Hi there!

This is really the last chapter of my 'When a hero disappears' story.

To avoid further disappointment, I warn you that the next 'chapter' I uploaded is just an Epilogue.
The chapter after that contains a post-credits scene!

Enjoy!

Chapter 25: Game of Secrets

Gohan had entered a spacious bedroom. It was a bit outdated, but stylishly decorated in pastel shades of yellow and green. It didn't feel like it was Videl's room, though, as he'd expected her to have more personal items in it. Videl answered his thoughts, saying, "This was my parents' room before my mother died, so basically my mother's room. My dad never comes here, avoiding painful memories. But for me it's kind of my sacred place, a place I can go back to when I want to be alone."

"You sure it's okay? I don't want to taint your sacred place with our talk, it's not gonna be an easy one." Gohan gave her a concerned look, not wanting to invade her personal space.

"Don't worry, it's fine." Videl walked to the side table and set down the bottle of whiskey and glasses. "I'll be right back, I have to go to the bathroom." Then she walked through the door adjacent to the room.

Gohan felt a heavy feeling rise. So this was it, the time had come to finally come clean. And now that the moment had come, he began to doubt himself. What if she wouldn't accept his background; his past; his actions? And what if he would damage her relationship with her father when he would tell her the truth? The man wasn't that bad and he didn't want them to grow apart. And to be honest, he wasn't really looking forward to going down memory lane either. Even if he had found some peace in it, it still hurt like hell. Gohan sighed and walked over to the bed, kicked off his shoes and sat down on it with his back against the wall, while waiting for Videl to return. He drew up his knees and hugged them tightly, hiding his head between his arms. He curled his feet, one over the other, and unconsciously made himself as small as possible.

When Videl entered the room again, she felt heartbroken at the sight. It was clear that her friend was struggling, that it took all his willpower to be here, far from his comfort zone. She knew he was going to tell her his secrets, but it had never occurred to her how much it would hurt him to even try.

"Here," she said in a soft voice. Gohan looked up and she handed him a glass of whiskey. He accepted, lowered his eyes again and stared blindly into the distance. "You know, you should be having fun tonight. If it's that hard for you to talk, then we can postpone it," she said reluctantly, for she was very curious, but she wanted to comfort him too.

"No… we should talk," Gohan could barely get those words out of his mouth, he sounded hoarse.

"Okay," she was relieved to hear him say that and also sat on the bed, right in front of him, "but let's make it more fun." Gohan looked at her questioningly and raised an eyebrow. She answered him with a friendly smile and held up her glass. "Let's make a toast to the new World Champion first," she winked playfully.

"World Champion?" Gohan asked, not understanding.

"Yep, I don't know how, but you clearly stood above my dad tonight. Meaning, you won. My dad was saving this bottle of whiskey to open it when he would become Champion again this year, but I figured he didn't deserve it. So cheers to you!" She held up her glass and waited for Gohan to clink it.

He gave her a small smile and clinked his glass against hers. Then he put the glass to his lips and drank it all at once. His face twisted, "Wow, this is strong stuff."

Videl looked at the boy in shock. "That was a limited edition Karuizawa wh-" she then closed her eyes and sighed, "You're supposed to sip it. Not gulp it down like beer."

"I figured."

"Give me your glass," she said, annoyed, and filled it up again. She handed it back and then looked at him, still seeing a hurtful expression. "I understand that you have a lot to tell, and some of things are difficult for you, so I want to lighten it up a bit. Let's play a game, you tell me two things that are true and one that is not, and I have to guess what the lie is. Every time I'm right, you drink - and that's just a sip, not the whole glass - and if I'm wrong, I drink. We can start with the small things and when you are ready, you can drop the bigger ones."

Gohan's body relaxed a bit. The girl was something, huh? She still gave him the space he needed, even though they both knew the words would come out tonight. He smiled at her, he loved this girl. "Okay, but I'm warning you, I think you'll end up drinking a lot," he grinned at her.

"Well, make me," she teasingly challenged him.

"Let's see, uhm," he thought for a moment, "I've been in space; I helped design one of Bulma's top products on the market; and I was abducted twice in the same day."

"Okay, random," Videl said while raising an eyebrow. "You have two alien friends, so I assume you've been to their planet as well? So let's just say that's true. And since you're smart, and - really - nobody gets abducted twice in the same day… so I say the last one is false." She smiled at him in satisfaction, convinced she was right.

