Everybody Lies

Chapter Four

Do You See Me, Too?

Well, that was a first.

Videl smirked, raising an eyebrow at the scene she'd come upon. She'd been called yet again by the police force this morning to help stop a bank robbery, and for the first time, the Gold Fighter wasn't already gone when she got there.

He had finished dealing with a dozen heavily armed men and was standing in the middle of their unconscious bodies. Turning around when she arrived just as the hostages in the bank were rushing outside in relief, the tall young man gave an amused smile upon locking eyes with her, seeming to be thinking the same thing as her.

"Did I somehow get slower at this, or did you get here too fast this time?" he asked rhetorically, letting out a low chuckle as he slowly began walking to her.

"Who knows," Videl said, shrugging, as she also took a few steps to meet him halfway. The warm, glowing aura was still emanating from his body, immersing her in a pleasant sensation. "Then again, there were quite a lot of them," she added, motioning to the knocked out crooks.

"This bunch? Nah, they were nothing," he said, brushing it off with his hand. He was standing right in front of her now, and she had to raise her head to look at him.

"Show off," she said with a grin, making him chuckle.

"Maybe," he whispered, and his hand reached up to her face. But he stilled his movement then, seeming to hesitate, his fingers hovering over her skin.

And Videl's eyes slowly fell shut. His body truly was radiating off a warm glow. It was giving her a tingling sensation in her stomach… Or maybe she was a lot more attracted to this guy that she was willing to admit.

"But only in front of you," he went on in a low, husky voice as he leaned down to her ear, brushing away a few strands of her hair with the tip of his fingers. It was so… soft.

Her heart was pounding hard against her chest, her breathing quickened. How could a touch as simple as this have such a strong effect on her? It just… It didn't make sense. It'd never happened to her before. She could actually feel his power, so gigantic and overwhelming, and yet the way he touched her, barely making contact as he tucked a stray lock behind her ear… His gentleness was making her melt.

Videl could feel he was about to disappear again and instinctively reached out to grab his wrist to hold him back. She looked down, slightly embarrassed by her bold move, and distractedly noticed the digital watch he was wearing. Well, superheroes also needed to know the time, didn't they?

"What's your name?" she managed to breathe out, raising her head to look at him again. His teal eyes were troubling her. She was getting anxious.

"Can't tell you that," he replied mysteriously, smirking at her.

"Then what should I call you?" she quickly followed up, subconsciously tightening her hold on his wrist. "It feels awkward to call you Gold Fighter."

He seemed to think about it, his gaze shifting to the side. Then he smiled at her, looking like he figured something out. "Saiyaman," he said. "Call me Saiyaman."

She sent him a skeptical look, mixed with some amusement. "What does that even mean?"

"It means something to me. That's all you need to know," he explained cryptically.

'Saiyaman' was about to leave again, but Videl was still holding his wrist. He chuckled. "Can I have that back?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Depends. What do I get in return?" she teased, still not letting go.

It happened so fast it caused her to freeze completely. His warm lips pressed on her jawline, just over her neck, sending jolts of electricity through her whole body. She subconsciously released his wrist, and his low, rumbling chuckle brushed against her neck, causing a shiver to run along her spine. Heat rushed to her face in less than a millisecond; her heart was fluttering like crazy in her chest, tightening her throat. And the spot he had kissed… it felt tingly. The unfamiliar yet intoxicating sensation was spreading through her whole being.

"You're welcome," he whispered, before leaving in a gust of wind.

Videl idly wondered if her heart rate was ever going to get back to normal again.

ooOoo

"Hellooooo~? Earth to Videl?"

The girl in question was jolted out of her daydream when Erasa called her out loudly, waving a perfectly manicured hand in front of her face. Videl gave an apologetic smile and her cheeks reddened ever so slightly as she recalled her wandering thoughts.

"Sorry," she said, forcing herself to focus. "You were saying?"

