Chapter 4-Mind your damn business
"After defeating every fighter that King Bovine had to offer, he had no choice but to surrender his thrown and kingdom to the leader we know today as the Ox King. His kingdom reaches as far as the Paozu mountains."
Tai sat in the back of his History class, bored as usual and unsure with what to do with his new-found daily hobby. Why he would subject himself to such boredom was beyond him.
His thoughts drifted to the conversation he had with Gohan the 3 days prior. He had given him the bare minimum. He said he had been training for the past 7 years, he was saved by his master and that he was back on Earth at said master's instruction. He left out a few things unsure if he should tell people what his master is. Before they left, he made Gohan promise not to tell a soul that he was back, especially Chi-Chi and Bulma.
While he zoned out, staring at the painting of the Ox-King, someone else was staring at him. Videls piercing gaze didn't faze him, a fact that made her grit her teeth. She had grown accustomed to a certain level of reverence from people that met her for the first time, a fact she thought she found annoying. But she had to admit Kai and Gohan's lack of acknowledgement irked her. The way they looked at her let her know they were hiding something from her, something that specifically regarded her.
"Rumour has it that the Ox-King was a student of the Crane school of martial arts," Mr Moore added, getting a few murmurs from the students who were interested in the WMAT, but it drew a scoff from Tai who returned to staring at the painting. The Lecher won't like that one bit, the though brought a small smile to the young saiyans face, albeit briefly.
The bell soon rang and everyone cleared out except for Angela, who again was asked to stay behind by Mr Moore. Tai sensed where Gohan was and proceeded to make his way over to him.
"Where do you think you're going?" Videl asked, after she had blocked Tai's path with one of her crutches.
"Move," Tai grumbled.
Videl moved her crutch to support her weight and she gingerly placed it under her arm. "Make me," she challenged.
Tai briefly toyed with the idea of throwing her out of the way, but he doubted Gohan would be too pleased with that. He liked this earthling and that was enough to keep her safe from his wrath. So instead he tried to sidestep her, only for her to throw an arm in front of him.
"You're not going anywhere until you answer my questions."
"I don't have to listen to anything you have to say, much less answer your questions. So, Get out of my way woman, before I do something that you'll regret."
A vain popped out of her temple at the tone. In her annoyance she poked one of her fingers in his chest, an action which took the saiyan by surpricse. "You think threats work on me. I deal with hardened criminals every day and you think I'll take a high schooler's threats are going to phase me. You clearly don't know who I am."
Imagine what Vegeta would say if he saw this. A proud saiyan warrior being held up by an injured, earth-woman on crutches. He must never find out.
"Nor do I care, now move."
"I'll let you go as soon as you answer my questions," she pressed. Tai found himself impressed by her forcefulness but scowled at how similar she was to Bulma and Chi-Chi, she's just the type of person he's trying to avoid. But he couldn't think of a way to get shake her off without hurting her or revealing his powers.
This little game is getting old and fast. I told Gohan I'd keep his true strength a secret and wouldn't reveal my own either, but this girl is honestly making me consider using instant transmission this very moment. Well that or destroy her.
"I was being nice because you're injured. But forget it," he pushed away her arm and force her back against the wall. "I'm not Gohan. I don't break under the pressure of someone like you. I have a spine. Come at me like this again and a bad leg will be the least of your problems." He growled before letting go of her shirt and letting her slide helplessly down the wall.
She watched him walk away with her hand gently touching her collar bone where Tai had forced her against the wall.
"That didn't go according to plan," she groaned.
Videl let go of a breath she was subconsciously holding on to when Tai turned the corner. She placed her free hand over he chest to try and settle her rapidly beating heart and drain the flush from her cheeks. She was expecting him to be hostile, but she wasn't expecting him to threaten her while she was injured. She acknowledged that using her injury to trap him was wrong, but she did get a better fix on his character. One thing he said was true. He was nothing like Gohan.
