fate 19

Videl looked over at Gohan while she sat next to him in Literature class. Her eyes were full of worry as she inspected her best friend. The look on his face was one of pain and sorrow, like he had just lost someone close to him.

< What's wrong with him? I've never seen him look so depressed, > Videl thought, worry lines creasing her face. Gohan was totally oblivious to Videl's inspection of his mood that day; he just wasn't having a good day. He had woken up to the sounds of his mother sobbing; it was the anniversary of Goku's death, the day he died protecting the world from Cell's destructive power. The anguish over Goku's death was never as intense as it was on the anniversary of his death. All of Gohan's feelings of that day came back with a rush. The anguish, the sorrow, the pain, and the guilt.

< It's all my fault that dad died. If I had just destroyed Cell when dad told me to, he would still be alive; he wouldn't have had to use the Instant Transmission to teleport Cell's body away from the Earth before he blew up. Because of me, he's dead, > Gohan thought, trying his best to keep in the tears that were threatening to spill over his cheeks. What made the day even worse was that everyone around him was celebrating. To them, it was just the day when the world was saved from the destructive power of Cell; for Gohan, it was the day his life ended.

< How can they celebrate? Don't they know about the people who died against the wrath of Cell? Don't they care? No, they only care about their own lives, > Gohan thought, breaking his pencil in half, his rage at those around him growing by the second. Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the end of Literature class.

Gohan sighed and packed his books away. He, as well as the rest of the school, would now be headed off to a special assembly celebrating the anniversary of the Cell Games; Gohan wasn't looking forward to what was in store. Gohan stood up and walked out of class, being closely followed by Videl. She tapped him on the shoulder in order to get his attention. Gohan turned around and looked down at Videl, his eyes still full of sorrow.

"Hey, what's wrong with you today?" Videl asked, frustration seeping into her voice; she couldn't figure out what was wrong with him and it was infuriating. Gohan sighed and turned around to walk away.

"No, you're not just having a bad day. There's something more than that wrong with you and you just don't want to tell me!" Gohan turned around, an enraged look on his face.

"Look, I don't want to talk about it, ok?" he said, his voice almost a yell. Videl froze at the look on his face; she had never seen him so angry before and it scared her more than she wanted to admit. Her shocked look faded into a scowl as she relaxed her body.

"Look," Videl said, trying to get a hold on her temper, "I'm going to go to the bathroom and then drop something off at the front office. Save me a seat in the assembly hall, ok?" Gohan heaved a sigh.

"Fine," Gohan said softly, his temper cooling off a little bit. The two walked their separate ways, Videl towards the bathroom and Gohan towards the assembly hall. Gohan walked mindlessly towards the assembly hall, letting his instincts guide him to where he needed to go. Following the crowds, Gohan entered the assembly hall, seeing it practically full with students; it seemed they were all excited about something that Gohan didn't know about, nor did he care.

He picked a spot near the back on the aisle, sitting in the seat on the end of the row, saving the seat next to him for Videl. Setting his bag down on the chair, he settled in and waited for the assembly to begin, resting his elbow on the armrest and leaning his head in his hands. Shortly after Gohan arrived, the principal came out onto the stage, a big smile on her face as she did so; she obviously seemed happy about the events of the assembly. Everyone hushed as she walked out, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"I'm sure you're all as happy as I am. Today is the day that we celebrate the anniversary of the Cell Games and the heroics of Mr. Satan, our greatest fighter! To start off this assembly, we have a video for you of the Cell Games. Make no mistake; this isn't one of those cheap fakes. This contains actual footage of the Cell Games itself. Roll the film!" the principal shouted, causing the entire student body to explode into applause.

A giant projector screen was lowered down, the lights went out, and the movie started playing. Gohan watched wordlessly, his face in a slight look of shock and dismay. He didn't want to watch the Cell Games video; he didn't want to think about that time in his life at that moment. Yet, they were going to make him anyway. On the screen showed the arrival of Mr. Satan and, once again, the student body began clapping violently, praising their hero for the work he did saving the planet from the evilness of Cell. Gohan almost laughed at Mr. Satan's words.

"I'd like to give Cell my condolences. It's too bad my unworthy opponent didn't know that I existed before he started this tournament of his," Mr. Satan's voice rang out throughout the auditorium. Even with the memory of his father's death weighing on his mind, Gohan still managed a snicker at the ignorance of Mr. Satan.

