Little Videl's eyes widened in fear as she tried to dodge the stream of people rushing out of the city to flee from Cell. Only one person was in her mind.

"Papa! Papa, where are you?" she called desperately. "Papa!!!"

Just then, her attention was caught when a large ball of fire plummeted down the street blocks away from her. She screamed in fear, covering her eyes with her arm.

"Get out of here!" a boy's voice called. The next thing she knew, arms enveloped her. He fell on top of her, shielding her from the impact of the explosion and the shrapnel that flew. She could feel the heat of the explosion radiate, but the boy's arms protected her.

The blast seemed to last an eternity before the place gradually pacified. Videl opened her eyes slowly.

The boy, donning purple outfit under a torn white mantle, was smiling at her. He was bathed in golden light; even his hair was golden too.

"Hey," he said gently. He was breathing heavily; she figured that it must be from rushing to save her.

"F-Find my Papa…" she whispered hoarsely.

He nodded.

The gesture promised reassurance, one she knew she could count on even with the fate of her father. She trusted this boy, so she allowed herself to fall asleep…

~*~*~*~

Videl opened her eyes, startled by the sound of the alarm. Lazily, she reached for her alarm clock to turn it off. Her mind was still on her dream. It had visited her slumber every night years ago, and gradually stopped. She was puzzled though why she started dreaming of this again recently.

The boy that glowed in gold, the boy that saved her life. The boy she had never been able to thank, for when she woke up, she was already in the mountains, along with the majority of the city's population.

She had counted on the boy's promise of bringing her father back, but when she learned that her father defeated Cell, she forgot about him momentarily. It was only some days later that she remembered the mysterious golden boy, but her father claimed no one helped him in defeating Cell, and she immediately believed him. She had come to think of her savior as a phantom, and that she may never be able to know who he was.

"Videl, aren't you going to get dressed for school?" Her father's voice came from outside her door.

"In a minute, Papa!" She jumped out of bed energetically and rushed for the bathroom.

***

"Ms. Satan, I must say," their Math teacher said as he handed her the exam paper on Algebra. "Your performance for this semester had improved vastly. Keep up the good work!"

Her eyes lit up when she saw the 98 on the upper right of her paper. What her professor said was true. Ever since Gohan started to help her out with her Algebra, as well as her other subjects, her grades rose unbelievably. She had to hand it to her Gohan-sensei—he had the power to make difficult things seem so easy.

She then realized that it had been a month and a half already since the young man had been her tutor. She smiled inwardly. Funny, but she didn't notice that time had passed already. She had already grown accustomed to their afternoon study sessions. Plus, she had already looked forward to every chance of sparring with her teacher, meaning each passing day. Gohan had never been big on the exact date of their sparring, but she was willing to terrorize him every single afternoon until he finally gives in.

The bell rang, signaling the end of classes. This jumpstarted her out of the classroom—she had to do a quick tour around the city to make sure that no mayhem was going on. It was her routine before she settles down in her home to relax…and an hour later, study with Gohan.

GOHAN AGAIN?!

She shook her head vehemently. She was not liking what she was unconsciously doing. Why couldn't she get that person out of her mind anyway?

Because I'm obsessed with beating him to the pulp, that's why, she reminded herself. She was interested in him—interested in him as a battle opponent, nothing more.

Right?

"Videl! Hey, Videl, wait up!" Shrapnel grinned at her, breaking her train of thoughts. "I saw your grade in Algebra…" He doubled his pace to catch up with her. "…and I just want to say that your grades are…well…cool."

She cocked an eyebrow. Cool? Surely, Gohan-sensei could come up with BETTER adjectives than that! The wide-reader he was, he could easily astound her with his vocabulary.

She mentally kicked herself. Why did she end up thinking of that fellow again?

"A-And I want to ask a favor from you. It ain't no biggie, really!" He stepped in front of her, trying his best to give her his sexiest smile.

She blinked, wondering whether his jaw got dislocated or something. His grin was scary.

"Can you help me out with my Algebra? You can just teach me the basics…"

She smiled. "Maybe I'm the wrong person to ask help for. Surely, our sensei would be glad to help you out…"

"Oh no!" He shook his head vehemently. "Peer teaching is…cooler."

Hurray for his wonderful word list! She silently groaned. She knew what he was up to, and she didn't like the idea one bit. "But I am…a little busy, you know?" She did her best to let him down gently. After all, the daughter of the world martial arts grand champion must uphold values all the time, even for someone like her classmate here.

"But surely not too busy to HELP me out, eh?" He grinned. "You never refuse to help out the citizens of the city."

And that sounded like blackmail to her. She paused in indecision.

