Hi there!

To celebrate the weekend, here is another chapter!

Have a nice Saterday!


slade42 : I don't think Dende necessarily knows what kind of wishes are granted by Shenron. If you look at Resurrection F, Frieza's men wished him back to life. Piccolo knew something wasn't right because of the Ki he was feeling, though they didn't know he was alive until he returned to Earth months later. And they searched the Dragon Balls all over the Earth very often and not every time they went to the lookout, like in Wrath of the Dragon. So again, I don't think it's always the case. And to respond to your other review: Gohan may or may not find Videl soon when he starts looking... time will tell ;)

Guest 10/8: I'm sorry you think my previous chapter - or even the whole story - is garbage. However, I would like to remind you that you are reading a fictional story based on a fictional franchise… so basically everything is written for the sake of well… writing… because it is fictional. And since you are reading a drama story, it's drama is for the sake of drama; though what I've written down does contribute to the story. That said, I do want to point out that I don't mind critical reviews at all. They keep me sharp. But if you do, be constructive and explain what you didn't like and why you didn't like it, and preferably explain what you would have done differently. Then I can learn from it and work on it for future chapters. It would be a win-win! - YaaY - So take a moment and think about the review you gave me... There are a lot of people who spend hours of their time writing a story and they all do their best to make it enjoyable. Being negative without being constructive can be received wrongly and it may demotivate people to write. I do understand that some FF writers abandon their stories because of such reviews... So please think about what you write in your reviews; be constructive and - if you have the heart - be supportive too. And if you still think the story is garbage, that's perfectly fine, everybody can have their own opinion.


Chapter 8: Tagged

"Here are the belongings I can give back to you, sweetie," the receptionist said, giving him a cardboard box. "You've been briefed on the rest, haven't you?"

"Thank you, Suke," Gohan said tiredly, reading her name from her name tag, "And yes, I have." Gohan quickly looked into the box, "I really can't get my watch back?"

"No, they haven't released it yet, sorry," Suke said compassionately. "I can call you when they have if it's that important to you?"

Gohan gave her a half-hearted but empty smile, "Too bad they have my phone as well, but thanks for the offer."

"Tell me, how did such a sweet young man as yourself end up with an electronic tag?" Apparently, Suke was one of those receptionists who was very curious.

"Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess," Gohan replied defeatedly, letting his shoulders slump.

"It's gonna be okay, dear, I'm sure she will be found soon. Just hang in there for a bit, alright?" Suke tried to reassure him with a motherly smile. "You should go now, people are waiting for you in the lobby."

Surprised - not expecting someone was waiting for him - he tried to peek through the matte glass of the door, yet he only could make out some silhouettes. He thanked Suke, took the box with his belongings from her desk and opened the door, wondering who would be in that lobby.

"Gohan!"

He looked at the one calling his name, but only registered who it was when she collided with his chest to give him a firm hug - he was that tired - and he even dropped his box in the process, scattering his belongings across the floor. His other blond friend eyed him with a worried look, "You look like shit Brains; why did it take so long? Do they really suspect you of something?"

Needing the hug Erasa gave him, Gohan threw his arms around her, and laid his chin tiredly on her head while answering Sharpener bitterly, "Apparently, I'm their prime suspect."

"Prime suspect?" Erasa repeated in disbelief, pulling away slightly so she could look at him, "How?"

Gohan sighed, "Because I was the last to see her before she went missing. But please, I've been questioned for hours now… I'll answer yours tomorrow if you don't mind. I just want to go home."

"Yeah, gotcha," Sharpener replied in understanding, and gave him a pat on his back, "C'mon, I'll give you a ride home."

"Much obliged," Gohan said, relieved, not having the energy to go by himself. He hadn't eaten much today and the interrogation - including the emotional rollercoaster that came with it - had drained him; he could barely stand on his own two feet.

"Oh no…" Sharpener let out an irritated groan, "Terror lady's coming back in. Let's go before we're caught up in one of her tirades again."

