Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or any of its characters.

Crumbling Foundations

The moment Gohan walked into class the next day, he could sense a change in Videl. He could feel her eyes watching him intently as he went to take his seat. The way she was staring at him…it was as in a way he had never seen before. It was unnerving. As he sat down, he did his best to ignore it, but could not shake the feeling that his every word, act, and mannerism was being observed and analyzed.

But that was not the only abnormality in Videl's behavior. What seemed even stranger to Gohan was her sudden change in attitude. Whereas before she had always exuded fierce determination, absolute confidence, and a combative, almost hostile front; now she seemed decidedly less aggressive. He had never seen her so…subdued before. Everything, from her posture to the look in her eyes, was different from the Videl he knew. Even her stare was less penetrating and more reflective, cautious. What could have happened? Was this still about their date, or was it something else entirely?

She greeted him with a simple "Hey, Gohan," and he responded in kind.

There was definitely something wrong. Her voice carried a hint of something. Sadness? Depression? Regret? Uncertainty? Some kind of mixture of these? He couldn't tell, but whatever it was, he was sure he had never heard it before.

Erasa, never one to be quiet, started chattering endlessly. Half of the time she spent making ridiculous suggestions about their date, while the other half she spent prattling on about…whatever Erasa talks about. Shopping, boys, gossip, clothes, shopping, clothes, and more shopping—Videl and Gohan ignored it all, not that Erasa would ever notice.

Soon, the teacher began to lecture, and though Gohan tried to pay attention, he could not keep his mind off the Videl's bizarre change. He had sensed her and Krillin together during lunch the previous day. Could that have something to do with it? By the flaring in their ki, he guessed that they had fought each other—for what reason he had no idea—but that did little to explain Videl's strange behavior.

Still, there had to be a reason. He knew that her clandestine visit with Krillin was most likely another one of her attempts to dig up information about him. At the time, he'd been unconcerned. After all, he could trust Krillin not to reveal anything sensitive…or so he thought. Had she actually been able to learn something significant from Krillin? Gohan supposed that it was a possibility, at least. He'd have to speak with Krillin after class to find out what he had said to her.

In any case, Gohan would need to be on his guard. Perhaps the cause of all this was completely benign, but just in case, he could not afford to be lax. No matter what Videl had or had not discovered, he did not believe for a second it would placate her for more than a short while. Their pseudo-date had only confirmed that the tenacious girl would not stop until she had uncovered every one of his secrets and more. In particular, her interest in his father was especially troublesome because, despite all his efforts to the contrary, he was ill-suited for dealing with that subject.

Class could not have ended sooner. As soon as the bell rang, Gohan jumped from his seat, leaving his fellow classmates in the dust as he rushed to get his business with Krillin done quickly. With a quick flick of his senses, he checked to confirm the location of his old friend, and set off hastily to confront him, masking his own energy just in case—couldn't have the little weasel trying to slip away.

His progress was hindered by the bustling students that came pouring into the hallways. Rather than wait for his classmates as they unhurriedly meandered to their lockers and classes, chatting with their friends the whole way, Gohan weaved expertly through the mass of students as he advanced towards his goal. A couple of turns and a minute later, Gohan burst into the teachers' lounge, finding it empty, surprisingly, but for the one man he had come to see—Krillin.

The Z-fighter casually glanced up from his magazine at the sound of the door, and immediately shot up as he recognized Gohan. So soon? I thought I'd at least have until the end of the day. Startled as he was by the sudden intrusion, he could only choke out nervously, "Hey, Gohan! What can I do ya for?"

Gohan did not have the time to beat around the bush. If he didn't hurry, he'd be late for class, something which he found distasteful on principle, though he would not be deterred if it proved necessary.

"What did you tell Videl?" he demanded. He was still not positive that Krillin had, in fact, told Videl anything, but he wanted to keep his friend on his toes and pretend like he was. That way, he'd get the information he wanted faster.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Krillin struggled to keep the guilty stammer out of his voice, but to no avail. He had already given himself away to the hyper-perceptive Saiyan. Gohan had no need to speak; his withering look did the job just as well. "Okay, okay," Krillin relented, "We sparred—I'm guessing you already knew that—and then I talked with her a bit. I just got her to lay off your back a little."

"And how did you do that?"

"I just told her to be patient."

"I see." Gohan was unconvinced. None of what Krillin had told him so far explained Videl's behavior. His old friend was clearly trying to hide something. "Anything else?" he prodded.

"Well … you see I … it's just that I uh …"

"Krillin, what did you tell Videl?" Gohan asked again deliberately.

Krillin gulped and fidgeted with his fingers. "I told her about your father—that he's … you know …"

Just like that the pieces all fit together—Videl's stares, her attitude, the tone in her voice—it was pity, or at least mostly. Gohan supposed that he should be relieved that it was something so trivial compared to the many other secrets he guarded. And he was. But as his mind cycled through the implications of it all, everything came crashing down. Krillin's words, combined with the thought of Videl's pity-filled face that morning, it all made the death of his father intensely real—as if once again he had watched his father give up his life in front of his very eyes.

A torrent of memories and self-condemnation poured down and weighed on him heavier than any physical load he had ever lifted. Trying and failing to stem the tide and free his mind from the suffocating weight and focus on the situation at hand, he turned to leave, completely oblivious to the presence of his friend.

"Wait, Gohan!" Krillin called and grabbed his shoulder. The boy stopped but otherwise did not acknowledge him. "Look, I don't know exactly what's going on, Gohan—why you had that ki suppressor put it, why you won't fight anymore—but this has got to stop. Goku's death was not your fault. Do you hear me?"

Krillin's voice seemed muddled to Gohan's jumbled mind. And as the meaning began to clarify, the dam burst. Image after image of that night 11 years ago flashed vividly through his mind on a continual, torturous loop—being called to finish what his father could not, reveling in his power and toying with Cell, the psychotic android threatening to blow up the earth, his father looking at him for the last time, his face, his words, his voice. The pain was immense. Fighting back tears, he almost forgot to respond. When he did, his throat was so constricted his voice came out as barely a whisper:

"Yes, Krillin, it was." He shrugged out of Krillin's hold and disappeared into the busy hallway.

If Gohan hurried, he could make it to class just on time. But at the moment, he could not bear the thought. He wanted to be away from the oppressive presence of other people. So instead of going to Calculus, he turned towards the front entrance of the school. Telling the office staff that he was not feeling well—which was true enough—he retreated back to his apartment.

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