Disclaimer: see part one.
Pre-reads were done by PsYChO and sage of angst, who both got a huge kick out of my big pimpin' style all right, they just got a huge kick out of seeing me in a pimp's hat.
* * *
Parallel and Perpendicular
A romance/fiction story by ShaggyDiz
Chapter One: You May Think You Hate Me
Part Nine: One Hundred Twenty Seconds
* * *
Begin Part Nine
* * *
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
It was the slow drumming sound of milliseconds going forward. And in that time, everything could be seen.
Not exactly everything can be seen, but something that the eye has caught onto. Moving one's head to the left or right would take a whole second, so trying to see something to the side in slow motion would be near impossible.
It was Videl's perspective that haunted her. The world seemed to come to a near pause when she saw the hammer swing down. It was easy to see, if only she focused completely on it. Her gaze instead was on the gun owner's eyes. She wanted desperately to do something with that devilish grin plastered on his face.
She couldn't though. She was weak and powerless to do anything. This ogre of a man had bested her, something which she never did see coming. Videl had always assumed that everyone and everything had a weakness, no matter how deceptively fast or powerful they may be. She had assumed that this man would be sluggish and slow because of his size and strength. She found that out too late when the chief lost his back.
The worse thing was that, in the last few moments in her short life, she would never find out why someone would go so far as to kill her. Granted, people in this profession have tried before, but none of them had this sort of efficiency. It sickened her too, but she might as well forget about it. Unless it had something to do with her father, she would never understand why someone would kill her.
Tick.
She saw the muzzle flash, igniting the powder within the bullet, causing the sharp point of the ammunition to drive forward, moving faster than the naked eye. She would be dead in half a second now.
Tick.
What she never anticipated was the hand holding the gun to be violently pushed to the side, and with such unrelenting force at that. The opposing force caused the weapon to be shoved towards the side. She knew she was lucky, but for only the barest of moments. The bullet still hadn't left the chamber.
Tick.
Videl knew that there was no time to move, seeing that everything was still moving at such slow speeds, including herself. The only thing she could do was keep track of the gun. While it was moved, it still wasn't enough to keep the fast moving bullet from escaping. It flew out, and in a millisecond, grazed across her left cheek. It left a thin wound several centimeters long.
And it still moved.
Tick.
The bullet continued on its altered course, coming into contact with her upper left earlobe. It easily went past the folded outer edge before moving through her hair, tearing apart many of the thickly set strands in her braid. The small metal flew off harmlessly after that, finding itself imbedded in a patch of dirt nearly thirty yards away.
Tick.
Her first reaction was to grab her damaged ear, feeling the pain receptors taking control of her normal functions. She had to slow whatever bleeding had occurred from the bullet, though it would take a few more seconds to know when it would start bleeding and how much blood would come out of it. The effect of this caused her to fall backwards to the ground, landing on her right forearm for support. Her left hand had taken the duty of checking the wound.
Her eyes never left the gun though. She watched as it continued to be pushed away, until the opposing force moving the hand suddenly ceased, causing the gun to violently fly out of the mob leader's hand.
It was then that she noticed the gloved hand holding the arm in place. It wasn't a large hand, or rather, it was, but compared to the size of the leader's forearm, it was mediocre in size. It took Videl a few moments to get things working in her head again.
How can such a small hand hold something so huge? That statement was her first thought. Her second thought told her to look at the person that owned that hand. And so she did, following the hand up the arm, noticing the skintight black suit adorned to it. She could easily see the tightly woven muscle contracting and relaxing through the layer of cloth.
She followed that up to the main body of the person, seeing that covered in a green tunic of sorts. Videl couldn't tell how developed this guy was – she had assumed by now that it was a male – but with what she judged by the arm, this guy had to be decently built.
Videl moved up towards the face, and it made her shudder. The pain in her ear became nothing when she saw the calm, yet seething rage this individual was showing. His face was set in a small, stern frown, and his brow was creased down towards the middle, showing off his fury.
The eyes scared her shitless. They were pupil less, though with an eerie blue-green color to them. She didn't know how, but the eyes contained nearly all of the anger and rage that his body was focusing on.
