A/N:: Well, I thought about Videl when I heard this song, and I've been kind of curious what people would think if I tried writing an angsty song fic.  The series has never really gone in depth about Videl's family, past her father being Hercule, and I've read some really interesting takes on it.  However, none of them really went too in depth, so I decided it would be fun to just paint this scenario, of Videl in a troubled household.  If you guys like it, I'm thinking of expanding it to include a couple more songs that really fit both Videl and this story line.  Let me know what you think!

---oh! and just to let you know, Videl has a little brother named Yasha. (that's Japanese for demon, btw^^).   She also isn't aware of the fact that Gohan is Saiyaman or can fly, etc – not important in this chapter as much, but it comes into play big time in the next chapter.

Disclaimer:: Nope, don't own Dragon Ball/Z/Gt.  The song in italics is "Family Portrait" by Pink, and no – I don't own that either.

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Videl forced a smile as she waved to Erasa, Sharpener, and Gohan before heading out towards her house. Another school day was over, and it was time to return home.  Home… ha.  It hadn't been home in years.  It was her house.  Her big, empty, stupid house.

Videl took a deep breath before unlocking the door and entering the chilly front hall.  She really didn't want to come home right now.  She'd give anything to be able to go home with Erasa tonight, just like she did so many other nights.  It was just so hard to come home to what she knew she would find. 

            She could hear her mother in the bedroom across the hall, sobbing her heart out.  She wanted to go in there so badly, to comfort her mother… But she couldn't.  She knew what daddy would do if he found out that his "precious princess" was taking her "bitch of a mother's" side of things.  With an icy expression, Videl closed the door of her room and turned the volume of her stereo up as loud as she could as she sat down to do her homework.  Anything to block out the heart breaking sounds of her mother's pain.

Mama please stop cryin'

I can't stand the sound

Your pain is painful and it's

Tearing me down

            Videl sat silently at the dinner table, listening to her parents arguing.  Again.  Why couldn't she ever have a normal conversation at the dinner table?  Why did everything she say have to become ammunition in the war between her parents?  Yasha was lucky tonight – he was spending dinner with his basketball team, safely away from the battlegrounds.

            She cringed as her mother made an acidic comment about her father's over-inflated ego.  He replied icily that she was just a worthless whore – what did she know?  Videl fought to keep the tears back.  She didn't need to hear this.  She didn't want to be caught in the middle… Any minute now they were going to ask her to choose a side… She couldn't stand the thought.

            Reaching for the bread, her shaky arm sent her milk glass spilling over the table.  She winced, then seized the opportunity to excuse herself.

            "Sorry mom, dad – I'll send one of the servants in to clean up, okay?  I have to change.  I should probably work on my homework too…"  Leaving the last bit hanging, Videl rushed towards the door.  Her exit was hurried and ungraceful, and she'd probably pay for it later, but she needed to get out. 

            As soon as she was in the hall with the door closed behind her, she took off in a sprint.  She could hear her parents screaming at each other already.  She cringed as she heard the sound of shattering glass.  She hoped her mother was okay…

I hear glasses breaking

As I sit up in my bed

I told God you didn't mean

Those nasty things you said

You fight about money

About me & my brother

And this I come home to

This is my shelter

            She wished that she had somewhere to run; anywhere, really.  Hell, she'd have found refuge at Sharpener's place she was so desperate!  She needed out of this… this… this eternal warfare.  She needed to get away from the screaming, the fighting…

And what about Yasha?  He deserved better then this.  The kid was only 9, for crying out loud!  She gave him everything she could; love, support… When he had an open house at school, Videl was the one to come and meet his teachers.  When he had a problem, Videl's was the shoulder he cried on.  She was everything to him, and he was everything to her.  He was the only constant in her home life, the one thing that remained true to her.  She had given up so much to raise him with at least one loving family member to look towards…  But no one her age needed this kind of responsibility. 

