharpner overheard. Judging from his tone, he really wanted to ask, but didn't dare to.

"I can sense an individual's life source, so to speak." Gohan abridged. "Videl is strong; I should be able to sense her clearly. But Satan City has millions of people. I guess she's just too far away, and drowned out in the collective presence." Gohan rambled, more to himself that to the other two.

"You can sense life?" Erasa repeated, completely flabbergasted.

"Well, yeah." Gohan replied, somewhat shyly. He really hoped they wouldn't ask for details on that one, it would be really hard to explain.

"And you're searching for Videl?" Sharpner asked him. "Is it so you can… take care of her yourself?"

"What?!" He needed a moment just to comprehend what the other just said. "No!" He replied, repulsed by the idea.

And again it was eerily silent. All eyes were on him again.

"I am not going to take revenge or anything." Gohan stated, more to the rest of the class than to the other two. "I'm not here for revenge. I'm just here for a normal life. But I guess that went out of the window when the attack happened." He started trailing off a little, feeling a bit down.

"The attack?" Erasa repeated, surprised. "What… attack?"

"Two days ago." Gohan replied. "Don't you remember? You just collapsed."

Erasa looked back at Sharpner. He was the one who spoke. "No one really knows what happened." He said carefully.

"You don't know?" Gohan asked. He looked around, but only saw questioning looks.

Sharpner shook his head. "No one knows. For all we know, we were walking down the street when you... well... had your episode. There's a lot of speculation, but no one knows anything."

"I see." Gohan mentally slapped himself. Of course no one knows what had been on. He went into a freaking Super Saiyan in the middle of the city and left without saying a word.

For a moment he wondered what to say.

"Nobody knows?" He asked again. When no one replied he nodded to himself. "Alright then." He said. "Do you remember, two days ago, that you suddenly felt tired?" He asked. Though he only asked Erasa and Sharpner, the entire class was nodding in perfect synchronisation.

"Basically, that was your lives being drained away." He continued. "I don't know how or why, but there was a spacecraft high in the air, sucking out the lives of the entire city."

A few gasps were heard, and Erasa went pale with horror.

"I compensated using my own, well, life source, and managed to overpower them." He grinned shyly at all the attention. "That's basically it." He finished.

"That's it?" Sharpner asked with clear doubt ringing in his voice. Then he quickly looked down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's fine." Gohan cut him off. "Did you want to ask something?"

"Well." The blonde jock hesitated for a moment. "You said you stopped them from draining our lives, but how did you even know they were doing that?"

"You can hear sound and see light, can't you?" Gohan asked him. "Just like that, I can sense your life source. When I felt all of the people around me suddenly dropping, I knew something was wrong."

"Then it wasn't you who made everyone tired?" Someone else asked.

"No." Gohan shook his head. "I just prevented it from getting worse."

It was quiet for a few seconds. Then someone else stood up. "I'm wondering, what would have happened if you didn't do anything?" He asked, probably voicing what everyone was thinking.

"Then everyone in the city would have died." Gohan stated calmly.

Once again it was quiet, but now there was awe, and admiring looks.

Erasa was the one who broke it again. "You said you compensated for the drain." She started. "How did you do that?"

"Easy." Gohan replied. "I used my own to replenish everyone else's, and clog up the system. Then I overcharged them by forcefully pushing it all down, until they couldn't take it anymore."

"From your own life source?" She noted, at which he gave a small nod. "Doesn't that, you know, cut your own life span?" She then asked, sounding worried.

"Not at all." He replied, smiling a little at her concern. "It's not dangerous unless I spend everything. And I still had most left at the end." He started trailing again, his mind wandering off. 'Sharpner mentioned speculations. What rumours have been going around?'

"Sharpner." He addressed him so suddenly that the jock nearly jumped out of his skin. "What kind of rumours are going around about me?"

"You didn't follow the news?" He got asked in return.

"No, I've been busy." Gohan replied. True, kinda.