Tick.
The leader looked over to the man holding his arm, turning his malicious grin into uncontrollable anger in the process. He was actually surprised that someone had come along and saved the girl, but it didn't matter. The new guy was an insect compared to him.
Stupid fuck face! Who' do you think you're fucking with? he spat in his face. He tried pulling out of the golden haired man's grasp, wanting to duke it out with the intruder.
He was shocked to find out that his arm wouldn't budge at all.
What the hell? Let go of me you freak! His anger was slowly being replaced by panic, something that he was never worried of before. It was in his line of work that panicking was never good, and beating the snot out of people with intimidation was the best cause of action. It was how he murdered people: by pummeling them into submission before ending their miserable existence. That's what he did in the previous city he was in.
It wasn't going to happen here.
A few seconds had passed before the pair of lackeys protecting him realized that something had to be done. They were stiff when the new guy showed up, and it took the panicked cries of their leader to know that they had to help him. The first one cocked his small automatic rifle and took aim.
Gohan noticed him though. He saw the glare from the sun on the weapon as it was being pointed towards him, and he turned to acknowledge the offending individual. He stared him dead in the eyes, almost daring him to open fire.
For a moment, the gunman wished he hadn't stared so plainly into his eyes. He also shouldn't have emptied the clip so recklessly into him. He heard no ricochet from any objects in the distance, so he knew that all of the bullets hit their mark.
He expected a bloodied mess. What he didn't expect was the dead glare from the man still pointed in his direction.
His buddy stepped up, opening his own volley of lead upon Gohan. They all hit their mark, but again, he stood standing. It was during the barrage that the first gunmen saw what he wished he never saw: the golden haired man's eyes lighting up with each muzzle flash, showing all the madness that it held within its depths.
He took a wary step back, and then another one, wanting to get away from this monstrosity. His buddy didn't know why he was moving away, or the reason for the horrified look on his face. He turned towards his opponent just in time to see him raise his free hand up.
Gohan pointed his palm in their direction, and with a hoarse yell, blasted out an invisible wave of energy, sending the gunmen through the air. They landed in an unconscious heap of limbs yards away, ready to be taking into police custody.
Behind him, he felt another pair of gunmen – the last remaining conscious gunmen – coming through the lobby towards the front. He pivoted on his right foot, landing his left towards the bank and nearly parallel to the leader. His hand came around, facing the bank doors, and he released a low level blast towards them. It exploded in midair just as the gang members reached the doors, blowing them back with the destroyed doors, knocking them out as well.
Slowly, Gohan turned back around, turning his full attention to the gang leader. His expression still held the anger from earlier, but a new calm set on his face.
It was control.
He liked it. It reminded him of that all too brief instance where he held fate in his hands back against Cell. This time though, he knew better. He was aware of everyone around him. He knew where all of the cops were at, still hiding behind their vehicles, waiting for everything to calm down. He made sure that all of the gunmen were unconscious, so that none of them would come around and injure anyone.
He looked down at the chief though, and all of his anger returned.
he muttered to the leader.
The large man shuddered at the coldness of his voice. It chilled him deeply, as if he felt death waiting for him just a few steps away. His defiant attitude had given way to intense panic and worry. He didn't know how he defeated his gang, but he did so with little effort, and that gloved hand still latched to his arm didn't give way once.
In fact, he felt it slowly constricting around his massive forearm.
Stop it! Stop it! he shouted. He felt a pop in his arm, realizing something was giving way.
It's only a few tendons being ripped from your elbow, Gohan said, his voice keeping the deathly nature that it held.
Another sound was heard, though this time something was tearing. The leader whimpered in pain. He reached out to the gloved hand, desperately trying to peel it off his arm.
Muscle strands another he trailed off, squeezing down slightly, as he had been doing. And another
Don't you think that cop had a chance to yell at you to stop when you crushed his spine? Gohan snapped. He squeezed again, feeling the bones in the arm bend under the pressure. I'm surprised someone as you can be such a sissy from a little pain like this.
