Puppy Love

Ch. 11 - Final **See Author's note at bottom of page.

Disclaimer: Do not own.

"We just gonna wait here 'til he comes? C'mon, Greg, that's boring!"

Videl's ears perked up to the deep voice. As she forcefully pried her eyes open, managing to look past the white, hazy blur enveloping her sight, she suddenly felt like she wanted to pass out.

'What… what's going on…?' she asked herself, attempting to refocus her vision. She suddenly felt a sharp pain shoot through her temple. Bringing her hand up, she rubbed the side of her head to ease the ache.

"Oh, look, she's awake," another voice piped up, "Bobba, go grab the boss, will ya?"

'Greg… Bobba… these names sound so familiar… where am I?' Finally able to focus her eyesight, Videl looked up to see what was going on.

She was at home, still. Yet, she was not in her bedroom. Book cases surrounded her, and she realized she was in the library. As she scanned her eyes down the shelves of books, past the tall ladders and large desks, her eyes then widened to an ugly sight.

Her tiny lips fell agape as she let out a startled gasp. A handful of the employees who worked in her house were all huddled to one side of the room. Tied up and unconscious, their faces beaten, bloodied, and bruised.

Videl violently swung her head around and settled her eyes on two familiar-looking men. There was no doubt about it – they were the same punks who had attempted to capture her a week ago.

The bald man grinned, "Nap time's over, doll face."

She remembered now. That bald man was Bobba, and she could only assume the other was Greg. From what she could recall, Greg wore a hat during their last encounter, but it seemed he decided to let his blonde hair show freely this time.

Before Videl could retort back in any way, Bobba reached behind her and picked her up off the floor by her shirt. Her face leveled with his, she watched his sinister grin widen. The sight of him made her want to puke.

Despite the fear that was engulfing her entire being, the pigtailed girl mustered up enough anger and courage to spit in his face.

"Augh!" the man cried out as he took a step backwards, releasing his hold from Videl's shirt. The girl winced in pain as she fell down to the wooden floor. "You bitch!" Bobba cried out in anger as he took a step towards her, wiping the saliva off with his sleeve.

Videl's confidence quickly shrank. 'Oh, god. Why did I do that? He's gonna kill me!'

"Chill out," Greg commanded, causing Bobba to stop in his tracks. "Do what Ulysses told us: tie 'er up. She's Mr. Satan's daughter – who knows what kinda' martial arts tricks she might be hidin' from us."

"I dunno. She didn't do nothin' when we tried to get her that other time. It was that punk she was with, remember?"

"Oh, shut your trap! We agreed not to talk about that, didn't we?" Greg fumed, "Damn kid. Can't believe he managed to knock us both out. It was sheer luck, I tell ya."

Shrugging his shoulders, Bobba complied. As he crept towards the pigtailed girl, Videl scooted herself backwards up off the floor and quickly planted her feet in a fighting stance.

Her arms and legs trembling with sweat forming on her brow, she grit her teeth and clenched her fists. 'I can't let them touch me, I have to fight back!'

Bobba scoffed, "Haw! Lookit' her! She wants 'ta fight!"

"Careful. Remember what I said," Greg warned him.

On cue, Videl rushed at the bald man. She swooped down with her left foot forward, hoping to trip the man. However, her attempt was futile. Bobba quickly swept her leg up with his hand and picked her up by the ankle, dangling her upside down.

He laughed as he watched the pigtailed girl squirm in his grip, "Careful? 'Bout what?"

"Whatever. Tie her up!"

Bobba reached behind him and grabbed the rope dangling from his belt loop. Taking advantage of this opening, Videl quickly swung herself forward, jabbing her fist into his side.

The bald man cried out in pain, "My goddamnmotherfucking kidney! Gahh!" Fueled by anger, he swung his arm with full force, slapping Videl across the face.

o (o) (O) (o) o

Gohan swallowed hard as he watched the news. The footage showed an aerial view of the Satan mansion. It was evening time, so the surrounding spotlights and sirens were dancing vividly in contrast to the pitch of darkness.

'I gotta do something,' he thought.

It almost baffled the half-Saiyan that he was just at that mansion but a few hours ago. Now it was being terrorized by some local gang, and Videl was in danger.