"Well, the err… most popular one is err… the vengeful god. It's a group of devotees who say you came back to take revenge for following Hercule Satan." Sharpner started talking fast, not really willing to say it, but not really daring not to say it either.

"A group of devotees?" Gohan repeated. "There is a group of people devoting themselves to me? Come to think of it, there were people praying to me too when I walked by." Gohan remembered. "Do they honestly believe that I'm a god or something?" He wondered out loud.

"Well, yeah." Erasa replied uneasily, though much less than before. "You mean you're not?"

"Of course not!" Gohan answered with a little more frustration than he intended. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. This was getting complicated.

"I think I'll go and try to figure things out, and clear my head a little." He said as he stood up, and shoved his books back in his bag. "I'll be back tomorrow. I think."

He started to walk down the stairs, but thought the better of it. Everyone already knew anyway, so whatever.

He opened a window and flew himself out, towards the lookout. He could use a little alone time for meditation.

Behind him, most people watched on awe as he engulfed in blue flames and shot away.

All but two, the ones who saw him two days ago.

"What do you think he meant by that?" Sharpner asked Erasa.

"Probably that's he's not in his God-form or something." Erasa speculated. "I mean, he's not glowing golden right now either, is he?"

Sharpner nodded to himself. "You're probably right." He looked down, and then smiled to himself. "You know, even with everything that happened, he's still kind off the same person. Somehow, he is still the shy and awkward but kind Gohan we have known."

Erasa didn't answer, instead she just smiled to herself as she nodded slowly.

Now, with Gohan gone, the atmosphere changed, and the tenseness that hung in the air deflated like a balloon.

"Aright people!" The teacher called for their attention. "I think I'm giving you the class off. And the rest of the day too. I need to lay down for a bit." He added, rubbing his forehead. "Just, err… spread the news, I guess."

So they would. There was still a fairly large group of news reporters waiting outside.

Gohan spend the day at the Lookout, mostly in the Time Chamber, though with the door open to prevent time from flowing differently.

The white void helped him clear his mind.

In the evening, long after he had gotten home, he got a call from Bulma. His classmates, mostly Sharpner and Erasa, had spread his story, and it was now widely accepted, though somehow the aliens got replaced by demons.

Gohan didn't really care. It might as well have been. It was not important.

However, the group of devotees, which now called themselves the Golden Cult, really subtle, was spreading a tale of vengeance. That after seven years, the Golden God had returned to his planet in need, and found they had forsaken him. They had fallen under the lies of Satan. Videl's family name did not help at all in that matter.

And the demons were sent by them, as an effort to keep everyone under their rule, or something.

But at least he was no longer the wrathful God who unleashed his divine power on the city for no other reason than to show his anger at the Satan family. It was something.

There was more though. People were rapidly gathering evidence of past energy users. One in particular got a lot of attention.

Vegeta and Nappa's landing in, and destruction of, East City. Though the link to Gohan wasn't made just yet, or to Vegeta, for that matter, it was compared to Gohan's 'Revelation' a few days ago.

It was used as an example of what Gohan was capable of. Luckily, him not doing so, and instead protecting Satan City was attributed to mercy, and used as a call to devote oneself to him.

And many did.

Luckily, there were also people speaking against those people. Most noticeably, a certain man speaking against the zealots and worshippers. He kept claiming Gohan was not a god, merely an energy user, one of the many. His proof? He had seen the use of energy many times he hosted the World Martial Arts Tournament.

But his voice was drowned out in the many who screamed otherwise, and claimed him to be a heretic.

Just like before, when he spoke against Hercule, his voice was silenced.

Erasa looked at what was left of her locker. Someone had obviously broken it open, and ruined the insides. And she knew this one was targeted at her, because all the other ones were left intact.

Luckily she had followed Sharpner's advice and cleared it out just yesterday.

"Ah, yours as well." She heard Sharpner say from behind.

Erasa sighed. "Well, I brought a big bag, so I guess I'll just keep everything with me from now on?"

Sharpner gripped her shoulder from behind. "It's alright, they'll quit when they realise Gohan isn't angry."

