Scars – Chapter 17B
Gohan exploded into super saiyajin with a scream of frustration and hurt when Goku was gone from his sight. His breathing was harsh, his chest heaved with the force of his tantrum. He put his hands over his face and screamed into them, the cry dying into a sob as he ran out of breath and crumpled to his knees. Power ate away at the trees and the dirt around the half-saiyajin, burning them so quickly they could scarcely catch fire first.
He knew he was overreacting. He knew this inside himself, but his anger needed to come out. All of a sudden it was pouring out so fast he didn't know what to do with it all. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, he wanted to hurt something... or blow something up, but he knew he could not do that. He jumped out of his crater in what remained of the woods and flew high up, past the clouds, higher and higher till the air was so thin he thought he might be flying into space.
The will to keep himself safe and alive forced him to stop when he was just low enough to breathe the thin air above the clouds. There he let his voice rise in a scream yet again, spreading his arms and legs and looking up at what he could see of the moon through his tears. He screamed at it, filled with the most blatant aching passion he'd felt since his explosion into ascended saiyajin during his battle with Cell. He ran out of breath and let his head drop towards his chest, crying into his shirt and curling up in a ball where he floated.
The thin air made it impossible to keep this up for very long, and so he relaxed, lowering himself to where the oxygen was more breathable and bearable.
Gohan couldn't seem to get himself to drop out of his super saiyajin form. He was just too upset at the moment to control himself, and that frightened him deeply. He craved Videl's arms around him to keep him safe from his fears and insecurities, but he was very much afraid that he would hurt her in his uncontrolled state.
He tried to rationalize with himself, get himself to think straight. Gohan breathed more evenly, still panting for air, and he drifted helplessly towards Videl's energy, tears on his face.
++++++++++++
Videl was in the shower. She was very much enjoying a luxurious bubbly scrub and lathering her short hair when that was completely interrupted as Gohan burst into the bathroom through the door, and practically into the shower stall with her.
"GOHAN! WHAT THE HELL! GET OUT!" She screamed at the crazed super saiyajin.
He had the frosted glass door of Videl's spacious personal shower wide open. He was staring at her with a look in his eyes that she was sure didn't make him look very much like himself. He looked so lost that it seemed he wasn't completely aware of what he was doing. They stared at one another after Videl shouted at him, because he didn't move at all.
"Videl..." Gohan said in a ghostly whisper, his voice shuddering and cracking, his eyes wide and frantic. His power was very high, the metal part around the glass in the shower door melted under his hand, the floor melted under his feet.
"Videl..." Gohan repeated when she didn't answer him. She was too stunned to say anything. She'd never seen him like this, and she was decidedly untrusting of the big brawny super saiyajin with seemingly no sense of what exactly he was doing.
Videl had never actually been frightened of Gohan until this moment. She knew he wasn't here to be perverted, he would have blushed insanely if he saw her naked in his right mind. He was just looking at her face, staring hopefully at her eyes. Videl shivered, crossing her arms over her breasts and turning the water off.
"Gohan... p-please let go of the shower door... you're going to break it..."
Gohan nodded slowly and released the door, not moving otherwise. He continued to stare at Videl's eyes with that same look in his own.
"Ok Gohan... good... now why don't you power down... see how your feet are melting the floor? Not a good thing... take a nice, deep breath, and power down... please. Now."
Gohan nodded and kept his eyes fixed on Videl. He took a long, deep breath, just like she said, and lowered his power as much as he could. His hands were shuddering slightly, in fact he was shaky all over. He managed to drop out of super saiyajin, though he flickered back to it for a minute and began to worry again, until Videl's coaching helped him gain control over the power, and he managed to keep himself down to a level that his body could hold in its normal form.
"Good job Gohan... now, hand me a towel."
Gohan again nodded and looked around, staring at the towel for a second before reaching shakily for it and handing it to Videl. She took it from him and wrapped d it around her dripping body, feeling a little better now. Gohan was still between her and the door of the bathroom, however.
"Thank you... now obviously you aren't exactly yourself at the moment, do you think we can go to my room? You gonna make it that far?"
Gohan looked overwhelmed. His eyes squinted shut and he concentrated on being good and fighting the rush of hurt and feeling that still wanted to rage from him. He flickered back to super saiyajin again and he heard Videl step back from him up against the slick shower wall. Gohan grit his jaws together in frustration and breathed quickly and deeply, slowly coaxing himself to breathe more slowly. Worry that he might hurt Videl on top of everything else he was worrying about crowded his confused mind.
It took awhile, but he did gain control. He reverted to his normal form and sagged out of the tense position, suddenly exhausted. Gohan lost consciousness and crumpled into a heap in front of Videl, his power returning to a totally normal level as soon as he did.
"Oh my God..." Videl whispered, staring at her best friend for a long minute, scared to touch him for fear that he would turn super and freak out on her. When he didn't move, and his position began to look really uncomfortable, Videl stepped over him and grabbed him under the shoulders, dragging him to her room, which was just outside the door. She left him on his back on the floor.
"Gohan what happened to you...." Videl wondered aloud, looking at his face, which was completely expressionless now. He was breathing normally, and he seemed to be alright, just in a faint. Videl took this opportunity to dry herself off and put some clothes on.
After that she stared at Gohan again, noting that her balcony door was wide open. Well, at least it wasn't smashed, that was good. The curtains blew into the room with a gentle nighttime breeze.
Videl sat down beside Gohan and put a hand in his hair, stroking it carefully, in a manner she knew generally calmed him.
"Whatever it was Gohan... I hope I can help...you big dummy... you broke my bathroom door. Wake up, would you?"
