Chapter Four
"On the count of three! One… two… three - smile!"
Gohan did his best not to flinch, feeling his eyes water as the flash of the camera blinded his vision - reminiscent of a Solar Flare attack. Shaking away the spots, he rubbed at his eyes as the flock of reporters and photographers hounded him on the walk back to school, doing his best to ignore the raucous crowd. He was already late to class as it was, and the group of people that surrounded him only continued to inhibit his journey to school.
It was a short trek from the doughnut shop to campus, but every step felt like an eternity with how the press shouted questions and pushed against him, making the sensitive Saiyan rather uncomfortable. 'Gosh, all I did was stop a robbery!' he thought, wincing slightly as another flash went off. 'I can only imagine what it would have been like if I'd taken my credit for Cell! Hercule may be a greedy show-boater, but he certainly saved me a whole lotta trouble! I don't think I could handle this every day...'
"Hey, this a school, not a circus! Leave now, before I set the cops on all of you," Videl demanded, dispersing the crowd as she caught up to them, having stayed behind to speak with the chief for a brief moment. "Or, worse yet… before I decide to handle you all myself!"
That certainly set them running. After snapping a few, last second photos, the majority of the reporters fled down the street back to their news vans, while a few more gutsy ones retreated to a 'safer' distance across the street. Gohan sighed with relief, flashing the short girl a grateful smile as he relished in the return of his personal space.
"Thank you," he said, holding out the door for her as they reached the entrance.
"Not a problem," she replied, shrugging."I deal with this kind of stuff every day, so I'm used to it. But you looked like you were getting pretty overwhelmed."
Gohan gave a nervous chuckle and nodded. "Yeah…" he murmured, "I don't really like all the attention."
"Don't worry. It should die down in a day or two," she assured, before grinning slightly and adding, "so long as you don't pull another stunt like that, anyway."
"Oh, I don't really plan to," he answered, shaking his head. "That was far more trouble than it seemed worth."
"The trouble is worth it if it means saving innocent lives," she confided, shaking her head. "Y'know, you'd think that with my father living here, it would deter most criminal activity, but it only seems to have had the opposite effect. People flocked to the city after we moved here, and I guess with such a large population to take advantage of, the baddies followed," Videl explained, frowning slightly as she thought of the numerous gangs and networks that had taken residency in her home town. "I guess that's why I joined the police force… to at least try and make up for some of the trouble we'd brought with us..."
Gohan stared down at the dark haired girl for several moments, studying her features as he contemplated her words. "That's very noble of you," he finally said, causing Videl to scoff lightly in amusement.
"Noble?" she repeated, her brows raised and lips curled slightly upwards. "That's such a… fancy way of putting it. I'm not some knight of the round table. I just think of it as the right thing to do. I mean, if I have the power to change things… why shouldn't I?"
"That's essentially the definition of noble," Gohan remarked, earning him a roll of the eyes from Videl.
"You're an... interesting one, Son Gohan," she commented, eyeing him up and down. "But… I like you. I think I'll keep you around a little longer." She gave him a side-ways smile, letting him know that it was only a joke.
"Heh, I'd certainly appreciate it," he replied with a grin, once more opening the door for her as they finally reached their first class. School had started almost half an hour ago, so they were well into their lesson by the time they had arrived, but Videl was instantly excused for her known police work, and had even gotten a note from the chief to help explain Gohan's tardy. After being given the handouts they were expected to work on, the two teens hurried to their usual table with the blonde duo.
"Oh… my… gosh!" Erasa squealed, as soon as they'd taken their seats. "Details! I need details!"
"Give the poor guy a break," said Videl, as she pulled out her book. "He just got rid of the reporters following him outside. He doesn't need to be pestered inside school too."
"Oh, but I have to know!" she pouted, shaking her phone at them from beneath the table. "My news feed has been blowing up nonstop for the past thirty minutes. I mean… Gohan, did you seriously kick a man through a window? That is so badass!"
Gohan felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment, scratching sheepishly at his cheek as he reluctantly nodded his head. He had only meant to disarm the man - honestly - but had once again miscalculated his strength in order to do so; last he'd heard, the robber's ribs had cracked inwards and pierced a lung, and he was also suffering moderate head trauma for the injuries sustained upon impact to the ground.
