Title: Rain and Tears
Disclaimer: Don't you wish I owned the rights instead of FUNimation? I, at least, wouldn't edit out ten full episodes.
Rating: PG-13 ( T ) – for a grumpy Gohan, an even grumpier Videl and just the TINIEST bit of fluff.
Spoilers: If you didn't know that Goku died (again) during the Cell Games, then...well, I guess I gave it away anyway so you can go ahead and read.

Summary: OneShot. On any other night in the rain, Gohan would probably humor her self-proclaimed superiority over him, but not this night, "I'm staying here, Videl san." GhVi, Pre-Buu.

Sorry the title sucks.

" – is he doing – ?"

" – a boy his age – "

" – be at home, doing homework – "

" – parents must be worried – "

The subject of concern grinned wryly at the final pedestrians assessment of his situation. Yeah, he supposed his mother would be worried, worried that he might come back to finish everyone off. Worried that they would all meet the same twisted end as his father had, nearly seven years ago.

Nearly seven years ago.

Leaning back against the slippery park bench, he tilted his head to look at the sky. Fat drops of rain sprinkled down on him, catching in his eyelashes and blurring his vision. Subdued flashes of light lit the canopy of clouds in the atmosphere and rumbles that vibrated the ground beneath his feet responded with bad temper.

A fitting setting, he decided, for the brooding ones miserable existence. An existence, by all rights, that should have ended nearly seven years ago in place of Earths ultimate hero.

"Hey."

He ignored his latest concerned spectator and closed his eyes, wishing on stars, gods and dragonballs that whoever it was knew when to mind their own business.

"I said, hey."

He didn't think he was lucky enough for that to work anyway. "G'way."

"No," they refused.

"Fine."

"Get up."

"No."

"I said, get up!"

"And I heard you."

"Son Gohan, if you don't get up right now I'm going to throw you in a jail for the night and call your mother! Now get up!"

Startled upon hearing his name, Gohan lifted his head and blinked away the buildup of rain on his eyelashes. "Videl-san?"

The young defender of the city glared at him from a few feet away in her usual bad temper, shielded from the rain by a dark green rain coat that didn't quite come past her knees. The rain, steadily increasing in both velocity and volume, dripped down her taut face and pooled somewhere out of sight beneath her coat. "Are you getting up on your own, or do I have to use force?"

On any other night in the rain, Gohan would probably humor her self-proclaimed superiority over him, but not this night, "I'm staying here, Videl-san." He frowned for emphasis.

"No, you're not," she disagreed. "I'm out here because some concerned citizens called the police."

Gohan snorted and leaned his head back, crossing his stubborn arms over his chest. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, well, this isn't about you," Gohan could hear the slick friction of her raincoat as she moved closer, all the better to threaten him. The rain stopped falling on his face and Videl's voice grew nearer, "You scared some poor little old lady and her grandson into hysterics. That means you either get up now and go home or I take you into the station and book you for loitering, harassment and disruption of the peace."

Gohan opened his eyes and met a shock of blue ice staring straight back, glowing with humorless severity. Normally, Gohan would have found this close proximity unnerving and highly uncomfortable, but this day didn't count as 'normal' in any respect. "So take me in." You can try.

"Ugh, just get up, Gohan-kun!"

"No."

"What's with you?"

"Nothing."

"Bullshit."

"Something like that."

With a huff of utter frustration, Videl leaned back and fought the urge to punch her classmate. "Gohan-kun, do you have any idea what time it is?"

Gohan shrugged and answered honestly, "Nope." His Saiyaman-transforming watch was watch in name only and constantly read a generic "8:00."

"Well, it's after midnight. I got out of my nice, cozy bed to come out here and get you so you'd better get your stubborn ass off that bench before I really get pissed off," she crossed her arms expectantly.

Gohan shrugged again, "Sorry about that, but I'm not going home. Or to jail," he added.

Air cars sped past just above the trees, stirring the branches so that the rain came down heavier than ever. Videl's arms tightened about her body as the water began to seep through her windbreaker, shivering in the technology-induced wind. "W-why not?" she demanded as her teeth began to chatter.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

"Try me," she challenged. Gohan stared hard at the upside-down, immovable figure dripping on the lawn behind him. A strong gust of wind had blown her hood off, leaving her as open and vulnerable to the elements as he was.

"Seriously," he sighed, sitting up and away from her. "You wouldn't believe me."

"Gohan-kun, it's the middle of the night, I'm soaking wet, and we have school in the morning. Now tell me what the hell is the matter with you so that I can go back to bed!"

"So go," Gohan rubbed his face, wiping away the water but not the weary irritation. "It's my problem anyway, not yours."