"Terror lady?" Gohan repeated, confused.

"Yeah, that woman really made a scene before, demanding that they immediately needed to release her 'baby', claiming that they didn't have the right to arrest him in the first place. I think they eventually fined her for insulting a police officer on duty, only to make her calm down… Can you believe that?" Erasa pulled away from the hug and looked past Gohan's shoulders, "Oh shoot, she's coming this way! C'mon Gohan, let's get you out of here," she added, pulling him softly by his arm while mumbling at Sharpener, "I sure feel sorry for that little kid."

"And where do you think you're going?!"

Purely out of reflex from hearing her stern voice, Gohan stood up straight - jerking Erasa, who still held his arm, involuntarily with him - and froze on the spot. The blonde wanted to pull her hand back, but it got stuck between Gohan's arm and torso, and when the lady came standing in front of them, she stopped trying. Both teens gulped, for different reasons.

"I've not waited two freakin' hours for you, only to have you walk away without a word, Gohan!" Chi-Chi reproached, then eyeing disapprovingly at the scarcely dressed girl on his arm, "Please don't tell me this hussy is your girlfriend. I told you: city girls aren't any good! Minutes ago she was making out with that bozo over there!" She scowled while pointing at Sharpener.

"What?! No, she ain't!" Gohan threw his hands in front of him as a defensive gesture, unconsciously freeing Erasa, "And please Mom, don't insult my friends like that."

"Mom?" repeated the two blonds at once in astonishment, while Sharpener added muttering to himself, "Everything makes so much more sense now…"

"Then why was she holding your arm like that, hm?" Chi-Chi pressed on, still frowning.

"C'mon Mom, we're just friends! A hug or holding arms is also shared by friends here, it doesn't necessarily mean anything in that regard," Gohan pleaded tiredly, "And sorry, I didn't know you were here, otherwise I would've waited for you. How did you get here anyway?"

"Nimbus," Chi-Chi replied curt, but then her anger washed away, seeing how spent her son was. "Are you okay? You look tired…"

"I am, I just want to go home and get this day over with…" Gohan replied dejectedly, then got distracted by someone tugging at his pants. When he looked down, his little brother held up the box he'd dropped before and all the items were back in it. "Hey Squirt, thanks for picking that up," Gohan reached out to ruffle his hair, and instead of accepting the box, he picked up Goten.

"Why are the policemen mean to you?" Goten asked, unsure, "I thought they were on our side."

"No worries, they are," Gohan gave him a soft smile for reassurance, "But they get a little confused sometimes." Then Gohan turned his attention to Sharpener, "Do you have room for two more passengers?"

"Yeah, sure, if it helps…" Sharpener replied reluctantly, not liking being called a bozo and without even getting an apology. But if she was Gohan's mother, he couldn't refuse to give her a ride too.

Not long after, they all found themselves sitting in the old rusty light-blue Turbo four-seater Sharpener called his car. Goten had managed to coax Erasa to let him sit on her lap and was now staring out through the window with much enthusiasm. Gohan was looking out of his window as well, but unlike Goten, his look was empty and he didn't really take in his surroundings.

"You're an enthusiastic little guy, aren't you Goten?" He heard Erasa giggle, looking at how eager Goten was looking at everything they passed, "Never been in Satan City before?"

Without looking from the windows, the youngest half-Saiyan replied, "Only to visit Gohan, but I've never been in the streets before. Mom doesn't like it here."

"It's not that I don't like the city, but I can't stand seeing that face everywhere," his mother said indignantly, "I never understood what was wrong with the name Orange City anyway… Why name it after that fraud?"

"Mom, please," Gohan warned, not even looking up from his stare.

"If they wanted a name change so badly, they should have gone for Son City, or Gohan Town, or something like that," Chi-Chi rattled on, not even hearing her son's warning.