"You should drink," Gohan gave her a smirk, "I never invented stuff for Bulma."

"You've been kidnapped… Twice?" Videl raised her brow again. "On the same day?"

"Yeah, when I was four. First by my uncle, then Piccolo," he shrugged, "The latter taught me how to fight. So here's your answer to why I was ripped at a very young age."

"But that won't happen in one day. How long has he held you?" Videl was surprised by his confession.

"Almost a year, six months of which I had to survive alone in the wilderness," he sighed, "I did learn a lot, though."

"But you told me Piccolo is one of your best friends."

"Yes, that's correct," Gohan said, without giving it much thought. To him, this was all ancient history.

"Doesn't that make it a classic example of the Stockholm Syndrome?" Videl asked a bit suspicious.

Gohan looked up in surprise, he'd never had thought about it in that regard. "Um…" he didn't know how to respond. "Well, he had his reasons, and even my mom had forgiven him, so even if you're right, I can still say he truly is my best friend, maybe even my father figure."

"Okay," Videl then took a sip of her whiskey, thinking it was best to keep her opinion to herself, "Tell me another one."

Gohan again took a moment to think, "I fought in the Tenka-Ichi Budoukai tournament under a false name; I met someone from the future; and I'm actually older than my passport says, even though my date of birth is correct."

"Time travel isn't a thing," Videl pondered the options, "But then again, Bulma invented a lot of things that other scientists said couldn't be possible. So maybe her future self invented one and sent someone back. And that age thing is so unbelievable, that I can't imagine you actually could have come up with that on your own, so it must somehow be true." She then made up her mind, "And there's no one that looked like you and was similar to age at the tournament, I checked, so that should be false."

Gohan smiled, impressed by her analytical skills, and took a sip of his whiskey. "Now you," he said, eager to guess some himself.

"Hm, let's see," as she thought, Videl raised her hand to her chin. "Me and Sharpener kissed a while back; I shadowed you a few times after school to find out how you travel from school to your house, but I never succeeded; and sometimes I dream of you."

Gohan grinned widely and felt relieved. When she said she kissed Sharpener, he couldn't help the nagging feeling in his stomach, but the other two options he knew for sure were true. "You never kissed Sharpener," he said, "So go ahead, drink."

"You suddenly feel confident," she tried to look at him to make him think he was wrong, but in vain. She sighed, and took a sip in silence. But she had to ask, "How old are you exactly?"

"I'm not quite sure," he shrugged, "But I'm from May 18, 757, which makes me almost 17. But biologically I'm less than a year older. I've been in this chamber - the hyperbolic time chamber - to train. Time passes differently there: one day here is one year there. And I trained almost a whole day, if you catch my drift."

"Your life is quite interesting, I have to give you that," Videl said, a bit taken aback by all the odd things he shared with her.

"Oh, that's just scratching the surface," he sighed.

"Tell me, how did you become a warrior, you certainly don't have the personality of one, except perhaps a strong sense of justice." Videl felt the time was right to ask him some questions.

"I didn't want to," he said gloomily, "But it's because I had the greatest potential to become one." He sighed, "The sole reason Piccolo decided to train me. There was a threat coming to Earth at the time and since my father was killed trying to save me from my uncle, Piccolo wanted me to take his place as a warrior. So I trained for 11 months straight, and when the time came, I was thrown into the lion's den. I tried my best, but I was so scared that at one point I even froze on the spot, causing Piccolo to sacrifice himself to save me. If my father didn't come to rescue us, I wouldn't be here and -"

"Wait, wait, wait! Hold your horses," Videl interrupted him, "Your story doesn't add up," she became suspicious, was he really lying to her? "Your father died to save you, then suddenly he is alive to save you. And the same goes for Piccolo, he died saving you, but he's walking this Earth as we speak."

"I told you about the Dragon Balls, did I?" Gohan reminded her, "They are real. My father died, but he was wished back to help us fight the threat."

"And that threat was?" Videl asked, still a little suspicious, but the friend's demeanor said it all: he wasn't lying. His eyes really cast pain and sorrow.

"The same threat that destroyed East City," he replied.

Videl's eyes shot wide. She'd heard the stories and rumors of an alien invasion back then.

