Dire Consequences

"I can't give you a sure-fire formula for success, but I can give you a formula for failure: try to please everybody all the time."

-Herbert Bayard Swope

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto III. It was incorporated in this chapter because I feel it is one of the greatest games made. That, and I needed some comic relief. ;x

He was feeling it all over again, like a jolt of electricity, after seven years of mediocrity. His stomach was twisting and churning about, his feelings of dread overcoming everything else. He couldn't think. His mental anguish made that simple everyday concept—something he didn't have much trouble doing throughout his life—akin to comprehending theoretical physics before puberty. He wasn't so sure as to what had actually occurred to Videl, and equally, why he was in such a state of nervous shock at what he would find. She was strong, both in resolve and as a physical specimen, so the situation couldn't be that bad, could it? Gohan was unquestionably positive that she could fatally maim any other human in hand-to-hand combat, exempting the humans of the Z Senshi of course. That statement included that supercilious braggart Mr. Satan, and all his pathetic lackeys. Even though he had made those observations purely on the basis of evaluating her strength to others, right now, it did nothing to diminish his concern for the raven-haired vixen.

In his agitated state, he hadn't noticed that he was exerting a phenomenal amount of ki, his pace rapidly accelerating with every second. Soon, inevitably, he heard—and felt—the deafening boom reverberate throughout his skeletal structure.

"Wha…?" He hadn't the least bit idea at what it was, that colossal explosion that still rang in his ears and vibrated furiously inside him. And he was sure as hell not going to stop to ponder over it. He then realized the nature of the roar, still not decelerating his pace, but mentally acknowledged the fact that he had ascended Mach 1. He would have expressed some concern had it occurred under different circumstances, that fact was assured. But in his current state of panic he barely had time to dodge stray birds, let alone fret over loud noises. Some of the poor creatures were nearly fried whilst air-born, simply because of the tremendous amount of ki-heat being emitted from his aura.

It was a relatively short flight, roughly three minutes maximum, and as soon as he had spotted her body he nose-dived towards it. A small crater, about the size of a small Saiya-jin space-pod, immediately formed as Gohan's ki rendered the alley rubble into nothing. It was as close to spontaneous combustion as was humanly possible.

"Oh god," gasped Gohan, looking at her sprawled on the alley dirt, unconscious. A crimson pool had gradually spread around her, encompassing her torso and the immediate vicinity around it.

She's not dead. She's not dead. She can't be dead. Oh god, she's dead. No! She's not!!!

He rushed towards her, kneeling and placing his finger on her creamy neck, checking for a pulse.

A God, please let there be a pulse. Please, Please…

Apparently the silent, and desperate, plea for mercy had been heard. A small and painfully distinct throb pulsated through her main artery. It was so light, that if Gohan hadn't studied those emergency-aid techniques his mom imposed on him, he would have thought the worst. His fingers confirmed that her soul was still with him, on this spiritual plane, and had not transcended into the upper realm.

He carefully, almost as if someone was handling a nuclear bomb that would explode if dropped, cradled her into his arms. He made every possible effort to keep the move as gradual as possible, trying his hardest not to move her muscles even the slightest. Most medical technicians state that an injured body should never be moved without the proper medical check, for the movement may inflame any internal injuries. Despite that knowledge, the compelling need for him to get her some help overrode that previous precaution. He clutched her protectively in his arms, and blasted off.

Luckily, for him, there was a hospital in that immediate locality. Shunning any pessimistic thoughts of the fatal injuries she may have suffered, which had been swimming around in his mind along with a whole slew of other, equally depressing, notions, he skyrocketed towards his destination.

Videl, the girl he loved so deeply, was bleeding profusely at the moment. It made his heart wrench violently that the love of his life was on the brink of death. He would gladly trade his life just so she could enjoy even a meager minute more of this life, without giving it another thought.

He quickly landed upon the front entrance, as idle passers-by gaped in astonishment at their well-celebrated superhero duo. People quickly moved out of Saiya-Man's path, murmuring slightly as they witnessed him carry a red-drenched Videl with him.

"Somebody! I need help! Help!" He shouted, trying to rouse the attention of the medics, "Help me! Hel…," his voice broke uncharacteristically—for Saiya-Man that is—and he tried to repeat his plea for help. But try as he might, his voice was stuck in his throat, tears threatening to burst forth behind tinted visors. Fortuitously, a doctor had just happened to be checking on some patient files at the front desk, and was alarmed to see Saiya-Man caressing a bloody Videl in his arms. He quickly called for a stretcher, and two nurses frantically wheeled one out from the storage rooms. With all due care, Saiya-Man placed her on the stretcher, trying not to irritate any internal injuries she may have suffered. Immediately after, the nurses wheeled her at a furious pace with the doctor taking the lead.

