Videl watched with wide eyes as the imposing, green man landed before them. To her surprise, he made no noise whatsoever upon arrival and landed delicately on the soil beneath them. He had an ethereal quality about him. Otherworldly with his white cape blowing grandly with the wind. Something about his appearance also felt very familiar to Videl, but she couldn't quite place where she had seen him before.

As he landed, the man seemed to ignore their entire class altogether. Rather, his eyes were pinned solely on Gohan, and he began to walk straight over to her classmate with purpose in his step. Videl faltered. Nobody had any idea who this man was – he looked like an alien, for god's sake – and here he was, headed for Gohan. Alarm bells sounded in her head. Someone with green skin and flying abilities sounded like bad news to her.

"Hold up!" she yelled, running towards him. "Who the hell are you?"

The man continued to walk. He didn't acknowledge Videl's presence, and she would have believed he never heard her at all if he didn't eventually reply. "None of your concern." His deep voice sounded after a few silent minutes. His response was blunt and emotionless. Videl fumed at the gall.

"Gohan is my classmate, so it's definitely my concern." She spat. "What do you want with him?"

She was surprised as a dark gaze suddenly met hers. His eyes were narrowed, and he scowled at her with fangs she wishes she'd never seen. "Look at him!" he growled. "He's clearly panicked and all you lot can do is stand around and stare like you're at the zoo! I'm here to help the boy so you best stay back and learn your place."

Videl clenched her fists, vision red. How dare he look down on her! She was going to head straight over there and show that green bastard who he was messing with. Before she could act on her impulses, however, a soft hand grabbed her arm and squeezed lightly. It was Erasa. She shot her best friend a questioning glance.

"That man…" Erasa began. "He's right. None of know how to help Gohan. But I think he does. There's just something in his eyes that tells me he really cares about Gohan. Like they're… friends."

Videl couldn't help but be confused. What Erasa was saying made some sense, but… "Why would Gohan – sweet, country boy, Gohan – be friends with someone like that?"

Erasa could only shrug. "I think today has taught us there's a lot we don't know about Gohan. Makes me feel bad that I haven't gotten to know him better."

A pang of guilt shot through Videl. Erasa was right. She had been so caught up in trying to unearth Gohan's secrets, that she hadn't even taken the time to get to know the boy properly. And now, when he was suffering through something where he needed support, she couldn't help in the slightest. Instead, she was placing her trust in a turban-wearing green man with pointed ears and superhuman abilities.

Sighing, she gestured for her classmates to back off a few paces, keeping a close watch on her classmate and the stranger in the near distance. She observed as the man sat across from Gohan in a lotus position, reaching forward to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. Gohan looked up, shocked, but seemed to calm immediately. Videl blinked, astounded, and attempted to listen closely.

"P-Piccolo? Why are you…" Her classmate stuttered through sobs.

The green man (Piccolo?) spoke, surprising Videl with how much gentler he sounded with Gohan. "Nevermind that, now. Deep breaths with me."

And Gohan complied instantly, closing his eyes and breathing in despite his tremors. Tears still fell against his cheeks rapidly, but his chest began to calm and he appeared much less pained then before. Ten minutes easily passed like this, the class talking quietly amongst each other. Some watched with concern and bated breaths, while others turned to admire the landmark, snapping an occasional photo. When Gohan eventually opened his eyes again, the two continued facing one another intently, almost as though there was a silent conversation taking place between the two. But that was impossible, Videl thought. Maybe they could just read one another very well.

The green man offered a smile. And albeit hesitantly, Gohan offered one back.

Videl looked back to Erasa and Sharpener, feeling some sense of relief for the first time in a while. "This is all crazy, huh? Poor Gohan. What do you think will happen with the field trip?"

Before either could reply, their teacher interrupted, apparently having heard Videl's question. "Once Gohan is sorted completely, I think we may as well stay for the day's remainder. It's a long trip back to Satan City and we all deserve a little break after all this, don't you think?"

Videl nodded in understanding but couldn't help to stare back at Gohan in concern. "Miss… I know that man seemed to help quite a bit, but I don't think that Gohan should stay here any longer. I might take him back to school and make sure he's okay for the rest of the day."

The teacher smiled at her, proud. "Very good thinking, Miss Satan. After all, if anything serious happened to the boy, I'd hate to imagine what would happen to my job…"

Ignoring that last comment, Videl simply rolled her eyes and turned back to Erasa and Sharpener. "You guys are welcome to come along, too, but I honestly think that it might be overwhelming for Gohan. You understand, right?"

"Of course, girl!" Erasa reassured, pulling her friend into a hug. "Let Gohan know how much we love him, okay? And I'll take plenty of photos for you."

Videl scoffed. Like there was much to see. "Thanks, 'Rasa.

Sharpener smiled confidently, reaching out for a fist pump. "Sounds good to me, V. I kind of wanted to stay back anyway… maybe try out my Dynamite Kick like your pa."

Glad that things had somewhat returned to normal, Videl met his fist cheerfully, giving her friends one last wave before slowly heading over to where Gohan and the stranger were situated. Noticing that they still seemed preoccupied with silent conversation, she loitered on the sidelines, checking her watch in an effort to appear nonchalant.

"Ahem." came a deep voice. "Is there a problem?"

Videl started, meeting the green man's hard stare. "Ah, no!" she defended hurriedly, before taking a deep breath in. "It's just… we're all really concerned about Gohan so I thought it would be a good idea if I escorted him back to school?"

Sharing one last glance with Gohan, the stranger replied. "I was already planning on taking Gohan back somewhere with me."

Videl deflated. It was worth a try.

What she wasn't prepared for, however, were the man's next words.

"You're welcome to join us."

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews guys! I'm so glad you like it so far. Constructive criticism and opinions are always welcome. Let me know what you thought about this chapter!