A/N: Hello all you wonderful readers! You are not seeing things, this is indeed a brand new chapter of SGTD! Woah what a crazy month and a half it has been. I have to admit that I wrote the first part of this chapter not long after I finished the last one, but its taken me so long to finish it! Ive been busy with starting my Masters degree as mentioned in the last authors note, but as well as that I have suffered a big knee injury which requires surgery, which I haven't got a date for yet! However, silver lining... whilst I am off work it'll hopefully give me chance to put out these next few chapters a lot quicker! I say hopefully, as we are really in the thick of the story now, and things are going to heat up considerably. I do apologise for the long time between updates, but I just want to get this right 100%.

Now, this chapter is a little bit different to what I have written before, but I really hope you enjoy it and get a few laughs out of it. Special thanks to Nyx and Chosen To Die for helping me through the last couple of months and proof reading parts of this chapter to keep me sane! I hope you laugh as much as they did! It has turned out as a bit of a calmer of a chapter, but things are going to heat up - significantly in the next few chapters. So get ready!

I just wanted to point out how grateful I am for the love you show for this story of mine. As I am sure a few of you have noticed that I have recently been accused by a persistent troll of plagiarism and racism - something which I hope you will agree is completely untrue. But I wont let it get me down and will continue with the story to the end, and I have blocked and reported this person so hopefully that'll be the end of it! To everyone that has supported me thus far, a sincere thank you to you all. This chapter is a little shorter than my more recent ones, but it felt like a good place to end it in preparation for the next instalment - which I am SUPER excited about. It is all planned, just needs writing so hopefully wont be too long!

Thank you again for your patience, you all rock!

ES x

Chapter Twenty-Five

The Devil's Due

xxxx

The Grand Plaza, East City. August, Age 775.

Erasa had always stood by the notion that the best way to get over a man is to get under a new one.

It was a bold yet pretty solid assumption by all accounts, and Videl had to hand it to her best friend that it had its perks. Granted, she had only done the rebound thing once during a particularly messy breakup not long after high school, and whilst it had given her a much needed thrill of satisfaction and revenge points, it was only a temporary fix.

It certainly wasn't something that she took into consideration on a regular basis, nor was it her idea to even embark on this particular venture.

"In all honesty, I didn't think you'd call back after last time. Though I must say that I'm not surprised."

Videl's nose wrinkled in annoyance, as her date ran a hand through his floppy blonde hair, flashing his brilliant white teeth that looked as though they had recently been bleached. This small yet over-confident manoeuvre caught the attention of a gaggle of waitresses over by the bar, who let out an audible swoon at the sight.

She looked down, barely managing to hide the roll of her eyes as she tugged on the tight body-con dress that barley reach her knees. The deep scarlet fabric was a startling contrast to her long ebony hair that fell into perfect waves reaching her waist.

What had even possessed her to go along with this nonsense?

In all fairness, she had to agree with Sharpener and Erasa in the fact that she should probably have a little respite from work. She had done nothing but work since -

Well…

It wasn't all bad. Videl had readily volunteered herself for extra duties, including working overtime and even helping out the newbies with their paperwork. In actual fact, she had never had so much energy before, and she could only attribute it to the tiny little life growing inside of her. That, and… the hunger. The insatiable appetite that had struck her completely unawares about a month ago, in turn causing her food bill to increase exponentially, and made both Erasa and Sharpener marvel at how much she could pack away earlier that afternoon when they had ordered pizza.

They hadn't been to see her for a while, mainly because she kept making up excuses or busying herself with police work. Though her best friends could be just as persistent as she was, and had threatened to actually break down her door if she didn't let them in. Still, she refused to believe that she was hiding away as they had insisted, and similarly shoot down their claims that she was in denial about the whole baby situation.

She had told them of course, even though she was still in the midsts of trying to process it herself. Though she had told a white lie in regards to who the father was, informing them that it was in fact 'Beerus'. The young man she had helped to try and get his memories back, but who had swiftly flown the coop when she had found out she was expecting. It wasn't entirely untrue. Now, her best friends were quite accustomed to the fact that she could use Ki and fly, and similarly knew of her training with the world renowned martial artist Son Goku. Though if she had told them that she was actually pregnant by his dead son who had left for another dimension to go and become a God and save the multiverse from impending doom - well, she was pretty certain that they would question her sanity.

She wasn't in total denial, she just tried not to think about it too much. At ten weeks, she had yet to start showing, her toned abdomen still flat and smooth - which helped ease her mind somewhat. She had done a little research, taking vitamins and eating the right things, even though she had yet to make an appointment with her doctor or a midwife. She wasn't quite sure how to go about it either. The little imp was part Saiyan after all - a demigod even. Thoughts had crossed her mind of it coming out glowing golden, or heaven forbid blasting its way out. How would she even begin to explain that one?

Videl sighed, tapping her fingernails irritably on her glass of water as her date continued to spout about how amazing it was for her to be on a date with him. He had done nothing but talk about himself since she had sat down, the only words she had managed to offer were the occasional 'Wow.' 'Fascinating'. 'Good for you.' - and other stupid pleasantries that she had forced herself to recite just to keep her promise to Erasa and Sharpener.

Though she was failing to keep up her pretences, her cheeks aching considerably from forcing a sweet smile and her voice drawling out in a bored monotone. Unfortunately for her, the egotistical young man didn't appear to notice in the slightest. Her sapphire eyes glared at the offending glass in front of her, the melting ice cubes much resembling her rapidly fading patience. She could really do with a stiffer drink if she was going to get through this.

Her friends were only trying to help, she reasoned, and although she appreciated the sentiment, she couldn't help but think that they had been so far off the mark that they had ended up on the other side of the planet. Their suggestion of her 'letting loose' for the night was welcomed, but the idea that it included going out on a date was downright ludicrous. She was pregnant with another man's child for goodness sake! Shouldn't she be 'nesting' or some shit?!

"You're pregnant, not dead!" Erasa had scoffed in her face when she had told her as such, before Sharpener had 'wisely' stated that she should afford herself one last 'wild ride' before she had to push a watermelon out of her hoo-hah and it would never look the same again.

That boy really had a way with words…

Watermelons aside, Videl knew that the only way she could stop the pair from pestering her was to relent to this madness. She had to admit that it was nice to get out of the apartment for something other than work, the summer night air pleasantly cool against her skin as she had flown towards East City. It was too bad that she was stuck in a stuffy, upperclass restaurant instead of finding a beautiful spot by a lake and look out at the myriad of stars that lay high above the mountains -

She had shook her head out of those particular thoughts, ridding herself of the image of that kind, charming smile and those dark, lustful eyes that threatened to invade her mind. She had to concentrate after all, and confine herself to a night boring of background piano music and overpriced food.

It wasn't as though she wasn't accustomed to being waited on underneath dazzling chandeliers, nor used to the amount of shiny silverware upon the table that each had their own particular use for each individual dish. Far from it. Her father had once relished in all the glory that came with being the World Martial Arts Champion after all, and still did on occasion. Though due to expanding her horizons over the past year and a half, she couldn't help but find contentment in more humble comforts now.

The Grand Plaza was one of the most top-rated and most expensive restaurants in East City. A high rise building that doubled up as a hotel, with the restaurant nestled at the very top, and a view that looked out over the entire city. It was made up of pristine marble bricks and gigantic windows that spanned the upper floor. It was so high-end that it even had two doormen either side of the large oak doorway, with a red carpet that ran the length of the corridor, leading to the swanky hotel on the lower floors.

Such a grand entrance did not faze Videl, she was a Satan after all. But that didn't stop the coiling sickness of dread that had wound suddenly in the pit of her stomach at the sight of her date already waiting for her at one of the candlelit tables. His beaming smile held all the traits of a man who thought he was going to get lucky. And the girl nearly ran hightail right out of there, when the image of her best friends wide, puppy eyed stare had drifted into her mind.

"We're just so worried about you," Erasa sniffed, her eyes watering as she pleaded with her, "Just one date! You've got to get out of this apartment before you suffocate. Get it out of your system!"

"Yeah," chimed Sharpener, wiggling his eyebrows, "And I understand your feelings on the bloke but he seems up for it! Take my advice, once the lights are turned off you can pretend it's whoever you like! At the end of the day, it's not his personality you'll be f-"

Before Videl could offer her own angry and rather disgusted retort, did Erasa cut her off again, "We just want you to get back to your old self Videl. Please, if not for us, do it for yourself?"

Damn her soft heart, as due to it, she had relented. They had known each other since they were little kids after all, and she knew that they were just trying to look out for her. Be that as it may, she was certainly not going to take Sharpener's advice, but maybe one tiny date wouldn't hurt. They were her best friends, and she loved them just as much as they did -

"It's like they say," the young man across from her chuckled again, breaking her out of her thoughts as he gave her a suggestive wink, "Once you go Barry, the girls don't dilly-dally, and come swarming back to the B-Hive."

She was going to kill them both.

She was going to gut them to within an inch of their lives and string them up by their entrails, checking herself into a mental asylum shortly afterwards because clearly she must have a screw loose to even consider going along with this ridiculous plan.

It was sad, in a way. Because Videl knew that she wasn't this desperate, having not wanted to go along with this in the first place. Even still, the fact that the only eligible bachelor she knew who would drop everything to be with her last minute, and on a Saturday night in the middle of summer, was this wanker.

Barry Khan. Actor, singer, dancer, model, playboy and self-proclaimed philanthropist. Dug up deep from within the shameful dregs of her previous dating record, and quite possibly the most insufferable twit she had ever had the misfortune to meet.

A teenage heartthrob even though he was now twenty-two, and insanely wealthy - something that he had no qualms about flaunting. They had only dated for a few weeks just before the Twenty-Fourth World Martial Arts Tournament, until Videl had ended it after realising what a gigantic arsehole he was, and realising that he had first only started to date her to secure a contract deal with her father for a film that he was producing and starring in. At the time, with Mister Satan being the reigning world champ, it would have sent box office sales through the roof. As well as Barry's ever expanding ego.

