A/n: I know I said I wouldn't do it, but…
100+ reviews, near 300 favourites and 400+ followers? 1,5k views in one day, and 27k in total?
Well, I'll be damned. I thought it would slow down after the first few chapters, but here I am being proven wrong.
Wow, thank you all for your support.
I'm going to reply to a few comments here, and do a bit of ranting, so if you're not interested in that, go ahead and skip to the start of the chapter. The title is between two lines, as usual, and should be easy to spot.
Well then…
To the Guest, who said the story went to shit: Why makes you think so? I don't mind if people say they don't like it, but I'd like to know why they think so.
Also, thank you. You know, when I see a story without negative reviews I tend to get a little suspicious. But I have never deleted any reviews, I swear.
To the Anonymous: Unfortunately, self-blaming among victims is very common. Lucky, in this case, Sharpner kinda overreacted. Even if he didn't say anything, Erasa would have realised she simply had the bad luck of being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Either way, it isn't going to come up anymore, so don't worry about it. Erasa's case of self-blame, that is. There is another case of self-blaming, but the person doing that isn't exactly innocent, so it doesn't really count, I guess.
To Xperior: Wow, that is actually pretty in line with a few things I had planned in the future.
Mind if I steal that?
To Star Iron: Thank you for your encouragement.
MariSkep: It is never too late for a review. :)
Also, I didn't exactly come up with the way Sharpner is here, since I think I read it a while back in one of the older stories.
I don't remember what is was though, it was before I made this profile, and I never found it again. To bad, it was a pretty good read.
To REQUIEMCROSS, RenegadeForLife, and other people asking why Gohan doesn't just do a press conference or use the Dragon Balls:
Well, it's true that a lot could have been avoided if a wish or a press conference was made immediately. I know that, and I was kinda ignoring it and hope you readers would do the same.
Ok, no I didn't, but besides from my usual argument, being me not having a story, there's another reason.
It's a bit of an excuse, I know, which is why I didn't mention it before, but hey, it's something.
Time.
It's been spread out over 8 chapters, and 45k words, but it all happens in the span of just a few days.
I guess I'll share a part of my timetable.
Day -4, Friday, the aliens first arrive at Earth.
Day 0, Tuesday, the Day of Revelation, Gohan saves Satan City and shows the world his power.
Day 1, Wednesday, Erasa and Sharpner do their interview, and Satan Mansion gets burned down.
Day 2, Thursday, Gohan goes back to school.
Day 4, Saturday, Satan City is renamed Golden City.
Day 6, Monday, the Day of Vengeance, Gohan saves Videl.
Day 7, Tuesday, Erasa nearly gets assaulted.
This chapter starts on the 7nth day. It has only been a week since Gohan overturned the world. Things are actually happening very rapidly, it just seems slower because lots of things are spread out over the chapters.
Long story short, people, including the main cast, haven't really had the time to think rationally.
I admit, it's a little bit of a plot hole, and something I didn't entirely think out.
Also, I'm not sure how well I've portrayed it, but the main cast doesn't really consider Gohan exposing the truth to be a bad thing. The world left it's ignorance behind, and is no longer insulting them.
Well then, with that out of the way, let's dive into this chapter, shall we?
Chapter 9
Revelation
"Is there something wrong? You've been awfully quiet." Erasa asked Sharpner on their way back.
Indeed, Sharpner had been quiet ever since they left the ruins of the Satan Mansion.
"You didn't have to try to trick me, you know?" He stated out of the blue. "You could just have asked me to come along."
"I did, but you said no." She returned.
"You didn't tell me why." He said back, annoyed. "For all I knew you were coming here for shits and giggles."
"I told you, didn't I?" She pointed out.
"Pretty much afterwards." He grumbled. "You never tell me ahead of time what you're doing." He kept complaining.
"Aw, does Iddy Widdy Sharpy feel used by the big bad Erasa?" She put on her mocking voice.
"You know what? Yes! What if I do?" He responded harshly. "Why couldn't you just tell me what you were coming here for? Don't you trust me?"
She didn't expect that one. Though she did purposely rope him along, she didn't mean to hurt him by it. "I'm sorry." She apologised. "I was just worried you wouldn't see things my way."
"So what if I didn't?" He returned. "Am I not allowed to have my own opinion?"
"It's not just about the trip, is it?" She realised.
"No." He admitted.
"Fine." She sighed. "Ask away."
"And you'll answer truthfully?" He asked.
"Cross my heart." Erasa made the appropriate motion.
"What is your bra size?"
This made her jerk her head to look at him. "Sharpner!" She called.
"What?" He sounded mock-offended. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I'd be crazy to let it pass."
"We were having a serious conversation." She scowled at him. "Why do you feel the need to do that?"
"Because that's just how I am." He grinned.
"No, it's not." She grumped.
"You know me so well." He returned.
"Ugh, boys." She rolled her eyes. "34B." She then said.
"What?" He did a double take.
"You heard me!" She stated. Once was humiliating enough already, she was not going to repeat herself.
"You're a B?" He asked, staring directly at her goods. "They look so much bigger than that. Do you stuff? Push-up bra?"