"He isn't angry at Hercule either." Erasa added. "I have been thinking, what does he want?"

"Maybe just a life?" Sharpner suggested. "By the way, how are your parents taking it?"

"They were pretty pissed at me for not calling." Erasa replied. "They said they suffer a bit of harassment because I was friends with Videl. Not much though. But I guess they were just worried."

"Well, my father called, and said he always knew there was something wrong with those Satans." Sharpner told her.

Erasa chuckled. "The same guy that told everyone you were the most likely to marry Videl?" She asked. "And was proud to be associated with Hercule?"

"Yep." Sharpner grinned. "So imagine how much I cared for his speech."

"How did he take you personally knowing the Golden God?" Erasa then asked.

"I think he had a heart attack." Sharpner laughed.

"My mother didn't like it at all." Erasa replied seriously. "She and dad tried to get me transferred. I refused of course. They said that being that close to him was dangerous. I said living in this city was dangerous, now that Gohan had revealed himself. She called me stupid. I called her stupid. I was right though."

"About Gohan or her being stupid?" Sharpner was a little lost.

"Both." She said arrogantly. "I meant Gohan though. I wonder, just how powerful is he?"

"I don't know." Sharpner replied. "You think he minds if we ask?"

Erasa avoided his eye. "I don't know." She admitted. "I don't know what to make of him anymore. I thought he'd be angry at Videl and her father, but he's not. But why not? They lied to everyone. They thought they could get away with stealing from Gohan. So why isn't he angry?"

"I don't know." He said once again. "We don't know anything about him. I thought he'd want us to take vengeance on his behalf, give us a chance to right our wrongs. But now we know he was never angry to begin with. And it made me think his night. Did we do the right thing, telling the media?"

"That bitch had it coming!" Erasa's fear turned to anger. "She lied! She lied to everyone! Even us." She added sorrowfully. "Why did she lie to me?" She now asked, instead of angry, it sounded pleading. "Did she know?" She suddenly questioned. "Did Hercule let her in on it, or did he keep it even from his own daughter?"

"Or course she was in on it." Shapner stated, almost as if to convince himself.

"She was ten." Erasa had started doubting herself. "Do you really think she could have kept such a lie that perfectly for seven years?" She asked to herself rather than Sharpner.

"Didn't we go public because we thought she did?" He asked, also more to himself than to the other.

"You know we only did that because we thought we had to appease Gohan." Erasa returned.

He fell silent. She was right. In an effort to try to keep the Golden God on their side, they sold out their long time friend.

Only to find out Gohan never wanted any of this. And now, with his identity on the streets, Gohan could no longer keep a low profile.

And it was remarkable to see how the fear of the Golden God and the hatred of the Satans seem to go hand in hand. Even the two of them had not been immune to this.

Sharpner shook his head. They should never have spoken up.

Friday morning. Still not a whisper of Hercule or Videl. Which Gohan took as good news, as they must be somewhere safe, and out of view. Though he did regret not being able to explain to the public he wasn't angry at them.

But things go as they go.

He made his way to Orange Star High again, soaring through the clouds. He smiled to himself. There was one good thing out of all of this. At least he could fly around without a worry.

Until he caught the sound of gunfire, that is. And he was barely on time as it was.

'Oh, you've got to be kidding me.' Gohan sighed to himself, almost reaching for his Saiyaman costume.

No wait, there was a faster way. He turned Super, and dropped down into the street.

The thugs who were laughing and firing in all directions, all dropped to their knees at the sight of his golden figure.

"I'm late enough as it is, so if you could go turn yourselves in, that would be really nice." Gohan said to them.

"Yes, my Lord, thank you for your mercy." One replied, as everyone throw their weapons away, and raised their hands in collective surrender.

Gohan just shook his head, but he had somewhere to be. He dropped out of his elevated state and flew off again.

And another setback. Unlike yesterday, the roof of the school was not empty today. No paparazzi though, they were all gathered at the gate, somehow even more than yesterday, held back by police officers.

