AN: So I'm back and given that I now have a lot more free time, I will be updating every Friday for the next month and a half at which point it will slow down to every other Friday. The end is near. Hope you enjoy the changes. Anyway, the this is a re-write. Most of the ideas are the same so if you don't feel like re-reading then come back in like a month or so. Feel free to skip the Authors notes if your re-reading this for the second time.
AN: Okay I'm really sorry this took so long to get up but this was perhaps the hardest chapter I've ever had to write. It was hard to start, hard to transition, and more importantly I didn't know how I wanted to end it until about three days ago when I had limited Internet and computer access because of a road trip to Texas for a student conference. But I really like the way it ends, with one of my full circle kind of deals. In response to what Gohanna looks like, when I see her in my head I think of a model, tall and slender, but she's not as skinny because her body is laced with muscles. Not overly bulky muscles, but the lean kind. I think this description should help and I would have added something like this description in this chapter or later but I couldn't fit it in for this chapter and I thought I should go ahead and tell you. Other descriptions will be provided by the characters. Well I've taken up enough of your time if you even bothered to read this so on with the story.
P.S. I am still not the owner of any of the characters except the ones I've created and I definitely don't care if you use them anyway.
P.P.S. I will attempt to never let a lapse like this happen again, there are no guarantees but I'll try! Oh and no one has been able to guess any of the starters for the chapters and I don't think you'll get the next one either. It's a lot harder to get because I might of only mentioned them once and they aren't a character from the show. I'm pretty sure I didn't even give them a proper name yet. Anyway good luck!
It Was Meant to Be
Chapter 5: I don't think I want to
The sun's golden light was wading in the sky as dusk settled across the land, fading golden rays mingling with the reds, oranges, and pinks of the sky, casting more shadows than the night itself. Night's dark caress loomed over the fading golden rays, threatening the once powerful emissions. As the sun's fragile light faded in the darkened sky, its golden rays lightly touched the domes below, caressing the inhabitants in the rooms and hallways one last time. The moon peaked across the sky replacing the once proud golden emissions as it moved higher and higher in the dark sky. It wasn't long before the soft glow of the night sky covered the domes blow in its pale borrowed light, the millions of stars sharing the full moon's sky aiding in illuminating the inhabitants below.
One occupant of the central dome watched the sun set, its golden rays lingering behind it before they too disappeared, leaving a blood stained sky in its wake. She continued to look out her window, brushing her blue hair, while the full moon slowly gained dominance of the sky. It had been a busy day and she was looking forward to a good night's sleep. Her only problem now was trying to convince her husband that he wanted that same rest as well. It was the same routine every night, change her clothes, brush her hair then attempt to convince Vegeta that his Gravity Chamber could wait until the morning. By now she tired of this familiar pattern. A girl could only do the same song and dance every night for so long before she began to lose her mind. "You'd think that after almost nine years of sleeping in the same bed the man would know when I like to go to sleep. Why can't he just leave that damn Gravity Chamber without me having to drag him from it? He knows I can't sleep without him," Bulma sighed as she sat down her brush. "That selfish little man probably likes depriving me of my beauty sleep, bastard."
Sighing again as she stared out the window, she lamented her inability to sleep alone, unfortunately it wasn't a new occurrence. She'd been dealing with the situation ever since her brute of a husband had marked her on the floor of his damned Gravity Chamber. That stubborn man had let her suffer a week of sleepless nights before he'd finally given in, abandoning the room he'd been given in the compound to take up permanent residences in her own. Turning from the window, Bulma hugged her arms tight to her body. 'I can still remember the first time he wrapped me in his arms,' she thought wistfully. That warmth and protection, even now she could feel the imprint he'd left behind, enshrouding her even in his absence. Those feelings just never left, and she hoped they never would.
"Vegeta." His name left her lips as little more than a sigh as she squeezed her arms tightly one more time before dropping them to her sides. He had eventually confessed to his part in her sleepless nights. Stating in his typical arrogant way that she was his, now and forever. They shared a bond, he'd unwillingly confided later. It was far stronger than he'd ever thought possible, and mutual. So he needed her as much as she needed him. In fact, he'd only come to her after that long sleepless week because he'd ended up suffering from a similar fate and his stubbornness could only carry him for so long. 'He always was a self-centered bastard,' she thought as she headed for the door, intent on dragging her husband from his Gravity Chamber. 'But he's my bastard and unfortunately, I wouldn't have him any other way.'
