Edit: January 16, 2007; Originally written in 03-06-02.
Note: If you read this before, have mercy on your soul. I'm surprised I never got flamed for this…But this is the nicely written version!
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Hero
written by Goku's Daughter
A songfic
Song by Enrique Iglesias
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Her life was like an opened book. There was constant publicity and pressure. She became sickened when her face was on the cover on the newspapers, and when the paparazzi, those dogs, followed her around everywhere she went. She was not famous for doing something special, of course. She was famous because of her father, Hercule.
She could not stand him anymore as much as she could not stand the publicity. Since she learned the Cell story from Gohan, she did not look at her father the same way people saw him. She did not see him as a hero anymore, but a big fat liar. When she confronted her father, he simply said those gold fighters were performing magic tricks.
He was a big fat liar.
She wanted to laugh when Hercule caught her with Gohan. Caught is not the correct word to use, since caught implies that she was doing something wrong, but she was innocently training with the half-human, to get strong, which worried and infuriated the Champion. He did not want to lose his girl, but little did he know it was too late.
He was not her hero anymore.
Hercule became overly-protective. He was always protective of his only child, his only daughter, but the fact that his child was now caring so much for another boy made him feel like he would lose her.
But he already did.
He was not her hero anymore.
She was forbidden to see Gohan, fight crime, and was isolated from everyone.
Fathers are usually a little girl's hero. Fathers are the ones to guide us and protect us. When our fathers fall from grace, when we are old enough to see they are not perfect, who do we count on, who do we trust?
Who becomes our hero?
At school she hardly spoke. Gohan was immediately aware of her changed behavior and he gave her space. It could be a girl issue, or something more personal, more deep. Later when the behaviour continued, he was certain there was something wrong with her. After school, he tried to ask what was wrong.
The girl that brought butterflies to his stomach said, "I can't talk to you."
His eyes narrowed slightly. What did he do? "Why?" Then he noticed the tears forming in her eyes.
"Sorry," she whispered, and she flew away.
His first response was to go after her, to make her tell him. He could be her rock. She could count on him. She could trust him.
But maybe she needed time. Maybe she needed space.
He gave that to her.
Would
you dance
if I asked you to dance?
Would you run
and never
look back?
Would you cry
if you saw me cry?
And would you
save my soul, tonight?
Videl found her cave. She first found it when she was ten when she went camping with her father. It was a special place that aroused fond memories of her past. There were no paparazzi this far away and the nature that surrounded her gave her something the busy life of the city could not: peace.
She did not cry when she first walked inside but as if grew darker she found a dry corner and let her tears out. She loved to cry. It released so much bottled inside. But she did not like crying in front of people. That made her seem weak, even when she knew it was not really a weakness. To be able to cry was to show that she was human and could show emotion.
When she knew she was crying because of how much her life sucked, she stopped. Her life did not suck. She was blessed with so many things that people were deprived of. The riches that was before her… many considered her to be one of the luckiest people ever to be the daughter of Hercule.
Then she really cried was from anger towards that man. She cried that he would have the gall to say that she was not allowed to see a boy she was potentially in love with. She cried that he was that possessive and narrowed-minded and so stupid to lie to her.
She cried because he fell from grace.
Would
you tremble
if I touched your lips?
Would you laugh?
Oh
please tell me this.
Now would you die
for the one you
loved?
Hold me in your arms, tonight.
He tapped his foot worriedly on the floor. She was not online. She was not answering her phone. As time went on Gohan became more worried for her. Then he resolved to find her by sensing her ki. Quickly he found her in that cave, crying soundlessly. For what, he did not know. He was not good around girls either, which made him more nervous to approach her.
But he knew she was aware he was there. All she whispered was, "Gohan, I'm sorry," and the tears poured.
Tentatively he sat down beside her in the murky cave and hugged her.
At that moment he did not care if he was going to be late for dinner. He did not care if Chi-Chi would ground him, or get the frying pan out. All he cared for was her.
He did not know what possessed him to kiss her on the forehead. He wanted her to stop; he wanted her to smile and be happy. Seeing her this way was like knives stabbing him in the back. He hurt, because she was hurting. Soon her crying ceased and the tears stopped leaking her face. They were unaware that they fell asleep in each other's arms.
I
can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand
by you forever.
You can take my breath away.
When she woke up she was surprised that Gohan was still here. She couldn't help but smile. He looked so at peace like that. Then she looked at her watch and it read 7:55 p.m.
Something sank in her heart and as if it was second nature she returned her head to his chest. She waited for the boy to wake up and when he did, she smirked at him. "Thank you for being here. I'll explain…later. I wanted this to last before my father nags on me again." The way she said father was full of loathe and misery.
"So it's Hercule?" He was the reason for her crying. Gohan wanted to ask what the hell did he do to make you cry, but he had respect for the older man because he was the father of the woman he fell in love with.
She bit on her lower lip. "Yeah, it's him. He had forbidden me from seeing you, you know?"
An eyebrow rose. "And that's why you were crying?"
"Well, it's not just that; he just irritates me. He's a liar, and not just to me, but to everyone! My life is a lie! Everything that I know isn't real. My wealth should have been your wealth. I just want…" She paused.
"Want what?" Because he would do anything for her.
"I want him to see what he is." Weak.
Gohan looked out of the cave for a moment. "You want me to beat him." When he would, Hercule would know he is not the strongest man on the Earth. He was a phony and a liar, and a cheat.
"You would do it?" she asked him, playing with the folds of his shirt.
He nodded.
