Videl ripped her heels from her feet and jumped up from her hiding spot under the table. Quickly surveying the situation, she was a little disheartened to notice that there were several thugs armed with machine guns - all pointed at various attendants of the big event.

"Not so fast," one of them said, pointing a gun towards Videl. "Don't think we forgot about you."

Videl grit her teeth. "What do you guys want? You can't hope to kill anyone in here and get away with it!" It was true. A common crook could probably get away with just shy of a decade in jail after killing a random civilian but if anyone were to lay a hand on one of the world's most powerful people, Videl didn't doubt that they would never again see a single ray of sunshine in their lives.

"Listen to the boss man," said the thug, as he pointed towards a masked man in the middle of the hall, holding a small sheet of paper in one hand.

"First on this little list of mine is Mackenzie Castrol," boomed the leader. Videl could almost hear the grin in his voice. "Does anyone want to turn him over or should we just open fire once your time is up?"

Videl couldn't see where the old man had gone but if she had to take a guess, he was probably cowering under a table like most of the guests. Only a few had stood up and the Satan girl was a little surprised to see Azel rise slowly beside her. As he crouched a little under the table and took a small peek over it, Videl realised that he was probably a little wary of the fact that his father's name had just been called up.

"Next up is Mark Sterling," exclaimed the leader, still reading from his list. "Then, we're looking for…"

As the leader read the names of various prominent figures, Videl tried to look around the room for something that she could exploit - an opening, anything, that she could take advantage of. She was willing to bet that she would be able to take a couple of the goons out, but there was nothing she could do to prevent them from opening fire on the civilians. That, and she wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell if they all turned their guns towards her at once.

She couldn't help but sigh with frustration as she tried and failed to find any of the security guards that should have been in the room. Either they'd all been taken out or the event had been rigged from the get-go.

"What do you want? Money?" asked the lady that Videl had been awestruck to see minutes ago, Bulma Briefs. "Name your price, I'll write you a check and we can all walk away from this peacefully."

"As tempting as that sounds," replied the leader. "We're not after money. We're here to cleanse the world of the cancer that has infected it."

Videl was a little far away from the two of them but was able to catch their attention with a yell. "So why aren't you killing everyone here, then? Isn't everyone here the scum of society and all that?"

Videl had run into this type of criminal before. He probably had a tough childhood, was raised in a poor area and was now looking to inflict pain upon the world's richest people. Nothing too out of the ordinary.

"Not really," replied the leader with a smirk as he looked down to his watch. "Seven minutes left."

"So then what do you want those people for?" Videl gestured over to the small and still-growing group of the cowering people whose names were on their intruder's list.

"I'm what's known as an eco-terrorist," explained the leader. "I'm doing all of you a favour by taking care of the very people who are forcing the people of Earth to destroy their planet for money."

"You're not going to get away with any of this," said Videl as she clenched her fingers. She didn't care what the guy's story was… what he was planning to do to the oil-rich attendants was very clear and she'd be damned if she allowed it.

Bulma seemed to have backed off a little. Her left hand was holding a small clutch purse against her body while her right was pressing a mobile phone against her ear. Videl couldn't help but wonder just who the woman was calling because she was sure that the police were already very aware of the situation.

Her little terrorist friend seemed to have noticed too.

"You can call the police if you'd like," he taunted as he turned his wrist around, flaunting the face of his watch - a cheap, plastic looking thing - as if to say that there was no way they'd be able to do anything in time. "They're still not going to be able to save you, though."

The blue-haired woman paused for a moment, turning her head and lifting the phone away from her ear to give him a toothy smile. It was quite unlike any smile Videl had seen before - not as deludedly arrogant as she would expect from Azel's father but nowhere near as genuine as a real smile. With that, the genius turned back to her phone and nonchalantly continued her conversation.

Videl tried to understand just what had transpired as the man fumed. With one very simple action, Bulma Briefs had turned the composed "eco-terrorist" before her into someone that looked so red that he might as well have been doing an impression of a fire hydrant.

"Five minutes," he muttered with a growl after a moment or two.

Videl blinked. Normally, she would've taken that as her queue to spring into action but now she was curious. Well, there was also the fact that there were several guns pointed towards many different people... she didn't want to chance being responsible for their early demise.

Not yet.

Not when it was so painfully obvious to her that the blue-haired woman was planning something. Given that she had been praised as a genius, the perfect combination of a scientific and business mind, Videl felt inclined to put her faith in her.