Turning down a corridor, Bulma sighed heavily as she continued to think about the man that had stolen her heart. The once closely guarded man had eventually opened up to her. Telling her so many things, horrible things, about his life. They were meant to scare her away. To push her away whenever he'd thought they'd grown too close. But he'd underestimated just how tightly he'd had her heart. She could no more hate him for trying to kill her best friend then for the multitude of horrors he'd been forced to do in his service to that freak Frieza. He was a mass murderer. He'd committed genocide of whole planets numerous times over. And perhaps the worst part of it all was that most of the time he'd actually enjoyed it. Every last death. Every last fight. Even knowing all of that, all of his sins, she still loved him. And at this point there was nothing that he could do, past, present or future that would stop her from loving him. 'Love truly is blind,' she thought as she turned the last corner.
As it was each new confession had only brought them closer together, strengthened the bond that had formed between them. And those new insights had given her a greater understanding of the man she loved unconditionally, illogically so. She now knew him better then perhaps he knew himself. So while she hated the fact that they had to endure the same routine every night. She knew why he needed it to be this way. It would just be nice if for once they didn't have to jump through all the same hoops. 'Here goes nothing,' she thought as she walked up to the view screen of the Gravity Chamber. Hitting the two-way talk button, she waited patiently for Vegeta to stop his training for the night and answer her.
"What do you want woman?" Vegeta demanded in his usual gravelly voice. His rich tenor sending a shiver down her spine, unwillingly turning her on in the process. Oh how she hated the power he held over her body.
"Come to bed Vegeta. It's been a long day and I want to get some sleep," she replied, hope filled her despite the fact that she already knew what his answer would be. He was a creature of habit and he never willing gave up control.
"Can't you see I'm training woman!? I'll be up when I'm done," he replied back before turning away from the screen causing it to go black.
'Well that's what I get for hoping for miracles,' Bulma thought as she continued to stare at the blank screen. With a sigh she turned around and headed back upstairs. Knowing her husband, he'd be up in another ten or so minutes. 'The things we do for love,' she thought as she silently traversed the corridors on her way back to their room.
As expected, ten minutes after she'd made it back to their bedroom Vegeta came barreling in slamming the door behind him. Towel wrapped around his neck, he strode confidently across the room not stopping until he was perched atop his side of the bed. "Well?" he asked rudely as he leveled his heavy glare on her. His gaze and posture said more than the one word that had actually left his lips. From experience she knew that 'well' had a hell of a lot more to it. It was a 'well I'm here what are you waiting for' and the glare was a 'now stop staring out the window like an airhead and drag your ass over to this bed.' Vegeta always said more with a look then he'd ever bother saying out loud.
"Oh don't give me that look," she replied in a huff. "I was waiting on you to get up here not 'wasting my time'. It's a beautiful night and you know how much I love to stargaze. It helps me think."
"Woman, I doubt you have much to think about," he threw back, more insulting than normal that could only mean one thing. He was still sore from losing his fight earlier today. Getting up from her spot by the window, Bulma started towards her husband.
"I see your ego's been damaged again," she teased unable to let this rare chance go. The man she loved took every opportunity to tease and taunt her. It was only fair that she took every opening to return the favor.
"And just what are you referring to woman?" Vegeta growled his gaze hardening as he folded his arms tightly across his chest. She knew that look. It was a warning to drop the subject, but where would the fun be in doing that?
"Well, you know," she began as she closed the distance separating them. "There is the issue of your spar with Hanna-chan earlier today. You know, the one you lost. Sound familiar?" she teased with a smirk. She just loved to torment the man in front of her.
"I did not lose," he protested his eyes glancing away from her as he spoke.
"Really?" she questioned as she continued her slow advance. "So your over two hour stay in the regeneration chambers was completely voluntary?" At the slight nod she couldn't stop the laugh from bubbling from her throat. "Then I should thank you for being so considerate. You gave us amble time to find something for Hanna-chan to wear for her first teenage party."
"You should be kissing the ground I walk on for my boundless generosity," he replied arrogantly.
