Videl sat cross legged on the white tiles of The Lookout, taking in the expanse of the sky around her. Today had been an eventful day to say the least. It had begun as a friendly, end of term field trip, but now she had been thrust into a strange world where green people lived above the clouds and flying was a normal occurrence. And at the centre of this strange world? Son Gohan. The boy who, just moments ago, had fallen into a great panic at the site of the Cell Games.
She wearily ran a hand over her face and sighed deeply. There was a deep curiosity dwelling in the pit of her stomach, but concern for Gohan trumped all of it. She wanted to find out what he was hiding, yes, but ultimately, Gohan was just a boy who needed help. Videl vowed that above anything, she would be a friend to him. Someone who would listen to what he had to say with open ears and provide a shoulder to cry on.
"A lot to think about, isn't it?" came a gentle voice from behind.
Videl craned her neck and saw Dende. He donned a comforting smile, and Videl found him to have a very welcoming presence despite his status. "Need a pair of ears to listen?"
She hesitated before nodding slightly. About twenty minutes had passed since Gohan and Piccolo left to meditate and time passed quite slowly when you weren't doing anything.
Dende delicately took a seat beside Videl, placing his staff flat beside him. "What's on your mind, Videl?"
"It's Gohan. I guess I'm just worried about him."
"It's only natural to be concerned about a friend. He's in safe hands."
Videl hummed. Were her and Gohan friends? She had never really considered him to be up until now. As though reading her mind, Dende spoke up again. "I believe Gohan considers you a friend. You wouldn't be here, otherwise."
"If I was a friend, I should have known that he was feeling like this. I thought he just didn't care about the Cell Games, but… His reaction sure says something different."
Dende sighed quietly. "Gohan has always been a quiet person. He doesn't like attracting attention. Just because he hasn't told you about himself doesn't mean he thinks any less of you."
"I figured." Videl laughed. "But… everyone here seems to know everything about him."
"What you've got to understand is that we've all known Gohan for many years." Dende explained. "The things we know about Gohan aren't because he has told us. It's because we've grown with him and experienced what he has."
"When did you meet Gohan?"
"I met Gohan when he was about five years old. He was four when Piccolo met him."
"Woah…" was all Videl could manage. "Was he always so smart?"
Dende giggled. The guardian of the Earth giggled. Videl was going crazy for sure.
"Definitely. Gohan's always been a little genius. His mum has always made him study, but I know he really loves it deep down."
Videl smiled, imagining a little Gohan bent over his books.
Dende was easy to talk to. His presence was extremely calming, and he showed no form of judgement. She urged to ask him something in particular but didn't want to seem insincere or selfish.
"There's more on your mind, Videl. I can tell."
Videl gnawed on her lower lip, hesitant. "I don't want this to sound… evasive. And you don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable, obviously. But um," she paused, thinking how to phrase her next words. "Has this sort of thing happened before?"
"Hm? You mean with Gohan?"
She resisted the urge to facepalm. Obviously she was talking about Gohan, what else had even happened today? "Yeah."
"Oh, er…" Videl noticed that Dende seemed reluctant and his neutral expression faltered somewhat.
She interrupted quickly. "Like I said before, you don't have to answer."
"You'll have to talk with Gohan if you want more specific details but… Yes, I suppose this sort of thing happens quite often." And with that, Dende stood up, nodded respectfully at Videl, and walked back towards the temple.
Videl watched him go, utterly baffled. "What just happened?" she muttered.
Despite Dende's sudden and odd departure, he had left her with a lot to think about. Just what had happened in Gohan's life that made him so susceptible to these bouts of panic? Of course, anxiety didn't necessarily need a specific trigger, but his reaction to their class excursion had Videl thinking otherwise.
Most importantly, why was it the site of the Cell Games which made Gohan so terrified? As far as she was concerned, the only people to have been there were Cell, her father, the television crew and that mysterious group of phonies. Had simply watching it on television as a child scarred him?
