"Of course you do know that I have to train, ne, Gohan-sensei?" The sarcastic tone of Videl Satan made Son Gohan blink and look up from the book of Chinese myths he had been reading.

"Well, Videl…"

"It's Miss Videl for you, Gohan-sensei," she said firmly.

"Um, Miss Videl," he began carefully once more. "I know very well how important your training is—"

"Of course," she said proudly. "Satan City's protector must be ready all the time in her battles."

"—but you must understand that…well…it's class hours." He picked up his schedule booklet. "You see, according to the schedule arranged here, I am supposed to be teaching you Literature for two hours. It's been only…" He glanced at his watch. "…eighteen minutes and forty-two seconds since we started."

"So?" Her eyebrow rose. "Look, my body chemistry is used to eight am warm-ups. I NEED them so I could function normally as a person and as the guardian of justice for today. Now, if you still want to be stubborn then you have to bear the consequences of me being stubborn with you!" She paused to take a breath. "Understand?" she finished, hands on her hips.

He blinked, then pushed the bridge of his glasses up his nose with his finger. "Then…um, we should start changing your body chemistry's preferences, ne?" He grinned. "Tell you what…you can train, but we'll study at the same time."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh really? You expect me to kick ass while chained to the study table?" She rolled her eyes. Honestly, she couldn't believe how the situation changed—yesterday, she was a carefree young girl who could do whatever she pleases whenever she wants to, all done in no malicious intention. Twenty-four hours later, a weak-looking but annoyingly boyishly cute nerd was telling her what to do!

But she had to give him her grudging admiration—he had patience infinite as the deep dark eyes behind his glasses. It didn't take too long for her to realize that no amount of name-calling, bullying, or snappy retorts could ever make him snap. He quietly received her acerbic remarks, made small comments, but never talked back.

And that pissed her off even more.

It's as if he's not taking me and my reputation seriously!  she thought, shaking her head in disbelief.

"N-No. Actually, I mean…" He rubbed his chin with his finger sheepishly. "Um, you can go about with your training…kickboxing and stuff. I would just read aloud today's lesson in the background. How's that?"

"Wow, and you expect me to listen?" she said mockingly. "OK! Go ahead. Start your monologue and I'll go about with my training." She started swinging her fists and her legs in the air in synchronized grace, secretly waiting for what her new tutor would do.

 He cleared his throat, then smiled. "OK, here we go. Today's story is about Goldilocks and the three bears…"

That made her cough. "Goldilocks?! In Chinese myths?"

He chuckled. "And here I thought you weren't paying attention awhile ago."

She raised her chin in defiance. "Look, I saw the cover of the book. Give me at least a credit in reading, OK?"

He laughed once more, then began reading out loud the first few paragraphs of the story.

She struggled to drown out his voice, concentrating on pumping her muscles to move.

"…and so, the eldest son of Liu Mao summoned the spirits to ask their advice on how to find his father's remains in the Yangtze River before the rainy season begins…"

She stretched her legs and bent low to touch her toe tips.

"…the spirits told him to seek the Nymph of the river's help…"

Sighing in exasperation, she suddenly straightened and slammed her fists on the table. "Listen, Gohan-sensei. Your lecture is driving me nuts! Why don't we just study a little later? Like in the next lifetime!"

His eyes widened. "You mustn't remain ignorant that long."

"IGNORANT?!" Her cheeks reddened. "I am Videl Satan, and you must understand that it is not important if I do not know the story of Liu Mao or how animals are classified into kingdoms. I just need to fight for justice, that is the only important thing for me!"

"Fighting for justice is what I do too, but I don't let it interfere with my erudition," he said, shrugging. "And I'm happy that, indeed, you were listening to me."

"Oooh, shut up!!!" she snapped. This made him jump involuntarily. She glared at him. "Any minute now, robbers may be starting to plot of robbing the banks in the city. Or an old lady couldn't cross the street because of the endless rushing stream of cars. Mayhem may be everywhere at this very moment I'm speaking and still, I'm here with you in our garden, arguing about something as stupid as this!"

He sighed. "Miss Videl, I know that…well, you care a lot for the welfare of the city, which is good." He rubbed his cheek sheepishly. "But the city can take care of itself for one more hour." He showed her the book cover. "And well, if you think education is um, stupid, well, try ignorance."