The leader's world froze around him. It was almost the exact same words he muttered when he felled the chief. How long has this guy been here if he heard me say those words? That was the only rational thought he could think of. Everything else was focused on trying to make sure that he didn't wet himself.
He would never get that chance. The world resumed as quickly as it froze when he felt his bones give way. The pain flew up his arm to his brain, and he couldn't keep his cries to a mere whimper anymore. He yelled out, reaching out with his free hand in a vain attempt to cover his broken limb.
He couldn't when he felt the same-gloved hand holding him in place.
That was your ulna and radius giving way, Gohan spoke angrily. I doubt your fickle little brain would understand what that means though. All you're concerned about right now is trying to get out of this hold, and running for your pathetic life.
The leader ignored the immense pain temporarily, staring straight into Gohan's eyes. What do you want? he let out, his voice shaky from the yelling he did.
For the first time that day, Gohan smirked. Everyone that saw it – including Videl – shuddered at the evilness of the expression. He never answered the poor fool's question, for he smelt the lingering stench of urine coming from in front of him.
You disgust me.
It was those words somehow that turned something in the gang member's head. Much like Videl earlier, he needed to exact a crushing revenge upon the smaller blonde man before him. He had to get away from him as well, and he figured the quickest way to do it was to knock him out. He let out a powerful battle cry, raising a fist into the air and swinging it down onto Gohan's head.
He expected the sound of a face crushing beneath his massive fist. He expected the crumbling of the shorter man to the ground, possibly knocked unconscious or maybe even dead. That would have been better. He would have been able to get away from him. He didn't mind the cops though: he would have rather faced them than this monstrosity before him. Besides, he's killed people before with a single skull cracking punch in the past.
He expected much the same.
It took him full two seconds to realize that half of his arm had turned into an accordion.
The large man recoiled sharply, holding the ruined appendage as best he could to his chest. He cried out loudly in pain and horror, looking down at his arm before looking into Gohan's eyes. He suddenly wished to have never taken that job from that faceless handler. All he wanted was to be home right now, or back in his old stomping grounds, doing what he did best. He wanted to be pounding on the little simpletons that annoyed him so much back then, and he wanted to go and enjoy a cocktail after another successful gang agenda.
And for a moment, he thought about his mother, wishing to see her one last time and ask her for his forgiveness for the illegal life that he lived.
Gohan let go of his arm a few moments later, letting the leader bring his other wounded arm to his chest. He sneered down in disgust at the scumbag, wanting to end his life. He nearly did too.
end my life now, the mobster whimpered out, falling to his knees. I don't deserve to live
For a moment, Gohan considered his request. He extended his arm out, preparing a blast that would evaporate him on the spot. He looked away for a brief moment though, seeing the chief down on the ground. Looking the other way, he saw Videl sitting there, staring on at the scene in bewilderment.
No I don't have the right.
He dropped his hand.
Look at me, Gohan snapped harshly at the sobering fool. Slowly, the mobster looked up into his eyes, wondering what emotion he was getting from him. I will not kill you, or anyone else. He stepped up to him and leaned down, getting inches away from his face.
You will live the rest of your life with the shame of who you are, and what you did today.
Before the leader got a chance to respond, Gohan reached around, pinching a group of nerves along the base of his neck, instantly knocking him unconscious. He slumped to the ground, knowing that the next time he woke up, it would be in police custody, and without most of the pain he received today.
Gohan turned to Videl, seeing a notable change in the way she was watching. Her awe turned into confusion and slight shock. He walked up to her slowly and crouched down, sitting on the balls of his feet. He laid a cautious hand on her arm, bringing her back to some sort of normalcy.
Videl, it's over, he whispered to her.
That voice
She had no clue as to how she would respond. At one moment, she saw one of the most ruthless people going through a small gang like they were nothing. Now, Videl saw a man with great concern in his eyes. She registered the hand on her arm, wondering if he was going to crush it or just make sure she was okay.
Don't hurt me, she whispered out, her eyes coming to a spot on the ground by his feet.
