A/N:

"Let's have a look at how my story Golden God is doing."

(Sees that the follower count is past the 700)

"Wow, I've got a lot of people to disappoint."

Ok, jokes aside, I've started to notice a difference between the earlier chapters and the later ones. The earlier ones are more doom and gloom, with lots of focus on the bad. The bad hasn't gone away in the latter chapters, like crimes are still sky high, public services are still breaking down, but I just don't focus as much on it. Mostly because I already did that. I'm pretty sure no one's waiting for a chapter that's basically a repeat of the earlier ones.

And even if so, I'm not exactly motivated to repeat myself in the first place.

So yeah, the later chapters seem to be more light-hearted than the earlier ones.

'Seem to be' being the operative words. (Cue the ominous music.)

To Everyone who noted my use of Linkin Park: Ok, maybe there could have been better choices. I mostly picked it because I knew most people would recognise it, and it fit the scene.

To lancecomwar: Well, the trip through the desert wasn't that long…

Ok, I admit, I overlooked that part.

To Tellemicus Sundance (About Videl possibly being pregnant last chapter): Maybe I overlooked something? I didn't mean to actually imply that.

In any case, to clear up some possible misunderstandings, no, Videl is not pregnant.

To that one salty reviewer who politely informed me that I am homosexual and a fan of Super (you know who you are):

Thanks for the laughs man. Like seriously, he can't even put a coherent sentence together and still accused me of being a bad writer, just on one little joke (that I admit I actually didn't intent to leave in and just forgot to take out).

And best of all, I am apparently a Super Fanboy. Oh, I laughed hard at this part.

To people who noted Buu's arrival being a bit too early for the story: Actually, you're right. I did push that a little too soon. Or rather, everything else got delayed, but I didn't delay the Buu stuff.

Unfortunately, I realised that after I had already uploaded those parts, so I guess I'm just gonna have to buckle down and commit to it.

One last little note: I've read through the previous chapters, which have been updated by the way, but nothing fancy or any plot changes, mostly just making things a bit clearer or adding a bit more of a description.

Still, I want to improve my writing skills, so if anyone has any notes or suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Chapter 13

Identities

It was on early Monday evening. Sharpner had once again spent the better part of the day hitchhiking. He counted himself really lucky the Crane Hermitage was only a few hours away from Golden City, or he'd have that much more trouble. Especially since he decided that the place wasn't really for him.

Shen had promised him power, but just like Hercule, he could not deliver. And considering the likes of Mercenary Tao was also a member of the school, he hated to think about what the two would have him do for them.

So he walked down the road. His destination was still a few blocks away, but it was doable. Especially since one of the people who gave him a lift were kind enough to give him some painkillers for his headache, making it somewhat bearable.

He thought of Erasa for a second. He wasn't worried for her, he knew she could take care of herself. But he figured she'd probably move to her own home now. So that's where he was headed first.

Erasa's place had been a disaster. The second he saw it, he took off for his own house. If she was alright, she would probably go back there.

A few minutes of a dead sprint found him turning the corner to his street. The feelings of worry and hope pushing him to ignore his fatigue. Worry that his friend was in danger. Hope that she was just waiting for him to come home.

Heaving out a few breaths, he looked up to his house. His blood ran cold at the sight. Windows smashed, doors forced from their hinges. Everything was ruined, and his blonde counterpart was nowhere to be seen.

'Dammit, I told you something bad would happen!' He thought in anger, and worry. He had to find her, and fast!

As he tore through the house, he stumbled over broken glass and tossed furniture. Maybe she arrived after the attack occurred. Either way, his room would have the only clues.

Approaching his door, he felt particularly disturbed at the blatant intrusion into his personal effects. But now was no time for those feelings. He stepped into the room and inspected the damage.

What was once his clothes were now ribbons on the floor. It was as if someone had gone at them with a machete.

His walls were covered with hateful words and insults.

Traitor!

Hypocrite!

Bully!

Devil!

Heretic!

Satan-boy!

At least most of her personal belongings were gone. Valuables like Videl's ring, and bank account details could have been taken by anyone; however her diary, and other things that would be of no value of anyone other than Erasa or Videl. It meant she had left before whoever did this arrived. Probably. Hopefully.

That thought made him relax, if only slightly.

But where would she go? Where would he go?

Well, he'd go to a hotel on the other side of the city. Except, no, Erasa wouldn't have a car.

Would she be nearby and waiting for him? She doesn't know he'd return. He didn't know he'd return.

'Shit, why did I have to be so stubborn?'

"Ere." Old Man Hurlock threw her a new bundle of cash. It was never all that much, but it was enough to keep her comfortable. From yesterday's earnings she had bought a new radio, as well as some other little things.

"Hey." One of the other two freeloaders complained, seeing Videl get paid yet again. "Why is he the only one getting paid?"

"Cause he does somethin' worth payin." Hurlock replied.

"Eh, grampa, he didn't do all that much either."

"Tis my farm, I do wha I want."

"Technically it's my farm."

"Tis ya farm when I'm dead. Do I look dead to ya?"

Videl just decided to leave those guys to their argument, and left to go into town, to see if she could get some spare clothes now. Yesterday she wanted to go get a spare shirt and jeans, but she never really realised how expensive clothes actually are.

She did have to get a new radio, since she really regretted breaking her old one. Luckily, the clerk at the store either fell for her bullshit story of it falling off her nightstand or he just took pity on her, because she got a hefty discount on her second radio.

Her pay wasn't all that much, pocket money at the most, but hopefully with the money from yesterday she might be able to afford them.

She did have a bit of a suspicion that Hurlock was being nicer to her because he knew she wasn't a guy, but she wasn't about to complain. After all, she did do more and better work than the other two.

Perhaps she should go to the next village? Well, she probably should, but she can't. For some reason or the other, her Nimbus no longer carried her. And that wasn't just annoying, because now she didn't have a way out.

Near midnight. Sharpner made his way to the desk, and once again asked if anyone had seen Erasa. Of course not.

Then he asked if they would like to buy a neat pair of earrings. Of course not. There must be plenty of people selling things to get by, or to get rid of stolen goods.

No money, no fuel. He was forced to keep walking.

But the next place was nearby. A small hotel. After all, Erasa was on foot as well, and she didn't have the stamina of her two friends. There was only so far she could go.

This was the last place she could be that he could think of.

He went in with full confidence. But nope, no Erasa. Where else could she be?

Other classmates were not an option, they were either mere acquaintances or had moved away. She wouldn't just break in an empty house, would she?

No, he didn't think so. But where else could she have gone. A girl with blue eyes and short blonde hair shouldn't be that hard to find. So if she wanted to stay hidden, she would…

…dye her hair. He slapped himself on the forehead, sending a small wave of pain through his brain.

Well, that was stupid in more ways than one.

So there was nothing left to do but to start his search over.

Sharpner staggered back towards the nice hotel he had visited the first. He was pretty sure Erasa was likely to be here. It was good, cheap, fairly secluded and nearby.

Of course, he had to make the way there on foot, with the dark and quiet doing nothing to relieve his unease. He never knew this city could be so quiet.

At one point he found someone walking in the same direction in front of him. A woman, which he learned when she looked around. And promptly started walking faster.

That was more painful than he cared to admit. Understandable, sure, but it still hurt to be suspected like that.

'And I left Erasa here by herself.' He reflected, slightly biting his lip, and feeling his guilt pile up even more. Oh, if something happened to her, he'd never forgive himself.

So he arrived at the hotel, hoping, praying almost, he'd find her now.

He walked up to the desk, and once again asked if Erasa was here, this time leaving her hair colour out of his description, and admitted she'd probably dyed it when asked.