Erasa looked right back at him. "…Yes."
"I knew it." He said aside. "I hate those. It's like that big present at Christmas, the one wrapped in shiny paper, and you just imagine the wonderful toys inside, but then you open it and ehh, it's just socks." He started ranting to himself.
"Knock it off!" She poked him in the side. "And make your next questions a little more seriously, or the deal's off."
"Actually I only got one question." He got serious again. "When Gohan first came to school, you pretty much immediately invited him in our group. Now, I'm not complaining, but at the time you didn't know who he really was either. So why did you?"
"Simply put, I was jealous." She replied.
"Of Gohan?" He asked, taken aback.
"No, Videl." She corrected him. "She has all the attention of all the cute and handsome guys. Everyone was pining for her, but she always sent them packing. And then Gohan came. A cutie from out of the city, smart enough to get full scores on everything, not to mention Mr dark, tall and handsome. And he just had… I don't know, an aura of strength, I guess. Which, thinking back, kind of makes sense."
"I must have missed it." Sharpner said aside.
"Anyway, I thought he was just perfect, any girls dream, so I tried to set him up with Videl." She continued. "Then the guys would see she was taken and maybe pay a little more attention to me."
"If you look up 'attention whore' in the dictionary, you'll see a photo of you." He made fun of her.
"Well, sorry, but I'm always just out of spotlight every single day." She replied, annoyed. "It's so frustrating!"
"Tell me about it." Sharpner knew that feeling. "So you tried to get them together?"
"Not 'together' together, but yeah. Then we learned he didn't care for Videl's fame, and that was perfect. But Videl just hated him for some reason."
"That I did notice."
"At first I thought she was just feeling awkward, and didn't know how to handle her feelings and became angry at him for it. But instead of blowing over, she just started hating him more."
"Well, she did complain about Saiyaman ruining her life, and suspected Gohan of being Saiyaman." Sharpner pointed out.
"She was just paranoid." Erasa argued.
"And she was right." Sharpner returned. "The term 'properly paranoid' comes to mind."
"Ok, fine. But at the time, we didn't know that." Erasa tried to get back on track.
"Videl clearly hated Gohan, so why did you keep inviting him?" Sharpner asked.
"Like I said, he's a dream for any girl, and…" She hesitated. "Well… I'm a girl too, you know?"
Sharpner facepalmed. "You fell for him." He stated. "You tried to get Videl to like him, but ended up falling for him yourself."
Erasa just pressed her lips together, her face beet red.
A loud whistle rung. Some guy was clearly checking Erasa out. She just walked a little faster. "Is he following?" She asked softly.
"No." Sharpner glanced and saw the man go on his own way. Erasa let out a sigh of relief.
"Hey, it's ok, I'm here for you." He said as he put a hand on her shoulder.
She didn't reply, just put her hand on his and gave him a grateful smile.
"Anyway." He got back on topic. "I was pinning for Videl, and you fell for Gohan. How did we end up going after people we'd never get?"
"I don't know." Erasa sighed.
"Think we should just date each other instead?" He asked in jest.
"Ew, no!" She pushed his hand off her shoulder and scrunched her nose in a very Videl-like way.
"Ew?" He looked up. "I knew you wouldn't say yes, but you don't have to be so offended. I'm not that repulsive, you know?" He started. He wanted to continue when she let out a chuckle.
"I got you." She grinned.
Damn, she got under his skin.
The two kept walking, somewhat more upbeat than before.
"You're a good friend." Erasa suddenly stated. "And I don't want to ruin that."
Sharpner suddenly got an ominous sense of foreboding.
"But these last few days, I've been seeing you in a new light. And I… I don't know. I'm confused. I didn't want to leave the city because I wanted to try talking to Gohan, but then my parents started packing and I didn't want to be left alone. I felt vulnerable. But I knew you'd never take advantage of me. I… I feel safe with you."
Sharpner opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, only to repeat this three more times. He could feel his face warming up as he did so. Seriously, how does one react to such an honest and heartfelt declaration?
So he did the only thing he thought of at the time. He wrapped his arm around Erasa's neck, and pulled her towards himself, rubbing the top of her head with his other hand.
"You little manipulator." He said. And stopped, but didn't let go. "It's ok, you can stay as long as you need."
The following morning, Wednesday morning, Erasa and her new roommate were back in the classroom, as were all others that were going to show up. One teacher, and six other students. Strangely, Angela seemed to have been missing. And she was so devoted too.
Just like yesterday, they were just going to be here wasting time until they could leave again. It wasn't like they had anything better to do anyway.
Erasa sat at her usual spot, playing a video game, one she nicked from Sharpner. Much to his annoyance. She didn't get why though, it wasn't like he had touched this thing for months.
Maybe because she found it going trough his things? Probably, but she had no regrets. Well, maybe one, but it was her own fault, so she decided not to mention it.
Sharpner sat against her side, one arm around her back, and watched her play as he gave commentary. It did not go well, especially when Erasa starting doing the exact opposite of what he said, and blamed it on him. Somehow.