'I guess I'm so used to people like Krillin and Tien, I don't think I realized just how weak normal humans were until now...' he thought to himself, as he attempted to focus on his lessons. 'I'll have to try harder at keeping my powers in check, in case I accidentally hurt somebody. Good thing that guy was a thief, or else I'd be feeling a lot worse about sending him to the hospital like that. No one really deserves that kind of pain, but at least I can say he had it coming...'
Gohan's day went on relatively normal from that point on, though his popularity at school had taken a sudden boost as the news of his heroism passed from ear to ear. Apparently his 'condition' had also been made known, and a few kids had even bought him extra food at lunch, as offering to "appease the beast" they assumed he'd turn into if he went hungry. He didn't have any particular qualms about that part, as he happily devoured the meals in addition to his own; which left him only slightly more satisfied than the normal snack his mother had prepared. Still, free food was free food!
Eventually, three o'clock came, and the final bell rang.
As he pushed past the doors and walked out onto the school's front courtyard, he was relieved to find no more reporters lurking about. After declining to join them in an after school study session, Gohan waved goodbye to his friends, hopped onto his hoverbike and typed in the GPS coordinates for the local Capsule Corp. branch. He had done an online orientation and video-conference with his new supervisors over the summer, and after being given his first week of school to get situated, it was now his first official day on the job as an intern.
Although he was more than capable of making the several thousand mile commute to the headquarters in West City, it was agreed that he would still spend time at the facilities in Satan City - which was the closest one to his own home - for appearances sake. Of course, in his free time, Bulma welcomed - and even encouraged - Gohan to come help work on projects in her own lab, which she supervised.
It was roughly a twenty minute ride to CC, as the business district was on the other side of town from school, but he had still arrived early enough that he would have time to change out of his school clothes and into more appropriate attire. Having already been issued security clearance, the gate guard merely scanned his ID before allowing him through, and he hurried in to find the closest private restroom.
"I hope nothing wrinkled," he mumbled, as he searched through his bag for the spare set of clothes he had so neatly prepared that morning. His mother had always drilled into him the importance of first impressions, and he wasn't particularly fond of the idea of showing up to his first day in a professional setting looking as if he'd just crawled out of bed. Fortunately, his outfit had remained crisply folded, and the few, minor wrinkles that had appeared were straightened out with a good, strong shake.
"Not bad," he said to himself, as he buttoned up the charcoal grey dress shirt and tucked it securely into the waist of his dark slacks. Looping a leather belt around his hips and clasping the silver buckle firmly, he draped his tie around his neck and exited the stall, moving over to the mirror to adjust it.
"Now, is it… right over left, or… left over right?" Gohan could immediately empathize with his father, who had always hated dressing up when he was alive; compared to the simple clothes they were accustomed to, formal wear just seemed too complicated! As he continued to struggle with the cloth strip, his Vphone rang and he quickly pulled it from his pocket to hit 'receive'. "Hello?"
"Hey, Gohan!" a cheery voice cried.
"Bulma? Hi!" he greeted, smiling down at the image of her. The blue haired scientist grinned and waved, Gohan giving a short wave of his own, before asking, "What's up?"
"Oh, nothing really. I just wanted to wish you good luck on your first day! I told them not to give you any special treatment like you asked, by the way, so expect to do a lot of boring stuff until you work your way up more. But you'll do great regardless, I know you will!"
"Aw, thanks! I really appreciate that," he replied, setting the phone down onto the counter so he could continue working on his tie.
Bulma, watching him struggle through the screen, gave a soft giggle and teasingly asked, "Having a little trouble there, kiddo?"
The Saiyan's face lit up in a blush. "Is it that obvious?" She nodded her head at him and he chuckled, shaking his own. "I don't dress up that often, and when I do, its usually Mom who helps me with this. I guess I kind of forgot that I'd have to start doing it on my own from now on."
"You men are so hopeless! Vegeta is the exact same way," she said, rolling her eyes. "You can take down the world's greatest threats without batting an eye, but when it comes to something simple… like tying a tie… you have no idea what to do! Typical!"
"Hey, that's not necessarily fair," he countered, shooting her an accusing stare. "We don't exactly wear a suit and tie when we go out to fight."