Though no matter how much he had pleaded with her to take him back, and despite the elaborate gifts (one that included her own private jet) she had refused to give in to the spoilt little rich boy. Specifically one who thought he was doing the universe a favour by simply existing.

Yet here he was in front of her, gazing at her with those sparkling baby blue eyes that enchanted a whole host of naive girls, occasionally pausing in his abhorrent gushing over himself to reapply some of the organic raspberry lip balm that he kept in his man purse. Videl pushed down the scoff that fought to escape her, as she watched him smooth it over his lips for the fifth time that evening. She was privy to his moves after all, knowing all too well how the gesture not only drew her attention to his lips, but also how it made them look soft and subtle - irresistible to kiss even, if you looked past the fact that they were attached to his gaping pit of a mouth.

She really despised raspberries.

He was more of an idiot than she realised if he thought that was going to entice her. Even so, it had been a while since she had seen him, and therefore she wasn't entirely sure whether this 'B-Hive' he was referring to was his penthouse suite in upper East City or his penis. Either or, it was enough to make her shudder.

"Cold, Viddy?"

She looked up at that moment, the horrid pet name sounding like nails screeching on a chalkboard. That pompous smile of his unwavering, though she couldn't help but feel a twisted feeling of satisfaction as she stared at his face, noticing how his nose was a little off centre, reminding her all too well of their last meeting, in which her fist had impacted quite harshly with his face.

"A little," she said with a smile, the young man mistaking the sadistic implications for sweetness, "I think it's the air-conditioning."

"Well don't worry," said Barry cockily, flashing her his brilliant white teeth, "Things will be sure to heat up soon enough."

"Kami above," she groaned without thinking and catching him off guard, though she quickly covered her tracks, "I mean er, I'm starving! Where's that waiter got to?"

"You just leave everything to Barry, gorgeous," he winked, and she could have sworn that she was just sick in her mouth. How could she have forgotten just how much he referred to himself in the third person?!

"Oh waiter! Waiter!" He called loudly, clicking his fingers rudely at a young man who was setting down another customer's meal about three tables away, his sudden exclamation drawing the attention of several patrons and prompting Videl to sink into her seat out of embarrassment.

"Yes Monsieur Khan?" The head waiter bustled over quickly, defusing the situation and saving the younger boy from the actor's wrath. He had dark hair and a pencil moustache, his thick accent reverberating around them as he smiled, "What can I do for you - ?"

"The service here is terrible," stated Barry, cutting the man short, "My date and I would like to order, and we have been kept waiting for over five minutes after one of your staff brought us breadsticks."

"O-Oh! I am so sorry Monsieur Khan," he began to explain, "It eez very busy tonight and - "

"Did I ask for your life story, Gaston?" Barry interrupted, as the poor man - whose name was certainly not Gaston, began to sweat, "Now hurry up and take our order, Ms Satan and I have a long night ahead of us."

You're telling me, Videl thought bitterly, rolling her eyes behind the waiter's back.

"O-Of course!" He blundered, fumbling with his notepad before looking towards them, "Eet would be my pleasure! What can I get you?"

"I'll have the deconstructed salad, but hold the dressing," the actor started first, tossing him the menu so that he nearly dropped the pad, "And do make sure that the tomatoes are organic this time, I trust you don't want to get another one of your chefs fired for upsetting my sensitive stomach."

Gods she wanted to throttle the self-important git. But she had promised Erasa and Sharpener that she would at least try and get through the meal. That, and she was so hungry that she could eat a whole dinosaur.

She offered the flustered man an apologetic smile that she hoped would sooth him. It seemed to work somewhat, as the waiter gave her a pleasant grin back, readying his pen as she gazed longingly at the menu - her mouth already watering, "And for ze lady?"

"I'll have the triple burger stack please, with a side of loaded fries, and tell the chef to not hold back on the cheese," she started, as the waiter hurriedly started scribbling, "Two sides of onion rings, a t-bone steak - well done I guess, with extra sauce, extra onions. Actually, could you do an extra steak just to be safe? Oh and could you throw in a plate of that linguine special too?" With that, Videl passed the astonished waiter the menu, who nervously opened his mouth to speak.

"Er Madame, this eez quite a lot of -" He stopped short however, as her piercing gaze stared him out. For but a moment, the waiter looked as though she was about to rip him to shreds like some sort of wild beast - should he deny her.

With a loud gulp, he turned back towards Barry, "And er, can I get you a bottle of wine for ze table? On ze house of course, for ze trouble."

"That would be excellent," the blonde-haired buffoon replied, "A bottle of your finest champagne would be suitable."

His cheeks reddened, a bead of sweat trailing down his brow, as Videl cut across them, "Just water for me, thanks. I'm not drinking."

Barry raised an eyebrow at her, though she ignored him, and added kindly, "And could you bring us the dessert menu on your way back with our drinks, please?"

The waiter nodded wordlessly before bustling off, leaving her with her rather perplexed date.

"Thanks!" The girl called after him, before noticing that Barry's mouth was unhinged, "What?"

"W-Well," he started, finally able to pick his jaw up off of the table, "It's just that was quite a big order."

Videl brushed him off swiftly, "It's part of my new training regime, I have to eat a lot of calories to keep my body going throughout the day." Well, it wasn't exactly untrue.

"Is that so?" Barry observed, his blue eyes raking across her body, "That explains the not drinking. Though, I must say, it's paying off. When you first walked in here, I thought that you'd gotten a boob job. They're definitely bigger since the last time I saw them."

"Excuse you?!" She growled, suddenly offended and covering herself by folding her arms across her chest.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," he chuckled, misplacing her anger completely, "Barry could refer you to his surgeon if you wanted them even bigger. It's like Barry always says, there is always room for improvement."

"No thanks," she replied haughtily, refusing to pull her arms away from herself. And would he stop referring to himself in the third person already?!

"Aw don't be a spoil sport, Viddy," Barry laughed smugly, "He does GREAT work! After all, Barry has had his nose done twice."

Yeah, only because I ended up breaking it so bad that it didn't even look like a nose any more, she thought, still seething from his crude remarks.

Though in a matter of seconds, he was off again, oblivious to the girl's rising temper as he recounted another one of his 'captivating' on-set stories. Videl sighed heavily, placing one elbow on the edge of the table and resting her chin in her hand, trying to coax herself down from firing a Kamehameha up his arse.

The food was taking an age to come out, given it was a busy Saturday night in the middle of the large city, and now customers were starting to queue out of the door waiting to be seated. Her mind slowly began to drift, as Barry's voice continued to drawl in her ears, the resounding laughter at his own jokes echoing unpleasantly in her eardrums.

What did she ever see in Barry anyway? She started to ponder, her eyes wandering to his floppy blonde hair and lean physique. He certainly wasn't her type after all -

"They really don't seem like your type," he had smirked, his warm breath tickling her lips as he lingered above her, his muscular arms holding himself upright.

"How do you know what my type is, wonder boy?" she had replied teasingly, quirking an eyebrow at him.

He grinned wickedly back at her, a smile so cheeky yet so charming all at the same time. His dark eyes seemed to sparkle as he gazed back at her, before gesturing to their nudity beneath the sheets, "Well, if this is any indication."

She couldn't help the laugh that bubbled from within her chest, her heart already pounding as his naked, rock hard body pushed a little further in between her -

Damn it Videl! She inwardly screamed in alarm, snapping herself out of it. She should not be having thoughts like that, not on a date with someone else, no matter how much of a prick they were. And she especially should not be having such thoughts about him.

Bloody hormones, she growled to herself, feeling hot and bothered all of a sudden, picking up the dessert menu the waiter had dropped off and fanning herself with it. Luckily, Barry remained unawares to her heated blush. Instead pouring them both a glass of champagne over his chatter even though she had told him that she hadn't wanted any.

Feeling a little cooler, the Satan girl placed down the thin leather bound booklet, making to brush a hand through her hair to keep it from sticking to her clammy forehead when -

"Daydreaming again?"

Videl scowled, shooting daggers in the voice's direction. The sudden appearance of the strangely dressed young man at the table going unnoticed by the occupants of the restaurant - save her, because it was all too clear that the halfling was just an object of her imagination. Great galaxies, she was hallucinating. Maybe she really did need to check herself in at the mental institute.

"Get lost, will you?" she told him, though whether she had said it in her mind or out loud she was unclear of. However, she was betting on the former, as Barry didn't seem to pause in his ramblings. "I know that you're not real."

"Rude," said the ghostly depiction. Though he appeared amused, flashing her that heart-stopping smile of his that made her go weak at the knees, "But just because I'm in your head doesn't mean that it's not real."

"Oh shut up," Videl hissed, her eyes darting around the room, though nobody seemed to notice that she was talking to herself, "I said get lost. I don't want you in my head!"

The Gohan hallucination quirked an eyebrow, "Really now? Because that's not what your thoughts tell you. Just a second ago you were thinking about me and my Godly, naked, rock hard -"

"Stop it!" She growled, her cheeks burning. Although now she was certain that this image of him was a depiction of her mind. The Gohan she knew had gained a lot more confidence since the first time she had seen him naked, but never would he refer to himself of having a Godly, rock hard anything.

"Stop?" Ghost Gohan quirked, wriggling his eyebrows, "That's odd. Usually I'm used to hearing you begging me to do the opposite."

Damn her dirty mind straight to HFIL!

"Will you just piss off already?" Videl spat, "I am not in the mood to deal with you right now!"

"Oh? And you're in the mood to deal with him?" He said pointedly, inclining his head towards the opposite end of the table, "Talk about a downgrade."

"Shut up!" She snapped again, fuming, "This is my date and you are NOT going to ruin it for me."

"Yeah because it seems like you're having a fantastic time so far," he mused sarcastically, leaning back on his ghostly chair and folding his arms behind his head, propping his boots up on the table, "You picked a real gem there, by the way."

Videl scoffed, "You don't even know him."

"It's a good job too, he seems like a right self-absorbed idiot."

"No he's - !" She started to protest, though she was unsure as to why she was being so defensive all of a sudden. She stopped short however, following Gohan's cryptic gaze as Barry was quite obviously Insta-gramming a picture of his salad.

Just when did the food get here anyway?!

