Chapter 21: Face To Face

A/N: Another update and the start of 2021

"Of all the stupid things you could've done Gohan!" The thick brow beating that Gohan was now on the end of had reached critical mass. Admitting to having sex with a female student whether or not she was the one who made the allegation was not only embarrassing for her but it broke her composure. Giving her child a full open palmed slap across the face out of reflex, partially due to outrage, hurt, and other deeply conflicting emotions inside of her. One's that were not her motherly instincts but right now she just wanted to let loose upon her son- and so she did.

"It's the only person who could've said that!" Gohan protested, while he was standing on wobbly legs in any argument with his mother he already knew he'd royally fucked up. His mother was even more furious than when Goku came home after Frieza's arrival on Earth. Bearing in mind she was sent through a wall and a tree proceeding that disagreement at home.

"Gohan Son!" She shouted rising up onto her toes, trying to reach above his eye line but he'd inherited his father's genes and still remained taller than her. "You promised me that you weren't having sex with your girlfriend, you told me you had no intentions of doing anything like that. You lied right to my face and embarrassed me. How many other girl's is it, two, three, four? Did your father's lack of practicality rub off on you and you decided to just start fooling around?"

Gohan turned red and looked away from her. "I only slept with Erasa and it was only a few days ago, it was just the one time! She said it was for my birthday and I just couldn't resist." It was a poor excuse, but it was the truth.

Then he was met with a shocking retort. "How can you really expect me to believe that?"

"What?" Gohan was a bit dumbstruck. His own mother didn't believe him? "Mom?" His voice shocked, "It-it's the truth!"

His mother gave him a look of pure consternation, and he felt his heart begin to drop. "You lied to me Gohan, you did exactly what you swore you weren't doing. If maybe you'd been upfront about this prior I might not have been so disappointed in you, but I can honestly say that this is it Gohan. You have thoroughly embarrassed me and your family, do you have any idea what kind of damage this will do to my image? How hard this is going to make things for me 'us' now?"

The words she meant to speak were replaced subtly, replaced by the ones that someone did not wish to hear and others that he should hear. The final twist of the dagger began.

"You slept with Goku the moment you two were married and you were barely a year older than I am right now!"

"How dare you compare what me and your father had…" Chi-Chi trailed off as she repeated Gohan's words for a moment and decided to nip this other problem she'd been hearing about in the butt. " and second off why are you still not calling him your father. All of our family friends told me that you refused to call him your dad, even with his many faults he is the reason." She let out a frustrated and tired grunt while shaking her head. "I can't even stand to think or even look at you right now, I have to start making calls to deal with this. Just-Just go to your room, i'll-I'll figure something out… it's not like I already have enough to deal with between you and that man-!" Chi-Chi said just going off on some small tangent and leaving her son. Her mind distracted by numerous things she just didn't have time- there never seemed to be anytime.

Gohan had been sent packing to his room, though for a punishment it wasn't much of a sure thing. All it had done was left him to stew in his own anger. The flat out rejection from his own mother and how she so casually dismissed him putting herself once again over him.

It was always now about her, her career, her desires, her dreams, all of it was just making him even more and more pissed off. Things were going to look bad for her, well boo fucking hoo! He thought keeping his hands balled tightly into fists. Coursing through him was the desire to break, burn, and scream until there wasn't anything left inside of him.

Obviously the saiyan inside of him wanted too, no more containment and living under the thumb of a mother that clearly didn't care about how he felt about all of this. He was the one being accused of falsely raping someone and yet he was being painted as the suspect, being blamed for everything without having anyone even come close to trying to hear what he had to say. He was shut down at every turn.

He'd tried calling Erasa, messaging her, all but pleading with her in some fashion to have her speak with him. But since that morning the dozen's of requests he'd sent fell on deaf ears. He could just fly over to her and confront her, but that wouldn't solve anything except make him appear guilty. He'd be pushing her into a corner and no doubt since she refused to say anything to him, she'd obviously changed her tune and had some kind of post sex remourse. Though he didn't know why, she had cum several times. He knew that a man was required to do that, or at least he was supposed too.