He smiled as he looked at the other blonde. She puzzled him, but she likely puzzled herself too. For example, just this morning, when he woke up to find Erasa laying below him. He clearly remembered going to sleep by himself.
Of course, the act of getting up had woken her up. She looked at him in a weird way.
"What are you doing in my bed?" She asked him.
"This is my bed." He returned, having no clue what was going on, but couldn't pass an opportunity to be a smartass.
"Your…" She looked around. And clapped her hands over her face. "Oh, shit, I fell asleep!"
"Wait what?" He asked, his wonder only growing. Erasa didn't answer though, she just pushed him off her, and slipped out of the bed.
"Please forget this happened." She threw over her shoulder, and left.
"So we are not talking about this?" He called after her, but again, got no reply.
'What is going on here?' He asked himself.
Afterwards, Erasa had pretended it didn't happen, and went on her usual way. Sharpner decided to play along, but he did wonder, what was she doing in his bed?
Not that he minded all that much. He remembered how wonderfully warm and soft she felt, how cute her sleeping face was. And how cute her shocked face was.
Truthfully, he did have a suspicion why she was there, but he denied it every time it came up. He and Erasa had been best friends for a very long time. But ever since the… incident yesterday, he was harshly reminded she was, in fact, a girl, a woman, and an attractive one at that.
As he watched her game, he decided to tease her a little, and slightly squeezed her side. She made an annoyed huff, but didn't retaliate. Usually he was in for an attempt at a megaton punch at this point.
Slowly his hand slid down, towards her hip.
"Sharpner." She suddenly said softly. "Stop."
He let go of her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."
She set down the device, and sighed. "I don't know." She said. "I don't know what I feel anymore."
He pressed his lips together. He wasn't the only one who was confused.
A small gust of wind stirred their hair. The glass in the windows had broken, and not been replaced. No one bothered to do so.
And now, with the door open, wind blew through freely.
The loud gossip of the other girls died down instantly.
Both Sharpner and Erasa looked over at the door.
And there he was. With his hair jet black again, wearing his usual school outfit.
His Divinity, the Golden God. Gohan.
They saw him standing in the doorframe, the gentle wind softly rustling his unruly hair. He was looking around the room with a confused look in his eyes, probably wondering where all the other students went.
The teacher and the other students all bowed their heads, and folded their hands.
For a moment, Sharpner was going to follow their example. But he saw Erasa merely smile and wave. Sure, the smile was forced, but it was still something.
She got up, and approached him.
"Hey, you're back." She said, both cheerily and politely.
"Yeah, I…" Gohan started, but stopped himself. "Where is everyone?" He then asked.
"Gone." Erasa replied. "Everyone left after Monday. Most of the building has been abandoned."
For a second he had a dark look in his eyes. Frightening.
"I see." He said. "But then, why are you still here?"
"We figured you might come back." Sharpner now joined in.
"So you waited for me." Gohan sighed. "I should have known something was up."
"Is there something wrong?" Erasa questioned him, feeling slightly worried.
"No, it's nothing." Gohan replied. And remained quiet. He looked sideways slightly, and seemed to be in thought.
"Excuse me." One of the other girls had walked up to them, and spoke up. "I err… if you don't… please grant me the honour of giving you an offering." She stammered and bowed her head as she held out a small box.
Gohan blinked. And again.
"I'm sorry." The poor dear trembled in her place. "I didn't mean to…"
"Thank you." Gohan said kindly as he took the box. "That is very thoughtful of you."
The girl nearly wet herself, this time from excitement. Not knowing what to say, she bowed again and ran off.
Gohan actually had a shadow of a smile as he watched her go.
"You know?" He started. "It's probably best if I don't come back anymore."
"You're leaving the Earth?" Erasa asked, feeling utterly devastated by this news.
"No, the school." He had a grin as he corrected her.
"Ah." And now she just felt stupid.
"But why?" Sharpner questioned.
"I had hoped things would settle down, but that is clearly not happening." Gohan told him. "I guess I was just being hopeful." He shook his head.
"What will you do now?" Sharpner asked him, feeling slightly bolder.
"I'm not sure." Gohan looked to the outside. "I wanted to have a taste of normal life, but that is out of the question now. Maybe I should change my name, go to a different city?"
"So you really are leaving then?" He asked again.
"I suppose." He replied sadly. "Thanks for hanging out with me. It was fun while it lasted."
It hurt Erasa to see him like this. He just looked so sad. How can such a powerful being feel so sad about this?
Was it really not an act? Was he really here, among normal people, just because he enjoyed it?
She thought back to whom she believed Gohan to be. A nerd, but kind, cheerful, and gentle. He never raised a hand against anyone.
Even when a few jocks had cornered him, while he had the power to destroy them with a flick of his finger, he simply talked them down.
Even Sharpner had talked down to him plenty of times, even called him Nerd Boy. He never retaliated. Not even once.
The guy had to be a saint.
No, a God.
"Well." Sharpner started. He felt the same way Erasa did. "Since school isn't a thing anymore, maybe we could crash at my place?" He offered. "My parents aren't home, so we got freedom."