Gohan ran back to his room and grabbed the flask of his transformation potion. Just as he was about to put the rim to his lips and drink it, he halted himself.

He knew this was no time to be contemplating such things, but he couldn't help but wonder if it would be a bad idea to show up as Nos. He really didn't like how Videl was still interested in seeing him. If he showed up as his disguised self, he'd only be digging that hole deeper.

…But if he showed up as his normal self, he might seem just a little abnormal to be taking down an entire gang by himself.

"Damnit, I can't be thinking about these things now!" he exclaimed to himself in frustration. Taking one last glance at the pink fluid, Gohan furrowed his brow as he took a gulp of the concoction.

o (o) (O) (o) o

Back at the Satan dojo, the World Champion had separated himself from his students by trudging over to the bathroom. As he sat there on the toilet (with the seat cover down, of course), Mr. Satan narrowed his eyes as his brow furrowed. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he stared into nothingness.

'Those men probably have guns and stuff! I only got my fists – that's just not fair! What do I do? God damnit… Videl… my angel… please be safe…'

o (o) (O) (o) o

Mr. Satan's thoughts were somewhat correct; Videl was unharmed – for the most part. Yes, the pigtailed girl did receive a couple blows, but none were endangering enough that she couldn't stand up on her own feet.

And she probably would, if she weren't tied up on the floor of her home's library.

Feeling the burning pain on her cheek from the slap Bobba delivered, Videl winced as she tried to mover her arms. It was no use. Her wrists were bound together so tightly that even the slightest movement created the aching friction rubbing up against her delicate skin. Moreover, her ankles were also bound just as tightly.

There was no way to escape.

Videl suddenly heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Frozen in place, she waited in anticipation to see who was coming. She did not breathe, she did not blink. She could feel her thighs trembling against each other in fear and anxiety.

As the door cracked open, Videl craned her neck to see who was coming in, mentally preparing herself for the worst. She watched a booted foot come forth, then the rest of its body.

'This must be that man those guys called Ulysses,' she assessed.

She trailed her eyes up from his shiny black boots to his finely creased pants, to his huge golden buckle on his belt, all the way up past his red silk shirt. She finally laid her eyes on the man's face. His eyes were sheathed with sunglasses, but she could at least see the smirk forming across his lips. The man was tall; he hovered over both Greg and Bobba by several inches.

Videl finally managed to blink as the man approached her. She craned her neck back to look up at the man's face as he towered over her. His deep voice rang through her ears, "Where is he?"

Furrowing her brow, she hesitantly asked, "W-who?"

In a flash, the man's smirk drooped into a scowling frown. Gritting his teeth, he thrust his leg forward and jammed his boot into her ribs, causing her to fall onto her side. As the poor girl screamed in agonizing pain, the man asked once more, his voice deepening in anger, "Where is he? You know damn well who I'm talking about."

He watched Videl squirm and wiggle on her side in an attempt to sit back up. Her hands and feet flailed around as much as the restraints allowed her to. The man couldn't help but chortle at the sight.

"How pathetic. And you call yourself the World Champion's daughter," he scoffed before he turned to face his two cronies, "Greg. How's the search?"

"A-ah, um, well, boss, I'm not sure. Them other guys says they'd take care of it and all, so I stayed here to keep an eye on 'da girl," he meekly explained himself.

Greg quickly shut his mouth after noticing Ulysses' frustration fume from every pore in his body.

'Search? What search?' Videl asked herself in bafflement.

Her thoughts were quickly interrupted when Greg suddenly collapsed to the ground. The pigtailed girl gasped as she inched herself away from his body, shuffling her bound feet as much as she could. Her eyes then widened at the sight of an oversized needle jammed in his neck. His veins were popping out, pulsating in an erratic motion. As sweat formed all over Greg, his eyes still pried open with a look of shock, Videl quickly turned her gaze up to Ulysses.

"You seem confused, doll," the boss calmly spoke, "Don't worry. He's not dead." He then crouched over Greg's unmoving body and plucked the needle from his neck. "He's well alive, can't you see?" he gestured towards his crony's eyes which were still unsheathed. "He just took a little tranquilizer to the neck is all. Heh, he won't be moving for the next month or so. Won't be eating or drinking unless I stick a feeding tube in him. Serves him right for not listening, don't you think, little Ms. Satan?"