As the stretcher was in motion, one nurse was busy injecting a needle into her small arm, successfully connecting her to an IV bag. Gohan, or Saiya-Man in this case, was running after them, not wanting to leave Videl's side even for a moment. He rushed with them as fast as he could, everything was a blur to him; the voices were being slurred, his vision was becoming distorted, and a faint dizziness threatened to engulf him.

"Gunshot wound, possibly at medium range, entering the abdomen at the front. Has suffered a huge amount of blood loss and is in a current state of unconsciousness." The doctor called out to his aides, one nurse furiously scribbling notes down, as they rushed down the corridor. They burst through two double doors, a sign above signifying it as the 'Operating Theatre'. One nurse lingered behind, anticipating Saiya-Man's intentions expertly.

"Sorry sir, you can't enter the operating theatre." She said, trying to calm the frantic superhero.

"No! I have to see her, she can't…"

"Sir, I understand. But you have to let the doctors do their job."

"I know! But I must see her, she's bleeding so much!" Gohan called out, frenetically trying to push his way in through the double doors.

The nurse, who was highly experienced with this sort of behavior and was still getting progressively irked, shouted out, "LOOK SIR! We know you're concerned! But if you want to see her alive, you must give the doctors their SPACE! When you fight crime, don't you see to it that civilians don't interfere when your work of apprehending criminals? This is just like that! In the crime scene people respect your space, so you have to respect our space!"

She glared at him, as he lowered his head in a little shame, muttering a sort of apology.

"Good, now don't worry she'll be okay. We'll try our best for the daughter of this whole City." With that somewhat soothing assurance, she whirled around and entered the double doors, leaving Gohan staring at the swinging entrance. Sighing despondently, he trudged towards some vacant seats, deciding to wait outside despite his burning desire to be with her. He wanted to hold her hand, to be beside her all the time, to be there for her at a time like this. He slumped into his seat, tired and hungry, trying to discern what was going on inside.

"What happened to you, kid?" The voice was deep, and eerily familiar. He stared at the ground, refusing to acknowledge the speaker.

"You have blood splattered all over your gi, you should have it checked." The voice persisted, equally stubborn upon not leaving the teen alone as he had wished.

Glancing up, Gohan stared at his former caped mentor, the proud Namek known as Piccolo. "She's…She's shot…She might die…" He said, in utter shock, like he had just come to that realization.

Piccolo's expression changed immediately to a faintly identifiable look of concern, as he asked a little softer this time, "Who, Gohan?"

Gohan looked up at him, eyes vacant, reflecting an unusual amount of light, and slowly whispered, "Videl." Although Piccolo hadn't the least bit idea of who this female might be, he instantly grasped that she meant a lot to his former pupil.

"Why didn't you take her to see Dende?"

He looked at him, as a bit of confusion crept into his face. After contemplating on the question for a while, Gohan smacked himself in the forehead and stood up, taking long strides towards the operating theatre. But before he could barge in, and take his ailing love to see his Namekian friend, a large sinewy hand grabbed his shoulder.

He looked back, to see Piccolo's determined face, "Don't Gohan."

Frustrated, Gohan shrugged off his hand and exclaimed, "Why not? She's going to die if I don't get her to Dende!"

"Dende could heal her, that is true. But recall, the injuries Dende has been exposed to are ki inflicted by nature. Thus he had always been able to heal us without the concern for foreign objects, or collateral residue."

Gohan looked at him again, slight realization dawning to him as he analyzed Piccolo's profound statement. He somehow managed to comprehend its implications even though he was pretty much still shrouded in a blanket of anxiety.

"I believe, if memory serves me correctly, that you stated earlier that she had been shot. Therefore, there is a very large, and probably correct, possibility that the bullet is still lodged within her system. If Dende had healed her, he would have healed the flesh over the metallic projectile, and that would later on undoubtedly cause her numerous internal injuries. Here," he handed the forlorn teen a green bean, which immediately perked his spirits, "After they have performed the necessary surgery to remove it, you can safely give her this, which I believe would solve your plight rather efficiently." He smirked a little at his hopeful pupil, who gingerly took the green bean that had been offered to him. Ever since the 'Demon-King' had merged with Kami, he had been going through subtle changes, no doubt because of the older counterpart's influence. He seemed to talk with much more eloquence than the normal Piccolo, who had trained him prior to the Saiya-jin invasion.

"You're the best Piccolo!" Gohan said, immediately smothering the much larger specimen with a grateful embrace.

Piccolo just grunted, refusing to return the childish embrace, but a faint smile had already encroached his lips.