"Hashtag, abs for August," Barry winked over the table, catching her staring, "Am I right?"

Ghost Gohan snorted, as Videl relented, "Okay fine, he's a massive prick and this was an extremely bad idea. But you shouldn't be here!"

"It's not like I can help it! You're the one who can't stop thinking about me!" He spouted, before the suggestive look was back full force, "Or all those late, dark nights we shared together. Remember when we went skinny dipping in the lake and I did that thing with my tongue that made you -"

"ARGH!" Videl cried, picking up a nearby breadstick and throwing it right at his stupid head, which he easily evaded.

"Er, Viddy?" Barry's voice cut through the air, "Should Barry be concerned?"

She stopped short, her breath heaving as he stared unblinkingly back at her. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, as she realised that her date and a few surrounding tables had seen her scream and lob a breadstick at thin air for no apparent reason.

"I-I saw a fly," she stammered, brushing her now tousled hair away from her face, "A really annoying one. It's gone now."

Barry frowned in bewilderment, though the girl didn't give him a chance to reply, as she settled herself back down and rested her cheeks in her hands, giving him a sweet smile, "You were saying?"

"Pfft, what a tosser."

Videl whirled around, ready to give the stupid ghost a piece of her mind when -

"WHEN DID YOU TAKE YOUR TOP OFF?!"

Her sudden screech caught the attention of the entire restaurant, the background music cutting out abruptly as the pianist stopped playing. Her outburst caught Barry completely off guard as he nearly fell out of his chair in fright.

"I-I didn't," Barry stated, looking down at himself and back to her as though she had just grown another head.

Though Videl's gaze wasn't focussed on Barry. Instead, it was fixated upon the adonis standing before her. That chiseled chest and rippling abs, the smooth scars that embellished the warm skin that she had kissed so many times. The fine line of dark hair that ran from his belly button, and right down to his -

"Don't look at me," Gohan griped, running his calloused fingers through that wild spikey mane of hair that had somehow fallen out of its bond, "This is your hallucination."

"Viddy baby," Barry said again with a devilish smirk, causing her to snap her head towards him once more, "If you wanted Barry to take his top off, all you needed to do is ask."

"No!" She flapped, gulping down the hard lump that had appeared in her throat, her face burning bright crimson as she realised that all eyes were still upon her, "Don't do that. Please don't to that."

"I-It's just a little warm in here now," she continued breathlessly, trying to pull herself together, as her date looked on confused, "I'm just gonna… go t-to the bathroom. Excuse me for a moment."

With that she bolted from the table, past the flabbergasted onlookers and towards the ladies restroom. She barely heard Barry call after her about some stupid Instagram post as she slammed the toilet door shut behind her and slid down the wall with a shaky outlet of breath.

Luckily, there was no one else in there to watch her mini-meltdown, and after a few minutes of sitting on the cool tiles of the bathroom floor did she manage to pick herself up and splash some cold water on her cheeks from the sink - careful not to smudge her mascara.

Ping!

Suddenly, her phone buzzed and pinged in her clutch, and she let out an audible groan at the notification.

BarryKhanOfficial has tagged you in a post!

Sighing, she tapped the screen, rolling her eyes at the heavily filtered picture of his garden salad - she could just about make out her elbow in the corner of the shot. Not that she minded, as she really didn't want to be associated with the git.

It got worse very quickly, as she noticed the description he had written:

Hitting the town hard with this one! Videl666 *smiley face emoji* *smiley face emoji* *love heart emoji* *love heart emoji* *cocktail emoji* *wine emoji* *cocktail emoji* *dancing lady emoji* *love heart emoji* *devil emoji* *eggplant emoji* *eggplant emoji* *squirting water emoji* *squirting water emoji* *squirting water emoji* #abs4august #bae #organic #planetlyf #B-Hive #barrykhan #therealbarrykhan

For Kami's sake, who hashtags themselves?! She growled, whilst snarling at the eggplant emoji.

Gross.

Ping!

She frowned as her phone sounded again. Her eyes widened, uh oh.

TitanBandit69 liked a post you were tagged in!

TitanBandit69 commented on a post you were tagged in!

TitanBandit69 commented: ? *sad face emoji* *broken heart emoji*

Ping!

Text message from Bulma Briefs: Just had a text from Yamcha. U ok? B xxxxxxx

Fan-fucking-tastic. Now she had more people to judge her, and not just the hallucinations in her damned mind. If only Yamcha wasn't a such social media queen, she may have just gotten away with that one.

Forcing down the urge to message her friend back and beg her to save her from this nightmare of a date. The Satan girl swallowed her pride, switching off her phone entirely and shoving it back in her bag. Giving her reflection a stern once over and with fresh determination in her eyes, Videl spun on her heel and returned to the dining room.

She was relieved to find that the 'ghost of Gohan' had completely disappeared when she sat back down, attempting to give Barry a charming smile, "Where were we?"

As predicted, her date didn't even ask her if she was okay before launching into his story again. It was just as well, as it allowed her to tuck into the glorious feast in front of her. It was still warm, thank goodness, though she didn't think it mattered at this point, as she was so hungry that she could have inhaled just about anything put in front of her.

Videl was so focussed on trying to mind her manners and not plough into the meal like a deranged beast, she barely registered what Barry was saying. She couldn't help but feel a little bad for all the times she had shown her disgust towards the Saiyans eating habits, because if this is what they felt at every meal time then she was amazed by their restraint to not pick up the entire table and just dump their dinner into their awaiting mouths - plates and all.

" - so what do you think?"

Oh shit, was he talking to her?

Videl looked up, forcing down the large mouthful of pasta that nearly got stuck in her throat, "Sorry, I zoned out for a moment there, what were you saying?"

Barry's smile faltered as he grimaced at the sight of the meat juices that had dripped down her chin, along with the bits of cheese that had gotten stuck to her cheeks.

"Um, I was talking about my upcoming movie."

"Oh?" She quirked, wiping her mouth hurriedly with her napkin, "Sorry. What did you say it was about?"

Barry straightened up fully, grinning at her again, "Well, Barry is going to be producing and starring in an action packed re-adaptation of The Cell Games."

Videl balked, choking on her mouthful as she stared, "Really?!"

"That's right, Viddy," He gloated, "And guess what major part Barry is playing?"

"C-Cell?" she squeaked warily, a feeling of dread encompassing her.

"What? No way!" Barry scoffed, "I am way too gorgeous to be cast as that wretched monster. I'm going to be playing Son Gohan of course!"

"You've got to be fucking joking," she deadpanned, as a howl of raucous laughter from a certain hallucination echoed in her mind. Stupid ghosts.

"I know it's impressive isn't it, sweetie?" The young actor chuffed, "The title is going to be 'Barry Khan in 'The Boy That Delivered'. The Cell Games, The Movie.' Good eh?"

She would never have thought that this date could get any worse. Evidently, she was wrong to underestimate him.

"And guess who we've cast as little Miss Satan?" he pressed, flashing his glowing teeth again.

Videl blinked, "What? Why am I in it?"

"How could you not be in it?" Barry snorted, "You were the one that Son Gohan saved out on the battlefield after all. And you can't have an action-romance movie without the damsel in distress, can you?"

Her anger towards the fact that he thought of her as any kind of damsel quickly dissipated, as her mind slowly began to process his words, "Wait, r-romance?! How can it be a romance movie?! We were eleven!"

Barry rolled his eyes in a demeaning manner, "Oh Viddy, I know you don't understand movies that well what with all your 'karate' stuff. But romance is what makes it more exciting! It'll be fabulous don't you worry! Coco and I have great chemistry on set!"

"Coco?" Videl mustered weakly as the young man nodded.

"That's right!" He said smugly, puffing out his chest, "Coco Amaguri, the worlds number one teen pop idol. This movie is going to be huge baby, and I mean HUGE! It's gonna take about a couple of years to finish, especially after those huge earthquakes we had a couple of months back that destroyed the studio. But once the set is rebuilt, we can start work on the special effects. Trust me, it'll be worth it, and make Barry a hell of a lot of money!"

"Hang on," she interjected, trying to look past the fact that the brunette bimbo was going to be playing her in a movie - she didn't even look like her for a start! "How is that even going to be realistic to anyone? You've got adults playing kids for a start, not to mention that when Gohan defeated Cell, he was - and you're not exactly - well… "

She was going to say 'not a gigantic dickhead' (it didn't matter how good of an actor he was) but Barry seemed to take something else from her words altogether.

"Ah I see what you're saying," he nodded thoughtfully, running a hand through his hair once more, "I'm not the most 'athletic' compared to those fighters at The Cell Games, but I've been hitting the gym pretty hard. I don't mean to brag, but I can lift about half of my body weight."

Yeah, as opposed to Gohan, who can bench press a planet with his pinky, she thought, wrinkling her nose in distaste as Barry pulled up his jacket sleeve and started tensing his bicep, which was definitely smaller than hers.

"It's a start," he informed her with a smirk, "But it's all just for show anyway. I have my stunt double to do the rest."

"Of course you do," she said in a clipped tone, as his blue eyes danced at her hungrily.

"We can talk more about it back at my penthouse if you like," he winked suggestively, his soft and overly moisturised fingertips brushing her forearm, "I could even show you my costume. Barry rocks the shoulder pads by the way."

OH GREAT KAMI NO.

Videl blanched, snatching her arm away from him and making to scratch her neck as a folly. It was suddenly getting extremely warm in here.

"Well, if that doesn't float your boat, I could always give you my best Son Gohan impression," he smiled.

"T-That's not necessary," she implored, "Really."

"I don't mind," said Barry, "It's not every day that you get to see The Khan Master in action before the tape starts rolling. Think of it as Barry's treat to his Viddy."

The Khan - what?

Though she had no chance to ask, or run away for that matter. As 'The Khan Master' pulled back from the table, balling up his fists and scrunching up his face as though he was in a great amount of pain.

Her eyes widened. Surely he wasn't going to - ?

"HUUHHHHHHHHUHUHUHUHHHHHHHHHHEEEHHERRHRRRHHHH!"

Oh Gods. He was.

