Son Gohan The Destroyer

by EmeraldSaiyan

Death greets Gohan at the end of the Cell Games, yet instead of passing on to the Otherworld, Whis takes an interest in the young half-saiyan's incredible power and decides to train him as Lord Beerus' successor. With the balance of the universe at stake, Gohan accepts the deity's offer. (AU)

16. Ultra Instinct

A/N: Hello all! Hope 2019 has been treating you well so far! As always thank you so much for your continued love and support. I cannot believe that this story is at 1000 followers! :O :O :O! How crazy is that?! I am super excited for this story and have been working very hard on it recently. This chapter in particular is a whopping 28 pages long and just over 16,000 words! phew, its a beast but I do hope that you'll enjoy the outcome of this chapter as we move forward into the nitty gritty of the story. Goodness I can't wait! I am super excited and have every intention of finishing this story and I will get there one way or another. The ending is already mapped out ;) Thank you so much for your feedback, I always look forward to reading it. I apologise for some spelling/grammar mistakes last chapter, I'm not quite sure what happened there! Fingers crossed there wont be any in this chapter :P

I'm glad that people liked and also got the concept of a Majin Goku in the last chapter! I may do a bonus chapter for the lost Buu Saga at the end of this story if I have the time. It would be something fun and different to write. But we will see as my focus is on completing the story first!

As always, Enjoy! ES x

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And another summary of the last chapter by a lovely reviewer RedDragonforce1!

(Narrator's voice): Last Time, Gohan managed to calm Videl down without drawing outside attention, but in return got blackmailed into spending time with his family as she trains with them. (Videl's Voice: "It's just a couple of days.") Amongst the nostalgic surroundings, Gohan learned a horrible truth: Goku was mind controlled into being Evil. Thanks to the combined efforts of Vegeta, Piccolo, and newcomers Goten and Trunks, who became Super Saiyans in the process, Majin Goku was stopped before it was too late. Can our Junior Destroyer keep the pretense of "Beerus" up, or will his Family's presence break his resolve? Find out Next on Son Gohan The Destroyer!

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Chapter Sixteen

Ultra Instinct

xxxx

When Gohan woke up the next morning, it took him a minute or two to remember just where he was. For a moment he thought that he was back at Videl's apartment, judging by how his back had dipped uncomfortably in between the sofa cushions. Though reality soon reared it's ugly head, as the sound of childish giggling reached his ears.

He could feel the presence of the two boys hovering above him as he lay on his back, his head resting on a spare pillow from one of the bedrooms and a fluffy blanket hardly managing to cover his bare chest. The young saiyan had realised that he was now too tall to lie fully on his parents sofa, and as such his legs dangled off the edge, giving Bee the incentive to try and nibble his toes all night. So, sleep deprived and sore, he was thoroughly miffed that he had been woken up prematurely by the terror twins.

It was an appropriate name for the boys in his opinion, especially considering what they were up to. And Gohan confirmed his suspicions as he suddenly snapped open one eye, causing Goten and Trunks to yelp, jumping a mile and almost dropping the odd combination of items they held in their hands in the process.

"What are you doing?" Gohan quirked, opening his other eye and sitting up fully, narrowing his gaze at the pair.

"Nothing," they chorused guiltily, still floating across from him.

"Oh really?" The young saiyan gave them an incredulous stare, eyeing the things that they quickly hid behind their backs. "It doesn't look like nothing."

Goten and Trunks gulped, and Gohan was loving every second of staring the boys out. Using his domineering presence to scare them into submission - classic.

"Were you going to prank me?" he asked again, his voice low and dangerous, causing them to sweat.

"N-no!" Goten squeaked as Trunks began shaking his head vigorously, "We were just going to show you all this cool stuff we found, right Trunks?"

"Right!"

"Oh right," The teenager said sarcastically, "Because I can't wait to see what's so cool about a jar of worms, a can of shaving foam, an airhorn and a watermelon."

Alright so maybe the airhorn was pretty cool, but he wasn't going to tell them that.

"What kind of a prank were you trying to pull with that combination anyway?" he frowned, as the boys flashed him identical, innocent smiles.

Luckily, before Gohan got angry, his mother waltzed into the living room.

"Good morning Beerus, or should I say afternoon? It's already gone eleven," she chuckled, stopping short when she caught sight of Goten and Trunks, "Oh honestly, I turn my back for five minutes! Have you two got nothing better to do than to pester our guest?!"

"Aw but Mum," Goten whined, "Uncle Vegeta just left!"

Chi-Chi rolled her eyes, though before she could scold them any further, did a rather muddy Goku and Videl enter through the hallway, both clutching water bottles and sporting towels around their necks.

"Oh morning Beerus! You're finally up!" his father grinned, "Phew, you like to sleep in late don't you? None of us could wake you up! Not even Videl here and she tried harder than any of us!"

Gohan flushed in embarrassment, pulling the blanket up to his neck to avoid further exposing himself to the occupants of the room. "Er sorry," he mustered, "I didn't mean to sleep in for so long."

"Don't worry about it," the man chuckled, "Videl and I have just had our morning spar and we were about to have second breakfast. Come and join us!"

"What are we doing after second breakfast Dad?" asked Goten, "Ooh can me and Trunks spar with you?"

"I think we've all had enough fighting for now," his mother told him before his father could answer, "Why don't we all go for a walk instead? It's a beautiful day and we could always take a trip to the city to get something nice for dinner."

"Aw but mum - !" "I don't like shopping Aunt Chi-Chi!" the boys whined, though Videl cut across them.

"I think that's a lovely idea Chi-Chi," she smiled, "And I bet that if the boys behave themselves then we could even let them pick dessert."

Their eyes lit up at that, thoughts of a good spar flying out of the window as they nodded their heads enthusiastically.

"Aw but I wanted to pick the dessert," Goku pouted, causing his mother to sigh in an exasperated manner.

"Maybe next time Goku."

"Oh alright."

Gohan caught Videl's eye over the back of the sofa, exchanging an amused smile.

The weather truly was glorious. The sun was high in the sky, warming the pine scented air around them and casting bold shadows upon the ground. Gohan had taken to wearing a simple pair of black skinny jeans and a plain white t-shirt that Piccolo had provided for him, his mother had even found him an old pair of his father's sunglasses to wear, after harping on about sun protection and making the lot of them slather on a ridiculous amount of factor fifty which was thick like buttercream.

Feeling a bit sticky, but not undeterred, the young saiyan quite enjoyed the long walk through the forest path. He listened to the birds sing as his mother, father and Videl chatted about this and that, whilst Goten and Trunks ran ahead of them to see who could spot the tallest tree and climb to the top. Apparently, the purple-haired prince would be staying overnight at the Son's for a sleepover with his best friend, which he had learned from Videl was an almost weekly routine. They had left Bee back at the house, so that the crazy mutt wouldn't run rampant in the city.

"How're you holding up?" Videl asked him in a low voice as she dropped back to where he was walking behind the group.

"Better than yesterday," he admitted, "Though if I'm honest, I'm just trying to get the next couple of days over and done with. I could really do with searching for the dragonballs."

She nodded in understanding, "Maybe we can sneak out later and go on a dragonball hunt whilst everyones in bed?"

He gulped, the thought of sneaking out with Videl in the middle of the night causing his mouth to run dry.

"Are you alright?" the girl quirked, raising an eyebrow at his sudden flustered demeanour.

"Just fine," he replied, forcing a smile, "I was just thinking about where to start looking."

"Well you have the radar," Videl said slowly, her lips twitching in amusement, "We can just use that to find them, you know, like usual…"

"Oh right yeah," the teenager chuckled nervously, "Silly me."

"Oi you two!" Goku called up ahead, where they had come to a stop in the middle of a clearing, "We're going to head to the city now."

"Yeah nature is boring!" Trunks chimed, "We want ice-cream!"

"Ice-cream!" Goten cheered happily, pumping his fists in the air.

Gohan and Videl chuckled, as his mother frowned.

"Well alright, we can go and get some ice-cream," she said curtly, ignoring the boys' cheers, "But we're flying Goku, I'm not having you using your instant transmission to pop into the middle of the street and give some poor old dear a heart attack - again."

"Sounds like a plan," Goku smiled, picking up the woman bridal style without warning and causing her to squeal, "I much prefer flying in this weather anyway."

"Goku!" Chi-Chi gasped, smacking him playfully on the chest before turning to the children, "Alright you two, no playing tag in the sky, no stopping for toilet breaks or looking at pretty birds. Make sure you look both ways before landing and you can have your ice-cream as soon as we get there."

"Okay Mum!" said Goten.

"Yeah, we'll be good Aunt Chi-Chi," Trunks beamed.

"Good," the ox-princess nodded before turning to the two teenagers, her eyes widening suddenly in realisation, "Oh dear, what about you Beerus? Hmm, well I suppose someone could carry you - ."

"Oh wait Chi! I have an idea!" said his father, which the young Destroyer was thoroughly grateful for. He did not want to be carried, especially not by Videl or the terror twins. He was sort of wishing that Videl had told them that he knew how to fly at least. Though apparently his father had a better idea.

"Come to me flying Nimbus!"

This was not a good idea.

Gohan cringed, as a few seconds passed before the familiar fluffy yellow cloud streaked across the sky from the horizon. He sighed, this was going to be embarrassing. He knew that only those truly pure of heart could ride the Nimbus cloud, and as such was certain that he wouldn't be able to anymore, what with all the acts he had performed as a Destroyer-in-training. As much as he had tried to avoid it, there had been times when the need had come for him to destroy a planet or to wipe an entire race from existence. He didn't like doing it necessarily, though he did get a feeling of satisfaction when he destroyed monsters and beasts that had reeked havoc across the universe.

Unfortunately, destruction didn't necessarily go hand in hand with purity - he doubted that Lord Beerus would be able to sit on the magic cloud without falling through. And even though Whis had told him many years ago that his heart was pure, he wasn't sure if the same was true anymore. He had done a lot of terrible things by Nimbus' standards.

Though there was something unusual about how the cloud was acting. Instead of skidding to a halt in front of his father's feet, like it always did when it presented itself to the person who called it, it headed straight for Gohan. He couldn't help but laugh, as Nimbus quickly circled around his body happily, almost blowing the others back from the mini tornado it had just caused. The cloud whizzed above his head, before finally coming to rest just above his knees, emitting a low purring sound as it waited patiently for the teen to hop in.