"Well, long story short, we barely survived, and since I wanted to revive all our friends who died that day, including Piccolo, we went to the planet Namek because they had a second set of Dragon Balls that we could use." He closed his eyes and tried to decide whether to tell her about Frieza or not. Suddenly Videl took his hand in hers and stroked it gently, non-verbally telling him she was there for him, causing the half-Saiyan to open his eyes again. He continued, "Sorry, there's so much to tell, but I have to give you the shortcut for now, or we'll be here forever." He offered her a soft smile, "What you need to know is that things didn't go according to plan on Namek, because there was this evil galactic emperor - like destroying planets kind of evil - who wanted those Dragon Balls for himself. So we had to fight again and I was forced to kill and I almost died myself." Videl squeezed his hand at that statement. "But we made it and eventually everything went back to normal. So yeah, Piccolo is indeed walking this Earth as we speak."

The two fell silent for a moment. Gohan watched her hands caress his and he began to return the favor by stroking her fingers with his thumb. She had such soft and small hands.

"I have a feeling there's more," she again gave him a light squeeze.

"Yeah, some time later the androids came, I was around nine, ten when the C-," he stopped immediately and his eyes shot wide. After a moment of silence, he spoke up, "I'll be right back, I need to take a leak."

She watched how her friend rushed to the bathroom and it dawned to her that he'd probably reached the point he didn't dare to tell. Maybe it was time to lighten the mood again, she thought, and smirked when an idea came to mind. She got up, went to the bedside table and took out two hair clips and put in her usual pigtails.

Unaware of what Videl was doing, Gohan washed his face to calm his nerves. He almost mentioned the Cell Games to her, but panicked. Why was this so difficult? He'd already told her about the other stuff, equally disturbing. So why was it so hard to name Cell? He sighed as he dried his face. He just had to do it, there was no turning back now. He picked up a glass from the counter, filled it with water, and gulped its contents in one go. He figured it was best to neutralize his tipsiness, and after two additional glasses, he felt ready to return to the bedroom.

He looked up in surprise when he didn't see Videl. Then the door slammed behind him, causing him to jump. He turned around and was met with a mischievous smirk from Videl, who stared down at him with crossed arms. For some reason she had put her pigtails back in, and her soft feminine side had been replaced by her strong, confident one. He swallowed, it suddenly made him very nervous.

She walked over to him and came very close. Gohan didn't move, but he felt the need to lean back a bit to keep some distance. Videl then placed a hand on his left arm and moved down slowly with the soft touch of her fingertips. When she reached his wrist, she looked up and her grin widened.

With a flash, he'd turned into Saiyaman. Confused, he looked at his wrist and saw that Videl had pressed the button on his watch. Not understanding, he looked back at her.

"Look who we have here, it's the Great Saiyaman!" she said in a loud voice, still looking at him mischievously. "Let's find out who you really are, and remove that bucket from your head." She then playfully reached for his helmet and out of reflex Gohan dodged. Videl tried again, and again Gohan managed to avoid her grasp.

"W-What are you doing?" he asked, still not understanding what was going on.

"Like I said, I'm about to unmask you," she winked at him.

It slowly dawned on him what her intentions were, and he too smirked. Standing tall, he raised his hand in front of him and ordered her into a halt. "Stop there, evildoer, my identity should remain a secret!" he said with his bombastic Saiyaman voice.

She reached for his helmet again, but this time she tried to succeed, but Saiyaman was too fast. He jumped away and playfully dodged her attempts. He smiled, she really knew how to cheer him up, didn't she?

At one point she managed to get into his personal space, which startled him and she took advantage of his insecurity by tackling him. He fell to the ground, but out of reflex he grabbed the girl and took her with him and they both landed on the soft carpet. Videl recovered quickly, straddled him and grabbed both his wrists, trying to pin him down. Gohan, on the other hand, froze at their sudden proximity and couldn't help but blush profusely. Even though he could, he didn't try to escape her hold.

His heart was suddenly beating so fast.

When she noticed that Gohan had become submissive to her dominance, she let go of his wrists and reached for his chinstrap. He didn't move when she unclipped his helmet. Part of him still felt the need to protect his identity, even though she already knew who he was, but he didn't want to resist either. Somehow her actions made him feel very vulnerable. Her hands now grabbed both sides of his helmet and she gently took it off. His anxious gaze met hers, now fully revealed, but her smile defused his grogginess.

"I knew it," she said softly, "Son Gohan." Her friendly smile widened, "The true protector of justice."