Gohan was smiling broadly as he walked up to the double doors and peeked in. The doctor was holding a pair of tweezers, and upon closer inspection, tweezers that had a round metallic ball firmly in its grip. He pumped his fist enthusiastically, calling out a small, "Yesss," in the process.

Deciding that leaving Videl's life to further surgery would unnecessarily put her in harm's way, he casually walked in through the double doors bean grasped firmly in his hand.

"Excuse me, Saiya-Man! I though I told you to stay outside!" It was the same nurse from before, the one that had vented quite angrily at him.

"Yes, ma'am, I know. But I have here something that will help Miss Videl profoundly in her recovery." He held out his palm, showing her the small green bean that rested on it.

"What are you nuts?! This is a gunshot wound, not a freaking rash! This is serious, and I would appreciate it if you'd get out!"

"But, honestly, it'll—," he was interrupted yet again, this time by the head surgeon.

"Get out, Saiya-Man! We need to concentrate here!"

Gohan decided that he had not the time nor energy to explain to these skeptics about the power vested in that bean, so opted to use the more convincing method. Holding out his other palm, he formed a yellow ball of light, and aimed it at the metallic filing cabinet to his side. He let it go, and the astonished medical workers watched on as the metal instantly incinerated, a large charcoal splotch imprinted on the ground where it had once stood.

"If you don't want that to happen to yourself, I suggest you leave." He pointed his finger to the door, struggling to suppress his increasing anger. Without hesitation, the fearful medical staff adhered to the threat and filed out the door, rather hastily. Sighing, Gohan walked up to the operating table, spotting the round transparent dish the bullet had been discarded into. Emptying its contents, he placed the Senzu in it, and formed a small ball of ki underneath it, effectively heating the dish. After a little while, the Senzu had completely liquefied, the thick green liquid oozing around the dish until it had covered every inch of it. Taking a glass of water, he carefully diluted the mixture to what he estimated was fifty percent, making half the mixture Senzu and the other half water.

Working fast, he transferred some of its contents into a hypodermic syringe, pushing the end of it slightly just to make sure it was working properly. Satisfied with his handiwork, he walked up the bloodied girl, and injected his new formula into her, using the already inserted IV bag tube. He slowly caressed her beautiful face, brushing her silky bangs of hair idly, whispering, "It'll be okay now, Videl. I promise…"

In the brightly lit room, a sleeping beauty stirred slightly. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open only to be subsequently shut again. Trying again, a little more careful, she let the brightness stream in through the small slits of her eyes. Gradually, as her rods and cones became adjusted to this change of light, she ventured to open them more fully. Squinting a little, she surveyed the room she was in. A somewhat nauseating odor was highly detectable by her olfactory senses. It was a very familiar smell. One that was almost automatically associated with hospitals, and their vigorous attempts to keep it sterile.

The room itself was fairly spacious, with almost no furniture save for a small chair and its corresponding table. She couldn't make out any more furnishings from her current position. Assuming it to be a hospital bed, she felt around on the side and soon found the button she wanted. Pressing it, she waited as a small mechanical hum initiated. After about half a minute of that low drone, her bed had inclined to about a forty-five degree angle, Videl deciding that this was the most comfortable position. She felt a faint rise and fall of someone on her stomach, a consistent cycle of pressure being applied and then released, like the ebb of oceanic waves on sandy beaches.

Looking down her eyes met the most adorable scene she could possibly imagine. There lay, partially on her stomach, arms folded on the sides of her bed, her spiky-haired love, er, friend. She smiled weakly at him, mentally thrilled at the site of his apparent concern for her welfare. Right next to him was an open laptop computer, strikingly familiar in color and shape to her own. It took her only moments to realize that it was her own laptop, as a small 'Girls Kick Ass' aphorism (to her at least) was scrawled on its black side-casing with correction fluid.

Feeling a sudden surge of anger, she quickly reached out and grabbed it. She wasn't one too enamored with people invading her privacy. She had learned to use it as an emotional outlet, to just spew forth whatever she was feeling at whatever time she wished to write. It was her electronic journal, her written documentation of the very emotions she veiled from the breathing world. Scowling at the sleeping Gohan, she checked the laptop screen to see what Gohan had been reading. She pressed a key causing the cessation of the moving objects displayed on the monitor, her screensaver. Soon a white screen blinked up, with several written words arranged in neat rows. It was a Word document, and from the looks of things, the written sentiments in which she identified her repressed emotions. Although she thought that this was her diary document, the title of the page begged to differ otherwise. It read, 'Identifying Microcosms'.