It was frustrating to try and figure out. The more her questions were answered, the more questions appeared. Surely when Gohan returned with Piccolo he'd be ready to talk to her. All of this thinking was driving her insane. Maybe that's why Gohan meditated. It was supposed to clear your head, after all. She wondered if Piccolo had taught him. They'd known each other for such a long time after all.
It was with that thought that Videl's brain finally caught up, and she felt her eyes widen in speculation. Piccolo. Piccolo. Green, turban wearing Piccolo. Videl was absolutely certain that she had seen a man with his exact appearance at the Cell Games. He had been standing off with that weird group. And while the television hadn't captured the best recording, Videl knew it was certain. Piccolo had been at the Cell Games.
She stared off into the distance, eyes unseeing, as she attempted to process this new information. If Piccolo was at the Cell Games, he was obviously one of the tricksters her dad went on about. But Videl had seen him fly not moments ago. And as much as she might want to deny it, it was real. No strings, no wires, no jetpack. No tricks. Flying was very much real, which meant that all the other things she had seen those mysterious fighters do were real too. Shooting laser beams from their hands. Turning their hair golden. It was real.
Videl felt anger building inside her. If all of that stuff had been real this whole time, then why would her father lie about it? Why did he tell the world that Cell and everyone else were phonies? And most importantly… How on earth did he defeat Cell?
Her father couldn't do any of that stuff. Of that, she was positive.
Nothing was adding up. She urged to jump into her jetcopter and confront her father head on. But there was no way it would be able to handle such a high altitude. And Gohan had invited her here for a reason. She needed to be there for him no matter what. Maybe he could provide some answers regarding her father, as well.
The rest of the hour passed uneventfully and Videl continued to mull over her own thoughts. When Piccolo and Gohan finally emerged from the temple, her classmate looked much calmer than before. While there was still a hint of anxiousness on his face, his shoulders sat lower and the exhaustion had left his eyes. He greeted Videl with a weary smile before turning and nodding slightly to Piccolo. The green man took that as his cue to leave, placing a gentle hand on Gohan's shoulder before walking back towards Dende and Mister Popo.
"So…" Videl began, licking her lips awkwardly. "How was meditation?"
"Oh, you know… Calming."
Videl snorted loudly. "Glad to hear it. Now come on. Let's go sit down."
"Right." Gohan complied, following behind Videl diligently.
The two sat down by the tiles where Videl was earlier. Gohan crossed his legs and danced his fingers against the tiles beneath him, desperately avoiding any eye contact. Videl couldn't help but frown.
"You're the one who invited me here, remember? No need to look so uncomfortable."
Gohan flushed bright red, and if possible, looked even further away. "Sorry, Videl. You're right. It's just, we've never really spoken one on one like this before, have we?"
"Hm. I guess that's true. Then… why did you invite me here? To be honest, it's kind of confusing."
Looking up at the sky, Gohan breathed deeply. "Well, I know you're a good person. You were genuinely trying to look after me back there and make sure I was alright. I figured this was only fair."
Videl blinked. "So, that's it then? You invited me here because you felt sorry for me?"
"What?" Gohan sputtered. "No! That's not what I meant. I just… I trust you. For some reason, I trust you more than anyone else in our class. So, I thought that you should come with me. As a friend."
She stayed silent, studying Gohan as he spoke. He was struggling with his words, but she could tell that everything leaving his mouth was genuine.
Gohan continued. "And also… Friends are supposed to tell each other things about themselves. No matter how many questions you asked me throughout term, I avoided all of them. I don't really know much about you, either. I guess I thought this could be a good chance to get to know each other."
He finally looked her way, offering her a goofy smile. "Please?"
Videl met Gohan's eyes, and in them, she saw a hidden pain unlike any other. His expression bordered desperation, and Videl thought back to the vow she made herself earlier. Gohan was just a boy who needed help. And above anything else, she was going to be his friend.
A/N: Took me a little while to update, I'm sorry! I've been renovating my room but it's basically all finished now. Let me know what you thought of this chapter. Thanks everyone!