His blush deepened and he shyly looked away, but couldn't suppress a smile. Suddenly he felt all fuzzy inside. She had set his helmet aside and her hands were now resting on his chest. He had followed her movements with his eyes, looked up at her again and he too smirked. Videl felt that he had placed a hand on her thigh and his touch went up to her lower back. She blushed as he pulled her closer. His gloved fingers now caressed her bare skin just below her shirt.

And then there was another flash.

With a jolt, Videl sat upright and covered herself with her hands at her sudden change in attire, her beet-red face barely visible from under her helmet. Gohan smiled at her sudden shyness, glad he wasn't the only one who could be like that.

He grabbed her lower back once more and with one swift movement turned them over, now lying on top, much closer than they had been before. Her blush intensified, she hadn't expected him to be this bold. His hand had now touched her raised knee, and with a slow stroke he caressed her thigh all the way to her hip against the smooth spandex fabric. Her cherry scent clouded his mind as he stared hungrily into her eyes.

Astonished, she lifted the visor of her helmet, to check if she indeed saw this fire in his eyes. It was incredibly sexy, if she could say so herself, and she wanted more of it. Uncertain, she touched his torso with her gloved hands, slowly moving them upwards to finally wrap her arms around his neck and subtly pulling him toward her.

He obeyed and bowed his head under her guidance. He could feel her heart beating fast, and so was his. Once again their position and the tension between them were unmistakably from two people who were about to lose themselves in one another.

But when their lips almost touched, Gohan closed his eyes and sighed deeply, resting his forehead against her helmet. His lustful expression gave way to sadness and he averted his gaze, looking away from the expectant girl underneath him. He withdrew from their closeness, but not being ready to completely leave her body warmth, he pulled her with him. He sat down with his back against the edge of the bed, while Videl found herself straddling his lap. He lifted both knees so she could lean on them, making her position more comfortable. He clicked away his Saiyaman's outfit and did the same with hers, avoiding further distraction. He still didn't look at her, but a moment later he said in a hoarse voice, "We have to finish our talk first."

She understood why, but she couldn't hide her disappointment at his rejection. What did it take to finally kiss this guy? She took a deep breath and found another soft smile, realizing he was just being a gentleman. The things he had to say, the ones he'd been dreaded of since he'd promised to tell her, he probably was afraid she wouldn't take it well. And to protect her from a broken heart, not to give her the impression that he was using her, he chose not to kiss her - yet.

"Come on, Gohan, you don't have to be so gloomy about it. Whatever it is, I had the honor of knowing the real you first, what you are like as a person. Whatever you've done or are, it doesn't change a thing." She blushed, "It won't make me feel any different about you, I'm sure of it."

He gave her a half-hearted smile. She managed to lighten up his mood again and found the courage to look back at her. Her smile warmed his heart. "Thanks for your kind words," he said, but he still didn't feel comfortable with it. Was he making it a bigger deal than it actually was?

"Okay, in the light of the evening, let's play one last game." Gohan looked up at Videl in surprise, how could she think about playing games in such a mood? She winked at him and continued, "But I think we're past a simple drinking game. Let's make it more interesting!" She smirked, "I'm going to guess what is eating at you, and if I'm right, I'll get something I want, and if I'm wrong, you'll get something you want."

"I'm pretty sure you won't guess it," Gohan said, but he was starting to get a little curious.

"Maybe, or maybe not, but at least give me a chance. I've developed some good detective skills from working with the police force and I'm quite good at tying up loose ends, if I do say so myself. I've gathered some bits of information from the past few months, and I think I know what you're struggling with."

Gohan's eyes widened in surprise. He remembered the book he'd found, and now his curiosity took over completely. He needed to know what the girl actually already knew. "Okay, so there are two major things I'm trying to tell you all evening. So what do you propose?"

"You name what you want if you win, then I'll name my prize," she grinned widely.

"Hm," Gohan thought about it for a moment. What did he want? He then grinned at her himself, "You cook dinner."

She suddenly blushed, "What?!"

"You'll cook me a simple dinner if you don't get it right once, a three-course meal when you fail them both, and you have to do the dishes, too."

"I-I never cooked a meal in my life," she said hesitantly.

"Well that's my prize, and I'm willing to guide you in the kitchen. So, what's yours?"

A mischievous smile appeared on her face, "Since you've put the stakes that high, you have to do my homework for a whole week if I'm right the first time, and -," her grin deepened, "- if I guess them both, you have to kiss me."