The sadness vanished like snow under the sun. "Sure, I'd like that." He said.
Sharpner figured Gohan would be recognised if they walked the street, so he decapsulated a car, his parents car as a matter of fact, and drove them to his place.
Halfway there, Gohan suddenly told Sharpner to pull over, which he promptly did.
"What's wrong?" He asked over his shoulder. Gohan just got out, and started walking into a nearby alleyway.
"What's going on?" Erasa wanted to know.
Then a high scream sounded.
Followed by another high voice. "Just give me the bag!"
"Let go of me!" The first one again.
"Wow." Sharpner commented. "A mugging? In broad daylight?"
"I noticed the city being a lot less populated." Gohan commented, calmly walking towards the voices. "Yet this is the third crime scene I happen to come across this morning. Did all the good people move away or something?"
"Hey, we're still here." Erasa returned, slightly annoyed. Then froze as she realised she just talked back to the Golden God.
"Hm." Gohan didn't even look back. "Good point."
She let out a sigh of relief. And looked up at Sharpner, who gave her a small smile.
Gohan kept walking. It was only just around the corner.
"Empty your pockets!" The second voice commanded.
"What is going on here?" He demanded.
The other two followed him, and saw a teenage girl, no older than they were, holding a long knife in one hand, and a handbag in the other. On the ground was a middle-aged woman holding a small child.
"Stay away, or I will cut you!" The girl now pointed the knife at Gohan. Her eyes were wide and her teeth clenched.
There was actually a little blood on the knife, and the woman on the ground had a small red spot on her upper arm.
"Violence isn't the answer." Gohan stated calmly, not even looking at the knife. Of course, it was not threat to him whatsoever.
"Shut up!" She swiped at him. Just a threat though, he didn't even have to move.
"Calm down, we can talk about it." Gohan persisted, even using a gentle voice.
"I don't want to talk, I want your stinking money!" She swiped at him again, this time for real.
She didn't get far. With one hand, Gohan blocked her by placing it in her elbow, making her come up short. With the other he gave her a push in the abdomen, which made her flail backwards a few meters, then land and roll for a few more.
"Really?" Sharpner wasn't sure what he disbelieved more, the fact that a teenage girl thought she could overpower the three of them, or the fact that she actually tried to fight Gohan. "You try to stab the Golden God himself?" He continued, sounding a little condescending.
This earned him a small frown from Gohan. One that told him he wasn't helping.
The girl got up, holding her knife in front of her. Her eyes were on Gohan, now weary.
And they grew large with fear.
"You're the…" Her voice wavered, and she sunk back to her knees.
Then she brought the knife up to her own throat.
A small gust of wind blew the dust up in the alleyway. Within the blink of an eye Gohan had crossed the distance, and was now holding the knife by the blade, his fingers around the edge.
Slowly yet forcefully he pulled it from her grasp, and threw it down. There were actually four dents along the edge now.
The poor girl crawled back a little, her face as pale as a ghost, and shaking with fear. "I'm sorry." She said, barely more than a whisper. "I didn't know, I swear. Please."
"Just…" Gohan started, then stopped, and stood up straight again. "Just leave." He then said.
"Yes, thank you." The girl didn't wait a second and started running.
Gohan watched her go, until she vanished behind a corner. Then he turned to the two victims, who were still on the ground.
The woman was looking a little pale as well, though nowhere near as bad as the girl did.
She continued to remain on the ground as Gohan walked up to her, and hunched down. "Are you ok?" He asked gently.
She merely nodded, holding the child to her chest.
"Are you hurt?" He then asked, looking at the red spot on her arm.
"Just a scratch." She replied. "Thank you." She then nodded as she got up.
And she repeated it. And again, as she walked backwards, also wanting to just get out of there.
Gohan just sat there, watching her leave as well. There was a strange look in his eyes. If the other two didn't know any better, they'd say it was disbelief.
He stood up, still looking in the same direction.
"Am I really that scary?" He then asked.
The two blondes exchanged a glance. They didn't see that one coming.
"Well." Erasa spoke up. "You're pretty powerful, so that does kind off make people nervous." She stated carefully.
"But it's not like I'm threatening anyone." Gohan returned. He looked confused.
"We know that." She answered. "But you are glowing and flying and being incredibly powerful, it can be a little scary."
"I see." He replied. His eyes said otherwise, spelling even more confusion than before. "Let's go, I don't want to stay here any longer."
So they walked out again, in silence, towards Sharpner's car.
The mood was somewhat dampened, but that was to be expected. Gohan just sat in the backseat, looking outside at the passing city.
Erasa had wanted to ask what was wrong, but decided not to. Even if he wasn't a god. Sometimes, what people need is just a little time and space.
Thanks to the pretty empty streets they got to Sharpner's place in no time.
"So this is where you live?" Gohan said, looking at the small house.
"It's a little small, but I'm an only child." Sharpner stated.
"It's not that much smaller than my own home." Gohan stated as he followed the other two in. "But then again, we also spend a lot of time outside, so we don't need all that much space."
"You live in the mountains, don't you?" Erasa remembered.