"Mom!" Gohan now looked at her in disbelief, fully aware his friends were in the same car with them.

Sharpener snorted, still annoyed about this woman's total lack of subtlety, "Look lady, if Gohan saves the world one day, we'll start a petition to make that happen, okay?" Jeez, she really held her son in high regard. No wonder he's under so much pressure to perform.

Goten looked away from the window and blinked confused at Sharpener, "But Big Brother already did…"

"Goten!" Gohan exclaimed, shocked, "What have I told you about talking to people outside our family?"

Again Goten blinked in confusion, now looking over his shoulder at his brother, "You always told me I couldn't talk about it to strangers… But they are your friends, right? And family and friends were okay…"

Gohan groaned, clasping his hands against his face out of frustration, and explained tiredly, "I meant dad's friends, not mine…"

This little back and forth between both brothers made Sharpener raise an eyebrow; did that kid really say with full conviction that Gohan did save the world once? It looked like he believed his own words, then again, that wouldn't be so strange; kids tend to have a lot of imagination. Though, Gohan was much stronger than he let on - him being Saiyaman and all. And why else would he warn his brother for saying such a thing and even forbid the boy from talking about it to people outside his family? He could even cope with Videl's training exercises for that matter, something which Sharpener doubted even Mr. Satan could at this point. Speaking of which… Didn't the Champion always say that she was only allowed to date boys stronger than him? Did Gohan beat Mr. Satan? When? And more importantly; how?

"Don't mind grumpy Gohan, Goten," Erasa said friendly, unaware of her boyfriend's inner thoughts. "You can tell me anything you want. You can be my friend too."

Goten's face lid up, looking at Erasa with big happy eyes, "Really!?"

"Of course!" Erasa flashed him a smile, " So tell me, how did Gohan save the world?" Goten was so cute when he looked up at his big brother like that, exaggerating the view of him as if he was his biggest hero. Kids these days sure had a huge imagination! She giggled and tried to imagine what Gohan would've been like when he was at this age; certainly as happy and carefree as this little man!

Goten looked unsure at Gohan, who gave him a 'Don't think about it Squirt or else'-glare. He sighed disappointed, he really wanted to tell that lady. But that lady herself told him she was his friend too, and friends shared secrets, right? And so, with a very fast speed, he began, "My Big Brother is really strong and he even defea-"

"Goten!" Chi-Chi warned, stopping her son's chatter before he spilled any crucial details. "Listen to your brother. If he doesn't want you to talk about it, you don't talk about it, you hear?" Then she faced her eldest, equally irritated, and began to express her thoughts on more recent events, "I've had a lot of time to think while I had to wait for you to be released." Chi-Chi looked sullenly back forward and folded her arms, "I think that moron's heard you wanted to enter the tournament and that he's scared you'll take his title away from him. He and his little princess are throwing this play just to get you out of their way. Why else would he cancel the tournament all of a sudden? That man is trying to frame you, he wants you gone," she sighed in defeat and added to herself, "Can't even think how this is going to influence your studies…"

"Mom please," Gohan pleaded tiredly, "It's not a scam, Videl really is missing…"

Chi-Chi looked up in worry, totally forgetting her boiled-up frustration she just had, "What? Your girlfriend is missing too?"

Sharpener - who was following their conversation intently - smirked, finally able to get back at this woman, "Videl is Mr. Satan's daughter."

"What?!" Chi-Chi yelled, making everybody in the car jump, and Sharpener almost lost control of the car.

"Lady, please! Can you keep it down? I'm still driving, you know!" He exclaimed in disbelief while regaining his composure.

Undisturbed she went on, "Your girlfriend is his daughter?"

Gohan nodded dejectedly, knowing what tirade was about to come, "In my defense, she is nothing like her father at all."

Chi-Chi frowned, "And WHY have you kept that information from me?! I don't want you to associate with that family, you hear! Have you forgotten the things he'd said?! The mockery he made of your father's sacrifice? Calling us all tricksters?!"