Videl couldn't help but cringe as she felt the cruel man's fingers cup her chin. Even if she did have the ability to fight back with all four limbs freed, she didn't think she'd be able to move anyway. Ulysses' entire demeanor was terrifying to her for some reason. The way he carried himself – the way he spoke, the way he walked, and especially the way he had masked his skill in fighting. No amateur could maneuver as quickly as he did. That dart shot out from nowhere, and not only that, but it was a direct hit to one of Greg's main arteries. On top of it all, this man claims that a single hit from one of his darts would render someone paralyzed for an entire month? How could anyone possibly fight back after getting hit with one of those?

"Now then," Ulysses cleared his throat, "While my men search this lovely home of yours, you could be of some help to me. A little birdy once told me your papa's got a safe hidden somewhere. Can you tell me where it is?"

Videl almost wanted to gag from listening to his phony "nice" attitude. She could practically feel his horrendous breath against her cheek from his face being so close to hers. Craning her neck back, furrowing her brow as she attempted to create some distance between her face and his, she warily replied in a tiny voice, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ulysses leaned back, straightening himself. He guffawed cynically, "Now, now. Let's not play this game, OK?"

Just as he raised his hand to strike the girl, a throaty and amplified voice echoed from a distance.

"This is Mr. Satan speaking!"

The man violently swung his head towards the direction of the voice. With his back against the wall, he crept over to a large, curtained window. He then carefully pulled the curtain back just enough so that he could peek to see if it really was who the voice claimed he was.

And indeed, the man in question was standing tall in front of the wall of police officers and bystanders who were so awestruck by his famed presence. Mr. Satan held a megaphone in his hand and spoke once more, "I repeat! This is Mr. Satan! You took my daughter hostage so that you could get me, right? Well, here I am, punks! Don't you lay a goddamn finger on my daughter, and I'll come inside. No police or nothin'. Trust me on my word – just don't hurt Videl!"

Snickering, Ulysses dropped the curtain back down and turned back to the World Champ's daughter. "Videl, huh? What a pretty name. I suppose I should trust your father, right?" he cockily smirked, "You'll have to come with me as insurance, though."

At that, the man swept Videl up off the floor, flinging her restrained body across his shoulder. Bobba quickly opened the door to the hallway for his boss and followed behind. As the two culprits made their way to the front door, Videl raised her chin to look up. She immediately caught eye with Bobba, who gave her a menacing grin in return. Averting her gaze, she tried to look behind her to see exactly where Ulysses was heading.

The boss then stopped in his tracks underneath the chandelier in the entryway to the front door. He pulled Videl off his shoulder and tossed her to the ground directly in front of him before he nodded at Bobba. The hulking bald man responded to Ulysses by stepping off to the side and cracking the door open, just enough to signal to Mr. Satan that he was welcome to come inside.

"Mr. Satan! Look, they opened the door. I suggest we utilize this opportunity to direct the S.W.A.T. team inside and end this whole fiasco once and for all," the chief of police suggested.

"No," the World Champion sternly refused. "They can tear my home apart; they can take all my money. But I can't afford to let my daughter get hurt."

Without another word, Mr. Satan then shoved the megaphone in the chief's hands before he stomped towards his front door.

As he stood on his doorsteps, he swallowed hard before his weakening voice called out to the men inside, "U-um, it's me, Mr. Satan! I'm coming in – it's just me, no one else."

Slowly, he pushed the door as he inched himself inside his own home. Immediately, Bobba shut the door behind him. Startled, Mr. Satan twirled his head around only to see the bald crony devilishly smirk back at him. The echoing sound of clicking metal then flooded the World Champ's senses, causing him to twirl back around.

His widening eyes were greeted by ten men bearing various sorts of firearms who stood along the rails of the second floor. As the several men aimed their loaded guns at Mr. Satan, Ulysses threw his head back in laughter.

"What a sight!" he boisterously guffawed, "Mr. Satan, the World Champion martial artist who saved Earth is standing before me completely defenseless; and surrounded to boot!"

"P-Papa…!" Videl's tiny, quivering voice reached out to her father.