"Yeah, it's where my father grew up." He replied.
"Make yourself at home, I guess." Sharpner stated. "You want something to drink? Coffee? Soda? Beer?"
"Just water." He replied. "By the way, where are your parents?"
"On vacation." He returned. "They decided not to come home, and since I'm not leaving, it's just me and Erasa now."
"Wait, Erasa lives here too?" He looked surprised.
"My parent's skipped town, but I didn't want to." She replied. "They said I couldn't live by myself, so I moved in with Sharpner."
"And they allowed it?" Gohan's wonder seemed to grow.
Erasa shrugged in true teenage fashion. "I didn't ask."
Gohan just gave a slight chuckle, and sat down on the sofa, Erasa following suit.
Sharpner handed the two of them a glass of water, and had one himself.
Gohan twirled his glass for a bit, before setting it down. "I guess you two must have a few questions." He started.
Erasa glanced over at Sharpner for a second. A few? That was an understatement. Still, some were more important than others. And one above all.
"Why… did you do it?" Sharpner asked.
"Do what?" Gohan looked surprised. "Save that woman?"
"Kill those people the day before yesterday." He clarified.
"I didn't mean too." He said, looking down at his glass rather than at either of them. "I was just… so angry."
He leaned back, contemplating something. They kept quiet, hoping he'd continue by himself. And he did.
"I guess by now you've figured out I'm not exactly normal." He started.
"Dude, ya think?" Sharpner couldn't help himself.
"Where do I start?" He ignored it. "The whole world is under the impression I'm some vengeful deity. I'm not, it is a misunderstanding."
"We know you're not vengeful." Erasa tried.
"I'm not a deity either." He added. "It is true that I'm not exactly Human, but I am no god."
"You're an angel, then?" Erasa asked.
"Dammit, really?" He sighed, becoming slightly annoyed. "No, my mother is a normal Human."
"So you're a demigod?" Sharpner concluded.
At this point, Gohan just let out a frustrated groan. "I am not related to gods in any way." He gave his disclaimer. "Ok, let me start over. I am only half Human, as my father was an alien, a Saiyan to be precise."
"An alien?" Sharpner repeated.
"You mean like those two Saiyans that destroyed East City?" Erasa suddenly asked. It made Sharpner do a double take, and stare at her, his mouth slightly agape.
Even Gohan looked surprised she actually remembered that one.
"Yes." He confirmed. "The very same. In fact, those two came looking for my father. You see, the Saiyans are near extinction. An intergalactic omnicidal maniac named Frieza feared the power of the Saiyans, and destroyed their home planet.
The Saiyans used to have a legend, the Super Saiyan, a warrior with a power beyond anything else, and Frieza feared this legend. And rightly so, as my father became a Super Saiyan, and overthrew him. And I too am able to harness that power."
"Super Saiyan?" Sharpner repeated. "You mean… is that the… golden thing you do?"
"Yes, actually." Gohan nodded. "It's more than just that though. It's an actual transformation. And it also affects the mind. Err…" He scratched his neck, probably looking for a way to explain. "You remember my nimbus cloud, right? You have to be pure of heart to ride. I can ride it in my normal form, but as a Super Saiyan, the nimbus will not carry me. I am no longer pure."
"Not pure?" Erasa asked. "How is that possible?"
"The Super Saiyan is… well… think of a drug that both hypes you up, and makes you aggressive, and multiply it by superpowers. It… it poisons the mind, fills you with rage and bloodlust. It has a bad habit of going to your head, making you do things you regret.
That's why my dad and I decided to spend a long time in the transformation, to get used to it, so it will no longer affect us like that.
But that is only for voluntary transformations. When my emotions reach a peak, and my anger becomes so large I can no longer contain it, my body forcefully transforms, and any control I had goes out the window.
Just like the day before yesterday. When I saw…" His voice became stuck, and he couldn't bring himself to actually say it. "I was so angry." He continued. "I haven't felt that kind of anger since the Cell Games."
He took his glass of water, and drowned it all in a single go.
Neither Erasa nor Sharpner said anything. What is there to say? This was something they could never even have imagined. A side of him they never thought existed.
The boy inside had shown himself.
No, it had been there all along, long before his power became known. They just forgot about it, ignored it in favour of this new image, forgetting they were both pieces of the same whole.
Not knowing what to say, or even having anything to say, Erasa did the only thing she could do. She stood up, and embraced him.
Damn, he looked like he needed a hug too.
He looked a little surprised at first, but then he put an arm around her back, and leaned back slightly to make her more comfortable, letting her face rest in his neck.
"I'm sorry." She said softly.
He just rested his head on hers, and let out a deep sigh.
"Gohan." Sharpner wasn't sure why he decided to speak up at that moment, but he just did anyway. "Why did those other Saiyans come here in the first place? If it was to meet your father, then why blow up an entire city?"
Gohan had to think for a moment. "They did come looking for my father, but it wasn't really a friendly visit. You see, Saiyans have been employed by Frieza as… well… planet brokers. They clear planet of sentient life, and sell them to the highest bidders. Saiyans may look like Humans, but they possess extraordinary power, and weren't afraid to abuse it.