I won't. With his free hand, he gently touched her chin, raising it up so he could see her whole face. She avoided bringing her eyes to his though. She was still unsure of what he wanted.
look at me, Gohan pushed softly.
I know that voice
Slowly, she turned her eyes to look at the golden haired man. He had a small, appreciating smile on his face, something that she didn't understand.
I must show her. It was the single thought that was going through his head. Gohan didn't realize at first what it meant, but after staring into her eyes for a few moments, he knew what it wanted. He knew that Videl had to understand.
Maybe then, things might get better.
Gohan took a deep breath, and in an instant, his golden locks faded away, revealing his jet-black hair.
Soft, black eyes
It took a moment for Videl to realize what had just happened. She was thinking that it was an illusion, and that he was still blonde. She had a sudden urge to reach out and touch it, just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Gohan just sat there, knowing that he had to let her do this.
It's real, she muttered, pulling a strand out from the side of his head. She looked back over, wanting to make sure who it was, when she looked straight into his eyes.
It's him
she quietly asked. Before either of them could say anything else, there was a small commotion over where the cops were. One of them had pulled out a bullhorn, yelling into it loudly and causing a harsh feedback.
Videl! Are you all right? he yelled into it.
She looked back over to Gohan, her eyes asking him for some sort of direction. He looked over to the cops before turning back to her, standing up and moving a step back from her. He transformed once again into a Super Saiyan, concealing his identity once more.
Tell them that you're okay, he said, lifting a few feet into the air. I must go now. Without another word, or a response from Videl, he lifted straight up into the air, disappearing into the clouds above the city.
It took a moment for Videl to get reoriented after Gohan's sudden departure. Remembering what she said, she turned over her shoulder, yelling out: I'm fine! Now get me an ambulance! They responded quickly, running around and sending commands out for other emergency services.
She turned her gaze back up to the sky, looking at the last spot that she saw Gohan at. She had no clue why he did what he did, but she would find out. She was Videl Satan after all.
She would get her answers, whether or not the target of her inquiries would respond to them. The day was long from being over.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Gohan
* * *
End Part Nine
* * *
Pre-reads were done by PsYChO and sage of angst, who both got a huge kick out of my big pimpin' style all right, they just got a huge kick out of seeing me in a pimp's hat.
Parallel and Perpendicular
A romance/fiction story by ShaggyDiz
Chapter One: You May Think You Hate Me
Part Nine: One Hundred Twenty Seconds
* * *
Begin Part Nine
* * *
Tick.
Tick.
It was the slow drumming sound of milliseconds going forward. And in that time, everything could be seen.
Not exactly everything can be seen, but something that the eye has caught onto. Moving one's head to the left or right would take a whole second, so trying to see something to the side in slow motion would be near impossible.
It was Videl's perspective that haunted her. The world seemed to come to a near pause when she saw the hammer swing down. It was easy to see, if only she focused completely on it. Her gaze instead was on the gun owner's eyes. She wanted desperately to do something with that devilish grin plastered on his face.
She couldn't though. She was weak and powerless to do anything. This ogre of a man had bested her, something which she never did see coming. Videl had always assumed that everyone and everything had a weakness, no matter how deceptively fast or powerful they may be. She had assumed that this man would be sluggish and slow because of his size and strength. She found that out too late when the chief lost his back.
The worse thing was that, in the last few moments in her short life, she would never find out why someone would go so far as to kill her. Granted, people in this profession have tried before, but none of them had this sort of efficiency. It sickened her too, but she might as well forget about it. Unless it had something to do with her father, she would never understand why someone would kill her.
Tick.
She saw the muzzle flash, igniting the powder within the bullet, causing the sharp point of the ammunition to drive forward, moving faster than the naked eye. She would be dead in half a second now.
Tick.
What she never anticipated was the hand holding the gun to be violently pushed to the side, and with such unrelenting force at that. The opposing force caused the weapon to be shoved towards the side. She knew she was lucky, but for only the barest of moments. The bullet still hadn't left the chamber.
Tick.