"HAAAAAAAHUYUHHHEHEHEHHHHHHUUUUUHHHHBBBBRRRRRH!"

All eyes were suddenly on their table again, as Barry leaned over his chair and then cried out to the heavens. As he 'powered up', his face was completely red, his mouth hanging open in a weird 'o' shape, and his eyes practically bulging from his head.

He looked as though he was extremely constipated, or having a full-body stroke coupled with a seizure and a generous dose of poisoning. She could see all the veins in his neck protrude outwards, his face getting even redder with each scream. A scream that sounded like a thousand chipmunks being simultaneously mauled to death. Videl sat there completely mortified in the middle of the restaurant. She had never seen nor heard something so utterly repulsive in all her life - and she had faced off against Majin Buu for crying out loud!

"HHHHHUYUYYYUHHUHUUHHHEHHEHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHH!"

She had to make it stop!

"BARRY!" Videl roared suddenly, halting the young man in his stance that looked as though he was going to make a mess of his pants, "Y-You can stop now. I get it. I-Its great. Please."

"I know it's a lot to handle, just striking isn't it?" he puffed, his face slowly returning to its normal colour as he thankfully sat back down in his seat.

"Well, that's one word for it," Videl mustered, as a rapid round of applause rang out across the room, prompting Barry to blow a few kisses and wave at his fans.

"Thank you! Thank you!" He boasted, leaning back in his seat and flipping his hair in a cocky manner, "It's a scene from my new movie! Oh you truly are too much! I'll be handing out autographs later -!"

She couldn't help but roll her eyes for the umpteenth time that evening, holding her red face in her hands as the crowd began to chant "B-Khan! B-Khan! B-Khan!" Barry completely oblivious to her mortification as he blew several more kisses towards the awestruck crowd.

Her mind drifted to Erasa and Sharpener. She really needed to get better friends with less stupid ideas. All she wanted was cake. And then she could finally go home.

" - I mean it's ridiculous when you think about it. If anything, I feel sorry for the kid."

"Huh?" Videl blinked, unaware that Barry had started speaking again. It was all too easy to drown him out after all.

"I mean, my agent did say that I have to bulk up more," the actor continued, "But I don't see why Barry has to change just because Son Gohan was quite obviously the product of some kind of abuse. It goes against The Moral Code of Barry!"

Uncaring of what 'The Moral Code of Barry' included - which probably wasn't as moral as it sounded, Videl suddenly reared up, "What did you say?"

"Oh come off it Viddy," Barry snorted, "The kid was obviously on steroids or something. No eleven year old is THAT buff. His parents probably put him on a diet of nothing put pills and protein shakes."

She was momentarily stunned. Though very quickly recovered, clenching her fists as an angered snarl flew from her lips, "Of course they didn't! Gohan's genetics - !"

"Please Videl, stop living in a fantasy land," he guffawed, as if looking down at her from a pedestal, "You don't honestly believe that, do you? Barry knows. He does his research on the characters he plays. Son Gohan's parents did karate or judo or whatever you call it for years. They were in world tournaments just like your dad. I'm not denying he wasn't strong, he did save the world. But I'm just saying that there must have been some foul play at hand."

Her blood was positively boiling, as Barry continued with an arrogant huff, "It's a shame that his parents didn't realise his potential sooner. He could have been real big if he hadn't of kicked the bucket. But you know how child stars are, he probably wouldn't have been able to handle the pressure that the industry brings like I could. I'm talking drugs, addiction, prostitutes, prison - the whole hog."

"Gohan," she breathed heavily, trying to keep her rage at bay, "Gohan isn't like that."

Barry stared at her for a moment, before erupting into a cry of pompous laughter, "Oh Viddy, you're too funny! You sound like you know him personally or something!"

"I know nothing about you!" She had screamed, her harsh tone echoing over the ship, intermingling with the roaring ocean waves.

"You know that I love you," he had told her, those beautiful dark eyes shining with emotion. A burning, unyielding longing that set fire to her soul, begging her not to let him go, "And I know that you love me."

"I-I thought I did," she mustered quietly, her resolve faltering for but a moment in light of the haunting memory. Unconsciously, one of her hands moved from her lap to her abdomen, caressing it softly.

"Well anyway, despite his wasted potential, at least he made something of himself before he died," Barry sighed, taking a sip of his champagne whilst Videl's remained untouched, "Too bad he never got the chance to take advantage of it like I would have. But it's like I said, he might not have been able to handle the fame. Poor kid clearly had mental issues."

Videl's head perked up, her eyes hardening, "Do you want to repeat that?"

Ignorant to her dangerous tone, the blonde continued, "I mean obviously he was a degenerate. No sane person willing risks their life like that."

"So you're saying that you wouldn't have done that if you had all the power that Gohan had?" She said sharply, "Now why doesn't that surprise me."

"And it shouldn't!" said Barry, taking another swing of his glass, "But when you're raised like that I suppose you lose all logical reasoning. No, I would have done the sensible thing and took off."

"That doesn't make you sensible, that makes you a coward," she spat, her fingernails digging into the palms of her hands and threatening to draw blood.

"No, that makes me smart Videl," he grinned, an air of entitlement about him, "Tell me, which one of us is still alive and which one is six feet under?"

Videl seethed, she was burning with fury. She was also pretty positive that her Ki was spiking, the air becoming heavier all of a sudden as she tried desperately to restrain herself from strangling the badmouthing git. The cutlery left on the table started to rattle, a distant rumbling could be heard throughout the restaurant as the water in Videl's glass started to ripple and slosh.

But Barry appeared not to have noticed.

"It's probably a good thing that he died when you really think about it, I mean, you saw all those horrific things he could do live on air when he was just a kid!" He implored, seemingly amused by his own opinionated ramblings, he took great enjoyment in it, "Especially with all those enhancement drugs in his system! Imagine what he could do now!"

Oh she imagined it, alright. Even though she didn't want to believe it.

Those hands, scarred and calloused from years of training and battle, were all too reminiscent of the Destroyer that he had become. But how was it that those same dangerous hands were capable of touching her so gently? Capable of holding her so sweetly? How was it that those same dark eyes that had seen torture, loss and destruction - sometimes inflicted by himself - had given her such soft and starry eyed glances? Gazed upon her with a nervous inexperience, way back when the thunderstorm had rained upon them the night when he had finally revealed himself to his family and friends? The deep onyx orbs pleading with her to be just as gentle with his soul as he was being with her, searching for her trust before he gave himself to her completely.

She had overreacted, back on the ship on Bulma's birthday. She knew that. But she was so hurt. So lost and confused and unknowing of what the hell she was going to do without him. And despite what he thought, it didn't matter to her that he was training to become a God of Destruction, for she trusted that he was doing it for all the right reasons. She just wished that she could have told him so.

Of course, she was angry, she was angry that he had kept it from her. Angry that his role within the universe was forcing them apart when it felt so right being with him. And even though he had left a part of him with her in the form of a tiny, growing bud of life that they had unknowingly created, a part of her had left with him.

Please Vi, don't let us end like this.

She scrunched her eyes up tight, as the echo of Gohan's desperate pleas were replaced by the grating sound of Barry's arrogant laughter.

"See, you're missing the point again, Viddy. People with power like that - it's monsters running around and living among us is what it is," he told her, bringing the glass to his lips once more, "If you ask Barry, the world is better off without him -"

WHAM!

The crippling sound of knuckles on bone ricocheted throughout the restaurant, a surge of violent winds accompanying it as Videl's furious red aura flickered into existence for all but a split second. Tables, chairs, patrons and waiters completely toppled over from the force, napkins and table cloths blew backwards, and the tinkering sound of smashing glass and cutlery filled the air.

But Videl paid no heed to the startled shouts and goings on about her. Instead, her livid gaze was fixed to the pathetic heap of a man writhing on the ground from where he had flew across the room and hit the opposite wall. There was a sizeable crack in the paintwork, but the damage was nothing compared to his face. His new nose was quite obviously broken, bleeding unforgivingly from each nostril as both of his eyes were already beginning to blacken and bruise.

He cried out in shock and agony, clutching desperately at his face until he snarled right up at the girl through the flabbergasted - and quite rightly scared - crowd that had gathered around them. He gasped in blind horror, picking up several of his teeth from the ground, more blood spewing from his lips as he positively shrieked.

"WHAT 'AVE YOU DONB TO BME YOU 'RAZY BITSHH?!"

Videl smirked, as his voice came out clipped and nasally, still clasping his face as he shook with both pain and anger. She stalked up to him, her heels digging into the carpeted floor, folding her arms over her chest as she stated coolly, "Only revealed some of the ugliness on the inside, Barry. It's a shame though, this is just the tip of the iceberg."

"W-Why - ?" He demanded hotly, cutting himself short as a few nearby waiting staff attempted to help him to his feet, "Get offb! 'GET OFF BME 'OO IBIOTS! V-Vibby - I-I 'bon't understanb - !"

"First of all, my name isn't Viddy," she spat, as the crowd around him gasped at his hostility, "And second, can't you figure that one out for yourself? I thought that you were supposed to be smart."

With that, she huffed, spinning on her heel and storming away from him, several onlookers jumping out of her way as she did so. Though just before she reached the swinging doors, she turned, her gleaming sapphire eyes locking with his once more, as he finally allowed a couple of waiters to help him to his feet.

"Oh and spoiler alert for your 'big movie' about Son Gohan," said Videl, staring him down with disgust, "He grows up to be a greater man than you will ever be."

Not giving him a chance to reply, Videl charged out of the dining room, ignoring the hushed and startled whispers that followed her to the stairwell. Once she reached the roof, she took off and blasted through the night sky at a vigorous speed, landing on the rooftop of her apartment building in Orange Star City in just under ten minutes.

She breathed a heavy sigh of relief as her heels touched the stone tiles, the flight having cooled her heated skin and calmed her down somewhat. Alright so maybe she had been a little heavy handed in her strike, but she in no way thought that her punch wasn't justified.

Her skin crawled with a prickling anger, talking herself down from flying back there and blasting that pompous prick into oblivion - wait, where did that come from?