"Well?" he asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

She could sense the curious gaze the crowd of students was giving her already. She had no choice but to nod. "Later in the garden, four pm," she hissed before walking away briskly.

"ALRIGHT!" he yelled, pumping his fist up on the air. "It's a DATE!"

She winced inwardly. She had a feeling that her classmate was not going to be subtle with their study session later.

***

"Good afternoon, Miss Videl!" Gohan, who was seated on the garden chair with a book of poetry, got up immediately upon her arrival.

She wordlessly handed him her Algebra test paper. This he took eagerly. His deep, dark eyes lit up like a chandelier when he saw the score written on the upper-right hand of her test paper. "Yahoooo!!!!" He pumped his fists happily. "You did it! An almost perfect score!!!"

Her heart skipped a beat. She couldn't explain why Gohan's reaction touched her, but it made it seem that he did care for her not just as a paying student, but a student who wants to learn.

She blinked when she saw that he was holding his palm in front of her face.

"Huh?" She looked at him, puzzled.

"Give me five!" he said, grinning.

She blinked, then slapped her palm against him. With that, his grin widened. She smiled back.

"So let's go right to our lessons for this afternoon so we can make that 98 into a three-digit figure…"

"And if I get a hundred, will you finally agree to spar with me and my Dad?" she asked eagerly.

He sweatdropped.

She placed her hands on her hips, "Well, that would be an incentive for all my hard work, Gohan-sensei."

"Isn't the pleasure of education enough for you?" he asked meekly.

"I'll be more inspired to study if you promise to do battle with me," she replied, her look challenging him.

He gulped, then sighed. "Oh alright…"

"On your honor," she said.

"On my honor," he promised solemnly.

"OK, so let's go over the two items you missed in the test…" He scanned the test items as she plopped down beside him, peeking over his broad shoulders.

His shoulder blade sure looks defined up-close, she thought. She silently wondered why he chose to keep his great body hidden in his casual shirt and slacks when her other classmates would gamely show their limp muscles off with muscle shirts and the like.

Maybe he works out or something…and oh yeah, he lives in the mountains, meaning, everyday physical challenges. But still, he's in love with books. What a strange guy…

For one brief moment, she imagined her Gohan-sensei naked waist up, carrying branches to be used in the fireplace of his house for the winter night. His dark eyes burning intensely, his body sweating all over…

She could imagine him walking towards her slowly, his breath laborious and heavy. Yet his mouth would open slowly as words formed in his mouth…

"…and you forgot to divide what you transposed." Gohan turned to her. "See where you went wrong?"

She blinked.

He gestured to her equation. "The answer is not a fraction since it is still divisible."

"R-Right." She was grateful when he nodded and went back to jotting down notes on her paper. She could already feel the colors rushing to her face.

What was she doing anyway, fascinating herself with her geeky teacher?

Well, a geek with deliciously-defined body and the ways of a perfect gentleman, not to mention an endearing boyish quality coupled with charmingly enigmatic personality…but well…

"Aaargh!!!" She got up suddenly, clawing the scalp of her hair in frustration. "Kami-sama, I_am_NOT_crushing_on_HIM!!!"

Seconds later, she opened her eyes, relieved that she felt better. She was about to take her seat when she felt a pair of eyes on her. She turned to her left and winced.

Gohan was staring at her, looking…awed.

-*-

Gohan watched as his student worked on the problem he gave her regarding heredity and cross-pollination. At times, she would look hopelessly lost, but minutes later, her face would light up, and he knew it meant she had answered a part of the problem triumphantly.

He could almost see himself in her when he was young, a demi-warrior grudgingly learning to love erudition. He would often get teased by Krillin and Yamcha about him finally learning to like schoolwork, and he would feel like a freak because he was the only one who had to study when he could be like his dad, who was out fighting for the sake of mankind.

But in the long run, books became his best friend, his passion, and his way of life. When he would look back at the times his mother forced him into studying, he would feel no regret. He had the best of both worlds with his parents anyway—education from his mom and courage from his dad.

His gaze went back to the poetry he was reading, and for a few minutes, he could feel himself getting immersed into the smooth, flawless grace of the lines…

…only to look up from the book again to secretly gaze at his student.

She was frowning thoughtfully on the paper, unconsciously chewing on her lower lip. He smiled. He knew that mannerism of hers—it meant that she had no idea what was the next step in solving the problem. He had already memorized all her gestures—the duration of their tutoring session had given him that ability.

She suddenly looked up at him, making him freeze.