Had she been dealing with a bunch of everyday thugs, she might have been taken up the challenge of dodging a few hundred bullets. The difference was that these guys were the real deal. A normal crook didn't want to shoot someone, they normally pursued trivial things like money and used their guns as a way to scare people off. It seemed like these people had arrived with the intention to kill several people and that just wasn't something Videl couldn't risk.

"Four min-"

A loud crashing noise interrupted the would-be killer before her. A green figure emerged through a pane of glass as it crumbled into a shower of crystal shards behind him. Videl's blue eyes shined in recognition as she saw the fluttering, red cape and the corners of her mouth lifted in a smirk when the intruder settled into a pose in mid air.

Surprisingly, there were no overly-corny introductions. Videl supposed that was more or less because of the waves of bullets that immediately crashed into the modern-day superhero, but as she expected they merely bounced back off his body as though they were made of foam.

"Put your guns down and leave peacefully," warned Saiyaman. "I don't want to have to hurt anyone here. I am the protector of the weak, the savio-"

"Protector of the weak, huh?" grunted the leader of the eco-terrorists. "Some protector if you're going to try and fight the good guys."

"What do you mean?" Videl could hear the scepticism in Saiyaman's voice as his eyes narrowed. "You're trying to take all these innocent people hostage."

"Innocent? Innocent?" the leader exclaimed with a snort, looking her boyfriend right in the eye. "Don't make me laugh! There are more toes on my feet than there are innocent people in this room. And these people know it - they even said so earlier - they're the scum of society."

"Shut up," said Videl, eager to finally get a word in. "You can save your spiel for the judge because I can promise you that no-one here - except for you - has threatened to kill a roomful of people."

"What's a room to a planet?" asked the eco-terrorist. "These people are dirty: all they care about is money. They don't care about the pollution they leave behind or how they're damaging this world that we all live in."

"We could always find a new planet to live on," said Saiyaman, attempting to defuse the situation. "However a second life isn't so easily found."

"Godammit," cursed the leader, a look of desperation in his eye as he took aim with his weapon. Videl didn't even need to bother to look to know that he was aiming at the small group he'd managed to amass.

Before she could blink, however, a green blur knocked the weapon out the leader's hands and the man to the floor. As the other terrorists in the room began to take aim - at either Saiyaman or random members of the crowd - Videl figured that it was finally time for her to bust into action.

Unfortunately, they all dropped like flies before she could even really do anything but the Satan didn't let that dismay her. She made her way over to the leader, who still looked a little disorientated, and placed him in a body lock.

"Sorry pal, it's over."

"You did a great job out there," said Bulma with a grin. "I've got to say, seeing you in action live is much better than watching you on the TV."

Something about the billionaire's words of praise struck Videl as ingenuine, but she didn't comment on it. "Thank you, I'm really glad that I could help out, but honestly it was Saiyaman who did all the hard work."

"I'm sure your boyfriend would disagree," said Bulma with a wink. "Standing tough the way you did is a virtue. No-one else in the entire room did that!"

"Well except for you," blushed Videl. "I guess that's fitting, though; you've been my idol since I was eight."

Bulma paused to bid a few acquaintances goodbye with a wave. "Well, I certainly hope I lived up to the billing then. You do remind me of a younger version of myself… that is, if I had known how to fight."

"And if I were a super genius," chuckled Videl. "But, if you don't mind, I do have a question I wanted to ask you. Who was it that you were talking to in the middle of that crazy guy's speech? I was really impressed with how you made him almost lose it with a single look by the way."

"That'll have to stay my little secret," smiled Bulma as she extended a hand towards Videl. "Now, before I head out, I just wanted to thank you profusely for what you did again. And also, if you see that boyfriend of yours around, please extend my gratitude towards him as well."

"You got it," grinned Videl as she shook the blue-haired woman's hand. Her grip, Videl noted, was nothing like her father's - it didn't try to crush her hand but, unlike someone such as Erasa, it wasn't so dainty that it collapsed on itself upon contact. After attempting to meet the billionaire's firmness with her own, Videl stepped away from the woman and turned around to survey the dining hall.

There were bullet holes in the walls, many panes of glass were shattered and the entire place looked worse for wear, but Videl figured that it had gotten off light. At least, she mused, the cleaners would not have to spend hours trying to scour blood from the floor.

"You look like a mess," said Azel, garnering her attention, as he gestured towards her attire.

Her dress was torn in a few places and her hair was completely dishevelled. Videl wasn't too worried about it though, trying to hold down a squirming terrorist did that to you.

"So I fit right in standing next to you then," Videl smirked, uncaring for her harsh tone.