"Never mind that," was Erasa's response, a devious smirk forming on her cherry lips. "What were you thinking of with such a silly smile on your face, hm?"

Videl grinned, ignoring the intense heat on her cheeks as she motioned to her friend to get closer, as if she were about to share a secret. Which, in fact, was precisely her intention.

"I saw him again earlier. The Gold Fighter," she confided in a low tone. "Well, he said to call him Saiyaman, that the name made some sort of sense to him somehow…"

"You're getting off track, hun," remarked Erasa, grinning in anticipation.

"Right," said Videl, giggling slightly. "Well, he's clearly been flirting with me."

Erasa's eyes widened, along with her smile. "Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! You really are his Lois Lane! That's so romantic," she squealed in delight. "And what about you? How do you feel about him?"

"It's hard to tell so soon," Videl replied thoughtfully. "But I'm kinda… flirting back?"

This time, Erasa's jaw dropped to the ground, while Videl tried as she might to ignore the burning feeling on her face.

"That's fantastic, Videl!" she cried out, hugging her tightly all of a sudden. Videl laughed nervously, and when her friend pulled back she made fake sniffing sounds. "My little Videl is finally growing up," she said, pretending to wipe away a tear.

Videl rolled her eyes at Erasa's antics. Her ears still felt pretty hot though. "And he kissed me on the cheek. Well, actually," she corrected, pointing at the very spot Saiyaman had touched with his lips; it still left a tingling sensation on her skin. "He kissed me right here."

Erasa blew out a breath, fanning herself with her hand. "That is so hot," she said. "And then? What happened after that? What did you do?"

"I was rooted on the spot!" laughed Videl. "And then he chuckled and left."

"Gosh, that's just like those superhero dramas," Erasa said wistfully, letting out a dreamy sigh. Then she smirked, winking at Videl. "Maybe someday, I could meet him through you, once you two begin your romance story and all."

"Stop it," giggled the brunette, hitting her friend playfully on the shoulder. "And besides, I still don't know his real name. Or anything about him, for that matter."

"That's not true," countered Erasa. "For one, you know he's a crime fighter, like you. And you know he's hot, and that he's been flirting with you which means he must like you. How is that nothing?"

"And I only saw him twice in all," reminded Videl.

"And your point is…?" Erasa quirked an eyebrow at her, as if saying 'that's not a valid excuse at all; you've got to try harder than that'.

Videl rolled her eyes at her friend. Of course, she knew she was in love with Gohan from the moment they met, but that didn't mean that kind of thing could happen to anyone. And besides, she and Saiyaman were only having a harmless flirt; she had no plans to get serious with a guy who wouldn't even give her his real name. No matter how hot and tempting he may be.

"Oh, look, Gohan's over there," noticed Erasa, her face lighting up. She started calling out to the tall boy to join them under their usual tree, her arms waving wildly to catch his attention.

"Hi," he greeted them, sitting down cross-legged on the grass. "What's up?"

"Well, Videl's attraction for a certain golden-haired guy, that's for sure," Erasa giggled, unknowingly making both dark-haired teens flush deeply.

"Erasa! Don't just say it to anyone!" reproached Videl.

"But Gohan's a cool guy; you said so yourself, remember?"

x

He was blushing pretty badly at this point. Not only did Erasa remind him just how bold he'd been with Videl earlier (damn that Super Saiyan overconfidence; how was he supposed to act normal with her after that daring kiss now?), he also learned that Videl thought he was cool; the real him, Son Gohan. He was pretty glad she did, of course, but it was still an embarrassing thing to hear, especially in front of the girl in question.

Gohan was a bit at a loss about this "Saiyaman" character and Videl, to tell the truth. If he was honest with himself, he would admit that he was more than attracted to Videl, as much to her looks as to her personality, now that he knew her better. If he were to make a move towards her, though, shouldn't he rather do it as himself, and not as an alter-ego he'd created to fight crime anonymously? Sure, he kind of lacked the confidence the Super Saiyan form provided, but he wasn't completely spineless, either. He could be bold and daring, too, if he wanted to.