Ulysses immediately tightened his grip on the pigtailed girl. His chuckling expression transformed into a deep scowl before he said to the champion, "It's no use in trying to pull a miracle off. I'll let your daughter go. But not until after you take me to your hidden safe."

"Th-that's what you want? You want my stash? Fine, take it, it's all yours. Just keep your word that you'll let my daughter free."

Ulysses then whipped one of his tranquilizing needles out and bent down on one of his knees. With one quick motion, he sliced through the rope that bound Videl's ankles together. He smirked at her father, "Already half way there, my friend."

The ten men who stood on the second floor with their firearms shifted down the grand staircase. A few of them approached Mr. Satan with their guns aimed at him, pushing him forward so that he would lead their boss to their desired treasure. A handful of the cronies stayed behind, guarding the front entrance way. The remaining two armed men followed behind Ulysses, who kept Videl close in front of him as he followed the World Champion to the safe.

As Mr. Satan walked down the corridor, he continuously glanced behind him to check if Videl was safe (relatively speaking) and nearby. He was immediately greeted with the nozzle of a pistol. Taken aback in startled shock, the World Champion stopped in his tracks.

"Keep moving," the henchman demanded as he prodded Mr. Satan's back with the gun.

"Your daughter will stay unharmed, don't worry," Ulysses assured him with a grin. "Just keep walking."

"O-OK," he meekly replied as he turned the corner, "I'm counting on you to keep your promise. After I take you to the safe I don't want to see you or any of your men again. It's just down this hall to the righ–" Mr. Satan stopped mid-sentence as he looked behind him.

Not a single person was following him.

Completely baffled, the World Champ twirled his whole body around and looked left and right around the empty hallway. "Wh- …Where'd everybody go?" he asked aloud. He backtracked and turned back around the corner. He suddenly emitted a throaty gasp as he laid his eyes on the sight in front of him.

The corridor he had just walked down was littered with unconscious bodies – all those men who had surrounded him earlier were flat on the ground, unmoving. Mr. Satan trailed his eyes to the firearms that were scattered across the carpeted floor then desperately searched all around.

Videl and Ulysses were nowhere to be found.

"A-A-Angel? Where are you?" he nervously called out as he took baby steps back down the hall.

o (o) (O) (o) o

Videl wasn't sure what exactly had just happened. She was being led by her father with all those bad men, and was suddenly hit by a strong gust of wind. Before she knew it, she was back to standing in front of the grand staircase with the exception that no one was guarding her. The pigtailed girl turned her head side to side trying to get a sense of what was going on, where everyone was, why she had suddenly backtracked in the blink of an eye.

She was suddenly startled by a large blur tumbling past her line of sight, crashing into the wall. Immediately directing her attention towards it, she focused her eyes and realized it was Ulysses. His scrunched up face revealed the pain that was shooting up his spine as he lied there in that pretzeled position, his legs in the air, his head against the ground. His cronies who had remained in this entryway to keep an eye on the door glued their eyes to their beat down boss in utter bafflement.

Videl then anxiously scanned the area to find out who had just delivered that blow to that malevolent man. "Papa…?" she desperately called out. Feeling a hand grip her tied wrists, the girl gasped aloud in fear, swinging her head around.

Her cerulean eyes widened as her mouth stayed agape in shock.

"…Nos…!"

With one swift movement, the red-haired man tore the rope restraints, freeing Videl's bound wrists. Unable to find her words, Videl stared at Nos in befuddling astonishment. The corner of his lips tugged into a small smile – a smile that could only be interpreted as reassurance.

Before the pigtailed girl could ask him what he was doing here, Nos gently pushed her to the side, his eyes trained on the gang's leader who was beginning to stagger back onto his feet.

"I'll give you one chance to take your men and leave here peacefully," he warned.

Ulysses managed to let out a cynical laugh in between heaving coughs. "You got lucky, punk. Don't think you can pull the same shit twice on me," he rebutted as he cradled his gut with one hand and rubbed dirt off his chin with the other. "Where the hell did you come from, anyway?"

Ulysses' question remained unanswered. Nos just continued to stare the man down, his clenched fists down at his sides. "If you're still standing here by the time I count to three, you'll be sorry. I'm gonna pummel you, and you're gonna wish you never met me," he sneered.

"Ha! Cocky, aren't we? We'll have to see about that!"

