Chapter 20: When the Levee Breaks

A/N: Let the walls come tumbling down.

Gohan hadn't managed any sleep, partially due to his new experience. Then dash in a little guilt for how he had done something he knew he shouldn't have. Despite the sheer rush of emotions and feelings he had felt during it, the deeper parts of him felt terrible. He knew he shouldn't be sleeping with anyone, it wasn't proper, he wasn't out of high school, and if he had gotten Erasa pregnant what would he do?

That was the part that had kept him up, despite her assurances Gohan knew that his sperm was 'superior' Vegeta had touted for months about how a saiyan was superior in practically every aspect. Once bragging a female saiyan's womb was a battlefield only the strongest saiyan men could get them pregnant… though he might be boasting or he'd been drinking a little that evening but Gohan couldn't deny that everything about him was far greater than the average stock human.

It had kept him up, well partially, he'd been given a series of nightmares where all of his fears had come true. In one his mom discovered him lying to her, even if they had been distant his mom still meant a lot to him. She'd taken burden's up for him despite some of his grandstanding. He knew she loved him and in those dreams she berated him, shouted down at him, and was ever the terror that put his father in place whenever he started putting things before them. 'Not like it didn't happen often'

Another had been a very pregnant Erasa showing up and demanding Gohan take responsibility. Though it might be impossible practically, in his mind there were no such impossibilities. All of it real, and put on him even if they were both participants. To him, it was his fault.

The other dream was a combination of the two and just as bad as you'd imagine, but they'd probably be worse in real life.

But what awaited him at school this day was beyond unexpected. His saiyan ears picked up on the first warning signs when he came in. Something was in the air and about him, but what was being said wasn't anything like before. The two timing, having a hard on for Videl as a sister, and other juvenile things.

'Yeah he was with Erasa, they left a love motel. Guess Gohan wanted to have a bang for his birthday.' The teenage snickering was annoying but how did anyone know? He and Erasa hadn't been to a love motel then been at a masseuse. So where exactly did the love hotel thing come from?

Secondly who knew? Erasa surely hadn't been telling anyone. So how could anyone have known? Gohan had taken Erasa home, he wasn't the best driver 'yet' but still he could move a car without too many issues and he hadn't told anyone. Not even Videl knew what had happened. She'd asked where he'd been this afternoon, and he said Erasa had a surprise for his birthday and had taken him out. Neglecting to mention where or to what ends.

Videl dismissed it as he was home before eight anyway and had another surprise at home, along with Goten. It was bittersweet as the clouds of regret still hung just over his shoulders not allowing him to truly enjoy himself. Those twenty minutes of pleasure were not worth a night's agony… and apparently more now that he was in school again. Yet the twittering of words beyond him would've considered him leaving the school until he could rectify the situation.

School chat rooms and message boards, mostly those that were not actually in the school had exploded with rumors. A picture of Gohan walking out with Erasa while nothing special had extra text added to it. The golden boy ain't so golden. The photo was anonymous but other's added more fuel to the fire. Taking a cheap shot at the guy at the top when in the clouds of the internet was just so easy.

'We knew he was fucking Erasa, she's a slut. She sucked off the entire football team last year cause Sharpner asked her to.'

'Total whore, trying to nab some of that momma cash from a rich boy, but when your momma a pornstar you gonna be one just like her.'

'He probably paid her, now that he got a stepdaddy Hercule he probably just flashed some cash. She fucked me last year for fifty bucks. Bitch must have a nasty snatch with how much she goes around.'

Pages of vulgar descriptions, others posting other poor gifs and photoshopped images of Gohan and Erasa in the most eloquent and flattering methods one could imagine while dumpster diving on the internet. While it might be crude or crass, it only came later as people began to ask other questions. Some posting seriously, many more not, as rumor, gossip, and lies began to become more.

'Seems like he was carrying her back'

'Yeah she looked hurt, or am I imagining things?'

'Probably forced himself on her, Gohan is way too goodie goodie he has to have a nasty streak.'

'I heard it was non-con.'

'Really? You think Gohan did that wow that's shocking.'