You remember me, don't you Nimbus? Gohan thought with a smile, fond memories of him riding the magic cloud, racing it and speeding high up amongst the clouds sprang to his mind.

His father blinked at The Flying Nimbus' strange antics before breaking out into a cheery grin, "Wow Beerus, Nimbus must really like you! I've never seen him act like that around a stranger before."

"Heh, is that so?" the young saiyan said nervously, Videl was practically beaming at him.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Goku asked, "Hop on!"

"Goku, are you sure this is a good idea?" Chi-Chi whispered from his arms, "What if -?"

"Don't worry Chi-Chi," the saiyan smiled, "I've got a good feeling about Beerus, he won't fall through."

"Fall through?" Gohan quirked, trying to act dumb as he realised that he was trying to act like a normal person who hadn't seen a magical flying cloud before.

"You can only ride it if you've got a pure heart!" Goten told him, "If not, you'll fall straight through it like Trunks did!"

"Shut up!" The lavender haired prince spat, "That was only one time!"

"Yeah, because you called me a really bad swear word when you were riding it," he teased.

"Well maybe you shouldn't have pissed me off!" he snapped back.

"Haha, the one you said on Nimbus was much worse than that one!"

"Boys!" Chi-Chi cried, giving them a stern look before turning to the teenager in question, "Well come on then Beerus, we haven't got all day."

Gohan sighed, staring begrudgingly at the yellow cloud as it continued to whir in place. Even if he did fall through, he didn't think that they would think any less of him, only a handful of his family and friends could ride it after all and they still respected those who couldn't. Though he wondered what they would think if he fell through and knew the reality of who he really was? The very thought was enough to make him shudder.

Deciding to just get the humiliation over and done with, the halfling gritted his teeth and scrunched up his eyes in preparation. He jumped, landing on Nimbus so that his feet were firmly planted on top of the cloud.

And he stayed.

He was stunned that was a given, opening his eyes in astonishment as his father let out a bark of laughter.

"See I knew it!" Goku beamed, lifting off into the air, "Now that we're all ready, let's go! Last one to the city is a rotten senzu bean!"

"GOKU!" His mother shrieked as they shot through the sky, "This is NOT a race!"

"It is now!" Trunks grinned evilly, his white aura building around him.

"Yeah, I'm gonna win!" laughed Goten, following suit as they both kicked off from the ground at the same time.

Videl all but gave him a wink before she too blasted after them, the tall trees around him blowing backwards from the force.

Gohan smirked devilishly, bending down to whisper to the fluffy cloud that he was now sat upon, "Come on Nimbus, let's see what you're made of nowadays!"

Accepting the challenge, the flying cloud wiggled and whirred before he was thrust into the air, easily speeding past Videl who gaped at him angrily.

"Oh no you don't!" she cried, pushing her Ki forcibly behind her and propelling herself forwards in an attempt to catch him up.

His smirked widened as an idea came to mind after a couple of minutes of racing, catching sight of the specks of his father, brother and Trunks up ahead of him. There was no way he was going to allow himself to loose.

It happened so fast that Videl nearly missed it, as in the blink of an eye did both Gohan and Nimbus wink out of sight. The halfling had thought quickly, teleporting himself and Nimbus away and reappearing just upon the outskirts of Orange Star City, allowing the magic cloud to speedily fly them the rest of the way.

"Woah Beerus, you won!" Goku gaped in shock as he skidded to a halt in front of the teenager who was sat triumphantly atop Nimbus with his arms folded across his chest, hovering high above the city. His mother looked flustered from where she was clutching onto the front of her husbands gi, her hair windswept and falling from her usually tight bun atop her head.

"I didn't know that Nimbus could go that fast!" panted Goten, as Trunks and Videl brought up the rear.

"Yeah, fancy that," the girl griped, shooting Gohan a steely glare.

"Nice going!" his father smiled, before leading the way downwards into an alleyway where they could safely land without being spotted by civilians.

"Looks like you're the rotten senzu bean," Gohan teased as he and Videl landed a little further away from his parents.

"Oh shut up, cheater," she huffed, "I doubt that senzu beans even have a 'use by' date anyway."

He gave her a cheeky smile, as she promptly stuck her tongue out at him.

"How did you do that anyway? Instant transmission?" she asked, curious.

"Well, I can sort of teleport -," he began to explain, but stopped short when Goten bounded up to them.

"What are you two whispering about?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Probably kissy kissy stuff, they look like they're about to suck face," Trunks shrugged next to him, before Videl clocked him on the head with her fist.

"Don't be a smart arse Trunks," she scolded, as he rubbed the sore spot on his skull, "Or else I'll tell Chi-Chi and she won't get you any ice-cream."

"Aright fine," the boy shrugged, pulling Goten away, "But from what I can see, you two are just kidding yourselves."

The teenagers stared after them, before Videl shook her head with an amused smile.

"Psychoanalysed by a nine year old," she chuckled, turning towards the red-faced halfling, "You coming?"

"Yeah," he replied shortly, following them out of the alley. Was he really being that obvious?

To his annoyance, the streets of Orange Star City were packed due to the heat of the summers day and Gohan and his family had to struggle through the influx of people that crowded around the main shopping district. Many couples and families were already out for lunch, sitting under large umbrellas and nursing ice cold drinks. He spotted a large park as they continued to walk, with several ice-cream and burger stands that had lines of people queuing up for their refreshments.

Teenagers, listening to what sounded like rock music, basked in the sun on top of their school blazers whilst several small children raced among them. Their childish laughter reached his ears as they fought for the next turn of the slide or the monkey bars situated in the centre of the dried out grass. Several people were out walking their dogs, and Gohan immediately felt a little sorry for Bee who they had left had home, and made a mental note to himself to take him out for a long walk when they got back. He could even come out on his and Videl's dragonball hunt later.

He was pleased to find that the majority of the streamers and decorations had been taken down from the celebrations the other day. Yet he scowled up at the giant billboard with his face on that still remained for some daft reason. His mother didn't seem too pleased about it either.

"Oh I do wish they'd stop making a spectacle out of my boy," she said aloud, catching sight of it before briskly turning the other way, "Come on, let's go and find an ice-cream parlour. I hear that there's a very nice one on Orin Avenue.

Gohan caught Videl's eye, who all but gave him a sympathetic smile before following his mother.

He sighed, the euphoria of winning the little race earlier dissipating in an instant. He really didn't like that sad look in his mother's eyes, and it had really dampened his mood. Hoping that a spot of ice-cream would cheer him up, the teenager trudged after his family, though hung back a bit to continue observing the sights around him.

He could see a lot of tourists, though he quite honestly didn't see what was so wonderful about visiting a big city. The young saiyan much preferred the countryside, even when he went off to visit other planets. Cities were so boring, not to mention that they always smelled funny what with all the polluted air. The mass of congested vehicles were rife in the majority of cities that he had visited across the galaxies, and the sounds of honking car horns and irate drivers were more than enough to get on his nerves.

The buildings were always so colourless and imposing, blocking out the sun - or suns depending on what planet he was on. It was the same wherever he went. Families on a picnic, children whining for the next best toy, public transport chugging along the streets, queues of people lining up for one reason or another. There was always food stalls, markets, Whis and Lord Beerus sharing a sundae in the sun, someone's pet relieving itself in a prohibited place -

Hang on a tick.

Gohan did a double take, blinking rapidly, his sunglasses sliding down the end of his nose as he could hardly believe his eyes. He choked, for there was no mistaking that his mentor and predecessor were sitting on a bench directly across from him, happily sharing a strawberry sundae as if it was the most normal thing in the world. They hadn't even bothered to disguise themselves for goodness sake! Sitting openly in their divine attire, uncaring that they were receiving several odd looks from passersby.

Catching him staring at them in bewilderment, Whis looked up, giving him a cheery wave.

The teenager face-palmed.

"What the bloody hell are you two doing here?!" He demanded as he approached them, causing the pair to smirk.

"Really now?" scoffed Lord Beerus, licking the cream from his spoon in delight, "Is that any way to speak to your superiors?"

Gohan huffed, folding his arms across his chest angrily, "It's how I speak to the Gods that abandoned me on Earth to search for some crackpot prophecy that nobody has even heard of!"

"Crackpot prophecy?!" The Destroyer God snarled, "Why you little -! Do you have any idea of what's at stake?!"

"Do you?" he shot back, "You're sat here eating ice-cream!"

"Yet another thing that utterly infuriates me about this entire situation," said Lord Beerus, his sharp eyes narrowing into slits, "Why didn't you tell us that the food here on Earth was so mouthwateringly delicious?!"

Gohan winced, knowing immediately that he was in trouble, "I sort of… forgot…"

"FORGOT?!" He cried, disintegrating the tiny wooden spoon in his grasp with a small influx of power, "How could you forget about something like that?! Ice-cream, pizza, hotdogs, burgers, fries and ketchup of all things! The surprisingly tangy yet sweet flavour?! It's INGENIOUS!"

"Well I didn't think it was that important!" he protested, "Excuse me if I was trying to focus on my studies and training in order to fill your stinky old boots!"

"Stinky?!" Lord Beerus growled, "I'll tell you what stinks, your damned attitude towards the Divine! It's obvious that you just wanted to keep Earth's delicacies all to yourself!"

"Obviously not, as I had no intention of coming back here!" the young saiyan snapped, "I'm only here because of your stupid premonition. And before you say anything, it was stupid. I mean, what kind of premonition gives you the highlights but skips the details?!"

"You'd better watch that mouth of yours kid," he glowered dangerously, "before I -"

"Alright, that's enough," Whis interjected calmly, standing up between the two and allowing Beerus to gobble up the last of their sundae in a disgruntled manner, "Now Gohan, as I'm sure you've guessed by now, we didn't just stop by to sample the local cuisine. Firstly, how is your research coming along? Not well I'm guessing judging by how you just reacted."

The young saiyan immediately became sheepish, "Well, um. I asked Vegeta about the prophecy but he doesn't know anything about it either. So it looks like I'll have to wait until I can summon the Eternal Dragon in a months time."

"And did you tell Prince Vegeta who you were?" Beerus quirked, licking his lips clean of strawberry syrup.

"Yeah, I sort of had to," he replied with a shrug, "I used the name Beerus as my alias - stupidly, and he was about to fight me to the death for the fate of the planet. I had to tell him or else I could have been discovered by the rest of my family and friends."

The deity let out a bark of laughter, much to his annoyance, "The saiyan prince wanted to fight me, eh? He must still be sore about me making a fool out of his father. Saiyans, such a prideful race."

