Chapter 24: Defusion

A heavy smell of whiskey radiated from the man who was currently holding him against the wall. Gohan swallowed, this night didn't go well for him, did it? He wasn't sure how to deal with this new situation in a respectful way. He couldn't think clearly. His mind was still hazy from the what-would-have-been kiss with Videl and the beers didn't help either.

"Hands off my daughter, hotshot," growled Mr. Satan, as drops of spit poured out of his mouth as he said so. The man was really angry, that was clear as day, and was apparently disturbed from his private time because he was only wearing a bathrobe and some socks.

"With all due respect, sir, I didn't do anything wrong," Gohan tried, but that was the wrong answer.

The man slammed his fist against the wall next to Gohan's head, breaking the plaster. It was probably to scare him, though Gohan didn't flinch. "You didn't do anything wrong?!" Again some spit left his mouth, "First you make a scene by yelling at my daughter and thereby getting my attention, and then you got the nerve to try to assault her?"

Gohan squinted his eyes at that comment. Did he really use the word assault? This went down the wrong way with the half-Saiyan. "I didn't assault your daughter," he said with a firm voice, against better judgment. He knew that 'the World Champion' was just luring him out.

"Dad please, let him go," Videl tried to defuse the situation. "He didn't do anything against my will."

"You'll stay out of this if you know what is good for you. I'm not done with you either," Mr. Satan threatened her.

"Sir," Gohan said with a warning tone. He didn't like how he was talking to her. "She can make choices of her own."

"As long as she lives under my roof, she lives under my rules!" Mr. Satan frowned deeply, "And that includes: no boys."

"Dad! Just let him go!" Videl reached for her father's arm, which was holding Gohan against the wall, to try to pull it away, but as soon as she touched him, he lashed out with a flat hand. It was more of a reflex, driven by anger and alcohol, normally he wouldn't even think of hurting his Sweet Pea.

Videl's eyes shut, not expecting what was coming for her and could only wait for the impact. But the impact never came. When she opened her eyes again, she found her father's hand mere inches from her face, but it didn't move. She looked in disbelief in the direction of her father. Did he really try to hit her?

"I… I…" was all he could get out. The man was startled by what he had almost done. He then looked at his stretched arm to see why his movement had suddenly stopped and found that a hand had prevented him from doing it. It belonged to the boy, who looked now very angry in his direction. He didn't even see him move, but inwardly thanked him for doing so.

After he came back from his initial shock, Mr. Satan tried to pull his arm back, but there was no movement. Confused, he tried more firmly, but his hand didn't budge. He then released Gohan from his grip to get more force behind his pull with the other hand, but again in vain, even using the wall as leverage with his feet. He then tried to open the fingers clasped around his wrist, but there was no movement. He was stuck, like a horsefly on a sticky trap.

After several more attempts, Mr. Satan had no other choice but to ask, "Can you please let me go?" He couldn't understand why he wasn't able to move a mere arm, but he blamed the alcohol.

"She asked you the same thing, but you didn't, so I won't." He kept eye contact. Gohan gritted his teeth, he was furious at the man and he had to use all his willpower not to punch the guy in the face. That would do more harm than good anyway, so he decided he'd better play his cards straight.

Gohan moved his hand and grabbed Mr. Satan's palm tightly just below the thumb, using his fingers to anchor the hand as he twisted it and applied downward pressure. He slowly turned the hand to the left, twisting the joint and bringing his body closer to Videl's father so he could give more leverage in the wristlock.

Gohan was now standing close to the unreasonable man who once wronged him by stealing his credit for the Cell games, and suddenly this all got very personal. To give the man a subtle hint, he applied a little more pressure than necessary. The man's facial expression twisted with pain.

Mr. Satan could do nothing, the guy had him in a tight wristlock and it was unbreakable. He knew if he moved to free himself, he would break his wrist and jeopardize his career. Ironically, figuratively speaking, he was now the one with the back against the wall. He looked up, to give the teen a piece of mind, but was taken aback by the boy's confidence.

