10

Her head jerked to the side as she took a harsh blow to the jaw; Videl blocked the next punch, spun around to dodge the kick coming from behind her, then evaded another punch coming from her left; she gasped as a heel impacted with her chest and took a few steps back, but she recovered quickly and caught the leg swinging at her from her right then slammed the guy hard into one of his accomplices.

Videl jumped and did a few backflips to put some distance between her and her opponents. She wiped the blood on her chin with the back of her wrist as she observed them. Although they had the advantage of numbers, they were breathing harder than she was. She'd managed to knock out two of them so far, not counting the two she had taken care of before the rest of them barged in and ganged up on her. She'd long torn the skirt of her gown to get it out of her way and be more comfortable as she faced the criminals.

She grinned, feeling the excitement of the battle pulsing in her veins. One-on-one, those guys would have been nothing against her, but put together, they actually posed a challenge.

It had been a while since anyone put up a good fight against her – Videl felt exhilarated. This was just what she needed to get her mind off a certain doctor.

They rushed her again. Videl grinned in anticipation. Just as they were reaching her, the young woman dove and slid between one of the guys' legs to get behind him, then she swept her leg widely and made three of them trip facefirst on the carpet. Still on the floor, Videl leaned back into her hands and swung her legs apart to kick two guys, hitting them fully on the torso; using the momentum to jump to her feet, Videl then ducked to dodge a punch, grabbed another forearm and then caught an ankle coming at her; she slammed the two men against each other and then jumped, letting out a yell as she delivered a massive roundhouse kick at both of them at once.

Another two down for the count. Six more to go.

Videl quickly crossed her arms above her head to block a kick slamming down on her, wincing at the force of the blow. Another kick came at her and impacted her side. Videl took a few steps to her left, holding her searing ribs with her right hand. But she didn't have the time to recover because more of them were getting back to their feet and kept rushing her with everything they got.

She was having the time of her life.

They were getting desperate. She'd already taken down about half of them and she was still going strong. The robbers were giving everything they got against the police detective, their strikes getting faster, hitting harder than before. Videl gritted her teeth as one of them managed to land an elbow into her gut. She responded by grabbing his head by the ears and slamming it down into her rising knee, the collision making a sickening crack as the guy's nose most definitely broke from the blow. The force of the hit was enough to knock him unconscious, and Videl propelled him at his partners who were rushing her with revenge.

Five more to go. It was time to end this.

Videl caught a forearm and turned around swiftly to land an elbow to another guy in the stomach, before pulling at the arm she was holding and launching her knee upward to hit his chin.

Unknown to her, Gohan had been hiding in a corner and following the fight. He had been wrong to think Videl was in trouble; she could very well take care of herself. She had been quick to disarm the robbers and had been giving them a well-deserved beating.

She was amazing. Gohan couldn't help the smile curving the corner of his lips as he marveled at her incredible fighting skills.

"She is quite good," Vegeta commented from his right. "I'm not surprised you've chosen her; Saiyans are typically attracted to strong women."

Gohan blushed a little. A slight frown of annoyance blemished his features. He was still peeved from their argument of earlier, and the fact that Vegeta didn't listen to him but actually went and followed him wasn't making Gohan feel any better about his unwelcome company.

"Why are you still here anyway?" he asked, his lips pursing in a thin line.

"I got bored and was intrigued by your girlfriend's ki."

Gohan lowered his head and sighed. "She's not my girlfriend…"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I don't really care either way."

The prince observed the young woman as she fought the now three remaining criminals. It was impressive how well she was handling the situation even though she was outnumbered. Her energy tank was running low though, and it was starting to show. She was getting hit more and more often even though she was facing fewer opponents now.

He smirked as Gohan clenched his fists, obviously noticing the same thing. Vegeta had to admit, his curiosity was a little piqued. The woman Gohan had chosen was more than adequate, yet he claimed that they weren't together. After the more than streamy scene that Vegeta had walked in on, how did Gohan expect him to believe that? Just the way the half-Saiyan was getting all agitated every time the young woman got hit made how he felt about her quite clear.

"Aren't you going to help her?" Vegeta taunted the younger man, enjoying the way his brow creased even deeper.

"She can handle it. She's a talented police detective – she's used to that kind of thing."

"She's tiring out, though."

