Author's Note: Okay . . . the last chapter of the first part. Oh, someone said that a bullet would NEVER hit Gohan. Well . . . I don't know. Who cares?
I don't own anything from DBZ, except for a midi file of that weird opening or ending song called Head Chala or something. Hey, if anyone has an MP3 file of that they can send me, I'd really appreciate it . . .
WARNING!!!!!!!!!! There's some murder and violence ahead! I surprised even myself.
Part I.
*~* Chapter Fifteen *~*
The Beginning of the End
Gohan managed to get Videl home after the whole school incident. She was very pale and seemed to be extremely weak. He had to practically carry her up her room, where he sat her gently on the bed.
Videl's hands clutched the fabric of Gohan's shirt, forcing him to sit down next to her on the bed. She buried her face in his shirt and began to cry. Gohan could do nothing but rub her back. A few minutes later, Videl sat back and rubbed the tears from her face. "T-turn on the news. I want to see how many people . . . how many . . ."
Gohan couldn't understand why she wanted to know how many people had died when the school came down, but did as she said anyway. The news of the school was on every channel.
At the bottom of the screen lay the information that Videl desired. Ten confirmed dead and twenty more were missing.
Gohan's heart sank like lead. So many innocent people had died . . . Now it was his turn to cry, and Videl wrapped her arms around his waist.
"This is awful," she murmured. "They died . . . because . . . of that man . . . he wanted ME, not them . . . It's all my fault . . ."
Gohan shook his head furiously. "No. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine."
They sat for a while, holding each other, until Videl finally pulled away. "B-blaming ourselves won't change anything," she said. "It . . . wasn't my fault, nor was it yours. That creep . . . HE'S the one who did this!"
"I just hope no one we knew died," Gohan murmured. "Maybe you should call Sharpner and Erasa, see if they're okay."
Videl picked up the phone and dialed Erasa's number. To Videl's relief, her friend picked up the phone, but answered in a shaky voice.
"H-h-hello?"
"Erasa! It's me, Videl."
"Videl! Sharpner and I were so worried that you were still in the building when it fell! Is Gohan okay?"
"He's fine. So . . . Sharpner's not hurt?"
"No. We're both shaken up, but not physically hurt. I wonder what happened . . . I mean, on the news, they said that witnesses saw Saiyaman fighting some guy and that they were floating in the air."
Videl had almost forgotten that. She'd been watching the fight in the air, too. "The man . . . was after ME. It . . . it was the same guy who tried to drown me."
Erasa gasped. "No way! Well, then there's no way it could be Saiyaman. But I wonder . . . who could he be?"
"When I find out, I'll be sure to tell you. I'll call you later, okay?"
"Alright, Videl. Just . . . stay safe."
"I will. Bye."
When she hung up the phone, she turned to Gohan, who was staring dully at the floor. I wonder why he thinks this is all HIS fault. She crawled across the bed and leaned against his shoulder. "Now what? Where do we go from here?"
"I'm just as lost as you are."
After they sat that way for a while, Videl's door flew open and Hercule barged in, glaring at the way his daughter was leaning against Gohan. "WHAT is going ON here?!"
Videl scooted off the bed. "Dad . . ."
He sent Gohan a scolding glare, then pulled Videl into a tight embrace. "Oh, I was so WORRIED about you! The minuet I heard about your school, I dropped all of my work! You're not hurt, are you?"
Videl shoved him away. "I'm fine. I'd just like to rest for a while."
"Oh. Then I'll . . . leave you alone." He stared at Gohan, who stared back blankly. "Well, boy! Let's go! She needs her rest."
As Gohan began to stand, Videl pushed him back onto the bed. "He stays."
"B-but-"
Videl's hands clutched the fabric of Gohan's shirt, forcing him to sit down next to her on the bed. She buried her face in his shirt and began to cry. Gohan could do nothing but rub her back. A few minutes later, Videl sat back and rubbed the tears from her face. "T-turn on the news. I want to see how many people . . . how many . . ."
Gohan sighed and stared down at Videl as she curled up on the bed. So much for her tough girl act. She's really very fragile . . .
Gohan was getting tired, too. He gently picked up Videl and placed her under the sheets. He joined her under them, turned off the television and fell asleep.
*~*
Several hours later, Gohan was awaken by the shrill ringing of a phone. He sat up in the bed, blinked, then stared down at Videl's still sleeping form. He picked up the phone, then mumbled, "Hello?"
"Oh, GOHAN!!! You're OKAY!!!"
"Mom . . . Yeah, I'm fine."
"I've been calling your number for AGES and no one picked up!" she nearly screamed. "Then I decided to try Videl's number. Is she alright?"
Gohan glanced down at her. "Yes, she's doing okay."