"Fine," said Videl, after some convincing on Erasa's part to talk about Saiyaman to Gohan.

Oh, the irony.

"You've heard about this kind of superhero that's been stopping crime in the city lately, right? The Gold Fighter," started Erasa.

"Saiyaman," corrected Videl. "I already told the press about his superhero name so you should get used to it."

"Fine, Saiyaman," replied Erasa, rolling her eyes in amusement. "Anyways, the guy's obviously taken a liking to Videl; she says he's been flirting with her."

"F-Flirting?" he stuttered, his face flaring up in a flash.

Well, it wasn't like he could deny it, but hearing the word was somehow making it more… real. He hoped they wouldn't see through his exaggerated reaction; he passed for a pretty shy person, so Gohan figured it might not be that surprising coming from him.

"Yep! And here's the best part." Erasa paused for dramatic effect. "Videl is flirting back! The biggest tomboy in the world, flirting with a guy – can you believe that?"

"Erasa, that's enough…" muttered Videl, a deep blush on her face. Gohan turned to her, feeling a tug in his chest. Could it be she actually liked his Saiyaman character?

And then another, unfamiliar and unreasonable feeling gripped his stomach, making him frown. Why Saiyaman? Why not him? Was it because he was strong and confident as the superhero, and more reserved and kind of nerdy as Gohan? But they were the same person – why wasn't she attracted to him, as Gohan, too?

Or… was she? Could it be she actually saw him like that too? Or maybe… Maybe he could… flirt with her, but as himself. Stop this game with Saiyaman, however fun it'd been, and try to win her over.

He blushed slightly at his thoughts, glancing at the girl in question. Who knew, when he'd first met her, that he would actually start developing feelings for her in such a short time. That he would want her to notice him, and like him for who he really was. That he could be jealous of himself because she seemed to like the Super Saiyan part of him more.

"Anyway," Videl said curtly, obviously keen to change the subject. "Did you hear from Sharpner too?" she asked Erasa. "He sent me a text to say he was having a blast."

Erasa giggled. "He sent me the same text. That lazy bum. He could've given us a call, at least."

"Give him a break, he's probably exhausted over there."

Gohan tilted his head, hearing the name for the first time. "Who's Sharpner?"

"He's a friend of ours. We've known each other since kindergarten, the three of us," Erasa explained. "He's an athlete like Videl, and he was accepted in a prestigious training camp in Ginger Town."

"That's pretty cool," Gohan commented. "But what about school?"

"They have classes too, so they don't fall behind," said Videl. "He should be back before the end-of-term exams, right?" she asked Erasa for confirmation, who hummed in response, nodding her head.

Gohan smiled as he watched the two girls interact and banter playfully with one another. It was no wonder that they were so close if they had known each other for so long.

His eyes softened as they lingered on the raven-haired girl, and his chest swelled when she smiled. His heartbeat quickened. This girl… He didn't quite understand it, but, somehow, she could make a roller coaster out of his emotions, be it to piss him off or to fluster him. Effortlessly.

ooOoo

Later that day, Gohan couldn't quite focus on the teacher's lecture. His thoughts were still revolving around Videl, and he'd concluded that his chances of getting her to notice him were pretty low. Saiyaman was mysterious and strong. Gohan? Just a regular guy who did well in school. Nothing mysterious about that.

He let out a deep, dejected sigh.

"You okay, Gohan?"

It was Kit, one of his classmates. He turned to her and attempted to smile, but he was just too discouraged to manage one. "Sorry, not really," he replied truthfully.

"What's wrong?" she whispered – they were in the middle of a class, after all.

"It's all right, I'd rather not talk about it," he replied in the same tone.

"Oh come on, maybe I can help?"