"One…" Nos began.

"Don't bother counting. Let's test our skills, shall we?" A cocky smile stretched across Ulysses' lips as he stealthily reached into his back pocket.

"…Two…"

Before Nos could say 'three', the towering man rapidly swung his arm out in front of him, releasing a concealed object from his hand.

"Nos! No!" Videl cried out, knowing all too well what had just flung from Ulysses' grip.

It hadn't occurred to the boss that the man in the blue gi hadn't even flinched. He was much too occupied with the fact that a large needle was probed into his target's chest. Grinning victoriously, he burst into a cackle, "Ha ha ha ha! You are no competition for me! You'll be immobilized in a few seconds because of my tranquilizer. Soon you won't be able to lift a single finger. I think you meant that I will be the one pummeling you."

Nos peered down, observing the metal dart jammed in his chest. Frowning at it, he brought his hand up and wrapped his fingers around and yanked it out.

"Taking it out won't help you!" Ulysses continued to guffaw, "The paralysis is already injected inside your body. Any second now you'll flop to the floor like fish out of water!"

Shooting a menacing glance, Nos furrowed his brow and forcefully flicked the tranquilizer back towards the laughing man's direction. Ulysses felt a speedy gust of wind zip by his face and heard a loud thump behind him. He hesitantly turned around and caught sight of his own projectile weapon jammed three-quarters deep in the wall. Eyes bugged out beneath his sunglasses, he shakily turned back around to face the mysterious red-haired man.

"Y-y-you're s-still s-standing up!" the gang leader stuttered in bafflement. His mouth fell agape as he watched his opponent casually stretch his arms to the ceiling, cracking his knuckles and neck.

Videl stared at Nos in stunned shock. She couldn't believe he was still standing after a direct hit from Ulysses' tranquilizing dart. His crony, Greg, didn't last a single second after being hit by one earlier. He was paralyzed on contact, yet here Nos was, standing tall and completely unaffected by the tranquilizing effects.

Nos naïvely retorted, "Of course I am. You didn't really think that that would have knocked me out, did you?"

Sweating profusely as his nerves began to act up, Ulysses gritted his teeth, snarling at the fact that he no longer had the advantage of paralyzing his enemy. He then directed his stare at the five cronies who were guarding the door. He shot his pointed finger at Nos and commanded, "Get him!"

In an instant reaction, the five men swarmed their target. They held their loaded firearms firmly as they aimed them point blank at the red-haired man. Not even the slightest bit intimidated, Nos stood in place as he scanned his blue eyes down the enclosed circle of cronies surrounding him.

"N-no!" Videl desperately cried out, pleading, "Please! Don't kill him!"

The next thing she knew, she had sheathed her eyes with her hands as the sound of several gunshots rang through her sensitive ears.

"Nos!" she screamed in terror, unwilling to uncover her eyes in fear of witnessing the gruesome fall of a man she was so fond of.

"V-V-Videl!" a bumbling voice suddenly called out from behind her.

The pigtailed girl turned around and dropped her cupped hands from her face. Her eyes widened in relief as she watched her father tumble down the corridor. Mr. Satan ran up to his daughter as swept her up off the floor, squeezing her tightly in his hold.

"I'm so glad you're OK!" he bawled.

"Papa, don't worry about me," Videl managed to sputter as she gasped for air. She then pointed towards the handful of armed men, "B-but, Nos! H-h-he…"

Quizzically, the World Champion glanced over his daughter's shoulder and finally noticed the armed men huddled in a circle.

"Where'd he go?" one of the cronies questioned as he looked left and right.

"He disappeared!" another shouted.

Videl immediately turned back around after hearing their remarks. They were right – Nos disappeared somehow!

The chandelier lights then suddenly flickered before the room completely darkened.

"Wh-who turned off the lights?" Mr. Satan warily exclaimed.

A loud shriek suddenly pierced his ears, following a loud thump that reverberated across the room.

An eerie silence then filled the room, as everyone stood on their toes, anticipating any kind of sudden movement.

Before anyone could register it, the sound of a bone cracking resonated as another cry echoed across the room.

The sound of rattling metal and unsettling tiptoeing flooded every henchman's sense of hearing. It was their own feet shuffling as they shakily gripped their weapons. The pitch black room made it extremely hard to detect anything with their eyesight, and Nos's speed was much too quick for any normal person to read his movements.