Minimizing it, she soon realized that that was the only open document. Quickly accessing the history folder, she gave it a hasty perusing, the information there quelling any anger she had felt for Gohan before. Contrary to her instinctive conclusion, he had not invaded her privacy. In fact, he had only opened one document, which obviously was the one he was working on when he fell asleep. Curiously reading over the document, she became more and more certain that this was the Literature essay they were instructed to do in class. It was due first thing next week, and she had had alluded to Gohan about getting some help with it prior to her 'incident'.

Gohan probably finished up his own essay, but why on my computer? Maybe he didn't have any paper over here, so used the computer.

She glanced at him again, still methodically undulating on her stomach like a stationary wave.

Wait a minute…She quickly went back to the laptop screen and checked the title once more. It still read, 'Identifying Microcosms', which could only mean one thing. He did it for me? I am pretty sure the topic given to him was 'Abstract Ideas'. As if to convince herself, she read above the title, and in the top right corner typed in bold font was her name. She scrolled all the way down to the bottom, reading the conclusion to the piece, which she noted absentmindedly was written in 'less-articulate' English than Gohan usually employs on formal assignments. Gohan was obviously attempting to write the paper within the bounds of Videl's above average vocabulary, keeping an amiable check upon his more eloquent usage of words.

That was so sweet, he wrote a five-page paper just for me. And he probably had to research the topic I was given as well, because he had a different one.

Little did she know that Gohan's book knowledge is of an extraordinary scope. He probably needed to employ the most minimal amount of time researching, and knowing Gohan, finished the paper in less than an hour. She reached over and ran her hand through his thick locks of jet-black hair. It was unusual that his hair was soft and fluffy, not the hard and stiff rendition frequently associated with spiky hair. There were no signs indicating that he used hair-gel, or any other hair styling accessory. Then the question still remained: how the hell did his hair defy gravity so much on its own accord?

Gohan stirred a little, moaning something incomprehensible as he turned his head to the other side. Previously he had his left cheek resting on her stomach, facing away from her. After this latest development he was facing towards her, a trickle of drool dribbling down the side of his mouth. She still stroked his hair, watching a small smile come to his lips. Before she could do anything though, his eyes shot open almost too suddenly. He looked at her a little confused, fully aware of her hand still stuck in his hair.

"You did that for me?" She asked, pointing to the laptop screen, a little too nicely for Gohan's liking. Just what was she getting at anyway?

"Uh…um…yeah." He managed to croak out, cringing a little afterwards as if expecting admonishment. Instead of the dreaded diatribe, all he got was another gentle stroke on his hair, until she pulled her hand back. He looked up and witnessed a soft smile on her lips as she looked out the window, light playing on her beautiful features. All too soon he realized where he had fallen asleep, pointedly Videl's stomach, and quickly bolted upright blushing wildly.

"Thanks," she said gently.

"Um…it's okay. No problem." He replied, rather relieved. "How are you feeling?"

She looked at him, who seemed to be trying his utmost not to smile. It was very confusing to say the least, "Surprisingly, I feel fine. Wait. Scratch that, better than fine. Man, I think they put me on too much morphine."

Gohan burst into a fit of snickers, trying to clamp his hand over his grinning mouth. Seeing Videl glare indignantly at him, he suppressed any more snickers, and grinned broadly. "How's your stomach?"

"I dunno, I didn't check it yet." She looked down, only now realizing that she wasn't in her normal clothing. Rather, she saw a despicable array of ducks imprinted on the white cloth. Videl concluded that it must have been the most embarrassing set of clothing apparel ever to hit the consumer market.

"What the hell?!" She exclaimed, jolting Gohan to an upright position. He hastily scampered to his feet, his head rapidly turning to and fro.

"What? What?"

"What the hell is this?" She demanded hotly, pointing to her hospital gown.

He looked relieved, as he sat back down waving nonchalantly, "Oh that, the hospital ran out of gowns. It seemed that someone threw up, repeatedly I may add, on the fresh batch of laundry. The clothes were literally swimming in spew," Videl scrunched up her nose at this. It was not pretty to visualize that scenario, as Videl would vigorously attest to. "So, the hospital right now is running big time short. They had to give some adults the gowns for children."

Her face turned beet red at that statement, as she slowly peeked underneath the white covers. Sure enough, it looked more like a skimpy whore outfit rather than a hospital gown. It barely covered her underwear, stopping short at about her upper thigh. It was the most utterly despicable, and now most revealing, clothes she had ever worn in her entire life. The only thing that consoled her minutely was the fact that it was at least loose fitting, not sticking to her bodily contours.

"Oh man," she whispered, to nobody in particular.

"What is it?" Gohan asked, intrigued at her new mood. It seemed she was going through a lot of mood swings lately…must be that time of the month again.