'My sister got a text from her saying it was.'

'Shit for real? Wow Gohan is seriously fucking human trash. Even a bitch like Erasa shouldn't be raped.'

'She's definitely easy but Gohan's freakishly strong and who is not gonna believe mr. superstar perfect test scores all the privileges?'

'Why doesn't she say something?'

'What is she going to say, 'Hey school Gohan forced himself on me!' No one is going to believe her, if people weren't saying it here I wouldn't believe it.'

'Perhaps we should tell the staff or leave a letter to the student paper with the truth. People have to know this. If we have a monster in our school who believes he can get away with anything we have to do something!'

'Has anyone called Erasa? I've tried like ten times she's not answering and she has auto reply leave me alone I don't want to talk.'

'That's good enough for me.'

So many people in so few words, had already become judge and jury, were they the executioner they might've very well have taken Gohan's head or even both. Those that didn't read the posts were bombarded by those who had, on the need to know basis this was the front page news, must see and hear. The story twisting itself further and further as anyone who had ever felt slighted or annoyed at the prodigy/celebrity they had the best way to vent it out.

Plus with such ammunition it took someone who had a bigger vendetta little time whipping up the student body even more.

And perhaps Gohan's only true friend was blind sided by what she heard… and refused to believe it.

Videl was approached by several other concerned students as Erasa wasn't showing up to school and with the rumor and gossip train already off the rails at this point they went to her. She was the most upstanding person and daughter of the man who saved the world. If anyone could do anything, it had to be Videl.

"Are you seriously telling me that everyone thinks Gohan raped Erasa?" She said in a hushed growl. Not wanting to start shouting something like that vocally. But as several bodies looked at her wondering what she was going to do.

"It's all over the place Videl, there's very few people that don't know about it. I mean it's why Erasa isn't showing up to school." One protested but Videl shook her head.

"Guys, Gohan celebrated his birthday last night with me and his kid brother and before that he went out with Erasa for a few hours and had dinner. You guys do remember this is Gohan we're talking about right?"

She watched as their heads swiveled towards one another, 'This is utterly ridiculous' "Look I'll call Erasa myself and get a straight answer okay?" She could put this little story down before finding out who was spreading a horrific lie around school. Grabbing her phone, Videl hit her number one contact and brought her phone up to her ear.

It rang once twice, before clicking. "... Videl?" The voice was quiet and she could hear the sniffling before the words left her friend's mouth.

"Erase… what's the matter?" Using a gentler nickname and not jumping in and saying hey did your boyfriend force himself on you. That might be too blunt, but a red flag did pop up right in the back of her mind. There was definitely something off with her best friend.

"Videl… I- I can't talk about it. I just- I wanted… Oh Kami what am I going to do when Gohan finds out?" Erasa began to ball into her hands, the sobbing was so deep that the student's around Videl could hear.

She turned away from them and walked away, "Erasa…" She whispered in a serious tone. "Erasa tell me what is happening, did someone hurt you?"

"It- I just wanted to do something nice! Now-! Now he wants to ruin me, why? I can't show my face at school!"

This didn't make sense. Videl wasn't entirely sure what her friend was so upset about but the rumors… 'Did Gohan? No-NO! Absolutely not, Gohan would never do that.' Her memories of Gohan while they should be tapered and battered considering their history she recalled seeing how much he struggled. How he was helping her learn how to fly, how he spent time playing and laughing with his kid brother while doing everything he could to put on a strong face while his only parent was always busy.

That wasn't Gohan. It simply wasn't.

The darkness was creeping into her subconscious if she somehow wondered if deep down this was all true. Despite all that she knew to the contrary something inside of her told her to listen to the absurd lies. This would be her chance to be back on top and finally prove to everyone that she had been right, that Gohan wasn't better than her. That he was in fact the lowest of the low.

But Erasa was her best friend and somehow Gohan had come to be as well. 'This is wrong, this has to be wrong.'

"Erasa, what happened tell me." She pleaded to her oldest friend, "Everyone in school is saying that Gohan did something terrible to you. I need to know if it happened. Please." She was alone in a small alcove as she talked on the phone.

