Author's Note: Here's the second installment in this double-chapter update. It's pretty short, but I couldn't think of a better way to end this chapter. Besides, I want a cliffhanger, so you'd be on the lookout for the next chapter. =P

Fueled by Anger, Driven by Despair
Chapter Twelve: The Final Straw


"Buh-but how --- why ---" Erasa finally managed to speak out, although her shock was still evident in her pale features. Her deep blue eyes were darting from Gohan to Eiyu and back uneasily, clearly unfocused, and she was trembling not because of the pistol Videl was still aiming at her, but because of the sight that was right in front of her. "You... and Gohan..."

"That is not important; you need not know," Eiyu replied sternly, boring his eyes on the young woman fiercefully enough to make her back off a couple of steps. The reason why he said so, however, was because he did not know the answer himself, despite of all the researches he conducted and the help he received from Goten and Trunks.

"What do you want with us anyway?!"

Eiyu chuckled. "I want you dead. Both of you, for making Videls' life miserable. But of course, I will give her the honor --- after all, this is her life we're talking about, and she deserves to be the judge, the jury, and perhaps... the executioner herself..." he said before he tilted his head to the young woman's direction. "Videl?"

All eyes fell on the raven-haired, sapphire-eyed young woman, was was still pointing the pistol at Erasa threateningly. They watched her every move --- they watched her breathe, they watch her blink, they watched her bite her lip, they watched her shift her weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably, they looked out for any sign of movement---

--- then a gunshot was heard.

Erasa shrieked, dropping to the floor almost immediately and covering her head with her arms, and she continued to scream at the top of her lungs. Videl slid behind the wooden cabinet as soon as the gun was fired, where she crouched and waited for the chance to fire back if it was necessary; Eiyu, on the other hand, fell to the cold floor, clutching his bleeding arm to stop losing more of his blood.

Gohan had grabbed the gun.

Eyes blazing, Gohan loaded the gun and aimed it at the other man, who was still down and withering in pain. "I did not make Videl's life miserable," he blurted out, saying every word distinctly. "Not on purpose, that is. I already explained it to her; we already sorted things out. Don't stick your nose into other people's business --- you might get it cut off." Moving only his head so he would still be aiming the gun at the injured young man, he turned to Videl and asked, "What should I do with him?"

"Put the gun away and leave him alone," came Videl's reply as she stepped out of the her hiding place. "And call for an ambulance. He needs to be attended to immediately --- we don't know how fatal his injury is."

"I don't need to be attended to," Eiyu snapped defensively. "I can take care of myself, thank you."

"Don't be stubborn!" she shot back, putting her pistol back into its holster and walking towards him with an expression on her face that spoke the message that no one should dare try to stop her. "You can take care of yourself, yes, but not all the time! Put your pride away and do what must be done! Gohan, please... call up the hospital, now."

The other young man looked at her, and with a pained voice, he asked, "You really care for him, don't you?"

And before she could reply, Gohan turned around and walked away, pulling out his cellphone as he did so. He quickly dialed a familiar phone number, and asked for assistance, saying that one of his friends got injured by a stray bullet.

"I don't really need this..."

Videl scoffed. "Oh no, mister, you do. Look at you! Look at what happened to you!" she exclaimed, then she frowned. "So you heard everything Erasa said? I mean... you left the room, yes, but knowing you, you were probably just around the corner, tinkering with something that would come in useful sooner or later..."

He held out a small device.

"I knew it," she blurted out, smiling.

"I had the hunch that you wouldn't be able to pull yourself together to scratch Erasa, so as much kill her, so I thought that the best way would be to have her sent in jail... and we would need evidence for that. I always come prepared, you should be used to that by now..."

You really care for him, don't you?

"Hey, I'll be right back. I just gotta see what's wrong with Gohan, he's disturbed..." Videl whispered as she stood up and sprinted after Gohan, who was just outside the room, pacing back and forth nervously. He was in deep thought --- too much in deep thought --- that he did not notice Videl's arrival. The young woman, on the other hand, just rested her gaze on his somber features, and waited until he realized that she was standing there.

Then, he finally did. "I... I'm sorry, Videl, I didn't notice... I called up the hospital already, just as you asked me to..." He suddenly found the floor to be very interesting. "I... I didn't mean to hurt him, Videl, I swear. I was desperate. I... You know I don't like being pressured, and the pressure I felt with that gun pointed to my head was even more than from that time when I came to school without studying and we had an exam! And I most certainly do not like to be accused of something---"

"Gohan," she began, walking forward to look at him in the eye. "I... I care for Eiyu, yes. But not in the same way as I care for you. It's true, there was something going on between us, but... I don't know, maybe it was because he looked so much like you, I thought his presence would keep me at peace. It did, for a while, until we met again. Until my gaze fell upon you again. Then I realized... I like him. But, I... I love you."

He took the cue, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her --- as deeply and as passionately as he dared. For a few moments, nothing else seemed to existed in the world except the two of them, as the flame of passion sparked and engulfed them in flames. Gohan did not notice, however, that shortly after reaching the climax of the enchange, she suddenly went stiff, as if something was not right, as if something was about to go wrong, and she began to pull away from him. She looked at him, a dozen or more emotions lighting up in her beautiful cobalt eyes...

... then another gunshot was heard.

All worries, all anxieties were immediately forgotten, as Gohan and Videl rushed back towards the room --- and the sight was not lovely. Eiyu was still on the floor, the pistol he used earlier back in his hand and was pointed at Erasa, but it soon fell out of his grasp, even if it appeared that he did not want to let go. Erasa, on the other hand, had a gun in her hands --- it was Videl's pistol; it must have slipped out of its holster --- and she had fired it.

It took Videl a closer look to realize that Erasa's attempt was successful.

She dropped to her knees and scooped Eiyu into her arms, calling out to him, begging that he keep his eyes open and stay alive. At that very same moment, Gohan stormed up to Erasa, grabbed the gun and threw it away. "We have seen enough blood today, Erasa. And I have heard enough from you --- heard enough lies from you. If you think that I'm going to take you into my arms again when you start crying oh so pitifully, you better think again. I will not be sympathetic."

I will be not be sympathetic...

Those words seemed to be the final straw for Erasa. Burying her face into her hands, she sank to her knees and sobbed.