"Oh come on Vegeta," she laughed as she stopped in front of him. "Do you really think I'm that gullible? Not even you would believe the bull you just tried to sell me," she continued, playfully poking him in the chest while she made her point.
"It was not a loss," he continued to deny.
"Really? Then what was it?" she asked still skeptical.
"The brat won with a cheap shot and the added advantage of increased adrenalin levels. Anyone could win with those types of advantages," he replied arrogantly.
"Is that right?" she continued to goad him.
"Hai," he replied, returning his hard glare to her face. He was back to warning her away, but she wasn't worried. He'd stopped scaring her on Old Namek.
"Whatever helps you sleep tonight," she said, impishly poking him in the nose in the process.
"Woman," he growled, the warning as clear as day. It was a word that said 'one more word and you'll regret it' but again she wasn't worried.
"What?" It was an innocent question, but it still angered him to no end. Springing forward Vegeta captured Bulma in his arms taking her down with him as he fell back on to the bed. Maneuvering them so that he had her pinned to the bed, Vegeta bit down on the mark he had made years ago that still marred her skin. "Stop," Bulma moaned, it wasn't clear if it was from pain or pleasure.
"I warned you woman," Vegeta said as his hands went to her hips, sliding under the gown she wore to bed.
"No, stop. I have work I have to do tomorrow morning," Bulma barely managed to squeak out between moans and gasps as Vegeta attacked her neck with increased vigor.
"You should have been thinking of that before you pushed your luck," Vegeta replied before crushing his lips to hers in a brutal, searing kiss.
There wasn't much she could do, and nothing she actually wanted to do as she succumb to his advances and immersed herself in the feel of him against her skin. It was a feeling she had never experience with any other lover and she somehow knew she wouldn't find it in any other lover. Before she completely lost herself in him she had one last thought. 'Looks like I won't be getting any sleep tonight.'
Elsewhere, hours later after the moon had risen high in the sky, Gohanna tossed and turned under its full radiant light. Limbs jerking and sweat pouring from her brow, her dark eyes snapped open as she was violently thrust into wakefulness. Chest heaving Gohanna struggled to push her body upright, the task more draining than usual. Ensnared in a state of heightened awareness her eyes frantically traced the contours of the room, wildly searching the area. Long slender fingers tightened their grip on her tangled soft cotton sheets as she fought to regain control of her senses.
Minutes passed like hours as she struggled to control the frantic rise and fall of her chest, but eventually she prevailed. Her grip eased and her breathing finally slowed to its usual calm pattern as she reclaimed some semblance of control. With a soft sigh she shifted to the side, hesitantly glancing over to her bedside clock. She dreaded discovering just how much sleep she'd be missing that night. "Damnit, it's barely been an hour," she cursed softly under her breath before untangling the mass of sheets trapped around her body. 'That wasn't even enough time to fall into a deep REM cycle,' she thought somewhat disappointedly. Shaking aside her displeasure she frowned. 'When did I start to look forward to dreamland?' she asked herself as her frown deepened. As much as she hated to admit it, she had wanted to visit the familiar dream world of soft naked flesh withering together. She craved the phantom touch that only her subconscious mind had the ability to create. She wanted to be tormented by blinding pleasure no matter how imaginary it actually was.
With a sigh she leant back into her bed only to grimace in pain, perhaps she wasn't completely back in the land of wakefulness. 'Dende what's wrong with me?' she asked herself looking up towards the ceiling. 'Since when am I a masochist?' she continued as she leant to the side only to wince again. Ignoring the pain she answered her own question. "Since Videl," she spoke softly to the empty room. Sighing Gohanna pushed her legs to the side of the bed only to rest her elbows on the tops of her thighs as she sat up in bed. "I'm absolutely pathetic," she mumbled to herself. 'The highlight of my night is an erotic dream that leaves me in a state of heightened arousal while striping away my ability to get a good night's sleep. And the worst part is whatever image my subconscious mind has conjured probably pales in comparison to the real thing which basically means I'm getting my rocks off over a subpar fantasy. Yeah, I'm pathetic,' she finished with a sigh.