Gohan's fists clenched harder. His jaw was set tightly and his eyes never left the young woman fighting in the luxurious sitting area. "She's fine. She wouldn't want my help anyway – and she doesn't need it, either."

Videl got punched in the face again. She blocked another fist but a kick went through her weary defense and struck her in the stomach. She doubled over and coughed blood.

"Are you sure about that?"

Gohan pursed his lips in worry. "Why are you still here nagging at me? Don't you have anything better to do?"

"Right now? Not really. Annoying you is more fun than anything else I could be doing."

The hybrid Saiyan threw him a nasty look out of the corner of his eye. Vegeta reveled in his animosity. There was something so satisfying about seeing the usually good and proper Gohan get set off. Hey, maybe he could even get a somewhat decent fight out of this once the robbery was fully taken care of.

The half-Saiyan's power did get up to its full potential when he was pissed off, after all.

Gohan fists tightened as one of the crooks managed to grab Videl from behind, his arms locked firmly beneath her armpits, allowing his two accomplices to get back at her for the beating she had been giving them and their crew. They hit her mercilessly, reveling in every cry of pain she let out and every gasp of air she struggled to take when they knocked the wind off of her.

"Damn it," Gohan cursed through gritted teeth.

Vegeta smirked when the hybrid finally snapped and rushed to the girl's rescue.

But she had more than one trick up her sleeve. Before Gohan could reach them, she used the guy's hold on her to raise her legs and kicked both her assailants on the chest. She immediately followed by throwing her head back, knocking it roughly on the man's chin and forcing him to let go of her.

But Gohan was done waiting on the sidelines anymore, even if Videl did have the situation under control.

The man snarled angrily as he cradled his searing chin; Videl was ready to block his hammerfist, but the Gold Fighter caught the criminal's wrist and mercilessly twisted it, the gesture making it look like as if it was a frail twig. The crook howled in agony as his bone fractured.

The two remaining criminals hesitated at the apparition of the obviously super-powered vigilante.

Videl scowled at the golden-haired man while she tried catching her breath. "Who asked you to butt in? I'm handling myself just fine here!"

"I know, but I also know that you're exhausted," Gohan reasoned calmly. "You would've long been done with them if you were at the top of your form."

"So what? I was just about to finish them off!" She turned swiftly to the two men left and dropped into her fighting stance once more. "Come on, let's end this!" She sent Gohan a cold glare. "And don't you dare meddle in my fight. I don't need you to fight my battles for me."

Vegeta smirked at the look of pure dismay on the boy's face. Somehow, he and the woman didn't seem to be on good terms despite their obvious intent to engage in coitus earlier. Vegeta couldn't care less about the details of their romance, but he was certainly enjoying how dejected it made Gohan feel. That should serve him right for daring to try to order Vegeta around. He was the prince here, he was the one who gave orders around here, not that twenty-six-year-old retired warrior.

The two remaining robbers didn't look like they wanted to continue the fight, however. They seemed to understand that their luck had turned; even if they somehow managed to beat the feisty police detective, they would still need to deal with the Gold Fighter afterward, and they were already exhausted after the beating Videl had been giving them.

They looked at each other and then slumped their shoulders with a deep sigh. Raising their hands, they announced that they were surrendering.

Videl clicked her tongue in annoyance. It was all Gohan's fault. If not for his intervention, she would have been able to continue venting out her frustration and resentment some more. As it was, this victory left a bitter taste in her tongue. She had wanted to finish this fight on her own terms.

Gohan phased in behind the robbers and swiftly knocked them out with two simultaneous jabs on the back of their necks. He didn't want to take any chances; these crooks could've tried something out of desperation even if they said they surrendered.

"Thanks for ruining my fun," Videl spat, glaring murder at him. Gohan sighed deeply in response.

"What matters is that the situation is taken care of," he reasoned, then turned out of his Super Saiyan transformation. "We need to get our phones back and call for backup so they can bring in all the robbers to the station. I've stored a few of them in a closet and also in an office when I ran out of room. Come on, I'll show you where they are."

Videl was staring at him, her lips parted. He had his normal appearance again. He did it just like that, like raising his hand or blinking his eyes. How was it even possible? How could he change like that? Not to mention his superhuman strength…

Just who was Gohan, exactly? What was he made of? Was he even human?

He tilted his head. "Videl?"