He quickly looked back down at his book, praying that she wouldn't get mad for catching him in his moment of sheer stupidity. Ah heck, staring at Videl Satan had never been healthy for him. He could kill himself for acquiring that habit in their one month something of being together. Ever since  Videl treated his black eye, he suddenly couldn't stop sneaking glances at her. And getting more concerned than usual of her grades. And being THIS aware of her every gesture.

Which was…something he wasn't familiar with.

He would take the Frieza-Cell combo over Miss Videl Satan any day. He, who grew up with practically no contact with other girls his age, was not prepared for her feistiness, her stubbornness, and her fiery spirit.

Yet at the same time, he admired these very traits in her, as well as her willing spirit to render service to the city.

Wait, maybe that's the problem. I couldn't tell her how I see her, so this is manifested through my obsessive-compulsive desire to look at her all the time! Maybe if I do tell her now what I think about her, then maybe my OC would be cured!

He inhaled deeply as he mustered his guts, then he smiled. "Miss Videl?"

_*_

The sound of her name made Videl look up. She turned to her tutor expectantly.

"You're…a very cool person," he said quietly, fondness in his eyes.

She blinked.

"T-That's it…I guess," he mumbled before looking back at his book.

She laughed nervously, aware of the blood rushing to her face. "Y-You know, I won't ask Papa to give you a raise even if you said that…" She turned her eyes back at the paper, but she was painfully conscious of her racing heartbeat. "T-Thanks though…"

"Videl! Hey Videl!" Sharpnel arrived, waving his hand proudly. "I'm here!"

Gohan blinked, then turned to her.

She slapped her forehead. She nearly forgot about her classmate. "H-Hey."

"For you." She was handed a bouquet of red roses by the newly arrived.

"You're taking up Botany?" asked her sensei, surprised.

Videl rolled her eyes, then faced Shrapnel. "You shouldn't have done that. We're just going to study algebra!"

The blond grinned. "If kids can give apples to their teachers, then I can most certainly give flowers to mine." He eyed Gohan critically. "And you are…?"

"Her tutor. I'm Son Gohan." He offered him his hand, and the other boy accepted it after a moment of hesitation.

"I was hoping that we could have a private tutorial session…" the long-haired man sighed. "Oh well, I guess it's fine."

Videl sighed, then took out her algebra notebook.

_*_

"…so that's how we get the final answer," explained Videl, tapping her ballpen at the edge of the notebook paper. Did you get it?"

Shapnel nodded quickly. "Yup! Loud and clear!"

She frowned. "Then what are you doing here, having yourself tutored? You understand the lesson perfectly!"

He suddenly panicked, "A-Ah well…" He flipped through the pages of his own notebook. "I have a few questions regarding our last assignment…"

"Our teacher already explained the solution set." Her patience was starting to thin. She sneaked a glance at her tutor, who looked blissfully contented reading his book of poetry. She surmised that Gohan wouldn't be of any help in getting rid of her classmate.

"Then explain it to me again!" he pleaded.

She was about to snap at him already when suddenly her cellphone rang. It was her personal carry-anywhere emergency hotline. She answered promptly. "Yes?"
"Miss Videl, there are bomb terrorists holding the city bank hostage! Help us!" cried the chief of police over the line.

She nodded. "I'm coming over!" She turned to the men in front of her. "Guys, I'm moving out. See you tomorrow."

Gohan's forehead creased. "You're rushing into danger again?"

She blinked. What did he mean by "again"?

But she had no time to ponder on that. She headed for her air coaster.

Gohan and Shrapnel could only watch as the coaster soared away.

"Oh well, so much for the tutorial—" The blond did a double take when Gohan dashed away too. "Hey man, where are you going? Son Gohan!!!"

_*_

"Your time is up! You guys have not yet surrendered yourself to the authorities so I'm going in!" Videl boomed through the megaphone. With that, she walked carefully into the bank. The place was deathly silent, save for the sirens of the police cars.

"Be careful, Miss Videl!" the Chief of Police called out. She nodded confidently, then dashed towards the secret back door of the bank. She was going to take the bombers by surprise.

_*_

"It's Videl Satan!!!" With that, the bombers started shooting the girl who jumped out of the bathroom window.

Videl expertly dove down the ground, then slid towards them. She used her legs to knock their knees down and make them slip.

"Damn you!!!" The man crawled for his gun, but Videl kicked it away. She then proceeded to knock him cold.

The people inside the bank cheered. She turned to them. "Are there other bombers here?"

"No, you rounded them all out."

Videl's eyes widened. She turned around and saw the Great Saiyaman standing by the doorway, arms crossed. Below him were the two other missing bank robbers who attempted to escape while she was apprehending the bombers.

"Great Saiyaman!" she exclaimed, her hands on her hips. "Don't tell me that you were the one who perpetuated this heist!"