Not about to let that be the final word on the subject, Videl pulled his head back with an almighty jerk to his sopping hair and forced him to face her again. "If you don't want to call attention to your problems, then don't loiter in the rain in the middle of the freaking night!"

Gohan pulled away from her and leapt off the bench at last, ignoring the burn of his scalp where a chunk of hair had been pulled out by the roots. "Why do you care, anyway? Just tell the cops that you couldn't find me and leave me alone!"

Videl clung to the clump of black hair in a tightened fist. "Why wouldn't I care?"

"I – That's not what I meant!"

"But that's what you said."

"But – augh!" Gohan screamed, fisting his hands at his side lest he pull out more of his hair himself. "You're twisting my words around!"

Moving around the bench with angry steps, Videl invaded Gohan's personal space. Grabbing a fistful of Gohan's shirt, she pulled his eyes down to her level in order to yell at him more effectively, "Then tell me what's going on! How the hell am I supposed to know what you mean if you won't freaking tell me?"

"You didn't come out here to ask me what's wrong, you came out here to arrest me! What do you care about my problems?"

"I didn't know it was you when they called me out here! I figured you were some strung-out drug addict who needed a night in the tank!"

"So sorry to make your job complicated, then."

"AUGH!" Videl couldn't take it anymore, shoving Gohan away to prevent herself from punching her classmate's mild-mannered alter-ego right in the face. With her anger approaching atomic levels, she feared that she might accidentally kill him if she did. "Why are you being so difficult? Is it so hard to believe that I might want to help a friend in trouble?"

Gohan straightened his roughly-handled shirt, muttering, "Since when am I your friend...?"

When her fingers fell lax and released the clump of his hair that she had pulled out, Gohan realized that he had gone several steps too far. She stood several paces from him, eyes void of the emotion that usually roiled deep beneath the surface, and stared at him. He couldn't tell if Videl was crying because of the rain, but almost suspected that was the case.

"V-Videl-san...," Gohan called her name regretfully, vainly hoping that she would forget what he had just said. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."

"Heh," Videl laughed, rolling her eyes downward to look at the grass. Raindrops slid down her face, erasing any tears that might have been there otherwise. Her smile was wry and lackluster. "You say a lot of things you don't mean, I guess."

"Videl-san..."

"Don't worry, I'll tell the cops that you went home. You might want to find another place to pout, though, because they'll be swinging by here in another hour to check," Videl continued, turning sideways to address him indirectly over her shoulder. "See you in class..."

Videl pulled up her hood as she began walking the way she had come, blocking out the things around her that threatened to chill her to the bone.

"I...I killed my father!"

Videl stopped and pulled down her hood, turning to look at Gohan with

"That's why I'm out here," Gohan admitted, feeling the warm sensation of tears leak from his eyes and mingle with the cold rain on his face. "It will be seven years...tomorrow...that I...I..."

The demi-Saiyan lowered his chin to his chest and wept as if he were still the weak little boy he thought he had left behind in the woods when he was four years old. Wept because he was inept and unable to protect those he cared about, because he couldn't even hold onto the people in his life that were still alive. 'This must be why Otou-san left...,' repeated over and over in his mind as his sorrow became violent enough to shake his entire body. 'He couldn't stand to be around me any longer...'

Through eyes blurred with mixed water, Gohan saw Videl approach, her forest green windbreaker slick and shiny in the glow offered by the street lamps. She reached up for him again and pulled him down to her height, cradling his face in the warm, scented crook of her neck. Stroking her fingers over the place she had pulled hair from, she soothed the pain in his scalp and heart. "Shh...," she whispered, awkwardly reaching her second arm around his torso to rub his back. "I...I'll take you home with me. You can spend the night."

With less hesitation and more desperation than his friend, Gohan thrust out his arms and wrapped them around Videl's waist, pulling her body flush against his own. He kept his face buried against her skin and reveled in the affection she offered.

"Thank you..."

— — —

Authors Notes: This story has been in my files since last fall sometime. Unbeta'd. I might moves some stuff around and repost this again at another time, but we'll see.

I know that Gohan is OOC in this, but I gave good reasons. I don't make characters OOC unintentionally and am actually rather strict about characterization. I basically reverted teen Gohan back to preteen Gohan from the Cell Games when he was a little less goofy, a little more angsty, and not quite the little ray of sunshine he pretends to be in the Buu Saga. Hope I don't get flamed for ruining Gohan's character...that's my job! (Just kidding, really; I won't review at all if your characters are unforgivably OOC n.n )

I don't do angst very often, so tell me how I can improve. I'm dying for advice here.

Ms. Videl Son

– Who's your daddy? GohanVidel.