She blinked, the crossed her arms. "Hmp!"

He smiled hopefully. "Now can we go back to studying?"

She eyed him quietly, then smiled diabolically. She suddenly reached for the book he was holding and threw it far away. "Oops. Now we don't have any more to read."

Gohan sweatdropped, then sighed. He reached for his bag and took another copy of the book Videl took. "I-It's OK. I still have one more copy—"

"WHAT?!" Videl's eyes widened.

He grinned. "There! Now we can go back—"

All of a sudden, she reached for the book and hid it behind her back. "Get this book from me and I'll promise to study!" With that, she bolted away.

"Aah! M-Miss Videl!!!" he cried, sweatdropping again.

"Try to catch me, Gohan!" she shouted, turning to look at her tutor who was gaping at her in shock. She smiled confidently. She knew that they could spend the whole afternoon running and yet, he wouldn't catch her. She wasn't the record holder of the fastest runner in the whole Orange Star High School for nothing.

"I-If I get that book, do you promise to study already?" he yelled back.

She smiled with sweet venom. "Oh yeah!"

"OK…here I come!" Videl watched in shock as her tutor suddenly disappeared. Her eyes roved around the garden, trying to detect him.

How in the world did he do that?

"Miss Videl!" came a voice from behind her. She stiffened, then turned around.

Gohan was standing behind her, grinning.

She quickly jumped away from him, chest hammering. "H-How did you…" Her eyes were wide in shock. She looked at the book she was holding, then nodded to herself. She faced him squarely. "You don't have the book yet."

He rubbed his head. "Good point."

She readied herself. "OK, you may be a fast runner, but let's see if you can wrestle this book away from me." She went into her fighting stance.

"Miss Videl, I-I have no intention to harm you—"

"Tough luck. Because I have each and every intent to inflict bodily harm on you!" she retorted.

"Oh man…" she heard him mumble under his breath. This made her scowl. "Oh, I see. You don't want to fight me because I'm a girl, ne?"

He blinked. "Of course not. I don't want to fight you because I have no reason in my possession to do that."

"I'm giving you one!" She then attacked him, a jab aiming at him.

To her surprise, he simply avoided it.

She turned around to face him. "T-That was…plain dumb luck. You won't be as fortunate next time."

"There's still a next time?" he asked, sighing. "Miss Videl—"

"Yaaaah!!!" She aimed a kick at him. As she expected, he avoided it. In the last split second, she used her elbow to attack his jaw, coming from below.

She landed on the ground, huffing and puffing. She grinned proudly when she saw that indeed, she made contact on his jaw.

He looked surprised too. Perhaps, he didn't expect that attack too. He started to walk towards her quietly.

Her heart pulsed. What was he planning to do? Did she reach the end of the rope of his patience and now he would strike back? She readied her fighting stance once more.

But to her astonishment, he pulled out the book of Chinese Myths from his vest. He grinned. "I got it! Now will you be seated so we can study?"

Her eyes were wide in disbelief. "H-How did you…" She looked at her empty hands. "…do that?"

"It doesn't matter," he said breezily.

"Oh yes it DOES!" she snapped, walking in front of him, hands on her hips. "You're not just an ordinary tutor, are you?"

"W-What are you talking about?" he asked helplessly.

"You move like a man trained in martial arts." She eyed him intently. "So what do you study? Karate?"

"Um…" He laughed cluelessly. "Well…I-I …"

A piercing scream made both of them freeze. Then at the same time, they turned to the east direction. Black smoke was rising up towards the blue sky.

"The Children's Hospital!" she gasped. Quickly jumping into action, she headed for her private air coaster.

Gohan's forehead creased, then he headed for the backyard.

***

Videl arrived just as firemen appeared, looking distressed.

"Miss Videl, we have a problem! The fire is spreading much faster than we can stop it, and the toddlers in the ninth floor are still trapped!" informed the head of the fire fighting team.

"OK, I'm going to get them." With that, she jumped back to her coaster and headed for the burning ninth floor. Quickly, she surveyed the stairs that she could take to the ninth floor, since the hallway of the said floor was impossible to penetrate already.

Upon finding one, she jumped out of her coaster and ran inside.

***

"Tasukete!!!" hollered the children. Videl covered her nose and mouth with her hanky as she struggled into the flaming and falling debris. Finally, she reached the ninth floor.