Gohan flared up like he'd never done before. "K-Kiss you?" He knew there was this tension between them, they almost would have done it if Mr. Satan hadn't intervened, but her saying it out loud somehow made it very real. It wasn't just a feeling anymore, It was there, out in the open: she wanted to kiss him. And before he could think about it properly, his words had already left his mouth, "Deal."

"Good," she couldn't help but blush herself, not expecting him to take the bait. She rested her body against his raised legs a little more and thought for a moment. "I think I'll go for the one I'm less sure about. It's an extension of the knowledge you gave me that you were a warrior at a very young age. I did some research on your friend Piccolo myself. I somehow felt I had seen him before and remembered that he was involved in the Cell Games. Looking back at the footage, I recognized some of your other friends as well: the noseless man, the mean-looking one, and even Yamcha. However, there were a few other people I didn't recognize, including a pre-teen blond boy. I remembered you had a picture on your dresser that featured them all, every unknown person who attended the games. And now, after what had happened earlier with my father, when I saw his expression on his face, I understood that you two had met before." She played nervously with her fingers, "After the Baseball game - the meet-and-greet with Yamcha - I asked him about you, but he wouldn't share any information regarding your secrets. But he did warn me that the truth about you wouldn't be easy for me since I was the daughter of Mr. Satan. Tonight I came to the realization that it could all be a lie. That you, or one of your friends, killed Cell and not him? That my dad just took the credit. It suits his character… And while I can't explain the blond hair and teal eyes, I have a feeling that you are the Delivery Boy, aren't you?"

Gohan's eyes shot wide and could only stare into hers. She knew. Damn, that girl was smart. She knew for at least the last hour, and she was still here with him, patiently waiting for him to tell it himself. She didn't run away, nor did she reject him, and with her on his lap, he felt reassured that she still wanted to be associated with him. Much of the heavy weight he held all night left his chest.

His facial expression was all she needed to know. She guessed right, "Does that mean you're doing my homework for a week?" She smirked.

"I'll do your homework for a week," he mumbled and looked away. After a moment of silence, he spoke up, "I've kept it a secret for almost seven years. You're the first I ever told this to." He looked her in the eye again, "I am indeed the one who defeated Cell."

She blushed, somehow she felt very privileged, "I always had the feeling that my dad wasn't the one, but since everybody believed that he was, I somehow ignored my gut feeling. I feel so stupid." She stared blindly into the distance.

"Well, take it from me that if he had challenged Cell as he planned he would be dead right now. He immediately understood that Cell was more than he could chew and given the circumstances he did what he could to help, even if that meant putting his own life in danger. He was in the middle of something he wasn't prepared for."

Videl looked at Gohan, "You don't have to stick up for him. It's okay if you think he's an asshole, because he is."

Gohan chuckled, "I haven't seen eye to eye with him those seven years, but I think our conversation today has resolved a lot of frustration and I think I'm good. To be honest, without your father, I'm not sure if I could have defeated Cell in the first place as he indirectly gave me the advice I needed to finish him off."

Somehow he felt like she was going to accept everything he was. They got this far, so that other bit was just something they had to get over with. "One down, one to go," Gohan hinted, urging her to continue the game. "You said you're more certain about this one?"

"Ah, yeah," she was pulled out of her thoughts and looked down. " Certain is a big word, but I have this strong feeling. Although, it's quite far-fetched from normalcy, but since you aren't much of a regular person, I think I might be right," She paused, "But please don't laugh if I'm wrong."

He chuckled, "I promise."

"And before I make my guess, I just want to let you know that if what I'll say is true, I'm fine with it. I figured your parents had somehow managed it, so why can't I?" Gohan flared up at that comment and couldn't stop looking at her, wishing from the bottom of his heart she would guess it correctly.

She took a deep breath and continued, "Okay, so, it's about a comment the crook who poisoned you once made. The thing is, the poison should have killed you, one dart was enough to kill at least 110 fully grown men, yet here you are, surviving three. And knowing how powerful you can be, having seen you do inhuman things, I was second guessing it all. Then, when I asked Yamcha about it, he hinted to me that the answer I was looking for was written in your superhero name. Not understanding it back then, I let go of the subject until earlier this week before we left Capsule Corp. Bulma said something about 'being entangled with Saiyans' , whatever that is. And when I asked you about it, you told me it was one of the things you had to explain to me when the time was right. And since you haven't done it yet, I think this is the last piece of the puzzle. And if you mix that knowledge with Yamcha's hint, you should be half man, half Saiyan, since your superhero name is ' Saiyaman' .

