Videl strode out of an alley, slightly satisfied, slightly disgusted with herself; very conflicting emotions to have at one time. Her satisfied half came from feeding from her latest prey; her disgusted half came from the guy she actually fed on. The guy had been on some sort of drug and it had left a very bitter aftertaste in her mouth. Now her stomach was doing away with whatever poisons were in that blood, purifying it, but in the process it was giving her some indigestion. It was a burning, disgusting feeling, and she really wished she had waited to find someone better. That would have included just about anyone at this point.

But then, this was perhaps her fault in some form or fashion. She had come to the seedier side of town—for what ever reason, she honestly had no clue—and this place had more of the undesirable mortals to feast on. That meant there was an overabundance of unwanted people—which in turn meant there were a lot of people that could go missing without anyone being concerned, but was not the chosen hunting grounds for any vampire. Those people were usually infested with various impurities, such as alcohol, drugs, and disease. This had led to many studies being conducted as to whether vampires could absorb any of these undesirable quantities. It was these studies that led to the knowledge of their digestive systems.

That still didn't change the fact that the blood tasted like crap.

Settling into a stroll, Videl lazily observed her surroundings, seeing all sorts of people walking, lying, and standing about the streets. The streets themselves looked as if they could use a good cleaning. Well, every place except for the steaming manhole she passed by, a low hissing reaching her ears as she passed by.

The buildings along the street didn't look much better either. They were just as dirty as the pavement with that added bonus of graffiti. A few of them had rotten wood barricading their entrances and windows, trying to keep out trespassers, not that it did any good. There were plenty of missing or broken wood planks where there shouldn't have been if the owners were truly intent on keeping people out. All in all, someone could have set this place on fire and no one would have given it a second thought. Well, everyone except for who owned that clean looking building down a block.

Videl paused, her body coming to a stop as she eyed the unusually clean building. In fact, there was a large sign above the doorway that proclaimed it a store of the dark arts. Her first thought was that the place had a very enthusiastic businessperson that thought they could make a quick buck with a store that held bizarre trinkets. That was all that these "dark art stores" or places that had stuff used for witchcraft were. Only the gullible went in search of such places.

However, Videl couldn't help but notice how out of every place along this street, not a single person stood by its entrance, or laid passed out on the sidewalk in front of it. In fact, it seemed as if people were trying to avoid the place. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, Videl began walking towards the store, reaching it and pulling open the door before stepping in.

What she found was a place jam-packed with shelves. If there was a place for a shelf to be, there was one to be found there. And on these shelves were neatly organized…things. Jars, baskets, and caldrons held various objects in them. Some were mundane things like supposed wands for spell casting to what looked like a floating bird claw. No wait, the little sign in front of it said it belonged to a griffon. Ooooh, and there was a little jar full of newt eyes next to that. Videl was half-tempted to pick one up and throw it against a wall just to see what would happen, yet the more she stared at them, the more she felt that they looked a little too real. Hmm, she couldn't say she was really feeling like cleaning up eye fluids tonight if they were in fact real.

"Is there something I can help you with?" a voice called to her then. Looking up, Videl saw a middle-aged woman standing behind a wooden counter, looking at her with kindly eyes. She had a motherly air about her, as if she were destined to have a litter of children running around and biting at her ankles. She even looked like one with the way her hair was pulled into a bun and her face set in a gentle expression.

"I was just looking around," Videl answered, turning her head this way and that to further prove herself.

"Well, if you have any questions, feel free to ask them," the woman said, turning to head somewhere else in the store, her dark robe rustling around her. To Videl's eye, it looked comfortable and soft and made her want one for herself. Like any other woman, she had a soft spot for soft things against her skin.

Glancing back at the too real-looking newt eyes, she began to follow the shopkeeper woman around. "You know, stores like this always make me wonder whether the dark arts are real," she spoke up, keeping her eyes amongst the strange merchandise. Feeling the woman's eyes on her, Videl suddenly felt the urge to explain herself. "I mean, I find these sorts of stores all over and I always felt like it was just a bunch of people fooling themselves."

"You mean all those idiots spouting off about spirits and mystical forces?" the woman clarified. "I guess I can't blame you for thinking that way. Most of them think they know what they're talking about when all they really are doing is repeating what their friends told them."

"And those are the people who usually come in here and buy this stuff, right?" Videl prodded.

"I would be careful who I would call an idiot, dear," she replied. "After all, you're in here."

"Well, I don't have any intention on buying…" Videl paused here to read the label on the nearest basket. "Dragon balls." She blinked at that. "How the heck did you get the testicles of a dragon? Wouldn't that have pissed the dragon off?"

The woman sighed in annoyance. "Well, if you're not going to buy anything, could you please leave? I have bills to pay and I simply cannot spend my time talking to someone who has no intent on buying something."

Turning her sights to the shopkeeper, Videl eyed her robe again. "Well, if you're selling any of those robes, I'd buy one. It looks really comfy."

The woman spread her arms out, the sleeves hanging lowly off her appendages as she looked herself up and down. "Yes, I suppose it's comfortable," she acknowledged, dropping her arms down. "But only people of my order can wear these robes."