Upon seeing her, the children's sobs and wails grew louder.

She smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, everyone. I'm going to get you out of here." She took the blankets and quickly wrapped them around the ten or so kids in the room. When she finished, she asked if there were still people left in the building.

"Mrs. Avon's child is still in the bathroom!" volunteered one of the children. "She was taking a bath—"

"OK, I'll go check." She led the children out of the floor first, then assisted them into her coaster. She then shifted its gears to autopilot. She turned to the eldest of the children. "Tell the firemen to send a ladder outside this window so I can climb down, ok?"

The boy nodded solemnly. She grinned and sent the coaster off before she headed back into the near-collapsing building.

***

"Hello? Is anyone still in there? Hello!!!" she shouted through the roaring fire and smoke. "Respond please!!! Hello? Anyone in there still? Hello—"

Something heavy landed on her head, and her vision turned dark.

***

She woke up when she felt the breeze around her, which was impossible. She was supposed to be inside the flaming building!

She opened her eyes with much Herculean effort. "Uunggghh…" she moaned.

"Wow, you're awake!" a male voice said.

She blinked, then rubbed her eyes. It was the man with the milk pail on his head! "W-What are you—" She attempted to push him away when she realized that he was carrying her in his arms! She looked down and nearly fainted again when she saw that they were flying above the clouds!

"T-This has got to be a dream," she whispered weakly.

"Um…"

She turned to him, eyes wide. "W-Wait! T-The kids in the hospital! A-Are they --?"

"They're safe," he assured her. "All of them."

"The child in the bathroom?"

"Safe."

She sighed relieved.

"That was foolish of you to enter the building again. Have you not realized that the smoke you inhaled may have accumulated in your lungs already?" he asked.

"There was someone out there who needs my help!"

He sighed.

"Anyway, we're all safe now, so it's immaterial." She looked at him sideways. "I figured that you were the one who saved me from the building."

"Yeah."

She looked at him intently. "Y-You're the same guy in the balcony, right?"

He nodded slowly.

"W-Why did you save me?" she asked.

The man shrugged. "Because you needed saving." He then slowed down and landed. "We're here."

She looked around and was relieved to find herself back in the familiar garden of her home.

He laid her down gently on the grass, then stepped back.

"Great Saiyan Man," she called.

He turned to her.

"Do you want a match against my Papa?" she offered. "I would like to see you two battle."

"N-No thanks."

"What's the matter? Are you scared? Being invited to battle with the world's greatest martial arts champion is really a privilege!" she exclaimed.

"I am honored." He turned his back on her. "But I have to refuse."

"B-But why?" she asked, sitting up.

"I…have a job. A-And I need to get back there, pronto!"

"Are you a milkman or something?" she asked suddenly.

He nodded slowly. "S-Something like that."

"Oh…okaaay." She laughed quietly. "That explains the milk pail on your head."

He winced, then turned to her slowly. "Y-You don't like the pail?"

She cocked an eyebrow. "It's not one of the better costume ideas in the world."

"I-I see…" With that, the Great Saiyan Man soared up into the air.

***

Videl was stunned to see Gohan seated in the garden chair, contentedly reading the book of Chinese Myths under an oil lamp. For a moment, she only gazed at him, not knowing what to feel. It was already past dinnertime, but here he was, still waiting for her. She couldn't understand why it tugged something within her heart.

"Gohan-sensei," she called at last.

He looked up, then grinned. "Hey! So can we go back to our Literature lesson already?"

She blinked, the nodded. She joined him in the garden set.

"OK, so we stopped in page fifty-two…" murmured Gohan, leafing through the pages.

"Gohan-sensei?"

He looked up, "Yes, Miss Videl?"

Her eyes softened. "Be here at eight in the morning tomorrow so we can start early with the classification of animal kingdoms already."

His eyes lit up. "No prob!!!"

***

"Good evening, Mama!" greeted Gohan cheerfully when he saw Chichi seated on the sofa, doing her sewing work.

"Why did you come home late?" she asked unsmilingly.

He sweatdropped. "I told you, I already have this job…and well, I passed by Aunt Bulma's house to ask a favor from her."

"What favor?" His mother wanted to know.

"THIS favor." He lifted a helmet and a bundle of green and black clothes from his knapsack.

****

to be continued…