Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z
...
Videl remained silent as she gazed upon father and son, a tension ringing in the air solely by the way that Gohan had addressed the orange clad man. The pause had been palpable and it was clear that Gohan had found it difficult to say what seemed like an unfamiliar word.
"Wow, look how big you've grown," said Gohan's father, walking up and embracing his son. It was here that Videl managed to get a look at the state that the man was in. Burns and grazes were littered across his arms and legs. Even his face hadn't been spared and the sheer fact that his clothes were still intact seemed like nothing short of a miracle. Recalling the Cell Games to the best of her memory, there had been someone who had fought Cell between her father and Gohan.
Gohan had watched his father fight a life or death battle up close before being sent in to fight the very creature that had been able to deal such wounds to his father. What emotions had been running through his head when he had been sent into battle?
"So, who's your friend here?" asked Gohan's father, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his son hadn't returned the embrace.
"Ah, I'm Videl," introduced the high school student. She had momentarily contemplated mentioning her family name but given the fact that her father had 'fought' Cell before this man there may have been some conflicting emotions. The lies that Hercule had sprouted for years after about having defeated Cell wasn't known by these fighters but that didn't mean that there was some prior conflict between them.
"I'm Goku, it's nice to meet you," said Goku cheerfully.
"Don't you think that this is a bit of a weird date to take your girlfriend on?" asked Krillin, interjecting himself into the conversation.
"I'm...not...Gohan's girlfriend," said Videl with a lot less conviction than she would have liked. Even saying those words stung a bit.
"Still though, the two of you must be pretty close if you've come to this time," acknowledged Piccolo. "I don't imagine that he would have brought you here otherwise."
"Well, I kind of...forced the situation on him," said Videl suddenly feeling very small. It only really dawned on her that all these people here had come with the intention of fighting Cell. If she was to paint herself in a poor enough light then there was every possibility that they could deal severe damage to her without so much as an ounce of effort. Gohan may have been a kind individual but that didn't mean that each of his comrades were of the same nature.
"If you entered through the lookout then that would mean that I let you through," declared Piccolo. "I wouldn't simply let anybody enter."
"In which case it means that you're a friend," said Goku before gesturing for Videl to step forward to the edge of the cliff. "If you're here to watch then you should get the best seat in the house."
Accepting the invitation, Videl started walking forward before taking a cautionary look at Gohan. Her schoolmate hadn't budged from the spot where Goku had embraced him. Part of her wished to stop and ask him if he was okay but with his father ushering her to the edge of the cliff she had no real opportunity to do so.
Looking upon the battlefield she noticed two things immediately. The first was that they were really high up and as a result the combatants looked miniscule. Secondly, was that she couldn't currently see where Cell and Gohan were fighting. There was nobody currently fighting where the stage had once been. It took her a moment to recall that just because she couldn't currently locate the combat didn't mean that a fight wasn't happening.
Several swift explosions rang forth across the ground in multiple succession sending chunks of the Earth flying off in multiple directions. A cloud of dust erupted from nearby before a shockwave of pure power nearly knocked her off of her feet. Next thing she bore witness to was a nearby rock larger than her mansion caving in on itself.
It was then that she finally saw it.
Cell.
The menacing being that had threatened the lives of every person on that planet. Even from the distance that they were standing at, it was clear that it was an intimidating foe. Along with that, it seemed to have shown no remorse for whatever it was that had just been crushed under tonnes of rubble. Or, more precisely, who it was.
Cell then turned towards the cliff and for a moment looked as if it wanted to say something before pausing. It was at this moment that Videl noticed that Cell was looking at somebody. That somebody was her.
A brief recalling of the original footage came to her mind when the cameraman had caught the faces of every fighter who had been present at the start of the tournament. Cell would have paid attention as well and had noted every individual fighter who had come to his games.
She had not been there at that time.
And Cell knew it.
Before anything could be acted upon this however, the rubble that had collapsed upon itself erupted in a golden flash of light. Debris rained upon the field as a small individual walked forward, seemingly unfazed after having very nearly been buried alive. He stepped forward confidently, his golden hair a stark contrast to the desolate wasteland about him and with steady steps he walked up to Cell.
Videl swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat.
That was Gohan, the young boy who was standing up against the greatest threat the planet had ever known. A child who had never once received the recognition he rightfully deserved for standing against the monster that held the planet at it's mercy. She knew the outcome and likely wouldn't even be able to bare witness to just how it had gone down, the speed at which they moved was simply to fast for her to watch.
Still though, she had watched how Gohan had reacted when his father had hugged him. Something had happened or, given the time that she was in, something could potentially happen. She silently hoped that with her and Gohan being here they hadn't messed up the timeline too badly by being there. Videl wanted to know exactly what had taken place.
Even if she couldn't actually see the fighting that was going down.
...
Gohan remained rooted in place, unmoving as the cold wind rushed past his body. He had frozen when Goku had embraced him with a touch that he hadn't felt in years. It was an absence that was forever present in his mind and the simple touch had reminded him just what it was that he had lost.
All because of his mistake.
All because of what he had become.
Shivers ran across his skin as he struggled to keep himself in line. He had thought that he could do this. He had thought that he had gotten over this. He had thought he could keep himself composed when face to face with his father.
He had thought wrong.
Now he had to live through it all over again.
"Gohan!" barked Piccolo loudly, alerting the high school student to just how close the Namekian was to him. How long had he been trying to get his attention?
"Sorry," said Gohan, breaking out of a stupor that he'd been unaware that he was caught in. "I don't know what came over me."
The glare that Piccolo sent his way clearly expressed that the Namekian did not believe him in the slightest. Still though, Gohan knew that Piccolo was wise enough not to pry any deeper than necessary. He knew that Gohan was here for a reason and anything he said or did now had no effect on the real world. That didn't mean that it didn't have an effect on Gohan as a person.
"Kid," said Piccolo as he placed a comforting hand on Gohan's shoulder. "Clearly something happens today that upsets you but the fact that you're here means that the result is pretty straight forward. If you're this shaken up I can only imagine that something drastic is about to happen. Yet you can't change the past, but you can shape the future whichever way you wish. You are Son Gohan."
Gohan honestly hadn't expected to have gotten a pep talk when he had returned to this timeline. "Thanks Piccolo."
"Well, at least it seems you no longer call me with that 'Mister' title anymore."
"New times, new me," said Gohan offering a weak smile.
It was then that Gohan felt new power sources emerging swiftly one after another. Inwardly he cursed, he hadn't felt as if that much time had passed. He had silently hoped that he wouldn't have to fight in the upcoming battle but that was too much to ask.
Given his current level of strength, he didn't know how well he would fare against Cell's spawn.
He then found himself cursing inwardly knowing that it likely wouldn't be a single minion of Cell that he would be fighting. If nobody up here was capable of taking them on, then it would likely be up to him to prevent Videl from taking serious damage.
...
A short chapter, I know but I just wanted to send this out and inform people that I still intend on finishing this. Hope you enjoyed.