"No… He said that I-I," So close, it was so close. But then the phone shut off, unwilling or unable to talk about it she ended the phone call. Leaving Videl stuck with more questions, but she had to go and find Gohan. She needed to hear what he had to say and get to the bottom of this.

But then just as she took a step out she saw Sharpner. Her expression must've told him what most already knew. "Guess you heard huh?" His word's laced with a knowing tone.

"What I've heard and what is true are two entirely separate things, and I figured you'd be on the warpath not here looking at me as if to gloat somehow." Videl snapped back at him.

"My, my, it's like I knew that Erasa was going to get her heart broken by Mister i'm not so perfect." He said, his voice dropping into a bully whiny tone. "Must be tragic to share your house with someone who did something like that to your best friend, and here you are not mad at all. Guess you and Erasa did have a falling out."

"What are you going on about, and secondly you just believe what everyone says? Where is any of this even coming from?" She pressed into his personal space. "Did you see or hear any of this or just going with the mob because it's convenient for you now? The falling out between the three of them still hadn't gone very well. Gohan filled the role that Sharpner used to until Gohan moved in with Erasa and then slowly won over her.

Yet learning that Gohan had almost superhuman abilities with being able to fly and use ki energy. It had helped to endear him to her, 'I might be letting that get to my head- No!' Videl told the parts of her brain that still held a grudge against her live-in brother were shouted down.

She and Gohan were alike and Gohan had been miserable for upwards of several weeks, struggling to sleep and much like her parents were all awol and nowhere to be seen. Their careers at the forefront to family life, it was a connection she'd begun to share with Gohan and relating more than she'd ever think.

"Hey I'm not the one saying it, besides if it wasn't true wouldn't Erasa be here?" Sharpner looked away holding his hands up in the air.

"That doesn't mean anything," Though there was something wrong, "Considering how much you care about Erasa how come you aren't talking with her or helping her?" Redirecting back onto him.

Sharpner rolled his eyes, "Oh how would I approach that conversation. Casually drop on in and say hey how was your first rape?" giving a dramatic shoulder shrug. "Perhaps some flowers or maybe bring the school nurse to talk with her about it?"

"You don't know that's what happened!" She snapped at him.

"Look the school's made up its mind, I'm guessing you didn't check after the bell app." Pulling out his phone, Sharpner revealed the extensive detail list surrounding Mister Predator, the damning photo and video of Gohan carrying Erasa was only followed by Gohan hurriedly, putting her in the passenger seat of her car before taking her home. The slight grunts and groans of pain from the blonde as she held her side was quite damning for some. Cut through a side of tempered glass with a small section of the window down, it was taken by someone sitting in their car watching the two of them go past. The location was on full display as well as where Gohan had come out of the gate and gone towards the car.

Yet what followed was several others explaining weird situations with Gohan, how he came up behind them trying to help them during classes, even while tutoring some mentioned Gohan would often peek down their shirts and rub their thighs.

It was so much to take in, yet Videl had her morals though the evidence and emotions she was feeling were crashing against her personal resolve and morality. 'So many people…' Accusations, situations, experiences, and feelings all of them were being thrown at Gohan, leaving her with the choice of sticking up for him or not.

"So, who do you still believe?" Sharpner asked, grabbing his phone with two fingers at the top and slowly pulling it out of Videl's hands. "You can't sit on the sidelines, either defend your best friend or the sexual predator. I don't think it's a hard choice to make here."

Videl looked away, making a frustrated grunt through her teeth. She couldn't believe it, she really didn't want to believe it. But there was so much, the picture, the short video… 'I mean that's so much proof of an actual…- wait.' The gears in Videl's brain stopped rotating one direction and then quickly rewound themselves in the other.

Something wasn't adding up, and it was, the sheer convenience of it all. "Can I see that picture and video again?"

Sharpner laughed smugly, "what you think there's some doppelganger of Gohan, no one has spikey hair like that and you just said yourself he was out with Erasa. So what's not to believe." In terms of proof it was quite damning in his mind. "But I'll humor you."

