Chapter 2: Loved and Feared
(by NekoKriszty)
It's amazing how we ALWAYS defeat the criminals, and they just keep coming... Are all criminals total idiots? Pondering about things like that, Videl looked at Gohan. The look on his face didn't really surprise her, but still made her worry. It wasn't every day Gohan looked pale and had a far-off look in his eyes. Videl sighed and recalled the events from a couple of minutes ago, all those people's stares and that very disturbing collection…
"The bad-guys are inside, unconscious and tied up;" Videl informed the chief as they left the bank after freeing all the hostages, "you can take care of them now, right?"
"Yes, thank you, Videl-san and Saiyaman-san… Umm…" The man started sweating a bit after he looked at Gohan. He stared at the young hero as if he wanted to ask something but couldn't collect the courage to do so.
"Hey, are you alright?" Gohan asked concerned, thinking that the guy might be sick or something.
"Well… Saiyaman-san… No, Gohan-san…" Gohan's eyes widened as he heard his name and a little pink color appeared on his cheeks. Sure, he was told in school that everyone knows, but it seemed the realization just hit him. Not knowing what to do, he grinned and put his hand behind his head.
"I just… It's just that…" The man took a deep breath to calm himself down, and looked up to talk again. "I have a 9 year old daughter, and she's a huge fan of you… You could say you're her idol… Or rather that she's obsessed with you…Anyway… I would like to ask for an autograph for her, if it's not a big deal…" He looked really embarrassed, and stared at the ground while shakily handing him a little journal.
Gohan just stared at it for a very long time; he couldn't believe his eyes. He opened the book; on the first page there was a huge photo of him (as Saiya-man), posing after saving a bus from falling into a huge crater. Little red hearts all around the page, and some unbelievable notes in and around them:
Yumi
&
Great-Saiyaman
4eva
Gohan flushed like there was no tomorrow, and Videl, who took a glimpse in the journal, too, also went red, but with anger and… – Scared to admit to herself– ...Jealousy?
As Gohan turned the page, there were more pictures of him and articles discussing his identity. After some pages, came the first real surprise for Videl: an article cut from a really popular magazine (called 17 or something like that, Videl never liked them and so never memorized their names, and Gohan never even knew what a popular magazine was :-D), and it had two pictures: on one of them Gohan was talking to her and on the other one he was on his knees, she was on the ground and they were holding hands. Her cheeks were pink, and her face showed embarrassment and confusion. Of course, it was nothing like that, Videl remembered the situation: ten bad-guys attacked her at once and forced her to her knees. After Gohan helped her with them, he gave her a hand and helped her up. She wasn't used to men being gentlemen around her, and this act made her so angry and frustrated that she even punched his arm afterwards; but the stupid photographer obviously didn't catch THAT. The whole article was about guessing: is Videl together with Saiyaman? What does Hercule say about it? Are they going to run away from home to escape the Champion's fury? Etc. etc. etc… Videl was as red as a tomato and Gohan… He was even worse.
And why was the policeman in the worst condition, and apologizing to Videl non-stop? Because on the photos her heads were painted black, there were little skulls and flames around them and here-and-there a
Saiya-man is mine!
Videl go to Hell!
sign. All three of them felt so embarrassed like never before in their lives.
After that a couple of other articles about Saiya-man, half of it with pictures of him and Videl or what they believed was Videl… There was one picture on which the girl glued her own picture next to Saiya-man, in Videl's place! After that very one, there was a blank page, and then came pictures of the latest Budokai: up-close of Gohan taking off his shades, smiling, dropping to a fighting stance… Turning into Super Saiya-jin… The article was written weeks after the Tournament, since every paper was so full of Hercule's victory and Vegeta's destruction (when he blew up half the Budokai) that for a while they didn't need to look for anything else. In the article the author was really proud of himself for he could present the true self of the mysterious guardian of the town, Saiya-man, AND the Gold Fighter, AND the Delivery-boy from the Cell Games: Son Gohan…
The article must have been a real success because it seemed the next day EVERY SINGLE PAPER AND MAGAZINE had an article in it with Gohan, in half he was on front page; there were pictures of his every move: Videl's match, the two of them taking off, Vegeta blowing off the stadium. Page after page, lots and lots of pictures, and then came the thing that really shook Gohan. Another blank page, followed by pictures of him in CIVIL. He was at the mall with his mother (HOW could I not notice that the people around me recognized me? Now I get it why we got half the stuff free…), he was at the park with Videl, they were eating ice-cream, he was even photographed at the Capsule Corporation, during a game with Trunks and Goten, with Videl participating, too… Page after page, picture after picture…
Gohan could take it no more. He quickly wrote his name under the huge picture of himself on the first page
For Yumi,
The Great Saiya-man
and gave the journal back to the policeman who still looked REALLY uneasy. "Excuse me, Gohan-san, but she told me to make sure you… Umm… You wrote your real name on, too…"
Gohan nodded, ripped the journal from his hands, quickly wrote
Son Gohan
under the others and after practically throwing it back to the relieved guy he took off without a word. All the people around looked at him strangely, and this made Videl's blood boil. And that's never good.