"Listen, I understand she's your daughter, but as long as I live, you're never, ever, going to do that again," Gohan looked straight into his eyes.

Mr. Satan gritted his teeth and looked straight back at him, not wanting to admit he had lost to this teenager. Gohan narrowed his eyes even more and exerted a little more pressure. Yet, there was no response. Anger now grew inside the half-Saiyan. This man needed to know who he was dealing with. Again Gohan put on some more pressure, almost to a breaking point. Both men were still staring down at each other very closely, and with the next warning, Gohan made sure his eyes to flash teal for a brief moment, only for Mr. Satan to see: "Am I clear?!"

The man's eyes shot wide as his face went white. Did he see that right? Did his eyes suddenly change color? And not any color… That color! He had seen the same color before, long, long ago. He remembered it like it was yesterday, because they've been chasing him in his dreams ever since. He swallowed, "Who… Who are you?"

"The one you've always been afraid to cross paths with again," Gohan squinted, giving Mr. Satan the answer he was afraid to hear. He knew he would remember. The half-Saiyan released the man when he got the message, who fell to his knees in shock. Gohan stood tall and looked down at the trembling individual. He despised that man, but this night wasn't about him. Gohan looked back at Videl, who had been a silent spectator the whole time. "Everything alright?"

She nodded, but was confused by what just happened. Gohan had easily overpowered her father, the World Champion; the Defeater of Cell; the Savior of Humanity. There was no way this was happening. She knew Gohan was strong, but in her wildest dreams she wouldn't have guessed this outcome when the two would face each other. And that without even a fight to begin with.

"Come on, let's go," Gohan said, stepping away from the Champion and approaching Videl, reaching for her hand. But Mr. Satan had jumped up and was now standing between his daughter and the boy, arms wide, shielding her from the imminent threat with his own body. His bathrobe slid open, revealing his trembling bare body, who was wearing only boxer shorts underneath. Gohan raised an eyebrow, thinking Mr. Satan would have taken the hint.

"L-Leave my daughter out of this," he said, his voice reflecting fear, but his actions didn't. "This is between you and me."

He had to admit that the man was brave when it came to his daughter's aid. Stupid, but brave. Gohan crossed his arms, "On the contrary, this is between your daughter and me, and you should be the one to stay out of this."

Mr. Satan looked from the boy to Videl and back again. Then she spoke up, "It's fine Dad, Gohan's a really good guy, and-"

"H-How did you c-call him?" Mr. Satan could not believe his ears and his mind began to work overtime. The eyes; the age; the confidence; it all fit perfectly except the hair. But there were two other guys who changed their hair color to blonde at free will, so maybe he was able to do that too. This couldn't be him, could it?

"Gohan," the half-Saiyan repeated, "That's my name, and that does not mean I take lunch orders and deliver them." He referred to a misunderstanding during the Cell games, where his name was interpreted as a meal-order, giving him the nickname Delivery Boy instead of the fighter he really was.

The little hope Mr. Satan still had faded quickly with that last comment. It was him, the little boy from the Cell games, but all grown up now. This man was the true Hero of the World; The one who really defeated Cell: The one whose actions he took credit.

Mr. Satan lowered his arms, realizing that whatever this guy wanted would happen, whether he liked it or not. "Now, what's going to happen?" he asked, head bowed, afraid of the answer. Was he here to get revenge? To humiliate him? Or even kill him? And what did his daughter have to do with all this?

"Nothing really," Gohan replied, "You'll step aside and let me continue the conversation I had with your daughter." He let his body relax a bit, for it was clear Mr. Satan had given up his defense. "Look, I'm not here for you, but for your daughter. We're friends, we go to the same school and we're in the same classes. And if you weren't her father, our paths would never have crossed again. It's just an unfortunate coincidence."

"So you're not here looking for revenge?" Mr. Satan wanted reassurance. "Or go after my daughter to get to me?"