He took a moment to think about it, frowning slightly. Kit might be able to help, actually – she was a girl too. Although… Last time he talked about Videl to her and the other girls they started badmouthing her for no good reason, and he ended up just getting more upset.

"Hypothetically…" he started, deciding to give it a go anyway. He hid behind his book and lowered his voice even more, scooting closer to Kit. "How does a guy get a girl to notice him?"

Sometime later, class ended, and Gohan went to the library for his daily extra credit work. He'd hoped to see Videl again, too, but unfortunately, she didn't show up today, and the Son boy sighed deeply. Things were so boring without her around.

He thought back about what Kit had told him earlier in class. When she'd asked what type of girl the "hypothetical guy" was interested in, he'd thoughtlessly replied, "A tomboyish girl."

She'd looked a little bit upset at that for some reason, but offered her help anyway. She said regular methods like flowers and jewelry probably wouldn't work as well on a tomboy as it would a girly girl. "Why a tomboy, though?" she'd asked.

"I don't know, it's what came to mind first," he'd replied, shrugging slightly. "Besides, it's just a hypothetical situation so it doesn't really matter, does it?"

She had frowned, and then sighed softly, and told him she wasn't quite sure how to woo a tomboy since she wasn't one herself.

"But a girl is a girl," she'd added. "Tomboy or girly, if you want her to notice you…"

"Not me," he'd cut in, blushing. She'd rolled her eyes – clearly not buying it. He went along with it anyway. "It's all hypothetical."

"Right. So, if a guy wants a girl to like him, he should ask her about the stuff she likes, and listen to her when she needs it, and of course, show that he's interested in her and flirt with her et cetera. But be careful not to be too clingy, otherwise you – I mean, otherwise the girl might get sick of the guy."

It was really nice of Kit to give him advice on girls, although he'd had the feeling she wasn't too happy about something.

Not too clingy, Gohan reminded himself as he put a book back in its rightful place on the shelf. He sighed, his shoulders slumping. But he'd really hoped to see her again today…

Someone did come, however. Erasa hung out with him until he was done helping out in the library, and then they parted ways. He did ask her about Videl, and she told him she went home early to train today.

As he flew home on his flying cloud, Gohan sighed for what seemed like the umpteenth time today. It couldn't be healthy to think about one person so much. It wasn't doing any good to his heart, that was for sure.

ooOoo

Videl walked into the library and smiled when she saw Gohan, as usual. Ever since they'd made peace and started to get to know each other, the girl, in turn, started to enjoy coming to the library more and more. Thanks to Gohan and the book he'd recommended to her, she'd passed her History test with flying colors. She'd ended up reading the whole thing, too, which turned out really productive and useful in class and while doing homework. She might just become one of the best in her class with that book's help, she thought wishfully.

One could always dream, right?

"Hey. Thanks for letting me borrow this," she said, setting on the desk another work by Buzan which Gohan had let her borrow from his personal collection. "His books are really amazing."

He smiled sheepishly. "You can keep it if you want; I've long memorized this stuff."

She rolled her eyes playfully as she sat down next to him. "Right, almost forgot I was dealing with Mr. Genius."

Gohan blushed, and she cracked a smile at that. Ever so easy to get him flustered – not to mention, it was super fun too.

"So, um…" He cleared his throat, his cheeks still tinted pink. "I hear you fight crime? How did you end up doing that kind of stuff?"

She smirked. "It's actually a really peculiar story."

"You have my full attention," he said, turning to her fully.

x

"You got kidnapped?"

The library lady sent Gohan a stern look after his outburst, and he apologized shyly, scratching the back of his head. But when he turned back to her, Videl cracked a smile at the disbelieving look he was giving her. She had always liked telling that story; the reactions she would get were always entertaining.

"Did you really get kidnapped? That's terrible," he said in a hushed voice, leaning closer to her.