"S-someone turn on the lights, damnit!" Ulysses cried out in anger.

More feet shuffled as his cronies frantically searched for the light switch. However, another gut-wrenching cry echoed throughout the room and yet another loud thump rang through their ears. The lights suddenly flickered back on, and the remaining two men stood back to back against each other, their foreheads dripping with a cold sweat.

"Over here," a voice called out.

The two looked left and right before they looked at each other. In a flash, the two collided into each other and fell flat onto the ground, knocked out cold. Nos hovered over the two unconscious men, as well as the three other limp bodies that littered the floor beneath him.

He then directed his eyes towards Ulysses, who stood there in utter shock. Witnessing the poor defense his men had displayed in those few short seconds made his stomach churn.

Nos could practically see the lump in Ulysses' throat as the man swallowed hard. He took a step towards the gang leader and continued to advance, his expression unwavering. Although it was quite different on Ulysses' end, where he was sweating bullets as his face contorted in fear.

"P-please! Don't hur–"

However, the boss's words were cut short when Nos thrust his elbow directly into the man's face. Ulysses' sunglasses shattered on contact as his body hurled backwards, tumbling three or four times before he slammed into an end table.

Assured that the gang leader was out cold, Nos let out a small sigh of relief before he turned around to face Videl and Mr. Satan, who were both frozen in place due to his stunning display. Feeling nervous, he quickly reached behind his neck and sheepishly rubbed it, giving them a hesitant smile.

Suddenly, the front doors burst open. Armed and suited men shuffled inside with protective helmets and bullet-proof shields. As the men ran inside, the chief of police also rushed in, glancing at the situation before him. Shrugging his shoulders with a sigh of relief, he walked up to Mr. Satan.

"I never should have doubted you, sir. Amazing as always, Mr. Satan," he praised, "We heard gunshots from outside, so I took the initiative to call in the S.W.A.T. team. But it seems you didn't need their help after all. You are the World Champion, after all!"

Baffled at the chief's praise, Mr. Satan took a moment to read into his words. He then stammered, "O-oh! W-well, this all wasn't necessarily, uh –"

"There are swarms of reporters and fans outside your home right now. It would be a great relief for the public to know that you and your daughter are safe, Mr. Satan," he continued.

"R-reporters? F-fans?" the World Champion looked down at his daughter before he turned his head to see what the red-haired man's reaction was. He was surprised to see that the man had suddenly vanished. He then crept over to the window and peered out, only to see exactly what the chief had descried – a mob of reporters with cameras and microphones were pushing and shoving to try and get inside to interview him. Fans were also bustling outside, cheering the World Champ on to save the day.

Gulping, Mr. Satan could only think that it was inevitable to have to greet the crowds. That mysterious man disappeared, so it wasn't like he was around to tell the public that he was the one that saved him and his daughter. Plus, if word let out that someone else other than himself had saved the day from these terrorizing criminals, what would his fans think?

Completely changing his demeanor, Mr. Satan straightened himself up before he confidently walked out the front door. Cheers grew louder as the man thrust his fist in the air, pumping it victoriously.

Mouth agape, Videl stared at her gloating father in disbelief. She knew he knew he wasn't the one who beat everyone up – so why was he acting like he did? And speaking of the person who beat everyone up, it seemed that Nos had suddenly vanished.

The pigtailed girl searched left and right for the man. She then turned her head towards the whisper that was calling for her attention.

"Psst!"

Following the voice, Videl squinted her eyes and saw Nos beckoning her with a nod as he peered at her from the corner of the hallway. She quickly snuck over and turned the corner so that no one could see the two.

"Nos! What are you doing, hiding?" she asked, and then pointed towards the front door, "My papa's taking all your credit! I know you were the one who defeated all of them!"

"Shh, it's OK, Videl. Please. I know you probably think this is wrong, but this is for the best," he claimed.

"For the best?"

"I don't want the media to find out about what I did today. I would rather they think that your dad saved the day. So, please? Don't tell?"

"B-but… but you saved me! You saved everyone in my home! How can you not take credit for doing something as heroic as this?"

