Hi there! So I've passed my exam and as promised: here is the next chapter! I intended to end this this chapter a bit further into the story, but I got carried away while writing it and it turned out being too long. So I decided to cut my original intended chapter into two chapters instead. The next one will probably be much shorter because of that.

Also, I have pushed the boundaries a bit, so to be safe I've changed the rating from T to M.

Now enjoy the story and a good night from me
(it's 4:15 AM... I shouldn't make a habit of this XD )

Additional note:
The contents of this chapter may be offensive to some readers, so readers discretion is advised.

Extra Addition: I've re-read it and think it still fits in T, so I changed it back. Though, readers discretion is advised.

Chapter 4: Confusion

Videl was numb. All the chaos surrounding her turned into muffled sounds and blurred images. She didn't even realize that her grip on the rogue was loosening, nor that the man was pushing her off him and fled. She just sat there, on her knees, left in her inner turmoil.

Did that guy said 'dead'? Was Saiyaman dead? Was he really dead?

No that can't be, he was indestructible. At least, that's how it always seemed to her. But has there ever been anyone who was truly invincible? Even Superman had his Kryptonite. Besides, all living things eventually die, and the last time she checked, Saiyaman was made of flesh and blood. So, would be...?

No, she didn't want to believe it! She wouldn't accept it! That criminal was just messing with her head, nothing else. Speaking of which, where was the guy!

Videl snapped out from her thoughts and looked around to find the rogue. The fear and panic she just felt over the possible loss of Saiyaman gave way to pure anger and rage. She would teach him to tell her such awful lies!

Out of the corner of her eye, Videl saw the rogue walking out of the mall with a bag. Apparently, after escaping her, he couldn't resist the temptation to grab some extra loot before leaving the scene. The criminal realized that Videl had seen him and in a panic he returned to where he came from. The young crime fighter immediately went after him, she wouldn't let this man escape. Anyone who stood in her way was forcibly pushed away, be it a criminal or a cop.

Like the rest of the criminals on the scene, the rogue was no match for Videl. She soon caught up with him, leaving a trail of unconscious criminals and bewildered police officers behind her. She got hold of his collar and pushed him against the nearest wall, her forearm against his throat.

"You liar!" she screamed in anger.

"If I'm lying to you, then tell me, where is this Saiyaman of yours?" the rogue provoked.

"Probably fighting crime somewhere else."

"Like yesterday and the day before yesterday?" the smirk returned on the rogue's face. "When was the last time you saw him for that matter? If you ask me, operation 'state bank' was a great success"

Videl's eyes widened in realization. The bank robbery wasn't carried out to actually rob the bank. It was a decoy to get to Saiyaman. The explosion, the mayor being held hostage, her difficult battle against the semi-finalist, they were all happening to drew him into action. And the guy guarding the entrance didn't want to use his strange gun on her because its contents were solely for use on Saiyaman. And after they managed to hit him with those darts, the criminals didn't even resist their beating because they had already succeeded in their operation. Saiyaman's disappearance has something to do with those darts!

"I see you finally get my point," the rogue said, his smirk intensifying.

Videl snapped.

With tears in the corner of her eyes she lashed out. At first it was meant to silence him and wipe that stupid smirk off his face. But she didn't stop there. She let out all her rage, anger, sadness and disbelief on him. The rogue's body slackened, but she continued to beat him, not caring whether this would result in his death.

And then everything went black.

###

Videl found herself having the same dream she'd had for the past few days. She lay motionless on the floor, cold and lonely. But when the warm, familiar hand should was supposed to come out to help her, it felt different. It was a much smaller hand, and its clamminess sent a shiver down her spine. It didn't radiate warmth to her body to let her move, like last time. The person who owned those hands turned her over, and to her disbelief she looked herself straight into her teary eyes.

The point of view of her dream changed and suddenly she was the one who'd turned the motionless person over. She found herself staring at the clearly deceased body of none other than Gohan. His onyx eyes were dull and hollow, and his skin had a grayish tint. Startled, she jumped up. She had expected to find Saiyaman lying there on the ground, just like in her past dreams. It made no sense that it was Gohan.

Two faceless persons appeared next to her. "Too bad, now I have to take notes myself," one said while the other continued, "It's such a shame we'll never see that cute face of his again. Now I have to watch that stupid film instead!" Both bodies began to radiate light into the darkness she was in. First it was just a little bit, but slowly it became so bright when she couldn't see properly anymore.

In the distance, two silhouettes appeared and gradually took shape. She started to feel warm again and slowly she could open her eyes.

###

"Look, there she is!" a bubbly voice announced happily. "Had a nice sleep?"

Videl's head was pounding. She took in her surroundings and realized she was in the hospital. Waking up in an hospital bed wasn't a first timer, but she couldn't comprehend what had happened to her to end up here. She looked to her left and saw the familiar faces of her two best friends.

"Hi Erasa, Hi Sharpener," Videl's voice was still a bit weak, "How did I end up in here this time?"