Gohan's eyes shot wide. "No!" He was offended by that statement. "If you haven't noticed, I'm one of the good guys. And if I wanted to get revenge, I would have done it a long time ago. I'm fine with the current arrangements." Gohan ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "Please can we just go?"

The Champion stopped responding, probably too busy with his inner turmoil, so Gohan decided to pass him and let him be. Standing next to Videl, he placed his hand on her lower back and, with a soft nudge, gently hinted that they should walk away. She obeyed and the two turned away from the scene. Videl looked at her father one last time before walking away.

But after a few steps, Gohan stopped and sighed deeply. Why did he always have to play the better man? He let go of Videl and walked back to Mr. Satan, who had sat down defeated, with his back against the wall. Gohan knelt before him and when the man looked up he was greeted with Gohan's sad but compassionate expression.

"I think we've got off on the wrong foot here," Gohan began, "I'm not a bad person and I don't believe you are either. I'm willing to let go of the things that happened between us, including the events of seven years ago. I have the feeling we'll see each other more often in the future, so it's best to bury the hatchet and move on. I love your daughter -" Mr. Satan's eyes shot wide in realization, "- and I promise you I'll protect her with my life."

"You… You'd do that?"

Gohan nodded, "Yeah, in fact I already did, taking the damage that came at your daughter when she fought some crooks. I got seriously poisoned and if it wasn't for Videl, I wouldn't be here anymore." Gohan recalled the past few months: what a journey it had been, for the bad and the good.

"Does she know?"

"No," Gohan blushed, "I'm not sure if she feels the same way about me, so I'm a little -"

"I mean about the Cell Games," growled Mr. Satan, frowning deeply. He wasn't ready to hear a man talk about his little Sweet Pea in such a manner. He wasn't ready for her to grow up.

Gohan flared up, embarrassed by his slip up. "Oh, right," he scratched the base of his neck, "No, that neither." Mr. Satan sighed in relief, though that was short-lived as Gohan continued, "But at the end of today she will." The Saiyan hybrid gave Mr. Satan a sad look, "She knows I'm hiding things from her, that I have secrets, and I've promised her that I'll tell her everything. I'm not going to break that promise."

"I see…" the Champion slumbered in defeat.

"Do you want to tell her yourself?" Gohan asked, giving the man the opportunity to come clean.

"I've tried many times," he sighed, "And I don't have the heart to actually do it." Mr. Satan looked the rightful hero in the eye, "I can't provide her the answers she needs to know. I've been there, at the Cell Games, but it was all a blur, I still don't understand it myself." He sighed again, "You should do it. All I can do is hope she'll forgive me one day."

Gohan gave him a half-hearted smile, "I'll take care of that, no worries." The Champion looked up in surprise at the spiky-haired teenager, he hadn't expected to hear this. And to answer his confused expression, Gohan added, "You did me a favor by taking the credit, you know. I know it weren't your intentions, but it gave me a chance at a normal life, and that's worth more than anything that you have here," he referred to the mansion; the wealth; the fame, "And I want to thank you for throwing the head of Android 16 to me at the time. The things he had to say made a real difference, and without it I don't think I would have been able to do what I did. For what it's worth, given the situation, I think you showed real courage, and for that I think you deserve to be called a hero." Gohan stood up and offered Mr. Satan a hand. "And I'll make sure she gets that message."

Mr. Satan accepted his hand and Gohan helped him to his feet. "So no hard feelings?" He still was a bit suspicious.

"About the Cell Games? No, I think I'm good." Then Gohan felt this might be the only time he could speak his mind about it, "But I have to say I don't appreciate you calling me and my friends tricksters. We aren't. We're actual martial artists, with real abilities. No smoke and mirrors. And I do want to ask you to stop calling for a rematch with the 23rd Tenka-Ichi Budoukai Champion and call him a coward for not giving you what you want. The man is dead, you were there when it happened."