"Ouch," he winced in mock agony. "Did you practice that one?"

Videl chuckled. "So how's your dad holding up? Hopefully, he didn't get his panties in a twist from having to stand next to a gun."

"Haha, very funny," said Azel as he stressed each syllable. "I'm sure your father would wipe that damn smirk off your face if he were to hear you say that."

"You wish," said Videl as she poked her tongue out at him. "So what did you come over here for? To offer to fix my hair?"

"I figured you might need a little comforting after that experience," said Azel, deciding it was his turn to smirk. "Your new boyfriend seems to have left you hanging."

"Does it bother you to know that I have feelings for someone other than you?" she asked bitterly. "Or is it too hard for your pea-sized brain to comprehend that you'll never have a shot with me."

He shooshed her. "Did you honestly never learn to lower your voice? Do you really want other people in this room over-hearing?"

Videl sighed, knowing that he was right. The room was still filled with guests who had not yet completely tapered out, the police, and a few reporters amongst others.

"So what do you reckon all this was about?" asked Videl, gesturing with her head towards one of the eco-terrorists who was crouched over the ground, tight handcuffs restraining his movement.

"Y'know, for a police officer you sure aren't very observant," commented the young man as he tried to get a rise out of her. "These greenies obviously wanted to kill Father and his competitors to make a hole in the oil market."

"Duh," said Videl sarcastically as she glared at her childhood friend. "But how would that make a difference? Someone else would just step up in the place of whoever they managed to kill. How did they set this whole thing up? Who was responsible for inviting everyone?"

"I don't know," he rolled his eyes. "Some of us know better than to follow our childish ambitions of becoming a detective."

"Right, you'd rather just have everything handed to you when your papa finally kicks the can," said Videl as she began to grow frustrated. It never ceased to annoy her how easily he could get under her skin and the climb back out in a moment's notice.

"Some day that mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble," Azel warned.

"The day it does, I'll be sure to come crying to you for hel-"

"Videl, I've been meaning to catch up with you!" said the police chief as he approached the young girl. "Finally got done taking care of all the preliminary procedures. Oh, I don't believe I've had the pleasure of making acquaintance with this young man."

"Azel, this is the chief," said Videl curtly. "Chief, this is Azel."

"Isn't someone just in the best of moods today?" questioned Azel as he extended a hand towards the police chief. Videl couldn't help but compare the frames of the two men: despite reaching his mid-forties and having quite a rotund stomach, the chief looked more muscular than Azel in every single way. Azel's body shape was a little similar to her own in that regard, lithe and slim, although it always felt like her friend was a good foot taller than her.

"Ah she's just had a tough day," said the chief sympathetically. "Now, I just wanted to thank you for performing your duties as professionally as always. I have no doubt that this entire thing would have ended in shambles if it weren't for you."

Videl blushed again. "I've been saying this all afternoon: all I did was capture the big, bad boss in a body lock after Saiyaman took out everyone else."

"Nonsense," said Azel with a coy smirk about him. "But I suppose you know Videl Satan as well as I do, modest isn't she?"

The chief took the hat off his head. "Now do remember that the Satan City Police Department will always welcome you with open arms if you decide to join on a more permanent basis, y'know now that you're done with school and all."

Videl had to jab Azel in the gut to stifle his laughter. "Thanks Chief, I'll definitely keep it in mind."

As the burly man turned to leave, Videl glared daggers into Azel.

"What?" he asked as he brushed himself off. "You can't seriously be considering actually working for the police department?"

Videl didn't say anything.

"Oh for christ's sake," he groaned as he pulled at his hair. "You could be so much more than some measly police officer."

"Right, I could be the girlfriend of the incredible, one-and-only Azel Castrol," said Videl sarcastically.

He didn't bother to fight the smirk that rose to his face for the umpteenth time that day. "Maybe, but with your father's entire legacy behind you, don't you think it would be a waste to turn down the billions of dollars and tens of mansions to beat up some measly criminal every now and then? I'm sure that you could do more good for the world being the daughter of Hercule Satan - with all his influence - than you could being Police Officer Videl Satan."

Videl's face grew red as she looked around to make sure that no-one was overhearing their conversation. It was getting far too personal for her tastes. "Whatever I end up choosing to do is my choice, not yours."

"I kinda feel a little guilty," said Videl. "Using someone like this, it's not really me."

"Well, it's not really that fair that you've got to put up with all the media's rubbish either," Erasa pointed out. "Besides, you're not doing anything too wrong… you're just leading a guy on for a bit of personal gain. That's hardly on the level of, let's say, murdering someone."