"You know..." She began rather dangerously, which made everyone turn her way interested "...there actually IS a reason why Gohan-kun wears that costu… I mean uniform… He's a timid boy, but still wants to save your sorry asses…" she looked sharply at the saved hostages who suddenly looked REALLY embarrassed and continued "…and didn't want everyone to know his real identity! So leave him be!" She was still fuming after she took for the sky to go after her friend. The people just stared. Gohan-KUN? Timid BOY?
She didn't notice a video-camera rolling nearby, recording the whole event.
Deciding not to think of it anymore, Videl forced her thoughts in another direction - her father. She quickly decided to go to Gohan's place and watch the evening talk-show with him and his family. Wanting to ask Gohan if that would be okay, Videl looked at Gohan. He was staring at the ground beneath them, obviously lost in his thoughts. She felt so sorry for the poor boy; now he would experience the life she had ever since the Cell-games. And that was something she wished only to her dearest of enemies. Or maybe not even for them.
She flew a little closer to him, and to help him pick himself up, she took his hand. It seemed that this act took Gohan by surprise because he looked up surprised, blushed and seeing her 'Take heart!' face a tiny smile appeared on his.
"You know, I could have died back there." He squeezed back just a little bit, and Videl did something really unexpected: hugged his upper arm and rested her head on his shoulder. This made Gohan blush even more, but he did nothing and they flew to his home like that.
After landing in the yard, Goten ran out of the house really happy, screaming "Onee-chan! Onii-chan!" and smashed into Gohan's face; however, Gohan couldn't hold his balance and fell back. Videl laughed her head off at them, and after blinking innocently a couple of times, the two demi joined her as well. Standing up, Gohan placed Goten on his shoulder and asked cheerfully "Hi, chibi, did anything happen today?"
"Yeah, Gohan, you won't believe this! Mom left me home all alone, and I could eat whatever I wanted in the kitchen! That's until Dad came home, and brought this GIGANTIC fish, I swear, it's bigger than last time, and he told me to stop eating and help him, but Mom was still angry when she came home and shouted at me and I had to run away because she was really scary but Dad calmed her down, and now she's out shopping with Dad and Vegeta-san is here with Trunks to watch over us because Bulma-san had to work and…"
"Okay, okay, I get the picture, Goten" Gohan laughed, chuckling while picturing her Mother as she entered the wrecked kitchen. Just as they entered the house, they found a very satisfied Vegeta, sitting in an armchair and watching television. The smirk on his face made Gohan worry, he looked like that only when a great misfortune happened to him or his Father.
"Look, boy, this might interest you! Oh, and your woman is here, too? Well, I'm sure she'll like it, too…"
Coming from anyone else, Videl would have surely beaten up anyone who talked about her in such manner, however, she knew Vegeta enough to know that that would have been a very bad idea, even with Gohan around. So, instead she just walked over to the couch and sat down, right next to Gohan and Goten.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, make sure you don't miss tonight's live talk-show at 8:00 PM, in which the World-champion, Satan Hercule will tell us about his defeat over the monsters Cell and Buu…" Cheers from audience, snort from Vegeta "… And we'll also have a chance to talk to Satan Videl, daughter of the Champion, protector of Satan-city, about no other than the Great Saiya-man, or Gold Fighter, known as SON GOHAN!" They started showing videos of Gohan at the Budokai, and Vegeta couldn't hold it in anymore: he started roaring with laughter and almost fell of the armchair he was sitting in. Videl turned REALLY REALLY red, and jumped up from the couch, knocking off Goten from it who landed on the floor with a loud "OUCH!". However, Gohan just calmly stood up, went over to the television set and turned it off. After turning around, she faced Vegeta who was already on the floor and still laughing like a maniac (1) and Videl, who looked like she was going to kill anyone who went close to her and ran to the nearest telephone, forgetting she had a cell-phone.
"HOW COULD PAPPA TELL THEM THAT I WOULD BE PARTICIPATING IN SUCH A SHOW!" She screamed while she pushed some buttons on the telephone, and while waiting, she kicked Vegeta on the floor to make him shut up. Of course the Saiya-jin Prince's response wasn't late, either, however, instead of blasting Videl to bits, he just went up to her, laughed right in her face, and went outside dragging a despairing Goten behind him, yelling with sparkles in his eyes:
"SPAR TIME, BRATS! AND NO FUSION, YOU NEED SOME TRAINING IN YOUR CURRENT FORMS!" Goten looked like he swallowed something really big and awful, and Trunks' cries for help could be heard from outside.
There was silence in the whole house, and Videl decided that Gohan should hear the upcoming conversation, too, so she put it on the loudspeaker.
"Hello, Satan Hercule here"
"Pappa, did you see the television?" Videl used her you-are-going-to-die-in-about-three-seconds voice, making Gohan gulp. This will definitely be not nice...