She looked at him, and immediately another fresh onslaught of red consumed her. She tugged at the sheets instinctively. which presently covered her from the upper torso and on downwards.

"Um, nothing much. Just that this gown is a little too revealing for comfort."

Blushing slightly, Gohan laughed, "Well, it's only temporary. 'bout an hour or two, until they clean up that mess. Are you hungry?"

"Yeah, I'm famished," she responded, hands going to her tummy. She felt around a bit, her eyes growing progressively larger. Throwing a questioning glance at him, she peeked under her covers again, trying to get a view of her torso. Lifting up her gown, she gasped, feeling the smooth skin underneath. It showed not a single sign of even being scratched, let alone a bullet ripping through it. There were no stitches, or bandages, nor was there any swelling or marks of a bruise. It was like nothing had happened to it, but as she too vividly remembered, that wasn't the case.

"Alright, explain to me why it looks like the bullet missed me completely?" She demanded, again extending her glower at the Saiya-jin.

"Oh, um…well, ya see…I," he looked at her, and her features softened a bit, telling him to go on. "Um, I have this friend. He grows a special type of bean, which has…" he mentally cringed, "A bit of magic in it."

Videl stared at him, immediately skeptical. "Magic? What the hell do you mean by, 'magic'?"

"It has unusual healing powers, and is able to accelerate the healing process as well. Incredibly, I had one on me when this happened to you."

She still kept her gaze on him, watching as he squirmed uneasily. "You mean to say you gave me a bean? Which accelerated a three-month healing process to a day?"

"No, to about five minutes." That was not the most tactful thing to say at a time like this.

"What? You expect me to believe this Son Gohan? What kind of fool do you think I am?"

The nurse picked that particular moment to barge in, greeting them both cheerily. "Hello, you two! Miss Videl, how are we feeling?" She had a motherly charm about her, causing both teens to immediately like her. She placed a tray in front of Videl, and then proceeded to check some monitors and her chart. Videl stared at the tray and made a face. The main dish was something brown and chunky, looking a lot like solid oatmeal.

"Remarkable, Miss Videl. That Saiya-Man is really something else." The nurse commented after a brief perusal of her health statistics.

Videl immediately diverted her gaze to Gohan, food forgotten temporarily. Gohan's eyes silently pleaded with her, and she felt her resolve weaken considerably. She honestly didn't know anyone who could actually say no to that look he gave, and by the looks of things it was rubbing off on his little brother.

"What do you mean?" She asked, avoiding any words that would reveal "Saiya-Man's" identity.

"Well, he brought you here all bloody and stuff. It was really a heart-breaking sight. I heard that the doctors started to operate on you, but shortly after they had removed the bullet, Saiya-Man barged in and kicked them all out." Videl raised her eyebrow towards Gohan, but let the elderly lady continue. "He came out a few minutes later, a goofy smile on his lips. The medical staff rushed in to try and salvage the operation, only to discover that there was absolutely no sign of the injury. It was as if nothing had happened. They didn't believe it of course, thinking it to be some sort of illusion or whatnot. They ran extensive tests on you, but sure enough, you were totally healed. And Saiya-Man, was no where to be found. They're going to keep you a few days for observation though."

Videl gaped at her, then slowly back at her friend. It was true, the whole bean story wasn't a cover up. But how? Gohan was in for a mighty long interrogation, that's for sure.

"Now eat your food. If you need me, then just press this button." With that, the plump old women left, much to Gohan's dismay. She then looked at him, and contrary to what Gohan had imagined, she wasn't the least bit mad. Actually, it looked like she was a little ashamed. She looked downwards, not willing to make eye contact with the naïve boy, and murmured slightly.

"Thanks, you saved my life yet again."

"I didn't do it, the bean did." He answered sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

She smiled at him, "Yeah, but you're the one who gave me the bean."

"Not me, it was Piccolo who had it."

"Who's he?"

Gohan chuckled, "Long story. Another time."

Surprisingly, she just nodded her head and poked at the food with her fork. "Why does hospital food have to look so…so…" She struggled to find the right word.

"Repugnant?" Gohan suggested, smiling again.

Sweat-dropping, she answered, "No. I was thinking more along the lines of 'YUCK'."

"Oh that was really the perfect word, Videl. Bravo. 'Yuck'…clear and concise. Another bastion of brevity!" Gohan clapped, smirking the whole time.

"Hey shut up! I just got shot here!"

Gohan's face suddenly turned dark, as he asked, "Who did this to you?" Videl was so surprised at the comment that she nearly let go of her food tray. His face had changed so abruptly from being carefree to a look akin to suppressed rage. His whole expression was rigid as his lips were set into a taught line, all pretext of playfulness gone. His eyes burned with fury, and voice had carried with it a stern edge, demanding an answer.