Videl knew that there was no time to move, seeing that everything was still moving at such slow speeds, including herself. The only thing she could do was keep track of the gun. While it was moved, it still wasn't enough to keep the fast moving bullet from escaping. It flew out, and in a millisecond, grazed across her left cheek. It left a thin wound several centimeters long.
And it still moved.
Tick.
The bullet continued on its altered course, coming into contact with her upper left earlobe. It easily went past the folded outer edge before moving through her hair, tearing apart many of the thickly set strands in her braid. The small metal flew off harmlessly after that, finding itself imbedded in a patch of dirt nearly thirty yards away.
Tick.
Her first reaction was to grab her damaged ear, feeling the pain receptors taking control of her normal functions. She had to slow whatever bleeding had occurred from the bullet, though it would take a few more seconds to know when it would start bleeding and how much blood would come out of it. The effect of this caused her to fall backwards to the ground, landing on her right forearm for support. Her left hand had taken the duty of checking the wound.
Her eyes never left the gun though. She watched as it continued to be pushed away, until the opposing force moving the hand suddenly ceased, causing the gun to violently fly out of the mob leader's hand.
It was then that she noticed the gloved hand holding the arm in place. It wasn't a large hand, or rather, it was, but compared to the size of the leader's forearm, it was mediocre in size. It took Videl a few moments to get things working in her head again.
How can such a small hand hold something so huge? That statement was her first thought. Her second thought told her to look at the person that owned that hand. And so she did, following the hand up the arm, noticing the skintight black suit adorned to it. She could easily see the tightly woven muscle contracting and relaxing through the layer of cloth.
She followed that up to the main body of the person, seeing that covered in a green tunic of sorts. Videl couldn't tell how developed this guy was – she had assumed by now that it was a male – but with what she judged by the arm, this guy had to be decently built.
Videl moved up towards the face, and it made her shudder. The pain in her ear became nothing when she saw the calm, yet seething rage this individual was showing. His face was set in a small, stern frown, and his brow was creased down towards the middle, showing off his fury.
The eyes scared her shitless. They were pupil less, though with an eerie blue-green color to them. She didn't know how, but the eyes contained nearly all of the anger and rage that his body was focusing on.
Tick.
The leader looked over to the man holding his arm, turning his malicious grin into uncontrollable anger in the process. He was actually surprised that someone had come along and saved the girl, but it didn't matter. The new guy was an insect compared to him.
Stupid fuck face! Who' do you think you're fucking with? he spat in his face. He tried pulling out of the golden haired man's grasp, wanting to duke it out with the intruder.
He was shocked to find out that his arm wouldn't budge at all.
What the hell? Let go of me you freak! His anger was slowly being replaced by panic, something that he was never worried of before. It was in his line of work that panicking was never good, and beating the snot out of people with intimidation was the best cause of action. It was how he murdered people: by pummeling them into submission before ending their miserable existence. That's what he did in the previous city he was in.
It wasn't going to happen here.
A few seconds had passed before the pair of lackeys protecting him realized that something had to be done. They were stiff when the new guy showed up, and it took the panicked cries of their leader to know that they had to help him. The first one cocked his small automatic rifle and took aim.
Gohan noticed him though. He saw the glare from the sun on the weapon as it was being pointed towards him, and he turned to acknowledge the offending individual. He stared him dead in the eyes, almost daring him to open fire.
For a moment, the gunman wished he hadn't stared so plainly into his eyes. He also shouldn't have emptied the clip so recklessly into him. He heard no ricochet from any objects in the distance, so he knew that all of the bullets hit their mark.
He expected a bloodied mess. What he didn't expect was the dead glare from the man still pointed in his direction.
His buddy stepped up, opening his own volley of lead upon Gohan. They all hit their mark, but again, he stood standing. It was during the barrage that the first gunmen saw what he wished he never saw: the golden haired man's eyes lighting up with each muzzle flash, showing all the madness that it held within its depths.
He took a wary step back, and then another one, wanting to get away from this monstrosity. His buddy didn't know why he was moving away, or the reason for the horrified look on his face. He turned towards his opponent just in time to see him raise his free hand up.