This time the staff was a lot more helpful for some reason. And then they asked if his name was Sharpner, which really took him aback.

Turns out Erasa had been staying here since the night before. And she basically gave his description, his name, and told them he was a friend who might come looking for her. Or rather, she had hoped he'd come.

The staff, having better things to do than check every guest if they matched the description, only realised who he was after he had already left.

So, after identifying himself to prove he really was the right person, and paying to upgrade her single person room to a two person one, which for some stupid reason did not include anything more than being more expensive.

He knocked on the door. No reply. He wasn't given a key, so it wasn't like he could go in by himself. He knocked louder, hoping she was still awake.

"Whosisit?" A slurry voice asked. Erasa's voice.

"It's me, Sharpner." He replied.

"No, is not." She answered slowly. To be fair, it was the middle of the night.

"Just open the door!" He basically commanded.

And she did. She also swung something at him, which he only barely dodged. Her hair was dark brown now, and she had put on a an open jacket over her tube top, but otherwise she was perfectly recognisable.

"Wow, easy there!" He called. He looked at her hand. A wine bottle, half full. And he smelled alcohol from inside the room. Erasa had been drinking.

She looked at him for a second, and dumbfounded look on her face. Then she dropped the bottle, which he caught as a reflex, and threw her arms around him.

"You came back!" She called. "I love you!" Yep, definitely drunk.

"Sure, sure." He couldn't help but chuckle. Oh, he was going to hold that one over her head for a long time.

He pushed her back inside, and closed the door with his foot.

The girl seemed quite content with hugging him, and made no attempt to let go. She also started snivelling. "Oh, great." He sighed, and resigned himself to having to take care of a drunk Erasa now.

"I was so scared." She said into his chest, and promptly started crying. "I was so scared you wouldn't come back."

"Ok, ok." He said awkwardly. "It's ok. I'm here now. Just… cry it all out." He sat down on the bed, Erasa in his lap, and let her do just that.

He took a small peek across the room. There was another bottle on the floor, and this one was completely empty. Come to think of it, he still had the one he caught.

He drank from it. It tasted cheap and bitter. But it was going to help against his pain, or sp he hoped. He had quite a bit of bruises, and the one on his head had swollen. Erasa hugging him didn't help at all either. Not to mention his headache.

So he drank a little, and then a bit more, and then the bottle was empty. Luckily, Erasa had stopped sobbing as well.

"There, feeling better?" He asked. No reply. He looked down. She had her eyes closed, and was leaning on him now. "Did you just cry yourself to sleep?" He asked softly, mostly to himself.

Clearly she did.

"Whatever." He sighed. He took off his boots, and his jacket, relieved Erasa of hers, and laid down. It was one single person bed, so it was either share or sleep on the floor.

How would Erasa react if she woke to him sleeping here? Becoming angry would be hypocritical, since she did the same thing to him.

He closed his eyes, gently stroking the girl across her back. Once again he was in one bed with the one girl he never wanted to share a bed with. He had always seen her as a friend rather than a woman. And he did that on purpose. He didn't want to see her that way. And yet, here they were again.

And these last few days he had been looking at her with different eyes, forced to see her in the light he never wanted to see her in. A certain image came floating up his mind. The one where Erasa had accidentally shown her topless self to him.

Fate has a cruel sense of humour.

It was a quiet morning at Kame House. Master Roshi was reading his a magazine outside. A normal one this time. Marron was building yet another sand castle. Or at least, she claimed she was. It was just a pile of sand, but hey, imagination.

His eye was drawn towards the ocean, where he saw movement. Indeed, a hover bus was headed their way. And it was already close.

Thirty seconds later it stopped at the island and landed. Several thugs armed with big guns jumped out. They didn't look like they were here on a friendly visit.

The Turtle Hermit stood up, and calmly walked towards the group, his cane in one hand. "Are you from the government?" He asked. "I've paid all my taxes. And if you're here for training, I don't take students."

"No, you old fool, we're here for the kid!" The biggest goon with the biggest gun declared. "Hand her over, and we won't fill you up with holes."

"Do your mothers know you're out here?" Roshi wasn't about to let them intimate him. "I don't think they would approve."

"So you're a funny old man?" Another asked mockingly.

"Oh yeah, I'm the life of every party, and Kami's gift to the ladies." He grinned broadly as he made a peace sign with his free hand.

"Just ignore him." Someone advised. "Let's just grab the kid and be gone."

"Well, at least you didn't bring a whip." The old master remarked as he positioned himself between the men and Marron. "I'm wondering, what do you want with her?"

"To blackmail the golden wannabe, of course." The boss declared. "Now hand her over!"

"You obviously did not think this through. Because what makes you think her parents will let you?"

"We will make them!"

"I don't think so." Krillin stated. He had overheard every word, and decided to move over and pick up Marron, who was watching the exchange with mild interest.

"Did you forget about the part where Gohan said her parents have powers as well?" Roshi asked.

A shadow moved behind them. It was their bus being picked up by Eighteen, on one hand, and thrown away into the water with a flick of her wrist.

Master Roshi smiled at their shocked expressions. "The words 'we have made a terrible mistake' come to mind."

He looked into his glass sphere with disappointment. That didn't quite work out the way he had in mind.

It would seem he had underestimated the local resistance. Those people wouldn't be manipulated as easily.

He could go public. It wasn't like anyone from this planet could stop him. But there might be some of his old foes here, just waiting for him to make a mistake. He was especially unsettled when one of his more powerful minions had vanished while he wasn't looking.

There weren't many capable of doing that.

And now there was this 'Golden God'. He could throw a wrench into his plans.

On the other hand, he might end up being 'plan B' if the gathering doesn't work out. It was taking longer than expected.

In an bar overrun by thugs, the radio was announcing the status of the idiots that went after Marron.

"The poor fools have been cuffed and taken into custody. The officers said they were very cooperative."

The boss nudged one of his underlings. "Good thing you talked me out of that one. I don't know why I thought that was a good idea."

Slowly, Erasa returned to the land of the living. She found herself having a bit of a headache, but then, she did drink a bit more than she expected. She blinked against the bright light, made worse by her hangover.

She also found herself in the arms of a guy. She just blinked a few times. She tried to remember yesterday, but nothing.

This definitely wasn't a part of her plans the night before, so that set off a few alarms in her head. Thinking about the implications this might have in Gohan's eyes, she just kind of froze in place. At least she still had her clothes on and in place, which put her at ease just a little.

She tried to remember harder, but she really didn't remember anything. She had been drunk before, but never this bad. She recognized that she was in her hotel room, so she didn't go out afterwards. Unless a guy took her back here.

But then she probably wouldn't be wearing her clothes. The implications of what might have happened were extremely unsettling.

However there was another option. A MUCH better option.

But that is not possible! Still, she pushed up to check, and found herself looking at long blonde locks. It really was Sharpner! Except he looked a little different from before. He had a fairly large bruise on the side of his head, and a colour that was probably from sunburn.

For some reason, he had a single braid in his hair. Not the one she made, much rougher. But that just meant he put this one in himself.

He stirred and grunted painfully in response to her movement. And opened his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded, speaking softly thanks to her headache. Yes, she was happy to see him, but that didn't mean she wasn't angry anymore.

"Wah?" He replied intelligently, blinking against the light.

"Don't wah me!" She snapped. "Didn't you run off and leave me behind?"

"I changed my mind." He grunted. Oh, dear, that deep morning voice melted her on the spot. "How are you feeling? You were pretty wasted when I got here."

"I'm… good." She hesitated. She felt both glad he was here, and angry that he left. And then there was also one little detail. "What time is it?"