"Hm? Well, I suppose that's true," she responded, taking a moment to look him over before continuing, "But, if you did, I say you'd kill your opponent on looks alone. Gotta admit, you're looking real sharp there! If I was twenty years younger…" She trailed off, giving him a playful wink as she did so.
"B-Bulma!" Gohan stammered, feeling his face burn a bright, beet red. She broke into a loud fit of laughter at his expression, waving her hand at the screen to show she had meant no real 'harm'.
"Oh, Gohan! Sweetie, you're just too cute when you get all flustered like that. Ahh, I could just pinch those cheeks of yours!" she cooed, making a baby face at him and mimicking a pinching attack with her fingers.
Releasing a soft sigh of relief, Gohan laughed with her and mused at how much of a 'mom' she had become over the years. 'Pinch my cheeks? Now that I think about it, that sounds exactly like something her mom would say! Ooh… yikes, better not let that one slip out!'
"Anyway," Bulma went on, straightening out. "I also called to let you know that Goten flew over on Nimbus to play with Trunks this afternoon. Your mother asked me to let you know, so you can come over after work and fly back home with him. She doesn't want him flying at night, and to be honest, I wouldn't feel right sending him off alone."
'Yeah… definitely a Mom thing,' he thought. "Alright, thanks! I hope those two don't cause too much trouble for you. You know how they get when they're together…"
"I wouldn't worry too much about it," she replied, smiling. "If they get too much to handle, I'll just let Vegeta take care of it. Kami knows that man could use a little more 'hands on' parenting anyway."
"Yeah, I guess," he nodded, finally figuring out the tie; it was a little skewed if you looked closely, but was good enough that he felt he could get away with it - at least, until he went home and could ask his mother how to properly put it on. "Anyway, I think I should get going now. I don't want to be late!"
"Oh, definitely! I'll let you go then. Tell me all about it when you get here later, alright?" When he happily agreed, she gave him a final smile in parting and blew him a kiss. "Bye, sweetie! Love ya!"
"Heh, bye!" Ending the call, Gohan set the ringer to vibrate before returning it to his pocket and adding the finishing touches to his attire. After brushing his teeth with a spare brush he'd brought along, and running a quick comb through his hair - though it did little to tame his wild spikes - he carefully packed away his things and exited the bathroom.
Finding the nearest building map and directory, he searched the long list of departments until he found what he was looking for, setting a course for the Research Lab once he knew its direction. Nodding and smiling politely to those he passed, he rushed to catch an elevator that was just closing, squeezing through the gap just in time. Pressing the appropriate floor, he slung his bag over his shoulder and wondered what sort of tasks his new job would bring.
"Three dark roast coffees - two plain and one sweetened with vanilla, one caramel macchiato with soy - hold the whip - and another one regular… one white chocolate mocha with a double shot of espresso and… a green tea please," said Gohan, double checking the list he had been given before pulling out his wallet to pay.
"Anything else that I can get you?" asked the cashier, as she wrote his orders onto several styrofoam cups. "Sandwich? Breads? Cookies?"
"Hm… yeah, actually, I'll take a box of pastries too while I'm here," he added, picking up a pre-packaged box of croissants and danishes from the display counter. He had been staring at them the entire wait in line, and the temptation for a snack had just been too strong for him to ignore.
"Okay, so your total adds up to $24.83. Would you like to add an extra dollar in donation to the Hercule Foundation for the city children's hospital today?"
"Uh, okay… sure, why not? Company card anyway," he joked, handing over the small slip of blue plastic.
She laughed politely and swiped the card before handing it back to him, tapping a finger to the electronic signature pad. "Just sign here please," she asked, before turning to the other workers down the counter and calling out, "Order up!"
"I've got it!" a familiar voice replied, as one of the baristas hurried over to take it. "Oh my gosh… Gohan? Wow! I didn't expect to see you here!"
The Saiyan did a double take as he met the unexpected face of Erasa, clothes covered beneath a black apron with her hair tucked neatly beneath a matching visor. "Erasa?" he asked, unable to hide his disbelief as he made his way down to the pick-up counter. "You work here?"