His mind turned a little towards other reasons. Trying to be logical and be the rational person he knew to be but the once dull tickle in the back of his mind became a full itch on the side now. Unable to keep ignoring it any longer. He began to imagine other scenarios…

'What if she's doing this to blackmail me? That the entire reltionship was just a fucking sham to begin with. There was never any affection there, I was just a cheap meal ticket for a pornstar's daughter.'

'Yes, yes, she never cared about you.'

'Or maybe someone is doing this to ruin me, it could be the school or someone from there. Anyone would want to see me hit rock bottom. All of those jealous pathetic fucking humans, all of them conniving conspiring to see me brought low. Don't they know who the fuck I am!? I am one of the strongest people in the whole god damn universe! I destroyed Cell and saved all of their shitty lives and this is how I am repaid!'

'Oh too good, you are much too good for them Gohan they should all bow before you.'

'But then there was one more thought, another spiraling signal of his once glorious place in the eyes of so many.'

'What if I got her pregnant?' While not likely, or hell probable. Gohan's mind put the scenario well before the cart and horse. 'Is it how Erasa might explain away what happened, that she actually got pregnant and then blurted out this terrible lie? That this is some type of cover up?' But then that was even more ridiculous, it had only been days how could she possibly know that. Unless it was the reason. That made him more panicked as he let go of rational thought.

"Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!" He cursed over and over again. It was too much too damn fast. Seeing a pregnant Erasa, knowing how royally he'd have screwed up in that scenario. Everything would be justified, everything would be okayed in the eyes of those who pointed a finger at him.

'You should just let off some steam. You're going to give yourself a heart attack before you turn twenty.'

"Yeah… yeah I need to do that." The whispers were direct, and it didn't matter if his mom bothered him. He didn't need her, she clearly didn't need him. Her reputation was far more fucking important. Kami forbid she remember she had a family to look after.

He didn't bother changing, grabbing his phone, or anything. He just took off. Heading to somewhere where he might just be able to blow off some steam. Without caring or looking back the sky quickly surrounded him. Clouds soon were below him Gohan flared his ki and ascended into a super saiyan, the brilliant yellow glow giving him a rush as he banked hard and headed to a place where he could just… let go.

[***]

Videl in the meantime didn't let this stop her. The daughter of the world champ had the notion of this all being in the wrong despite the evidence, despite the majority of the school saying guilty. Gohan was her friend, a trusted friend. She wasn't going to just turn her back on him. No matter what other things were telling her, she had to be of stronger will than the mob wanting his head on a pike.

Excusing herself from school-which was an easy task- Videl made her way towards Erasa's home. She knew she would be there, her friend was anything but routine when it came to her having some type of crisis. VIdel knew exactly what would be going on.

Taking her new jet copter, compliments of her father who had gotten her one a few weeks ago but never had the need to actually use it up until now, it was supposed to be for emergencies. But she would classify this as one.

Of course some might ask why not fly herself, well she could but she wasn't sure if she could make it that far and navigating in the air was a bit different than in a car or with onboard gps.

In less than twenty minutes she'd arrived at her best friend's home. Fortunately it appeared as if her mother wasn't home making her job way easier to get some answers out of her.

Encapsulating her ride, Videl went over to the second story balcony connected to Erasa's room. Preparing herself to jump up and deal with her friend sitting on her bed covered in a blanket and sobbing hysterically whenever she made a really bad decision thinking that it was the end of the world.

For Erasa it wasn't, Gohan possibly.

With a final breath and mental preparation done she jumped upwards, letting her ki help pull herself up and onto the balcony clearing the extra five feet without issue as she'd normally have to pull herself up on the railing. Touching down she looked in and saw something unexpected.

Erasa wasn't on her bed, nor was she sobbing. She was doing laps in her room, pacing the floor, going round and around again while she raked her fingers through her hair, another hand up to her lips biting down on her nails, It was obvious that Erasa had chewed them down to the nub as the fine manicure was non-existent.

She was so caught up in whatever was going on, that Videl grabbed the handle, popped it open and stepped inside before the blonde even realized that there was now someone else in her room.

"Erasa." Calm, objective, and rational. That's how she knew she had to approach this. Her word carried that measure as she closed the door and kept her hands down at her side. SHe wasn't going to be judgmental.