"I dunno." He grunted, turning to his back. "I literally just woke up."

"Just great." She sighed.

"Why, are you late for something?" He wanted to know.

"Don't take that tone with me." She grumbled. "I'm still mad at you."

"Really?" He gave her a small grin. It gave her a sense of foreboding. "Just last night you declared your undying love to me."

"I did?" She asked, with a little hesitation.

"Very clearly." He nodded.

It made her shrink under the covers, and whimper in embarrassment. "Noooooooo."

"Don't worry, I'll never let you forget it." He gave her some false hope.

This can't be happening to her. She just wanted to crawl up in her blanket until everyone forgot she ever existed.

And yet, it wasn't so bad. It was just some light hearted teasing. And if she were in his position, she knew she'd tease him. They were close friends, and both of them knew it was nothing more than that.

'Friends.' She repeated in her mind. Now her hungover mind started worrying about Videl. These past few days had been hell for herself. She could only imagine what horrors Videl was going through.

And then her thoughts took a turn that made her feel extremely guilty.

Her 'friendship' with Videl had always been a little one-sided, but that wasn't Videl's fault. And the second she got the chance, Erasa turned on the girl. She would be surprised if things could ever go back to normal.

On the other hand, in Sharpner she had found someone who truly cared for her, and she treasured that. Though his girl-chasing habit was most definitely annoying, she knew it was an act. The mere fact that she, a pretty girl herself, and the one closest to him, had never been hit on by him told her all she needed to know.

Even when she was vulnerable he didn't move on her.

She pressed her lips together as she thought back to that incident. Sure, she had fought them off, but afterwards, once at home, she had been at her most vulnerable. She was scared and shaken. She even kind of offered herself to Sharpner, just for the promise he wouldn't leave.

Of course Sharpner knew something was up, and instantly became worried. Actually taking her up on that offer never even crossed his mind. That's how much he cared. And why she felt safe letting down her guard like that.

Erasa smiled slightly, and laid her head sideways to let it lean against his shoulder.

Even though she didn't recall him coming back, there was no need to ask if they ended up doing anything. She'd never want that. He'd never do that to her.

He knew she liked Gohan, and he respected that. She knew she could count on him to support her. And from now on, she was going to help him get together with Videl.

So they laid there, in silence, in thought, and comfort.

Until Sharpner broke the silence. "I'm sorry for leaving like that." He apologised.

"I'm sorry for being so selfish." She replied. "You were right, I never should have accepted that interview."

"Well, I should have gone with you." He stated.

"So, we're both sorry, and we both should have gone with the other?"

"Basically." He grinned. "Still friends?" He held up his hand.

"Yeah." She grinned, interlocking his hand with her own. "By the way, not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but why did you come back?"

"It didn't work out." He started.

"They couldn't teach you?" She asked, taken aback. He had been so sure when he left.

"I remember you scolding me for interrupting." He joked. "Anyway, I got there, the price of being a student was high, but I bullshitted my way in for free. Then I meet this murderer. Mercenary Tao."

"No way." She breathed.

"He's the one responsible for most of my bruises. He called it teaching. Long story short, the people were mean, arrogant, selfish and couldn't live up to their promise. They promised me power to rival Gohan's, but this so called power of theirs was nothing. So I packed up and left."

"How did you know they were not that strong?"

"I'm not sure." He admitted. "It all just… felt empty. I can describe it any other way. But what about you? What did you do?"

"Oh, nothing special. Saturday evening I left to go home, but you must have noticed what happened. So I went back. Then someone came knocking, lied about a delivery, so I ran away. I bought some hair dye and came here. I've been here all day yesterday, but I was going to leave this morning."

"Wait, you were going to leave?" He asked. "I guess it's a good thing I found you when I did."

"How did you find me? Was it that easy?" She then asked, sounding concerned. And not without reason.

"Because I know you." He replied, mostly to put her at ease. "Though it did take me a while to realise you would have dyed your hair."

"Do you like it?" Erasa asked with a slight grin.

"It's ok." He shrugged. "Personally I'm more into long black hair."

"Big surprise." She sighed.

"So, where will you be going?"

"Capsule Corp." She replied "I'm going to see Bulma Briefs. Maybe she can help me get closer to Gohan."

"That's on the other side of the world."

"I know." She replied casually. "Are you coming along?"

"How were you planning on going all that way?" He questioned. "I'm the one with the car."

"Public transport. I thought about using an airbus."

"All the way to West City?" Sharpner questioned. "That'll take forever."

"Yeah, well, you got any better ideas?" She snapped at him.

"Yes, actually." He replied, to her surprise. "I happened to do a little research, and I happened to know that some of Gohan's friends live nearby. Well, nearer than West City."

"Where?"

"On a little island in the middle of the ocean."

"Are you sure they'd appreciate us coming by?" Erasa rose a blonde eyebrow. "If they live on an island then something tells me that they don't want to deal with people."

"I'm not about to take no for an answer." He declared in full confidence.

It made her chuckle slightly. "I'm glad you came back." She said.

"So am I." He replied. And took her by the neck. He lifted her up slightly, and kissed her in her neck, just below her jaw.

It made her go beet red on the spot, and he did soon afterwards as well. It was a spur of the moment thing, which he regretted now.

"I should get changed." Erasa declared, and got off. Sharpner laid back down, flexing a few muscles to redirect his blood.

To get closer to Gohan. Not such a bad idea, actually.

In the bathroom, Erasa splashed cold water on her face. 'Dammit Sharpner!' She thought to herself. 'You're not supposed to do things like that with me.'

She took a quick shower, and when she was done so did Sharpner, mostly at Erasa's pushing. The two left soon afterwards. Erasa was the one with the money, so she went to refuel the car. And drove the first part.

They headed East, towards the mountains. After about four hours she switched with Sharpner. And eight hours in they switched again.

The ride was awfully quiet. Though Erasa was initially happy to see the guy, now some nagging doubt was starting to spring up in the back of her mind.

And Sharpner seemed to be in thought as well. He was silent for the most part, and had started to reply with short answers. Something was bugging him. And Erasa had a pretty wild grasp on what that was.

After all, neither of them had a home to come back to now, and it was all her fault. She just had to go and stroke her ego. She wanted to apologise, like she had wanted to do before he suddenly reappeared. But somehow, that had gone different in her mind. She didn't expect him to just reappear in the dead of night, and leave her to find him in the morning. How was so supposed to bring it up now?

So she kept silent, as did Sharpner.

Sixteen hours had passed. They happened to see a parking lot on the side of the highway.

So they stopped, bought themselves dinner and slept in the car.

The next morning, both of them feeling understandably cranky from the cramped car, they had breakfast.

Erasa had taken a good look at her travelling companion. The bruise on his head had gotten even worse, and he was squinting against the morning light. She was starting to feel worried. What had happened to him?

So she asked.

He tried to weasel his way out, but eventually confessed the brutal training he got. Mercenary Tao beating him and calling it training.

And that girl hitting him in the head with a wooden pole.

This set off a few alarm bells. "Did you lose consciousness?" She asked him.

"Not really." He avoided it.

"It doesn't have to be for long, just for a second is enough." Erasa kept pushing. She heard from Videl how dangerous that could be.

"I didn't. I just saw black for a second, and found myself on the floor."

"So you did black out." She noted. "And you've got a headache ever since. Sharpner, I think you might have a concussion."

"I'm fine." He argued. "It's just a bruise. I drove yesterday, didn't I?"

"Yeah, I'm not going to let you drive today." Erasa concluded. "And I'm taking you to a hospital."

