The Return

Dull. Low clouds filled the skyline of Satan City, reflecting the state of mind of the black-haired eighteen year old on this day. Dull. Everyone else noticed the change in the boy's attitude, and on this day too. Today was a day everyone should have been celebrating on, no matter what. It was unnerving everyone. The usually happy-go-lucky boy was was just...dead.
The boy laid on his desk, completely oblivious to the world around him, just staring outside the window and looking at the dark clouds overhead.
So absorbed he was at looking out the window, he never noticed the teacher call him, asking him to pay attention to the class. When the boy finally listened and turned however, the teacher saw the look in his eyes, and was taken aback.
His eyes held absolute misery in them.
So shocked was the teacher, and everyone else who saw it, that he just went on with the class, letting the boy continue with his silent mourning.
Normally, the raven-haired girl two seats away would have been on him in an instant, but she too was shocked at the look in the boy's eyes. So it was up to his other friend, the bubbly blond of the group, who snapped out of her shock much quicker than her raven-haired friend did, to try to find out what was up. She laid a hand on his arm, taking a moment to marvel at the hidden muscles before she mentally shook herself. She had a friend to help.
"Gohan, are you okay?" she asked, with the utmost worry for her friend.
He acted as if he didn't even hear her, still just looking of into the dark clouds, until she tried again.
"Gohan, you can tell us," she said, smiling in a reassuring way to the back of his head.
It was sad, really. He actually wanted to tell someone, anyone, why he was so sad today, but if he did, people would either not believe him and blow him off, or they would believe him and treat him as a killer. So instead, Gohan managed to force a smile, and said the only thing he could. "I'm fine. It's nothing."
The tone of his reply managed to shock even himself, and the smile left his face. Erasa seemed to get the implied message, and left him alone, but not before she offered to be a helpful pair of ears. That boy was as stubborn as Videl when he wanted to be.
The raven-haired girl sitting next to Erasa leaned over so she could look at Gohan, or the back of his head, which she actually did a lot. She stared at him, but not with her usual glare, but with a look of concern for her friend.
She wanted to find out what made him act in this way. Usually, she would've pushed him for information, but this time, she wanted him to open up to her on her own. This was different from the regular Videl, mainly because she tended to push for everything she had wanted to know, but this time was different. Somehow, Son Gohan, against all odds, had wormed his way into her heart. She had only just realized it not even a week before, and she was determined to keep that under wraps for now.
Sitting beside Videl, the self-proclaimed ladies man, known as Sharpner, just stayed in his seat, doing his best to ignore Gohan, or 'Nerd Boy', as he called him. Today was the day everyone celebrated Cell's defeat at the hands of Hercule Satan, and he would be damned if his day got ruined by Nerd Boy.
As he looked at the weather outside the widow, Gohan faintly heard a clap of thunder, as rain started to furiously pound the glass panes of the window. In his eyes, the rain represented all the tears he convinced himself were caused by him. All the times he saw his mother, Chi-Chi, cry, all because he basically killed her husband. The tears he imagined his dad, Goku had shed, because his own son had a hand in his death. The ones the man would've cried if he found out about the son and daughter who would never met him. But most of all, his brother, Goten, and sister, Kara, and their tears, crying for the daddy they never got to meet. This was the hardest for Gohan because to him, he was the sole person responsible of robbing the innocent little boy and girl of their father.
On this day, Gohan would've locked himself in his room, beating himself up over his greatest mistake: his arrogance. He believed that nothing could hurt him that day, that he was invincible. Because of that, he made Cell desperate, and that desperation caused him to self-destruct, which in turn, costed his dad his life.
But because he was now attending high school, his usual routine was interrupted by the school day. It was also because of school that the twins were able to ask him a question before he left.
"Gohan, how did daddy die?" Goten had asked, causing Gohan to freeze. Kara picked up the slack, adding, "When we asked mommy, she started to cry. What happened to him?"
Gohan was about to automatically answer with his standard answer, "I killed dad," But decided that it would've been too much for the two, so instead, he boiled it down to the truth. "Dad died fixing my mistake."
Before either could ask their big brother another question, Gohan had already blasted off, turning into a Super Saiyan and leaving a trail of golden ki in his wake.