"Great, great." Chichi wanted to ask what Gohan was doing in Videl's room sounding very drowsy, but decided against it. He probably had enough on his mind. "Well . . . it's sounds as if I interrupted your sleep. So . . . I'll go now. But Gohan . . ."
"Yes, Mom?"
"PLEASE keep her safe, and you be safe too. I don't want to loose you."
"I'll be fine, and so will Videl. As long as I'm here with her, I'll do everything within my power to keep her safe."
"Okay, then. Bye."
"Bye, Mom."
Gohan hung up, then fell back onto the bed. He couldn't get back to sleep. That was no ordinary bad guy. WHERE did he come from? And just what does he want?
Gohan growled and climbed out of the bed, beginning to pace. His lack of answers was seriously getting on his nerves. Gohan hated being left in the dark.
Maybe this guy, Vile . . . maybe he has something to do with the other man I encountered, the one who stole energy. But that wouldn't explain why he was trying to KILL Videl.
Nothing added up. He was missing something . . . a vital piece of information. He couldn't tell if this new enemy was a threat, or just a joke. He snorted. Right. NO enemy is ever a joke, no matter how weak they are. Vile meant business today, pulling that desperate stunt so that he could escape.
Gohan froze. If there are two of them . . . there could be more. MANY more. Great, an invisible, faceless enemy. This is NOT good.
It was almost as if Videl sensed Gohan's distress, because at that moment, she woke up. She sat up in the bed and watched as Gohan paced around her room. "Stop, you're giving me a damn headache," she mumbled.
Gohan stopped in mid-pace. "Sorry. Feeling any better?"
She gave him a small smile. "Sorta. The rest helped a bit. Why are you so worried?"
"What do you mean? I'm not worried."
"YES, you are. You were pacing and you had the most serious look I've ever seen on your face. What were you thinking about?"
"You. All of . . . this."
"Unbelievable, huh?"
Gohan chuckled. "When you're Son Gohan, nothing is unbelievable."
*~*
It was two a.m. in the morning and Vile was getting restless. He was sitting in a dark alley, scowling over his last attempt on the girl's life that had failed, all because of some stupid kid . . . okay, a very strong stupid kid, but a kid nonetheless. Vile needed to relax . . . and he knew of some human pleasures that just might help.
Smokes, drugs, whatever they called them.
The downside was, they cost money. And a lot of it.
Oh, sure, he could just kill the dealers that hung out on the street corners and steal their stuff, but that would just be attracting MORE attention to himself, and would give the cops a place to start their search for him. He didn't want to have any police on his case.
Vile sneered. If that blond bitch had just given me my money to begin with . . . maybe I should pay her a visit . . .
He knew, just by looking at her fancy clothes, that she lived in the upscale part of Satan City, where the big mansions were. It had been a pure stroke of luck, however, that he'd seen her standing in a window, or else he would not have known which house was hers.
Vile flew up to the window, then tapped on the glass.
Angela glared at Vile, then opened her window. She was a bit startled that the man could fly, but let him in anyway. Angela was aware that she was wearing nothing but a pink towel- she'd just stepped out from a nice, hot bath, and she crossed her arms over her chest.. "What do you want?" she hissed.
"I want my payment," he demanded.
"For WHAT?! You didn't even KILL her!"
Vile growled. "It's not my fault that some damn kid keeps getting in my way! Now give me some cash, or I'll-"
"You'll WHAT?"
Vile snickered. It was obvious that this girl didn't know who she was dealing with. He was fed up with her bitchy attitude and the way she bossed him around. "I'll kill you."
Her eyes widened, then she opened her mouth to scream.
He quickly covered her mouth with his hand. He shoved her backwards, then placed a hand on her belly, shooting a ki blast directly into her.
Angela gasped, then slumped onto the floor.
Vile snarled and stepped around Angela's still body and into her room. He began to tear the place apart, searching for some Zeni. He found a hidden stash under her carpet and counted the bills. This should hold me for a while.
Vile went out the way he came, stopping momentarily to kick at Angela's body with his foot. "Damn weak humans."
And with that, he flew off.
[A/N: Wow . . .]
*~*
Later that morning . . .
Wanting to get their minds off of what had happened to their school, later that morning Videl and Gohan met with Sharpner at a local diner, where Erasa was supposed to join them.
They'd been sitting in a booth for about thirty minutes when Videl began to worry. "I wonder what's taking her so long," muttered Videl, glancing down at her watch.
"Knowing Erasa, she probably forgot to set her clock," snickered Sharpner.
Just then, Erasa appeared in front of the booth, looking out of breath. She sat next to Sharpner and said, "I'm SOOOO sorry I'm late! But there were a TON of cops out by my house."
Gohan frowned. "Why?"