"I don't need to go. You've got headaches from time to time, don't you?"

"I got a bit of a hangover." She replied calmly. But she also decided to drop it anyway. She figured if it took her this long to start noticing, it probably wasn't that bad.

She was still not going to let him drive though. Luckily she didn't have to drive for all that long. In the early afternoon they arrived at the coast, where Sharpner rented a boat-capsule. One with a GPS, which was pretty handy, since maps didn't show the place they were headed.

In the afternoon of the previous day, Videl sat back against a rock. In her hand she held the rod. At her side stood the bucket, still empty, but she had only just begun.

It was quiet. She had grown to like fishing. The lack of people meant she didn't have to watch her words, or in Farmer Hurlocks case, hold her nose.

But smell aside, the man was not so bad. He had kept his word and hadn't told on her. Though things would probably be different if he knew she was Videl Satan.

But no, Videl is gone. Azura lived now. She nodded to herself. Her past was dead. It was the best way. She had to start over.

This morning she had taken down a few trees, and chopped them up. Tomorrow she'd turn them into proper firewood.

It was simple work, but she had to start somewhere. And the place was quiet, the people nice. It was a good place.

'If only I'd get paid a little more.'

And she froze. 'Why did I think that?' She asked herself. 'Everything I have is a gift, why am I demanding more?'

There was a nasty feeling in her gut. Disgust. For her thoughts. For her greed. For the person she was pretending not to be. And above all, for the fact that after all she had been through, she was still the same egocentric selfish greedy bitch.

'That's why the nimbus won't carry me.' She realised. 'Because once again, I was thinking about myself.'

She put down the rod, and closed her eyes, letting her hands rest in her lap. She took a deep breath. This time, she didn't repress the nasty feeling, but instead she let it flow.

She had fallen into old habits. She was proud of her work. But what did she have to be proud of? She was trained by Gohan, completed her training with Korin. Of course she could chop wood faster, her strength had multiplied. That was nothing to be proud of. She had been taking it easy. And desired to be rewarded more.

She felt ashamed. 'No more.' She told herself. 'You not let yourself be controlled by greed any longer!'

She took a deep breath. Control your breath, control your body, control your mind.

And as she breathed out, her feeling of disgust and shame flowed away with it.

Once again she felt herself clearly. Calm. Tranquil.

Pure.

Unclouded by desire, doubt and distractions.

She opened her eyes, and looked to the skies. "Nimbus!" She called.

And as dutifully as ever, her cloud came. Videl reached out, and touched it. Solid again. She hoisted herself on top of it, smiling to herself.

And promptly fell flat of her face.

"Can't I get a break already?" She sighed to herself. "Can't I even be proud of riding a Nimbus?" She rolled over to her back, looked up at the sky and promptly started chuckling.

The sun shone down on her, it's golden rays nearly blinding her. Kind of like a certain person she knew.

She reached up, imagining grasping the sun as she closed her hand.

"I still got a long way to go."

After a long day of work, Videl was sitting on her bed again. She had just enjoyed a wonderful bath, and quite a bit longer than the previous one as well. It was just so relaxing.

The radio was on, and the news had just played. And she had learned that her father had been captured by cultists. And nearly killed.

And that both he and this one dude named David were going to be appearing before court soon, both charged with crimes against humanity. Crimes against humanity! What kind of charge was that? Though it was probably crimes against the Golden God they were really charged with. Probably.

She wondered if she should go. She wanted to go and see her father. Yes, he did a horrible thing, but he was still her father. She wanted to see him. To ask him why.

But it would also mean coming out of hiding. She would have to show herself to the public, and to the authorities.

Thing is, she also had charges standing against her. The very same newscast had told her so. The only lawful one was 'Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution' because she didn't turn herself in immediately. No one had ever tried to arrest her, and it was literally the only thing they had against her, so she wondered how that one would hold up in court.

But it didn't matter. She couldn't go anyway. Not as long as she couldn't ride her Nimbus Cloud.

The radio was done giving unimportant details, and went over to a song. A bad one. Written In Gohan's honour, now with two extra parts.

As it played she was wondering if she should turn the thing off. Why was this song even written? Gohan wouldn't want any songs.

But she didn't feel like it. It would be so quiet otherwise. Besides, even if he didn't want it, Gohan did deserve it. And he definitely deserved a better song than this.

And when it was finally over, the presenter had the nerve to call it an 'emotional piece' and 'worthy to be recorded as a piece of our history'. As an example of how not to write sings maybe.

Luckily, they went over to an actual song right after that.

An old country one.

Out in the fields farmers grow bread.
When called for the meals, they took for the shed.
Then dark came to fall and silence was all.
A beauty shone bright, surrounded by light.

Her mind went back to Gohan. It fit so incredibly well. As the next part came, she was just imagining him, standing there, glowing, looking at her. His golden energy flowing around him, his teal eyes tied to her own, smiling kindly.

Fell in love with an alien,
Fell in love with her eyes,
Fell in love with an alien,
I'm telling you no disguise.

I'm in love with an alien,
I'm in love with her eyes,
I'm in love with an alien,
I'm telling you no disguise.

As the song went on, she smiled to herself. That's it, isn't it? That's why she can't get him out of her head. He lodged himself into her life, into her heart.

But why? He had overturned the world overnight, robbed her of everything she had, made her own city hate her. He had a kind of power she couldn't even comprehend, and he wasn't exactly afraid to use it.

By all accounts, she had every right to hate him. But no, she just had to fall for him. Now she can't even properly blame him for everything.

She grabbed her pillow, and threw it at her imaginary Gohan.

'Damn you, stupid sexy Gohan.' She grinned to herself. There was no helping her, was there? She was in way too deep.

The song came back to it's chorus, and she sung along, but this time she altered the lyrics to fit herself.

"Fell in love with a deity,
Fell in love with his eyes,
Fell in love with a deity,
I'm telling you no disguise.

I'm in love with a deity,
I'm in love with his eyes,
I'm in love with a deity,
I'm telling you no disguise."

She giggled to herself. She counted herself very lucky no one was here to hear her. That would be so humiliating.

"I'm in love with a deity,
I'm telling you no disguise."

He looked at his friend. Did he just hear Azura sing? And giggle in such a manner? He saw the same question marks on the other's face.

There was something going on here, that much was certain.

"Hey." He greeted his friend right as the other walked into the room. It was still early on the farm, and he had only just started making breakfast. It was just the two of them, for now.

"Morning." The other greeted him. "I have been thinking, about what we heard last night."

"You too?" The first commented dryly. "By the way, you want eggs or bread?"

"Eggs, please. But doesn't that Azura seem awfully familiar. Blue eyes, black hair, not very tall. Girly. Not to mention Azura isn't really a good name for a guy anyway."

"It might be why Old Man Hurlock is more generous with 'him' than he is with us?"

"You think she's sleeping with him?"

"No one would touch the old man even with a ten feet pole."

"Fair enough." The other shrugged. "It just bugs me though. I just can't seem to place it."

"It's probably just someone hiding for safety. You know how crazy Satan City got, right?" He replied, his mind on the frying eggs.

"It's… Satan?" The other hesitated. "Satan!" He then exclaimed. And promptly sprinted out the room.

"Hey, what about the eggs?" He yelled after him. He couldn't leave, they'd burn, and neither of their hosts would take kindly to them wasting eggs.

"I'll be back in a minute!" The reply came.

The other sighed. Just great. What does Satan City have to do with Azura, so he wondered. He didn't have to wait for long, as the other came walking back, carrying their laptop, which was set up on the table.

"Satan." The guy mumbled to himself as he typed. No longer able to keep his curiosity in check, he abandoned his eggs and took a look at what was going on.