"Just how many people have you told about your presence here on Earth, Gohan?" asked Whis, as the Destroyer continued to lick the ice-cream bowl clean.

"Well," he began, counting them on his fingers, "There's Vegeta, then Dende who I told because he's the Guardian of Earth. Majin Buu - sort of, because I threatened him. Piccolo, my old mentor who figured it out and then Videl too."

"Videl?" the Angel blinked curiously.

"Yeah, you know the girl that first took me in after I landed here?" he informed them, attempting to keep his tone indifferent, "She's my dad's student. I also kind of saved her life back when I was fighting Cell."

"Hm, I see," said Whis, his eyes lingering on him for a moment before he continued, "Well despite your failures so far, at least we have somewhat of a plan."

"Oi! I managed to get hold of the dragon radar so I can get a head start with finding the dragonballs you know!" he fumed in offense, causing his mentor to chuckle.

"What do you want, a medal?" Lord Beerus snorted, "And just how many of these dragonballs have you managed to find so far?"

"Well, um… none," Gohan muttered quietly, averting his eyes.

"You're slacking boy!" the deity berated him angrily, "Just what in Zalama's name has gotten into you?"

"Nothing! I've just been busy!" he defended hotly, as Beerus scoffed.

"Busy lounging around this mud ball and not doing your job," he stated, "I can already feel you getting weaker, it's been days since you trained."

"Well duh, I can't exactly train here without anyone noticing," the teenager replied haughtily.

"Well then, I think that our visit has come at an opportune moment," Whis interjected once more, smiling at them both, "I think a spot of training wouldn't go amiss. We can spar after I have briefed you Gohan, we have much to discuss in regards to our threat, though as I'm sure you're aware that it cannot be discussed here. This is a very private matter."

Gohan inwardly groaned. Great, how was he going to explain his sudden disappearance to his family? He couldn't just not leave, there were more important matters at hand.

"I'm sure you'll think of something," Whis smiled, causing the teenager to scowl.

"Will you stop reading my mind without my consent? It's creepy!"

His mentor chuckled, "If I didn't then I wouldn't know that you have been eyeing up that quadruple chocolate 'gut-buster' sundae from the moment you got here, now would I?"

The young Destroyer's frown deepened, casting his gaze over to the ice-cream stand behind them before turning his head away in defiance. "If you're trying to bribe me as an apology for stranding me here then it's not going to work. I don't even want an ice-cream."

There was a pause, as both Beerus and Whis gave him a pointed look.

"Oh alright it's totally working," he grinned, accepting defeat quite readily as he looked up at the blue-skinned deity, "But can I get sprinkles?"

"Sprinkles?" Lord Beerus' ears twitched, "What are sprinkles?"

"Ah," Whis informed him wisely, "I believe it's what the Malikahs on Planet Malika call their -"

"It's not anything like that!" Gohan cut across him with a horrified expression, "Ew! No on Earth sprinkles are basically sugar mixed with syrup and flavours and colourings and … I don't know what else but they taste good and they're rainbow coloured!"

"Sugar you say?" the God of Destruction pondered, "Sounds… tantalising. Whis! I'll have what he's having and make sure you get me extra sprinkles for I am far superior to this brat!"

"Yeah I'm sure that the ice-cream vender is going to terrified of your all encompassing might what with all your extra sprinkles," the teen saiyan muttered sarcastically.

"Be quiet brat!" Beerus snapped, before turning towards the chuckling Angel, "Hurry up Whis, we haven't got all day."

"Very well," Whis sighed, "Don't blame me if you get brain freeze. Though you might need something cold to sooth that sick burn."

To the God's annoyance, Gohan and Whis high-fived.

"Wait Whis," the teen saiyan asked, "How did you even get the money for all this anyway?"

"Oh I don't need it," the Angel cooed, grinning widely as he waved towards the ice-cream cart, "The vender has found my interest in cold confectionary rather charming."

Yeah, and Lord Beerus probably scared the life out of him, he thought, as his mentor called back.

"Probably!"

"Oi! Stop reading my mind!"

The journey back to Lord Beerus' planet went rather quickly by all accounts, though Gohan attributed it to the amount of time he had spent laughing at said God for falling victim to the brain freeze that Whis had all but warned him about minutes earlier.

As The Warp landed at the foot of the giant, ancient tree the teenager let out an enormous belch, feeling rather satisfied, what with his belly full and his mouth harbouring a cool tingle from all the chocolate ice-cream he had just inhaled. It was good to be back, he thought, breathing in the familiar air that he had long grown accustomed to. He had certainly missed this place over the last few days, and was even considering whether he had the time to catch a quick nap in his comfortable bed when his mentor addressed him.

"Gohan please," Whis tutted, stepping forwards with a disapproving stare, "Do mind your manners."

"Whoops, sorry," he grinned sheepishly, throwing a hand to his hair.

"And speaking of manners," he said pointedly, before a silvery light encompassed his frame and he soon found that his jeans and t-shirt had been replaced by his regular Destroyer uniform, the ceremonial blue garb fluttering in the breeze as the halo reappeared above his head.

"Why did you do that?" Gohan asked, "You're only going to have to change me back later."

"This is a sacred place my boy, and at least some rules need to be abided by," the Angel stated, "I want our Junior Destroyer dressed appropriately at all times in the realm of Gods. You never know who might pop in!"

"Well alright," he shrugged, "But I'm just pointing out the fact that we haven't had a visitor in the eight years that I've been living here, and I don't count The Supreme Guard."

"Things may be subject to change, we have to be prepared for anything," said Whis, rather seriously, motioning the young man to sit.

He did as he was instructed, sitting cross-legged beside Lord Beerus who held his head in his hands in a vain attempt to curb his ice-cream headache. The Angel's eyes bore into his, the amber sky hanging above them almost ominously.

Gohan gasped suddenly, "Don't tell me that Perses has managed to escape already?!"

"Ugh, stop breathing so loud," Beerus mumbled in pain, as Whis let out a small chuckle.

"Oh dear no," he informed him, much to his relief, "Perses has not managed to break out of his prison within The Void, though I have to say that it could be only a matter of time."

"How long?" he asked boldly, clenching his fists as if the ex-Destroyer-in-training was about to pop up out of the ground at any second.

"That, we are unsure of at this time," Whis said carefully, "But what we do know is that he is still gaining power at a rapid rate. I daresay you should be able to feel the ripple of darkness spreading across the universe by now."

The halfling frowned, before closing his eyes and concentrating on his divine senses. He nearly toppled over, as said senses were assaulted by the most crippling amount of evil energy he had ever felt in his entire existence. It felt warped, corrupted, and it was so cold that he thought that if he focussed on it for any longer that it might just freeze his insides solid. It worried him greatly, as less than a week ago he hadn't been able to sense anything! And now...

His eyes snapped open, as he looked towards Whis with a horrorstricken expression, "What the bleeding hell is that?!"

"That, my boy, is Perses," his mentor stated, a dark look in his eyes, "And do mind your language."

"S-sorry," Gohan apologised quickly, "But that power, it's so corrupt. I've never felt anything like it! I can't believe that all that power is Perses."

"Pah," Lord Beerus spat from beside him, still looking rather weary, "That's nothing. Perses is capable of far more than that, this is just the beginning."

The teenager started at him, dumfounded. Surely they couldn't be serious?!

"The strength that our former disciple is capable of isn't the point," Whis cut across them, "The point is where or rather who the source is that is helping him regain that power. Every lead that The Supreme Guard has chased has come up short. Therefore, we think that it may be someone of a divine nature behind this."

"Divine nature?" Gohan frowned, "You mean a God?"

"Yes," the Destroyer drawled, peering up at him with narrowed eyes, "And before you go racing off as per usual with that damned sword in tow ready to charge, we don't necessarily mean a God from our universe."

"You think it's someone from another universe?!" he gaped.

"Naturally," Beerus sniffed, "It certainly isn't any one of us. Not to mention that our Supreme Kai and his suck-up assistant are nothing but spineless weaklings."

"Lord Beerus please," Whis warned, as the halfling tried to wrap his head around the revelation.

"So this deity, whoever it is, is ferrying power to The Void in order to revive Perses' strength so that he can break out?" he spoke thoughtfully, "Who would even want to do such a thing?"

"The person doing this may be conniving, but on the other hand very gullible," his mentor spoke seriously, "Whether it be for their own selfish gain or dreams of power, a being like Perses wouldn't think twice about slaughtering anyone, even those who try to help him."

The teenager couldn't help but notice the haunted look in both of the deities eyes as Whis continued, "We believe that someone who is divine in nature is behind this, whether it be Kai or Destroyer, as only Gods are able to access the realm of The Void. The Angels are fated to remain indifferent, their sole purpose only to serve the Destroyer they are appointed to. And it is impossible for a mere mortal to do so."

"It has to be," Gohan agreed, "Like you said, Perses can't draw power from within The Void. So it must be coming from the outside, and someone must be helping him in order to do so, else given what I know about his track record, he probably would have tried this a lot earlier than now if he was powerful enough to do so."

"Precisely," said Whis, as the young saiyan continued to ponder.

"But where would someone get that kind of power from within the living world?"

"That's assuming that it is coming from the living world and not any other realm," Beerus piped up, before wincing, "Oww my head. How long does this last?!"

"We don't know where this power is coming from just yet," explained the Angel, "But we're looking into it. Like I said, that so far all we can surmise is that this source is being used in order to restore Perses back to full strength, the realms of which we may not have seen before. But know this Gohan, that in the final battle before his capture, Perses was mentally unstable, which led me to believe that he was not fully in tune with himself nor his power. Remember that I trained him years ago for many years, and know all too well that if he concentrates, unblinded by his selfish desires, then he is capable of so much more than what we have seen from him so far. Though after so many years in The Void, whether he be stable or otherwise, I am not sure what horrors will greet this universe if we are unable to prevent his escape."

Gohan swallowed hard, his skin crawled with a familiar icy chill, like an aftershock from sensing the former Junior Destroyer's energy. This sounded a lot worse than he had originally thought. He just hoped that they were able to find this divine catalyst before it was too late.

"It looks as though we were correct and that we may need to utilise this Super Saiyan God form sooner than we had expected," said Whis, more serious than ever before, "As soon as the month is up and you can summon Earth's Eternal Dragon, we will return to Earth to retrieve you. From there we will train you to master this form, the more divine power we have in our arsenal the better, for the sake of the universe."