< That man doesn't know what he gets into. He thinks himself the strongest fighter in the world, yet he hasn't even experience a hundredth of the power that I have when fighting. The man is pathetic, > Gohan thought. Gohan yawned as Mr. Satan started insulting Cell on the video, with the announcer making random comments on the side. < Won't he shut up? > Gohan said, thinking about the announcer's rambling words. Suddenly, Vegeta appeared on the screen, flying down from above. Gohan's eyes widened. < They got this on tape? Oh shit. >

"So, who are you and what are you doing here? And if you've just come to watch, back away from the ring before you get hurt," the announcer said to Vegeta, pointing a microphone in his face. Vegeta scowled at the announcer, obviously annoyed by the man.

"Quiet! I've had enough of your insolence! Get out of my face!" Vegeta said, his tone harsh and commanding. < Well, that comes from being a prince, > Gohan thought with a sigh. The focus came off of Vegeta and moved on to Android #16, who had just come from Capsule Corp. after receiving repairs from Bulma and her father. As Gohan fondly remembered Android #16 and his love for life, Videl appeared, sneaking through the double, metal doors at the back of the assembly hall. She quickly spotted Gohan and crept over to where he was.

"No problem," Gohan whispered back, refocusing his attention on the movie. He gasped and gripped the armrest tightly as he saw what was on the screen. The rest of the Z-senshi had arrived and standing in the middle of them, flanked by Krillin and Gohan himself, was Goku. Gohan's eyes watered at the sight of his father when he was still alive. He remembered being so proud of Goku when he fought Cell, knowing that his dad was doing everything in his power to save the world. A tear ran down his face, slipping off of his chin and landing on his leg. Videl heard the gasp and looked over at Gohan.

"Yeah, I'm ok," Gohan said, his voice a shaky whisper. Videl only eyed him skeptically before turning back to the movie. Gohan calmed down after that, taking in a deep breath to gather his feelings. He watched passively as two of Mr. Satan's students fought Cell and lost within 10 seconds of the start of the battle. Gohan, expecting Mr. Satan's horrible battle to come up next, was surprised when the video skipped that small fight, skipping ahead to Goku's fight against Cell. As the camera focused on Goku, Gohan found himself to be short of breath.

< Dad's form is perfect, flawless even. He was a master at the Martial Arts. There was so much I had to learn from him and I never got the chance...because I was stupid and wanted to make Cell pay instead of killing him off when I had the chance, > Gohan thought, ashamed at his actions. He closed his eyes as the fight began on the video. He didn't need to look at the video to see the fight; he remembered every moment of it in perfect detail. Even if he wanted to forget, he couldn't; the actions of that battle would live inside his mind forever. All of the sudden, his father's voice rang out of the speakers and Gohan opened his eyes.

"I give up!" Goku called out. Gohan drew in a sharp breath at the sound of his father's voice; it had been so long, he had almost forgotten what it sounded like.

< Oh, please, don't announce my name. That wouldn't be very good for everyone to know that I was at the Cell Games and that I fought Cell, > Gohan thought in despair. Gohan's eyes widened as he heard the name announced. Instead of announcing his name, they had some voice actor filling in for Goku's voice announcing Mr. Satan as the person he wanted to fight in his stead. Suddenly, the background changed slightly.

The entire student body, with the exception of Gohan, didn't even notice the difference. But, Gohan could tell, his sensitive eye sight picking up the slight change in the tape. "Mr. Satan" stepped up to "Cell" and laughed. Gohan couldn't believe the actors they found to change the tape; they had to be the stupidest people he had ever seen. "Mr. Satan" started to speak and Gohan was ready to kill at the words.

"That guy who went before me was weak and powerless. He gave up and asked me to fight because he knew I could do it. I swear, I will defeat you Cell and I will show these guys what a real fight is!" A "fight" commenced between "Mr. Satan" and "Cell". By this time, Gohan had had enough; he was tired of seeing his father slandered on video.

< My father was a great man. He died that day protecting the whole planet and, instead, everyone chooses to concentrate on the "great" Mr. Satan. Well, I've had enough of this. > Standing up, Gohan stormed out of the assembly hall, bursting the doors open as he did so, his bag secured in one hand and his vision blurred by tears of rage and sorrow. Videl looked shocked at the seat that Gohan was just sitting in, surprised at his sudden departure.