He saw several pictures of Videl Satan.

"Look." A frontal picture was pointed at. "The same eye colour."

"There are millions of people with blue eyes, that doesn't prove anything."

"No, but look. Look at her height. She's not very tall, just like Azura. And has black hair."

"Azura has short hair." He felt the need to point out.

"Well, you can cut long hair off. And it looks like it wasn't done all that well, in Azura's case."

"But come on, it has to be a coincidence." He protested, mostly because he didn't really want to believe it. "What are the odds of her hiding way out here?"

"Not large, but she had to have gone someplace." The reply came. "And look, it says Videl is a bit boyish. It wouldn't be much of a stretch for her to simply pretend to be a guy especially if that would help her hide better. And nowadays it's not safe for a girl to travel alone anyway. Or anyone, for that matter. But just look at their faces. You can't tell me Azura doesn't look like Videl!"

He had to admit, his buddy had a point. Unfortunately, he also heard the eggs sizzling, and had to tend to them.

Meanwhile, the other guy continued looking on the web. Both of them just kept on thinking about it, and the longer they thought, the more convinced they became.

When the eggs were done, the grandson of Old Man Hurlock came walking in for breakfast as well. And promptly demanded why they'd had the laptop with them, and if they expected to just loaf around all day or something.

Until they told him that Azura might be Videl. At which point he forgot about his laziness speech and took a good look.

As luck would have it, the subject in question was up as well, had smelled the eggs and came for some breakfast as well.

"Holy shit!" The grandson cursed under his breath, as his eyes went from the person in front of them to the pictures of the screen.

The other two were a little more subtle, but now all possible doubts had been erased. The two looked almost exactly alike.

"So, what's for breakfast?" Azura/Videl asked them, eying the freshly fried eggs.

"Eggs, obviously." The one who friend them replied. At first he wanted to tell her they were for the two of them, but then got an idea. "Help yourself."

"Thank you." She smiled slightly as she took a plate for herself, and a bit of egg and some bread. "Is the Old Man up yet?"

"Not yet." The grandson replied. "But he's getting in the years, even if he doesn't want to admit it."

"Oh well, I guess I'll be chopping the wood from yesterday then." Videl shrugged, and continued eating. She was the only one. And that would be a little weird, so the other three joined her, making a show of not knowing who she was.

But as soon as she was out of the room, to use the bathroom, the three had a meeting.

"Isn't there a price on her head?" The one who had fried the eggs asked.

"Most certainly." The grandson replied. "Listen, I got an idea, but you two got to play along. We'll split the money fifty-fifty."

"Three-way!" The third guy protested. "There's two of us, and we're the ones who recognised her!"

"Fine, three-way." The grandson gave in. "Listen up, it's simple…"

Videl shifted uncomfortably on the back of the tractor. They were going at quite the pace, and the land wasn't exactly flat. Since she was sitting right on the metal, every little bump was directly transferred to her, making this quite an uncomfortable ride.

She, the two freeloaders and the grandson of the Old Man were going way out into the field today. The fence had been rotting and had to be replaced, so the grandson needed a few extra hands to help him. Of course, being freeloaders, extra hands meant the three of them.

It had been nearly an hour already and they still weren't there yet. He wasn't kidding when he said it was way out. Still, Videl was in a pretty good mood, as she was looking forward to a day in the field. It wouldn't be such hard work for her, but it would be nice to work with other people for a change. Up until now she had been alone, save for dinner and such.

And yet, there as this strange feeling in her gut, it had been there ever since breakfast. Did she eat something wrong?

Another bump, so hard it neatly launched her away. One of the other guys actually fell off. "Sorry!" The grandson had noticed, and stopped to let the guy catch up and climb on again. Damn, if an inspector would see this, the farm would be shut down for serious breaches of safety protocols. But who's going to come way out here to this little place? And now that the world has changed, who's going to care?

Well, Videl cared a little. Sticking to the rules had always been a habit of hers. Giving the example and all that. But that was all in the past.

So it went on, she watched the grass go by, until finally, after well over an hour, they had arrived.

When he said the fence was rotting and had to be replaced in its entirety, he wasn't kidding.

Except…

"Where's the bloody wood?" One of the two freeloaders asked. "I thought it was supposed to be here."

"Maybe they've run late?" The grandson replied. "I'll give them a call. Why don't you three start on tearing down the old fence?"

Sure, seemed easy enough. So Videl took a look at one of the poles, and gave it a gentle kick, making the thing shatter to pieces. It was a miracle it hadn't fallen down under its own weight yet.

No wonder it had to be replaced. But there was one little problem now. The poles and beams it was supposed to be replaced with weren't here. They were supposed to have been delivered earlier this morning.

"Nice one." The other of the freeloaders complimented her. And grabbed himself a beam, and hoisted it to his shoulder, to throw it aside, to form a pile.

Videl watched him. And he watched her, for some reason. As he passed, his glance lingered on her for a bit. And it sent the shivers down her spine.

Something was wrong. She looked at the other guy, who was also grabbing himself some wood. And at the grandson, who was on the phone.

There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary.

"Hey, Azura, you working here or what?" She was called.

"Yeah, I…" She turned, but then froze in place. There was something in their eyes. Greed, lust. They were up to no good. Their faces didn't seem to have any strange expressions, and yet, she just… knew.

Things started to connect. The feeling she had this morning, the looks they had been giving her, the long way out here. The sudden change in schedule. The fact that something was supposed to be waiting here for them. Or, someone, perhaps?

She turned, and looked the way they came. It was a long way to the farmhouse, or anyone else for that matter.

"Hey, what you doing, spacing out?" The grandson asked. "Aren't you going to help out?" He was clearly done with his call.

"What, what's the hold-up?" One of the guys wanted to know.

"They got lost, they'll be here in a few minutes." The guy answered.

Videl made a decision. She did not want to wait for this someone to arrive. She had to get out of there, and fast!

The guys were looking at each other rather than her. Slowly she backed away from them, walking backwards. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed for long.

"Hey, what are you doing?" One of the guys asked her. "The work is over here. You got to help out too, you know?" He said nicely, way too nicely. That would have set off some alarm bells even if she didn't have that ominous feeling.

She turned and started running. "Hey, where are you going?" One called after her.

"Fuck!" The other cursed. "She's onto us! Get on the tractor!"

"What, you want to run her over?" The other protested.

"No, but she can't outrun us that way!"

Oh, but she could. Videl was already running faster than she had ever before. And she could speed up even more. For a second she forgot about the people after her. She felt the wind in her hair, saw the grass slipping underneath her. She pushed herself even more, just to see if she could.

And even faster she went. Far faster than the tractor had gone, and perhaps even faster than most off-road vehicles could go, she sped over the land.

She looked behind her. The three were pursuing, but she left them in the dust. Usually she'd feel proud of herself, but all she felt right now was relief. At least she had evaded this one. But now what? She was going to have to leave, preferably a long way away. Should she call her nimbus?

No, not yet. Sure, the owner of the farm knew she had it, but the other three didn't. And the more distance she could put between herself and this place before that got out, the better.

So she ran until her pursuers had vanished behind the horizon. Then she called her cloud, and rode the rest of the way, far faster than she had been running. It took no time at all to reach the place.

Inside she listened for a few moments, and let out a small sigh of relief when she heard a snore from the bedroom.

Safe. Relatively.

She gathered her small amount of belongings, and made her way back outside. By the kitchen she hesitated. She was going to need something to eat. But that would be theft.