The blue eyes popped wide open, red lines from stress and crying were evident as she stared into the light brown of her best friend. "V-V-Videl?" Stammering as if she didn't actually believe that her BFF was standing right there.

"I'm not here to play games or point fingers." Starting quickly, "But I need to know what is happening. I need to know if what everyone is saying is true or not. Just, tell me the truth Erasa."

The words hung there for a moment, Videl looking at Erasa, she right back at her. The tension only building between the two as the blonde made no real signs of acknowledging the question or speaking about it. Remaining in place for ten impossibly long seconds until it broke.

She threw herself at her friend. Wrapping her arms tightly around Videl's neck squeezing her like a rock in the middle of a raging river only to begin bawling uncontrollably like a baby. It was so sudden and so out of character Videl froze. Her hands still down by her side until the deep wracking sobs of her friend compelled her hands to move and hold her steady.

"Oh god's Videl!" Her voice was a heavy pitched wail. "I didn't want this, I didn't want any of this." Her eyes buried in the color of Videl's white shirt that quickly began to stick to her skin with the amount of tears that began to seep into her apparel.

'I would've guessed that.' But Videl remained quietly softly holding her friend's back. "It's alright, just talk to me."

Sniffling Erasa just squeezed herself tighter. "I can't, he tricked me. He said that he wouldn't show anyone he just wanted me to break up with him and he'd forgive me." All of this heartache was too much. No doubt Videl would ask who, and her friend was unquestionably smart and would figure it out. "It-it was Sharpner… He followed us, he took the video of me and Gohan leaving the spa and massage place that we used to go to."

'Another one I should've already known, but he was just way too cocky and sure of himself. But he knew that I would ask Erasa what happened.' That made her question exactly what was going down, but first and foremost it cleared Gohan in her eyes of what was the real problem. "What else?" Videl said as Erasa's tears slowed and she sat back on the edge of her bed. The second she did though Videl felt her wince hard. The light jerk of her limbs caught Videl's attention. "Are you okay?"

She looked away, "N-Yes." She quickly said defensively. "I mean it- there's pain… but. It wasn't I mean we didn't-" Her face fell. Erasa couldn't hide how incredibly sore she was, Gohan had wrecked her, probably not intentionally but she felt pain when sitting down and her body insides they just throbbed. It wasn't the conversation she wanted to really have with Videl. Yet as her black haired friend's gaze remained unflinching she knew she would have to say something.

The concerned one poked the question, "Was it consensual?" Her friend's head bobbed up and down. "He didn't force himself on you?" Again she was given the same answer. "So then what is going on?"

Erasa just covered her face, "I don't know! Gohan just was a little rough but I mean we both wanted it and it wasn't that it didn't feel good." She had felt pretty explosive in the moment, but she was having buyers regret the pain after the fact. There wasn't anything that she could just say, a few words wouldn't ever begin to explain the way that she was feeling. How all of her plans, all the expectations she had built up crashed down around her in just a few days. Everything she had done, all of the work that she had hoped and tried to help create something meaningful with a boy she loved had all accounted for nothing.

"Okay… Okay. Just start from the beginning." Videl said grabbing a chair and pulling it right up to her friend. Though some might question why she wasn't angry, which there was some anger, Videl knew her besty was a little irrational and whatever her reasons it wasn't done out of spite, or so she would believe. Erasa and Gohan had been a thing for long enough to know that they weren't doing this on a fling or out of spite for someone else.

They had a friendship that had apparently blossomed and then quickly soured.

But Erasa explained what had happened, the details of her little trist with Gohan on his birthday. Giving up her virginity and receiving one hell of a pounding from him. It was one of two reasons she didn't go to school. One was how incredibly uncomfortable she felt sitting down plus the throbbing of her insides would've just left her miserable. But that hadn't been what had caught her off guard.

No, she had just been dropped off by Gohan back home. Her car left there when she received an anonymous message by a number she didn't recognize. Stating, 'Nice show with you and Gohan. Must be good to get fucked by mr. Popular.'

It was shocking at first, how had someone known, only to receive the picture of them next walking out. Followed by the video. To say she was completely taken back was an understatement. There was nothing good that was going to come from this, and she was quickly proven correct.