Gohan exploded into super saiyajin with a scream of frustration and hurt when Goku was gone from his sight. His breathing was harsh, his chest heaved with the force of his tantrum. He put his hands over his face and screamed into them, the cry dying into a sob as he ran out of breath and crumpled to his knees. Power ate away at the trees and the dirt around the half-saiyajin, burning them so quickly they could scarcely catch fire first.
He knew he was overreacting. He knew this inside himself, but his anger needed to come out. All of a sudden it was pouring out so fast he didn't know what to do with it all. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe, he wanted to hurt something... or blow something up, but he knew he could not do that. He jumped out of his crater in what remained of the woods and flew high up, past the clouds, higher and higher till the air was so thin he thought he might be flying into space.
The will to keep himself safe and alive forced him to stop when he was just low enough to breathe the thin air above the clouds. There he let his voice rise in a scream yet again, spreading his arms and legs and looking up at what he could see of the moon through his tears. He screamed at it, filled with the most blatant aching passion he'd felt since his explosion into ascended saiyajin during his battle with Cell. He ran out of breath and let his head drop towards his chest, crying into his shirt and curling up in a ball where he floated.
The thin air made it impossible to keep this up for very long, and so he relaxed, lowering himself to where the oxygen was more breathable and bearable.
Gohan couldn't seem to get himself to drop out of his super saiyajin form. He was just too upset at the moment to control himself, and that frightened him deeply. He craved Videl's arms around him to keep him safe from his fears and insecurities, but he was very much afraid that he would hurt her in his uncontrolled state.
He tried to rationalize with himself, get himself to think straight. Gohan breathed more evenly, still panting for air, and he drifted helplessly towards Videl's energy, tears on his face.
++++++++++++
Videl was in the shower. She was very much enjoying a luxurious bubbly scrub and lathering her short hair when that was completely interrupted as Gohan burst into the bathroom through the door, and practically into the shower stall with her.
"GOHAN! WHAT THE HELL! GET OUT!" She screamed at the crazed super saiyajin.
He had the frosted glass door of Videl's spacious personal shower wide open. He was staring at her with a look in his eyes that she was sure didn't make him look very much like himself. He looked so lost that it seemed he wasn't completely aware of what he was doing. They stared at one another after Videl shouted at him, because he didn't move at all.
"Videl..." Gohan said in a ghostly whisper, his voice shuddering and cracking, his eyes wide and frantic. His power was very high, the metal part around the glass in the shower door melted under his hand, the floor melted under his feet.
"Videl..." Gohan repeated when she didn't answer him. She was too stunned to say anything. She'd never seen him like this, and she was decidedly untrusting of the big brawny super saiyajin with seemingly no sense of what exactly he was doing.
Videl had never actually been frightened of Gohan until this moment. She knew he wasn't here to be perverted, he would have blushed insanely if he saw her naked in his right mind. He was just looking at her face, staring hopefully at her eyes. Videl shivered, crossing her arms over her breasts and turning the water off.
"Gohan... p-please let go of the shower door... you're going to break it..."
Gohan nodded slowly and released the door, not moving otherwise. He continued to stare at Videl's eyes with that same look in his own.
"Ok Gohan... good... now why don't you power down... see how your feet are melting the floor? Not a good thing... take a nice, deep breath, and power down... please. Now."
Gohan nodded and kept his eyes fixed on Videl. He took a long, deep breath, just like she said, and lowered his power as much as he could. His hands were shuddering slightly, in fact he was shaky all over. He managed to drop out of super saiyajin, though he flickered back to it for a minute and began to worry again, until Videl's coaching helped him gain control over the power, and he managed to keep himself down to a level that his body could hold in its normal form.
"Good job Gohan... now, hand me a towel."
Gohan again nodded and looked around, staring at the towel for a second before reaching shakily for it and handing it to Videl. She took it from him and wrapped d it around her dripping body, feeling a little better now. Gohan was still between her and the door of the bathroom, however.
"Thank you... now obviously you aren't exactly yourself at the moment, do you think we can go to my room? You gonna make it that far?"
Gohan looked overwhelmed. His eyes squinted shut and he concentrated on being good and fighting the rush of hurt and feeling that still wanted to rage from him. He flickered back to super saiyajin again and he heard Videl step back from him up against the slick shower wall. Gohan grit his jaws together in frustration and breathed quickly and deeply, slowly coaxing himself to breathe more slowly. Worry that he might hurt Videl on top of everything else he was worrying about crowded his confused mind.
It took awhile, but he did gain control. He reverted to his normal form and sagged out of the tense position, suddenly exhausted. Gohan lost consciousness and crumpled into a heap in front of Videl, his power returning to a totally normal level as soon as he did.
"Oh my God..." Videl whispered, staring at her best friend for a long minute, scared to touch him for fear that he would turn super and freak out on her. When he didn't move, and his position began to look really uncomfortable, Videl stepped over him and grabbed him under the shoulders, dragging him to her room, which was just outside the door. She left him on his back on the floor.
"Gohan what happened to you...." Videl wondered aloud, looking at his face, which was completely expressionless now. He was breathing normally, and he seemed to be alright, just in a faint. Videl took this opportunity to dry herself off and put some clothes on.
After that she stared at Gohan again, noting that her balcony door was wide open. Well, at least it wasn't smashed, that was good. The curtains blew into the room with a gentle nighttime breeze.
Videl sat down beside Gohan and put a hand in his hair, stroking it carefully, in a manner she knew generally calmed him.
"Whatever it was Gohan... I hope I can help...you big dummy... you broke my bathroom door. Wake up, would you?"