-X-
The rain was pounding the glass ceiling of the mall, and the sound resonated throughout most of the complex. Everyone ignored it and carried on with their usual routine, apart from one girl.
"Cold, cold, so, so cold," she shivered as they entered the shopping centre.
Videl shook her head, before wringing her pigtails to get some water out of them. Sharpener walked in after putting away his umbrella, revealing his dry hair and mostly dry clothes. He was aware that his friends were glaring at him, so he put on the smuggest expression he could muster and directed it at the pair.
"Next time you should look at the weather forecast."
"You cou-could have at least tried to share it with us," Erasa stammered.
"I'll let you borrow it, so you can drop your brother off at home," he retorted. "Besides, we couldn't all fit and there's no point in all of us getting wet."
"What happened to chivalry?" Videl shot.
"Hate to break it to you but it's dead," he smirked. "Now if you excuse me, I've got to meet my dad, then I can ride in his nice warm car back home."
He gave his umbrella to Erasa before heading off. "As soon as I can walk, I'm kicking his ass."
"There won't be anything left as soon as I'm done with him," Erasa groaned.
They went to a fast food restaurant and ordered a couple of burgers. While waiting for their food, a burglar alarm rang through the shopping centre. Erasa instinctively put a hand on Videl's shoulder to stop her from moving.
"What are you doing?" the fighter wondered.
"Sorry it's just a reflex. You always look for an excuse to get away from me when we're in the mall," Erasa joked. This caused a small, twinge of guilt to build up in Videls stomach.
"I'm not trying to get away from you. I'm trying to escape you in shopper mode."
"I know, it's just annoying how good you are at it."
"I'm not nearly as good at escaping as Saiyaman," Videl huffed, making Erasa roll her eyes, since she knew where this was going. "Speaking of dorks, have you noticed something weird about his habits. He only ever shows up on weekdays."
"So, what?"
"Why is that?"
"It's not like the city needs him, he just helps out right. He probably takes some downtime thinking the police can handle it."
"Remember that training day we had when school was cancelled."
Erasa straight faced her friend, "Vi, that was like a week ago."
"Yeah, that same day there was a bank robbery and a jewellery heist, and what super dork wasn't there?"
Erasa pursed her lips but said nothing, leaving Videl the chance to continue. "And since there was no school, a certain boy, that you're obsessed with, wasn't there."
Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the sound of gunfire erupting outside the shop. It was now Videls turn to act on instinct and dive on top of Erasa, sending the both to the floor, before she flipped the table to provide more cover. The adrenaline pumping through her allowed her to ignore just how much it hurt her bad leg.
Not long afterwards, the screams of the malls occupants filled the air, along with the sound of glass shattering and heavy objects crashing into the ground.
"Sounds like robbers."
"On the bright side, they shouldn't come into a fast food place," Erasa chuckled nervously
"They might have killed someone."
"There's nothing we can do about it now with your leg all banged up. We just need to wait for the police or Saiyaman to handle it."
Videl clenched her first at her rival's name, but quickly accepted Erasa's reasoning. The only thing she could do now was make a good hostage. She scanned the room to see if there was a better hiding place for the pair. During her search she saw a curious sight, one that made her blood boil. A tall young man was standing by the window watching the action.
"Tai, what the hell are you doing? Get down," the crimefighter hissed.
Tai turned to acknowledge her, wearing an expressionless mask before ignoring her and returning to watch the display. He thought that was the end of that, until Erasa once again grabbed his arm, only this time to drag him down. "It's not safe to stand."
Once again Tai was surprised by the blonde's bravery in trying to physically coerce a saiyan warrior, and his reaction was just as cold as it normally was. He yanked his arm away violently and scrunched his nose at her. "Piss off," he warned.
But she wasn't taking no for an answer and she did something that neither Tai nor Videl would have expected, she kicked him in his balls.
Had Tai been anticipating such a manoeuvre, he would have either dodged or raised a barrier, but without his ki, a well-placed kick, even from a human like her could floor a saiyan. He collapsed to the ground, grabbing his groin. He was in so much pain that it failed to escape his mouth, the scream of agony kept getting caught in his throat and he felt a painful tug in his stomach.