"Sometimes there are things more important to some people than fame or recognition. I don't want any of it," Nos calmly explained.

Videl looked him in the eye for a quick moment before she dropped her head in slight defeat, "Alright, I understand."

"I need to go. Promise me, OK?" he asked once more as he turned his body to take off from the scene.

"W-wait! Please don't go. I promise I won't tell anyone about what you did. But don't go… please…" the pigtailed girl's voice trailed into a quivering whisper.

Nos turned back around to face her again and crouched down to meet eye to eye with the girl. He patted her head as he tried to assure her with a smile, "Don't worry. You're safe now. Your dad is here, and the entire Satan police force is here too – with the S.W.A.T. team to boot."

"No…" she meekly refused, her cheeks burning up, "I want you to stay."

Standing back up, Gohan stared at Videl for a moment, taking note of the strong desire surrounding her trembling voice. This is exactly what the half-Saiyan wanted to avoid. He let out a drawn out breath before he spoke up, "Videl, I have to leave. I'm sorry, but I need to. I'm leaving this city for good."

As that last sentence escaped his lips, the cerulean-eyed girl immediately looked up at the red-haired man. Confused and a bit stunned, she asked, "What do you mean, you're leaving for good?"

"It means just that. I can't stick around here anymore. I've been around longer than I anticipated, and it's time I move on to the next chapter in my life. I think it's about time you move on to the next one in yours, too, Videl."

Too baffled by his sudden decision, the girl furiously shook her head. "No. No, you can't go! Please, I-I…" her tiny voice trailed once more. After a slight pause, she warily continued, "I think… I think I like you, Nos."

Shocked by her confession, Gohan's disguised eyes widened in astonishment. Did she just say what he thought she just said? He watched as she casted her eyes down to the floor as her cheeks flushed crimson. The boy couldn't believe it. Videl held feelings for the man he was desperately trying to void from her memories. But then again, who was he to think such a thing? He came out to save her and Mr. Satan as Nos. It's not like he had a choice, though. Transforming into a Super Saiyan was completely out of the question, especially in front of the World Champion, "the man who defeated Cell", the man who in actuality witnessed him and his friends fight against that destructive monster in their Super Saiyan forms.

Nevertheless, Gohan couldn't fathom this predicament. The fact that Videl had just confessed to him, regardless of the fact that it was directed to Nos, and not himself, caused strange sensations to swirl around in his stomach. It made him feel queasy, but not in a sick way. In a way that left him just as flustered as Videl looked. What were these fluttery feelings that were arising within him?

It was then that Gohan decided enough was enough. He couldn't keep up with the charade anymore. He needed to dispose of his alias as soon as possible. He didn't want to lead Videl on with lies any longer.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he looked into her cerulean eyes. "You mean a lot to me, Videl. But I have to leave."

Feeling the rush of defeat hit her like a brick, she pouted as she longingly looked down at the floor.

It startled her, when she suddenly felt Nos's hands cup her face. Eyes widening as she glanced up, she watched Nos bend over as he inched his head closer to hers. She immediately shut her eyes tight, feeling her stomach tickle in a way that she had never felt before.

A small kiss gently landed on her forehead and she immediately flushed a rosy red.

Shocked, she froze up, stiff as a board.

Her lips managed to move as her voice barely spoke out, "N-Nos…"

In a sudden, popping flash, Videl was engulfed in a pink smoke.

It clouded her vision, causing her to lose sight of the red-haired man. Disoriented, she blinked forcefully a few times and watched the smoke dissipate.

As the smoke cleared, the pigtailed girl re-trained her eyes in front of her, only to let out a stunned gasp.

"G-Gohan…?"

Fin.

A/N: OK! I understand many of you are probably confused as to why this is the final chapter. After some brainstorming, I've decided to shift Puppy Love into more of a prologue setting. As you may have already anticipated, this fic is supposed to delve into the growth of Gohan and Videl's relationship as they literally grow up together. Which is still my plan! However, I'm proclaiming this to be the prologue of the actual growth. Therefore, even though Puppy Love has ended (with an unsettling ending, I know), expect the sequel which will continue this story!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the prologue overall, and I hope that you look out for the next installment!

Thanks for reading, and thank you for all of your reviews, comments, criticisms, and suggestions. They really mean a lot to me! :)