There was a third Saiyan, by the way. They came looking for my father for… some reason, I forgot, and threatened to kill all Humans unless he cooperated. We kicked their asses back to space instead. And then decided to go into space ourselves, where me met their boss Frieza, and my father transformed and defeated him once and for all, putting an end to his tyranny."
Gohan seemed to be oddly happy, talking about this. He must really look up to his father. And also be skipping over quite a few things.
"Wait, if Frieza was the one who destroyed the Saiyan planet, then why would those Saiyans be serving him?" Sharpner questioned.
"Long story short, they were kinda like slaves to Frieza. They didn't want to serve him, but didn't have a choice. Frieza was just that powerful. They knew all too well it was Frieza who killed all other Saiyans, but they just weren't strong enough to do anything."
"Are there more Saiyans?" Erasa wanted to know. She was still hugging him, though no longer as tightly, and wasn't really willing to let go.
"As far as I know, since the passing of my father there is only one full blooded Saiyan left." Gohan replied.
So his father really had died then. They had a suspicion, since he only spoke of him in the past tense, but weren't sure, and didn't know how to ask.
But that just brought up a new question.
"Gohan." Sharpner called him again, looking as serious as he felt. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but wasn't your father a Super Saiyan? And judging by you, he must have been incredibly powerful. So how did he die?"
Gohan diverted his eyes, and looked up at the roof. For a moment there Sharpner regretted asking, but then Gohan gained a slight smile.
"Smiling." He replied. "And telling me he was proud of me."
That was not what Sharpner meant, but it was something.
Gohan paused for a second. "He may have died, but he isn't really gone, you know?" Gohan continued, looking at the roof, smiling, and absentmindedly rubbing Erasa over her back. She didn't mind in the slightest.
"Sometimes, when I look in the mirror, I can see his face in my reflection. Sometimes I hear his words in my voice. I see his ideals in my actions, and his beliefs in my opinions.
I catch myself playing with my little brother like he once played with me. I teach what he once taught me.
He lives within me. The safety of the world may be his work, and its peace his goal, but I am his legacy." He paused for a second, then looked down again, to the girl on top of him, only to see tears going down her cheeks.
"What?" He looked taken aback. "Why are you crying?"
"Because!" Erasa said back, hiding her face in his neck again. Gohan looked over at Sharpner, who just stared at him.
And spoke with a somewhat higher tone than usual. "That was fucking beautiful, man."
Gohan just slyly scratched his neck, as he usually does.
"You must really miss him." Erasa stated.
"Yeah." He nodded, both sad and happy at the same time.
Sharpner stood up to refill their glasses. He saw Erasa lean on Gohan, and her free hand slide over his chest.
Ah, that's right, that girl is a little in love. He had almost forgotten about that. And as it turned out, Gohan wasn't as out of her league as they initially thought. Not a god, just a super powerful legendary alien warrior.
Not sure if that would make her chances any better, but hey, points for trying.
He smiled as he left the room, mentally noting to take a long time with the refilling.
"Random question." Erasa started. "But why do you wear those baggy clothes?" She suggestively rubbed her hand over his chest. "Judging by how this feels, you must be hiding quite the physique here."
"Erasa!" Sharpner called from the door. "Behave!"
She just scrunched her nose and stuck out her tongue.
"Well…" Gohan replied in his usual awkward self. "I do work out a lot, so I was kind of embarrassed and tried to hide it."
"You shouldn't have." Erasa responded in a clear, sweet tone. Oh, she was moving on him, that much was clear.
To Sharpner. Gohan on the other hand didn't seem to have caught on. Or he was ignoring it.
Deciding it might not be such a great idea to leave Gohan alone with Erasa after all, Sharpner hurried back.
And true to form, the mood was ruined when the phone started ringing.
Sharpner set the glasses down with annoyance, and for a moment wanted to just sit down and ignore it.
"Aren't you going to pick that up?" Gohan asked him.
"It's probably my parents." He replied. "We're not really on good terms, and now even less than ever. They want me to leave the city and come to them, and bring a few things, like the car, with me."
"It might also not be them." Gohan pointed out.
"Who else is it going to be?" Sharpner replied, but went to take a look nonetheless. "I swear, if he starts complaining about the…" He stopped for a second. "I don't recognise that number." He then stated. And picked it up. "Hello."
"Don't you hello me!" A female, unfamiliar, voice snapped at him. "Couldn't you have picked up a little sooner? Oh, forget it! You're Sharpner, right? I'm calling for Son Gohan, is he still around?"
"I…"
"I'll take that as a yes. I'm a friend of his, and I want to talk to him."
"Well…" Sharpner looked over at Gohan, who had overheard, and nodded to him. "Ok." He gave in.
"It's for you." He said, needlessly, as he handed the thing over.
"Hey, it's Gohan."
"Hey kiddo."
"Bulma? How did you get this number?"
"I heard you passed by your school, and left for your friends home, so I had them looked up." She replied quickly. "Listen, I want to talk to you for a bit, could you come over? The sooner the better."