Shaking her head to clear her mind and focus on the situation at hand, she walked over to one of the unconscious robbers and shuffled around in his pockets. Smirking in triumph, she fished out a smartphone. Gohan raised his eyebrows at her findings.

"Huh. I didn't think of that."

"That's because you're book smart," she stated matter-of-factly, shooting him a smug look before turning back to the phone in her hand and turning it on. It wasn't even locked with a password, which wasn't all that surprising: these kinds of crooks weren't usually very clever. "And I'm street smart."

He chuckled, scratching his hair. Videl quickly called the police captain's direct line to let him know of the situation.

"Then I'll leave you to it," Gohan said with a small smile. "I'll just get all the unconscious robbers to the ballroom; there's a number of them in there already anyway – the ones Vegeta took care of."

She nodded her head, before focusing on her phone call as the police captain picked up. Gohan sighed softly as he let his gaze linger on her for a few moments longer.

She truly was incredible, that one. In the end, she didn't even need his help, even when the crooks had her in their clutches.

He never stood a chance, did he? If Saiyans were predisposed to find strong women the most desirable, then it was no wonder he always felt this fascination for the beautiful police detective.

He started gathering the unconscious men and piled them all up in his arms. Videl shot him a look as she explained the situation to her boss. Gohan was carrying no less than thirteen men all at once, the pile so high he disappeared behind it – yet it looked like they weighed nothing to him.

"Yes, yes, I'm here, sorry," she said quickly, focusing back on the conversation. "Yes, the gala at the Emerald Castle. The perps were all apprehended…" There was a pause. "No, I wasn't alone; the Gold Fighter and another man helped." A pause. "I don't know, apparently they were already here tonight." A pause. "I don't know how many of them there are exactly, but over twenty men, that's for sure." A pause. "The Gold Fighter already left. He put all the perps in the ballroom." A pause. "Thank you, yes. I'll be waiting for you."

She ended the call and looked around; Gohan had already left, taking all the robbers with him. Videl let out a heavy sigh, massaging the back of her neck.

"Well, that's that, I guess…"

A frown creased her brow as the hair rose along her spine. Videl immediately dropped into her fighting stance and darted her eyes around, expecting one last criminal to turn up and launch himself at her.

But the man that walked into the sitting room wasn't one of the robbers. It was Vegeta, Gohan's friend. Videl relaxed and straightened up, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, it's just you." She gave him a nod. "I saw you handle the guys in the ballroom, so thanks for your help tonight. I take it you have the same powers as Gohan?"

"I'm much stronger than him, but I guess that's one way to put it." He shrugged and gauged her, an intrigued glint in his eyes.

It occurred to Videl that this man most likely knew what made Gohan so different, seeing as he seemed to be made from the same mold.

"Who are you?" she inquired. "You and Gohan. What makes you so much stronger than the rest of us?"

He smirked in a way that said "Well, wouldn't you like to know?"

"We're warriors," he replied nonetheless. "Gohan has a gift, but he prefers to play pretend and deny his instincts when he could have easily stayed the most powerful being in the universe."

Her jaw slackened and her eyes widened.

… The most… what?

He observed her for a moment. "You don't seem to know much about him. Why hasn't he told you about his origins?"

"We…" Videl looked down. "We broke up. He never got the chance to tell me much."

Vegeta snickered. "You didn't seem broken up earlier."

She flushed brightly and raised her hand to her mouth to try to hide her embarrassment. "There's like a… pull between us. When I'm with him, it's stronger than everything, stronger than reason. And I just… can't resist."

She didn't know why she was confiding in this stranger, but the way he didn't seem to care much somehow helped her open up. It was like her words bounced off him. Like telling a secret to someone who would forget about it the next second. It was as though she wasn't taking any risk telling him how she felt because he wasn't going to ever think about any of it again.

"Hmph. Believe it or not, but I'm quite familiar with that pull," he admitted. "But I ended up marrying that insufferable woman."

Videl looked up and observed the stranger. What made him come up to talk to her? He didn't seem like the type to ever talk about feelings.

"Did you want to tell me something?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Not really." He shrugged. "I'm just bored, and you intrigued me. I'm a warrior, you see, so things get dull for me in times of peace."

"I intrigue you?" she repeated, giving him an amused look.