And suddenly she didn't feel so confident anymore. Her heart rate picked up for some reason – and Gohan was really, really close. Too close. His pitch black eyes were drawing her in, and she could smell his natural scent… which turned out to be oddly attractive.

"Y-Yeah," she replied. Why was she stuttering? She cleared her throat. "Well, actually, I almost got kidnapped. I was fourteen years old and already pretty strong, so when those men tried to take me, I kicked their asses instead and handed them over to the police. And it felt really good, you know? To fend for myself and do something meaningful. So I thought, I could help the police force from time to time, and I offered my help. And, well, since the crime rate had been going up the past years, they were happy to get my help."

"What about your dad?" Gohan inquired. "Was he okay to let his fourteen-year-old daughter fight armed criminals?"

She frowned at the mention of her father. "Not really, but that didn't stop me. Nothing can stop me when I've set my mind on to something."

His expression softened, and he smiled at her fondly. "That, I've no doubt about."

What was it about his gentle eyes that made her chest feel so tight, all of a sudden?

ooOoo

"I'm home."

Her dull voice probably didn't reach her father in this friggin' huge mansion – well, good for her. The less she saw the man, the better.

May 26th, the anniversary of the Cell Games, was less than three weeks away now. And, oh joy, her father, the so-called world savior, had decided to come to her school and give a speech during the festival. Yeah, because Orange Star High, along with Orange Star Junior High and Elementary, organized a festival on that date every year since the defeat of Cell. And every year since then, Videl was forced to attend the special event honoring her father's big fat lie.

She went to her room and locked the door behind her, grabbed the remote of the hi-fi system and switched on the radio, turning up the volume to the maximum. The music was vibrating off the walls, but luckily for the people living as well as working here, her room was soundproof – like any of the fifty rooms of this damned place, for that matter.

She'd never felt at home here. Deep down, Videl wished they'd never left their old apartment. Although, if she could have a wish, it would be that her father hadn't chosen to lie that day.

She had thought of doing her own investigation of what had really happened in the arena, but in the end, it didn't matter all that much. Whoever did kill Cell didn't mind having the credit stolen from them and was content having the world worshipping some liar for something they achieved. Well then, she shouldn't bother looking for them, either. It wouldn't be worth the trouble anyway.

She closed her eyes and focused on the loud music, forcing herself to think of something else…

An image formed in her mind: a dorky smile, gentle eyes, and spiky, black hair…

Videl sat up straight with a jolt, her eyes wide open. What the heck was Gohan, of all people, doing popping up in her head out of nowhere? She would've thought, if someone were to get in her thoughts, it would be Saiyaman. Although… Ever since that second meeting she hadn't had any contact with him; like before, he was always long gone before she showed up. Could he be embarrassed about the kiss? Somehow she didn't think he would be the shy type… Then again, she'd only seen the guy twice; she couldn't really say she knew him.

Even so, why Gohan? Sure, she had gotten to know him a lot better lately and he was a pretty cool guy, yeah. And yes, okay, Erasa was right, he was really cute and had an adorable smile. And great eyes. And really good tastes in books, too – he'd recommended a few to her that she'd really enjoyed, fictional as well as practical; books she would never have looked at twice if it hadn't been for him.

Okay, so all in all he was a great guy; tall and handsome, fun to hang out with, not to mention really smart, and keen to offer his help if she needed any when studying or for anything else. But he was just a friend. A good friend. A really cute, good-looking friend with whom she enjoyed spending time. Yep, that was all.

And Erasa had dibs on him, anyway. Not that she was interested, obviously. Nope. Not at all.

She lay back on her bed and looked at the ceiling, a small smile tugging at her lips. Well, at least thinking of Gohan was getting her mind off of her gloomy mood. She closed her eyes, and allowed herself to think of him more. He was her friend after all, and thinking of him was lightening her mood – no harm in that, right?

She smiled in content, letting the music and images of Gohan invade her mind. He sure had a really cute smile…