And what about herself?  It sure as hell wasn't easy for her to sit there, listening to the arguments, day in and day out…

It ain't easy, growing up in World War 3

Never knowin' what love could be

You'll see, I don't want love to destroy me

Like it has done my family

            Was she doomed to be like her parents?  To hate the ones she loved?  She needed someone to love so badly, someone that could hold her tight and tell her that things were going to work out for her…

            But she couldn't get close to anyone.  Not with what she saw every day when she came home from school.  She would die before she put anyone through this hell.

Can we work it out

Can we be a family

I promise I'll be better

Mommy I'll do anything

Can we work it out

Can we be a family

I promise I'll be better

Daddy please don't leave

            Videl sat in her desk at school, pale and emotionless.  She had overheard that night… Her dad was threatening to leave them.  Just… Leave them.  An icy tear fought its way through to her stony exterior, escaping to trickle down her cheek.  Damn it!  She didn't need this right now!  She didn't need all the "concern" she was going to get.  Only Erasa knew even a fraction of what was going on in her family right now, and she didn't want anyone else to know.

            Suddenly a warm arm encircled her shoulders and a feeling of comfort enveloped her.  She didn't hear as a sweet voice excused them from class and walked her into the hallway.  She stared straight ahead, moving mechanically through the halls and out onto the roof.  It wasn't until the breeze hit her cheeks that she realized where she was and who she was with.

            "Gohan?"

            Gohan smiled at her.  "Yeah.  You seemed really out of it - are you okay?  Wanna talk about anything?"

            Videl meant to say no.  She really did.  She wanted to turn her back on him and tell him it wasn't his business.  But she couldn't.  Her earlier thoughts drifted back to the front of her mind.  She needed someone to love so badly…  With a muffled sob, the teen flung herself at Gohan and began crying into his shirt.  All her pain, anger, hurt, and heart break poured out of her soul, and he stood there patting her back, making soft noises and rocking her.  Back and forth, back and forth, until soon her sobs had dulled into sniffles. 

            And sitting down on the roof of Orange Star High school, she told him.  She told him everything, and he didn't pity her.  He just listened with silent acceptance and understanding.  He told her that he'd always be there for her and that if she ever needed to talk, call him and he would be over fast.

            She smiled through her tears at that. It was comforting, even though she knew it was impossible… She knew very well that Gohan lived out in the Mountain District.  As she thought of this, a sort of longing filled her – how peaceful the mountains must be!  To be surrounded by the simple tranquility of nature… 

And with so many trees, there must be so many places to hide from the screams.

Later that night she would be grateful for his offer, whether she'd thought it plausible at the time or not.  She needed help, and she needed it fast.

Daddy please stop yelling

I can't stand the sound

Make mama stop cryin'

Cause I need you around

My mama she loves you

No matter what she says its true

I know that she hurts you

But remember I love you too!

            She flinched away as her daddy screamed at her mother.  She watched the tears streak down her mom's face, listened to the angry reply…  She watched her father snarl and slap her mom's face.  He was glaring, speaking in an enraged whisper.  With a last murderous glare he turned around and stormed into the kitchen – most likely for another beer. 

            It was always beer these days.  Her mom stood pale in the doorway for a moment, but then drifted towards her room. 

            "AND YOU BETTER NOT LOCK THE DOOR THIS TIME, YOU DIRTY LITTLE WHORE!  I'M IN CHARGE AROUND HERE, SO DON'T YOU GO TRYING TO LOCK ME OUT!!!  GOT IT, BITCH?"

            Videl stared in her father's direction slack jawed.  She'd never heard him that bad before… Slowly she backed away, then turned to sprint towards her room.  Throwing herself on her bed, she sobbed the dry, wracking sobs of someone who is afraid and in pain…

            "D…dad.dy…wh..why? i..we.we l…love y.you! w.why d.d.don't you see that?"