"If you wanted the stars, I'll go to space and bring them back to you." It was a dorky comment, he knew, and it was physically impossible to move a star and bring it to Earth, but she knew what he meant. Even if it seemed impossible, he would get it done. With that Gohan cupped her chin and kissed her gently, hesitantly, at first. When she parted her lips, giving him her permission, the kiss grew more passionate…
Would
you swear
that you'll always be mine?
Or would you lie?
would
you run and hide?
Am I in too deep?
Have I lost my mind?
I
don't care...
You're here tonight.
"It's almost eleven," Videl told him. They were fully dressed as they did not lose their virginity, but out of breath and glazed in some sweat. "I should get home before he pisses me off."
Gohan offered, "I'll come with you."
She didn't think that was a good idea. "No, it's okay. I don't want you to get involved, or hurt."
He stood up beside her. "How can I get hurt?"
She threw her hands in the air. "I don't know! What if you something happens and my dad gets knocked out bad, and then stuck in a coma…and then the police gets involved, and then your mother finds out…" Her eyes looked genuinely worried even when her imagination was too wild.
"If that happens, we'll run away."
The petite girl gave him a look. "Is there any escape from your mother?"
Gohan laughed softly. "Okay, I get your point, but I'm still coming with you." Even though she could fly by herself, he boldly grasped her waist and flew into the night.
Oh,
I just want to hold you.
I just want to hold you.
Am I in too
deep?
Have I lost my mind?
I don't care...
You're here
tonight.
I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the
pain.
I will stand by your forever.
You can take my breath
away.
At Hercule's mansion, it took them a long time to find the right door to Hercule's room to challenge the old man into a fight. Finally after what felt like the fiftieth door, Gohan knocked hard. "I hope your dad is inside."
Videl rolled his eyes and heard a moan from the inside. She pushed the door open and found a woman, no, not quite a woman, under the covers with the Champ.
Ashamed, Videl crossed her arms and looked at Gohan. "This sickens me. She's younger than me, and you would think he would stop immediately."
Gohan watched the pair and tiny beads of sweat rolled down his head. He waited for Videl to say something, but she did not. She was not watching, just waiting to see if her father noticed her. Gohan cleared his throat then, yelling in his Saiyaman voice, "Stop citizen Hercule! It's a crime to sexual interact with others in front of your daughter, and do such crude acts with a young girl."
The girl looked up. "I'm not that young; just eighteen."
Videl smacked her head. "I'm Eighteen."
Hercule quickly covered himself hereafter. "Videl, what's the meaning of this intrusion?!" He glanced at the clock and his forehead wrinkled. "Why are you late and what's he doing here?" He pointed at Gohan.
Gohan dropped his Saiyaman voice. "I'm here to challenge you sir. Winner gets Videl."
Videl looked at Gohan and was awed at the way he said it. So passionate and…very manly. The fact that he would fight for her made the butterflies swarm in her stomach.
Hercule stood up and eyed both of them carefully. "You serious huh?" There was some silence. "Fine, I'll kick yer butt anyways," he muttered, reaching to the ground for his clothes. Once dressed they headed outside.
Videl claimed to be referee. "Whoever gives up first loses." The rules were simple.
Gohan knew that this would be the easiest fight ever. At the bell that Videl rang, he did not turn Super Saiyan. He actually let Hercule hit him first. Hercule gave a punch, which did not faze Gohan at all. Gohan kicked him in the air and started to do all sorts of combinations. That alone was enough to make Hercule fall to the ground with the worst bruises imagined.
He looked satisfied as he looked down at the Champ. "Give up?"
Nothing came out of Hercule's mouth, Gohan checked for a pulse. Damn. He didn't mean to knock the old guy out, just make him scared.
Videl shrugged but smiled. "Gohan wins."
I
can be your hero.
I can kiss away the pain.
And I will stand by
you forever.
You can take my breath away.
You can take my
breath away.
"That was a surprise," she said sarcastically. She closed the space between them and kissed him on the cheek. "I guess we should get him on the couch or something." Gohan nodded and moved the man's body to where Videl directed. Then with nothing else to do he asked her, "This is why we didn't care that your father took credit. We did not want the fame and publicity. We like our private life."
She nodded, understanding where he was coming from. "But he's misleading everyone." He was a liar.
He agreed with her. "That's true. But he's their hero. Everyone needs a hero, a role model to look up to. If people knew I was the one who killed Cell, I am not ready, nor capable, to do what he does. I cannot entertain to their every whim and bring hope the way he does. He plays the part well and that's another reason why I, or my family, don't mind that he claimed to defeat Cell."
Videl crossed her arms and glared back at the boy who was right, even when she didn't like it. "He does play a good hero," she admitted, "but, it's okay if you were my hero, right?"
He scratched the back of his head. Hercule had fallen from grace. "I'm not perfect."
"I'm not asking for a perfect boyfriend or something. I want a hero. I want someone that I can be proud of and admire, who has a strong, kind, courageous heart. I want a hero for me to look up to, to be my rock, to protect me…to be there for me. " She was choosy with her words and her head tilted to the side as she looked at him. She felt the heat rush to her cheeks when he closed the space between them and boldly kissed her.
"Whatever you want me to be, I'll be," he whispered. "I'll be your hero." It was another dorky line, but she loved him because of it.
"You really are my hero," she told him. She was unsure since when exactly he became her hero in her mind. But to hear the words come from his mouth made her at peace again. And he would be for the rest of her life to the end of her days.
Hero.
End.
Author's Note: I haven't changed the old plot in this revised version. Just wrote it better. Thanks for reading, even though Hercule isn't an ass as I portrayed him to be.