Her last two comments caused the two blonds to look at each other, sharing a moment of confusion, though they both wisely stayed out of the argument.

"I kept it from you to avoid this exact conversation," Gohan answered his mother with a sigh. Now getting irritated, Gohan faced her with a serious look and continued with a firm voice, "You were happy that I had a girlfriend, right? But now all of a sudden - now that you know her family name - you want me to stop seeing her? Of all people, I have the most right to hate the guy; not you or anyone else in the group… And I and Mr. Satan have talked our issues out and he promised me he would stop his accusations toward our family and friends. He's not as bad as you think he is, okay? I love his daughter, and if I want to be with her; that's my decision, not yours!"

A silence fell in the small compartment they found themselves in; no one had expected him to have stood up for himself against his mother. Though, looking up from the window again, Goten - missing the real point at play - broke the silence, "Yeah I was confused too, she isn't even a food and he still loves her. Crazy huh?"

"Well," his mother began after some thought, continuing with a much softer voice, "I guess you make a valid point. I do trust your judgment, and if you are happy to be associated with the guy, who am I to withhold you from what your heart wants? I'm sorry if what I said offended you, that wasn't my intention; I just don't want you to be hurt all over again."

"It's gonna be fine, Mom," Gohan said to ease his mother's worry, "And to be honest, I'm much more at peace with the current arrangements than if he hadn't done what he did. Let's not forget it gave me the opportunity to lead a relatively normal life."

"You are right," Chi-Chi said after some thought, and with a warm note in her voice, she added, "You seem to be really passionate about this girl and, from what you've already told me about her, she really suits you." Then she let out a soft chuckle and added jokingly, "And she's even human, so I've got nothing to complain about."

Glad that the tension was broken, he let out a soft chuckle himself. However, not understanding their inside joke, Sharpener and Erasa shared again a confused and awkward look.

Then Erasa opened her mouth, "Look, Mrs.-"

"Please, call me Chi-Chi."

"Look Chi-Chi, Videl is a really nice and loyal person, alright, and they are such a cute couple! So you have indeed nothing to worry about," Erasa continued and added with a grin to stroke her ego, "And I think you did a fantastic job raising such a gentleman like Gohan."

Gohan glared at the back of Erasa's head for a short moment, but let her comment for what it was when he noticed his mother didn't seem to realize it was to be meant more as a jest than she was sincere.

"Well, thank you!" Chi-Chi said with pride, but when she looked proudly at her son, reality struck, seeing his dejected face staring back out of the window again. Her heart sank; the last time she'd seen her eldest this down was when his father chose to stay in Other World forever. She laid her hand on his knee, to show her compassion, though Gohan didn't react to it; he was more focused on his thoughts with Videl.

The car stopped moving, making Gohan look up in surprise; they were already at his building. "Well Br-," Sharpener swallowed in his words, already understanding from that short time they've met that Gohan's mother wouldn't take it lightly if he called him Brains, "Uh, Gohan, this is your stop."

"Thanks," Gohan answered and got out of the vehicle at once, desperately in need of fresh air.

"It's almost dinner time and I've got plenty of food with me. Do you guys want to tag along for a bite to eat?" Chi-Chi asked in a good-tempered manner, now seeing the two blondes as friendly folk, "I apologize for calling you guys names earlier; you understand it was out of frustration rather than anything personal."

Being familiar with Chi-Chi's cooking as Gohan shared his lunch with him quite regularly, Sharpener began to salivate with the thought. But he looked over to Gohan, who was leaning against his car, waiting for his mother to come out, "Only if Gohan doesn't mind; he's had a very long day already."

"I could use the distraction," Gohan answered truthfully, surprising Sharpener that he'd even heard him talking to his mother. He needed to talk to the jock in private anyways, so this would give him a good opportunity.

