Videl didn't quite know what she was expecting The Lookout to be. Maybe a humble house on a cliffside? A lighthouse by the shore?
What she wasn't expecting was the sudden lurch in direction from Nimbus, sending them shooting straight up into the air. A loud scream escaped her throat and she instinctively reached out to grab Gohan's shoulders. She might have been stubborn before, but this was no time to uphold her reputation. Not when she was inches away from falling backwards and to her instant demise.
"What the hell is happening?!" she yelled through the heavy wind.
"We're going to The Lookout." Gohan projected back calmly.
Videl grip tightened and she squeezed her eyes shut, feeling nauseous at the prospect of how high they were. "I'm going to die." She murmured.
A laugh echoed through the air. "Settle down, Videl. You'll be fine. Besides, we're almost there. See?"
Hesitantly, she opened one eye, seeing nothing through the thick layer of clouds. She shot back. "No, I don't."
"Patience."
Videl growled low in her throat. Son Gohan wasn't to be trusted. She barely knew anything about him, after all, and now he was probably about to kill her. How had she been so stupid as to follow him on a floating cloud of all things? This was absolutely insane.
'Videl Satan. Beloved crimefighter of Satan City. Cause of death? Fell from a flying cloud while her classmate laughed in her face.'
Her anger dissipated immediately upon seeing a gigantic platform floating above them in the sky. Her jaw went slack, and her fingers nearly loosened their grip in sheer amazement.
"Holy crap." She mumbled beneath her breath. She blinked rapidly, not quite sure if her vision was deceiving her.
Apparently, Gohan had heard her though, because he craned his head back to give her an 'I told you so' smile. "Welcome to The Lookout, Videl."
Nimbus shot past the surface and landed gently on mystical, white stone. Gohan hopped off immediately, stretching out, but Videl needed a few minutes to calm herself down. She was certain that if she jumped off right now, her legs would simply collapse beneath her. Instead, she opted to look around her, taking in the sight with greedy eyes.
It was difficult to believe that this place had been existing among them thousand of miles up in the sky. Who even knew how long it had been here? The Lookout harboured a strong ethereal quality, similar to the aura she felt from Piccolo, and it left her speechless. Few trees littered the outside of the circle and white tiles seemed to span endlessly, but perhaps the most remarkable part of the entire place was the building in the centre. Videl had no words to describe it other than a temple. It was beautiful. Otherworldly. And just glancing at it filled Videl with a sense of tranquillity.
"What is this place?" Was all she could muster.
"Like I said before, it's The Lookout. In basic terms, this is where the Guardian of the Earth resides."
Her eyes widened. "The Guardian of the… Earth? You mean like God?"
Gohan hummed, tilting his head in contemplation. "Not quite. But you've got the general idea. The Guardian of the Earth isn't necessarily a religious figure. It is simply the title given to the person who watches over and protects our planet. His actual name is Dende. Here, let's go over and say 'Hi'."
This was a lot to take in at once, but Videl had to be able to handle it if she wanted to find out more about Gohan. She had a strong feeling that this 'Guardian of the Earth' stuff was only scraping the surface.
Overcome with an uncommon shyness, Videl carefully slid down from Nimbus and followed behind Gohan. Near the temple, Piccolo was waiting for them alongside two others whose appearances were equally as strange. One of the them looked very similar to Piccolo, but with a shorter stature and softer features, whilst the other resembled a golliwog doll.
As they reached the small group, Videl couldn't help but make assumptions. She immediately turned and bowed to the genie clad man. "Guardian, it is such an honour to meet you. Thank you for allowing me to visit your beautiful abode."
It was silent for a few tense moments before a sudden burst of laughter sounded through the air. Lifting her head, Videl saw that Gohan and the smaller green man were giggling loudly like children while Piccolo watched on with amusement. Her eyebrows narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest with a huff. She might be the odd one out here, but she was not going to be made a mockery of.
"My goodness, I'm terribly sorry, Videl. This is an awful impression on my behalf." The small green man spoke, composing himself. "It's lovely to meet you. My name is Dende."
"Oh my god…" Videl flushed red, realising she had introduced herself to the wrong person. "I'm so sorry, sir. I mean, your Highness? Er…"
"Don't worry about formalities." Dende laughed bashfully. "It's perfectly fine. This here is Mister Popo. He's the caretaker of The Lookout."
She looked back at Popo, returning the man's friendly nod.
"Now, Gohan," spoke Dende, turning to her classmate. His voice turned sombre. "I saw what happened back there, buddy. You alright?"
Gohan swallowed, retreating once more in humiliation. "'m fine. I've just come to do some meditation with Piccolo. It's been way too long, apparently. There's a lot of stuff up here," he tapped his head. "That needs to be sorted out."
Dende laughed fondly, but when he spoke again, his voice was sorrowful. "It's only to be expected. I can't imagine visiting that place after so long would be fun for anyone in your situation."
"You got that right." Gohan scratched the back of head, looking back at Videl. "Erm, so Videl… I kind of wanted to do some meditation before anything else. It'll probably take an hour. Would you be happy to wait here for me to return?"
Videl smiled mischievously. "Of course. As long as I get some answers when you come back."
"I wouldn't expect anything less."
She laughed, waving the two off as they retreated into the temple for meditation. The answers were so close. Videl only hoped that she could pass an hour with two complete strangers while she waited for that moment to arrive.
A/N: Hey guys! Thanks again for all your lovely reviews. Let me know what you thought of this chapter.