< What's wrong with him? I better go find out, > Videl thought before rising from her seat as well, following Gohan out of the doors. Gohan had stormed out of the school building and was outside, his face full of rage. With a loud scream, he briefly turned into a Super Saiya-jin, letting out all of his anger, before powering down, his hair settling into it's normal jet black color. He sank to his knees, tears running down his face. That's how Videl found him, huddled on the ground.

"Come on, Gohan. Tell me what's wrong. I'm your best friend. I want to help you," Videl said. Gohan turned his head to look her straight in the eye and she gasped; she had never seen him cry before. His face was contorted into a mask of pain as he spoke, his words forced.

"All you guys want to do is celebrate. You didn't experience pain at the hands of Cell. You celebrate the existence of your own live, yet you ignore those who died against Cell. You lead a sheltered life, protected from the truth of what really happened. None of you know what really happened," Gohan said, his voice creeping down to a whisper so quiet that not even Videl could hear what he was saying.

"My father died that day, the day of the Cell Games. 7 years ago to this day, my father was killed by Cell and it's all my fault. He died protecting me, my mother, and his friends. He gave up everything so that we could live. And nobody knows that! Nobody knows what some people sacrificed for others. Everybody in there is selfish, not caring about those who died, like my father." Gohan once again sunk to the ground on his knees, his tears falling faster than before, as Videl looked on him, speechless.

"Oh, Gohan," she breathed, her voice finally appearing, "I forgot that this is the anniversary of your dad's death. I'm...I'm sorry." Walking over to him on her knees, she gathered up her best friend in her arms, giving him a comforting hug. Gohan hugged her back, resting his head on her shoulders as he cried, his tears for Goku and his sacrifice.

"I miss him and I want him to come back," Gohan whispered. Videl ran a hand through his hair, her fingers gently combing through the silky strands.

"I know you do, I understand. I understand completely," Videl whispered as well. The two of them stayed out there, in each other's arms, one friend giving comfort and the other receiving it all-heartedly.