The young Destroyer nodded dutifully, trying to push away the sudden feeling of dread that dropped into his stomach like a deadweight. He sighed, shaking his head as the image of a pair of sapphire eyes floated into his mind.

Standing up and stretching, he gave his mentor a wicked grin, "Well, I'm not just going to sit around doing nothing until then, let's train!"

"That's the spirit," Whis praised, breaking out into a smile before looking towards the deity who had sunk to the ground, "Are you quite certain that you're up for a spar, my Lord?"

Lord Beerus groaned in pain, "My head, it hurts so bad behind my eyes… it feels like I have icicles embedded into my brain! Damn Earthlings! How dare they create something so tasty yet so dangerous! When this is all over I'll go over there, blow up their damned planet and - !"

"Now what good would that do?" the Angel asked haughtily, as Gohan snickered behind his hand, "I did warn you not to have another ice-cream, and did you listen? No. And besides, nobody forced it own your throat, Lord Beerus.

"Urgh," the cat-like God growled, "Fine I won't blow up Gohan's pathetic home-world if it will stop you from screeching in my ears."

"That's better," Whis grinned, "Now, without further ado…"

With that, the blue-skinned deity waved his staff in a flamboyant flourish, and Lord Beerus sat up suddenly with his ears askew, scowling at the man as he suddenly found that he was headache free.

"You could have done that the entire time and yet you made me suffer," he snarled, as the teenager next to them doubled over in a fit of raucous laughter.

"Well," he giggled, "At least you've learned your lesson about overindulging yourself, my Lord."

The Destroyer gritted his teeth, quickly getting to his feet and taking his anger out on Gohan, grabbing him by the scruff of his garb and pulling him towards the training field as he tried - and failed, to contain his laughter.

"Come on then brat, stop it, and we can - you are on your FINAL warning boy. How dare you laugh in the face of a God! Your elder! Now hurry up and get into stance and - and stop laughing!"

---

Bright flashes of light cascaded over the black clouds that now filled the darkening amber sky, creating violet crackles of lightening that rippled over the atmosphere in electrifying waves. Whis smoothly stepped aside as a stray Ki blast hit the ground, detonating immediately. Though the Angel paid the mess of falling debris no mind, his eyes fixated upon the destructive pair in the air, his sharp pupils following their every move.

A sonic boom echoed over the planes, followed by a raspy adolescent cry that swore loudly, causing the blue-skinned deity to tut at the vulgarity. How many times did he have to tell that boy about his language - ?

BOOM.

Another howl of agony reached his ears beyond the clouds, though it was followed up with a brilliant golden light than shone brightly through the darkness. A vibrant blue beam shot through the air, though was extinguished in an instant by the young saiyan's opponent as quickly as it came. It appeared that Lord Beerus was going easy on the boy, the fight was lasting quite a while.

Finally, the clouds parted, and it was plain to see who was the clear victor - as always. Gohan's attire was soiled with dirt and torn in places, several grazes littered his body and he was even sporting a nasty purple bruise upon his cheek, along with a bloodied lip. However, it was rather surprising to see that Lord Beerus had a few blemishes on his body also, namely one on his torso, where the teenager's knee had managed to successfully imbed itself into his sternum.

The young saiyan had been rather pleased with himself, though his shocking yet small victory was short lived, as the God of Destruction had been knocking him around like a volleyball for the last twenty-three minutes and thirty-six seconds by Whis' estimations. Though as usual the Junior Destroyer, whose golden hair was now longer and more wild than ever before, still refused to give up so easily. His emerald eyes were wild and feral, as he launched himself towards his opponent once more.

And it was then that the ever perceptive Angel spotted the problem.

"Stop the fight, that's enough!" Whis ordered, materialising before them as his staff blocked Gohan's oncoming fist.

"W-Whis," the teenager panted, clutching his side and wincing, "Why did you - pant - s-stop? I had him on the - pant - ropes!"

"You weren't anywhere close to me for the last two rounds," Lord Beerus snarled, straightening his wristbands, "Except for when I was introducing my fists to your face."

"F-face?" he laughed breathlessly, "I think y-you - pant - broke a rib or three!"

To prove his point, the young saiyan moved the bloodied fabric of his tattered garb, exposing his torso, where a large purple bruise was forming around a deep cut in his side.

"Tch, stop snivelling," the God scoffed, "That wouldn't have happened if you weren't being so reckless."

"I still - pant - managed to hit y-you though," he grinned through his exhaustion,

Lord Beerus stopped short, gritting his teeth in anger as Gohan continued to smile wolfishly at him.

"Hmm, that's a point," said Whis with a thoughtful gaze, "You did seem quite tired my Lord. I'd say that you should probably go for a nap but I daresay that the timing couldn't be less than ideal."

"Shut up! I'm fine!" He snapped back.

"Well I'm just saying that you don't seem 'with it' is all."

"I-I just think I'm getting - pant - better," the teenager said jokingly, "T-That or you're getting old - OW!"

He glared, as the offending God retracted his fist from his skull, "Oi! F-fight's over!"

"Clearly," Beerus snorted, "It was over before it barely began, brat."

"Hey!"

"Lord Beerus is right Gohan," said Whis with a smile, causing the teen to scowl, "And I have to say that I am quite disappointed."

"Aw but - !" he began to whine, dropping out of the third level of his super saiyan transformation altogether, his hair and eyes returning to their usual length and colour.

"It is apparent to me now more than ever as you continue to build your strength, that your old habits are still holding you back from achieving your true potential," the Angel cut across him.

"What do you - pant - mean?" Gohan asked attempting to steady his breathing, when Whis teleported them back to the ground.

Ignoring the field of craters than greeted them, the young Destroyer collapsed on the singed grass, resting on his hands behind him as he continued to control his breath. Beerus stood next to him with his arms folded across his chest, remaining indifferent towards the conversation at hand.

"You are still thinking before you move, rather than just moving," Whis began to explain, which confused the teen greatly.

"Huh?" he asked, his breathing becoming more regular, though his exhaustion was still apparent, "How do you expect me to move if I'm not thinking about it?"

"Ah, I'll get to that," he smiled, "What you lack is a balance my boy. On the one hand, when you fight you overthink, which is limiting your fighting speed. Messages can only travel through your nervous system so fast. When you rely on thoughts for physical action, you lose precious fighting time. The time you do have is wasted as you can become far too uptight, the tension making it difficult for you to move as fluidly as you could do without it. You put too much pressure on yourself."

Well, the teenager thought, he wasn't wrong there. He was forever putting pressure on himself to get stronger, to protect the ones he loved within this universe. It was incredibly stressful.

"However, the same could be said for the other side of the coin," Whis continued, "When you are losing or in danger, you become reckless, all sense of logical thought - and actions - fall apart as though they were never there to begin with, leaving yourself wide open. For example -."

WHAM!

Gohan cried out in pain, as his mentor suddenly phased in front of him and sucker punched him in the gut.

"Argh! My ribs!" He yelped, a hacking cough spewing from his lips as he lay spread eagled on the ground. Clutching his bleeding side, he growled, "What did you do that for?! - Ow!"

He yelled again, grasping his throbbing skull as Whis thwacked him over the head with his staff.

"Quiet Gohan, I'm lecturing you."

"Sorry," he winced, tears springing to his eyes as Lord Beerus snorted with laughter behind him.

"Now, as I was saying before I was quite rudely interrupted," The deity drawled, as the halfling angrily spouted "You hit me!", "You only serve to prove my point young one. You see, you let your guard down very easily. And don't even get me started on your lack of thought in times of mortal peril. You seem to have this habit of letting go completely, flinging yourself towards your enemy in a desperate attempt without notion or reasoning, which could ultimately mean your end. Sound familiar?"

Gohan's eyes widened, sitting up fully with some difficulty due to his broken ribs, thinking back to a very poignant battle. One that had indeed resulted in the end of his life.

Cell chuckled as they broke apart, "You're letting your anger blind you boy."

Gohan snarled, his broken heart pumping with adrenaline, "I'll make you pay Cell."

"Ah right," he mustered sheepishly, "I see what you mean."

Whis grinned knowingly, "You have come a long way in your battle with the android Cell, though as I'm sure you already know, you have a long way to go too. Achieving this balance within your fighting and thoughts will only help you to improve. This balanced state, moving without thinking, though not with reckless abandonment is known as Ultra Instinct."

The teenager frowned, "Ultra Instinct? Is it something that only Gods can do or something?"

"Not necessarily Gohan," he explained, "Though it is not only rare to master, but it is notoriously difficult to achieve, even amongst the Gods. It is a complete sense of mental calmness, allowing your body to think and move independently of the other parts. I'm not expecting you to achieve it of course, not even Lord Beerus has mastered it fully and he's been a God for billions of years."

The God in question scoffed, before turning away.

"I'm merely explaining it to you so that you can overcome this learning curve," said Whis, "It will be useful for you to use this notion as reference in order to overcome your short fallings, overall making you a more competent fighter. Most certainly within severely dangerous situations."

"Master Whis?" he asked tentatively, thinking about his goal, "Can you do it? This Ultra Instinct?"

"But of course!" He chimed happily, "I am very well versed in the state, and I'll be there every step of the way to help you achieve a similar balance within yourself."

Suddenly, the sphere at the end of his staff started to flash an alarming green, causing the Angel's eyes to widen.

"Whoops, but not right now as it seems!" he chuckled, "That's your alarm, time is up for training today. It's getting quite late in your time zone back on Earth and we wouldn't want to rouse any more suspicion!"

"Wait wha - ?" Gohan yelped, as he was suddenly levitated to his feet, finding that his Earth clothes were now back on his back, his halo disappearing once more. Though to his annoyance he found that his wounds had only been ninety-percent healed. Though at least his ribs weren't broken anymore.

"A bit of self healing wouldn't go amiss," Whis grinned, reading his thoughts as a familiar white light began to build around him, "It's been a while since you got stronger the old fashioned way. Not to mention that it'll teach you not to get caught out next time! Toodles!"

The young saiyan groaned loudly as The Warp shot him into the atmosphere, and before he knew it he was back on Earth, berating his mentor - because of course, a brilliant white tunnel of light bursting into a clearing near his former home certainly wouldn't raise any suspicion at all!

Much to his chargin, he landed on his backside in the middle of the dark forest, though was silently glad that Z wasn't around to make fun of him. Standing up and brushing the leaves off his jeans he winced, looking down at the rapidly forming patch of blood that was drenching his white t-shirt. Given the fact that he wasn't fully healed due to his mentor's ruthless teachings, the wound in his side must have reopened in his crash landing. It definitely smarted, though was not by any means the worst he had endured after a sparring session with Lord Beerus.