"Well, long story! There was this mass looting in the shopping mall this morning and you were there to fight a lot of bad guys. A hundred at least! But then there was this big confusion about who was who, and -"

Erasa was interrupted by a sight of Sharpener, "What Erasa is trying to say is that you were knocked out by Saiyaman during this looting, probably thinking you were one of the thugs."

"Wait what?" Videl sat up straight. "Did you... did you say Saiyaman knocked me out?"

"Yeah, that stupid asshole. If I had been there, I would have punched him in his gutter just for you." Sharpener cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, that would have taught him," he muttered to himself.

"You are sure it was him?" asked Videl confused.

"Yeah, no doubt about it. He single-handedly knocked everybody out." Erasa looked over to Videl, "Including you."

"And you are sure he was okay? Nothing out of the ordinary?" Videl couldn't believe her ears.

"Hm, let me think," while she was thinking, she had put her index finger on her lower lip. "Now that you mention it, it took him a lot longer than ususal to 'save the day' and he looked out of shape afterwards. But in his defense, there were a lot of bad guys and it was total chaos." She picked up her phone and seemed to be looking for something. "Ah, here it is!" She turned her phone around and there was a picture of Saiyaman in front of the mall, with a pile of unconsciousness criminals next to him.

"Do you see that leg sticking out of the pile?" Sharpener couldn't suppress a laugh. "That's you."

Videl stared at the photo. Was it possible? Was Saiyaman still alive? The picture seemed ligid, so he must be, right? And if the darts had indeed had any effect on him, it may well have left him with no stamina, or perhaps even ill. It all seems to fit. That criminal just lied to her to get under her skin. That bastard!

Erasa noticed that Videl had clenched fists in her sheets in anger. "It's not that bad, I don't think anyone will notice," she told her out of symphaty.

"It's not that. This rogue I fought before I was knocked out told me that they all believed Saiyaman had died. For a moment I thought he was telling the truth." Videl's eyes began to water and she looked away, out of the window. "I feel so stupid to fall for that stupid trick."

"Well, unfortunately he is still alive"

"Sharpener! Shut up," Erasa gave him a glare at that mean remark. "Jealous much?"

"Uhmf," was all what Sharpener could bring out.

They all looked out of the window and the room fell quiet. A couple of minutes passed before Videl broke the silence, "Did anything else happen while I was out?"

"Well, there were some strange sightings," Sharpener replied. Videl looked at him questioningly, so he continued, "Some people believed they saw someone fly. Not by plane or anything, just... fly."

"Just like Saiyaman," Erasa added. "However, the witness statements are somewhat contradictory. One said he saw a short man flying, the other was convinced it was a big green monster with fangs," she laughed, clearly thinking it was hilarious.

"But that's it," Sharpener continued. "If their statements are true – which I doubt – they didn't seem threatening." Sharpener got up and put on his jacket. "The doctor said you could leave after you woke up, so if it's okay with you, I'll take you home. There is a prescription of painkillers that you can pick up at the front desk, as usual."

Videl nodded and followed suit. She wanted to go home, take a shower and forget about this day.

The next day, unsurprisingly, Videl woke up with a headage. She took the prescribed doses of painkillers and since it was weekend, she took it easy. She didn't know if it was because she was too sedated by the medication or because of the relief she felt when she learned that Saiyaman was still alive, but last night her bad dream didn't come again. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

After making herself some breakfast, she turned on the television to watch some anime to clear her head. However, she ended up on the news channel instead. The first item was about the mall looting from the other day. It confirmed what Sharpener and Erasa had already told her. They showed some video footage of Saiyaman fighting some criminals. To be honest, it all seemed a bit strange to her. His fighting stances were off and indeed he looked out of shape. He was clearly not himself.

The item ended and a new one came up. It was a live broadcast from a bridge nearby, where a woman was about to jump. It soon became clear that Saiyaman was already at the scene, as no one was really panicked about the situation.

Videl quickly stood up and ran outside, leaving here unfinished breakfast as it was. She had to be there as soon as possible. Not because she wanted to help this woman – Saiyaman was quite capable of that himself – but to confront Saiyaman. She really needed to talk to the man about the things that had happened and to ask him if everything was okey.

On arrival, the woman was indeed rescued and in good care of the paramedics. Saiyaman himself stood next to the reporter as she was wrapping up her news item. Videl observed the duo as she waited. To her complete surprise, she saw Saiyaman's hand resting on the reporter's butt out of view of the camera. Did they know each other?

"This item was brought to you by Kate Bridgerton, thank you for watching and back to the studios," the reporter said through the microphone and shortly after, the cameras turned off.

Immediately Saiyaman's body language completely changed. He intensified his touch and narrowed the distance between him and the reporter. "So can I have your number? I can fly by tonight whenever you want."

The reporter giggled, but was interrupted by a cough. They both turned around to face Videl, who had made her presence clear. "Sorry to disturb your quixotic moment, but I really need to speak to Saiyaman."