Gohan pointed his palm in their direction, and with a hoarse yell, blasted out an invisible wave of energy, sending the gunmen through the air. They landed in an unconscious heap of limbs yards away, ready to be taking into police custody.
Behind him, he felt another pair of gunmen – the last remaining conscious gunmen – coming through the lobby towards the front. He pivoted on his right foot, landing his left towards the bank and nearly parallel to the leader. His hand came around, facing the bank doors, and he released a low level blast towards them. It exploded in midair just as the gang members reached the doors, blowing them back with the destroyed doors, knocking them out as well.
Slowly, Gohan turned back around, turning his full attention to the gang leader. His expression still held the anger from earlier, but a new calm set on his face.
It was control.
He liked it. It reminded him of that all too brief instance where he held fate in his hands back against Cell. This time though, he knew better. He was aware of everyone around him. He knew where all of the cops were at, still hiding behind their vehicles, waiting for everything to calm down. He made sure that all of the gunmen were unconscious, so that none of them would come around and injure anyone.
He looked down at the chief though, and all of his anger returned.
he muttered to the leader.
The large man shuddered at the coldness of his voice. It chilled him deeply, as if he felt death waiting for him just a few steps away. His defiant attitude had given way to intense panic and worry. He didn't know how he defeated his gang, but he did so with little effort, and that gloved hand still latched to his arm didn't give way once.
In fact, he felt it slowly constricting around his massive forearm.
Stop it! Stop it! he shouted. He felt a pop in his arm, realizing something was giving way.
It's only a few tendons being ripped from your elbow, Gohan said, his voice keeping the deathly nature that it held.
Another sound was heard, though this time something was tearing. The leader whimpered in pain. He reached out to the gloved hand, desperately trying to peel it off his arm.
Muscle strands another he trailed off, squeezing down slightly, as he had been doing. And another
Don't you think that cop had a chance to yell at you to stop when you crushed his spine? Gohan snapped. He squeezed again, feeling the bones in the arm bend under the pressure. I'm surprised someone as you can be such a sissy from a little pain like this.
The leader's world froze around him. It was almost the exact same words he muttered when he felled the chief. How long has this guy been here if he heard me say those words? That was the only rational thought he could think of. Everything else was focused on trying to make sure that he didn't wet himself.
He would never get that chance. The world resumed as quickly as it froze when he felt his bones give way. The pain flew up his arm to his brain, and he couldn't keep his cries to a mere whimper anymore. He yelled out, reaching out with his free hand in a vain attempt to cover his broken limb.
He couldn't when he felt the same-gloved hand holding him in place.
That was your ulna and radius giving way, Gohan spoke angrily. I doubt your fickle little brain would understand what that means though. All you're concerned about right now is trying to get out of this hold, and running for your pathetic life.
The leader ignored the immense pain temporarily, staring straight into Gohan's eyes. What do you want? he let out, his voice shaky from the yelling he did.
For the first time that day, Gohan smirked. Everyone that saw it – including Videl – shuddered at the evilness of the expression. He never answered the poor fool's question, for he smelt the lingering stench of urine coming from in front of him.
You disgust me.
It was those words somehow that turned something in the gang member's head. Much like Videl earlier, he needed to exact a crushing revenge upon the smaller blonde man before him. He had to get away from him as well, and he figured the quickest way to do it was to knock him out. He let out a powerful battle cry, raising a fist into the air and swinging it down onto Gohan's head.
He expected the sound of a face crushing beneath his massive fist. He expected the crumbling of the shorter man to the ground, possibly knocked unconscious or maybe even dead. That would have been better. He would have been able to get away from him. He didn't mind the cops though: he would have rather faced them than this monstrosity before him. Besides, he's killed people before with a single skull cracking punch in the past.
He expected much the same.
It took him full two seconds to realize that half of his arm had turned into an accordion.
The large man recoiled sharply, holding the ruined appendage as best he could to his chest. He cried out loudly in pain and horror, looking down at his arm before looking into Gohan's eyes. He suddenly wished to have never taken that job from that faceless handler. All he wanted was to be home right now, or back in his old stomping grounds, doing what he did best. He wanted to be pounding on the little simpletons that annoyed him so much back then, and he wanted to go and enjoy a cocktail after another successful gang agenda.