Sighing begrudgingly to himself, the young saiyan kicked off tentatively from the ground, before making his way slowly through the skies towards his parents' house. It was already pitch black outside, though the blanket of stars above him provided all the light he needed. Only Zalama knew what time it was, but judging by Whis' quick reaction, it must have been very late. Spotting the silhouette of the cottage by the edge of the forest, the teenager began to make his decent. Though it seemed as though a certain someone was already waiting for him, sensing that she was very much awake before he caught the light of her eyes looking through the darkened kitchen window.

Cursing under his breath as he landed, he could only watch as the back door swung open, and the girl hurried across the grass to greet him. She was wearing her pyjamas, consisting of maroon checkered trousers and a light grey t-shirt that was slightly baggy and hung off one shoulder. She was wearing hair down, the long tresses whipping behind her as she skidded to a halt in front of him.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?!" Videl hissed, keeping her voice low as she scolded him, "I had to cover for you! I made up some bullshit story about you forgetting you had an amnesia check up! Luckily your parents brought it!"

"Well, um, you see…" he started, though the girl wasn't listening and instead pulled him into the house as she continued to rant.

"It's three o'clock in the morning! I've been waiting for you all night!"

He blinked in suprise, "You have?"

Videl scoffed, as if it was obvious, "Of course I have! I said I'd help you protect your identity didn't I? You certainly don't help things when you go swanning off whenever you feel like it without a word to any - eek!"

She yelped, quickly slapping her hands over her mouth as they stepped into the kitchen and she switched on the light above the cooker, bathing them both in an amber glow, her attention immediately drawn to the blood soaked shirt that he was currently sporting.

He inwardly cringed at the aghast look on her face. Why did he even decide to put on a white t-shirt that morning? He should have stuck to purple, at least it wouldn't have looked so obviously crimson. Then again, he didn't know that he would be subjected to having his arse handed to him by Lord Beerus.

"Oh my Kami!" she squeaked, struggling to keep her voice low as her eyes boggled, "You're hurt! What the hell happened?!"

"I'm fine Videl," Gohan reasoned, though in all honesty the gash in his torso was really starting to sting now, "It's nothing!"

"Nothing?!" the girl guffawed, "Gohan, you're practically bleeding out!"

"It's fine, my mentors showed up and took me off planet for a bit of training," he explained with a charming smile, "It's nothing that I can't handle - ARGHHHH! Ow! Shit! Why would you do that?!"

Videl snorted with laughter, retracting her finger from where she had poked him lightly in the side, meeting his glaring eyes that were full of betrayal.

"You were saying?" she quirked devilishly.

"It's fine if you don't poke me!" he growled back, praying that no one had heard him scream. Though with a quick Ki check he found that the rest of the house were still fast asleep.

"Oh come off it, I barely touched you," Videl sighed, before pointing to the counter next to the fridge, "Now stop acting so macho and get your half-saiyan behind on the counter whilst I fetch Chi-Chi's patching up kit."

Gohan pouted, though reluctantly did as he was told, lifting himself up to sit on the work surface as the Satan girl rummaged in the medicine cupboard above the toaster. Usually, in most normal homes, the medicine cabinet or cupboard would be kept in the bathroom. However, Gohan's family was not normal, and from his memories they had a total of three cupboards decorated around the house which were mainly filled with bandages, dressings and antiseptic lotions and creams that were used to patch up the fighters of the family - and occasionally their friends should a spar or battle ensue.

"Here we are," said Videl, placing down a mixture of dressings, along with the dreaded antiseptic and some cotton pads. He watched her as she ran the tap at the sink, filling up a large bowl with warm water and setting it beside them, along with a clean cloth which she dipped into the water.

She turned to him, frowning as she rung out the excess water from the cloth, "Well?"

"Well what?"

The girl rolled her eyes at him, "Take your top off genius. How else am I supposed to patch you up with it still on?"

"Oh right yeah, sorry," he said stupidly, blushing a little as he swiftly pulled off the blood stained garment and tossed it onto the floor.

He desperately tried not to notice the way that Videl's eyes seemed to run all over his naked, muscular torso. Though he reasoned that her wide-eyed gaze could have been due to the fact that he had a gaping slash in his side.

"Ouch," she winced, taking her warm cloth to him and cleaning off the blood that had already dried, "That looks nasty."

"Meh, I've had worse - ow!" he hissed, as she dabbed a little too hard, "Watch it!"

"Well sit up straight then!" she retorted in an agitated tone, though she still kept her voice low so as to not wake the other occupants of the house, "I have to clean it properly before I can dress it!"

The young saiyan scowled, though sat back a little more which allowed the girl to place herself directly in between his legs for easier access as she continued to gently brush his side, dipping the cloth in the water beside her that was quickly becoming pink with blood. He cleared his throat, his face heating up at Videl's closeness, that and her apparent lack of awareness that her proximately was threatening to give him an aneurysm. She was practically using his thighs as a workbench for goodness sake!

"Er Videl?" he managed to squeak, feeling his entire body heating up as her fingers accidentally brushed his belt, "A-are you sure that there's no senzu beans lying around anywhere?"

Whis would be thoroughly disappointed in him if he knew that he was taking the easy way out of healing, but in Gohan's opinion this was an emergency!

"Don't tell me that you're afraid of a little antiseptic, wonder boy?" she jested, and the halfling realised with displeasure that she was already holding the offending concoction in her palm, "And besides, your dad and I used our last two senzu in training today."

Figures, he griped, wincing as she started to apply the liquid which, Destroyer or not, stung like HFIL and nobody could tell him otherwise. He yelped, flinching as she applied even more, giving him an amused yet pointed look as he gripped tightly onto the edge of the counter.

"I'm not scared, it just stings is all," he admitted, breathing out when she had finally taken a break to pour some more onto the cotton pad, "Yowch!"

"Oh don't be such a baby," she huffed, continuing to dab and ignoring the way he visibly cringed, "You screamed before I even touched you then."

"I bet you wouldn't like it if you had an open wound and I dumped a load of stingy stuff into it," he said dryly, causing her to snort.

"No, you're right, it's not very nice," Videl chuckled, looking up at him with those twinkling sapphire eyes, "But you're Son Gohan, you know? The Delivery Boy, Golden Boy Wonder, the kid that saved the world. All my life I've always had this picture painted of you that you're not afraid of anything, even dying for us."

He stared back at her, as she paused in her actions. In all honesty, he was rather afraid of just what he would do if she moved any closer.

"Everyone's afraid of something Videl," he smiled, attempting to curb the sudden rush of butterflies that swarmed his stomach.

"Hm, that's true I suppose," she replied, finally putting down the bottle of death juice and picking up some bandages, sizing the now clean wound up, "Like how your dad is this big tough warrior, and yet he's terrified of needles."

He chuckled, "The funniest one is Vegeta."

"Vegeta?!" she blinked in shock, suddenly intrigued, abandoning the bandages for a moment, "What is he scared of?"

"Worms."

"No!" Videl gasped, "You've got to be joking! Worms?! B-but they're helpless! What could they even do to him?"

"Kami knows," he laughed, as the girl had to purse her lips to stop herself from snickering too loudly.

"I don't believe you," she stated, shaking her head in disbelief, "It cannot be true."

"Well, here's a story for you," Gohan grinned, unconsciously moving a little closer to her, "Did my friends ever tell you about The Ginyu Force who we fought on Planet Namek?"

She thought for a moment, before nodding her head, "Weren't those the gits with huge egos and stupid dance moves?"

The young saiyan nodded with a smile upon his lips, attempting to become a little more serious as he recounted the tale, "It was the biggest and scariest battle that I'd faced so far. We were still waiting on my dad to show up and help us get the dragonballs back before Frieza and his minions were able to steal the wish away from us…"

Gohan was no stranger to battle. He could feel the thick tension in the air around him, the fear running through veins, infecting bloodstreams like poison. He was fairly certain that he had seen more bloodshed than any other kid his age, though that didn't mean that he wasn't afraid.

The aliens in front of him may have acted like goofballs, what with their silly poses and flamboyant personalities, but that didn't deter from the crippling power that they possessed. At least their leader had already left, his appearance alone was enough to make the boy shudder, what with his thick purple skin, hulking stature and sharp horns atop his bulbous head. Though the depths to Captain Ginyu's strength was even scarier, and the young halfling was glad that they didn't have to face him, even if he had done a runner with the dragonballs. However, he gulped as a wave of realisation hit him, even if they did make it out of this alive, then fighting the sadistic Captain was inevitable.

What had started out as a fun adventure to revive their fallen friends with Krillin and Bulma had quickly turned into a nightmare. There was an ambulance of evil doers, a massacred race, not to mention an intergalactic tyrant hellbent on obtaining immortality. Things had gone so wrong that they had even resorted to teaming up with Vegeta of all people. One of the men behind their whole purpose for being on this doomed planet in the first place!

It was utterly hopeless.

Oh how he wished that his father was with them, he would know exactly what to do, and Gohan was certain that he of all people could beat these goons. Come on Daddy, where are you?! He thought despairingly, wondering what was taking so long. Master Roshi had informed them that the earth-raised saiyan was on his way to help them, and by his calculations he should be arriving on Planet Namek at any moment.

Fighting the tears that threatened to spring up into his eyes at the thought of his father, the young boy shook his head. Mister Piccolo wouldn't be too happy if he started to cry, and he would not lie down and just forget everything that the strong Namekian warrior had taught him. He couldn't show weakness on the battle field, especially not with the desperation of death breathing down his neck.

Krillin and Vegeta were standing either side of him, and he could feel the tension radiating off of them in waves. Though they stood strong, their jaws set and their eyes hard like steel as they stared at the group of elite fighters who were currently playing a game of rock, paper scissors in order to decide who would be fighting who first. Their barbarous laughter cut through him like a knife, though the boy clenched his fists in determination, swallowing the lump that had appeared in his throat. He couldn't show any weakness. He needed to be strong and brave like Krillin and Vegeta!

But despite his bold demeanour, he was still shaking.