Sharpener looked at his girlfriend, seeing if she wanted to join as well, and after she nodded in agreement, they all got out of the car and he locked it behind him. He then walked over to Gohan, giving him a pat on his back, and in silence they all went to the highest floor.

When Gohan opened the door to his apartment, he immediately walked to his dresser and flipped the photo that was taken right before the Cell Games of him and the other Z-fighters, so Sharpener and Erasa wouldn't see it. Then he turned on the TV and found the news channel, hoping he would learn more about Videl's missing case, and let himself flop on his couch.

"Wow, Gohan, you really live in the penthouse?" Erasa asked in astonishment, looking with wide eyes around his apartment. Of course, it was nothing like the Satan Mansion, but it was impressive nonetheless.

"And here I thought you were a simple farmer's boy," Sharpener added, equally impressed. He then looked at how Goten crawled into Gohan's lap, receiving a hug as a thank you from his big brother; the kid surely knew what his brother needed at the moment. Looking half-heartedly at the scene, Sharpener poured a glass of tap water and handed it over to the eldest half-Saiyan, "Here, you should drink some."

"Thanks," Gohan said, giving his friend an empty smile - even though he was thankful - while the jock came and sat next to him. Then both turned their attention back to the TV where some archive images of a fighting Videl were shown.

"She's pretty good," Goten said honestly, looking at how Videl floored a former semifinals of the 24th Martial Arts Tournament; a criminal named Randy. "Though her stances are a bit off."

"Yeah, she is something, right?" Gohan replied, tightening his hug, as a shy smile formed on his face, "And don't worry, I taught her how to do it properly after this."

Sharpener looked beside him, raising that eyebrow again, "You taught Videl… about martial arts?"

Gohan briefly gave him a knowing look, but to his luck, he didn't have to answer as his mother spoke up in surprise; "Videl?" Chi-Chi repeated as she came leaning against the armrest, "So this is your girlfriend?"

"Really Gohan?" Goten turned his head with a big grin to look at his big brother, "She's pretty!"

"I think you both would like her," Gohan said, now blushing. But after the words left his mouth, a sad feeling came over him; what if they never would get the chance to meet her? What if she would never return? What if he would fail to find her? He shook his head; he didn't even want to think about it…

A sigh left his lips, trying to focus back on the TV, casting out those haunting thoughts. There, a blonde reporter with long curly hair appeared on screen that Gohan recognized as Yamcha's girlfriend Kate. She stood next to Mr. Satan who was outing his concerns about his missing daughter. The Champion blamed his fame of course, as usual, and threatened the one responsible he would undergo the worst things imaginable if he had a say in it.

"Do you think her disappearance has to do with the upcoming tournament, Mr. Satan?" Kate asked the current Champion.

Mr. Satan closed his eyes and snorted, clearly affected by the whole event, "All I care about at this moment is finding my daughter save and sound, and, as long as she isn't found, I'm not going to waste my time on a stupid tournament."

"But as the current champion, you have got a leading role in the competition," Kate replied, now pointing her microphone back at Mr. Satan.

"Well, if they want their Champ at their tournament so badly, then they have to wait. Videl is my one and only priority right now."

"At least he has his priorities straight, "Chi-Chi mumbled, crossing her arms, "I always thought his title was all he cared about."

Gohan looked at his mother with tired eyes, "As I said before, the man isn't as bad as you think." Then with a crack in his voice - not able to hold his emotions in check anymore - he continued, "Videl is the only real thing he has…" And so do I.

In the meantime, the news item continued undisturbed; "I've been informed that there is already a prime suspect being questioned by the police," Kate continued, "What are your thoughts on that?"

Gohan sighed defeated and with his emotions beginning to overwhelm him, he turned off the TV and, without a word, he sat Goten next to him and walked to the bathroom; he wasn't ready to hear what Mr. Satan had to say about him right now nor wanted to break down before everybody - especially not in front of his little brother.