She came outside as the message bid her or else all of this would be plastered in the school and sent all over the place for the world to see what she was. Even if it wasn't the truth a rumor could start a fire and be around the world before the truth even put one foot down on the floor.

As it was she limped slightly outside using the front gate for balance. She looked around still holding her phone in her hands when out came a familiar face.

'How's it going babe. Seems like you've been busy I see.' Erasa's head shot backwards. Sharpner was there leaning against the side of her house, waiting until she had come out to the front. Perhaps leaving her with no escape as he walked down the driveway towards her.

'What is this?' She replied neutrally. Though she felt herself beginning to tremble as this situation was not going to end well.

'Oh that? Just some interesting material I just happened to catch you know. But I knew you'd eventually slut it up just like your mom. But what can I say, the apple doesn't fall far from the porno tree now does it?' Degrading her, Erasa tried to spit at him but her legs were ready to buckle as she just leaned against the fence close to her driveway.

'Well what do you want then asshole? You still can't get over the fact that I dumped you for someone better you have to stalk me?' Though she was angry it did hurt to have an old friend do this to her. They were never that close, but he always kept pushing her which only drove her towards Gohan.

'Hey, hey stalking is a big word. Besides I've been tracking your phone for months and when the school heard about you and Gohan leaving on his birthday… well just imagine my surprise when I come to see you being practically carried by Gohan out of there looking marginally disheveled. I guess it was good considering you two must've spent a few hours in there?'

'Gohan loves me-'

'Oh I'm sure he did, must've been nice to get banged by him. Tell me, was it so good that you had bruises on the back of your thighs?' He said smirking as she brought a hand down where GOhan's fingers had dug in a little extra hard. 'Oh yeah they were super obvious. It'll make great prom video footage of you two. I can't imagine how much social media will get a kick out of a celebrity's son bruising a seventeen year old girl on his birthday. Why i'd imagine it might ruin his whole future over something so heinous.'

That was the click in her mind. 'This isn't about me at all is it. It's about Gohan.'

'Half true, half not.' He shrugged, still smug. 'You see I could stand you going out with another guy, but the fact is you never once thought how it would make me feel. Tch. tch.' He said shaking his head mockingly, 'Then you go and bang him well. I figure what would be the best way to get back at the both of you. It's not like Mr. soon to be ruined is going to have much to celebrate on his birthday.'

Erasa felt tears well up in her eyes. She had screwed up and she was going to be taking Gohan down with her. Even if it wasn't her fault, her actions caused it and more than likely Gohan would end up hating her for this if it ended up destroying his life. He was the best by far without any blemishes. But posting him shacking up and the bruising on her body. Oh she could just imagine what that would do. 'What do you want?' Her head dropped, knowing that either way this was going to be ending badly.

'Oh, now that's more like it babe.' He laughed tilting up her head to look at him, 'Now, now don't worry your pretty little head I'm not here for sloppy seconds. I just want a little insurance. You see I could post this everywhere and cause no small amount of trouble for yourselves but I would have a small guarantee that you and Gohan split up. Just embarrass him with a small break up, hit his pride just a little bit and then I get a small one up on him. It's not really that bad of a deal you see.' Sharpner pulled out a small sheet of paper. It had confidential assault report. It was one that the school handed out. 'You see I just want you to fill this out, stating that you were assaulted by Gohan. Saying how it was against your will and yadda yadda. If you fill this all out and sign it. I'll keep it as insurance so that you come to school in a week and dump his ass in the middle of prom and I mean really dump him hard. Embarrass and humiliate him and then all of this goes away… should you perhaps get cold feet I'll submit this to the office or just splatter every single graphic image and post I have of the two of you for the whole world to see on the internet.' He clicked and handed her a pen. 'So either you fill this out and do as I say and just make Gohan suffer one hell of a bad break-up or I take both of your lives down the drain and don't think about backtracking on the signing cause you know you'll get in serious trouble.'