And for a moment, he thought about his mother, wishing to see her one last time and ask her for his forgiveness for the illegal life that he lived.
Gohan let go of his arm a few moments later, letting the leader bring his other wounded arm to his chest. He sneered down in disgust at the scumbag, wanting to end his life. He nearly did too.
end my life now, the mobster whimpered out, falling to his knees. I don't deserve to live
For a moment, Gohan considered his request. He extended his arm out, preparing a blast that would evaporate him on the spot. He looked away for a brief moment though, seeing the chief down on the ground. Looking the other way, he saw Videl sitting there, staring on at the scene in bewilderment.
No I don't have the right.
He dropped his hand.
Look at me, Gohan snapped harshly at the sobering fool. Slowly, the mobster looked up into his eyes, wondering what emotion he was getting from him. I will not kill you, or anyone else. He stepped up to him and leaned down, getting inches away from his face.
You will live the rest of your life with the shame of who you are, and what you did today.
Before the leader got a chance to respond, Gohan reached around, pinching a group of nerves along the base of his neck, instantly knocking him unconscious. He slumped to the ground, knowing that the next time he woke up, it would be in police custody, and without most of the pain he received today.
Gohan turned to Videl, seeing a notable change in the way she was watching. Her awe turned into confusion and slight shock. He walked up to her slowly and crouched down, sitting on the balls of his feet. He laid a cautious hand on her arm, bringing her back to some sort of normalcy.
Videl, it's over, he whispered to her.
That voice
She had no clue as to how she would respond. At one moment, she saw one of the most ruthless people going through a small gang like they were nothing. Now, Videl saw a man with great concern in his eyes. She registered the hand on her arm, wondering if he was going to crush it or just make sure she was okay.
Don't hurt me, she whispered out, her eyes coming to a spot on the ground by his feet.
I won't. With his free hand, he gently touched her chin, raising it up so he could see her whole face. She avoided bringing her eyes to his though. She was still unsure of what he wanted.
look at me, Gohan pushed softly.
I know that voice
Slowly, she turned her eyes to look at the golden haired man. He had a small, appreciating smile on his face, something that she didn't understand.
I must show her. It was the single thought that was going through his head. Gohan didn't realize at first what it meant, but after staring into her eyes for a few moments, he knew what it wanted. He knew that Videl had to understand.
Maybe then, things might get better.
Gohan took a deep breath, and in an instant, his golden locks faded away, revealing his jet-black hair.
Soft, black eyes
It took a moment for Videl to realize what had just happened. She was thinking that it was an illusion, and that he was still blonde. She had a sudden urge to reach out and touch it, just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Gohan just sat there, knowing that he had to let her do this.
It's real, she muttered, pulling a strand out from the side of his head. She looked back over, wanting to make sure who it was, when she looked straight into his eyes.
It's him
she quietly asked. Before either of them could say anything else, there was a small commotion over where the cops were. One of them had pulled out a bullhorn, yelling into it loudly and causing a harsh feedback.
Videl! Are you all right? he yelled into it.
She looked back over to Gohan, her eyes asking him for some sort of direction. He looked over to the cops before turning back to her, standing up and moving a step back from her. He transformed once again into a Super Saiyan, concealing his identity once more.
Tell them that you're okay, he said, lifting a few feet into the air. I must go now. Without another word, or a response from Videl, he lifted straight up into the air, disappearing into the clouds above the city.
It took a moment for Videl to get reoriented after Gohan's sudden departure. Remembering what she said, she turned over her shoulder, yelling out: I'm fine! Now get me an ambulance! They responded quickly, running around and sending commands out for other emergency services.
She turned her gaze back up to the sky, looking at the last spot that she saw Gohan at. She had no clue why he did what he did, but she would find out. She was Videl Satan after all.
She would get her answers, whether or not the target of her inquiries would respond to them. The day was long from being over.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Gohan
End Part Nine
* * *