Author's Note: This story was originally published in February 2010 as my entry for a theme week for a Gohan/Videl fan group. That week, the participating writers were to submit a short story each day based on the element chosen as that day's theme. A while ago, I was questioning whether or not I still wanted to be a part of the fanfiction community, and I took down all of the content I had ever posted on this site and changed my user name. Since then, my mind has changed, and I decided that I wanted to put some of my old work back up and begin working on some old projects again. These stories, despite being a collection of seven unrelated one-shots, are probably my favorite completed work. I hope you enjoy them as much as I still do.


Elementary, My Dear Saiyaman

I. Fire

She burned with fury. Well, actually, she burned with a lot of different emotions, but fury was the one that consumed her at the moment. Her knuckles were white on the steering handles, despite there being no imminent danger. In fact, she was really about as safe as she could be, with Saiyaman only about a hundred feet away. But the superhero's presence was no solace for her; in fact, it was the cause of her frustration.

Videl clenched her jaw as she watched that super-powered idiot with a trash can on his head fly by her jet copter. He sent her a smile and waved, but Videl did not return the gesture. Everything about him made her want to scream. It seemed that the sole purpose of his existence was to get in her way. He wasn't needed. The city was plenty safe before he ever came around. Sure, there may have been a few petty criminals, but it was nothing she and the police department couldn't handle together.

He had just appeared out of nowhere and launched a personal vendetta against crime in Satan City. None of it made any sense to Videl. How could someone with his strength simply turn up one day? It was like he had crawled out from under a rock somewhere just to mess with her. He was very good at it, too, and that's what bugged her the most. She wasn't ever sure if he was being serious or not.

I mean, come on, she thought. He acts like such a goofball! That outrageous costume and those stupid poses… and that faked heroic voice! Ugh! It's so obvious that he's hiding something!

It's like he knows me and he's just acting like an ass to agitate me... But if he knows me, who in the world could he be? Who has that sort of power?

When he first appeared, Videl wondered if Saiyaman's antics were all a bunch of tricks, like her father had said about those weird guys at the Cell Games. But then, she was rescued by him. He caught a tour bus that had driven off a cliff.

You just can't fake something like that...

Videl's mind felt wrenched and her face flared red in frustration over her quandary.

The pillar of smoke rising over the downtown marked her destination. She felt a vein rise on her forehead as she watched the red-caped dork avenger swoop down to the ground near the burning building. When she landed, she found him standing by the police chief and a few of his men, a disgustingly smug and confident look on his face.

He raised his hand in a welcoming gesture.

"Greetings, miss! I see we meet again!" he proclaimed.

Videl struggled against the urge to gnash her teeth at him. It was so demeaning, all of it. This was her escape, her one chance to do something serious and meaningful in her daily life. It was her opportunity to get away from all of the frivolous, meaningless things out there; none of the high school drama or nonsense, none of her father's outlandish fame, nothing stupid. Yet here was this moron intent on taking away what was sacred to her, and mocking her with his fake innocence while he did it.

"Can it, you jerk," she spat at him dismissively. She turned on her heels and gave Saiyaman the cold shoulder, giving the police chief her full attention. "So what's the situation, chief?"

"Well, Videl…" he began.

Gohan tried to listen to the briefing from the background, but his attention was directed elsewhere. He felt his face burning uncomfortably underneath the stifling warmth of his helmet.

So I'm a jerk for being polite, friendly, and trying to help her? It's her safety I'm concerned about! I'm doing this for her own good!

Sharpner and Erasa had repeatedly tried to reassure Gohan that there was no reason to worry about Videl, claiming that she was almost as strong as her father. Whereas any other person would have been greatly comforted by this news, Gohan was deeply unsettled by it. It made him ten times more concerned about her. He knew that Videl wasn't bulletproof like he was. She was going to get herself killed one day doing this. It was unfathomably dangerous for a normal human to be doing what she did.

Well, "normal" in relative terms.

But still, that wasn't any reassurance for him. He knew that he had the power to protect her. He had the power to protect everybody. He had done it before. Every living thing on earth owed him their life, and yet here he was trying to protect the daughter of the man who stole his credit. It just didn't make any sense, not even to him. His face burned with embarrassment at Videl's verbal attack. His heart burned with a bizarre feeling that he couldn't seem to place.

"And don't you come after me, Saiyaman!" Videl harshly warned him. "I DON'T need your help!"

Gohan was startled out of his thoughtful trance and searched for something to say, but he was left mumbling a surprised sort of noise as Videl raced off to the flaming building.

Videl began to wonder immediately upon entering the building if it had been a good idea to refuse Saiyaman's help. The smoke was thick. Her breathing was labored as she galloped up the stairs to where the office clerks were trapped. She gagged on the smoke twice on the way up. The carbon in the air was absolutely overpowering.

