It had been roughly seven days since a certain hero had prevented a bystander's gruesome fate with nothing but his hand. At this moment, Videl distractedly spun the combination on her locker's...well, lock. Stashing away one book in exchange for another, she mentally geared herself up to take the first step in her master plan.

Definitely a long shot, she mumbled internally, but I really don't have much of a choice. Let's just hope my teacher doesn't miss a certain glove of his. She mentally sighed.

Shaking her head slightly to clear it of its wayward thoughts, she stepped into her second to last class of the day: chemistry. As it was a Friday, her class would be participating in their weekly lab where they would partner up and do their best to complete what was written on the board. Usually spending his time reading suspicious magazines hidden in his desk, their teacher proved to be lazy and impatient, simply pointing at the instructions on the board with hopes that his class wasn't as clueless as he believed them to be.

Heading to her usual spot near the back, Videl found that only Gohan was at the table, idly looking out a window with glazed eyes, most likely daydreaming. Little surprise there. Who knows what would happen if Wonder Boy was late to a class. Customarily, she would take a seat on the far side of the table, next to Erasa who sat next to Sharpner, leaving Gohan at the opposite end. However, if her plan was going to be able to even lift off the ground, she would temporarily have to change her spot. As nonchalantly as she could, she dropped her bag and took the seat right next to Gohan. Looking up, she saw his eyes widen, most likely expecting Sharpner to be in her current position.

"Hope you don't mind if I sit here. I've been having trouble lately reading the board from the right side of the table." Smooth, Videl. If you're having trouble seeing from this far back on one side, switching to the other will really make a difference.

"Uh, sure. Go ahead," he replied politely, but with a bemused expression.

She could barely contain a smirk as she took out her notebook beside the dark-haired teen.

"Hi Videl! How's..." Erasa exclaimed, but frowned in confusion as she saw her normal partner sitting elsewhere. Shrugging slightly, she sat down on the same stool as expected, but cast a quizzical look at her best friend.

The bell rang with a shrilly cry, signaling the beginning of class. It was at that moment that the majority of the class ran into the room, some finding themselves stuck in the door as four boys tried to enter at the same time.

Ignoring the late stragglers, the teacher let out an annoyed sigh and put down his magazine.

"Directions on the board. Shouldn't be that hard, but please pay attention. If you happen to find yourself with scalding hands from the highly acidic chemicals you'll be using, please feel free to go to the nurse," he said, almost glancing sinisterly up at his now wary class. Without another word, he picked up his magazine, flipped through a few pages, and settled back down.

"What helpful encouragement," Videl muttered, glaring at the reading adult.

"Um, Videl?" questioned Gohan with a tap on her shoulder.

"Yes?" she responded, letting out a long-suffering sigh.

"Ah, if you're sitting next to me, does that mean we're partners, or was that just a spur-of-the-moment decision?"

"Didn't really notice where I sat," she lied calmly, "But if you don't want me as a partner, I'll can just as easily move back."

"No!" he blurted, blushing in embarrassment as a few students turned around to look at him, "No, it's perfectly fine with me. I'll go get the supplies," he finished, vaguely gesturing to front of the class where the chemicals were placed.

"Sure thing," she said with a nod, standing up to get them both a pair of goggles and gloves. Most excellent.

After waiting patiently in line, Gohan came back to their desks, arms ladled with numerous objects they would both need. Surprisingly, there was already a pair of gloves lain out for him, accompanied by a thick pair of plastic goggles.

"Thanks, Videl," he said with grin, gently putting down his retrieved supplies. Looking around, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "Should we start?"

Rolling her eyes, she put the protective gear on and gave him a slight nod.

"Might as well, unless you want to just forget it. I mean, it's only a single lab. One failed grade won't make that much of a difference," she replied, her sapphire eyes shining with an almost predatory glint.

Face paling, Gohan hurriedly followed Videl's example, quickly pulling on a glove. It was actually quite hazardous using the gloves that they did in this class. Instead of the thick gloves that were advised to be worn, they were simply given a cheap alternative. Since it was the teacher's money being spent on such supplies, he just went out and bought boxes of the flimsy, plastic gloves doctors and dentists had been seen with. Hardly the idealistic protective gear.

With a mental eye roll, the two ebony-haired teens set to work, both thinking they're own respective thoughts. They had finally finished the required steps and were currently jotting down observations in their notebooks.

Not bothering to look up, Videl asked, "Hey, what time is it?"

She heard the slight rustle of his shirt as Gohan turned to look at the clock. Going back to his writing, he leaned over and replied, "About five till. Only a few more minutes of our personal little hell here."

Videl involuntarily shivered as his warm breath grazed her ear. She paused, staring blankly at the paper in front of her. Well that was weird...she thought, unintentionally blushing.

"Uh, let me take your goggles and stuff. I'll put them back," Videl offered, mentally crossing her fingers.

"Um, sure! Thanks, Videl," he replied, handing the used gloves and protective eyewear.

With a nod, she walked to the front of the class where the trashbin was, throwing away one glove. Slyly, she stuffed the counterpart into her pocket, hoping it would be as helpful as planned.

And true to his words, the bell gave off its tell tale ringing, leaving numerous students dashing to put their things away to leave.