Feeling a little bit of fear, she managed to choke out, "I…I don't know. They…somehow caught on to the Chief's frequency, and called me to that alleyway. They looked like small time gangsters to me. I didn't see the guy who shot me too well. All I remember seeing were two R's, that's it."

He kept his eyes trained on her. They were like two hard emotionless orbs, until he sighed wearily, and rested his head back on her abdomen. A faint blush approached her cheeks at his movement, but she decided to wave it off considering his mood a second before.

"You gave me the biggest scare of my life, you know that?"

She smiled a little, "Oh? And here I was thinking you'd benefit the most from Videl being put out of commission!"

"Hey!" He hugged her stomach a little tighter, still resting his head, a long forlorn look plastered on his face.

Videl's heart tugged at her again, watching him like this. What was it with the Son boys anyway? They could get anyone to sympathize with them, and she was no exception. She reached her hand out and ruffled his hair, saying softly, "Hey, don't worry big guy. I'm okay now. That's the main thing, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," he replied, still a bit down.

"Come on, cheer up. I'm the one who has to eat this pile of crap they call food!" She exclaimed, causing a small smile appear on his lips. Glancing at the radio, she suggested that they listen to some music to cheer them up. Flicking through the channels, she settled on her favorite station, still trying to ascertain if her food was edible or not. She made funny faces, exaggerating a little for Gohan's sake, until he chuckled.

"Come on, eat it already!"

She glanced at him, wrinkling her nose. "It looks so yucky," she complained, poking it incessantly.

"Poking the food isn't going to make it go away Videl. On the other hand, it'd only make it all the more disgusting when I have to shovel it down your throat!" Gohan quipped, looking up from her stomach.

She looked at him slyly, her eyes gaining a mischievous twinkle. Gohan gulped. This could not be anything good, he was sure. "Oh Gohan," she batted her eyelashes, which accentuated her deep-blue eyes that he was crazy about, "Can you get me a Snicker bar form the vending machine. Please? I promise I'll eat my food if you do." She smiled sweetly at him, still batting those damnable eyelashes. Gohan's emotions were tearing him up from the inside. One part of him just wanted to jump her on the hospitable bed and kiss her silly, and the other, the more rational of the two, was screaming danger signals at him like a crazed lunatic. His hand shaking uncontrollably, he silently nodded, and got out of the room as fast as he could. Videl smirked, having never doubted that he would fall for her plan hook, line and sinker.

It's way too easy to get him to do what I want.

Still smirking, she emptied out the contents of the food tray from hell, disposing them in the trashcan. Taking a bunch of scrap papers she found on the table, she threw them in as well to hide the incriminating evidence. She had to learn at least some criminal techniques, considering the time she spent apprehending them and following on their leads. She closed her eyes and reveled in the song that was being played, humming the tune softly.

A little while later Gohan reappeared, munching contentedly on a Snicker bar. He didn't seem to have another one anywhere on him, nor did he make the move to offer some of his to her. Videl eyed him suspiciously waiting for him to justify his actions, but much to her chagrin all he did was stare back with those innocent looking eyes. Throwing up her arms, she cried, "Well?!"

Gohan tilted his head to the side, and after gulping down some of the masticated remains of his chocolate bar, replied, "Well what?"

Her suspicious stare had turned into an all-out glare, as she said slowly between clenched teeth, "WELL, where is my Snicker bar."

"I didn't get it," came the reply, sounding as natural as ever.

"Why?!"

"Well, when I went outside to cool down," he blushed slightly at that, "I realized something. It was painfully obvious that you were manipulating me to do your bidding, since your not allowed to eat candy when in observation." He glanced at her food try, which still had containers on it save this time they were empty. Eyeing her warily, he walked up to it and inspected the tray carefully.

"What? I finished it while you were gone. Let me tell you, I had to do it while pinching my nose shut." Videl tried sounding as sincere as possible, but perhaps it hadn't worked on Gohan.

He glanced at the trashcan, which only had scattered bits of paper on top. Sighing, he picked up the tray and placed on the small table on the side. He then returned to his seat by Videl's bed, still determined to have his way.

"You're still not getting any candy," he stated.

"Gohan! Come on, I'm hungry!" She whined, only to clamp her mouth shut a little too late.

"Aha! How come your hungry if you just ate! Come on, Videl. Cough it up, what did you do to it." She still stared at him with her hand clamped on her mouth. "Did you force feed some poor kid that came in to wish you well?"

"What? I would never, I'm not that sadistic." She exclaimed, pretending to be offended.