"It's a bit more than just leading him on," said Videl as she shook her head. "I'm the one instigating everything. I don't know how I'll be able to fight crime alongside him again once this whole story blows over and I break it off with him."

"It's a little too late to be having second thoughts about this, Videl," said Erasa with a sigh. "You've already opened up to the media about your relationship, things'll work out even worse than before if you back out now."

"So you're saying that I should try and keep this up for a while?" asked Videl as she drummed her fingers on the table in front of her. "It's just… all kind of a little weird for me."

"Well I'm not saying that you have to screw him or something, just keep things as they are - the occasional hug when you run into him and maybe, if you're feeling generous, a kiss here and there too," shrugged Erasa. "It's not nice, but I'm sure Saiyaman will be able to get over it. He's like a modern-day Superman… what's one human girl going to do to him?"

"Human?" repeated Videl before something suddenly clicked. "Oh yeah, that reminds me! At the very least, I can try and find out what's under that mask of his. Make sure that he's not actually the leader of the Red Shark Gang in disguise trying to pull something or whatever."

Erasa giggled a little at that. "I doubt that but hey, let me know if he's a looker and I might just take him off your hands for you."

Videl snorted. "I'll keep it in mind."

"So how was that big event that got gatecrashed?" asked Erasa. "I heard that a little someone took out their leader while they were dressed all fabulously in the outfit that I picked out."

"Well, it certainly looks like the event had been rigged from the very start which makes me a little suspicious about the people who organised it but I'm no detective… at least not yet, anyway," said Videl with a grin. "From what I gathered they were a bunch of these crazy enviro-terrorists who wanted to take out all the big guys in the oil market - and of course, Azel's dad was right on their list."

"Sounds pretty scary," shuddered Erasa as she tried to imagine having to fight a group of terrorists. "But you and Saiyaman were able to handle it no sweat, right?"

"Well with so many hostages, I was pretty much stuck because I don't think I could handle not being able to save another person right now," sighed Videl, recalling the death that she'd been unable to prevent before she revealed her relationship with Saiyaman to the press. "But yeah, once Saiyaman showed up, they didn't stand a chance. I swear that he's bulletproof somehow."

"Well he can fly and dresses like some kind of weirdo so I don't think that theory's too out there," conceded Erasa. "So the bad guys are all locked up now though, right?"

"I hope so because the Castrols pissing off a bunch of terrorists doesn't bode very well with me, especially since Mackenzie wanted dad to help him out with this new project he has."

"How do you know Bulma Briefs?" asked Videl.

This was probably the sixth private meeting or so between the two of them since that fateful day. They didn't do much - Saiyaman always seemed unsure of what to do and Videl sure as hell didn't know the first thing about dating - during the meetings but Videl had begun to enjoy them nonetheless.

"Uhh who?" he stammered slightly, feigning innocence.

"You heard me," she glared at him, having none of it.

"What would give you that idea?" he asked, trying to make it sound ludicrous.

"Well during that hostage situation at that dinner the other night, she called someone and a few minutes later you showed up," said Videl as her eyes narrowed. "It's not very hard to connect the dots."

"I assur-"

"I also had a little chat with her afterwards and she told me that she knows you," said Videl, smirking at the startled body language Saiyaman was reeking of. "She also said for me to extend her gratitude towards you."

"Well I guess the cat's out of the bag, yeah, I know Bulma," said Saiyaman as he shrugged. "I've known her since I was a child though, so there's no big deal there."

"I knew it!" Videl grinned in victory before explaining herself. "Well, she didn't technically tell me that she knew you… just heavily implied it."

He sighed. "You're too smart for your own good, I never was very good at this whole people thing. Mum always used to say that I could never tell a lie, kinda like my little brother."

Videl felt a twinge of guilt but tried to prevent it from showing on her face. "Oh it's not that hard, you've just kind of got to act like you normally do. For me, that's probably really assertive and bold… for you, well I'm not really sure what you're actually like."

"What do you mean?" he asked in confusion.

"Well normally you act all dorky and super hero-y but when we're together you can jump from being really shy to being mischievous to being confident," said Videl in amazement. "It's actually kinda what draws me to you, I'm the type of person that loves a mystery."

"And I guess you're really itching to see what's under this mask, huh?" he grinned.

"Don't suppose you're planning to show me anytime soon," said the teenage crimefighter.

"Nah!"

She sighed. "Ah well, I can live with your face being a mystery for now. Don't tell me that half your face is charred or something because of some accident you got into as a kid, though."