He sweatdropped. "Oh Mi…Videl, why should I do that?"

"You tell me!" She went to him, eyebrows cocked suspiciously. "What are you doing here if you're not involved?"

"I came to help bring the criminals into justice!" he reasoned.

"Oh yeah?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Even if you helped me out twice already, that doesn't mean you have immunity from my handcuffs!" She toyed with the cuffs using her pinkie finger. "Convince me that you're innocent!"

"Miss Videl, let's leave already!" the bank manager cut in. "The bomb might explode any minute now!"
"The bomb!" She quickly went into action. "Where is it? Maybe we can still detonate it—"

"Are you crazy?" Saiyaman grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's take the people out of here already!"

"YOU take them out of here." She went into the office of the bank. "The chief told me that the bomb has two minutes to go. I can still detonate it!"

"Videl!!!"

"This building is a landmark for my father's city, and I'll be damned before something happens to it." She entered the vault and looked around.

Now if I were a bomber, where would I put the bomb?

"Videl!! Come back here, Videl!" The Saiyaman's voice reverberated in the deserted bank office.

"Videl!!!" He entered the vault. "Let's get out of here!"

"The bomb is attached to the handle of the vault door!" she cried.

"Oh no…" said the Saiyaman. They both turned to the door.

_*_

"Noooo!!!" yelled Master Satan, who just arrived in front of the bank. He just got out of his favorite spa, only to hear that his reckless daughter had placed her throat under the proverbial guillotine again. "Videl!!!! Videl, my child!!!" he cried in anguish as he stared at the remnants of the bombed bank.

"Master Satan, we're going in. We're going to find her!" The firemen started to move in.

_*_

Videl opened her eyes slowly, trying to recall her circumstances. Her eyes then flapped wide open. The bomb exploded! The bank was destroyed!

She moved her fingers, shocked by the fact that she was still conscious of her movement.

Does this mean that I'm still alive?

"Hey…"

Her heart stopped. The voice sounded so near, and yet a faraway memory was coming back to her.

She looked up and found herself staring at the Great Saiyaman. His helmet was almost bent by the impact, and some of his hair was released. It glowed gold, covering the other features of his face.

The years didn't stop her from remembering who this was. Her eyes softened. "My…phantom came back."

She thought she saw him pause, and for awhile, she was just trying to discern the contours of his face. She couldn't.

But she could hear him breathing heavily, and she knew it was because of pain. He protected her from the impact of the bomb.

Soothe the pain…she wanted to soothe his pain…

With her last ounce of energy, she raised her face up to him. The Saiyaman didn't expect that, so he could only gape when her lips touched his fleetingly, in a brief bittersweet moment.

And then, she fainted.

_*_

"Videl, I will not tolerate your recklessness anymore!" said Master Satan as he paced back and forth in the hospital room. She had waken up in this place and found her seething father and worried Shrapnel seated by her side. At the faraway corner of the room, Gohan was still blissfully absorbed in his book of poetry.

She sighed; It would be a little nice if she would have seen a bit of concern in Gohan's usual cheerful worry-free face.

"I have now decided that you would need someone who would check on your every move whenever I'm too busy." The Grand Champion nodded. "That's right! A watch!" He turned to Gohan. "Come here, boy."

Startled, Gohan dropped his book and pointed to himself.

"Who else?" Mr. Satan turned to Videl. "I will now appoint your tutor as your official shadow watch. He will keep an eye on you so you won't get into trouble."

-*-

"Videl, what came into you anyway?" asked Sharpnel when her father left to deal with the press—everyone wanted to know about the situation of his or her beloved city heroine. "You were lucky you survived the blast!"

She shook her head slowly. "I wasn't lucky; I was saved."

"Saved?" the blond echoed.

"By the Great Saiyaman," she replied.

"What? That crime-buster wannabe? We're not even sure if he has nothing to do with the bombing!"

"I can personally assure you all that he's clean," she answered firmly. "I repeat, he risked his life for me."

Gohan looked up from his book .

"We didn't see the Saiyaman when we saved you," said her classmate.

"R-Really, huh?" Her eyes saddened. "I…I see…"

"Have you seen the Great Saiyaman unmasked?" the macho blond asked all of a sudden.

This made both Gohan and Videl tense.

The boy continued. "What if I find out for you the real identity of that hero, huh? Will you go out with me then?"

Videl bit her lip. She really wanted to know who the Great Saiyaman was. She was sure that he was the boy with golden hair who saved her years ago. With that, she found herself nodding slowly.

"ALRIGHT! One unmasked Saiyaman coming up!!!"

_*_

to be continued…