"Yeah, well… its only part-time and a girl's gotta make spending money somehow," she replied slyly, carrying his cups down the line and setting up the espresso machine. "I used to work during the week but, with school back in session, I had to move my hours to the weekend. How about you? What're you doing here, on a Saturday night no less, and all dressed up like that? Waiting on a hot date, I presume?"
Gohan glanced down at the dark slacks and blue button up shirt he wore, tugging uncomfortably at his tie as he answered, "Me? O-on a date? No, these are just my work clothes!"
"I'm only kidding, silly! No need to get all worked up about it!" she laughed, pouring hot water for his ordered tea. "The local CC building is just down the block, isn't it? How's that going for you?"
He rubbed a hand against the back of his neck shyly, cheeks still red from her earlier comments. "Uh… its going," he mumbled, chuckling softly. Few words could describe the experience, and while he knew his duties as an intern - a high school level one at that - meant he would be stuck with the more menial tasks, he'd been rather disappointed with the lack of any real research or experimentation.
Erasa, noting the slight grimace that followed, asked, "That bad?"
"Huh? Oh, no! Not bad per se," he shook his head, "Just… not what I expected? I mean, I know I'm still in high school, so that sort of makes me a liability in terms of errors and mishaps in the lab, but I'd sort of hoped for a much more hands on experience than I'm getting now. I mostly read reports and file paperwork, pass out mail, make powerpoints for presentations, go on coffee runs… and the only time I get to touch any equipment is when I'm cleaning them."
'But then again, I did ask not to be given any special treatment for being Bulma's godson,' he thought, having wanted to earn any future positions by his own merit and work his way up from the bottom just as everyone else. Still, he hadn't realized it would be this… boring.
"I see… so then, you're like really into this kind of thing, huh?" she asked, shaking a canister of whipped cream and swirling it atop the mocha. "Like, you're pretty dead set on going into research and development and… all that… uh, other stuff? Heh, sorry. I don't really know much about what goes into science and technology… I just use it!"
"Ah, no worries! And yeah, I guess," he shrugged, pulling out a few cardboard sleeves for the cups as they began coming out. "I mean, I don't know if that's what I'd like to do forever, but I enjoy this field a lot and wouldn't mind getting a head start in it."
"Must be nice," Erasa smiled, loading his drinks into a couple of carrying trays. "I've barely started thinking about what college I'd like to attend, let alone what I'll end up choosing for a career. To be honest, it sometimes feels like its all coming on a bit too fast."
"I get what you mean, but I wouldn't worry too much about it," said Gohan, smiling with reassurance as he piled the first tray of drinks on top of his pastry box for easier carrying. "Everyone goes at their own pace, right? Some people seem to be born knowing what they'll do, and for other, its a bit of trial and error. But you'll get there eventually. Its all part of the adventure, my Dad used to say!"
"Yeah, that's a nice way of thinking about it," she nodded, returning his smile with one of her own. "Thanks for that! Anyway, I think I've chatted your ear off enough, and your boss must be wondering what's taking so long. I should let you get back to the office."
"It was fun. I enjoyed it a lot," he replied, sincerely. Despite only a month having passed since the start of school, Gohan found Erasa to be the easiest of his three new friends to speak with. They were all friendly and nice in their own rights, but Sharpener was a bit cocky and liked to show off a lot, and while Videl was fun to hang around, he got the feeling she didn't completely trust him yet; Erasa, however, spoke to him as if they had been close friends forever. And, after having no friends his age until now, it was something he really liked about her.
"Me too!" she beamed happily, thanking him as he placed a few dollars into the tip jar and waved as he turned to leave. "Bye, Gohan! I'll see you on Monday!"
"Bye, Erasa!" he called back, balancing the box and first tray of drinks in one hand and carrying the second in his other. Shouldering through the doorway, he smiled one last time at the blonde before making his way onto the sidewalk and down the street. Being in the business district and a weekend, this part of the city was rather quiet in comparison to its other sections, and only a few cars passed him by as he walked the short distance back to Capsule Corp.
Approaching the cross street, he looked both ways before walking, ears suddenly perking up as the sound of a struggle caught his attention. 'Huh? Is... someone in trouble?' he asked himself. Seconds later, a woman's scream pierced the air, sending chills of fear shivering down Gohan's spine. Not a moment later, a dark figure emerged from the alley a few buildings down, the bright glint of something metallic catching his careful eye.