Blackmailed into a corner, Erasa agreed, foolishly. But she was caught flat footed and hit out of nowhere she only realized her mistake far too late. Sharpner had done it anyway, the signature was just icing on the cake… and no matter what happened there was going to be an investigation. Even if she declined people would know, the school would keep records and it would follow Gohan and her everywhere. She the liar and Gohan the accused.

Once word had spread Erasa hadn't been able to think rationally since. Was there anything she could do at this point that couldn't make things possibly worse? Erasa just wanted to bury her head in a pillow and sob as she had let herself be used and worst of all hurt the person she cared dearly for.

Videl consoled her friend, "You made a mistake and were taken advantage of. That doesn't mean you're a bad person. We can still fix this, we can make this right okay?"

Her tear streaked friend's head looked up at her, her hands clutching her shoulders as she attempted to pull what little strength she could from her best friend. But looking at her only made her feel even worse. "I'm so sorry Videl…" Her head dropped again. "I'm so sorry, I couldn't see the bigger picture. I just got so jealous and bitter that I ruined both of our lives."

"It's okay, there's still time to fix things before anything serious happens. I know it's upsetting but I'm here for you. I know how much Gohan means to you." Videl said missing the real meaning of her friend's words.

"It's not just that Videl. I just got so jealous of you, I-I probably ended up making Gohan hate me forever." She wanted to keep crying but there wasn't enough water in the tank to let the tears continue flowing.

"Erase, look I'm-"

"Videl, I thought you were trying to steal Gohan from me, I don't know where these feelings came from. But I ended up hating you, I thought you were going to try and take something that I had… I don't even know why I felt that way anymore." It was so bizarre that she had been so utterly consumed by this dark feeling that Videl of all people was trying to do her wrong. From what had been a small inkling became an undeniable surge of jealousy. "You… You don't want Gohan do you?" It felt more like a statement than a question as Erasa felt like she could have the answer straight from the horse's mouth. "I mean spending all that time with him after school, spring break, and how you flipped from despising him to liking him. I thought- well I believed you were going to take him from me."

"Erasa, look Gohan is my friend but he was your boyfriend. You liked him long before I did, sure he's amazing but Gohan practically moved in as family. I couldn't imagine dating him while we live together like we are now. I mean that would be extra wierd." Trying to play it off as a joke for the moment, seeing the side of her friend that was clearly desperate.

'Then all my personal jealousy was for nothing- I did all of this because I felt that Videl was taking him away from me. Oh Kami just what can I even do?' Erasa lamented in her own mind.

Unable to hear her friend's processing mind Videl knew she had to start taking action, "Alright right now we have to call Gohan and start explaining everything to him." But it only drew a more shocked reaction from Erasa.

"Gohan probably hates me, there's nothing that I can do now that can fix that." But her thoughts told her otherwise, perhaps it could be not fixed entirely… but she could… just maybe- '-there is. Maybe you can still keep him around.'

Her friend wanted to roll her eyes but she withheld her judgement for the moment, now wasn't the time. "He might Erasa, but he'll be more angry and hateful if we don't try and rectify this mistake, there's still time to make things right." It wasn't much of a comfort for her friend but Videl wasn't going to fill her with false hope. Pulling out her phone next she dialed Gohan's number but there would be no response.

[***]

A loud ripping sound came out as Gohan's hands tore a tree straight from its roots straight out. The slow sound was almost savored in his ears. Each finite tear becoming a small glimmer of satisfaction before he reared it back up and like a hammer smashed it down into the ground. The satisfying crunch as the splinters broke apart covering the ground.

Yet that peace didn't last, the second it was broken he needed another one to fill its place. Punching another one in half, he tore back around and shattered another with a hard sweeping kick.

'It's not enough… This isn't enough!' Gohan's heart was beginning to boil, turning back around he looked at the several acres of destroyed woodlands. Every single rock and tree had been upturned and thrown about.

Destruction it didn't satisfy him. No he wanted to feel more, his fingers were twitching, the low thrumming inside of his very core. All that made him who he was cried out for someone-! Anyone to vent his anger on!

"Come on! SOmeone has to be out here, one single being that can give me a fucking fight! I don't care if I win, live, lose, die, or just- just- Raghhh-!" Throwing his head back in a hard bellow Gohan just screamed, letting so much pain and emotion out, screaming until there was nothing left in his lungs. He then twitched and fell forwards hitting the ground with his fist. Gasping for air and grunting before swinging a few more times.