            And she ran.  She couldn't stand it anymore, so she ran.  Long after she should have collapsed, she found herself at the edge of the city.  Her breath was coming in ragged gasps, and she didn't know what to do anymore.  She needed to talk to someone… Anyone.  Briefly she though of those comforting arms, that soothing promise…

            And he was there.  His arms encircled her shoulders, comfort seeping through into the very depths of her shattered heart.  She didn't stop to question how he'd gotten there, or how he knew she needed him – all that mattered was that he was here.

            She knew deep down that running wouldn't solve anything, but she couldn't stand it anymore.  The noise was driving her insane!  The constant fighting…  She didn't want to go back.  She wanted to stay here, in Gohan's warm embrace, where she felt safe.  Here, where she felt needed and wanted.  Here where she felt loved. 

But she couldn't.  They were going to realize she was gone eventually, and when that happened…

I ran away today, ran from the noise

Ran away (ran away)

Don't wanna go back to that place

But don't have no choice no way

            Gohan sat at his desk, studying after dinner.  Goten was already in bed, and Chichi was working in the kitchen.  He was so completely immersed in his Calculas homework, that when the call of need came he almost missed it.  But he didn't.  Somehow, deep within him, he could feel Videl's need – and when he reached out with his ki to see where she was, he found her miles away from her house and her ki low.

            With a frown of deep concern, he abandoned his room in favor of the front door, stopping only long enough to tell his mother he'd only be gone for awhile.  When he found his friend, worry overwhelmed him.  She was a wreck, completely oblivious to everything, sobbing her heart out on her knees.  With a rush of concern, he ran up, gently scooping up the weeping girl in his arms.  For a time he simply knelt there, hugging her tightly. Soon, however, he knew that they needed to get to someplace warm or she would be suffering more harm than just a broken heart.  Gently – so gently! – he picked her up in his arms and flew to his house. 

            She was too far gone to notice the flight, and was asleep before he had settled her into his own bed, opting to sleep on the couch that night.

She woke up the next morning, wondering where she was, worried that she might have fallen asleep outside the city.  But no… she was in a bed.  Had it all been a terrible dream?  She vaguely remembered Gohan coming, but nothing else.  Completely blank.  She got up and walked hesitantly through the strange house, finding Gohan playing with his little brother in the living room, their mother making breakfast with a cheerful smile, bantering with her eldest son as she did so.

This had to be love.  This sweet, simple communion that Gohan's family shared.  She'd never experienced this all-encompassing warmth before – one that even extended to encompass an almost complete stranger, simply because she was in need… At Erasa's house there were always dozens of people and petty bickering.  Here it was just… Peaceful.  Calm.  Loving. 

            She wished that she could stay here, forever; but she knew she couldn't.  Her life wasn't easy, but it was hers, and Yasha needed her.

It ain't easy. Growin up in WW3

Never knowin what love could be

But I've seen, I don't want love to destroy me

Like it has done my family

            She wished her own family could just calm down, love each other again.  She could remember, very vaguely, a time when her parents really cared for each other.  They hadn't actually started fighting until the years following daddy's victory at the WMAT and his rise to fame.  All she wanted was for them to realize that deep down they still loved each other…

            Why couldn't they work it out, realize that their children needed them?  The other day Yasha had come to her in tears, asking if it was his fault mommy and daddy weren't happy.  She'd assured him that it wasn't.  No, if anything it's my fault.  If I was a better daughter…

            If she were nicer, then maybe her parents wouldn't be filing for a divorce right now.  Maybe Yasha would get to grow up in a stable household, with parents who understood…

Can we work it out

Can we be a family

I promise I'll be better

Mommy I'll do anything

Can we work it out

Can we be a family

I promise I'll be better

Daddy please don't leave

            Videl bit her lip as she gazed forlornly at the picture on the wall.  It hadn't been taken very long ago, and everyone was smiling.  They all had made their best effort to look happy and loving in the picture.  But it didn't look natural to her.  She could see the extra make up her mom had to use to cover the bruise.  She saw the creasing of her dad's brow when he looked at her mom…

            She saw the tears in her baby brother's eyes.