"Ok ok, but your NOT getting a candy bar." He nodded his head after that, as if to convince himself of that fact.

"Come on Gohan, please?"

"No," came the emphatic answer.

"Please?" She converted full force into pout mode, trying her hardest to seem as melancholy as possible.

Gohan refrained from looking at her face, knowing that if he did so the consequences would be disastrous. As much as he tried though, he could not prevent himself from yielding to temptation. Sneaking a quick glance he felt a pang of overwhelming guilt. Her gloomy face nearly shattered his heart like a fragile glass vase when subjected to the zany antics of the Infernal Duo. Sighing reluctantly, he threw his hands up in despair and exclaimed, "Alright! Here!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out another Snicker bar, handing it to the elated girl. "I hope you're happy!"

"Of course I am!" She reached over and pecked him on the cheek, then snuggled comfortably on the hospital bed with her newly acquired treat. Gohan had never felt so much heat rushing up to his face, and he was pretty sure his face could pass for a stop sign at this moment. Hand gently trailing the place where her soft lips had made contact, he stared at the happy girl munch on her candy bar whilst moving slightly to the beat of a new song.

Man, she looks damn beautiful when she's happy. Woah, Gohan. Hold your horses there buddy. This is Videl we're talking about, not some ditzy air-head just looking for a date.

His mental debate was interrupted when Videl smacked him on the head. He looked up at her, "What?"

"Why were you staring off into space?"

"Um…I dunno." He shrugged his shoulders, not really wanting to inform Videl about his feelings for her.

She shook her head, "Man, sometimes you can be such a geek!"

Gohan just smiled back as she punched him in the shoulder. All ill-effects of the shooting seemed to have worn off. Either that, or she had excellent veiling skills with regards to her emotions which was entirely plausible. The song she had been listening to ended, and Gohan was getting tired with songs at the moment. Reaching over, he flicked the dial through random channels until the desired digits blinked back at him through the LCD display.

Excerpt from Rockstar's GTA3 chatterbox radio channel

Lazlow: "Alright Liberty City, you are listening to Chatterbox, the show that is the number one reason...for the success of the internet. Alright, let's take a call...who's on the line?"

Caller: "Clothes!"

Lazlow: "Wh...what about them?!"

Caller: "Clothes!"

Lazlow: "What are you talking about??"

Caller: "Lazlow...clothes!! Clothes, Lazlow! I hate 'em, I just hate 'em!"

Lazlow: "Eh...we're all about opinions on Chatterbox, which is Satan City's (Changed due to story context)premiere phone-in station. But...why don't you like clothes...?"

Caller: "I just hate them, they're so constricting! I mean does a lion wear clothes? And the lion is the king of the jungle! So why can't I, a humble citizen, go naked!?!"

Lazlow: "Well I mean I guess a lion has two distinct advantages over

you. One, I mean you say a king, and therefore it can exercise it's royal prerogative to not wear clothes, and two, it's a cat, and therefore doesn't have to, and three, I mean...now that I think about it...if you want to try to dress a lion you can, but...I guess what we're learning is that life can be a little unfair at times!"

Caller: "I'm naked, Lazlow!! I'm naked!!"

Lazlow: "I...you know...I really didn't need to know that!"

Caller: "Why Lazlow, why? Does it offend you?? I was born naked, I'm gonna die naked! I'm going to live naked! So there! There's nothing wrong with being naked!! It's so invigorating feeling the hot leather of a chair...or the cool wind from the north on your naked body."

Lazlow: "I..I...I'm gonna have to cut you off..."

Caller: "Don't you believe in free speech...and free expression? No, of

course you don't...all you believe in is free drinks!! I'm naked and there's not a damn thing you can do about it! I'm naked and I feel sooo good!"

Lazlow: "Wh...what about winter!?!"

Caller: "What d'you mean?!"

Lazlow: "You know...I mea...what about winter?! When the wind blows, and it's really cold...I mean...do you prance about like a ninny waiting for your privates to go blue??"

Caller: "I was born naked and I'm gonna die naked!!"

Lazlow: "Eh-heh...and all shriveled up by the sound of things!"

Caller: "Winter was invented by clothing companies! Clothes are unnecessary. They're ugly! Have you ever cooked in the nude??"

Lazlow: "Nah...look is this leading anywhere, cos I mean, we've got a lot of other people waiting to talk about real things here...!"

Caller: "Nudity is real! Open your eyes! Take off your pants, come on!!

Come on Lazlow, you can be a figure-head for Liberty City

naturists! We have more members now for the first time since

1977. Nudity is back! A lot of people are into nudity and really understand the spiritual side."

Lazlow: "What?!? Hanging out with loads of naked chicks? I mean I see

the fun in it, but...I just think that clothes have distinct

advantages. Like...like not accidentally cooking yourself, or...or when you're working on a building...!"

