Lesson #2: Trust Your Team

Gohan watched in awe as his fellow students ran around like chickens without heads. They really are sheep, he thought. With no one leading them they have no idea what to do. He found it very amusing that several of the jocks tried to claim leadership for themselves only to end up fighting for the position with someone else. Gohan couldn't help but laugh when Sharpner returned, his face bloodied and swollen claiming that he should lead. That had not been met with a kind response.

Videl also watched on in amusement next to the rest of the girls who were screaming as they watched body after body get mangled. Videl knew that if she overpowered all of the men here, which she knew she easily could, she still didn't want to be responsible for looking after everyone. Then from out of the corner of her eye she watched Gohan start to leave.

"Hey where do you think you're going?" she called out. Most people who had not been involved in the brawl were startled by this new verbal confrontation. Gohan however completely ignored it which made Videl furious. She charged over to Gohan grabbed his shoulder and forced him to face her. "Gohan we've got to stick together!"

"Why should we?" he said simply. This took Videl by shock. How can he be so calm, she thought.

"This is no time to joke around Gohan, we've got to make plans," Videl commanded with a strict voice which could have belonged to an army general.

"While it's all good 'making' plans, plans are pointless unless you actually do something," he said as if this was an everyday walk in the park.

"How do you plan on surviving out there all on your own?" asked Videl trying to find some weakness.

"Simple, if I'm alone then whatever food I catch will belong to me and 'me' only."

"You wouldn't plan on sharing with your classmates?" someone called from the middle of the pack.

"If you want to come with me you can except unlike the rest of you, I have lived in this situation before," he addressed the students. Even the ones who were brawling ceased in order to hear these words. "In order to survive out here you are going to need food, a water supply and shelter. While it may all be good for a while, sharing food and everything else, quarrels will emerge and you will only fight among yourselves."

"So what you're just going to leave us," said Erasa piping up from the middle of the students.

"I'm going to find a suitable source of water and make up a shelter near there. I suggest that in order for you to remain sane on this expedition, you don't all stick together! Break off into groups of people you know and trust and stick with them. They depend on you as much as you depend on them. If you are all together, are you able to trust everyone around you?"

Leaving them to ponder on this, Gohan left, walking into the forest and away from sight. The students stood silent for an unnaturally long time, unable to converse with one another over what had just occurred. Slowly one by one, they started to buddy up with their best mates and went their separate ways.

Videl looked at the group as it slowly diverged into many groups. She could see that most of the girls travelled with each other, still believing in safety in numbers. The men split into several smaller groups and after saying their goodbyes went their own way. Videl then felt a hand wrap around her shoulder. "Well babe," said the calm voice of Sharpner, "Looks like it's just you and me."

Videl walked off into the wilderness leaving a dazed and very bruised Sharpner lying in a pool of his own blood. Okay maybe it wasn't that graphic, thought Videl as she travelled the same direction that Gohan had. She stopped in her tracks as she just realised where her body was subliminally taking her. Why am I going this way? Shouldn't I go with the girls or something to make sure that they're all alright? Her feet started walking forward again. No, this may be my only chance to get to know Gohan. He has said that he has lived in this sort of situation before, although he does know Bulma Briefs. Does that mean that she has already given him supplies in exchange for him giving that monologue? I wouldn't put that past him, he is too quiet and shy normally but this time he just had an aroma of confidence. That is so out of character for him.

"My brother knows that you were going to follow him," came a small voice from behind her. Startled she turned around to see the young boy who had been introduced as Goten. She completely forgot the fact that he had walked away with the rest of the teachers in completely the other direction not ten minutes ago.

"Gohan's your brother?" she questioned the young boy who gave an affirmative nod. "Could you tell me why his character changed so much when he talked to the group before?"

"What did he do?" asked the small boy.

"Well normally he's so quiet and shy in school yet keeps his nerve whenever anyone annoys him." Videl realised that not only were the boys the ones harassing him with comments like nerd, and geek, but she had harassed him by hounding away at him every single day. She suddenly felt a wave of guilt wash over her.

"That's because the forest is his termitory, I think that's the word."

"Do you mean territory?"

"That's the one!" exclaimed the young boy. "Anyway, when Gohan went to school on his first day mum told me the story about how when Gohan was only four years old he was forced to live in the wilderness for six months before he could be trained."

"That's awful," Videl found herself saying.

"At first he was scared but mum told me that he learned to adapt to living alone in the wilderness and as such he doesn't have many person skills."

"People skills," Videl corrected.

"People skills. Any way we live out in the mountainside where there is nobody around except for grownups."

"So Gohan grew up without there being any kids his own age around him, no wonder he doesn't like us," Videl said feeling tears begin to form in her eyes. Quickly she wiped them away with the back of her hand.

"It's okay to cry," said Goten who had noticed this. "Gohan says that to cry shows that you are human."

"When was the last time Gohan cried?" she asked. Suddenly she felt the learn everything that this kid had to offer.

"When he saw dad die," came the solemn response.

Videl suddenly felt another wave of guilt not only wash over her but crash into her very soul. Not only had Gohan not had any children his own age around him but he had watched his own father die. No wonder he doesn't talk about his background. To carry around such a burden must make it so hard for him to even open himself up for people. I feel so bad about trying to find about his past. Again tears formed in her eyes but she didn't wipe them away this time.

"How did your dad die?" she asked Goten.

"Gohan said that he died protecting those he loved, that he sacrificed himself so that others may live." The tears from Videl's eyes now flowed freely down her cheeks. She looked through her hazy gaze at Goten to see that the boy was beginning to cry as well. Openly, she knelt down and opened her arms wide for a hug. Goten looked at her for a second before rushing into her open grasp. Together they cried, one for the memory of his father and the other for guilt.

They openly cried for several minutes before Videl broke the hug. She looked into Goten's eyes and said, "You should be proud to call such a man your father."

"I am proud of Goku," said the boy which shocked Videl.

"Goten you've got to get over here, I found a cave full of bears," called a childish voice deep in the forest. Suddenly Goten's mood returned to that of a blissfully unaware child and ran into the forest before Videl could react.

Gohan's father's name was Goku? That can't mean...

An emotional chapter for Videl as she comes to learn that her invading Gohan's personal boundaries could have severely injured his self esteem. Now she learns that his father was none other than Goku. What could this mean? I will try to update soon but I've just gone on my Uni break so my laptop will not be opened for some time. Please review.