As the rain fell even harder, he sighed. The talk about Hercule had just stopped, but like always, it was only temporary.
Sure enough, the PA system crackled to life, shutting everyone up, which caused Gohan a moment of surprise. As far as he knew, teens would never shut up.
"Hello everyone on this wonderful day," came the happy voice of the principal, whose tone made Gohan snort. Luckily, the only one who saw him was Videl. Unfortunately for him, the only one who saw him was Videl.
'What's wrong with him?' she thought, looking at the boy.
What she didn't expect was the answer she got. ''What's wrong with him' she asks. Really, the only thing wrong with me was not killing Cell in time,' Gohan thought, not knowing that the voice came from his mind, with Videl having never opened her mouth. And because of him looking out the window, he never noticed the look of shock on her face, as he continued. 'I robbed my little brother and sister of their father. I robbed my mom of her husband. It was my fault. It was my fucking arrogance that day that got dad killed. It's my fault he died,' he thought, while griping the desk in an effort to not transform from his emotions. The wood was easily giving away from the force of his grip, and miraculously, no one other than the raven-haired crime fighter a few seats away from him even noticed. It was all because of a TV set that was wheeled inside the room, tuned to the local news that was currently giving an interview to the greatest fraud in history: Hercule Satan.
It was at this point that the sulking boy noticed the words coming from the TV.
"But what of your stomach ache?" the interviewer asked.
"Ah, the stomach ache," Hercule began, "It was just an act so I could gauge Cell's true powers" he said. 'That's bullshit and he knows it,' Gohan thought bitterly. 'He was just hiding behind a boulder the whole time, while dad and I fought him.'
The look on Videl's face was priceless. She was amazed that no one else was hearing the Son boy. The stuff she was listening to would've caused a riot. Especially since everyone worshiped her dad. But the stuff that really got her was what he 'said' next. 'Some nerve, calling me the Delivery Boy. It's not my fault my name means rice.'
'HE WAS THE DELIVERY BOY?!?' Videl mentally screamed, making Gohan jump in his seat.
'CRAP! How did she find out?' he thought, looking at the wide eyed Videl with a 'deer in the headlights' look.
'How did I find out?' she thought, starting at him, 'He said it out loud!'
'Videl DOES know that she didn't move her mouth, right?'
Before either teen could react to the situation, screams rang throughout the classroom. Attracted to the commotion, the two turned their heads to the source, the TV. Both of them froze when they saw the figure on the screen.
Letting out a cold laugh in that all-too-familiar voice of his, with his green skin and black armor-like plates, was the monster Cell. His cold laughter slowed down do a chuckle as he began to speak. "Hello people of Earth. My, how you all have prospered in these peaceful years. It is understandable. Seven years is a long time to stay dead. This is why I've come back, of course. You see, I have certain... ...unfinished business I need to take care of, and I know some people out there know what I'm talking about. I want the man who killed me. For a... ...rematch of sorts. Unfortunately, it's going to be a fight to the death. Come alone. I don't want anyone to get in the way because this time, I will not be going to HFIL." Cell let a malicious smirk pull on his face. "Be there, Gohan..."
At this, the whole class let out a collective gasp, as they turned around and stared at the dark haired teen, eyes wide, mouths agape, as he glared at the screen with barely suppressed rage.
"...alone, because if you bring a single person, or if someone else shows up, when I kill you, I will kill every single human on the planet in the slowest, most tortuous way imaginable, starting with your precious siblings, Goten and Kara. Oh, and Gohan," he said, still smirking. "This time, daddy's not here to save you. You know where to find me. Good day."
Cell's figure them phased out of view, too fast for the camera to catch.
The room stayed quiet.
"H-he wasn't talking about our Gohan," Erasa said, as she managed to pull on a shaky, nervous smile on her face. Looking at her black-haired friend, she felt herself begin tremble. Why did it have to be this Gohan? "There are other Gohan's out there, right?"
"Th-that's right..." Sharpner piped up, a nervous tone to his voice. "Nerd-Boy here wouldn't last a second. He-he must've thought he was talking about Mr. Satan. I mean- He wouldn't- He can't..."
Silence.