	LOVES TRIALS 19 May 26th, 7 years after the Cell Games- Videl looked over at Gohan while she sat next to him in Literature class. Her eyes were full of worry as she inspected her best friend. The look on his face was one of pain and sorrow, like he had just lost someone close to him. < What's wrong with him? I've never seen him look so depressed, > Videl thought, worry lines creasing her face. Gohan was totally oblivious to Videl's inspection of his mood that day; he just wasn't having a good day. He had woken up to the sounds of his mother sobbing; it was the anniversary of Goku's death, the day he died protecting the world from Cell's destructive power. The anguish over Goku's death was never as intense as it was on the anniversary of his death. All of Gohan's feelings of that day came back with a rush. The anguish, the sorrow, the pain, and the guilt. < It's all my fault that dad died. If I had just destroyed Cell when dad told me to, he would still be alive; he wouldn't have had to use the Instant Transmission to teleport Cell's body away from the Earth before he blew up. Because of me, he's dead, > Gohan thought, trying his best to keep in the tears that were threatening to spill over his cheeks. What made the day even worse was that everyone around him was celebrating. To them, it was just the day when the world was saved from the destructive power of Cell; for Gohan, it was the day his life ended. < How can they celebrate? Don't they know about the people who died against the wrath of Cell? Don't they care? No, they only care about their own lives, > Gohan thought, breaking his pencil in half, his rage at those around him growing by the second. Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the end of Literature class. Gohan sighed and packed his books away. He, as well as the rest of the school, would now be headed off to a special assembly celebrating the anniversary of the Cell Games; Gohan wasn't looking forward to what was in store. Gohan stood up and walked out of class, being closely followed by Videl. She tapped him on the shoulder in order to get his attention. Gohan turned around and looked down at Videl, his eyes still full of sorrow. "Hey, what's wrong with you today?" Videl asked, frustration seeping into her voice; she couldn't figure out what was wrong with him and it was infuriating. Gohan sighed and turned around to walk away. "I'm just having a bad day, ok?" Gohan said. Videl scowled at his backside. "No, you're not just having a bad day. There's something more than that wrong with you and you just don't want to tell me!" Gohan turned around, an enraged look on his face. "Look, I don't want to talk about it, ok?" he said, his voice almost a yell. Videl froze at the look on his face; she had never seen him so angry before and it scared her more than she wanted to admit. Her shocked look faded into a scowl as she relaxed her body. "Look," Videl said, trying to get a hold on her temper, "I'm going to go to the bathroom and then drop something off at the front office. Save me a seat in the assembly hall, ok?" Gohan heaved a sigh. "Fine," Gohan said softly, his temper cooling off a little bit. The two walked their separate ways, Videl towards the bathroom and Gohan towards the assembly hall. Gohan walked mindlessly towards the assembly hall, letting his instincts guide him to where he needed to go. Following the crowds, Gohan entered the assembly hall, seeing it practically full with students; it seemed they were all excited about something that Gohan didn't know about, nor did he care. He picked a spot near the back on the aisle, sitting in the seat on the end of the row, saving the seat next to him for Videl. Setting his bag down on the chair, he settled in and waited for the assembly to begin, resting his elbow on the armrest and leaning his head in his hands. Shortly after Gohan arrived, the principal came out onto the stage, a big smile on her face as she did so; she obviously seemed happy about the events of the assembly. Everyone hushed as she walked out, waiting to hear what she had to say. "I'm sure you're all as happy as I am. Today is the day that we celebrate the anniversary of the Cell Games and the heroics of Mr. Satan, our greatest fighter! To start off this assembly, we have a video for you of the Cell Games. Make no mistake; this isn't one of those cheap fakes. This contains actual footage of the Cell Games itself. Roll the film!" the principal shouted, causing the entire student body to explode into applause. A giant projector screen was lowered down, the lights went out, and the movie started playing. Gohan watched wordlessly, his face in a slight look of shock and dismay. He didn't want to watch the Cell Games video; he didn't want to think about that time in his life at that moment. Yet, they were going to make him anyway. On the screen showed the arrival of Mr. Satan and, once again, the student body began clapping violently, praising their hero for the work he did saving the planet from the evilness of Cell. Gohan almost laughed at Mr. Satan's words. "I'd like to give Cell my condolences. It's too bad my unworthy opponent didn't know that I existed before he started this tournament of his," Mr. Satan's voice rang out throughout the auditorium. Even with the memory of his father's death weighing on his mind, Gohan still managed a snicker at the ignorance of Mr. Satan. < That man doesn't know what he gets into. He thinks himself the strongest fighter in the world, yet he hasn't even experience a hundredth of the power that I have when fighting. The man is pathetic, > Gohan thought. Gohan yawned as Mr. Satan started insulting Cell on the video, with the announcer making random comments on the side. < Won't he shut up? > Gohan said, thinking about the announcer's rambling words. Suddenly, Vegeta appeared on the screen, flying down from above. Gohan's eyes widened. < They got this on tape? Oh shit. > "So, who are you and what are you doing here? And if you've just come to watch, back away from the ring before you get hurt," the announcer said to Vegeta, pointing a microphone in his face. Vegeta scowled at the announcer, obviously annoyed by the man. "Quiet! I've had enough of your insolence! Get out of my face!" Vegeta said, his tone harsh and commanding. < Well, that comes from being a prince, > Gohan thought with a sigh. The focus came off of Vegeta and moved on to Android #16, who had just come from Capsule Corp. after receiving repairs from Bulma and her father. As Gohan fondly remembered Android #16 and his love for life, Videl appeared, sneaking through the double, metal doors at the back of the assembly