She wanted to look up to see if she was on the right track, but before she could comprehend what was going on, he'd pulled her in and placed his lips on hers.

As the words left her mouth, he felt a wave of emotions run through his body: Relief; happiness; nervousness; joy; extremely hot; overwhelmed; intoxicated; love; and, quite new to him, lust. It was like a whirlpool inside and he couldn't believe his ears. She knew and was fine with it. But how? Well, it didn't matter. His apprehensiveness had disappeared as if it had never been there. He was just overjoyed and he let go of all his restraints.

"I love how clever you are," he mumbled against her lips as he began to move his. She reciprocated his movements and was again surprised at his boldness as he eagerly entered her mouth with his tongue to find hers. She almost couldn't believe he'd never kissed before - knowledge she'd picked up from his participation in the never-have-I-ever game - because it felt so confident and heavenly. He placed his hand behind her head to secure her position for better access, and gently caressed her lower back with the other. She couldn't help but feel all mushy inside from his touch.

A soft moan escaped her lips as she, too, let her insecurity wash away, embracing the sudden change in events. She'd wanted him for so long, longing for the boy who had almost given his life for her. She let her hands explore his body a bit, just under his shirt, and was amazed at how well-built he actually was. Seeing it is one thing, but feeling it… she blushed, unable to describe what was going through her mind.

After a few minutes, Gohan pulled away from their kiss, noticing that they could both use some air. He was panting, and so was she. He turned beet-red as his mind began to think clearly again, realizing what he had just done, but still managed to give her a sly smirk. "I hope this was enough to pay off my debts."

She just nodded, hardly daring to look at him. He loved how the confident, tough, tomboyish girl in his arms had suddenly become shy.

"And if my actions weren't clear enough: yes, you are right," he began, feeling the need to fill in the missing piece in her story. "My dad was a Saiyan, an alien warrior from the planet Vegeta, but my mom is an Earthling. So that makes me something in between." He looked down and took one of her hands in his. "That's where my brute strength comes from, making me the ideal warrior to protect this planet. I've always struggled with the responsibility and wished I could live a normal life, which led me to reject my Saiyan-side for years. But I can't hide who I really am, and recent events have made me rethink that destiny. I've chosen to honor that path, to take my responsibility and started training again." He paused for a moment, "I just want you to know what you're getting yourself into. My decision to follow my path has a price. It would be a dangerous path, attracted by evil, so my life would be uncertain. The odds are that I will die untimely like my father."

She looked at him, "And yet you're still alive." She smirked, "I have a feeling they will have to go the distance if they want to succeed in killing you." She then gave him a friendly smile, "And if you're the one protecting the Earth, wouldn't that mean that if you fail, the Earth would be gone anyway? So even if you die an early death, doesn't that mean there's no future from that point on anyway? The way I see it, there's no reason to back away from you, as the outcome will be the same, so I'd rather enjoy my time in the meantime." She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on his lips.

"I guess you make a valid point," he said with a soft smile against her lips before kissing her back. She really knew how to cheer him up, didn't she?

"Anything else I need to know?" she said teasingly, but was still curious about the answer.

"There's still a lot, but I think we've tackled the main part," he said sheepishly.

"Can you show me?" She blushed, recalling that the boy who defeated Cell was actually blond. "How do you change your hair? You're the Golden Warrior too, aren't you?"

He chuckled. He really loved how smart she was. "Yeah, you were quite hot on my tail back then, linking me so quickly with the Golden Warrior." He grinned, "That's when I decided to continue as the Great Saiyaman, to hide my identity a little better."

She blinked in surprise, "You mean Saiyaman exists because of me?"

Gohan grinned widely, "Yeah, and I can't thank you enough for that, I've never had so much fun before." He chuckled, "As you may understand by now, I didn't have much of a childhood myself. I know Saiyaman is childish and people think he's a total dork, but I don't care. With that suit I can at least release my inner child a bit." Then he looked at her intently.

She noticed movement in the air around them. His dark eyes suddenly began to flick to teal, and without further warning, his hair turned blond. Pure energy radiated from his body, causing her to close her eyes for a split second. When she opened them again, she could only look at him in astonishment. Underneath her lay the Golden Warrior. She blushed.