When inside, he opened the tap and poured some cold water on his face to collect himself again and looked up into the mirror. His expression was empty and he had deep bags under his eyes - Sharpener was right; he really looked like shit. Then the last words that had plagued his mind before he left the living room became sinking in; if he would lose Videl, he would lose again one who he really cared about; one that made him whole again; one that he loved. Then he frowned: that's not gonna happen; not again! He'd make sure she would come back. Sitting around on a couch and watching the news wasn't going to help. He was her boyfriend for Dende's sake and he should protect her! He will protect her! He would do everything in his power to get her back!

Fueled with renewed energy - determined to find her - he went back to the living room and looked over to his blonde friend, who was now standing next to the couch, "Erasa, can I use your phone for a moment? They took mine…" He desperately needed to make that call.

Everybody looked up with concerned expressions at him when he entered the room, which was immediately replaced by surprise with his new demeanor. He had a very serious and determined expression on his face, one his friends and Goten never had witnessed before. Chi-Chi on the other hand was taken aback, knowing that look all too well; he took that after his father.

Erasa, who had collected herself after a brief moment of shock, beamed him a hesitant smile, "Sure thing!" She handed hers over and the half-Saiyan praised himself lucky he was good with numbers, knowing Bulma's private phone number by heart. He was determined to find Videl and he had the feeling there was no time to waste; he didn't even care anymore if his school friends could overhear the conversation.

"This is Bulma Brief, who am I speaking to?" Bulma's voice asked at the other end of the receiver, not familiar with the number.

"Hey Bulma, it's me, Gohan…" he said while, causing a soft squeal from Erasa, excited that on the other line of her phone was none other than the Bulma Brief. "Please tell me you have found something we can work with?"

"Hey Kiddo, how are you holding up? I expected your call much earlier," Bulma replied, "But other than that the police already have a prime suspect, I've nothing new to tell you, sorry."

Gohan let out a groan, "That prime suspect would be me…"

"Seriously?!" Bulma said in surprise, and couldn't even contain a slight snicker, though she tried to swallow it, "How did they even suspect you of anything."

"Long story…" Gohan replied tiredly, letting himself sit back on his couch again, "I'll tell you later, okay? I just hoped you'd learned something more about her…"

"Well, I did track her phone, but after a bit past 7 PM all signals went out. The last known place was at the grasslands just outside Satan City."

Gohan's face lit up a bit, finally receiving new information, "You know the last piece of information about her was around 5 PM, so this is something we can work with. Is that somewhere northeast by any chance?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" Bulma asked in surprise.

"That's one of her training grounds to practice with Ki. At least now I know she probably went practicing after she left that alley."

"She can fly that far already?" the blue-haired scientist asked in astonishment, "That's amazing."

Gohan chuckled a bit proud, "Yeah, she's something alright; I've only trained her a couple of hours. She's such a fast learner." Even though it wasn't much, that bit of new information Bulma gave him some hope again; he had something to work with now. He thanked Bulma and hung up, giving the phone back to Erasa.

He felt a little more relaxed after talking to Bulma and making use of the situation, his stomach made an ear-deafening sound to let the owner know he needed to eat something. His mother took the all-familiar sound as a sign to set the table. Gohan didn't feel like eating - he'd rather go looking for Videl even though his stomach ordered him otherwise - but after a scowl from Sharpener - remembering the conversation he'd had with the jock earlier today during lunch - he forced himself to eat something. And even though it looked like he had eaten a lot from the view of an outsider, his mother seemed worried.

"You sure you want to stay here tonight, Gohan?" she asked, looking at her son as he was watching the news again on the couch.

"I have to follow strict rules because I'm labeled as their prime suspect and I cannot leave Satan City, so even if I wanted to, I can't," Gohan said reluctantly, though he wouldn't go even if he could. He wasn't even really watching the news; he was overthinking how he would best bring up the subject to the attention of Sharpener. He really needed his freedom to look for clues at Videl's training grounds, but before he could, his mother had to leave - and then he still had that problem with the stupid electronic tag… But first things first, "I'll be fine mom, and I'm not alone; Sharpener and Erasa are here with me. They promised to stay a little longer."