"Sorry, can't you see I'm busy here? And for the records, I'm not signing autographs," Saiyaman declined. "So, beat it." He turned his attention back to the reporter.

Videl stood perplexed. Did he just...

"Listen, you jerk! We're going to talk, like it or not," hissed Videl.

Saiyaman sighted. "My radio just informed me that I'm needed somewhere else," he gave the still giggling reporter a kiss on her hand, "I'll see you tonight." And without even looking at Videl he took off.

"Oh, no you don't!" shouted Videl after him. She immediately decapsulated her copter to follow him. But when she was fully airborne, he already disappeared. She cursed herself, how could she lose him so easily? Normally he would fly to his destination just above the buildings, why wasn't he now? Was he deliberately avoiding her or something? Before that unfaithful event at the state bank, he wouldn't turn down a conversation with Videl if she requested one. Something wasn't right. She flew around the area to find any lead on Saiyaman, but in vain. After half an hour of searching, her headage came back and she had to go home. She will try to find the guy tomorrow.

The next day Videl got up early. She was determined to find Saiyaman and had it all planned. She suspected that after Saiyaman said something about a radio, he might now have a direct connection with the sheriff in order to help the police. And after confronting the sheriff about it, he confirmed that they indeed are able to call Saiyaman now.

This early morning was very nice. The sun was shining bright and there weren't many problems with criminals today. Videl leaned against a wall next to an alley, facing a ice cream shop. The shop owners were on holiday and as there was not much else to do, the area was almost deserted. She had asked the sheriff to call Saiyaman and tell him his assistance was needed here at this store. Now she just had to wait for the hero to arrive.

After ten minutes Videl saw Saiyaman approaching. He flew quite low between the buildings, instead his usual approach of flying over them. He landed in front of the shop and seemed confused.

"So, you're finally here!" Videl announced her presence.

"Oh great, it's yesterday's fangirl," Saiyaman was clearly not amused. "I got a call from the police to stop a robbery here, did you see anyone who looked suspicious?"

"The only suspicious guy I see is you," she crossed her arms. "I've asked the sheriff to send you here because I need to talk to you."

"Oh, have you?" Saiyaman came up to her and towered over her, resting his forearm against the wall above her head. He somehow seemed taller than usual, at least an inch or so, but that may have been an optical illusion since he was so close to her now. And though he invaded her personal space, Videl didn't move a muscle. "Crazy fangirl, huh?" he continued, "Are you so desperate in need for a piece of Saiyaman?"

Videl widened her eyes in disbelief. Was he trying to get under her skin? "I'm not your fangirl," she said, deciding to ignore the rest of his comment. "Look, I just wanted to talk to you about -" she hesitated. Something didn't seem right. In addition he didn't act like his usual childish self, his appearance seemed out of place, too, now that she had a better look at the man in front of her. Saiyaman always looked well-groomed, but now his face was slightly unshaven and he didn't smell like pine trees as usual. But one thing stood out above all others: "Since when do you have a scar on your face?"

"I fight crime, scars are part of the job" he shrugged. "But tell me, why were you so desperate to meet me?"

Videl became suspicious to say the least. His scars looked old and she was pretty sure he didn't have them a few days ago when they were at the state bank. Her eyebrows turned into a frown, this wasn't Saiyaman. "Show me what's underneath your ridiculous costume, now," she ordered him.

"Ah, here we go again, it's all the same with you women," he suppressed an sneaky but awkward chuckle. "Alright, if that's what you want," he pushed himself off the wall and stretched his muscles. "Who am I to say no. After all, a man should always give a beautiful lady what her hart desires, even if that lady has a black eye" he jokily said. He motioned Videl to follow him into the alley, "Let's not do it out here in the open, huh, but let's get some privacy first if you don't mind."

Videl nodded and couldn't believe she'd actually succeeded. Would he really show her his identity that easily? Perhaps he was beginning to trust her. After all, he had already risked his own life for her. Eagerly she followed his footsteps.

While Videl was lost in thought, she didn't notice that Saiyaman muttering to himself. "This costume is amazing! I can't believe how many babes are digging it and now I don't turn into a bowl of mush every time I see a girl," Saiyaman grinned broadly, "I'm really stepping up my game here!"

Videl looked up. Saiyaman had stopped deep into the alley, next to a couple of big crates. "This will do," he said and waited for Videl to join him. "So, you sure you're ready for this?" he asked.

"I've waited a long time for this moment, so I'm not backing down. Look, I know this could change things between us, but I think it's for the better. I'm willing to keep it a secret, you have my word on that."

"I like the way you think. Alright, here's where the fun begins!"

But what happened next, Videl didn't see coming. Saiyaman placed his gloved hands on either side of her hip and he sat her down without any effort on one of the crates in front of him.

And without hesitation, he pressed his lips eagerly on hers.

Additional note:

Some clarifications about this chapter are added at the end of the next chapter.