Shaking the hair out of her eyes and attributing it to her stupid hormones, she took out her phone and switched it back on, making to text both Sharpener and Erasa of the nights events (giving them a piece of her mind in the process), and subsequently prepare them for the whole disaster being spread across the tabloids tomorrow morning for the whole world to see. No doubt some patron would go blabbing to the press about how they saw Mister Satan's daughter deck the great Barry Khan to the ground in the middle of a crowded restaurant.

Though she couldn't help but allow an evil grin to spread across her lips at the image of the pitiful actor picking his precious teeth up off of the floor.

Just as she was about to hit send, and relish in the fact that her night couldn't possibly get worse, did the fates once again prove her wrong. The flicker of a familiar Ki tingling at her senses all to unmistakable to miss.

Videl whirled around, her sharp eyes narrowing at the tall figure standing on the ledge of the rooftop. Of course, he hadn't even bothered to conceal himself, she noticed, his long white cloak billowing in the wind as he looked down upon her with judgement in his stare.

Any normal person would have screamed bloody murder at the sight and ran for the hills, as the stoic Namekian looked rather eerie in the silvery light of the stars that bathed the terrace. Though Videl was not deterred by such a domineering presence, as literally nothing normal happened around her any more.

"Don't you have a home to go to or something?" She huffed in annoyance, abandoning her text message and folding her arms haughtily across her chest, "Or did Dende kick you off The Lookout for pissing him off too?"

Piccolo raised an eyebrow, his arms folded in a similar manner as she, only mildly surprised that she was being a little more hostile than usual.

"It's late," he observed, ignoring the question, "Shouldn't you be in bed by now?"

Videl gaped, her eyes flashing in anger, "Who are you to give me a CURFEW?!"

Her sudden screech echoed over the empty rooftop, though Piccolo remained unfazed. Damn, she was being much more snappy with him today, but in her defence, she was quickly reaching the end of her tether.

She'd had similar interactions with the Namekian over the past few weeks, mainly because the green-skinned alien had taken to staking out on the rooftop on her apartment building. Sometimes, she would even spot him on the next roof terrace over, whereby he had a full view of her living room window. He was there every morning and every night, mainly in the same meditative position or vigilant pose, and would simply grunt or scoff when she had told him to stop spying on her.

But despite her protests, Piccolo didn't budge.

"Besides, incase you haven't noticed, I'm not a kid," she snapped, "I'm nineteen, and live on my own. You know, something that normal people do for some peace and quiet?!"

"Hn," Piccolo grunted, the stars reflecting in his beetle black eyes, "Is that so? Well, if you acted more responsibly, maybe people would leave you alone. It's already past midnight, and you have work early tomorrow."

She stared, so he knew her work schedule now?!

"I can look after myself," she glowered, turning away from him, "And not that it's any of your business, but I cancelled my overtime for tomorrow."

His cryptic gaze gave her a once over, "I don't think that Gohan would be too happy to know that you're going out on dates in your condition."

"Well, Gohan isn't here is he?!" Videl snapped, the harsh words flying from her lips before she could stop herself, "And besides, he LEFT me in this 'condition' so maybe he should have thought about that before he -!"

"You both got yourselves into this situation," he said sharply, cutting across her, "So save me the sob story."

She faltered, the penetrative look in Piccolo's eyes making her feel uneasy - and guilty. There was truth to his words after all. Her chest suddenly felt tight, the image of a pair of dark eyes, shining with hurt, drifted into her mind, a horrible ache burning away at her.

"It was my friends," she began to explain with a defeated sigh, "They talked me into it. But only to try and make me feel better, and to… forget. It was stupid. Nothing happened anyway."

"Well, you punched him, that happened," said Piccolo, looking rather amused by the fact - and impressed, the corners of his lips twitching upwards.

Videl couldn't help but allow a wry smile to grace her lips, before she frowned, realisation dawning on her, "You know, it's illegal to stalk people."

"So arrest me."

"Oh shut up," she grouched, which to her chargin, only caused the Namekian to smirk, "I'm going to bed. Are you going to stay outside all night again?"

"Yep."

The girl rolled her eyes, "Don't you, I don't know, sleep?!"

Piccolo grunted, "I'll sleep when I'm dead."

"Oh how dark and mysterious of you," she mused sarcastically, "But just so you know, I'm not giving you a blanket if you get cold."

He scoffed, as she turned on her heel and opened the fire door that led down to the stairwell, shutting it harshly with a loud clang and leaving him in the dust.

After feeding Bee and having a steaming hot shower (mainly to get rid of remnants of where Barry may have breathed on her), Videl readied herself for a much needed sleep, but not before peaking out of her bedroom curtains and peering out at the next rooftop over.

She rolled her eyes in exasperation, harshly pulling the curtain closed as indeed, Piccolo's silhouette was all too clear to her in the dim light of the stars from where he floated in a meditative pose.

Flopping onto her mattress with an audible huff of despair, the Satan girl buried her face into the pillows. The weight of the evening slowly weighed her down, allowing her to fall into her dreams that were filled with a familiar pair of haunted onyx eyes.

Yep, still there, Videl griped in annoyance, taking a sip of her morning coffee as she glared out of her living room window, snapping the blinds shut once more. He was still in the same pose for goodness sake!

A repugnant taste suddenly hit her tongue, prompting her to quickly out spit her mouthful back into the mug, a wave of nausea churning in her gut.

Great, she growled, wrapping her dressing gown further around herself and storming into the kitchen, making to dump the entire cup down the sink, relenting in the fact that her 'condition' as Piccolo so eloquently put it, was now depriving her of the sweet nectar of morning.

This sucked.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

A sharp knock of the door broke her out of her thoughts. Abandoning the now empty mug in the kitchen sink, Videl sighed and made to open it, nudging an excitable Bee out of the way as she did so and praying that it wasn't Piccolo or Kami-forbid Barry… or Barry's lawyer.

Though the actor was a coward to his very core, and although he may be an idiot, he certainly wasn't completely dense. If he had done his 'research' into Gohan and the Z-Fighters like he had claimed, he wouldn't dare to file a lawsuit against her, not when there was a chance that he could get a visit from her incredibly powerful friends. Her father too, was a very influential man, and had a hell of a lot more fans than Barry - being so publicly selfless and loyal. The man could wreck his entire career if he so wished. That, and Barry was clearly humiliated by the whole affair. He was probably still licking his wounds somewhere.

When she opened the door, she was relieved yet surprised to see that it was neither of the people that she had been expecting.

Chi-Chi smiled at her warmly, "Hello dear, can I come in?"

Videl blinked, feeling a little embarrassed as it was already late morning and she still wasn't dressed. Her visitor, however, was wearing an elegant Eastern style yellow dress and a light purple shawl. Looking fresh faced and a little windswept, a few strands of her long dark hair falling out of her bun which indicated that she had travelled here on Nimbus.

It was a little odd by all accounts, as Chi-Chi hardly ever visited her. Usually, Videl would come to stay with the Son's on a regular basis, to train and - oh… it had been a while since she had done that. Two months in fact. A guilty feeling formed a tight knot in the pit of her stomach, she really hoped that Goku wasn't mad at her for not training.

Granted, she hadn't ignored them altogether. They had checked in with her with the occasional phone call. She didn't know why, but she just hadn't been able to face them. It was all too much. The last time she had seen them was back at Bulma's party, where everyone was still too stunned to speak, the sadness radiating from everyone too much to bare. She had left early with her father, ignoring both Goku and Chi-Chi's worried glances, and insisting that it was fine. That she was fine. They were so heartbroken, and she couldn't let them see that she was falling apart too. And similarly pretend that this all wasn't really happening.

Though as Chi-Chi stood before her, her eyes searching and stance unwavering, she had no choice but to give in. She couldn't hide from her any more, the woman was far too stubborn for that. And she supposed that it was her own fault after all, she had been so busy working that she hadn't returned her calls for over a fortnight.

She nodded wordlessly, stepping aside to allow her entrance. She noticed how her calculated gaze swept her slightly messy apartment, the dirty cups in the sink and the jumbled stack of paper work and unsolved cases on the coffee table. The blinds were still closed, blocking out the warm summer sun and bathing the room in a dark orange glow.

Without asking, Chi-Chi waltzed through the open plan kitchen and into the living room to open the blinds, stepping over Bee with a small smile, who had rolled over in front of her to try and coax his new visitor to rub his belly.

Videl squinted in the sudden brightness that flooded the apartment, though she was thankful to the woman for not commenting on her lack of efficiency when it came to housework. The mess now all the more clear in the sunlight.

"There, that's better," Chi-Chi observed brightly, looking out of the large window and peering over the city, "I see that Piccolo is still here."

The Satan girl let out a short noise of irritation, though this only seemed to amuse the woman further, as she let out a small chuckle at the disgruntled look on her features.

"Well, what did you expect?" She quirked with a knowing smile.

"Don't tell me that you're encouraging this madness?" Videl huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

"He's just keeping an eye out for you, dear," she told her, "It's what he's like. Trust me on this one, the more you try to get rid of him, the more he'll keep coming back."

There was a glint to her eyes that she couldn't quite put her finger on, when she spoke again, "He and Gohan had a very special bond, you know. And it appears that they still do. He's still looking out for him, even after all this time."

Videl's gaze softened at her words, the sadness to her tone impossible to ignore, "So you're saying just suck it up, and accept my big green guardian angel?"

"In a way, yes," The ox-princess laughed softly, causing the girl to sigh.

"Well, as sweet as it is, it doesn't mean that I have to like it."

Chi-Chi chuckled, her laughter petering out until a solemn and rather awkward silence remained.

"Er, do you want some tea?" asked Videl, leading her back into the kitchen.

"You sit yourself down, sweetheart," she replied, her tone sweet yet her eyes fierce - as though daring her to protest, "I'll make it."

Reluctantly, she did as she was told. Plonking herself down at the kitchen table, and tucking a strand of stray hair behind her ear. As the sound of the kettle boiling filled the room, Videl couldn't help but feel a little ashamed of the woman rooting through her cupboards. Unlike hers, Chi-Chi's kitchen had a proper place for everything. An almost regal charm that she was certain stemmed from her royal roots.