'Let it be theft.' She told herself. 'I need it.' She grabbed herself two breads and a chunk of cheese, as well as a handful of jars of vegetables. 'Don't take more than what you need.' She reminded herself, and put one of the jars back. She reached in her pocket and threw down her small bundle of cash. It was nowhere near enough, but it was all she had.

So she fled the valley, and headed south, since she simply didn't have the warm clothes to go further north.

It was the dead of night. At Capsule Corp, things were still going on. With this whole Golden God issue going on, Bulma had been working late, to keep the company out of trouble.

But trouble was heading her way already.

Trouble in the form of a middle-aged man. A former employee. He was fired by Bulma herself, since he had accepted a bribe from a competitor. Of course, it was no real bribe, but bait, a trap, and he had fallen for it.

First she set him up, then she fires him over it? And publicly too. He had lost everything, his work, his love, his life. He was married to another employee, and she had divorced him over the issue.

And now he had even lost his house. Well, not as much as lost as he had sold it. For an opportunity. A chance of revenge. A chance to right a few wrongs. The right to study under the Crane Master.

And he had learned a few things. Now he could harness the power of the Golden God himself, though probably not as much, but hey, it still counted.

And with that power, he was going to take vengeance. First on his shit-list? His ex-wife. Already taken care of. And with her body vaporised, no one could prove it was him.

Next? Bulma herself. He wasn't quite sure what he was going to do yet, but he knew there were limits to what he could get away with.

He couldn't erase the body, since she was a public figure, so that left out anything that could lead back to him.

Oh well, he'd have all night to figure it out. and probably all day too, since there was no-one around who could stop him now.

All confident, he put on his mask, and walked in the front door. The secretary looked up at the late comer, and the moment she saw a masked man, she hit the distress button, as he knew she would do.

Lockdown.

Perfect. He punched through a barrier that had come down, knocked out the woman with a blow to the head for good measure, and made his way towards the private wing of the building. He had been planning this, and damned if he was going to let anyone stand in his way.

He knew where to find Bulma, in her personal office, not far from her lab. Breaking through that door was a piece of cake.

"Hello, long time no see." He greeted her, in a low and threatening tone.

"Have we met?" She asked, not at all impressed, barely looking up from her papers.

"I used to work here, until you ruined my life." He stated bluntly

"You're going to have to be a little more specific." She answered, but at least she was looking at him now, though only with a mild annoyance.

"Then how about this?" He gathered energy into a blast. "You know what this is, don't you?" He grinned at her shocked face. "That's right, I can do that too now. I will make you remember, and then I will…"

A bright blue light covered the wall. The man could see his own shadow in w sharp contrast. Then he was bathed in pain, his vision giving one fin flash of blue light before switching to black. He wanted to scream, but he no longer had the ability. All he could do was feel his body being disintegrated.

Then he saw something. A golden light. Golden clouds. And a long path towards a large castle, dotted by small, white little clouds.

Bulma grimaced. Even though she knew it was going to happen, seeing someone be reduced to ash isn't exactly something she could just watch without flinching.

After all, he was still a human, and should have had the right of a trail.

But Vegeta decided that Bulma's safety was more important than Human laws, and took matters in his own hand, erasing the man, along with a part of the floor, roof and some of the wall. He got a little carried away there.

"What was that all about?" He asked Bulma.

"I don't know, he didn't get to that part." She replied, still looking a little pale, and sat down. She was going to need a bit of a drink to get this one out of her head. "Something about being angry about being fired. What I want to know is where he learned how to use energy."

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters!" She returned. And promptly sat down, and let out a large sigh like she was deflating. "Why am I yelling at you?" She mumbled. "The thing is, he had to have learned how to use energy somewhere, and there might be more where that came from. This is exactly why we didn't want to expose everything about energy just yet!"

The following morning at Kame House, Eighteen was in the bathroom, giving Marron a bath. Living on a beach with a toddler probably wasn't her best life decision.

Krillin was sitting on the sand outside, while behind him Master Roshi was reading a porno, as usual.

He was trying to meditate. But gave up on that when he sensed two energy signatures approaching. He sighed mentally sighed. 'Here we go again. At least there are only two of them this time.'

Soon enough, a small boat stopped just of the beach, and two teenagers jumped out, a guy with long blonde hair with one braid in it and a girl with brown, both on bare feet since they were walking through water.

They weren't armed, which was nice, though the guy had several bruises. Especially the one on his head looked bad.

"You do know this is private property, right?" Krillin approached the both of them.

"We're looking for someone named Krillin, does he live here?" The guy asked.

"Yeah, I live here, but who are you?" Krillin wanted to know.

"You're Krillin? I thought you'd be bald." The guy stated his surprise.

"I was never bald, I just shaved. "He informed them, annoyed. He got that all the time. "But what brings you here?" He still hadn't gotten answer to any of his questions.

"We would like to talk to you. About Gohan." The girl replied. "We read you studied martial arts together with his father. I'm Erasa, and this is Sharpner. We're kinda like friends of Gohan."

"Friends of Gohan?" He repeated. Come to think of it, those two did look familiar, and he could have sworn he had heard Gohan mention them a few times as well. But what would they be doing all the way out here? To ask for training? Wait, didn't she say she wanted to talk about Gohan?

He gestured to the house. "Would you like to come inside?" He offered. "I think I could tell you a thing or two about Gohan."

"Sure, thank you."

He looked over at Roshi, who was so engrossed in his reading he didn't even notice the young woman visiting them. Which was probably for the better, all things considered.

Inside he offered them some refreshments and sat down at the table.

"So…" Krillin started. "What happened to you?" He addressed Sharpner. "You look like you've been on the receiving end of a battering ram."

"I fell down some stairs." Sharpner lied blatantly.

"No you didn't." Erasa objected.

"Fine, I made a bad decision and got beaten up over it." He then confessed.

"How bad is it?" Krillin wanted to know.

"Not that bad." He downplayed it.

Krillin didn't believe him. Especially when Erasa said she suspected a concussion. A blow to the head hard enough to make him blackout, and leave a mark like that? A concussion was pretty likely. But if so, then this guy had an endurance to rival his own.

Luckily, they had a habit of keeping some Senzu Beans around Kami House. Krillin took one, and threw it to him. "Eat this, you'll feel better." He instructed.

"What is this?" The blonde questioned.

"It's a magic bean." Krillin replied.

"Magic?" He sounded sceptical.

"Sure, you know Gohan can fly and use energy, so why would a magic bean be so weird?" He asked pointedly.

He scowled, but admitted defeat and ate the thing. Predictably his wounds vanished instantly.

The teen opened his mouth in his amazement, and looked at his hands. "What? How?"

"Told you, magic." Krillin said, grinning proudly.

"I'm healed." He stated the obvious.

"Yes, that's why I gave it to you." Krillin added.

"It doesn't hurt. And my headache is gone." Sharpner went on in his excitement.

It made Krillin chuckle to himself. He had forgotten what it was like looking from the outside in, and seeing things like this for the first time. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Erasa nodded. "Where did you get those?"

"Sorry, but that's a trade secret." Krillin replied. "So tell me, why did you travel all the way here? It can't be on just a whim."

"It's about Gohan." Erasa started. "Every time I think I know him he says or does something that changes everything. So I thought I'd talk to someone who has known him for longer than we have."

"And why would you want to know him better?" Krillin asked, even though he did have a suspicion. And to the surprise of no one, the brunette gained a slight blush.

"She has a pretty big crush on him." Sharpner ratted her out.

'Ah, young love.' He thought to himself. There was something pretty sweet about this. "To start, I'm not sure how much Gohan has told you." Krillin stated .

"We know he is half Saiyan, and has gone in space as a little boy." Sharpner informed him.