"Would you abandon me if it was?" he asked curiously.

"Of course not," she exclaimed. If she was going to abandon him anyway, she reasoned, it wasn't a half-truth to say that some hideous disfigurement of his face would push her to abandon him.

"Why not?" he asked, his head tilted slightly in confusion. Videl could tell that the man in front of her had been deprived of access to society at some point during his foundation years - instinctively she knew that nothing was wrong with his face but he still wanted to know what society would think of him if it were. He was nothing but one big, walking contradiction. "I mean, you're the daughter of Hercule Satan, aren't you? Surely you could do better than some corny superhero dressed as a clown."

"Oh don't you start too," said Videl as she crossed her arms. It felt strange to genuinely open up to him like this. "Everyone wants to go on about Satan this, Satan that; it never stops. I'm just a regular person at the end of the day, not some media diva."

"Sounds like the whole saviour of the world thing is more trouble than it's worth," observed Saiyaman.

Videl frowned a little. "Is that why you wear a mask? Because you don't like all the attention."

"I guess so," he shrugged as if he didn't really have an answer to it. "With all the fancy things that I can do, tricks as you'd probably call them, I don't think I'd be left alone."

"It's not like anyone actually knows where you live anyway," said Videl. "You don't seem like a city-boy so I'm guessing some place off in the country."

"Let's just say that being able to fly at the speeds of a jet-plane comes in handy," he said, stifling a little laugh.

"I'd bet," said Videl as she contemplated just how the power of flight would improve her everyday life. She almost considered asking him to teach her before pausing. No, that wouldn't be fair. She was already using him enough. "You probably think I've got it easy with what I'd imagine you'd have to hide from."

"Not really," he admitted. "I mean, some of the stuff written about you isn't exactly flattering. I don't know if I'd be able to handle people wanting to dabble so much into my personal affairs since I grew up surrounded by nothing but nature and my parents."

Videl blushed a little at the revelation that he read some of the papers about her. "Really? What do they say?"

"You don't read them then?" he asked before nodding in understanding. "I wouldn't really read it if that kinda stuff was written about me either. Mostly, they alternate between idolising you for your crime fighting exploits and - I think - I once read a newspaper that talked about you and some childhood friend."

"Sounds interesting," said Videl sarcastically, feigning innocence. "See what you're missing out on?" she giggled.

"It's a shame alright," he joked. "Now why don't we see how much you've improved since our last fight?"

"Huh?" she said, unsure but morbidly curious of what he was talking about.

"That spar we had a few days ago. If we're going to be fighting crime together, it's probably a good idea to make sure that we stay on our toes," he said unconvincingly.

Videl's eyes hardened. That afternoon, though in hindsight she felt compelled to say she enjoyed, had also been a source of great frustration for her. The two had sparred for hours on end and the closest Videl came to striking her colleague during the entire ordeal had been when she had almost accidentally skimmed his cape.

His words felt more insulting to her than heartfelt because he had to know just how much it had pissed her off to be made such a fool of. Her pride, like a lioness that had been outmuscled by a stray cat, had been wounded to no small degree that day.

"I can normally hit most of the criminals we come up against," she said bitterly. She was self-aware of the fact that her mood had turned taken a turn for the worse, but she made no attempt to arrest its free-fall. Instead, she would use it to power her body during their now-inevitable spar.

"I thought you were planning to enter the World Martial Arts Tournament," he said, his words coming off harsher than he probably intended. "Most of the opponents you come up against there won't be run-of-the-mill criminals who believe that guns are finer weapons than their own bodies."

"What do you know about the tournament?" she asked, glowering a little. "At least my dad's been a winner."

It was only when he didn't respond that Videl came to the realisation of how pathetic it sounded to on one hand complain about how her father's shadow haunted her so and then on another hide under the shade it provided.

"Fine, then," she forced herself to not growl. He didn't really deserve it after all. "Let's fight."

"Your temper is an incredibly powerful weapon," he recited, making no indication that he was ready to commence their spar. "Mixed with the adrenalin of a dangerous situation, I don't think there is a more powerful force in the entire world."

She didn't respond, trying to calm herself. As much as it frustrated her to admit, whatever he was saying probably had a point.

"But you need to learn that it is also a very powerful double-edged sword," he lectured. "It can blind you and soon you can find yourself fighting more against it than your opponent."

"For a corny superhero you sure do sound a lot like an old martial arts scroll," she said light-heartedly.

"Personal experience," he grinned a little sheepishly.

This time, he settled into a proper stance.

...