Gohan let out a haggard breath, his onyx eyes darting around him as he looked for something to focus on momentarily in order to summon all the courage that he required. Though admittedly it was difficult on the predominantly green planet, the only thing that stuck out to him was Vegeta's white boots amongst the emerald grass. His eyes locked with the saiyan's feet, attempting to block out the cruel voices of The Ginyu Force as they discussed their favourite methods of torture and which one of their foes would suit it. It worked partly, as the young halfling managed to steady his nerves from the edge of a panic attack. Though as he was staring at Vegeta's boots, he noticed something marking his ankle.

At first he thought that it was a large blade of grass, until it started to move. Squinting his eyes, he saw that it was a kind of alien worm with a blueish green body that looked furry in it's nature and was possibly a little bigger than the earthworms that they had back home. Gohan had always loved discovering new animals, especially the ones that lived in the forest surrounding his house. He hadn't seen any animals on Namek yet, so naturally being a curious and inquisitive boy, found his little discovery quite fascinating.

"Wow Vegeta, look at that worm on your foot!" he blurted without thinking, "I've never seen one that looked like that before."

The saiyan prince suddenly snapped his head towards him, causing Gohan to flinch. At first he thought that Vegeta might just blast him into smithereens for his comment, it wasn't exactly the best time to be pointing out the wildlife after all, especially not with all of their lives on the line. Though he was surprised when instead of blasting or shouting at him did the man all but stare, his lips drawing into a thin line as he registered the sentence that had just fell from the halfling's lips. Then slowly, Vegeta turned his gaze to where Gohan was pointing at - and paled.

All the colour seemed to drain from his face at once, before he turned a sickly green colour, his eyes widening in sheer terror. And what came next caused the young boy nearly fall over in a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"DIE!" BOOM! "DIE YOU DISGUSTING CREATURE!" BLAST! "CRAWL ON ME WILL YOU? YOU SLIMEY BASTARD!" BOOM! "YOU PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A SNAKE!" BLAST! "I AM VEGETA!" BOOM! "YOU THINK YOU CAN BEST ME?!"

Gohan could hardly believe what he was witnessing, as the hot-headed prince kicked his leg in the air, flinging the poor worm off his boot and fired white hot blasts at the grass, scorching the earth and catching the attention of everyone present - even the flabbergasted Ginyus.

Though Vegeta appeared not to have noticed.

BLAST BLAST BLAST "DIE! DIE! DIE!"

"I think Vegeta's finally lost it," Krillin said disbelievingly under his breath.

Gohan blinked, cocking his head to the side as pillars of smoke rose into the air. He couldn't help but silently agree.

Videl practically doubled over with silent laughter when he had finished, having to bite the back of her hand for want of not making a sound. He couldn't help but laugh along with her as he watched her reaction. It was one of his favourite stories of Vegeta, other than the pink shirt incident. Though he supposed he could leave that one for another time, he didn't want the girl to bust a gut.

"Oh man, that is hilarious!" she breathed, attempting to calm herself down as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I know," said Gohan, "I wished I could have laughed at him back then, but he probably would have killed me if the Ginyu's didn't get to me first."

Videl gave him a sympathetic smile, "How old were you back then?"

"Six?" he guessed, trying to count back the years, "No, five actually. Wow that was a fair few years ago now."

"You went through a lot so young," she observed, somewhat sadly, picking up a large dressing and smoothing over his wound, taping it in place, "It's no wonder that you were able to beat Cell when you did. Just how strong are you now?"

"Not strong enough to not get creamed by my teachers obviously," he scoffed, musical laughter escaping her as she grabbed the roll of bandages.

He flushed a little, feeling her slender arms around his middle as she began to wrap the bandages around his strong torso. She wrapped some over his shoulder to keep it in place, and he was silent as he watched her work. Daring to admit that he was enjoying the feel of her hands upon his skin, smoothing over his shoulder and bicep, coming to a stop at his forearm, her fingertips lightly brushing an old scar from years ago.

"Thanks," he smiled warmly, admiring her work, and also her, "You're really good at this you know."

"I've had some practice," she mused, looking up at him from where she was stood in between his legs, the warmth of her body against his sending a shiver down his spine. He was certain that those eyes of hers were capable of penetrating his very soul. "Lucky I was here to help save you from your evil teachers."

"Yeah, lucky," Gohan breathed, albeit with difficulty.

"Did it hurt?"

"Huh?" he blinked, breaking out of his trance, and looking down at his bandages, "Oh you mean this? Nah, not really. I mean, not as much as if I was alive, pain kind of desensitises in death."

He felt as though he had said something wrong, as he saw something flicker behind her eyes, and she pulled away, but not completely.

"I mean," he tried again, flashing her a cheeky smile, "It didn't hurt as much as what you did to me with that damned antiseptic, that was way worse."

Videl hit him playfully on the part of his chest that wasn't bandaged, though he could still see a hint of sadness to her eyes.

"Videl, are you alright?" the young saiyan asked tentatively, prompting the girl to sigh.

"I dunno, it's… it's silly," she started, as the teen watched her intently, "But I wish you could come back, you know? It feels selfish of me to know who you are and yet Goku and Chi-Chi don't even know that their own son is right under their nose."

Gohan bit his lip, feeling equally as guilty. But alas, they'd had this conversation before, "You know I can't."

A shuddering breath escaped her as she eyed his torso once more, making to tie off a loose end that she had spotted on the bandage, "I know. I just wish that you weren't so bloody noble."

In a swift motion, the young Destroyer grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. The girl looked towards him, his breath hitching in his throat as the starlight caught her features just at the right moment from the windowpane.

Gods, she was beautiful.

"I'm sorry Videl," he told her, his fingers interlacing with hers.

"You don't need to be sorry Gohan," she said with a smile that shone so bright that it could make diamonds look dull, "What you're doing is selfless. Though, I hope that you would stop for a moment to think about your own happiness."

There he was, sitting on the kitchen counter in his parents' old kitchen, his thumb brushing against the back of the hand he was holding, which just so happened to belong to the most incredible girl that he had ever met in his life. He suddenly felt as though he had been hit with a saiyan-sized sledge hammer.

Was it meant to be this way? So fast and intense? Like falling from a great height with no clear sign of the bottom?

He swallowed thickly, as he carefully formed his answer, "That doesn't matter."

She scoffed, "Of course it does."

They sat in silence, as he continued to say nothing, the butterflies buzzing in his stomach the only real notion he had that he was still there and not dreaming. He felt the rest of his body go entirely numb as she asked that all important question.

"What do you want Gohan?"

The young saiyan gulped, her sultry, half lidded gaze boring into his. She was so close that he could feel her warm breath tickling his lips, drawing him forwards towards her. Videl had stood on her tiptoes to be able to reach him, her hand leaving his and running them both along his thighs and towards his hips. He shivered at her touch, trying so desperately not to think about how perfectly their bodies appeared to fit together, nor the glorious way her petite frame felt against his. The sweet smell of her long raven hair was making him dizzy, intoxicating him so much so that he felt his mind beginning to cloud over.

He stared at her lips, that were now only inches away from his own. She was so close, all he had to do was dip his head a little lower and -

"Let's go for a walk!" He blurted suddenly, nearly causing the poor girl to fall over.

The spell was broken.

"A walk?!" Videl gaped, open-mouthed, "It's nearly four in the morning!"

"Come on Videl, where's your sense of adventure?" he grinned back at her, ignoring the blush that marred his cheeks as he jumped from the counter and pulled the hidden dragon radar out of his pocket, "Besides, you said that you'd help me collect the dragonballs, remember?"

"I meant at a reasonable hour!" she huffed, drawing fully back from him and folding her arms across her chest.

"Ah it's basically breakfast time now anyway!" he smiled, picking up his blooded shirt from the floor.

Videl gave him a deadpan look, "What world do you live in?"

"One not full of kill joys," Gohan teased, "So stop being such a kill joy Videl and go on a walk with me. We can go trekking for dragonballs properly tomorrow if you're so against it, but I want to get a head start if we can."

Eyeing him for a moment, she sighed, unable to resist the puppy eyes he was giving her, "Fine, you win. But you are throwing away that t-shirt and putting on a clean one."

"I don't know, I kind of like the bandaged look," the teenager jested, "I think it makes me looks more rugged."

"You're impossible."

A quick two minute flight later, Videl and a now fully clothed Gohan found themselves on the other side of Mount Paozu, staring up at a towering mountain, the top of which was barely visible from their position on the ground.

"You've got to be joking," said Videl, hugging her arms around her pyjama clad self, one of Gohan's new hoodies covering her torso and her fighting boots upon her feet, "You said going for a walk, not climbing a frigging mountain!"

"What? It's not that hard," the halfling shrugged, dressed in own hoodie and a pair of his father's walking boots that he had nicked from the hallway, "And anyway, this should be easy for you what with training with my dad for a year."

She sighed, clearly unimpressed, "Can't we just fly to the top?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Gohan scoffed with a wry grin, causing her to roll her eyes, "We can have a good old fashioned dragonball hunt! Let's climb to the top and switch on the radar from a good vantage point!"

"You really are hopeless," Videl drawled, before conceding reluctantly and starting up the rocky path that led up to the top of the mountain.

"That's the spirit!" he laughed, he could hear her muttering obscenities about 'stupid ghosts' and 'no sleep' under her breath.

He followed behind her with a spring in his step, the terrain not at all treacherous until they had reached the halfway point. The path became steep and narrow, winding up the mountain's rough surface, the wind now more obvious and cold upon their cheeks. Most normal earthlings would have turned back, but Gohan and Videl were anything but normal.

"I still can't believe that you managed to talk me in to this," the girl sighed begrudgingly, hopping over a large rugged boulder that blocked their route with ease, "I haven't gone climbing in years, not since I used to go camping with my dad before he won the tournament."

"Me neither actually, at least not for fun," he said thoughtfully, joining her on the other side of the boulder, "You're enjoying it though, right?"

"All right you've got me," she replied with an exasperated roll of her eyes, causing him to grin, "It's better than I expected. I've never gone this high up before either, well apart from flying."

To prove her point she peered over the edge they were standing on, peering down at the rolling hills and deep valleys below her. He watched her as the starlight bathed her features in a soft silvery glow, unable to keep his eyes off her. He had caught Videl too stealing glances at him as they trekked, though he was thankful that she didn't mention what had almost happened back at the house.

"Told you that it was a good idea," the halfling smiled, "I'd say we've only got another hour to go before we reach the top at this rate."

"Well, what are you waiting for wonder boy?" Videl winked at him, turning and leading the way up the mountain, "This mountain won't climb itself."