            She saw her own eyes.  Dead.  Blank.

In our family portrait

We look pretty happy

Let's play pretend, let's act like it

Comes naturally

            Videl cringed away from her parents.  They weren't yelling this time.  Instead, they looked almost happy!  Her dad had an odd sparkle in his eye, and her mom was smiling for the first time in ages.

            They were telling Yasha and her about the divorce.

I don't wanna have to split the holidays

I don't want two addresses

I don't want a stepbrother anyway

And I don't want my mom to have to change her last name!

            But she didn't want them to be divorced!  She didn't want to have two addresses, two phone numbers that no one knew which to call… She didn't want to have any stepbrothers or sisters – she loved Yasha!  She didn't want or need someone more in her life.  She just needed her mom and dad.

In our family portrait

We look pretty happy

We look pretty normal

Let's go back to that

In our family portrait

We look pretty happy

Let's play pretend,

let's act like it

Goes naturally

            Please, she'd do anything!  She would stop scowling all the time, she would make the effort to smile… She'd stop spilling her drink at the dinner table, just for an excuse to be excused.  She'd put in the effort required to pull her grades out from the rut they'd fallen into: hell - she'd even let them baby her all they wanted! 

            She would sleep well, and stop having nightmares.  Nightmares of this moment.

Mama I'll be nicer

I'll be so much better

I'll tell my brother

I won't spill the milk at dinner

I'll be so much better

I'll do everything right

I'll be your little girl forever

I'll go to sleep at night

            All her hopes, all her dreams of them being a family like Gohan's…

You took my shining star…

Daddy don't leave… daddy don't leave

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Author's Analysis:: Alright, I just went through and rewrote the parts of this that didn't make any sense to anyone but me – such as how she managed to get to Gohan's house without finding out that he can fly…  But since it's fixed, let's not worry about it anymore.

Point #1 = Throughout this piece there is no constant term for "father" and "mother" – sometimes it's "mother" at the same time that it's "daddy", and "mommy" while it's "dad" – although this may seem like a bunch of typos or randomness from the author, it all has a distinct purpose.  Throughout the story Videl is very, very confused.  Her parents are asking her to choose sides, which she doesn't like.  Subconsciously she can't settle on what her parents are to her, and thus calls them a variety of different terms.  I considered using the Japanese terms, but only briefly because they don't have the same versatility as they do in English. (did that explanation make any sense at all? ^^)

Point #2 = The POV throughout this entire story is slightly different, and I'll tell you right now that it's the tense I usually use while writing angst – I did it throughout Tears of Blood, too.  I hope it isn't too hard to follow, but it gives a clear view of the person's thoughts, while still being omniscient enough to describe the action in a slightly detached format.  (Besides, I hate writing with "I"s ^^)

Point #3 = tagging along with the POV point, I must allude to the portion that's dealing with Gohan.  I didn't want to give the same POV as I did for Videl, because not only would it get confusing, it didn't fit his personality and role in the story.  The point is not to delve into Gohan's confusion over the state of his family life – we'll save that for another story. ^^

Point #4 = well… there is no point number four, other than I'd be most appreiciative of your honest opinions – I want to know what you think, not if it was just superficiously enjoyable.  My goal in writing this particular piece is to try and write something that delves into deeper emotions, and really show the confusion the character is feeling.  I want to portray it in as subtle ways as possible – I'm curious to see if you spotted any others than the ones I gave you (yes there are more).  I also want to know if you're grasping everything… ^___^

Domo arigato minna-san!  I'm glad you chose to read this, and please leave any and all tips that you can think of in your reviews – or if you'd like to go more in depth, or ask a question, feel free to email me at [email protected].