"Of course. Yeah. Of course, we can get to know each other."

Gohan's eyes brightened marginally and he turned away to face the ground again. "Thanks, Videl. You're a good person."

Videl shook her head. "You don't know that. I've been nothing but pushy and rude towards you since you started at Orange Star."

"Nah, I think you're just passionate about what you believe in. Besides, you could ride Nimbus, couldn't you?"

She furrowed her brows, confused. "Yeah… But why does that matter?"

Gohan smiled knowingly. "Well, only people who are pure of heart can ride the Nimbus cloud. Which means you really are a good person."

She felt herself pause at this. Her? Pure hearted? It was hard to believe. She had negative thoughts sometimes and there were a lot of people she didn't like. Pure hearted people were supposed to be happy and accepting regardless of anything. Like Gohan. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that Gohan was pure of heart.

"I get that you might be pure hearted, but there's no way I could be. Maybe the cloud made a mistake?"

"Nimbus doesn't lie. You have to have more faith in yourself, Videl."

She felt herself pinken at this. Nobody had ever judged her so transparently before. People made assumptions based on her father and her career as a crimefighter, but Gohan seemed to look beyond that. He actually saw her for who she truly was. It was refreshing.

Having no words, Videl replied with a simple, "Thank you."

A silence overcame the two as they stared out over the clouds. Videl wasn't sure where to take the conversation next. Gohan had made it clear that he wanted them to get to know each other, but did that mean he would be spilling all his secrets in the next five minutes? Evidently not. Instead, they simply sat. She could hear Gohan breathing quietly, almost methodical in how he paced each exhale. She wondered if this was some sort of meditation he had learned from Piccolo.

Luckily for her, Videl didn't have to break the silence.

"So." Gohan started eventually. "What did you want to know about me?"

She blinked. She had been pestering him for months to answer just one measly question about himself. And now, after all that effort, he was just handing it to her on a silver platter. "When you say it so bluntly it's hard to think of something on the spot."

"Heh. Sorry." Gohan scratched the back of his neck.

Videl pursed her lips. "I mean, let me know if it's too much, but how about we start with what happened today?"

Sighing loudly, Gohan surrendered with a nod of the head. "I figured you'd say something along those lines."

She smiled in apology. "Like I said, you don't have to."

"No, no. It's fine."

Understanding that Gohan needed a few moments to gather his thoughts together, Videl waited with patience. For someone naturally so shy, it couldn't be easy for Gohan to talk about himself so candidly.

"Well…" he began unsurely. "I've had a lot of anxiety since I was pretty young. Most of it stems from some, er, scary stuff that happened when I was little."

Videl wanted him to expand but convinced herself that taking it slowly was for the best.

"I haven't been to the site of the Cell Games for a long time. I guess being there again triggered some old memories and I had a sort of flashback. To be honest, I've never had a panic attack as vivid as that one before."

She frowned. "That's what I don't understand, Gohan. Why that place? When were you even there? You told me a few days ago that the site of the Cell Games was just a pile of dirt that didn't mean anything."

Gohan breathed deeply and Videl could just tell that he was finding some way to skirt around her question. "I know I said it before, but that place isn't just a mound of dirt." Gohan smiled humourlessly, turning to meet her stare. "For some, it's a burial ground."

A prickle of discomfort ran down Videl's spine and she had to look away. Why was Gohan always so cryptic? Why couldn't he just tell her what the hell he was going on about?

"Gohan, I'm sorry. I know it's hard for you to talk about this, but frankly, I'm a little lost. A burial ground for who? The only person I know who died there was Cell."

Gohan looked away again. "Remember what I said on the bus earlier? How there were other fighters there that day who nobody talks about?"

She swallowed thickly, thinking back to her revelation about Piccolo. Videl remembered their conversation on the bus very clearly. At the time, she had just been puzzled as to what the 'tricksters' had to do with anything. But now, the pieces were slowly meshing themselves together. If Piccolo was at the Cell Games, and Gohan knew Piccolo, chances were that he knew a lot of other people there that day. "Yeah, I remember."

Gohan's next words confirmed her theory. "Well… I actually know a lot of the people that were there. One of them, um…" Choking up slightly, Gohan quickly ran a hand over his face and took a breath. "One of them didn't make it out alive."

"Gohan, I'm so sorry." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, brows furrowed with worry. "If you don't mind me asking… What was their name? It's only right to put a name to the face of a hero, after all."

Gohan smiled feebly at this and a glint of pride sparked in his eyes. "His name was Son Goku. And he was a hero. The bravest of the lot."

She connected the dots instantly and felt a devastating sadness overcome her. Son Goku. The World Martial Arts champion before her father. And undoubtedly, Gohan's dad. She tightened the grip on his shoulder. There were no words she could say that could possibly comfort Gohan. She knew what it was like to lose a parent. Her mother had died eight years ago to an incurable heart virus. It was the worst day of her life.

Remembering Gohan's words from earlier, Videl shrugged away the urge to cry.

"I'm sorry. Please come back. I'm sorry. Come back. Please. Please don't go."

Instead, she finally sacrificed her pride and pulled her newfound friend into a tight hug. No words were spoken between the two. But Videl felt her chest fill with warmth as Gohan leant into the embrace.

She held him for what felt like hours. It was probably only a few minutes. When Gohan eventually pulled away, his cheeks were red from embarrassment. Nonetheless, he looked happier. "Thanks, Videl." He mumbled.

She smiled. "Don't mention it. I know what it's like to lose a parent… And a good hug does more than people think."

They shared a look of mutual understanding and Videl was glad he didn't apologize for her loss. It was refreshing to talk to someone who actually knew how you felt for once.

"All things considered, why did you even come today?" she asked gently.

"My mum thought it would be good for me, I think. And she didn't want me to miss a day of school."

Videl frowned. "Surely that's a bit insensitive, though?"

Gohan shook his head. "No, no, no. My mum really means well. But I guess I never really told her how much this sort of stuff affects me."

"Does she know about your anxiety and stuff?"

He shrugged bashfully. "Nope. She's got a lot on her plate. I don't wanna worry her."

"Gohan." Videl scolded. "Your feelings matter, too. I really think you should talk to her about it, okay? For me."

"I might… maybe."

"Gohan."

"Fine, fine. I'll mention it." He conceded, but Videl wasn't so convinced.

"Whatever." She huffed. "It's getting a bit late, to be honest."

Gohan blinked. "Oh. Right. Er, did I say something wrong?"

"What? No, of course not. I'm being serious, my dad will expect me home soon." Videl laughed at the worried expression on Gohan's face. "I really want to continue our conversation some other time, though. It's school holidays, so you should have plenty of time up your sleeve."

"Yeah, of course." Gohan smiled. "Any day in particular?"

Videl pursed her lips in thought. "Well, Sharpener, Erasa and I are going shopping on Tuesday. How about you come with us? Then we can chat afterwards, too."

"I'll have to ask my mum, but… That sounds really good."

Videl noticed that Gohan was beaming at the invitation, and she suddenly felt guilty that she hadn't invited the boy anywhere before now. He was just a new student from the countryside, with barely any friends, and she had never even tried to make him feel welcome. All of that was about to change now, though. She grinned at him brightly. "Great! I'll give you my phone number so you can tell me what she says."

Gohan nodded eagerly.

"Oh… and Gohan?"

"Hm?"

Videl gave a sheepish smile. "Any chance you could help me get home from here?"

Her classmate laughed at her predicament, before turning to face the sky.

"Flying Nimbus!"

A/N: Not sure how I feel about this chapter? Let me know what you think! As always, thanks for your feedback.