Everyone was looking at Gohan expectantly. They were waiting for the boy to deny the accusations. To say it was all a joke. To say he wasn't it. Anything.
*SKREE*
The sound of a wooden chair screeching along the floor was the only response they got. Standing up, Gohan ignored the stares he was getting as he made his way down the stairs.
"Th-this isn't happening!" Erasa exclaimed, watching as Gohan made his way to the door. "Th-this is all a bad dream!"
Gohan just stopped, turned around, and said, "Hit me."
Immediately, Sharpner stood up from his seat and walked up to Gohan. After getting a nod from Gohan as a confirmation, the teen made a fist, pulled it back, and slugged him with all he had. When it collided with his head, there was a deafening crack, and Sharpner pulled his hand back, cradling it against his chest.
"Sorry," Gohan told Sharpner, as he gave Erasa am apologetic smile, "Not a dream."
This time, as he left, people tried to stop him.
"Hey, Ner-err, Gohan! Don't go, man!"-Sharpner
"G-Gohan! Don't go, Cell is going to kill you!"-Erasa
"A cutie like you can't fight!"-Angela
When he got to the door, the teacher finally tried to stop him. "Mr. Son, what do you think you're doing?"
Gohan stopped, his hand on the doorknob. After thinking, and coming up with nothing to say, he just grinned and said his old excuse.
"Bathroom."
-
Videl was frozen. Cell wanted Gohan? Her Gohan? Of course it would make sense if he was the Delivery Boy, like he said. But if Cell wanted the man who killed him, then why didn't he ask for her father? Wait. No, that wasn't right. She just learned by whatever that was that happened between her and Gohan that he and his dad fought Cell. That, along with the extra info she learned from from both Gohan and Cell, led her to a conclusion. Her dad didn't beat Cell, no he was just hiding under a rock. Gohan beat him. But his dad died, probably to save him, if Cell was telling the truth.
She was snapped out of her thoughts by his chair scraping against the floor. She saw him get punched by Sharpner full-force, and move on like it was nothing. But it was right before he left, just after he spoke to the teacher, that she snapped out of it.
"Gohan, wait!" Videl yelled, as she scrambled out of her chair, vaulting over the rows of desks on her way to the doorway, not caring for the looks she was getting. When she caught up to him out in the hallway, she didn't know what to say. She was babbling, tripping over her own words, before he stopped her, placing a finger to her lips.
"I'm sorry Videl, he said alone. We can't be partners this time," he said, before leaning forwards and trapping her lips with his.
Her eyes widened, as she stood there in shock, before she leaned into him, deepening the kiss. After what seemed an eternity, the two broke off, both panting slightly. He smiled at her, and said, "I love you," before he reluctantly headed to the roof. Before he left, he turned around, and looked longingly at her. She was still dazed from the kiss, holding a hand up to her lips as if to feel him again.
When Videl finally regained her wits, her eyes widened, before she bolted after him. When she found a staircase, she practically flew over the steps as she pushed herself to her limits, trying to catch Gohan before he left.
When she finally reached the roof, she burst through the door, heavily panting.
With the dark sky and the rain pouring down on her, soaking her to her very bones, one might've thought she would have given up by now.
But she didn't. Instead, her eyes scanned the skyline, trying to find a trace of him.
There.
She almost missed it, but managed to spot a glowing yellow dot in the distance, growing smaller and smaller as it flew at incredible speeds. Not missing a single beat, she dug her hand into her pocket, reaching for the familiar blue and grey capsule. Compressing the tip, she threw it a few feet away, running after it straight afterwards. She heard the classic explosion coming from it, and dove into the smoke, landing inside the cockpit of her Jetcopter. Starting it up as she strapped herself in, she sped off in the direction of the yellow dot, hoping against hope that she would reach it, as it finally flew out of her view.
She pounded the dash of her jet in frustration as she cursed herself. Reluctantly, she turned her jet around, heading somewhere else, her eyes blazing with fury.
'Gohan better not die,' she thought, after calming down. 'Because I'm not done with him yet.' She was not expecting a reply.
'Don't worry Videl. I won't die,' although she couldn't see him, she imagined the shit-eating grin on his face, as she smiled. 'I'll hold you to it, Mr. Gold Fighter.'