Luckily, before Videl had to intervene out of sheer embarrassment, the former mountain princess managed to find the teabags. Now safely stewing in the teapot, the comforting smell of the fragrant leaves filled the air as the two women sat across from each other, Bee sleeping soundly at their feet under the table.

"So, how have you been?" Chi-Chi asked her sincerely, causing Videl to blanch.

"Alright," she shrugged guiltily, "Work has been busy, i-it's why I haven't called, I -"

"I wasn't asking about work," she cut across her a little more firmly this time, her penetrative gaze unwavering as she began to pour the hot tea into her cup.

Videl faltered, squirming in her seat as though she was being told off. Though as credit to the headstrong mother, she always did cut straight to the point.

"Oh, I-I've been good," she replied finally, though she was unable to look her in the eye, "I mean, I haven't had any sickness or anything that I've read about on the internet. Although, I found out this morning that I can't stomach coffee any more."

"Well, that can only be a good thing," Chi-Chi mused, almost teasingly, "I have always said that you drank too much of the stuff."

"Yeah," The girl breathed, looking down at the cup of warm liquid, the steam rising in unfurling columns that filtered into the air.

"Have you been to see a doctor or midwife yet?" There she was again, straight to the point.

Videl paused, before she shook her head, and Chi-Chi's lips pursed. In all honesty, she thought that she was going to call her out on it, when she sighed, and gave her an understanding smile.

"Well, it's nothing that can't be sorted," she told her, "It's still quite early. I didn't find out until I was around this far along with both of my boys. And Bulma and I know some excellent professionals that you can see. They are very discreet. We can always go with you, if you like."

"T-Thanks, Chi-Chi," Videl mustered, though the whole thought of going to see actual professionals and start of this whole 'pushing a kid out of her' process felt like a stone had dropped into her stomach like a deadweight.

The ever perceptive woman picked up on it straight away, as she spoke tentatively, "Videl, honey, it's going to be okay, you know."

She looked up, as Chi-Chi placed her hand on top of hers, giving her a motherly look of reassurance across the steaming cups of tea.

Videl swallowed thickly, though did not move her hand away, "I-I'm fine. Really."

She knew that she was just kidding herself, and Chi-Chi knew it too. The idea of having a kid was terrifying. And it wasn't exactly something that the nineteen year old had factored into her life plan for at least another ten years. She had only just moved out of her childhood home, was gearing herself up to work her way up through the ranks of the OSCPD and training to reach a new level of strength that could only be taught by masters of Ki.

Speaking of work, she had refrained from mentioning anything to them just yet, and similarly couldn't bring herself to. Her father had graciously offered his financial support when she had to take time off. But every time she thought about it, she felt a sickening coil of dread start to wind tightly in her gut.

It's not like she didn't think that she couldn't do it alone. Not in the slightest. And had held her ground when her father had insisted that she sell her apartment and move back to live with him. But Videl had once again, point blank refused.

She was stubborn to a point that was at times frustrating for her loved ones. And she could see it in Chi-Chi's eyes too.

"I'm just as strong willed and independent as you are," she told her, her tea now abandoned, "But you're an incredibly smart girl, and I'm sure that you're already aware that having a baby is a big change. And I - we, Goku and I, we don't want you to put yourself in a bad place just because you're mad at Gohan."

Her eyes widened, "Chi-Chi, I'm not mad, I'm just - "

"Sweetie, it's okay," she implored, "It's okay to be angry and frustrated about all of this. It's okay to be scared. I am too. We all are. Mainly because, even in death, he's taken on such an enormous responsibly."

She paused, as a fleeting thought entered her mind, wondering what he was doing now, billions of lightyears away. Was he just as lost as she was?

And then it hit her, a quaking tremor of realisation surging through her bones at the thought of him fighting out there. Was he fiercely fighting in a gruesome battle as she sat here in her humble kitchen? Was he hurt? Severely injured? Was he winning? Or was he locked up in some horrid prison somewhere, the harsh punishment of the Gods already bestowed on him for falling in love with a mortal? And with that love came… the mistake, the evidence that was impossible to ignore as it continued to grow within her.

"My Gohan hasn't changed," said Chi-Chi indefinitely, a weak smile forming upon her lips, "He has always thought that he has to go at it alone and rise to the call, no matter how difficult the task."

She paused again, as Videl continued to listen, the warmth from the older woman's palm radiating through her, "You two are very much alike, more than I think you realise."

She suddenly felt as though she had been hit with a sledgehammer.

"You're the most stubborn person that I've ever met, Videl," He had said, his onyx eyes shining with longing and something much deeper, "And you know what? It's just one of the things that I love about you."

The burning ache resurfaced behind her throat and eyes, her voice coming out in a hoarse whisper, "I'm so sorry, Chi-Chi."

"Oh darling," the woman soothed, clasping her hand in both of hers now, "You don't have to be sorry. There is nothing to be sorry for, do you hear me?"

"But i-it's just such a mess," she pressed, forcing down the imposing lump that had appeared in her throat, "I-I didn't mean for all of this to happen. I didn't think that it could, and even though I knew he had to leave, I still - "

"Videl," Chi-Chi cut across her, "Listen to me, and listen to me very carefully. None of this is your fault, nor Gohan's. And I know that right now, he is beating himself up just as much as you are. You cannot help who you love. Love doesn't adhere to boundaries, it's the most powerful thing in the universe, and the most uncontrollable. You do not need to apologise for something that you can't control."

Even though she was Gohan's mother, Chi-Chi had been her friend first and foremost, so her words didn't embarrass her probably as much as they should have done. Though was an odd feeling, sitting across from the woman whose grandchild resided within her. It was almost poetic, in a way, as Chi-Chi had always jested about how if her eldest son were still alive, that they would have been perfect for one another.

And she was right, they were perfect, no matter how imperfect their situation was.

Those blissful, stolen moments between them was something that she never wanted to forget, even though, right now, it hurt so much to remember them. And just like that, there at the kitchen table, did her mind kick into overdrive. Realisation dawned and shame filled her, tearing at her guts and twisting them so much that she felt as though she needed to heave. Because, by Gods, how the hell was she going to become a mother when she barely remembered her own?

Sod the whole giving birth part that she had initially been freaking out over - which still scared the shite out of her mind you. How was it that she was going to be able to nurture and care for this tiny infant afterwards? How was it that she was going to keep it well nourished and educated? How was it that she was going to keep this little person safe and warm and happy? How was she going to explain that she had chased away their absent father with her venomous words? One whom she was certain that she would never see again.

Falling uncontrollably in love was one thing, but at that moment, she had never felt so out of control in her entire life.

She was in way way over her head.

A slight squeeze of her hand shook her out of her damning thoughts, causing her to look up at the woman across from her. Chi-Chi's eyes, that she hadn't realised looked so much like Gohan's until now, bore into hers, a silent warmth and understanding to their depths. And it was within those eyes that she noticed something. The difference to the former princess' gaze that was all to obvious to her now. The fact that when he was here, home and with her, that there was a spark within those onyx orbs that was now absent once again. As though it had only returned when he had.

But now, there was an emptiness that reflected her own, and she couldn't help but feel selfish. Because she realised that wasn't the only one hurting. It was more than obvious to her now, the way that Piccolo had refused to keep his distance, trying to protect her because he couldn't protect him. The way that Goku, her mentor, hadn't pushed her to keep training these past weeks, maybe because he couldn't bring himself to keep up his own rigorous schedule, the weight of losing his son all over again bearing down like heavy chains that struggled against his will to keep on going like usual. The way that the phone calls and texts kept coming, even though she had diligently ignored them.

And the way that Chi-Chi was looking at her, pleading with her almost, to let her be there for her, because in reality, it was killing her not to be able to be there for Gohan.

Videl swallowed thickly, her resolve faltering even more so as Chi-Chi gave her a watery smile back.

"Sometimes, what's meant to break you makes you brave," she told her, giving her hand another squeeze, the wise words sinking in, "But I want you to know that you're not alone Videl, we're all here for you, and Gohan."

"G-Gohan?" She sniffed, attempting to curb the well of tears that threatened to spill over. She was confused, how could they be there for Gohan when he was already gone?

To her surprise, Chi-Chi's smile widened, "You didn't think that rowdy lot were just going to sit around and wait for those evil Gods to start wreaking havoc here on Earth did you?"

Videl frowned, her curiosity peaked, as the headstrong woman shook her head with mild amusement, "Krillin and the others, they're already training harder than ever. Goku has even been talking about entering the Hyperbolic Time Chamber again, and I doubt that Vegeta will let him go in there without him now that Dende has rebuilt it after the fight with Majin Buu. Bulma too, I spoke to her a few days ago and she tells me that she's about half way done with the universal dragon radar. It's a pity though, Dende has been trying to contact The Supreme Kai so that we can send some sort of word to Gohan, but he's not been able to reach him so far."

Chi-Chi sighed heavily, her grip on hers loosening, "I just wish I could talk to him. To tell him that no matter what has happened, after all the shock and confusion, that we're all still so proud of him. And that everyone wants to help him fight whatever evil is coming. Believe you me, no one is going to hurt my baby boy and get away with it, because no matter what he's become, he is still my son first and foremost."

"T-That's great Chi-Chi," she said quietly after a beat of silence, her mouth running dry, "I-I just wish I could tell him… tell him that I -"

She cut herself short, unable to say the words out loud. Though she didn't need to, as Chi-Chi understood. In a way, she understood exactly how she was feeling. Because how many times had this woman faced such anguish and heartbreak? She had lost both her eldest son and husband on numerous occasions, whether it was to death's cruel clutches or to the deep and mysterious vastness of outer space. She had watched from the sidelines time and time again, waited and watched the brutal attacks of evil upon her family. And she had stood back, strong and sometimes hard-faced, because they needed her to be. Because Chi-Chi knew that if she crumbled, then her family would crumble too.

And so she carried on regardless of circumstance, regardless of the hardships that had befallen her. Over cooked and over cleaned, sometimes over compensated for the aching loss that she felt every single day. She had made sure, with both of her boys even, that they had a good upbringing and a firm education. Ruling the roost with an iron fist and shrugging off nitpicking comments that dubbed her too strict or too harsh on her children.