The color drained from his face. "Oh," Mr. Satan didn't know how to properly respond to that. He got the hint that the man died during the Cell Games, he knew not all of those guys made it. But then he looked at the broken teen, who just stared blindly into the distance, as if he was recalling a painful memory. "It was your father, wasn't he?"

Gohan only nodded.

"He died a true hero," Mr. Satan put a hand on Gohan's shoulder as a gesture of sympathy. "And I hear you. No more name calling. I'll try to cool down a bit and not talk too big anymore. I thought you all were gone and since no one stepped forward to point me out as a fraud, it became part of my act. I'm sorry, I promise it will stop."

Gohan raises his arm again and offers the man a hand. Mr. Satan shook it, sealing their agreement. Then Gohan gave him a friendly smile. He felt good that this had been settled after all those years. Relieved, he released their grip and began to walk back to Videl, who was still standing where he'd left her. She had decided to give the men some privacy, assuming it would only heat things up if she were there.

Gohan smiled kindly at her as well, but stiffened when he noticed Mr. Satan had followed him. The man stood next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. But before he could say anything, Videl flushed. "Dad, your bathrobe is still open," and hid her face behind her hand to hide her embarrassment.

Looking down, he too got red with embarrassment, and as he closed his bathrobe, he also noticed that they had attracted a pair of prying eyes. A handful of party guests had noticed some commotion and came to see what was going on. Mr. Satan didn't know what they'd seen so far, but he knew it could damage his reputation. Then his flamboyant persona survived.

"Ha ha ha!" He laughed out loud for everyone to hear. "You, my boy, survived the test! You stood up for my daughter even though you are no challenge for the World Champion! That's what I call bravery." His bombastic voice echoed down the hall.

Not believing his ears, Gohan gave the man a glare. "I still have to make it believable, right?" Mr. Satan mumbled to Gohan, who had now folded his arms in annoyance, not forgetting what they had just agreed upon, but decided he'd better let it go. He knew the man's reputation was all he had.

Then Gohan looked up in surprise as Mr. Satan faced his own daughter, "I understand you're growing up. I don't like it, you may know that, but that's part of life I suppose. So I'm withdrawing my rule for you not being able to date boys. I figured you'd do it anyway, even if I don't take it back." He sighed and pointed with his thumb at the teen next to him, "You're right, he is a good kid." Then he turned and started to walk away, but then looked back at Videl, "I just hope you find it in your heart to forgive me one day," and with those words he left, sad to let his daughter go, but relieved she was in good hands. He just hoped she'd forgive him for lying about the Cell Games.

She blinked in utter surprise and watched her father disappear around a corner. She was gob-smacked, not understanding how on Earth Gohan managed to convince her father to let her date boys, or rather, date him. And what did he mean by ' Forgive him ', was there something she should forgive? She looked confused at Gohan, hoping he would explain.

Gohan noticed that they were still being watched by spectators and his nerves kicked in as he didn't feel comfortable being the center of attention. "Can…" he swallowed, "Can we talk privately somewhere else?"

Understanding the situation, Videl nodded and started to walk, gesturing to Gohan to follow her. They passed the onlookers, now doubled in numbers. They watched in silence as the duo passed by and not much later Videl entered a room.

Gohan peeked in and he assumed it was Mr. Satan's office. "Um, maybe we should go somewhere else where your father can't disturb us," he tried a bit nervously. Gohan knew they had talked it over, but the guy was drunk and the half-Saiyan assumed he was far from finished drinking. He didn't want to risk crossing each other again tonight.

Videl said nothing and walked over to a display case, which she tried to open. However, it was locked, so she smashed the window. Gohan could only look in surprise as she picked up a bottle of whiskey and two glasses from the shelf and returned. "Follow me," she said and continued her route. They went all the way to the west wing of the building, two stories high and far away from the party. Then she opened a door and waited for Gohan to enter.

... The next chapter will be the last one...