(Sorry, but I'm having issues defining where new sections start --;)

It was two hours later when Videl scrambled into her jetcopter, responding to yet another call from the police. Apparently, some crazy man had hijacked a tourist's bus and were demanding an outrageous ransom. Videl, being the crime fighter that she is, couldn't let them get away with it. If they're driving away, how are we supposed to give them money in the first place? Ah! There it is.

Right below was a large, charter bus, careening down the road at an alarming speed. Now how to get on...

With a mental shrug, Videl directed her copter down so that it landed smoothly on top of the bus. Working quickly, she climbed out and crawled along the roof of the bus until she reached the door. Hanging over the side briefly to view inside, she straightened and flipped herself over, bursting through the front doors. With a graceful roll, she sprung up, hearing gasps from the already panicked passengers. Videl immedietally spun around to find a gun placed at the center of her forehead.

"Nice move, chickie, but very stupid," the man growled, pressing the firearm between the middle of her eyes.

Idiot! She wanted to slap herself. You could have spent an extra couple of seconds to see if they had guns. And you're the crime hero...

With an audible sigh, she slowly raised her hands, signaling defeat. I can't believe I'm thinking this, but I wish Saiyaman were here...

(new)

"Now where are you," Gohan said aloud to himself, soaring through the air in search of a missing bus. He could just about sense Videl's ki signature and those of the passengers, but they were still quite a distance away. Picking up his speed, he followed the road he was flying over until he saw a large dust cloud. Curious, he flew over to find that the bus he was searching for was now diving off the road and onto the dirt, veering dangerously close to the cliff side. He sped forward in hopes of catching them, but felt a sickening lurch in his stomach when he saw them teeter on the edge before falling off completely. Videl!

(new)

"You have to stop this bus now! We'll give you the money, but you can't receive it if you're running away!" Videl desperately reasoned, seeing the cliff side approach a little too quickly for her taste.

"Shut up! I know what I'm doing, so sit back and be a good girl. Let the grown-ups handle this," the gunman snarled, shoving her into the closest seat next to an old lady.

Grumbling swear words under her breath, Videl leaned back, thinking furiously. How the hell am I going to get out of this? If I try to contact someone, I'll just get killed, a fat lot of help that'll do me. Suddenly, a bright flash blinded her. Blinking frantically to clear her vision, she saw the old lady next to her lower her camera hesitantly.

"Ah, I thought that I should get a picture of this. Quite exciting and all, don't you think?"

"My eyes!" yelled the driver, taking his hands off of the steering wheel to claw at his the blinded orbs. Unfortunately, this would have been a good time to take his foot off the pedal, but common sense rarely plays a role in these situations.

Still flooring the gas pedal but zig-zagging precariously, Videl rubbed her eyes but quickly wished she hadn't. Oh sh-! Was her last thought as there was a strange sense of being suspended in midair before gravity took it's toll.

Oh my God, I'm actually going to die this time, she thought morbidly. I'll never see my friends again, my dad, I'll never figure out who-

Once again, she was jolted out of her thoughts as the falling bus lurched to a stop. It was one of the strangest feelings she had experienced; knowing she was descending rapidly and then stopped by some unseen force.

"This is some tour," the old woman next to her chattered cheerily, snapping a picture of the scenery outside. It was then that the bus slowly started to rise again, like a hot air balloon. Speechless both physically and mentally, Videl watched in wonder as they kept ascending until they were slowly pushed back onto solid ground. The inside of the bus was deadly silent, not one sound being heard except for the odd clicking of a camera.

No one dared to speak, all of them to wrapped up in themselves, wondering what phenomenon had just occurred. A sharp intake of breath was heard as someone at the back cried, "It's Saiyaman! He saved us! It's really him!"

Without another word, people ran to the front of the bus to get out and greet their hero. Blinking owlishly, Videl peered over the seats to find the bus completely empty except for the old lady and the now unconcious gunner, who apparently had been trampled by the anxious stampede. She slowly stood up and walked out, finding a croud surrounding a panting Saiyaman, whose posture stated that he was worn out by the slouching of his shoulders and the heavy breaths he was taking in.

Shouldering her way through to the center, she cautiously went up to her green clad partner.

"Ah...did you really stop the bus from falling?" she asked, not quite believing the abnormal show of strength.

"Looks like it," he replied, scratching the back of his head with a grin. Why did that seem so familiar?

"I-I can't believe it. How?" She floundered about, not knowing quite what to ask.

"Lets just say that we should all be lucky that no one was hurt," he said, neatly side stepping her question.

"Aha! Look at the time! I trust that you will be able to fix everything here, Miss Videl?"

"Oh...sure. But-" she stopped, seeing that he had already shot up into the air and was heading back towards the city.

With another sigh, she plopped down onto the ground, the rush of emotions previously felt exhausting her. For some reason, she could only think of one thing: Where have I seen that smile before?

(new)

Gah! That was close...Gohan murmured internally, rubbing his arms as he flew. That is the last time I ever catch a bus again...hehe...but how many times does this happen?

A/N: WAAAH! I'm really sorry I took so long with this and that this chapter's really bad too. Once I got back from vacation, I caught a bad bug. Unfortunately, I also spent many an hour pondering what to write. I don't want to leave the fic, but I feel that...people don't like it? I'm not sure, but positive feedback would mean the world to me, literally.

Also, thankyou for such lovely reviews, I swear I get the warmest fuzzy feeling inside when it happens!