He made to follow her, unable to stop himself from sneakily eyeing her backside as she began to climb ahead of him, when a loud, monstrous roar stopped him in his tracks

Videl jumped back just as Gohan did, as an enormous pterodactyl suddenly swooped around the side of the mountain, its large talons raised as it launched itself at the two teenagers. They yelped, avoiding the dinosaur's claws easily as it crashed into the place they had occupied seconds earlier, sending dust and debris flying in all directions.

Videl coughed, as the young saiyan grabbed her hand, helping her to her feet.

"Damn dinos," she snarled, glaring up at the pink-scaled reptile who squawked to the heavens, raising its beak to the sky before turning on the pair.

The halfling smirked, "Nothing like a good dino fight on a dragonball hunt!"

The Satan girl rolled her eyes, as the beast's razor sharp teeth dripped with salvia, "You are having way too much fun with this."

His smirk all but widened, as the pterodactyl launched at them again.

Jumping effortlessly in the air, Gohan couldn't help but allow a bubble of laughter to escape his chest, "Woah, what's got your knickers in a twist?!"

The dinosaur's jaws snapped in response, flapping its colossal wings as a low growl erupted from its chest. A powerful gust swept towards them, though the teens braced themselves easily against the high winds.

"Oi watch it!" Videl scowled, narrowly avoiding its swinging tail as it too collided with the side of the mountain, sending boulders tumbling back down the steep path. "What the hell is your problem? It's not just your mountain you know!"

The ferocious beast let out a bone quaking roar that echoed over the mountain range, aiming its claws towards the girl once more with deadly intent. Though before Gohan could step in, did he feel Videl's Ki spike and in a flash, it was all over.

Videl retracted her fist that had impeded itself into the dino's stomach, a deep frown upon her features. The pterodactyl had halted in its tracks, the force of the Satan girl's punch causing it to screech in shock and pain. Its dark eyes rolled to the back of its head as it promptly fainted with an enormous thud, skidding down the mountain and back to the forest below.

The young saiyan's mouth fell open as he stared at the girl in disbelief, he was half annoyed, half impressed.

"I had that one, you know," he stated, folding his arms across his chest haughtily.

"Sure you did," she smirked back, pulling back her punch in satisfaction and placing it on her hip.

Gohan responded by sticking his tongue out at her, causing her to laugh.

She started walking forwards, though soon stopped in her tracks as she caught sight of something over the edge of the mountain path. Hearing her gasp, the teenager quickly caught up, his eyes following her gaze towards a large pile of sticks and soil. Though on closer inspection, he realised that it was in fact a nest, with three enormous speckled eyes nestled inside.

"Now I just feel bad," he winced, his gaze travelling to the unconscious reptile below them, "She thought we were going to attack her babies. She was only trying to protect her eggs and we knocked her out."

"Well maybe she should have thought of that before she tried to rip us to shreds!" Videl growled, though he could sense that she did feel a little guilty, "Besides, the eggs weren't what I was looking at. Look at what else is tucked into the nest!"

Gohan frowned, stepping closer and peering into the mesh of sticks, mud and stones that encompassed the pterodactyl eggs. His eyes widened suddenly, as a flash of orange suddenly drew his attention.

"No way!" he gaped, hardly believing his eyes, "It's a dragonball!"

"Well looks like you were right after all," she smiled up at him, "It really was a good idea to come up here."

He grinned back at her, the dark sky now flecked with pinks and peaches as dawn approached them. The butterflies brushing his insides once more as she continued to stare into his eyes.

"So what are you waiting for?" she asked suddenly, snapping him out of his gaze, "Get in there and get it!"

Gohan blinked in confusion, "Why me?"

"I'm not having those dino eggs hatching on me!" Videl spouted in annoyance, causing the a halfling to scoff.

"You literally just K.O'd the mamma bird!"

"Exactly," she huffed, "It's your turn, so hurry up and get your arse in there wonder boy!"

"Oh alright," he sighed with a roll of his eyes, rolling up his sleeves and hopping into the centre of the nest, his boots landing on the twigs with a small crunch.

"I can't believe that we found one! And without even switching on the radar!" Videl chuckled to aloud, before realising that her companion had paused, crouching down to retrieve the ball near one of the eggs, "Gohan? What's wrong?"

The teenager cleared his throat, his mouth running dry all of a sudden as he stared at the dragonball in his palm, "It's nothing. I-It's just the four star ball, the one that's -"

"Usually passed down in your family," she finished for him, giving him a sympathetic smile, "I know, I've heard the stories. You alright?"

"Yeah," he replied, shaking his head in order to shake himself out of the sense of irony that had just encompassed him, "It's just typical that it'd be the first one I'd find, and out here too…"

"Hey don't look so glum," said Videl, her smile growing wider, "We had a good adventure finding it. And you did get to see me knock out that overgrown reptile."

"Yeah, it was pretty hot -, " he blurted without thinking, stopping cold as he looked over at the tiny vixen who was smirking at him in amusement. He was positive that his cheeks were blazing crimson. Damn it! He meant to say 'cool'!

"Oh, you found me beating up a dinosaur attractive did you Gohan?" she pressed, her grin not once wavering.

"N-no!" he spluttered hotly, wishing that the ground would just open up already and swallow him hole, "I-I mean yes! I mean -"

He paused, as the girl snorted with laughter.

"Shut up!" he growled, his face burning as he attempted to salvage himself from the depths of humiliation, "Can't a man find a woman attractive when she fights?! Just take the compliment Videl."

"Compliment accepted," Videl grinned, enjoying watching the great Son Gohan squirm under her pointed gaze, "and stored in my memory bank for all eternity, along with that embarrassed look on your face."

"I'm not embarrassed," the young saiyan huffed, turning away from her and pocketing the dragonball instead. The sky was now steadily brightening around them.

"Oh really?" she jested, "Tell that to the one that resembles the tomatoes on Goku's farm."

Gohan fumed, rounding on her once more and opening his mouth to retort when -

"Oh wow Gohan look! It's the sunrise!" she gasped, causing him towards the horizon, where slowly but surely, the sun was beginning to peak over the skyline, casting a subtle glow over the mountains.

"Come on!" Videl called out to him in excitement, his embarrassment dissipating instantly as she grabbed his hand, her warm fingers interlacing with his, "Let's get to the top so that we can watch it!"

He chuckled, following the girl as her aura burst around her and she kicked off from the ground. He was unable to stop himself from holding her hand a little tighter as they climbed high above the clouds, reaching the mountain's peak just as the sun began to touch the valleys with the first of it's rays.

Gohan hadn't seen a sunrise on Earth since the day of The Cell Games. He had been up incredibly early, even before his father rose and the man had always been an early riser. Though the preteen couldn't find the will to sleep anymore, the anxiety barrelling through him all too much to handle. Which was why he had taken to sitting on the roof of his house, watching the sunrise come up over the Eastern mountains. At the time, he had been worried that he would never see another one, and neither would his mother or father. In hindsight, he hadn't been too far off the mark.

So he was grateful that he had been given the chance to see another, this time relishing in the picturesque view that greeted him. Though the sun's presence was not the only one's that he was basking in.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Videl spouted, her sapphire eyes lighting up with the flushed pinkish hue that bathed the eastern province, chasing away the twinkling stars above them.

As violet intermingled with amber, casting the shadows of the imposing mountains upon the emerald painted valleys the girl didn't realise that the young saiyan was not looking at the sunrise as he replied, "Yeah, beautiful."

The two teenagers watched as the vast sky ignited with colour and golden clouds. The view was truly spectacular, and Gohan could see for miles, a spire in Orange Star City glinting brightly at them in the distance as the growing sun caught its towering structure, painting the window panes with it's warmth. New, fresh waves of light swept the forest far below their feet, revealing silken webs entwined within the rich brown oak arms and glistening dew drops upon the wands of grass which stretched out to the horizon and back again. The air was calm and fresh, and the sound of birdsong reached his ears, greeting the new day as the world began to awaken.

Looking back to the girl whose hand was still clasped within his larger calloused one, Gohan smiled, an idea popping into head.

"Hey Videl," he spouted, causing the girl to tear her eyes away from the spectacle before them, "Want to see something cool?"

She scowled, "This had better not be anything rude."

"N-no!" the young saiyan choked at the accusation, before he sighed in distain, she really did enjoy teasing him, "I can't really explain though, it's better if I show you."

Videl eyed him sceptically, as he gave her an innocent smile.

"Oh come on," he chuckled, holding out his other hand to take too, "You trust me, don't you?"

"Alright, I'll humour you," she said after a moments hesitation, and then put her hand in his so that they were now facing each other fully, "Now what?"

Gohan flashed her a wicked smile, encasing them both in a spherical golden shield and causing her to gasp. Though before she could even so much as blink, did the young Destroyer teleport them away from the peak of the mountain, reappearing upon the very cusp of the Earth's atmosphere, releasing her hands so that the girl could take in her surroundings fully.

"What the - ?!" Videl gaped, her jaw flying open and her legs nearly buckling underneath her out of shock before she managed to steady herself.

"In my experience, this is the best way to see a sunrise," Gohan grinned back with a charming smile, his dark hair almost matching the darkness of space behind him, were it not for the myriad of sparkling galaxies that hung above their heads.

She was breathless, that was a given, her sapphire eyes drinking in the vastness of the Northern Galaxy and the magnificent globe turning slowly on it's axis below them.

"Gohan," Videl gasped, "T-This is amazing! I can't believe how high up we are! I can see the whole planet! H-How is this - ?!"

"Possible?" he quirked, amused by how speechless the girl was, "This shield is practically impenetrable because of the amount of concentrated energy I've put into it. It's pretty handy."

"Yeah," she chuckled, shaking her head in awe, "Just don't make a habit of putting me in a soundproof one, am I clear?"

"That depends on how much you tease me," he shrugged, earning himself a playful shove from the girl.

"This is incredible," she stated, looking back over the Earth.

Gohan smiled back at her, and to both of their surprise the young saiyan smoothed his hand over her wrist before interlacing their fingers together once more, "It's about to get even better."

He saw it happen, the way her eyes lit up in wonder as the dazzling sun, more clear than ever before it started to creep over the edge of the globe. The bright, glimmering lights from the cities began to wink out of existence, no longer standing out amongst the darkness, no more marking the boarders of the nation so clearly as the sun encompassed the other side of the planet.