His two blond friends looked at each other, not remembering to make such a promise, though they picked up his hint very quickly, "Yeah, no worries, we'll look after him and make sure he eats enough," Sharpener added awkwardly.

While Erasa - who had played with Goten after dinner - added, "And Goten here is almost asleep. It's better if you go, for Goten's sake."

"But I'm not..." Goten protested, confused. However, Erasa eyed from him to Gohan and back, trying to give the boy a clue of what she meant.

But after Goten didn't pick up the hint, she whispered in his ear, "Just play along Goten! Gohan wants to be alone, he had a long day…"

Goten nodded, not understanding why his big brother wanted to be alone - having learned that whenever you felt down, you needed to be supported by family… That or by friends. And since these two people he just met were his brother's friends, Goten nodded in acknowledgment, deciding to play along, "Oh… yeah, I'm tired mom; I want to go home."

"Alright then…" Chi-Chi said reluctantly, picking up her coat, "I guess it's time to leave."

Gohan stood up, now facing his mother and tried to reassure her with a smile, "It'll be fine mom; we've handled much bigger issues before and even though it doesn't seem that way at the moment, I'm sure everything's going to work out in the end. This is just another one of those things we have to go through…" then he gave her a confident hug, to assist his words.

Hugging him back, she replied, "Alright, if you say so. But please, don't do anything stupid again, okay? Don't disappear without a trace again. If you feel the need to look for her - even if it's during school hours - please let me know, I'll understand."

"I will mom, that's a promise," Gohan replied honestly.

It didn't take long for Nimbus to arrive as he was already in the neighborhood, and after a quick goodbye and a concerned "Please be careful" remark from his mother, the trio watched Chi-Chi and Goten disappear in the night skies, flying on the yellow cloud at high speeds.

Gohan couldn't suppress a grin when he saw the shocked faces from his two blond friends and, remembering the very first question she'd ever asked him, he said, "Well, there's your answer to how I traveled to school all the way from Mount Paozu, Erasa. You wouldn't have believed me if I told you it was a flying cloud."

"N-No k-kidding," she stammered, still looking with a shocked expression at the spot Nimbus had disappeared.

Once inside, Erasa had asked for some directions to the restroom - probably to recover from the internal shock - and finally being alone with Sharpener, Gohan dared to broach the subject.

"I have a problem," the half-Saiyan started hesitantly, then he threw his left leg on the side table, pulling his slacks up and showing his electronic tag.

"What?!" Sharpener exclaimed in disgust, "They tagged you? What were they thinking? How are you even supposed to look for her now?!"

"I do have the code to open it, though I need someone to wear it and follow my normal pattern. Would you-," he paused, knowing he was asking his friend for a huge favor, "Would you be willing to walk with it instead so I can move freely and search for her? I can give you the keys to my apartment; you and Erasa can live here in the meantime. I can sleep on the couch…"

"And why can't you just unlock it and leave it here? You can say you went to bed or something," Sharpener asked, trying to understand the necessity.

"The tag registers a couple of things, including my heartbeat. If I just unlock it and leave it here, police and maybe even paramedics will swarm this place. I would be in serious trouble."

"So you need me to pretend to be you?" Sharpener raised an eyebrow. He knew the best chance they had to find Videl was his dark-haired friend, and seeing the importance of helping him out, he then hesitantly added, "And what if we're caught?"

"To be honest, I think we'd both be in deep shit if we got caught. Though, the chief was the one to give me the code; it was his idea as he needs me to search for her. I'll be there when I've got to show my face, I can't work around that, but at other times I need my freedom." Gohan looked with pleading eyes at his friend, knowing he was the only one he could ask this of.