"All of it-!" He said in thick raspy breaths. " Pointless-!" His fist slammed deep into the ground. "Being a good person, doing the right thing-! Nyagghh!" Three more times until a crater enveloped him. "Where are you.. DAD!? Huh!? Just where the fuck are you!? Where's all this evil you've prevented cause it sure as fuck seems as if its's cumping all ontop of me! I am the one forced to keep bearing all of the problems you've created?" He looked towards the sky, "Leaving me to the god damn wolves! My friends don't care anymore, my girlfriend betrayed me! My own mother cares more about herself than me-! And you! You just stay up there not giving a damn about how much pain i'm in, because you never have! Did you give my misfortune a Senzu bean like you did Cell! Or is this some old enemy that you've all but decided should make me suffer because of what you did!" He was on his knees, letting it all go from his heart. "Come on why don't you fucking say something-!" Throwing up his arms his ki shot outwards from him in a wave flattening the ground for a hundred feet in every direction until he just fell forwards. Blue ki sparks rippling off of him as he struggled to control the volatile hurricane inside of him. His life at this moment didn't feel so fair, like he hadn't been punished or suffered enough.

"Such a terrible thing."

Gohan's head whipped around, his fatigue vanishing as a new voice spoke to him. One he had not heard before in his life. Standing a few feet away from him was a very peculiar looking…

"Man? Thing? Alien?" It chuckled walking towards him. His skin a wrinkled dark yellow, wearing a blue skirt of some sort, orange top with a small white cloak around his shoulders. Despite looking small, barely up to Gohan's thigh he wasn't at all imposing, nor even attractive. But he put his hands behind his back and walked towards him. "Sorry for the whole mind reading thing. It's a bad habit of mine."

The teen remained silent watching as this short- "Ah introductions yes," It interrupted offering a curt bow. "I am Babadi and you… are Son Gohan, though with that last outburst you might wish to just be called Gohan yes?" Removing his surname, "I'm here because I've felt your outrage, and all of those emotions running through you. I can honestly say in all my years I've never felt anything like it." His feet padded closer, then his head tilted, examining Gohan. "You must be suffering terribly, with all of those things you were speaking about I can hardly imagine that anyone would be handling it any better I'd venture to wager you're the only person on this planet who could take so much and still keep himself from going crazy."

Gohan watched as he approached stopping just several feet away, there was no overwhelming presence from him. He wasn't strong, but there was some hidden strength, but he couldn't truly feel what it was. "What do you want?" Gohan put himself on one knee.

Babadi walked slowly from where he was in a circle holding up one of his hands. "Want, want, want, oh Gohan I want many things. I'm not here to ask something of you…" He slowly turned and pointed at him. "I'm here to ask what you want. For all of the poor things that have happened to you, surely there is something that I can do for you."

He snorted in response to Babadi's words. "So generous then? Like everyone else or are you just another crazy dream of mine?" It wouldn't be beyond his already crazy dreams to have something like this. He long since wondered if this was also a part of his own messed up and warped mentality.

"Hmm, alright a trade then. A favor for a favor. I help you and you help me, wouldn't that be better?" Babadi put both hands behind his back and slowly walked right up to Gohan, there just about eye level."If you accept my offer I promise you freedom from this pain, no more misery and injustice." He raised up one hand to him. "The world will know of your righteousness and how much you deserve despite how they've treated you and in exchange you will help me because there are those who are like you and me. Those that don't appreciate us, who don't understand our value and hate us despite having done nothing… Think about my offer, just call my name and I will grant this boon." With that he withdrew his hand. "Don't think too long on it." He turned back around and started to walk away. "Because I feel that these people haven't quite had their metaphorical or perhaps literal pound of your flesh. Tah tah." With a wave the strange Babadi departed walking several feet before seemingly vanishing and leaving Gohan all alone.

Several moments later, Gohan felt a pain begin to grip him in the back of his head. This wasn't an annoyance or twinge as he threw up his hands and let loose all of his rage and frustration to numb himself for just a few more minutes.

R&R