'Is that a-...' His eyes widened in recognition. 'It is!'
"Oh, no you DON'T!" the Saiyan growled, dropping his food and coffee as his body seemingly vanished from view. Appearing at the assailant's side, he caught his wrist in a vice-like grip and twisted, simultaneously disarming the gun and breaking his hand. This time, it was the man who screamed, letting out a harsh, guttural cry of pain as he instinctively cradled it against his chest. Mercifully, he didn't have to endure it long, as Gohan slammed him into the wall with a single blow, knocking him unconscious in a matter of moments.
Anger burnt in his soul, but Gohan had far more important things to deal with at the moment - such as finding the woman he had heard screaming. It didn't take long to spot her, her dark silhouette huddled pitifully on the alley floor, even as difficult as it was to see. Scrambling towards her, he dropped to his knees and checked her ki, relieved to find it still there.
"Miss?" he asked gently, not wanting to scare her any further after such an ordeal. "Miss, its okay. I won't hurt you, I promise. My name is Gohan, and I'm here to help…" She flinched harshly as he reached for her, shifting slightly to add distance between the two. "Don't worry, you're safe. I only want to help, but only if you'll let me."
She remained quiet, shivering silently as she refused to look at him. Realizing that he wasn't getting anywhere, Gohan searched his pockets for his phone. When he came up empty handed, he cursed softly beneath his breath, remembering that he had left it on his desk to charge before leaving. Attempting to convey as much sincerity into his voice as he could, Gohan once more attempted to get the woman to speak with him.
"I'm sorry, but do you have a phone?" he asked, slowly indicating to the purse clutched tightly against her chest. "I left mine at work, and we should really call the cops."
It took a few moments, but she finally replied in a raspy tone, "I-It was broken…"
"We need to get you some place safe then," he stated, standing up. "There's a coffee shop a little ways down that's still open, and I have a friend that works there. I'm sure she'll let us use the phone, especially in an emergency like this."
The woman hesitantly reached for his hand before recoiling, shaking her head as she held her purse more tightly against herself. It was only then that Gohan noticed the state of her attire; her knee length skirt slit messily up the side, and her blouse ripped in such a way that it barely held together. The anger he felt earlier returned tenfold, and it took a great deal of self restraint not to turn Super Saiyan in his rage and pummel the scumbag for all he was worth.
Instead, he channeled that emotion into action, swiftly untucking his shirt and slipping out of it to drape around her shoulders. Stuttering a weak thank you, she accepted the clothes and he averted his gaze to allow her a moment of privacy as she readjusted the shirt and buttoned it up, before once more offering her his hand. This time she took it, though she gasped loudly as he pulled her up and fell against him, unable to bear weight as she realized her leg had been broken.
'That bastard!' he thought, his heart stabbing with guilt as she slumped weightlessly against him and sobbed with misery. 'What kind of sick person would do such a thing!' Leaning down, he gently scooped her into his arms and carried her out of the alley, knocking the gun away from the still unconscious man and giving him a good, hard kick to the the gut for extra measure. "I'll be back for you," he whispered dangerously, hurrying back to the coffee shop to get the woman help.
"Someone call 911!" he ordered loudly, startling the customers and baristas with his unexpected reappearance; even more so with the state in which he had returned. "We need police presence and medical personnel here immediately."
"Oh, gosh! Gohan!" Erase cried worryingly, rushing out from behind the counter. "Gohan, what happened? Who is this? Is she okay? Here, lay her down on the sofa," she said, guiding him to the lounge and clearing away the mess.
"Is someone calling emergency response?" he instead replied, laying her gently onto the cushion and prying off her shoe, attempting to get a better look at her injuries. With the added light, he was finally getting his first good look at her, and what he saw only made him furious. Her dark, auburn hair was dirty and matted with blood and sweat, and her left eye was swollen shut by a dark bruise that covered nearly half her face. Angry marks were left upon her neck, indicating the man had choked her at one point, and as he looked further down, he noted that her injured leg was slightly shorter than the other and twisted in an unnatural position.