"It's actually an ability I have to thank my Saiyan heritage for," he began to explain. Her blush didn't go unnoticed and he smiled, she was so damn cute when she was shy. He wrapped his arms tighter around her and leaned over for a kiss. But she jerked her head away from him with a shocked expression on her face. This made Gohan anxious as he didn't expect such a reaction anymore. After all he shared with her, would this be the reason she would run away from him? He could only look intently, studying her face, hoping to find the answer to why she was suddenly so distant.

Videl's reaction was based purely on instinct. She knew this Golden Warrior was Gohan, but she couldn't go with it. "Can you… Can you change back, please?" she asked hesitantly, standing up and avoiding eye contact with him. She sat down on the bed and finally spoke, "It may sound stupid, but being so close to you while you're blond, feels a bit like cheating on your normal self to me. It's something I need to get used to I guess."

Gohan obeyed and without further notice he was back to normal. He chuckled as he sat next to her, "So blond isn't your thing, huh? Poor Sharpener never had a chance." She simply replied by poking him in the ribs, noticeably more comfortable with him now.

There fell a silence after the lack of response from Gohan's side. He probably didn't even notice her poke. Shyly she tried to break the awkward silence by changing the subject. "So, now you are all better, what are your plans?" she finally asked.

Gohan looked at her and smiled sheepishly, "I, uh, I suppose I will go on with my life as before. I think it's best for me to finish school, become a scholar and earn some decent money to support a family, but at the same time I will resume my training to fulfill my responsibilities as a warrior. It's going to be tough, but I'm sure I'll manage." Then he blushed shyly, "and between that and teaching you about Ki, I was hoping we could spend the little time I have left together."

To his surprise, Videl immediately answered him with a kiss. He felt over the moon and he eagerly began to kiss her back. Their kiss deepened, but soon Videl pulled away, confusing Gohan. He looked at her as she reached for the bottle of whiskey and poured the substance into the two glasses next to them. Gohan became apprehensive, "Do you want to get me drunk?"

"I want to make one last toast," she said, handing him one of the two glasses. "And I don't mind the side effects of alcohol on you." She giggled and blushed at the same time, "It makes you a lot more assertive."

"I can be assertive without alcohol," Gohan said a bit brooded. Videl just gave him a knowing glare, not believing a word of it, and Gohan knew she had a point. "Alright, but this is the last one, I'm already half-seas-over," he said with honesty.

She gave him a smile and moved closer to him, raising her glass, "I want to propose a toast to the silent hero who had given it his all, got lost on his way, disappeared even from the surface, but found himself in the end. To the Great Saiyaman; the Golden Warrior; the Delivery Boy; the Defeater of Cell; the true Savior of the Earth: To Son Gohan," she paused and looked at him sympathetically, "I salute you, hero of justice, and officially welcome you back."

Gohan blushed, this was the first time anyone outside his family acknowledged and honored his achievements. He finally didn't feel lost anymore, that he had found his place and finally felt he deserved to be here. They clinked their glasses together, but he couldn't stop looking at her. She was amazing and he loved her. And though he didn't dare to say that out loud, he wanted to express his feelings. He watched her take a sip from her glass, and he did the same, but grew impatient. He wanted her; to show her how much she meant to him; what effect she had on him.

To Videl's horror, she watched as Gohan - again - drank the content of a 4.7 million Zenī worth of whiskey in one sitting and set his glass aside. She opened her mouth to express her shock, but then Gohan took her glass as well, and looking at her with a mischievous grin, he drank the whole thing too. He didn't want any obstructions between them anymore, and well, she told him herself she didn't mind his drunk side.

He leaned over to a confused Videl and kissed her as he wrapped his arms around her body. He pulled her onto his lap and broke the kiss, looking deeply into her eyes. "Thank you for accepting me," he said softly and kissed her gently. She didn't even think twice and threw her arms around his neck and answered his movements.

It didn't matter anymore: the word was out and they both accepted one other and embraced each other's love. Their eager, inexperienced kisses gave way to more intimate, passionate ones, the ones that were shared by two lovers. They got lost in their own world, oblivious to the world around them; to the party downstairs; to the past and the future; to the threats that may or may not cross their way; to evil wizards and bubblegum monsters; to friends becoming foes and foes becoming friends. There was only the here and now, and they were perfectly fine with it.

The end

Hi there!

I've hinted it before, in the end of the epilogue, there is a post-credits scene. :) Don't miss it

Edit: I seperated the Epilogue and the post-credits scene. The latter has it's own 'chapter' now, you can find it after the Epilogue chapter.