The people on the roof were all students as well as two teachers.

A gasp went trough the crowd as Gohan came closer. He recognised several of his classmates, as well as his homeroom teacher.

Not really wanting a repeat of yesterday, he let himself fall past the roof, and tried the window of his classroom. It was left unlocked, so he simply flew in and closed it behind himself.

Gohan slowly levitated down, and set on the stone with a soft tap. Clearly audible, as there hung a dead silence.

"Good morning Gohan." Erasa greeted him cheerfully.

"Good morning." He echoed as he took his place. "Did you unlock the window?"

"Yeah, I did." She grinned.

"Thanks for that." Gohan grinned back. "The roof was a tad busy."

"I figured as much." She replied.

Thus the day started. And went on. The teachers were a bit stiff, and his classmates a little quiet. But Gohan didn't expect otherwise. They were going to have to get used to it. Just as much as Gohan had to get used to his power being common knowledge.

Yet he couldn't help but be worried about Videl. Many times his eyes went over to the empty chair in their row.

Through the backstreets near the outskirts of the city, Videl was making her way towards the edge. She had been wandering around aimlessly for some time, wondering what to do. She hadn't slept since yesterday morning, when builders returned to the construction site.

She was tired. And hungry. More than once had her mind gone back to that stack of pancakes she left on the table, in the morning of that fateful day.

Yesterday she had tried to hitch a ride. But she was recognised. She had to run.

No one could be trusted. All she had left was her own strength.

But it would be enough. When all else failed she could always depend on herself.

She glanced around. 'Where to go?' She knew the warehouse district was in this general direction.

She needed something to eat. And to drink. And a place to rest.

Money. She needed money. She, multi billionaire, needed pocket change to survive.

If her friends could see her now. Well, former friends. As it turns out, they were only there for her fame and money as well. Just like all the others. The moment she lost her… everything, they dropped her like trash and moved on to their new idol.

The Golden God.

Son Gohan.

"Repent ye unfaithful!" Someone yelled down the street. "After seven years our God has returned to us, and he is merciful! He has saved us from the Satans! And from ourselves!"

'Good Kami, he's obnoxious.' She thought in annoyance.

"So repent! Throw off the chains of the lies of those that sought to pull you down to their domain, the Satans!"

'I'm still human, thank you very much.'

"Kneel before the great Golden God! And cleanse yourself in his revealing light! Repent ye unfaithful! After seven…"

'Good grief, he's on repeat.' Videl reflected, already tuning out the crying voice.

'Son Gohan.' Her mind returned to the boy. He wasn't exactly what she called a friend, she wouldn't let him, but he had still become part of their group. But why? Why would a being like that pretend to be human, and even play nice to her?

She, the one who flaunted her privileges in his face, and he never said a word. He knew all along, but he endured her assault on his person. He most definitely had the power to stop it. So why didn't he?

"…great Golden God!"

'Oh shut up!'

The day passed. Gohan was left in relative peace. Whether people respected his privacy or were simply scared of him, he didn't know. Perhaps a little of both.

At least Erasa and Sharpner were doing their best to act normal. Or at least pretend things were the way they were before.

It was obvious they were pretending. Erasa was a little too cheery, and Sharpner a bit quiet. They were also a lot more respectful to him than they were before.

And the atmosphere remained pressing.

Gohan was playing with the thought to just give up school. He didn't come here for an education. He came to socialise, and to get to know people who weren't already part of his father's circle.

But now that was pretty much shot. Perhaps even the two blondes were only with him because they felt obliged to do so.

Ah well, it was Friday. Perhaps the city would calm down during the weekend?

He'd come Monday, and see how things went one last time.

End of Chapter

I hope I didn't disappoint. I'm feeling just a tad pressured here. :)

As you can see, I'm turning up the religious themes. Of course, it's not called the Golden God for no reason.

Fun fact: For those who have played Skyrim, I based the town crier on the Talos worshipper in Whiterun. Try reading that part again and not hear his voice.