Showing her the video again, Videl looked at it for a few seconds before looking up at Sharpner. Her eyes gave him a determined glare. "Then who took the video?"

His head leaned back slightly, the question was something unexpected. "Took the video? What does that have to do with it?"

"Everything, who saw this and took the video of them?" Videl said, holding up the phone for him to look at it. "Someone saw them and just so happened to have their phone out ready to record them? Don't you think that's just a little... " her voice dropping, "Convenient?"

He gave a "pfft" looking away. "So someone gets lucky, and before you start pointing fingers I was at practice so no it wasn't me and if it was I would've beat sense into Gohan, but lucky me the school will be taking him to task for me."

"Yeah, sure someone just so happened to know where the two of them would've been. Don't think I'm as blind or as willing to follow the herd like others. I have my own brain, my own thoughts and this reeks of something." She tossed him his phone into his chest. "I'll go and talk to Erasa and Gohan myself and get the truth."

"Whatever, have fun with that!" He turned around pocketing his phone and hands into his front pockets leaving Videl alone. But she didn't need him, he probably had some role in all of this. 'He's acting way too cool for all of this, I know Sharpner. But I'll-' The loud clattering of door's being thrown open from the main hallway altered the young teen that someone had made a grandiose entrance. Yet it wasn't one of her friends. Nor was it anyone who went to this school.

Videl could feel an aura coming from this person even if she wasn't looking directly at them. The toned fast click of designer heels hitting the ground in a rapid and angered manner weren't also well known. The sharp clicks continued as Videl looked to the side and saw a woman on the warpath.

It was Chi-Chi.

[***]

Gohan felt the asteroid hurtling through space that was aimed directly for him even more. On top of the avalanche of shit being thrown at him, and the whirlwind of people all giving him either disrespect or the cold shoulder didn't make the impending armageddon easier to face as he knew the second his mother had arrived at school.

Even his own teacher's didn't stand up for him. Before the first period had even started Gohan had been sent to the office, something in regards to some behavior issues. Considering he had done nothing wrong he was confused and wasn't allowed to offer any recourse but to just go.

So he'd been sitting in a chair outside the principal's office for ten minutes only to feel dread hit him faster than staring down Frieza when he was still so young. The first contact with his mother in weeks and it was going to be about school. 'Nothing good is going to come from this.'

Yet his mother moved quick, scarcely had she come close did she throw open the door to the office. "Where is the principal! I demand to know why the hell I have to come here in person to even be told such an outlandish slander about my son!" 'Well at least she still has my back.' Gohan thought, looking up at her with some semblance of a smile but she shot him down with a glare that probably would've scared Vegeta. 'Or… not.'

The secretary, shocked by the abrupt entrance, got up from her seat. "Mrs. Son please, this isn't something we take lightly and we understand your reputation and the history your son has, please don't take this as an insult. There is a process for these things and we need to talk the two of you to have a proper resolution."

Chi-Chi slammed the door behind her. Rattling the corridor of the building. Her hair was down, her clothes professional but she lacked any real make-up, carrying herself like the impeccable person she presented on television she quickly found herself towering over the secretary. "You listen to me." She said pointing one finger straight at her. "My Gohan is the top of the class, all honors, a model student, tutor, and gifted genius. Yet you have the nerve to drag me here on allegations that my son committed a sexual assault on a fellow student? I don't know-"

"WHAT?!" Gohan shouted, jumping up from his seat, he didn't need it repeated. That was clear as day. "I never sexually assaulted anyone, who the hell said I did!" Gohan's shock quickly turned into disbelief and then a fraction of a second later anger. His eye is turning a bright teal and his long black hair rose up.

He was pissed, 'This is what they think!? What the fuck, I never did anything like that I never would what the hell is this?'

"Down Gohan, I will deal with these people." His mother said, casting her attention to him. "This is what I handle, not you." It wasn't a put down, but she knew her son wasn't anything like that yet she knew the look of a super-saiyan. She'd seen it long enough to know how it also triggered. She might not be as in tune with ki signature's but she was in tune with her boy's spiking into powered warriors. Though Goten was nothing like his brother she knew when he was rough house mode.