Videl shrugged. "Oh well, it was worth a try." Giving the store another look around, she then wondered out loud "Does any of this stuff even work?"

"Nope, not a bit of it," the woman answered.

Videl immediately fell to the ground. Honesty was rare enough to find these days, but for someone to admit that their merchandise was utterly useless was unheard of; the admission caught her off guard. "Dear, are you okay?" the woman asked, looking at her bewildered.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said as she got back to her feet. "I'm just not used to someone telling me that they're selling crap."

"Well, like you said, only idiots come here to buy anything."

Alright, she had her there. Giving her a smile, Videl had to admit she was starting to like this woman. "So can you do anything concerning the dark arts?"

"If I wish too," the woman replied flippantly.

"So you can put curses on people or whip up something that could cure a disease?"

"Depends if that person is a paying customer."

Folding her arms behind her head and looking towards the ceiling, Videl then ventured "I have a…an acquaintance that recently hurt himself. Would it be possible for you to heal him?"

"How did your acquaintance hurt himself?"

Videl paused for a moment. She couldn't necessarily tell this total stranger that the person in question had been assaulted and thrown down an elevator shaft. That would only raise some unwanted questions. So she settled for an old standby. "He fell down some stairs."

The woman looked at her warily. "He fell down some stairs," she repeated dryly.

"Well, more like thrown down them if you have to know."

"And were you the one to throw him down them?"

"No, but I did patch him up."

"Patch him up. Did he break something?"

"Not sure. He doesn't have any insurance so he can't afford to go see a doctor. All we know is that his hand hurts real bad."

The woman sighed again. "I suppose I can't just leave a soul to suffer. Follow me." At that, the woman walked towards the back of the store, Videl following her. Reaching a door on the back wall, the woman opened the door and walked through it, climbing some stairs a moment later. Closing the door behind them, Videl continued to follow the woman until they reached the second floor. There Videl found herself in a little apartment, one that had a table and chairs on one side of the main room and a bed and dresser on the other. There was a door on one side of the apartment, a small sign on it indicating it as a bathroom. On the other side of the room was a doorway with a large opening in the wall next to it. Videl could see a kitchen on the other side of the door way and through the opening in the wall. It was there the woman had retreated to.

Walking to the kitchen, Videl was soon assaulted by various aromas that nearly sent her into ecstasy. Stopping at the doorway, she closed her eyes and sniffed the air, fighting back a moan a second later. These smells…they were amazing! What was this woman making up here that smelled so good?

Opening her eyes, she caught sight of the woman as she was putting various foods into containers and stuffing them into a large shopping bag. From what she could see, there was fish, rice, some mixture of green vegetables and carrots, noodles and broth, and other various foods. As the woman finished packing the shopping back, she turned and hauled it to Videl. "Feed this to your friend for dinner. By morning he'll be as good as new."

Videl stared at the woman and bag. "But…I thought you said all that stuff in the store was useless."

"Yes, all the stuff downstairs is useless. But I do all my magic up here. Now, do you want this bag or not? I don't have all night."

"Are…are you saying you're a real witch?"

The woman gave her annoyed look. "Don't look so surprised. You seem like a smart girl and all, but I didn't think you would be so slow on realizing this. Now are you going to just stand there and look dumb or are you going to take this bag?"

"Oh! Sorry!" she exclaimed, immediately reaching out for the bag. "Umm, how much do I owe you for all of this?"

"Carry this to the counter," the woman answered, releasing her hold on the bag and making Videl nearly drop it in response. This thing was heavier than she thought it was. "We'll settle up there."

It wasn't long after that that the two women were downstairs. Videl was really glad she had been a vampire at the moment, mostly so she could carry the bag easier. She didn't have to call upon all of her strength mind you, but had she been her pre-vampire self, she would have had to drag the thing all the way back to her apartment.

Once the two were downstairs, it didn't take long for the witch to calculate the bill. Videl had paid it and was ready to head back home when she had a question pop into her head. "I hope I'm not being rude or anything, but would you mind telling me your name?" she asked. Despite the fact that she herself was a supernatural creature, she had never had a run-in with a real witch. She had always been curious as to their existence and in all the time she had been alive, she had never met one.

Fortunately, the woman didn't seem to be offended by the question. "My name is Chichi. And you are?"

"Videl. It's nice to meet you Chichi."

The two women stared at each other after that, neither sure what to say. It was safe to say they were trapped in an increasingly uncomfortable silence. Finally, when it had become too unbearable for her, Videl began to back away and said "I better get going then."

"I hope your friend gets better," Chichi called to her.

Giving her a teasing look, Videl replied "If this food of yours does what you say it will, you don't need to hope." Not waiting for a response, the girl exited the shop and made her way down the street, her shopping back swinging with her every step. Her car wasn't too far away and with all of her other "errand" completed, it was time to go home. Though she would have to wait until tomorrow evening, she really wanted to see if this miracle food she had bought lived up to its hype.

And if it didn't, she would be paying another visit to this store and Chichi wouldn't like the way it would end.

Yeah, I couldn't help but put in a Dragonball joke. It was just too good of a place to put it and I needed something unexpected to be put there.