This is a lot worse than I expected. I should have taken a respirator from one of the firemen.

Sixth floor, north wing, second door on the left - there it was. The door was pinned shut by a fallen steel beam.

Actually, this might not be so bad. This looks like it will be an easy rescue. All I've got to do is move the beam out of the way of the door and the people inside can just walk right out. This should only take a couple of minutes, tops.

Videl positioned herself at the base of the collapsed beam. It was protruding out from the ceiling all the way down to the floor.

All I have to do is drag it out of the way. Piece of cake.

She grabbed onto the sides of the I-beam and gave it a sharp tug. She yelped in pain, quickly retracting her hands.

Videl looked at her fingers. They were a tender shade of red. The beam was searing hot from exposure to the flames all around it. It was time to improvise. Videl choked on the thick air as she dashed down the corridor, searching for anything she could use.

'Custodial Closet'. With a yell she violently kicked in the door, doubling up in a coughing fit afterward. She fought against her diaphragm and tried to hold her breath as she groped around the inside the dark closet for a light switch. She found nothing of the sort, and instead started scrambling around to lay her hands on anything potentially usable. She found a rolling janitor's cart filled with... whatever that cleaning fluid was. Probably not just water. Seeing no better option, she grabbed the handle on the cart and ran back down the hallway with it in tow.

Now came the moment of truth. Praying the liquid wasn't flammable, she tossed the contents of the cart onto the I-beam. The beam hissed as vapor rose into the air. Videl found herself gagging again. Whatever that liquid was, it definitely wasn't just water. It was absolutely noxious. Understanding that it was definitely in her best interests not to inhale any of the fumes, she took one last precious gasp of air and held her breath.

She grabbed the sides of the beam again. Her plan had worked! Now it was cool enough to touch. She wedged herself between the wall and the beam. She positioned her feet against the base of the wall for extra force and pushed with her back. The beam budged, bit by bit, out of the way.

But it wasn't moving quickly enough. She felt faint. The work was exhausting. She needed air so badly, but the air here was obscured with heavy smoke and goodness knows what else from the janitor's bucket. She didn't have much time.

In desperation, Videl slammed her body into the steel beam. She felt a rib crack under the force. The beam, luckily, moved clear of the door. She barely contained herself as she let out a close-mouthed, stifled shriek of pain.

Videl momentarily wondered if she'd be able to hold on much longer in the situation she was in, with no viable air to breathe and a broken bone.

I don't know if I can last long enough in here to do this. I could try to run out for air and then get the fire department men to come evacuate these people, but the door is free to be opened now, and there are five people in there depending on me for their lives.

I can't turn around at a time like this!

She grabbed a handful of her baggy shirt and wrapped her protected hands around the red-hot doorknob. She turned the handle and threw the door open.

She felt her heart sink and her eyes widen at the sight she beheld now. The ceiling was collapsing all over this section of the building. There was a huge, piled mess of burning debris between the five trapped victims and the doorway. There was no way she could get through it or get them over it.

Just then, her lips parted and she let out a gasp. Her body finally overcame the protest of her willpower and dared to inhale breath. She fell to her hands and knees, gagging and gasping for air, overwhelmed by the smoke.

Maybe I should have taken Saiyaman's help.

The outlook was grim for her and for these people. She couldn't get out, nor could she get them out. She was in over her head on this one, and she knew it.

Videl thought she heard someone on the other side of the burning debris pile shout something about looking out, but before she could figure out what was going on she felt a tremendous weight impact her lower back, and a few seconds later she felt nothing at all.

Then, there was light. Lots of light. Flashes, cheering. What was going on? She opened her eyes.

There were reporters everywhere. The firemen were victoriously finishing their hosing down of the building. Policemen were patting each other on the back and getting in their cars to leave. Medical personnel scurried about, readying the victims for transport to the hospital. The police chief and city fire marshal were exchanging a handshake and waving to the cameras. And she was…

…in Saiyaman's arms?

Gohan smiled heroically for the cameras as he held Videl in front of the crowd in an assuring gesture that she was going to be okay. A group of doctors rushed a stretcher over to the scene. Reporters fired questions at him like bullets and he said nothing to them, speaking instead when a small man dressed in a blue medical uniform said to him, "We'll take her from here, sir."

Gohan nodded at the man and laid Videl down on the stretcher.

"Of course, gentlemen. You take good care of her. My work here is done. I'll be on my way now."

Gohan turned on the spot and began to walk away, but was quickly stopped in his tracks.

"You stay right where you are!" a voice yelled at him. The throng of people gathered around inhaled a unanimous gasp as Videl sat up on the stretcher, visibly furious.

"I told you I didn't need your help, you stupid jerk!" she said accusingly. She was livid with him. Gohan scratched the back of his neck sheepishly and waved his other hand out in front of him, trying to dissuade her.

And they both felt that familiar fire on their faces.