"Umm, yes, darling, about that…"
"PAPPA, HOW COULD YOU TELL THEM I WOULD BE PARTICIPATING IN A SHOW LIKE THAT WITHOUT ASKING ME FIRST! I HAVE NEVER THOUGHT YOU COULD DO SOMETHING SO…"
"Sweet-pea, please let me explain. I only told them that you might participate, because Gohan now is the biggest thing in town, and they really wanted you! I actually wanted to talk to you about it this afternoon, but we had no time to do so! And it seems they thought it would be a good idea to pronounce you, too, so you'd make up your mind…"
"But I…"
"Listen, Videl…"
"Wait a sec" She pushed the loudspeaker button again, and turned to Gohan. She mouthed "Sorry" and he just nodded and went outside to check if the chibis were still alive.
"Here."
"Listen, you know that the people are now confused, and don't know how to think of such an unexpected thing as Gohan"
"Pappa, how…"
"Please, honey, don't interrupt. They need someone they trust to tell them what to think about such a thing, and that someone right now is me… And you. Me, because I saved the wo… Because I'm the Champion; and you, because everyone knows you have known Saiya-man for a very long time. We have to tell them how to treat Gohan, and help him to live a peaceful life. And, I think, if you participated, you made the whole thing much easier."
Videl thought over everything her father had said, and realized he was completely right. If she wanted to help Gohan, she needed to be there at that studio tonight, and convince the people of Earth that Gohan wouldn't hurt a fly… Unless that fly was evil and trying to hurt humanity, of course...
"Okay, I'll be there"
"Great, honey. I need you to be in the studio by 5:30 PM, but could you put on some clean clothes beforehand? You usually look a bit torn up after a fight…"
"Sure, no problem. I put on one of my new dresses, okay?"
"Great, you'll look gorgeous in it! Everyone will love you!" Videl blushed and sweat-dropped. Of course, that reputation…
"Meet you there, I have to go now."
"Bye, meet you at five thirty!"
Videl hung up, and checked the clock on the wall: 4:30. She needed to hurry if she wanted to change before the studio.
She hurried outside, but the sight made her forget the whole show for a second: Goten and Trunks were lying on the floor, panting, and Gohan was fighting Vegeta, but obviously Vegeta was winning. Videl examined the fight, and concluded that Gohan kept his ki low so they wouldn't destroy their surroundings… Totally. Two trees were already lying on the ground, burned, and there were some fresh holes on the ground, too. Of course the Saiya-jin Prince was outraged, for he expected a better fight than that, and kept firing ki-blasts at Gohan to "teach him a lesson"
Videl coughed, and the two fighters stopped. Gohan looked at Gohan, who was grinning at her with the famous Son-grin, one hand behind his head… Videl couldn't help but smile. He's such a softie. But how on the Earth am I gonna make all those people believe me? Looking at his innocent face, an idea hit her. Of course!
"Gohan-kun, do you have your watch on?"
The demi looked surprised. "Yes, why?"
"Never mind, just come with me. You, Vegeta, tell Chi-Chi that I took Gohan with me, and they can expect him really late. And tell her to watch Channel 8!"
"And why should I obey you, filthy Earthling?"
Gohan's face darkened, so Videl retorted smart and quick to appease him.
"If you don't, Chi-Chi will freak out at YOU for not looking after her sons and tell Bulma and SHE'LL…"
"Okay, I get it; now get out of my sight. BRATS! Spar-time! This time you may fusionate, I need a good fight!" Goten and Trunks jumped up at once, and went into Super Saiya-jin with HUGE grins on their faces. Gohan sweatdropped, but before he could say anything to them he was already in the air and Videl was pulling him by his shirt.
"C'mon, we don't have time! You have a TV-show to attend!"
"WHAT?" Gohan paled, but Videl looked too spaced out to hear him. He sighed, and spaced out as well. I do hope she knows what she's doing…
(1) I know it's not funny, it's just that Vegeta laughs when others are hit by misfortune… Just like Cartman does :-D
Thank you for all the reviews! I feel ashamed for not answering them, although you kindly wrote them, I forgot there was a function with which you could answer... So I'll just do it here. Next time, I won't forget!
Videl 1212, Jamina, Videl161, Neko Gohan, kitsune-chan: Thanks a lot! I tried extra-hard with this, collecting all kind of useful vocabulary during the weekend, I hope you like it!
Kitty86: Thanks for the offer, I think it over and if I need a beta-reader you will be the one I'll ask first!
tailzje: Yeah, this surprised me, I don't like stories where Hercule is good, I like LOTS and LOTS of Hercule bashing… Well, I just try to write it the way I think things would happen if this was my life and this was really in the show… And it seems I cannot picture Hercule being TOO stupid. :-D
thestinger: Thank you for the help, I corrected the first mistake, but I couldn't find the second one (sweatdrop)
PsychoRealm: As I already told you, if you write 'nice one, girl', I will be more than satisfied ;-)
As always, please review, tell me if I made any big mistakes, or if you just like the story.
13th of July, 2009: Re-reading this chapter as well, making some minor edits, trying to weed out the unnecessary fangirl Japanese... Wow, I used to suck more than I remembered :D