"Ah, sure." Gohan nodded, even though the other wasn't going to see him. "By the way, now that I'm talking to you, could you arrange a press conference for me? I've been doing a bit of thinking, and I think it is best of I just tell the world what's what."
"Yeah, about that…" Bulma started. "You know what, just come by and we'll talk it over, ok?"
"Sure, see you in a bit." Bulma hung up, and Gohan handed the phone back.
"Who was that?" Erasa asked.
"Bulma Briefs." He answered, pushing himself up somewhat, probably as a signal he wanted to stand up.
"Wow, wow, wow, you know Bulma Briefs?" She continued in surprise, finally getting off of him.
"Yeah, she's an old family friend." He replied casually as he stood up, drowned his new glass of water in a single go again, and made his way to the door. "I guess I better get going."
The two walked him out. "Good luck." Sharpner said from the door.
"You too." He replied. And flew up. Once high in the sky he exploded in a blue hue, and became a blue streak across the sky, stretching all the way to the horizon.
"Wow." Erasa breathed.
"Yeah, you said it." Sharpner agreed, and closed the door again. "Aliens, destroying planets, super powerful warrior legends. I think I'm going to need a few just to let that sink in."
"Things were a lot simpler when he was 'just a god', don't you think?" Erasa returned.
Sharpner nodded, no longer really listing. He was wondering something. He remembered Gohan mentioned, from all the way back when he came back to school again, just after revealing his power.
Using life source. Sharpner held up his hand, and imagined a ball of light in it. Gohan was no god. Sure, he was an alien, but that ability, it can't be just aliens, can it? He remembered a few names. Master Roshi. Tien Shinhan. Krillin. Those were Humans, weren't they? Well, Son Goku was thought to be a Human, and he turned out to be an alien, but Sharpner highly doubted all of the others were too.
And if Humans could do that, then, maybe, he could learn it too?
While Gohan made his way towards West City, a car was driving towards Golden City. A rare event nowadays, since most people leaving didn't come back.
But this one had a reason. This one wasn't planning on coming back either, until plans changed.
Just a small time ago, the man inside the car had gotten a voice message. And it made his blood freeze over. The one thing he had feared had happened. At first he told himself it wasn't real, that the number used didn't match, that she would never…
But if there was even the slightest of possibilities of it being true, he had a duty as a father to act on it. He felt torn on the matter. On one hand he hoped it was real, so he could finally knew where his daughter was, and get her out of the city. On the other, if it was real, then she was in deep trouble.
He had hesitated a little at first, wanting to dismiss it, as his worrying fought against his scepticism, but in the end, the father in him had overcome them both, and he forced himself to move.
He knew it was not without risk. If he was recognised, he was a dead man.
He was public enemy number one.
The world's most wanted criminal.
Hercule Satan.
"Gohan, I'm glad you're here." Bulma greeted the kid when he entered the room. She threw the remains of her cigarette in the ashbin, and immediately put up a new one. That alarmed Gohan slightly. Bulma smoked, but wasn't a heavy smoker.
"You said you wanted to talk about something?" Gohan got straight to the point.
"Yeah." She nodded, and gestured for him to sit down across of her. "I'm sorry I called you away from your friends like that, but it is important."
"What is it?" He asked as he sat down.
"You said you wanted to have a press conference, right?" She started with a question.
"I do." He replied. "Could you arrange one? This afternoon, or evening perhaps? The sooner the better, I think."
"I could, but how about sometime tomorrow?" She suggested, to his surprise.
"Tomorrow?" He repeated. "Can't you do it today?"
"I could, but I won't." She replied shortly.
"But I have a lot of things to say to the world." He replied. Sure it sounded a little winy, but he didn't expect Bulma to just flat out refuse him.
"And the world will hear you." She added calmly. "Tomorrow. You got to take care of yourself too, you know? Have a good meal, take a bath, a good night's rest. Visit Krillin, or Yamcha. Unwind a little, the world can wait one day."
"I already waited a day." He protested. "I spend a lot of time figuring out what to do."
"You want to tell the world you're not a god, I get that." She replied, tipping her cigarette in the ashbin. "But I'm starting to think that maybe you shouldn't do that."
"Why not?!" Gohan asked, a little sharper than he intended. He had expected Bulma to be a little more supportive.
She just took a long breath, and let it out as a sigh. "Listen." She started. "I have been wondering lately. I was thinking on how to convince people that you're not a god, but then Vegeta said a few things, and it got me thinking. Have you wondered why people believe you are a god?"
"Because I am flying and glowing?" He returned.
"But there were other theories at first." She argued. "I remember you being called the Angel of Light at first. So why the Golden God. Why that specifically? There is a reason for that.
The problem isn't people believing you are a god, the problem is people wanting to believe it, and nothing can go against that. Not common sense, not the King of the World, and not even you yourself. If you go and tell people you are half alien, they'll find a way to twist your words, or a reason to believe that wasn't really you, or you are testing their faith, or a combination of those."
"But why? "Gohan asked, feeling confused.. "Why would they be so ignorant?"