It was breathtaking, awesome, marvelling. Videl was taking it all in, the sunlight lighting up her heart shaped face, brushing over her cheeks, her lips and catching the fire in her sapphire eyes that much resembled her soul. The great vastness of the Earth reflected in those deep blue pools, causing them to sparkle even more so. Though as the girl observed the astronomical delight with an almost girlish wonder, Gohan's gaze was solely on her.

He squeezed her hand a little tighter, causing her to turn towards him with a beaming smile.

"Thank you, thank you for showing me this," she said gratefully, her eyes locking with his.

Sudden silence. Sudden heat.

Now it was her turn to be breathless. He was staring at her with such intensity that it was almost palpable in the small amount of air that encompassed them within the golden shield.

His eyes, Videl thought to herself, her own searching his, they're so dark. Pitch black. Limitless. It made her wonder just how many stars he had seen.

This was dangerous, Gohan thought, a lump forming in his throat as his brain refused to cooperate with his tongue and find a way to talk himself out of this. Whatever this was exactly, he wasn't too sure. He could almost hear her heart pounding rapidly in his ears as their bodies moved unconsciously to one other, almost like a gravitational pull.

Though it seemed that no words were needed. It was like an unspoken understanding drifted in between them. They both knew how they felt, what they wanted, and what was about to happen. He swallowed thickly. He knew that he needed to get them back down to the Earth before he gave in and did exactly what he had delayed back in the kitchen. He was going too far, too quick, too soon. And worst of all, as he continued to stare into her eyes, he realised that he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth of what he really was.

"Videl," he finally managed to speak, his voice so quiet it almost came out a whisper, "I don't want to hurt you."

Quite unexpectedly, the girl moved towards him in one swift movement, wrapping her arms around his stomach and resting her head on his strong chest. The glorious scent of her hair tickled his nostrils as he returned the gesture, marvelling in the sudden pressure of her slender body colliding with his. Gohan returned the hug with vigour, closing his eyes and relishing in the warmth she brought him, smoothing his hands over her petite waist and resting his chin on her head.

After what felt like an age, though was all too short for the young saiyan, Videl pulled away and looked up at him, her arms hanging loosely around him.

"I don't think that you could ever hurt me Gohan," she breathed, just as quietly, her nose inches from his.

He sucked in a breath, the reality of her words hitting him like a punch to the gut as his restraints began to quickly unravel.

His stomach clenched into a nervous knot of fear and longing as he brought up a hand and cupped her jaw in a gentle motion, his thumb caressing her cheek, "But I can't stay."

"I know," Videl replied softly, closing her eyes in understanding before opening them, allowing the light from the galaxies above to shine within them once more. She gave him a hard, blazing look as her hands moved from his stomach and smoothed over his broad shoulders, "But have you ever heard of just living in the moment?"

Something stirred within Gohan that allowed his last restraint to fall into the abyss. And, ignoring every logical fibre of his being that was screaming at him to stop, he leaned down and closed the small gap between them, capturing her lips in an earth shattering kiss.

It was a kiss that could break open the universe, stealing his breath and giving it back as if every other kiss that he'd had in his existence had been wrong. His heart, as useless as it had been for the past eight years, practically soared when the sudden pressure from Videl's mouth told him that she was kissing him back. All of his worries, his regrets, his duty seemed to fade away the instant that their lips connected. Fireworks erupted in his chest, his lips tingling as he moved them against hers, his fingers brushing her waist and one hand pushing on the small of her back to hold her closer to him. Videl was on her tiptoes, her lips parting his, deepening the kiss as her hands became entangled in his long ebony hair. It was heated, passionate, possibly even more so than he had experienced before, sending tremors up and down his entire body and evoking sensations from him that he never knew he was capable of feeling.

The butterflies in his stomach were going wild, as if cheering in celebration, roaring in triumph - could butterflies even roar? Ah who cares? The teenager thought, as he finally allowed the girl to take a breath, panting heavily as she clearly needed the relief of oxygen more than he did.

He was breathless too as he stared back at her, returning the playful smirk that she had directed towards him. He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly found that it was occupied as Videl pulled him back to her lips by his collar. Not that he was complaining, he thought, grinning against her lips, his heart feeling lighter than it had done in years. How long had it felt so heavy for anyway?

He didn't know what he was thinking - he couldn't think even, and there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it. But here he was, with a pyjama clad girl high up in the middle of the atmosphere, a vast array of twinkling stars above them and the entire Earth at their feet, kissing her for only the stars to see.

---

Lord Beerus' Planet, A Far Away Dimension, The Living World.

"Oh dear," Whis observed, frowning in concern as he and Lord Beerus watched the young Junior Destroyer from his sceptre, "It seems that we may have a slight problem, my Lord."

---

8th January, 2019.

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A/N: OMG! They kissed! Yay FINALLY! I am so giddy right now. Hope you lovely readers have enjoyed this very long chapter! :') More to come soon! ES x

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Reviews:

Animefortin95: In a way you are correct. Gods, especially destoryers can technically do what they wish, however they have to abide by the divine code. Explained in the first few chapters, Gods aren't supposed to have children with mortals - mainly because of Perses as he his half kai. however it says nothing about kissing them ;) and more about the GohanxVidel pairing will be revealed as the story continues. The fact that Gohan cannot stay and is bound to his duty raises a huge dilemma, which is a theme in this story that will continue to be explored.

Aaron Leach: thank you!

TheRangerBoy: same! never heard of a Majin Goku before, but I thought that the loss of Gohan would certainly effect him in a negative way.

keyblademeister88: thanks for your review! I know I cannot wait for Gohan to reveal himself. I have the whole idea down. I promise it'll be epic.

Dingus : wow thank you so much for your review! Im so happy that you get my concept on what I'm trying to do with Gohan, keeping his dorky persona as you say from cannon but overlaying it with his destroyer personality that he has gained from his experiences. It really means so much to me when I get reviews like this so thank you :)

ashlovesdbz: thanks so much! I'm glad I'm managing to keep you on the edge of your seat with this story! Expect more upcoming twists and turns!

Thomas-The-TMC : exactly what I was going for. thank you!

Lawrence HBain : Gold star! the weird looking frog is in fact Captain Ginyu!

animeflunky : thank you so much!

DaDragon562: so many feels! glad you enjoyed the chapter along with Videl fluff!

Liltye504: wait and see!

MadmanJrs: thanks for your review! yes videl has gone through some shit whilst being around the z-fighters, so Gohan popping up isnt awfully crazy for her to process, just a shock that the boy she has been helping has not only lied to her, but is in fact the saviour of earth and the boy that saved her all those years ago. I really wanted to get a different take on Goten, the way he looks up to his brother in the cannon is so sweet, so of course I abolished it completely. He never knew this kid, though he understands why it is sad for everyone around him. I will be exploring more of Goten's character and his feelings towards Gohan in later chapters. There are so many feels in this story! Glad you like the Gohan and Videl interactions, and most importantly the ending of this chapter in particular ;) And the Kiao-ken was a MUST for Videl, I hate how useless she is in Super, she should be a Z-Fighter not a supporter in my eyes!

victor0606: thank you!

dspendragon125: thanks!

Reacted: me neither! :)

Kal824 : glad you liked the Majin Goku concept. and I cannot wait for the reveal either.

Chosen To Die: aww thank you so much! I cannot describe how happy it makes me when I read reviews like yours!

Leafeon12: thank you! Gohan vs Goku mayyyy be in the works ;)

Lightningblade49 : exactly, and I just made it even harder for him to leave!

romanovascap: thanks for your review! glad you liked the themes in the last chapter. The other characters like Krillin, 18, Yamcha etc will be making a come back, and I aim to give everyone time to shine in this story, so hope you look forward to that! Gohan's dilemma is a great one, especially when it comes to what to tell his father or allow him to believe.

Iwik : thank you so much for your review! glad to hearing that you're enjoying this story and all the FEELS. and of course, Goten just has to have a kissy kissy line, its like gospel haha.

Ethhar: SSG Gohan is essential, dont you worry about that!

PhoenixFire100: aw thank you!

Dan2018 : thank you! yeah maybe they should recognise him, but that is what makes it even sadder. because they gave up :(

HalfbreedSayian : thank you! glad you enjoyed Gohan's solution to the lab problem. he is a destroyer after all!

JemDragons: totally what youre saying, this might be explored as a later date as a bonus chapter for the Buu saga!

DBZfan: thanks! and yes dont know what happened to my grammar there! yikes!

EleazarTheUnforgotten: thank you so much for your review. glad you liked the scene with the telescope. I never wanted Gohan to lose sight of himself, even as he continued to become a destroyer, though of course there are differences there as he has grown up with his most important years surrounded by Gods. and I really wanted to get a sense of the world without Gohan, so thank you so much for seeing that!

FireEmblemMaster101: thanks for your review! Yeah I went a little over the top with Goten at first as I wanted to highlight Gohan's annoyance to him at first. and im happy that you like my OC's - who will be making another appearance! I love Makhai too, he is my fave!

RedDragonforce 1 : thank you! glad you liked the Majin Goku idea, and the fact of no fusion - to be honest it was cool but I think it makes the fact that the Buu saga was even harder for the gang to overcome without it. so adds to the story a little. I have of course, posted your narrators narrative above! loving it btw! thanks so much for your continued support!

johndoe86 : exactly. For Goku, losing the son that he willingly sent to fight his battle, then not knowing what had happened to his soul and not being able to bring him back. It would destroy him. Hence, Majin Goku.

Lord0: haha I hope I continue to spoil you!

Tumama123: many people have asked for this! There will be a fight!

X3runner : not sure if I'm going to completely abide by the tournament route, it doesnt entirely fit in this story, though there will be some epic scenes between universes that I have mapped out already. so look forward to those! There will certainly be more Chi-Chi feels in upcoming chapters.

Declan Campbell: soon!

DragonCrusader : haha glad you agree! I'm all for the ouchy feels!

The reject: thank you so much! it really does mean a lot!

Zeromaru Chaos Mode: thank you! and oooo beans will be spilled... but I cant tell you when ;)

Readallday1243: thank you!

LEO LOVER 2016: i literally cant wait! and im the one writing it haha

noble1000 : thanks! glad you enjoy the british! and dont worry this story WILL be finished! I promise!

Crodog12: thank you so much for your review! You raise some interesting questions that if I answer it'll be a huge spoiler but you have a good train of thought!

RazorBlaze : thanks so much! glad you are enjoying the story and hope you have enjoyed this chapter too! Yeah Gohan is 9 in the manga when he fought Cell, but he is 11 in the anime. I am going off the anime for ages!