Caller: "We're not swingers! It's not about sex. It's about being one with the world."

Lazlow: "Alright dude, groovy, hug a rainbow..."

Lazlow: "Alright, thanks caller. Ants, killer bees, fat people, nude guys, what's plaguing you? Call now! Chatterbox, hello, you're on the on the air."

Caller: "Err yes...I'd like to say something about these damn people on trains and busses in this city who yammer on and on into their cell phones. I'm really glad to hear about what you're having for dinner! What we should do, is herd them up, and put them on an island. I am the President of a group called Citizens Raging Against Phones."

Lazlow: "CRAP?!?"

Caller: "Exactly!"

Lazlow: "Your organization's called 'CRAP'...wh...what kind of moron are you? You wanna round people up for using a phone?!? But you're calling up on a phone t...to tell the world about it! I mean, how many people are there in this 'crap'?"

Caller: "Citizens are raging against phones, Lazlow!!"

Lazlow: "How many people?"

Caller: "There are three of us. It's hard organizing meetings without the phones though. We've had to resort to carrier pigeons, and they keep disappearing."

Lazlow: "What are you speaking to me on? What...what's that in your hand?"

Caller: "I am not the problem! You are! And you're perpetuating the

downfall of mankind! Liberty City was great before phones ruined everything."

Lazlow: "Liberty City was a church, a cow pasture and 3 houses when the

telephone was invented!"

Caller: "Liar!!"

Lazlow: "You're the liar!"

Caller: "Liar, liar, pants on fire!"s

Lazlow: "What are...are you three years old?!?"

Caller: "Lazlow's a liar, Lazlow's a liar!! I bet that isn't even your

real name"

Lazlow: "Shut up!!"

Caller: "You shut up!!"

Lazlow: "Stupid!"

Caller: "Nanny nanny boo-boo, stick your head in doo-doo!"

Lazlow: "Ohh...we're going to commercials!"

Excerpt ended

Videl and Gohan couldn't hide their amused grins at the lively interaction going on in the radio. It truly was hilarious to hear unsuspecting callers making a total mockery of themselves over the public airwaves. But before our exasperated radio show host could denounce any more callers, a 'Special News Bulletin' interrupted regularly scheduled programming.

"Satan City's number one news team, Channel 1, brings to you ground breaking news. A large fire is blazing rampantly through an old folks' home near Orange Star High School. Firefighters are trying to valiantly…"

Gohan had heard enough, and looked at Videl with some worry. She stared back not hinting at any emotions she may have been feeling at the time. She pointed to the window, "Go."

"Videl, you know I won't leave you at a time like this, but I h—,"

"I know Gohan, go."

He looked at her one last time, then pressed the button on his watch initializing the cloaking mechanism. With a brief wave at the bedridden girl he dove out the window, white ki enveloping him as he blasted off.

She gazed at the retreating figure of Gohan—Saiya-Man—and whispered, "Be careful."

Gohan flew over Satan City in utter shock and confusion. He didn't know how someone could be so evil, so malevolent. The atrocity perpetrated at the retirement home was the most appalling example of human vindictiveness he had ever witnessed. A total of twenty-seven seniors had expired in the fire. Thirteen were burned so violently that it was impossible to identify their charred remains. If by some miracle they did find any solid remnant of the burned, for all that remained was ash and melted skin. One man, probably trying to escape, had suffered a tremendous blow to the skull possibly by falling debris. Needless to say, his brains were found two feet from him sizzling in the intense heat. The rest were burned horribly but were pronounced dead by asphyxiation, the lethal fumes suffocating their aged lungs. It was one of the most painful ways to die, Gohan was positive.

It was one of the most traumatizing experiences he would ever face, and he could still hear their terrified screams of pain and agony. He had vomited, heavily, not so much because of the sights and sounds. It was because of the smell. The rancid odor of charred human flesh quickly rendered him nauseous. He had been too late, and the all too familiar pain of failure resurfaced in him once again. He had failed to save them, even with his blessed abilities he had failed. Someone's father was gone today in the most painful manner. Little Johnny's Grandmother would no longer make pot roast for him, and give him sweet butterscotch. He had lost. Again.

(A/N-Alright, hope anyone ain't spewing after that graphic depiction. To other things. I know, I know! Commas are really not my specialty. Really, I don't get them. All I know about 'em is that they separate two clauses, which convey the same idea or thought in the sentence.

Now we certainly need some comic relief after that ending…)

"A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes."

-Mark Twain