"I do need to ask my parents if they don't mind me being away from home for a while first, though I think I can make up a good excuse. Either way, if they're against it, we'll have to go back and forth with the tag at times we can. At least you have some time to search then."

Gohan's tense face lit up, "That would really help, thank you so much." Then, with a serious but thankful expression, he added, "You really are a good friend, Sharpener, thank you."

A hand slapped his back and looking at the jock, he grinned, while Sharpener teasingly replied, "Well, it's not every day that I can help out a superhero."

Gohan scowled at him, "Ah, shut up, you're ruining the moment," receiving a snicker as a reply.

"So, I presume you want to go out now? I can watch a movie with Erasa in the meantime, I don't mind." Sharpener said, wanting to give Gohan the opportunity to spend his time as efficiently as possible.

Nodding, Gohan agreed. He reached for the electronic tag, but when he wanted to unlock it, he cursed, "Shoot, what's Videl's birthday again?" Even though he was good with numbers, the stress had gotten the better of him this time.

Raising a disapproving eyebrow, Sharpener replied with an irritated tone, "Seriously, and you call yourself her boyfriend?" But after a moment of thought, he sighed a little embarrassed, "Shit, I forgot myself…"

"It's the 14th of March you idiots; why do you want to know?" Erasa, who came back from the bathroom, said disapprovingly.

"Which Age?" Gohan asked, already entering 0314 as the first four digits on his tag.

"She's 18, Gohan, you know that…" Sharpener lectured him.

'I know she's 18', Gohan sighed to himself, 'But where I come from, age doesn't say anything about the year you were born… sorry I asked'. Gohan frowned and decided not to express his thoughts. Assuming the rest of the code would be 756 according to their reactions, he entered those 3 digits in silence, and indeed the tag unlocked itself. He sighed in relief and gave it to Sharpener, who upon receiving it, closed it around his ankle.

"What the fuck are you guys doing?!" Erasa looked at the boys with a raised eyebrow, "And what is that thing?"

Sharpener hid the electronic tag away under his trousers. "Nothing much, we're just playing tag, and I'm it," then he grinned at his own joke. "Gohan asked if we could watch his house for a bit; he has something to do and doesn't want to leave his house unguarded with all the stuff that's been happening around him. Just to ease his anxiety you know," he winked at Gohan, who relaxed a bit, glad he wasn't the one to answer the question. Then Sharpener continued, "Want to watch a movie?"

"I won't be gone long," Gohan assured and looked at Sharpener again, "Thanks again!"

With no time to lose, Gohan went into his bedroom to change quickly and heard Sharpener say after him, "Yeah, no problem, dude, just do your thing."

When he came out dressed in his Gi, he looked at a confused Erasa and with an apologetic expression he said, "I'm going to follow up on the leads Bulma gave me and search for Videl. I'll explain to you what is going on later, I promise, but for now, I don't want to waste any more time." Then he glanced at the jock, understanding the situation he'd put him in, so he added, "Please be nice to Sharpener; he's only helping out."

Erasa nodded in acknowledgment even though she had no idea what was going on, but when she saw him stride out of the sliding door, straight to the railing, a sudden panic rose within her. "Wait, he's not going to jump, is he?" she exclaimed. Both she and Sharpener ran outside, hoping they weren't too late if Erasa was right. But when they arrived on the rooftop garden, Gohan had jumped over that exact railing.

"Oh please Kami, no…" Erasa cried with a trembling voice while she ran to where her friend had vanished from their vantage point, expecting the worst, but couldn't believe her eyes when she saw it: her friend was flying through the air at a very high speed; by himself, without anything supporting him.

Sharpener came standing next to her, equally surprised. "Well, I'll be damned," he mumbled, gob-smacked, "So it isn't the suit after all…"


Hi there!

I had to split the chapters again, so I had a different ending in mind. Sorry this isn't as thrilling. However, I'm looking forward to let you read the upcoming chapters!

Have a nice weekend