"Gohan?" Videl strained her eyes as she looked at the new arrival, unable to fully believe that this was indeed him.

Gohan frowned, worried about his friend's dirtied appearance. 'Man, she looks like she's been through a rough time...'

"Hey Videl," he awkwardly smiled, trying to figure out what exactly to say. After all, this was a very different situation for him, and he was unsure how the famously short-tempered girl would react to his arrival.

"Why are... you here?" Videl croaked out, her throat parched and tired from this nightmarish week.

"I'm here to help you, of course," Gohan smiled gently, taking a step forward.

. Videl, however, took a step back. "Your help? What makes you think I need your help? I just found out my life was all a lie, and that it should have been you who got the money and the fame and, and, and..."

She burst into tears, still unsure on just why she was so upset. Within seconds, two warm arms reached around her, a gentle whisper breathing words of comfort into her ear as she cried her heart out.

"Ssh... there, there, Videl... It's all right," Gohan gently stated, his fingers running through the girl's hair in an attempt to sooth her spirits.

Somewhere deep in the girl's delirious mind, she realized that Gohan was trying to help her. Gohan, whom she had accused and suspected, stalked and berated. The very same boy- no, man- from whom her entire life was stolen. Her identity, her dreams, her existence- it was all a lie.

A lie stolen from the very man who was now comforting her.

A faint chuckle escaped her lips.

"Figures that you'd be the only one willing to talk to me," she laughed humorlessly, staring at the boy trying to comfort her with a dead look in her eyes. "You always were too good for us."

"Videl..."

"You were always just taking my abuse with a grin, even if you could just kill us all with a single glance," she continued, seemingly not even hearing him. "No matter how often we put you down, you would always just continue on with a smile on your face. Even to me," she grimaced. "the daughter of the man who stole everything. The same girl who used that damned lie and hung it over everyone's neck while you were off saving the world. I'm just a worthless..."

"That's not true!"

Videl raised her head quizzically, startled by the boy's sudden outburst.

"Videl, I saw you leap out of a helicopter onto a hijacked bus," Gohan grabbed her shoulders and stared her directly in the eyes, suddenly angry. "I saw you dive headfirst into a burning burning. And why?" he snapped at her, his hands shaking with barely contained rage "Was it because of who your father was? Was it because of your fame? No! You saved those people."

Noticing the quivering figure beneath him, Gohan took a deep breath. He really needed to not freak out like that.

"I'm sorry, Videl," he sighed, letting go of her shoulders and slumping down right next to her. "The truth is.. I admire you." He couldn't help but let out a giggle at Videl's shocked expression.

"It's true," he continued. "I mean, not just anyone could save the day time and time again, like you."

"But... you did too, Saiyaman," Videl retorted, finally regaining a bit of her old self esteem.

Gohan chuckled. "I don't know if you noticed, Videl, but I'm not exactly normal. When I go out there and save the day, it's not like I have to worry about whether I'll live or die. Bullets don't hurt me. I'm practically indestructible." Noticing Videl glaring at him like he was conceited, he decided to get to the point quickly.

"The point is, I don't have to worry about if I''ll live to see another day when I'm off playing superhero. But you," he smiled at her, causing her to look away for some reason. "You fight crime and save lives, despite not having any special powers."

Videl's eyes were on the verge of tears, her ability to stop them being long since gone. Those words... Words of comfort, pure and complete...

She gasped as she felt fingers turn her face back to the world savior next to her, smiling gently at her. Her mouth widened a bit as she looked into his deep, dark eyes, wondering how she never noticed just how beautiful they were.

"You risk your life to save others day in and day out, and that has nothing to do with who your father is."

Videl could hardly hear him speak, hypnotized as she was by those deep, caring eyes. She never did notice just how cute he was... A blush stained her cheeks. No, she... she couldn't think like that. Especially not about him... Not after everything she's done...

"... I heard about how everyone's treating you," Gohan continued obliviously, snapping Videl back to reality. "Erasa's really worried about you."

"Erasa?" Videl blinked, surprised that her friend still cared so much for her.

Gohan smiled warmly. "Of course. She is your friend, after all." He reached over and grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. "And so am I."

"Gohan..." Videl could not hold back the tears anymore, and within seconds she was wrapped by his strong arms, sobbing uncontrollably. But this time, it wasn't out of pure sorrow. No, now there was a tinge of hope as well.

"After everything you've done... it's not fair for them to tie you into all of this," Gohan soothed her as he gently rubbed her back.

"But... my father..."

"Didn't I always tell you that who your father was was meaningless?" Gohan smiled, letting go of her as she calmed down. "You're you, Videl. Not your father's daughter. So what if you're not the daugter of the world savior? That just makes everything you've done even more impressive."

Videl blinked, struggling to take this all in. A faint trace of a smile crossed her lips as she finally came to terms with the truth.

"But," she frowned. "I mean, I've always been like this, living off my father's fame. And, well," she sighed, thinking about how pathetic this really was. "I don't know if I could change."

The two of them sat next to each other, both thinking to themselves. Finally, Gohan broke the silence.

"You remember the guy who sacrificed himself to kill Cell?"

"Um... yeah?"

"When I first met him, he was trying to kill me and everyone on Earth."

Videl gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. 'Did he really just say...?'

"When we first met, he hated me. Hated us. He didn't care at all about Earth, or anyone. He only lived to kill," he continued, marveling at Vegeta's life. "But he still found a reason to live, and was willing to die to protect everything he had grown to love."

He turned to the stunned girl next to him, a bitter smile on his face. "So don't tell me you can't change. Even the most evil people alive can change- if, of course, they want to."

Videl stared down at the ground, amazed. She wasn't too sure she understood all of this, of the man who had married Bulma Briefs, the richest woman on Earth, or of his apparent lust for blood... But, if he could change so dramatically, then could she really...?

"It's up to you to decide what to do with the truth," Gohan continued, not waiting for an response. "You can either continue to berate yourself for the lie... or move on, toward the future. And I'm, well..." he sighed. "A lot of this was my fault. I hid from my truth for so long, and got you caught up in the lie. I know you can't really go back home," he smiled at her. "So, if you want to stay over at with me, I'd be glad to help you get back up on your feet."

Videl blinked, blushing bright red. 'Did he really...?'

'No,' she concluded. 'He doesn't realize the implications. He... He's just being friendly. Not asking for anything.'

'Not asking for anything...'

This boy, the world savior, was so pure as to help the girl who tormented him and lived off his lie for so long, for nothing. She smiled. A real, true smile. Gohan was truly a better world savior than her father ever was.

"Ok, I'll come," she replied warmly, feeling, at long last, free. Free of her father, of the lie, of her fame. Free to finally find her own truth.

Gohan grinned at her, making her heart pump wildly. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her up looking down at her with a warm smile on his face.

Videl stared down at where their hands met, blushing at the contact. Staring up at her friend's gorgeous grin, she couldn't help returning it as he began to pull her out of the alley. Smiling to herself, Videl giggled a bit as she finally realized something.

'I guess the truth isn't really so bad, after all.'