"Because they are afraid." She replied. "Most of the people who worship you now only do it out of fear. They want you to be a god, because gods can be appeased. They can be brought offerings and worshipped, and as such, be controlled."
"People are trying to control me?" He asked, taken aback. Instantly his mind went back to the trembling girl in his classroom, who gave a gift. No, an offering.
"Not directly, or at least, not all of them." Bulma replied, of course unaware of his thoughts. "Come to think of it, I daresay there are going to be people who will try to have you do their work for them."
"I figured that already." Gohan replied. Circumstances aside, people using things, animals or other people to do their work for them was a tale as old as humanity itself. It was one of the reasons their group preferred to remain hidden after all. "We'll handle that when we get there." He decided.
"Fair enough." She shrugged. "Like I said, people are afraid right now. And they cling to the god-thing because it gives them the illusion of control. By controlling you, they can control their lives.
It's nonsense, of course, but it's how it is right now. Your presence has already shattered their illusion of safety. So why not let them have this, for now? Until they get to know you, and learn they don't need to worship you. When they realise you are no threat to them, perhaps then they will be ready to accept you as you are.
I fear, if you try and explain right now, it would only make things worse."
"I don't think so." He objected. "I've talked to Videl, and just earlier to Erasa and Sharpner. They understood when I explained myself."
"But those are people who knew you before you were declared a god." She argued. "And you talked to them personally. A press conference to the world is not the same thing. You can't dissuade misunderstandings at the spot. And sometimes, people just twist your words on purpose. Trust me, I've been there."
"But lying to them?" He asked. The thought did not settle well, even if it was for the better.
"You won't have to lie." She tried to downplay. "Just don't mention that part just yet. Tell them you don't wish to be worshipped. Tell them they should pick up their lives again. Tell them of your origin. Just do it one step at a time."
"How long is that going to take?" He then asked.
"If we're lucky, just a few…" She stretched the last word out a bit, probably second guessing herself.
"Days?" He asked hopefully.
"Years." She finished. "I'm sorry, but this changes everything Humanity believes in. The world is going to have to make a transition, and it's not going to go easily."
Gohan had to think about it for a moment. "Can't we wish for something?" He then asked. "Like, wish for the world to accept energy is real and I'm not a god, or just to forget about it all?"
"And then what?" She asked, meaning she had thought along the same lines as well. To be fair, when you have wish granting orbs at your disposal, they tend to become a part of a lot of backup plans.
"Say we wish for everyone to forget." She started. "The next time something happens it'll be out on the streets again. We got lucky with the Cell Games, but that was only seven years ago. I think it'll be only a matter of time. All that will do is delay the problem instead of solving it.
And then there's also the world's future as a whole to consider. Humanity may have been thrown into disarray right now, but at least we have moved past that ridicules state of mixing brilliance and ignorance. Capsules, spacecraft, anamorphic people? Sure. Energy? Nah, that's fairy tales. It's just so frustrating to see my highly respected colleagues dismiss things out of hand, just because.
Sure, we could wish for everyone to forget, but should we? I don't think we should.
We could wish for the other thing, but again, then what? Do you think that'll be the end of it? People accept energy and just move on? The world is thrown in disarray when you showed yourself, what do you think will happen when everyone learns that anyone, and any criminal, could potentially be able to raze a city?
I for one don't think the world is ready for that revelation yet. I believe that letting them believe in that illusion will calm things down. Once they no longer need it, you can ease them into the truth."
Gohan stared blankly ahead. On one hand, he really wanted everyone to stop seeing him as such. On the other, Bulma did make sense. "Do you really think it is best?" He asked.
"For now." She nodded. "Things are pretty chaotic at the moment."
"Tell me about it." He sighed. "Satan City is a mess."
"It had the worst of it, but over here things are going bad as well. People have stopped thinking about the future, and live only for the present. It's not just Golden City, in every other city crime is skyrocketing. The police has abandoned its duty.
And who can blame them?
Like I said before, in the eyes of Humanity, you appearance has altered reality itself. Now the world is slowly starting to comprehend that there are beings on this world that could vanquish an entire city within the blink of an eye, if they are so inclined. Do you have any idea what such a sudden realisation can do to the human psyche? People have been driven to insanity over much less!" She swept her hand to emphasise her point, sending smoke and ash flying about.
"This isn't over, Gohan." She looked him right in the eye. "Mark my words, this has only just begun."
End of Chapter
"This isn't over, this has only just begun."
And that concludes the introduction of my story. (Just kidding.)
Don't take me too literally on this. But I do plan on finishing this story, and I still have quite a few notes and ideas left for it.
"I am not related to gods in any way."
Several years later, Goku achieves his Super Saiyan God transformation.
Sharpner/Erasa: "Liar!"
At this point I'm seriously considering having Gohan transform instead of Goku, you know, just for ironies sake.
This is my longest chapter yet, about twice the size of the first three, and the next one is probably going to be even longer. I don't even do it on purpose.
Thanks for reading, thanks to the reviewers for giving me some much-needed feedback, and special thanks to MrChuckMan for beta-reading.