"I see." The monk nodded. "You two want to understand him better, right? And you've seen two sides of him. The kind boy, and the ruthless warrior."

"But which one is the real one?" Erasa asked.

"Neither and both." Krillin replied. "They are simply two sides of one whole. And not a split personality either. Both are Gohan, and he isn't Gohan without both. But that isn't all. Gohan is a complicated boy. He hates violence, but will beat someone to death without losing any sleep over it when pushed. He is intelligent, but utterly lacking in the common sense and logic departments. He is kind and loves nature, but would also kill animals for food as easily as feeding or codling them. It's because of his own dual nature. The two sides of one whole."

"But how did he get like that? Is it because he is half Human?" She wanted to know.

"Surprisingly, no." Krillin answered. "It would be easy to push his warrior side to his Saiyan half, and his scholar side to his Human, but that's just not right. True, Saiyans are warriors, but they got around to having space travel, so there got to have been at least a few Saiyan scientists. And you've only got to look in the history books to see how violent Humans can be. No, I think it's actually his upbringing. He has always been a kind and loving boy, but also incredibly powerful, and had to fight many times for the fate of the world. But in the end, it is his power that marks the biggest difference to a normal Human."

"How?" Sharpner asked.

"I think I know." Erasa replied. "Remember back in the alley, when he got in between that mugging girl and the woman. Both of them were scared of him, but it was like he didn't really get that. He even asked if we thought he was scary."

"You're right." Sharpner nodded. "It was like… he didn't understand why people see him the way they do."

Krillin smiled slightly. "You're right, he doesn't. He can't. But let me explain. Imagine a child. A four year old. How much control does such a child have over their own lives? Bedtimes are set, others determine when they eat, what they eat, where they play, when they play, what they play with. You can pick up a child and move across the world and there is no say the child will have in this. It is one of the reasons why children sometimes refuse to eat. It is the one thing they have power over. Even temper tantrums can be a power play. Though not always.

And that's fine. We Humans survive as a species by controlling ourselves, and our surroundings. Most Humans are naturally drawn to power.

Which is one of the reasons why Gohan's powers caused such a massive outrage. It shattered the illusion of control.

But the biggest problem here is that Gohan has never been that powerless child. He does not understand the feeling of being powerless. Even if outmatched, he had always been able to at least help out, to influence the outcome of battles just a little bit. For reference, if you could assign the average human male a number representing their strength, it would be about five. At the age of four, Gohan could easily skip into the thousands."

He paused for a second. Sharpner looked a little surprised, when Erasa looked horrified.

"His poor mother." She then claimed. "Having to deliver such a child."

This made Krillin laugh. "Well, his mother had another Saiyan kid after Gohan, so it can't have been all that bad." He added between two fits. "But back on track. Gohan has always had a massive power. Luckily for everyone, he is a kind and gentle soul, and takes direction without the threat of punishment. Any control anyone has over him is because he allows it. And sometimes he just says no, and nothing can force him into anything. Like the time where he decided he was coming along with us into space."

"You went into space?" Erasa wondered.

"Yes, I was there as well." He replied. "His own mother couldn't get him to stay. Or when he wanted to help fight against the androids. Again, no one could stop him. Or when he decided that Cell had to suffer for his crimes, and no one could persuade him otherwise."

"But that was because of the transformation, right?" Erasa asked.

"Partly." Krillin admitted. "In the end, Gohan is a nice guy. And not one of those pushovers, or those that are nice to you and now you owe them sex types. He is genuinely nice. But he is also the living embodiment of beware of the nice ones.

But for all of his kindness, Gohan has always lived apart from the rest of the world. His high power meant he was always in control of his life. Because of that, he doesn't really understand the normal Human.

Peer pressure, social norms, societal conformation? Those are all alien to him. In his mind, oppression is a tyrant stepping on your head, and mental manipulation is a psychic attack.

To normal Humans, a mountain is something to be conquered, lightning force of nature, and the sun is as unreachable as it is inevitable. To Gohan, a mountain can be swept away like an anthill, lightning is a side-effect of his power, and he can literally point up and shoot the sun out of the sky. He sees the world in a completely different way.

Normal Humans may not really be able to relate with him, but he can't really relate with them either. He doesn't know what to do with the world, just like the world doesn't know what to do with him.

But he's smart and learns fast. A few weeks ago he couldn't even imagine something like this, but now he is already adjusting to his new place in the world. Granted, he doesn't like it, but he is learning."

"Wow, I never even imagined that his power would have so much effect on him." Erasa breathed.

"Yeah, it's quite something to wrap you head around." Krillin nodded. "But with all of that said, I believe that the Gohan you've seen at school, the kind and shy boy, is who he truly is. Or at least, who he wants to be."

"Then did he enroll to learn about the normal human?" Sharpner wanted to know.

"Nope. It's like he said, he wanted friends his age. He is straightforward like that." Krillin smiled. And thought to himself. 'And here are two people travelling all this way just to learn a little more about him. Gohan, you've picked some fine friends.'

"Wow." Erasa breathed, while Sharpner nodded. "It's just so much to take in."

"And we're just getting started." Krillin joked.

"Oh, we have guests." Eighteen came walking down with a beautiful squeaky clean girl in her arms. "And you are classmates of Gohans, are you not?" She asked in her usual level tone. The mere fact that she recognised them meant she did care. But she wasn't the best at showing that.

"This is my wife, Eighteen." Krillin introduced her. "And our daughter, Marron."

"Eighteen?" Sharpner repeated. "Like, the number eighteen?"

"Yes." She replied shortly. "I am the eighteenth android made by Dr Gero. Same guy who made Cell."

Well, that was definitely a bombshell.

Erasa was frozen to the spot, only her eyes moving between Eighteen, Sharpner and Krillin. Sharpner wasn't frozen, so he just looked back and forth with a hilariously bewildered look on his face.

"Cell was made by someone?" The blonde guy eventually asked.

"Where did you think he came from?" Eighteen asked them.

Erasa opened her mouth, and closed it again, and the two shared a glance. "Actually, we don't know." She then admitted.

"I'm starting to see how that guy could keep his lie up all this time." Eighteen stated as she sat down, her daughter on her lap. "Nobody bothered to fact-check."

"Honey!" Krillin called, slightly annoyed. There's awkward, there's direct, and then there's antisocial.

"I guess we deserved that." Erasa sighed. "And now it's happening all over again, isn't it? People blindly following Gohan, I mean."

"Not exactly." Krillin denied. "It only looks that way because of what the media says, but those are just the extremes. In case you haven't noticed, things are actually calming down now. The extremist and their big mouths make it seem worse than it is."

"So what are you two going to do now?" Eighteen changed topics.

"To be honest I didn't really think that far." Erasa admitted.

"In that case, there's something I'd like to ask." Sharpner started carefully. "I'd like to… We'd like to… Please take us as your students." He bowed his head.

"No."

"Thank you, we won't…" He started. "Wait what?"

"No." Krillin repeated. "We are not taking on new students. "

"Why not?" Sharpner wanted to know.

"Well, we decided that it would be better if we didn't go and teach everyone who came to our door. These are troubled times, and we have no idea how this will impact the balance. Besides, I do not think it is what I should do." Krillin answered cryptically.

"What he's trying to say is that you're friends of Gohan's, and he doesn't want to go behind Gohan's back." Eighteen spoke for him.

"Honey!"

"So we've got to ask Gohan?" Sharpner asked Eighteen.

"I think that would be best. Besides, he agreed to teach Videl."

"Gohan taught Videl?"

"Yeah, he didn't mention that part?" Krillin asked surprised. "I thought he told you about that."