"I've never done anything, who said that I did?!" Gohan ignored his mother, furious that this was being pushed in his face. "What makes you think that I would do such a horrific thing, do you think that this something I just do in my freetime? What?" He gestured to himself to his entire person. "What about me says that?!" the more he talked the more angry he got, blond tips beginning to illuminate the bottom of his hair.

"Please- Please." The secretary said, trying to calm down the infuriated parties. Both looking at her as if she was the bad guy and in the back of her mind making her wish she'd made a career change. "

Fortunately the commotion was heard enough by the school administration. The principal and the school admin, of which there were two, a man and a woman both opened the door to a conference room. The principal had the door opened and looked into the terrifying gaze of Chi-Chi, "Mrs. Son, please I'd ask you to keep this civil. We contacted you this morning and didn't expect you to arrive so suddenly." It had scarcely been two hours since they had been notified of the rumors and efforts to speak with the parent's parties had been difficult forcing them to try and bring in Chi-Chi to see if there was a solution or compromise they could reach.

But Chi-Chi's personal honor and integrity, that of her son, had been attacked. And no one attacked her family if she could do something about it. She'd had her boy kidnapped, forced to do things no normal child should do and yet still people made her family's life difficult. "Don't even start with me. Principal Marcuse." She approached the door and got right in his face. "My son is not a predator and his reputation and achievements should proceed anything-! ANYTHING that some tarted-up hussy at this school would dare say."

It was still good to hear his mom on his side, even if she scared him. No doubt this wasn't as much business as it was personal to her. It actually helped him feel some relief and abate some anger, but the second he felt his anger leave him he began to feel disgust within himself. Like a part of him was becoming sick.

"Please I understand, believe me, but this is protocol. We have allegations and procedures that have to be followed while we conduct a thorough investigation, I don't believe there to be any real harm caused by your son but we have to do things by the book. The number of allegations is rising and other student's parents are calling us demanding that we take action which is what we are doing." Marcuse tried to placate her but he clearly hadn't dealt with Chi-Chi in a meaningful way.

"I had better hope that by some miracle you find a way to reduce how pissed off I am that I even have to address such slander about my son, because if you don't-" She pointed one finger at him than directed her heated gaze to the other two administrators in the room. "You will all be fucking fired. Mark my words."

"There's no need for such action or threats please," Sweating a little as there was no doubt the celebrity and girlfriend of the World champion of the world could have more than enough pull to have several dozen people axed without so much as a flick of her wrist in their general direction. "Please just sit down and we can talk."

Remaining standing she paused just glaring at him, her heels giving her just another inch above his height to add more intimidation before raising her hand towards her son. "Gohan come," as if she were summoning him. She missed the look of discontent on his face, a slight sneer showing on his lips but he followed her bidding.

Entering the conference room. Several small stacks of paper were set off to the side as Chi-Chi took her seat and crossed her hands over her chest. The buttons on her shirt were already straining as she tucked in her arms tightly.

Clearing his throat the other male administrator decided to get things started, "Please excuse the nature of this meeting but as Principal Marcuse said this requires us following protocol." Yet the mother across from him kept her death glare going. 'Being forced into a minefield.' Lamenting the poor position of having to be the one in charge of handling disciplinary infractions outside of school and liasoning between the parents.

"How about a quiet discussion? Or a phone call? Now we need to see you in regards to serious accusations towards your son?" She tossed her hair back. "Please, spare me your theatrics and bullshit."

It was rare for his mother to curse as Gohan sat beside her wondering if she was even madder than he was about all of this. It wasn't like her to be this way, nor was it how she had ever acted.

"We'd like to keep this civil, refrain from the vulgarity Mrs. Son." The other female administrator asked to which she received a scowl.

"Then stop stalling and tell me who is accusing my son of what already." She crossed her legs and began to impatiently begin tapping her foot in the air.

"For confidentiality reasons we can't give out student's names but we have a sworn affidavit stating that Gohan sexually assaulted a female student." He offered Chi-Chi a redacted copy to which she swiped out of his hand.