Videl had heard Krillin and the others jest how crazy it was that the great Son Goku was terrified of his own wife. But the Satan girl didn't see that, she didn't see fear in her mentors eyes when his wife berated him for being out training too long or trailing dirt through the house. No, she saw respect and admiration, because Son Goku positively adored her, and knew first and foremost of the sacrifices she had made in order to keep their family together. And understood and shared in the failure they both felt around Gohan's untimely death.

And how could he not admire her for such quirks? For every woman alive is the sum of all she ever did, felt and was, and Chi-Chi was the sheer embodiment of that. She was a woman of substance, and was without a doubt, the strongest woman that Videl had ever met, and when Chi-Chi told her that she could do something, or that indeed, something would happen, it was incredibly difficult not to believe her.

A scrape of the wooden chair legs upon the kitchen tiles reached her ears, and before she knew it, she was enveloped in one of Chi-Chi's bone-crushing hugs. But somehow, this embrace was different to the ones they had shared before. She let her rest her tearstained cheeks upon her bosom, pulling her to her chest so close that she could hear her heart beating and pulsing through her ribcage. The comforting smell of fabric softener intermingled with the cool mountain air wafted into her nostrils, a warmth radiating through her entire soul so that it was all encompassing.

She hugged her back with vigour, her arms encircling her slender waist as she remained seated, hot tears streaming freely down her feverish cheeks now. For she remembered hugs like this, back when she was a little girl and before the deadly heart virus had wrenched her own mother away from her. And even though her father had tried to fill the hole in her heart where her mother had been, there was nothing quite like a mother's hug. And she couldn't help but think that Chi-Chi was damned well spectacular at them.

"I'm sure you'll tell him," whispered Chi-Chi, her chest vibrating as she spoke, "One day."

"H-How do you know that?" She asked, her voice throaty and hoarse as she was released, feeling a little embarrassed as she observed the tear-soaked patch on the older woman's dress. Though she didn't seem to mind in the slightest.

"Call it a feeling," the ox-princess shrugged, giving her a wry smile as she reached for the box of tissues at the end of the table and passed one to her.

"Now, no more tears," Chi-Chi sniffed, dabbing her own watery eyes, "We can't have all this fuss when there's so much to do, now can we?"

Videl shook her head, unable to stop her lips from twitching upwards in amusement as she composed herself. Trust Chi-Chi to spring straight back into action.

Taking a swig of her tea, Videl grimaced, prompting the older woman to sigh with mild exasperation and whip the cold brew out of her hands.

"Here, let me make another pot," she smiled, gathering up the tea pot and shuffling over to the kitchen counter, "Cold tea just won't do."

As the sound of the bubbling kettle filled the room once more, the Satan girl could still feel the ebbing guilt gnawing away at her.

"I'm sorry for not coming over in a while Chi-Chi," she blurted, "I mean, I've been slacking on my training and Goku must be so -."

"What did I tell you about apologising unnecessarily, young lady?" The older woman challenged, staring her down, though there was still a softness to her gaze, "And don't you worry about Goku. He's been worried about you of course, we all have been. I've had to stop him a few times from popping by, as tactless as he can be - "

Videl cleared her throat, averting her eyes as the memory of her mentor barging in on her and Gohan after they had spent their first passionate night together sprang into her mind.

" - but I told him that you needed your space," Chi-Chi continued, seemingly oblivious to the girl's embarrassment, "But there is only so much that space can do. You'll drive yourself crazy if you keep yourself holed up in here for too long."

"Yeah, that's what my friends Sharpener and Erasa told me," she admitted, causing the ox-princess to smile.

"They sound very smart," she observed almost teasingly, as the kettle clicked, steam rising from the spout as it reached boiling point.

Videl held back a snort of contempt. If only she knew.

"I'm not trying to push it," said Chi-Chi, pouring the fresh water into the teapot, "But you know that you're always welcome at the cottage. I know Goten misses you."

"How is Goten?" she asked, another wave of guilt washing over her like nausea.

The older woman sighed, somewhat heavily, placing the teapot back on the table and taking a seat opposite her, "Honestly, he's not doing so well. I can tell that he was angry at Gohan for lying to him, and whilst he was here, I hoped that they would bond but… well… Goku has been trying to get him to open up about it. Just yesterday he offered to take him for a Nimbus ride, just the two of them, though when he told Goten that they were going to visit Gohan's grave along the way, Goten refused. He snapped back, and told Goku that he should be spending more time with his living son t-than his d-dead one. Goku was stunned as I'm sure you can imagine. A-As was I, and all he could do was stand there whilst I sent Goten to his room without dessert. H-He's never spoken to either of us like that before."

Videl winced, as Chi-Chi sighed again, frustrated tears in her eyes, "Goku has been spending a lot of time at Gohan's grave lately, talking to the statue. I can't blame him, he just wants to make things right with Gohan, but I-I'm worried that Goten thinks that we're abandoning him somehow."

"He'll be okay Chi-Chi," she implored, her heart going out to her, "He's just a little confused right now. It's a lot to handle for someone who has grown up as an only child, trust me on this one. He barely got to know his big brother before he went away again. He's just a kid, and I'm certain that he's just acting out. Don't worry, I'll talk to him. How's about I come over for dinner tonight?"

"Thank you, sweetheart," the ox-princess sniffed, dabbing her eyes with another tissue, "I'll make all your favourites, I'm sure the little one will enjoy it too."

As if on cue, a loud barbarous roar erupted from Videl's stomach, prompting both women's eyes to widen, before they let out a bark of laughter.

"Oops sorry," the Satan girl giggled sheepishly, "That's been happening a lot lately."

"I should think so too, you are growing a part Saiyan," Chi-Chi chuckled warmly, her dark eyes dancing at her, "Why don't you stay over tonight, and in the morning we can go to the doctor and get you an appointment. I can call Bulma too to come along if you like? She can pull some strings and get you a wellbeing scan sooner. I think it would be best if we make sure that everything is in ship shape."

"T-That would be great, thanks Chi-Chi," Videl smiled, feeling a little lighter, even if it was just a little, "Do you think that I could still train with Goku? I mean, it won't hurt the baby will it?"

"Hm, I should think you could train as long as you don't over do it," the headstrong woman said wisely, sipping her tea, "I still sparred with Goku when I was having Gohan, but not so much with Goten. Even so, we are talking about yours and Gohan's child here, and it was like that Angel said, he or she is strong already."

She bit her lip in thought, as Chi-Chi's eyes surveyed her, "Still, I don't trust that cherub as far as I could throw him, so I'll make sure that Goku isn't as hard on you as usual. And no Kiao-Ken, do we have a deal?"

"Deal," Videl chuckled, chinking their mugs together, "But when the baby is here, I'm going to train harder than ever before. If the others are thinking of helping Gohan and the Gods defeat Perses and Zamasu, then I want to help too."

Her elder eyed her for a moment, lips pursed in what she thought might have been disapproval, before she broke out into a smile, "Well, I suppose that I can't stop you. And even if I tried, I know that it would be no use. It's like I said, you're just as stubborn as Gohan, no wonder you two fell for each other as hard as you did."

A heated blush crept onto her cheeks, as Chi-Chi chuckled, a sparkle to her gaze as she looked around her apartment, "But first things first, we've got to get this place fit for a baby. I'll have to give Eighteen a call, she's got such an eye for style. Oh you should have seen the nursery she and Krillin had for Marron, just beautiful it was -"

Videl blinked, dumfounded, as the woman in front of her continued to gush with excitement.

" - you'll need a crib, and a pushchair. Goku and I can get that for you, it's no bother. I can get Krillin and Yamcha to come and paint, but you'll have to stay over at ours whilst that's going ahead, we don't want you breathing in the paint fumes - "

Oh no, it was happening. Chi-Chi's grandma senses had reared their ugly heads, and kicked into overdrive.

" - neutral colours, neutral of course. How much can your father contribute? Ah yes, it is never too early to open a bank account for the little one. You have to start saving for their future immediately you know - "

"Um Chi-Chi - " Videl tried, as she showed no sign of letting up in her rambling.

" - breastfeeding is just so rewarding! I mean the little love will be living under your jumper for the first six months but at least you know that they'll be getting the best nutrition - "

"Chi-Chi!" She shouted, more firmly this time, halting her in her tracks, "I-Isn't it a bit early to start thinking about all of this? I mean, I haven't even had my first appointment yet!"

"Oh, of course darling," Chi-Chi cooed, relaxing a little and brushing a hand through a dark strand of hair that had fallen out of her bun, "I'm sorry, but I can't help but feel a little… excited about all of this. I mean, especially with losing Gohan, I didn't think that I'd be a grandmother for another fifteen to twenty years!"

Videl sighed in defeat, feeling a little bad for her outburst. She couldn't deny the woman after all, it was like she had gained a part of her son back even though he was lost to the stars once more.

"No, it's fine," she said with a weak smile, "Sorry, it's just been a lot to get my head around, you know? I mean, I haven't even thought of any names yet, let alone what colour I'm going to paint the kid's nursery."

"Don't worry about a thing, I can help with that," she replied knowingly, grinning back at her.

Videl quirked an eyebrow, "You can?"

Chi-Chi nodded, her eyes practically sparkling in the midmorning sun that shone from the window pane.

"Tell me, what do you think of the name Einstein?"

By Divine decree, this planet has been cleared for demolition to make way for future developments.

Please contact your Galactic planning office for further details.

Coming soon, Nebula Condo's Bar and Grill - Our Gorgon steaks are out of this world!

Vacant Lot, West Galaxy.

Doom.

A feeling, a consequence. A condemnation to death, destruction, or to some other grizzly fate. Something that could happen gradually or suddenly, with or without warning.

An end. The end. Well, the end to Planet Oizys anyway.

Dark eyes surveyed the explosion of dazzling crimson light and purple particles. One might say, devoid of any remorse. But remorse could not have saved them, nothing could of. The Oizyians had already been dealt their warning, and yet had failed to meet the terms laid out to them by the Gods themselves.