"You're strong – for a human, that is. You have more drive than most warriors I've encountered in my life." He smirked at her. "It's a shame, really, that it didn't work out with Gohan – you are most definitely suited to be with him."

For a human, he said… Did that mean… Gohan wasn't?

She frowned, her gaze lowering once more. "He hurt me in the most despicable way. I can't forgive him or trust him anymore, so I broke up with him."

"Doesn't sound like him." Vegeta shrugged. "Well, I better go find my wife. She's been hiding all this time while keeping an eye on the situation."

"She sounds like a smart cookie."

Vegeta smirked proudly. "She's believed to be the most intelligent scientist in the world, so I would say that's quite the understatement."

Videl raised an eyebrow at the information. A scientist woman that was considered as the most intelligent person in the world? Could he mean…?

"Wait… You're married to Bulma Briefs?" she breathed out in disbelief.

Vegeta chuckled in response. He turned and walked away, giving her a sign of salute without looking back at her.

"You were adequate for killing time," he stated, before exiting through the door.

Videl didn't know what to make of that encounter. Did he just pay her a compliment?

What an odd character…

When Videl walked into the ballroom, the first thing she noticed was the lot of unconscious men tied up behind their backs. Huh. To think Gohan actually took the time to make sure they couldn't cause any problems if they happened to regain consciousness. Just how many of them were there? She thought over twenty, but it looked closer to forty men from the look of it. That was insane. If not for her, Gohan and Vegeta, this could have taken a turn for the worse…

Her gaze swept the room, and, unable to help herself, Videl searched the handsome vigilante who had played a big role in saving the night.

He was hugging the beautiful African woman, the one who had been their hostess at the auction tonight.

Videl felt the world shatter around her.

She turned away from the unbearable sight, shutting her eyes tightly to keep her tears at bay. Unable to stop herself, she wondered who that woman was for Gohan. Were they actually together? Would Gohan have kissed her when he was already in a relationship with someone else? Her first instinct was to answer no, he wasn't that type of guy, but then, how could she be sure he wouldn't do something like that after the way he had played with her feelings?

Videl pursed her lips in a tight line and concentrated on the horrible pain he had caused her. She couldn't allow herself to feel jealous when she was the one who ended their relationship. Gohan was free to do whatever he pleased with whomever he wanted, and she had no say in the matter.

It still hurt like hell though.

Gohan watched Videl from afar among the police cars and ambulance trucks. She was speaking with the police captain, a tall and imposing Arab man with a bushy gray mustache.

Everything was taken care of now. The hostages were understandably still a little shaken after the whole ordeal, but nobody got hurt at least.

He wanted to go to her. He wanted to talk to her. He wanted…

Gohan sighed. He just didn't want this to be the end. Even though he understood why he and Videl couldn't be together, his heart refused to accept that reality. It tugged at him painfully, willing him to keep trying, to keep fighting for her. Willing him to never give up, no matter what. Videl was the love of his life. He couldn't just let her slip through her fingers.

Bulma came up to him, holding a cup of steaming infusion. "Hey, kiddo."

He nodded his head in response to her greeting.

She followed his gaze and cracked a small smile. "Aren't you going to talk to her?"

"There's nothing else to say…" Gohan looked down and massaged the nape of his neck. "We actually… We kissed earlier, behind the curtains…"

Bulma's face lit up. "Ohhh! That's great, Gohan!"

But he shook his head, his brow deeply furrowed. "It was just our crazy chemistry affecting our better judgment. When Videl came to her senses, she rejected me again. She said it's hopeless. She said I… she said I disgust her after what I've done… and I really can't blame her. I disgust myself too…"

"Oh, Gohan…" Bulma pulled him in for a hug. "Don't say that. The only reason you lost control like that is because of how much you love her. Yes, you did something terrible, but I don't think it's unforgivable…" She pulled back and searched his eyes. "Maybe give it more time?"

He shook his head. "Time won't help me in this case. It's hopeless, Bulma… Videl wouldn't even trust me to handle the robbery tonight."

She cupped his cheek, giving him a look of empathy. "You poor thing…" She gave him an encouraging smile. "Well, you still got your date with her. Maybe you can try to show her what she's missing out on?"

Gohan raised his eyebrows and blinked. Right… He completely forgot about that. Videl won him at the auction.

Their story wasn't over yet. They still had a few chapters left.