Erasa gasped. "You mean, you guys don't know? About Angela?"
Videl raised an eyebrow. "What about her?"
"She was killed last night."
Everyone at the table was stunned. Sharpner looked at Erasa suspiciously. "Really? Then why wasn't it on the news?"
"I guess the cops want to keep everything hush-hush. After all, the cop I talked to said the way she was killed was VERY strange, and unusual. He said that he'd never seen anything like it."
Gohan stiffened. "Unusual how?"
Erasa leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Well . . . they said there was a huge, perfectly neat hole blown right through her stomach."
Videl winced. "Kami . . ."
"That's not all! There was NO blood." [1]
"NONE? At ALL?" questioned Sharpner. "Impossible!"
"The cops said that the her body was sorta burned, you know, where the hole was. And they said the room even smelled like burning flesh."
Videl felt as if she was going to be sick. "God, Erasa!"
"Sorry! You wanted to know the details, so I told you!"
"What else did you find out?" Gohan asked sternly.
"Oh . . . some stuff from her room was stolen. There are no fingerprints, nothing. No one saw anyone leaving the house OR coming in, so the cops suspect she LET the man in. And she was killed in the middle of the night, or early morning."
Gohan was concerned. A perfectly neat hole burned into her stomach . . . probably delivered at close range . . . sounds like a ki blast to me. And maybe the same man after Videl killed Angela.
Videl moaned, then buried her face in her hands. "I can't believe this! I mean, I was so MEAN to her!"
Erasa reached over the table to rub Videl's arm. "Don't feel too bad, Videl. After all, she was nasty to you first."
"Yeah, but . . ."
Erasa bit her bottom lip. "I don't know if I should tell you all this . . . but . . . if it wakes you feel any better, Videl, Angela was really sick."
"Sick?"
"Yeah, as in the head. Remember last year when we were told that she transferred to a private school in another country right after second semester? Well, she really didn't go to another country. She was admitted into Rosewood."
"Rosewood? What's that?" asked Gohan.
"A mental hospital for the rich," Erasa said. "She was . . . I don't know, stressed out about her Mom's death, AND she was totally obsessed with some guy in another school, so her Dad put her in there."
The group sat there, digesting the information. Gohan cleared his throat after a while. "I don't know about you guys . . . but suddenly, I'm not so hungry anymore."
Videl looked up at him, a tiny grin appearing on her face. "You? Not hungry? That's weird."
Gohan looked thoughtful. "It is, isn't it . . ."
As Gohan and Videl chuckled softly, Erasa and Sharpner watched in confusion. What was so funny?
*~*
Gohan and Videl returned to the mansion after wondering around the town for a few hours with Erasa and Sharpner. The minute they stepped into the house, Iria, her face pale, said, "Hercule wants to see both of you in his office. Now."
Videl frowned. Iria was almost ALWAYS smiling. She didn't like the housekeeper's look. "Okay." Videl led Gohan up to her father's office. She knocked on the door.
"Come in," muttered Hercule.
They entered and Videl closed the door behind her. "What's this all about, Dad?"
He looked up from his newspaper. "I'm concerned about everything that has been going on in the city. First your school, then this weird thing with that Angela girl . . ."
"What are you getting at?"
Hercule cleared his throat and stood up. "I'm afraid that Gohan here is going to have to go home."
Videl gasped. "What?! WHY?"
"I don't want you to be put in any unnecessary danger. I don't know much about him. My background search turned up practically empty."
Videl was furious. "You did a BACKGROUND search on Gohan?! Did it ever occur to you that you could just ASK him?!!
Hercule glared at Videl. "That's not the issue at hand. And as for him leaving, what I say goes. This is my house, and it's final!"
"You-"
Gohan quieted Videl by placing a hand on her shoulder. "Look, sir, you don't understand. You CAN'T send me away."
"Oh, yeah? Why not?"
Gohan couldn't just admit that he was the best hope for Videl, that no protection that her father could provide would keep her safe. "I care about Videl's wellbeing just as much as you do, and-"
"Really? If you did, then you would leave, just as I asked, without causing more trouble than you already have."
Gohan just stared at him for a while. Hercule began to sweat under Gohan's heated gaze. "Videl, can I have a word with you father? Alone?" he said in a VERY calm voice, his eyes never leaving Hercule.
Videl glanced up at him. "Uh . . . okay. I'll . . . just go down to your room." She hesitantly left.
"What do you want, kid?" grumbled Hercule.
Gohan stared him down for a little while longer, making the older man squirm. Then, in the blink of an eye, Gohan grabbed Hercule by the front of his shirt. "You KNOW I'm the only one that can keep Videl safe. You KNOW that this guy who's after her is WAY out of your league!" he hissed. "If you make me go, she'll die for sure!"