Now, death had come for them. And it had arrived in the worst way possible.

In the form of a Destroyer.

Their screams and pleas for mercy were lost to the abyss, as the Mass Extinction ripped through the atmosphere and blew apart the dark blue clouds, the point of the blood red arrow connecting with the planets core and obliterating it instantaneously.

Waves of crimson shockwaves had sped over Oizys, destroying everything in its path, condemning every man, woman and child to oblivion. The ensuing explosion rocked the vast space around the planet as it detonated, not even leaving so much as scorched rubble behind.

His heavy breath was loud and obvious in the nothingness, staring out at the empty black space where the planet used to be. Long ebony hair came to rest from where it had blew back from the aftershocks, the long blue cloak settling around his ankles as his flaming violet aura dissipated into the darkness.

How long he had been floating there, he didn't know. Nor could he find reason to care about how much time had past since he had cast judgement on thousands of souls. Time itself seemed to be lost on him, among many other things.

For nothing seemed to make sense any more.

Bleep. Bleep.

Bleep. Bleep.

He looked down suddenly, fishing his communicator out of his garb pocket, which was flashing an alarming red.

It appeared he was late, again.

He sighed once more, cutting off the transmitter and banishing it to his safe place, "Time to go home, I guess."

No sooner had he spoken did the distant sparkling galaxies light up even more so, as a vibrant tunnel of white light came speeding towards him. The young Destroyer gave the former planet one last look before The Warp engulfed him, the dark abyss reflecting the emptiness in his haunted onyx eyes.

26th October, 2019.

A/N: I sincerely hoped you enjoyed this chapter! It was so much fun to write, especially the Barry scene! So much reference to Super, but with a little twist in the history between Videl and Barry ;) I admit I had a little trouble with the formatting of symbols in this chapter, which was super annoying, but I hope it comes across okay once published with all the hashtags and what not. Though I couldn't get the AT sign to work, which is why Videl666 is underlined. Doh!

The ending with Gohan I think sets up the next chapter nicely. I can't wait for the next instalment! I promise it'll be MUCH more Gohan focussed now. I think this chapter was a little bit more of a calm before the storm so to speak! Thanks for reading!

And a little nod to more greek mythology for those with keen eyes. Planet Oizys refers to to greek goddess Oizys, the goddess of misery, anxiety, grief and depression. I thought it was a good fit!

Reviews:

NodMPortant: thank you for your review! Yes definetly I didnt want Videl to stay mad at Gohan for too long. I hope it came across in this chapter, next chapter will have much more Gohan!

MadmanJrs: thank you so much! Im so glad you enjoyed the fight scene, it took so long to write and I was super proud of how it turned out! Yes I really wanted to get Piccolo's POV in there because we havent really seen much of it this story, and I dont want to lose his and Gohan's relationship which I found got lost in the original Buu saga, though was super happy how it picked up in DBS. And you got it! Videl has very much catapulted into this story now, I know a few people dont like her character, but I think she rocks!

hawkeyestratos1996: ahh interesting, Gohan will be getting something a little bit different transformation wise ;)

Knightwing20042 : ha! totally!

Maman-Sofia : haha thank you for your review! The ending of the last chapter was so sad! Which was why I wanted it a bit more humorous this chapter, I hope I did it justice! Glad you enjoyed the fight between Gohan and Beerus!

Ninchfinch : wow thank you so much for your review! It really means a lot!

nataku2709: thank you!

keyblademeister88 : so happy you enjoyed the fight, along with the elements of humour too! Supreme Kai in his bath towel was one of my favourite bits to write haha.

dspendragon125: indeed! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, Id like to think of it as a bit of calm before the storm ;)

alpha : youll have to wait and see!

Iwik: ahh thank you so much! Really pleased you enjoyed the last chapter. I didnt want to make the fight easy for Gohan of course ;) and yes I love Piccolo reminiscing about Gohan, he is much more sentimental than he realises I think! After everything, I really wanted to focus on Videl in this chapter and how shes handling things, along with little snippets of the zfighters mentioned by Chi-Chi. It will be better as set up for further chapters later! Thanks for reading!

Zeromaru Chaos Mode: hehe TFS homages are the best! I couldnt help myself! And Gohan Blanco? haha youll have to wait and see what I do with Gohans new powers later :P

Ushindeshi: ahh, I hoped you got some vibes of whats to come regarding Gohans focus at the end of this chapter :)

fated1990: Yay! Thank you! So glad you liked it!

x2leoj : hmm Id like to say that blue is a bit stronger and therefore more controlled? I guess? Like its the super saiyan version of God so I guess it must be stronger. Ill be honest I dont think were gonna see a broly, at this point I dont think he'll fit in my story! Glad you liked the fight!

DeathReaper1011 : Thanks! xD

super mystic gohan: mwahaha wait and see ;)

Thomas-The-TMC: thank you! TFS FTW!

777torn777: the whole point of the shocking reveal is that Gohan thought that because he was dead he would be unable to have children, like hes dead so how can he create life? But then beerus tells him that its not the same because he is a god. Vegeta doesnt quite get a free pass, its just more shocking to everyone that GOHAN of all people is capable of becoming a destroyer. Totally get where youre coming from with the whole Gohan making sacrafices thing, his family does realise this, only it was all a bit shocking at first. The last chapter was an initial reaction, whereas now we are seeing the aftermath. Hope that helps! :)

Leafeon12: thanks so much, glad you enjoyed the fight! Ah Goku and Vegeta training with Whis? Not quite. ;)

Hek'UnnSkipper: thank you im glad you liked the fight! Yeah their initial reaction wasnt handled so well, but hope its a bit more rectified in this chapter!

Prats 'R' Us: ahh thank you so so much!

Marbbles123: thank you for youre lovely review! Yeah I thought it wouldnt be as believable if Gohan was just all out powerful straight away, he needed to learn and like Super the God power needed to become part of him! Yay! So glad you enjoyed it, I really hope you liked this new chapter just as much!

Whynot : sorry about the wait! and the crying! hope you liked this chapter! :)

Guest : thank you! Sorry youre not digging the Videl stuff, but I love the cannon pairings!

Ninchfinch: ah yes thank you so much! :) I really want to try and stay true to the original characterisation of the show, but with minor differences because of the more tragic circumstances as you quite rightly put it! So happy its coming across! :)

janzen222: praise indeed! Thank you! xD

Pie 555: ah wow thank you so much! haha of course I had to get Gohan's naked butt in their somehow, weve already seen enough of Makhai's! Ahh I know I love Gotenks, he is too funny! I did realise that Gotenks doesnt exist in this story! Because Goku didnt stay dead in otherworld, he didnt learn the fusion technique so couldnt teach it to goten and trunks :O!

GannicusG13 : thank you so much! Yes things are certainly picking up now, this is more of a respite chapter I think. Its just the way its worked out! But I think youll all need it for the next couple of chapters!

FireEmblemMaster101: thank you so much for your review. Yes I appreciate Goku being cool with Beerus and not with Gohan being a Destroyer could come across as a bit odd. But Gohan is GOHAN, his son, someone who has changed significantly since he died. Goku's reaction is an initial one, one full of shock and confusion and horror. I think he is more upset that his son couldnt tell him! Oh yes, in reference to the divine council, they certainly have bigger fish to fry, but Gohan's punishment will become clear in the next chapter so I hope you look forward to that! Really glad you enjoyed the fight, including the humour! Thank you :)

KeynoRules: thanks lovely!

X3runner: thanks for your review, im glad youre liking this version of Videl! As well as the fight between Gohan and Beerus! Ah theres so much goodness to come, but U6 vs U7 tournament will not feature sorry to say. HOWEVER conflict between other universes WILL be features, I just cant reveal how yet ;)

Vukk: Not quite, only Beerus is currently getting his energy drained.

Beepx22: thank you!

Naite-Laef : ah yes THE FEELS! Gohan and Videl are certainly the embodiment of star crossed lovers! Thank you so much, happy you enjoyed everything! I hope you liked this chapter, especially with Videl and Chi-Chi!

jrayeni: ah thank you so much! Glad I could brighten your day! And as for Blue vs Rose... ahhhhh you'll have to wait and see! xD

woodboy : No probs! Videl isnt for everyone, I can appreciate that. Glad you still enjoyed it though!

Green Medley: thank you so much for your review. You expressed Videl's feelings absolutely PERFECTLY! 100 percent of what I was going for with her reaction! The emotional scars, yes, I hope I touched on that with this chapter, especially the end on how Gohan was feeling as business returns as usual so to speak! And yes, Videl does feel the guilt about leading him on, and I get you that they realise that Gohan died for an actual purpose rather than how Goku just left for 7 years cuz he wanted to train! I think you read my mind a lot with this new chapter. I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you! :)

Toufeek: aww thank you so much, reviews like yours mean the world to me! Thank you! :)

ARandomGuest: thank you so much! Yes I totally agree with fight scenes, I too often skip over them if it brings not much to the plot at hand, as I find that they can be a little bit boring - so I really tried so hard to not let it get like that, so your observation has made me smile from ear to ear! thank you! And Beerus' back story, oh yes, I am thinking of including a little more on this. There will be a lot more exploration of characters back stories as it continues so I hope you look forward to that! And happy you liked the cheeky wardrobe malfuction! Just had to get that in there! haha I try to balance the emotions as best as I can so that it doesnt get too boring or too silly, so thank you for that too! Really hope you liked this new chapter, I look forward to hearing your thoughts if you have the time! :)

DragonCrusader : away forever indeed... mwahahaha

T51b Moridin : thank you for all your reviews! I hope you continued reading and maybe even got up to this chapter too? haha

ErintheBestest : wow wow wow! thank you so much! That is the best compliment! Thank you, Im so glad you liked the ending, even though yes it was super sad! I know what you mean with putting characters in awkward situations, but I actually find it super fun to write, especially EMOTIONAL PAIN. I am a bit sadistic when it comes to that haha! Absolutely, this chapter in particular made me feel like we are halfway - it may be subject to change. But I felt as though it was quite a natural break before the even bigger dramatics happen. I cant wait to share! xD

Chmia : thank you so much!