'Her femur bone,' he deduced, ordering Erasa to grab clean towels and a bucket of warm water. 'She'll need a traction splint to set it right, and surgery to repair the damage. This will take months to recover from, and the pain must be excruciating...' When nobody appeared to be looking, he laid a hand on her knee and transferred a small dose of his energy into her; it wouldn't heal anything, but it'd alleviate some of the pain, and give her enough strength to keep her from passing out - something he knew to be avoided in traumatic medical emergencies.
"They're on their way!" someone shouted, easing some of the Saiyan's worry.
"Good," he growled, standing up now that he knew she would be taken care of. "Tell them to bring two ambulances."
"Wait, what!?" Erasa shrieked, as she returned with the items he had called for. "Gohan, what are you talking about? Gohan, no-... where are you going!" The blonde's heart caught in her throat as he simply ignored her, brushing past and leaving the coffee shop. 'I have to stop him before he gets himself in trouble… or worse, hurt!' Handing off the bucket and towels to her co-worker, Erasa rushed after her friend, chasing frantically after him as he stalked furiously down the street towards a dark figure lying on the ground.
"Go back inside, Erasa," he demanded gruffly, feeling the anger boil like liquid fire through his veins. It had been a long, long time since he'd let his emotions control him, but the look of complete and utter terror in that woman's eyes had ignited within him a fury, of the likes which he had not felt since his early childhood. "You don't need to see this…"
She was taken aback by overwhelming amount of contempt he held in his voice, momentarily pausing in her tracks as she felt a bolt of fear shoot through her. Never once had she imagined sweet, silly, innocent Gohan being capable of such malicious intent and she wondered if it had all just been an act. But just as quickly as that thought occurred, it disappeared, for as little she may have really known about the guy, she knew in her heart that he couldn't be anything else but good.
'Good... but angry. Very angry,' she reasoned, racing once more to catch up to him. 'And with good reason too, considering the way he found that lady… but fighting in self defense and attacking a man out of vengeance are two different things!'
"Gohan, I know you're mad, but don't do this," she pleaded, reaching out to grab him by the arm. "Please, he's not worth it! You're better than this! Don't sink down to his level…"
That seemed to finally do the trick, as Gohan halted in his tracks and sighed. The anger was still there - very much so, in fact - and the urge to give the man a taste of his own medicine lingered heavily in his mind… but she was right. 'What would Dad think of me? He'd be so ashamed!' Goku had always preached the use of their powers for protection - not harm - and especially not against those who were unable to defend themselves.
"You're right… I'm sorry," he conceded, staring down at the fallen man, who he had been so close to harming. It was wrong, he knew, but the injustice of it all was often infuriating. This wasn't the first crime he'd witnessed, and considering how often Videl was called out from class, it was easy to figure out just how corrupt the city was. 'We didn't give our lives to save the world from evil, just so it could continue on like this… something has to be done. The police aren't enough… Videl isn't enough...'
His thoughts drifted, remembering her words that morning after the incident at the doughnut shop, where he had called her actions noble.
"Noble?" she repeated, her brows raised and lips curled slightly upwards. "That's such a… fancy way of putting it. I'm not some knight of the round table. I just think of it as the right thing to do. I mean, if I have the power to change things… why shouldn't I?"
'The right thing to do,' he repeated, as he stepped forward and instead crushed the man's gun beneath his foot, 'No… they aren't enough...'
'But I could be.'
A/N:A bit of a time skip between the first scene and the second, as life continues on normally for Gohan. But now he realizes he can't sit idly by and let Videl and the police handle it all, as crime is very apparent despite their best efforts.
Now, I feel as if I should make some clarification on my last A/N, in regards to the pairing. The decision is NOT up to a vote, and while I appreciate all your input on the matter, it will not sway me to either side. Someone even suggested removing the character tags, to avoid people searching for it and expecting something else, but they all play a major role in the story regardless of who ends up with who. I will repeat, and continue to do so as warning, this is a Gohan centered fic about him coming into a more defined role (as opposed to the sideshow they made him) with secondary attention to his romance. I am giving you full warning in advance, last chapter, this chapter, and so on - if you are ONLY here for Gh/Vi or anything else, I suggest you stop reading before it leads to potential disappointment. I will not be offended in the least bit.
If you're still willing to give this story a chance, and are capable of keeping an open mind, I again thank you for reading and your support. Reviews and comments are appreciated, but flames will be ignored.
- Son