Hercule grabbed control of his fear and pushed it away. "Look, LID, you don't know who you're messing with! I could have you arrested, and the cops would toss away the key! I could-"
Gohan shook him a bit. "Don't be STUPID! YOU don't know who you're messing with!"
The older man snickered. "Oh, yeah? And why should I be afraid of you?"
Gohan sat him back on the floor. "PLEASE, let me stay! I-"
"GET OUT!! PACK YOUR GOD DAMN BAGS AND GET OUT!!!"
Gohan growled, then slammed his fist into the table. "FINE! I'll leave. But know this- I'll be around, whether you know it or not. I'll be watching Videl very closely." He then spun around and stalked out of the room.
"Freak," muttered Hercule, straightening out his shirt. How dare he tell me how to take care of MY darling? Well, he's gone now.
When Gohan entered his room, Videl sat up off of the bed. "Well?"
He shook his head. "I . . . I still have to leave. I'm . . . afraid I lost my temper for a second."
Videl sighed. "It's alright. Dad wouldn't have changed his mind anyway. So . . ."
"So . . . I guess I better start packing, huh?"
Videl watched in silence as Gohan packed his things. Once he was done, she said softly, "I'll give you a ride home."
They rode out to Gohan's house almost in total silence. Needless to say, Chichi was very surprised to see Gohan, with suitcases under his arms, and Videl with a huge frown on her face standing at her door. "What happened?" she asked as they stepped into the house.
"Hercule kicked me out of his house," muttered Gohan as he stalked into his room.
Chichi turned to Videl. "Really? He really kicked Gohan out?"
Videl nodded. "dad wanted him to leave because he was afraid of all of the things that have been going on recently."
"Oh . . . I heard about that girl from your school. The one who . . . hung all over Gohan. Are you okay?"
Videl gave the older woman a smile. "Yeah, I'm just fine. Thanks for the concern."
Gohan returned to the living room. "You should get going, Videl. You need to get back to your house before it gets dark."
She nodded. "I . . . I'm going to miss having you over, Gohan. It'll be lonely without you across the hall."
He gave her a smile. "You make it sound as if we'll never see each other again."
Videl shivered a bit. You never know . . . me might not. She frowned. Where did that come from? She would be all right. "Well . . . I'd better be going."
Gohan watched as she headed out to her copter. As it flew off, Chichi said, "I hope she'll be okay."
Gohan hit the button on his watch. "I'm going to follow her, make sure she's okay." He took to the sky, careful to stay far enough from the copter as not to be seen, but close enough to get to her aid quickly if there was any trouble. He stayed out of sight when she landed her copter and hopped out, going into the mansion.
I guess she'll be okay . . . There are a ton of security on the ground. They'd report anything suspicious . . .
Gohan closed his eyes for a second, then flew off. "Stay safe, Videl."
*~*
Videl slowly made her way up to her room, forcing back tears. Gohan had not been gone that long and already she was about to cry. She slowly opened her door and flicked on the lights.
And nearly screamed.
Iria lay in her floor, blood pouring from her head and onto Videl's carpet. Videl rushed over to the unconscious woman, feeling for her pulse.
It was still there, but weak.
As she was just about to scream for help, someone placed their hand roughly over Videl's mouth and placed an arm around her neck. Videl tried to kick at her attacker, but only succeed in having the man tighten his hold on her neck.
The man turned her over and shoved her onto the floor. She stared up in horror. It was the man who'd attacked her at the school.
He grinned down at her. "Come on, darling, it's time for you and me to have some fun."
Videl began to kick at the floor, making loud thuds with her feet. Then there was a voice from the hall way- Hercule.
"Videl? You alright?"
The man growled and yanked her up off of the floor. He then turned and flew out of the window, struggling to keep Videl in his grasp.
She managed to bite his hand, and Vile cried out in shock. "Bitch!" He placed a finger to her neck, found the spot he desired and pressed hard. Videl slummed unconscious in his arms.
*~*
Gohan had just finished packing and had gone into the kitchen for a snack when the phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello?"
"G-G-Gohan? I-is that y-you?"
"Yeah, it's me , Erasa. What's wrong?"
"V-V-V-Videl . . ."
Gohan stiffened. "What about her? What happened?"
"SHE'S BEEN KIDNAPPED!!"
Author's Notes: Now Gohan knows. What will he do? Hahahahaha! I bet you guys didn't think I would kill Angela, did ya?
[1] I'm just going from the DBZ episodes where a character gets shot with a ki blast, like Mirai Trunks did with Cell, and how there was no blood- unless the dubbing people erased it, which they probably did.
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NEXT CHAPTER: Gohan begins his search for Videl and gets the help of most of the other Z-fighters. Will he find her?