"I don't think we got to that part." Sharpner admitted.

"So where is Videl now?" Erasa wanted to know. "Is she safe? What is she doing?"

"Oh, last I heard she's safe with a friend of ours, doing some training." Krillin answered. Making a mental note to check with Korin on her status. "She's on her own journey in search of her identity, even if she doesn't know it herself yet."

"Her identity." Sharpner repeated, looking down at the table.

"And so are the both of you, in a way." Krillin added kindly. "Don't worry, Gohan will take you in, if you ask him. Just go up to his home."

"We can't do that!" Erasa protested. "Gohan want to be left alone, doesn't he?"

"That's for pilgrims, cultists, reporters and such. I'm sure he'd love it if you came to visit." Krillin said. To be honest, he wasn't sure about that one, but he didn't believe Gohan would actually want his friends to stay away as well.

"Hey." In the time the grownups were talking, the preschooler had freed herself from her mother's grasp, and was now tugging on Erasa's top. "You're that lady from TV." She stated.

"Yes, I am." Erasa smiled at her. "And I think you were on TV as well."

"I was, with uncle Gohan." She stated happily. "We're both famous now?"

Erasa couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess we are."

"Will you two stay for lunch?" Eighteen then asked. "You must have come a long way to get all the way out here."

"Well, if you insist…" Erasa hesitated.

"We do." Krillin decided.

At this time, on the 439 mountain area, Gohan and his mother got a visit from his grandfather.

"I've got good news." The Ox King addressed his daughter. "Looks like your little trip yesterday paid off. Every single one of them has paid up. Not only that, we got more money than they actually owed."

"How is that?" Chichi asked, though she probably did have a good idea.

"I think most of them rounded it up, in an effort to please Gohan." The giant explained, then addressed his grandson. "But what are you planning with it?"

"I'm not sure yet." He replied. "I would like to channel it back to where it was supposed to go, but I've only got the one sum, so it will dry up sooner or later."

"You could always host regular collections among the faithful." His grandfather suggested, though only half serious.

"Grampa." He said annoyed.

"What?" The ox king pretended not to know.

"I guess I'm going to have to prioritise." Gohan sighed.

"There's also a message from King Furry." His grandfather continued. "He says hi. He also mentioned he has heard about your trips to the wealthy and large sums of money being transferred, and wonders what that was all about. And he'd like to have a few words with you, mostly on keeping certain self-proclaimed followers of yours under control."

A few hours later.

A bead of sweat made its way down his face and fell on the tiles. Gohan forced himself to push up again. The high gravity pulled on his body. Perhaps doing his warm-up under a hundred times wasn't such a good idea.

He was interrupted by his little brother banging on the door. "Gohan!"

"What is it?" He called back.

"Videl was on TV." Goten announced.

Gohan saw several copters flying back and forth from his position in the clouds. He hadn't been noticed, thankfully, but he didn't want to be either.

Apparently, this was the farm where Videl had been staying for a few days. He didn't even know she had come down from Korin Tower. 'Why did she go all the way here?' He asked himself. 'And why didn't she come back?'

He looked around. It was a beautiful place, a small village not far away, a lake, and mountains all around them. It was quiet and peaceful. Or it would be without all of the reporters and police officers all around.

Videl was of course long gone. But where to?

Korin looked up over the edge. "Gohan, what brings you here?"

"I didn't know Videl had left already." The floating boy stated.

"She completed her training a few days ago." The white cat replied. "I thought she was going back."

"She must have changed her mind". He said. "I heard she had been spotted near North City. It was all over the news."

"And what are you going to do?" Korin asked, even though he probably already knew.

"I'm going to look for her." He already turned around to fly off.

"Gohan!" Korin called sharply. He floated up to the guy. "Don't."

"Why not? What if she needs help?"

"You're worried, I understand." The other said. "But she needs a little space to herself, so she can work some things out. She'll come back, I've read so in her heart. She wants to go back."

"But what if she's in trouble?"

"Remember, after completing his training here your father took down an entire army by himself. She's stronger than she thinks she is." Korin put a reassuring paw on Gohan's shoulder. "She'll be fine."

End of Chapter

On the Day of the Awakening, with His winds of power blowing,
with His voice ringing through the sky, and His bright hair flowing,
while the earth was trembling beneath Him, and the golden fire glowing,
He returned to us his home again, only to stand and see.

We have forsaken Him our Saviour, He who had helped us in our need,
passed Him off as a mere shadow, denied Him in our greed.
He came and saw we did not wonder, how He had performed the deed,
declared His powers to be trickery, told ourselves He couldn't be.

But He was kind and was merciful, did not punish us with His might,
swept away all our transgressions, forgave us for our slight.
He gave us the change to apologise, gave us time to set it right.
But in His eyes He retained one question. "Why did you forget me?"

Then on the Day of the Reckoning, when He saw we were still in sin,
He took the lives of seven as, His grace was running thin.
We have to heed to His warning now, before He does us all in,
For His kindness fills an eternity, but so does His decree.

When He saw that we were still struggling, trying to give ourselves some grounds,
in His kindness with no limits, His mercy without bounds,
He said to us "Do not worship Me, though I know how strange this sounds,
I wish this world to be the peaceful place, that I know it can be.

You do not need me to keep the peace, I just want to be left alone.
I am not here to govern you, so should have been well known."
He has given us a directive, a way to show how we've grown.
We will fight to see this peace happening, and this will set us free.

The full song, if anyone was wondering. Probably no-one, which is why I put it down here. So why did I even add it in the first place? Because I believe songs would be written in Gohan's name, so not including it would lessen the story.

Besides, music is a pretty big part of the lives of the modern human.

And about the Roshi scene, in case you've forgotten, Roshi could be a massive troll.

Special thanks to MrChuckMan for beta-reading, and adding to the story.

By the way, this is my longest chapter yet. and I wanted to try and shorten the chapters too. TT_TT. There is just so much I want to do.

Ok, rant time. :)

(I wrote this note in early December)

I know the first chapter of this story went up in April, but it was around this time last year that I actually started writing some notes on this story as it is now.

I said in a previous note (somewhere) that this story started out as an alien invasion, but Gohan was simply too OP (plz nerf) for it to work. And that's where I started thinking more along the lines of the world being shocked by his power.

So I started looking for stories like that, and though there were stories about Gohan's power being revealed, as far as I found, all of them focused on the characters themselves, and particularly Videl, and how they were dealing with it, rather than the world at large, which was what I was looking for.

So I decided to write that story, and named it…

"Gohan gets revealed and the world is in awe, the story."

I'm not even joking. The actual name "Golden God" came in later.

It wasn't much of a story yet, more a collection of notes that I wanted to use. In fact, Gohan's appearance in ch1, King Furry's first speech, Videl's time on the Lookout, Gohan's speech on live TV and his talk with King Furry are all things I wrote down the very same day, as well as a couple of future events. There are even a couple of possible endings in there.

There have been a couple of people asking how long I'm planning on making this story. To be honest, I'm not sure how many chapters are going to come, but I'm about halfway through my original notes.

That said, the first note reads: Aliens try to drain Satan City, Gohan turns super and stops them. That's about the entirety of ch1. So being halfway through those doesn't really mean much. Especially since I'm expecting to be able to go through a couple of them soon.

On the other side, Erasa and Sharpner's journey weren't part of the story yet by that time either.

That sure was unhelpful, wasn't it?

Though, there is one thing I'd like to address. Yes, I'm going to go into Buu saga, but I am not going to do the whole fight. Because, in the end, that's just not important. So expect that part to be rather short (in comparison to the real deal).