hall. She quickly spotted Gohan and crept over to where he was. "Hey," she whispered as she passed Gohan. Gohan removed his bag from her chair and Videl sat down. "Thanks for saving me a seat," Videl said, her voice still a whisper as she turned her gaze to the projector screen. "No problem," Gohan whispered back, refocusing his attention on the movie. He gasped and gripped the armrest tightly as he saw what was on the screen. The rest of the Z-senshi had arrived and standing in the middle of them, flanked by Krillin and Gohan himself, was Goku. Gohan's eyes watered at the sight of his father when he was still alive. He remembered being so proud of Goku when he fought Cell, knowing that his dad was doing everything in his power to save the world. A tear ran down his face, slipping off of his chin and landing on his leg. Videl heard the gasp and looked over at Gohan. "What was that noise? Are you ok?" she asked. Gohan blinked his eyes free of tears and nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm ok," Gohan said, his voice a shaky whisper. Videl only eyed him skeptically before turning back to the movie. Gohan calmed down after that, taking in a deep breath to gather his feelings. He watched passively as two of Mr. Satan's students fought Cell and lost within 10 seconds of the start of the battle. Gohan, expecting Mr. Satan's horrible battle to come up next, was surprised when the video skipped that small fight, skipping ahead to Goku's fight against Cell. As the camera focused on Goku, Gohan found himself to be short of breath. < Dad's form is perfect, flawless even. He was a master at the Martial Arts. There was so much I had to learn from him and I never got the chance...because I was stupid and wanted to make Cell pay instead of killing him off when I had the chance, > Gohan thought, ashamed at his actions. He closed his eyes as the fight began on the video. He didn't need to look at the video to see the fight; he remembered every moment of it in perfect detail. Even if he wanted to forget, he couldn't; the actions of that battle would live inside his mind forever. All of the sudden, his father's voice rang out of the speakers and Gohan opened his eyes. "I give up!" Goku called out. Gohan drew in a sharp breath at the sound of his father's voice; it had been so long, he had almost forgotten what it sounded like. < Dad, I miss you, > Gohan thought. Gohan held his breath as Goku prepared to announce the next fighter. < Oh, please, don't announce my name. That wouldn't be very good for everyone to know that I was at the Cell Games and that I fought Cell, > Gohan thought in despair. Gohan's eyes widened as he heard the name announced. Instead of announcing his name, they had some voice actor filling in for Goku's voice announcing Mr. Satan as the person he wanted to fight in his stead. Suddenly, the background changed slightly. The entire student body, with the exception of Gohan, didn't even notice the difference. But, Gohan could tell, his sensitive eye sight picking up the slight change in the tape. "Mr. Satan" stepped up to "Cell" and laughed. Gohan couldn't believe the actors they found to change the tape; they had to be the stupidest people he had ever seen. "Mr. Satan" started to speak and Gohan was ready to kill at the words. "That guy who went before me was weak and powerless. He gave up and asked me to fight because he knew I could do it. I swear, I will defeat you Cell and I will show these guys what a real fight is!" A "fight" commenced between "Mr. Satan" and "Cell". By this time, Gohan had had enough; he was tired of seeing his father slandered on video. < My father was a great man. He died that day protecting the whole planet and, instead, everyone chooses to concentrate on the "great" Mr. Satan. Well, I've had enough of this. > Standing up, Gohan stormed out of the assembly hall, bursting the doors open as he did so, his bag secured in one hand and his vision blurred by tears of rage and sorrow. Videl looked shocked at the seat that Gohan was just sitting in, surprised at his sudden departure. < What's wrong with him? I better go find out, > Videl thought before rising from her seat as well, following Gohan out of the doors. Gohan had stormed out of the school building and was outside, his face full of rage. With a loud scream, he briefly turned into a Super Saiya-jin, letting out all of his anger, before powering down, his hair settling into it's normal jet black color. He sank to his knees, tears running down his face. That's how Videl found him, huddled on the ground. "Gohan!" she exclaimed, running for him. She knelt beside him and put her arm around his shoulder. "Come on, Gohan. Tell me what's wrong. I'm your best friend. I want to help you," Videl said. Gohan turned his head to look her straight in the eye and she gasped; she had never seen him cry before. His face was contorted into a mask of pain as he spoke, his words forced. "All you guys want to do is celebrate. You didn't experience pain at the hands of Cell. You celebrate the existence of your own live, yet you ignore those who died against Cell. You lead a sheltered life, protected from the truth of what really happened. None of you know what really happened," Gohan said, his voice creeping down to a whisper so quiet that not even Videl could hear what he was saying. "Gohan, what are you talking about?" Videl asked. Gohan stood up suddenly and looked down at Videl. "My father died that day, the day of the Cell Games. 7 years ago to this day, my father was killed by Cell and it's all my fault. He died protecting me, my mother, and his friends. He gave up everything so that we could live. And nobody knows that! Nobody knows what some people sacrificed for others. Everybody in there is selfish, not caring about those who died, like my father." Gohan once again sunk to the ground on his knees, his tears falling faster than before, as Videl looked on him, speechless. "Oh, Gohan," she breathed, her voice finally appearing, "I forgot that this is the anniversary of your dad's death. I'm...I'm sorry." Walking over to him on her knees, she gathered up her best friend in her arms, giving him a comforting hug. Gohan hugged her back, resting his head on her shoulders as he cried, his tears for Goku and his sacrifice. "I miss him and I want him to come back," Gohan whispered. Videl ran a hand through his hair, her fingers gently combing through the silky strands. "I know you do, I understand. I understand completely," Videl whispered as well. The two of them stayed out there, in each other's arms, one friend giving comfort and the other receiving it all-heartedly. NEXT CHAPTER