She didn't even bother looking at it, "There's only one thing I need to say to know whether this is true or not." Her head turned towards her son. "Did you do this? Her eyes narrowed, "look me straight into my eyes and tell me the truth, or so help me son Gohan, no eternal dragon will save you."

Well it wasn't hard for him to do it, "I would never do that, I swear to it, Mom." He said holding up his hand for honesty. Looking deep into her eyes telling her the truth, because it was. He'd never force himself upon anyone. That was low beyond low.

Chi-Chi turned her head back towards the panel now looking at her. "Now that I know my son is telling the truth you can drop all of this and have that girl come out and apologize for what they are saying about my son."

Marcuse took his turn. "We can't do that and this statement is not the only thing that has been brought to the staff's attention." Pulling out the video, "We were hoping to get some sort of explanation from your son about the context of this video."

"I was-" He started. "No." He was promptly silenced by his mother. "My son won't answer a thing, I refuse to let you use his words in helping a female student be twisted. If I need a lawyer present then i'll get one but my son won't be answering anything." She knew enough legal jargon to not have her son speak up. They could use that against him, even though she was absolutely certain that he had done nothing wrong.

"Very well, but you may also see these. " Handing over screenshots from the chatrooms, "Many posts in which female students are saying they have multiple unpleasant encounters with your son, while it's-"

"It is nothing." She cut him off with a swipe of her hand across the table as if breaking his ability to speak. "One person steps forward and says my son committed this fabrication and now everyone else suddenly is on the bandwagon for destroying my son's life? Do you have any idea just what this is going to do to him? His future plans, college goals, careers? Have any of you given that any thought?"

The male administrator spoke up. "It is why we are having an investigation and going to do this by the book, but we understand your position and it's why we are having this meeting. We wanted to address these issues and clear up your son's name as quickly as we can but we still have to make requests to expedite this process."

"An investigation that will follow him forever, you are killing my son's future with this witch hunt for my baby that has done nothing wrong. Gohan hasn't even had Sex!? How could he have done these things, and when he's tutored so many people not one person bothered to speak up for the years he's been helping other kids?"

Gohan's eyes dropped to the floor, 'Not entirely true, Mom.'

"I know this is hard, I don't wish to put you in this position, but starting now your son is temporarily banned from school grounds, functions, events, and activities until the investigation is complete."

"I'm what?" Gohan said in disbelief "I didn't do anything and I'm being punished anyway? I help out Videl and the council with the prom, I have four students who come to me regularly for tutoring… how am I supposed to do my work here if I can't come to school?"

Marcuse just slightly nodded his head, "It's not that we don't believe you Gohan, but for liability reasons you are suspended, once everything is investigated and cleared you can come back to class, we just have to take this route until then."

"But I didn't do anything wrong!" Gohan shot up from his chair, "I'm being punished for nothing? I didn't rape anyone, I never touched anyone and you just believe these stupid internet message boards and say there facts? What kind of messed up logic is that?"

"Gohan, I will handle this-" Chi-Chi said, rising up she didn't want him to start spouting off something and get himself in more trouble. But Gohan was getting heated, his mind a flurry of emotions, 'Erasa? Did she set me up? Did she lie, was this all some kind of sick backstab?'

"Our hands are simply tied Gohan, I'm sorry there isn't much more we can say about this." The other woman said apologetically, though Gohan could feel nothing from her. She was just like everyone else! She believed everyone else and despite all of his life sacrifices and heroics this was how he was being treated again!

"Did Erasa say that I raped her or something? She's the one who wanted to have sex, she took me out for my birthday and-"

"GOHAN!" His mother's harsh piercing voice of outrage was only the prelude to the mother of all motherly smacks to the face, with enough force to shake the room and even make the demi saiyan stagger.

Before he knew it, he'd just all but admitted to being in the same place and having relations with his accuser… even if he didn't know it.

And below the planet's surface Babadi threw his head back in glorious laughter as Gohan's final thread of resistance was just about to break.

R&R