"You can yell at me later," she huffed before re-joining Videl, who was stifling back her laughter.
On the other hand, the saiyan was so angry at the human that his eyes began transitioning to a dark shade of teal, but his ki was so out of focus he couldn't even bring the transformation out. Forget Dende's rule, this one dies.
To make matters worse, he could hear the earth's guardian's laughter in his ear. That little twerp. He's laughing in my ear. He's making me listen to his laughter, and he knows I can't kill him.
The pain was slowly starting to subside, as was the tension, since Saiyaman had arrived to dispatch of the villains. Tai managed to get himself to his feet, and it was only when he found his balance that Saiyaman walked in to declare the safety of the mall.
"Never fear civilians, for I, the Great Saiyaman have apprehended the evildoers and the police are on their way to collect them. Is everyone alright?" a symphony of applause broke out for the teenage superhero, before everyone informed them of their situation.
After spending some time bracing himself against the wall, Tai was finally comfortable enough to walk towards Gohan. Well more like limp towards his friend, Erasa's kick packed a lot of power behind it, more than the saiyan's pride would admit.
He stood in front of Gohan then inspected him. His helmet, his visor, the skin-tight suit, the cape, the gloves, his poses, all of it. He took note of the love the people had for him, well everyone apart from Videl. This is totally something he would do. Even down to his dorky costume.
"You are so lame," Tai said, shaking his head disapprovingly. The backlash he received from the crowd was immediate, they clearly didn't take kindly to anyone insulting their saviour.
Gohan huffed and folded stiffly before quietly saying. "This is the latest fashion."
Tai again shook his head and moved to whisper in Gohan's ear, "If it's the latest fashion, why isn't anyone else dressed like you."
"Hello there, Saiyaman, can you help us, my dad fell out of his wheelchair when we jumped to the floor."
Gohan apologised for not seeing it and went to help the family out then he checked on others. "You seemed really friendly with Saiyaman, you two know each other?" Videl smirked.
Tai contemplated lying to her before remembering how bad he was at it. He hadn't told a real lie in over 10 years. "Who's Saiyaman?" he asked.
"The guy you just spoke to, cape, dorky mannerisms and all."
"Since I just found out that he's Saiyaman, doesn't that answer your question?"
"I know you're being evasive. Answering questions with questions."
"If you don't like my answer then too bad," he folded his arms and returned the glare she was giving him. If this is Gohan's secret, then I shouldn't be the one to break it. And if I don't answer any of her questions, she won't be able to spot my tells.
While most were avoiding the tension building between the pair, Erasa broke through and put her hand on Videl, gaining Tai's attention. Now that the adrenaline of the incident had left her system, a wave of guilt washed over her for hurting Tai. She only did it for his safety, but from the little she knew about him, she thought he'd misunderstand. "I'm sorry about kicki-"
Tai raised a finger at the blonde. She was expecting him to take her up on her offer and yell at her, but nothing came. He placed a hand over her head, and she felt a jolt of electricity run across her forehead. A litany of image appeared in her mind and then the emotions she felt moments ago rushed through her body. When she opened her eyes, she saw him staring into hers. They contained an air of innocence, curiosity and confusion. Like someone who didn't understand why something was happening.
She in turn took stock of Tai's appearance. She understood why the girls were so excited during that first History class, he had defined wide cheeks, small nose, strong jaw, long eyelashes and his eyebrows rested close to his eyes. Those intense, pecan, brown eyes. She thought dreamily, with a dopey smile threatening to form on her lips.
She only snapped out of her trance when he took his hand off her forehead before walking out of the restaurant and out the mall, leaving her with er hand hovering over the warmth left behind by his touch.
-X-
"Hey Tai, you're walking kind of funny, did something happen to your leg," Gohan asked concernedly.
"Mind your damn business."