Sliding from her bed, legs still partially tangled in blue sheets, Gohanna began to rise from her spot only to halt half hunched over in pain. Intense pain radiated through her body, too great to ignore but not too much that she couldn't focus on the task at hand and figure out what was wrong with her body. Instantly she nicked off the possibility that it was the by-product of her time of the month despite the fact that the violent throbbing radiated from her lower back. One, her monthly visitor wasn't due for another two weeks and two, it wasn't really that kind of ache. No this was something else entirely. Grunting in discomfort, she stopped trying to move. She wasn't sure where the vicious throbbing originated, but now that she thought about it, this blinding pain was probably the reason she'd been prematurely thrown from her sleep.
Leaning back, she tried to sit back down only to be stopped mid-movement as another wave of pain shot up her spine. 'What is happening to me?' she thought with a grunt as an unprompted wave of agony coursed through her body. Sighing, she took in one deep breath in an attempt to push aside the pain. She was going to need a clear head if she was ever going to figure out what was wrong with her. 'Okay now, just think,' she ordered herself as she held impossibly still. 'I've spent hours poring over medical journals and textbooks. I should be able to figure this out,' she continued as she slowly attempted to straighten herself.
'Okay first things first, what are my symptoms,' she thought as she continued to slowly straighten out her body. 'Intense pain radiating from my lower back and trouble moving. Of course the movement problem is mostly due to the pain so I'll have to rule that one out. Lower back pain, lower back pain,' she continued completely at a loss. There were just too many illnesses that involved lower back pain. She wouldn't be able to narrow it down with just that information. 'Well, when all else fails a visual scan is always a good idea,' she thought as she slowly let her eyes wander, unwilling to let even one detail escape her sight. Failing to spot any sign of injury on her front she craned her head around in hopes of spotting it behind her.
"Holy mother of pearl," Gohanna softly exclaimed, completely floored by the sight of a familiar brown fuzzy appendage extending from her backside. "I uh I guess that explains the pain," she continued flabbergasted. 'Growing your tail back always does seem to hurt,' she thought as her mind unwillingly travelled back to the last time it had grown back. The only thing she dislike more than growing it back was having the thing cut or ripped off in the first place. Now that was painful.
Sighing she allowed herself to fall into her favorite thinking position, right hand under chin, left firmly holding onto her right elbow. 'Now what to do?' she asked herself. 'While I'm happy to see my tail again this could create a problem,' she continued as she closed her eyes in thought. 'While Vegeta did try to teach me how to control my Oozaru form I don't really want to risk it. At least, not this far away from perhaps the only person alive that might be able to stop me if I haven't quite got the concept down perfectly.'
Turning slightly she opened her eyes as she continued to contemplate the issue. 'Oddly enough I'm less worried about going on a murderous rampage and more worried about trying to hide it at school,' she sighed at the thought. "Yep, that's all I need another reason for Videl's suspicions to grow," she mumbled softly to herself. 'Well how many people would question a fashionable new belt?' she asked herself before running a hand across her face in frustration. Unfortunately that was an easy question to answer. "Videl," she groaned. 'What about pants? I could wear pants, it would tuck right in and be completely hidden. Now who would question pant!?' she thought excitedly only to groan again as she ran both hands across her face. "Videl," she grumbled louder. 'She's going to question any change I make, but maybe my usual skirt is long enough to cover it. Yeah, if I wrap it around my leg, I should be fine,' she thought, happy to have found a solution to her biggest problem. The moon she could handle easy. Videl was an entirely different story.
Shifting her weight she looked up and finally noticed how brightly her room was lit. "Oh geez, what day is it?" she muttered aloud. The light shining in her room was too bright to belong to anything other than the full moon. That would be just her luck if it was. The night she finally regrew her tail would have to be a full moon. Glancing over at her wall calendar she confirmed the date. "Well isn't that just perfect," she softly grumbled to her empty room. Slowly she maneuvered herself so that her back was firmly to her window.
Eyes gazing at the palely lit room before her she sighed. As much as she knew it would be safer for everyone if she just stayed put, she couldn't. She just wasn't willing to stand there all night. Hesitantly she took a tentative step forward and visibly relaxed when she wasn't immediately overcome with blinding pain. The mild irritation that still existed would fade over the next few hours. Continuing her advance towards her closet she couldn't help the smile that lit her face. There was just something about having her tail. It was like being whole again. Balanced was restored, life just seemed better. It didn't even matter that her tail seemed to have a mind of its own. Wait, mind of its own. 'Oh no, I completely forgot that it likes to wander,' Gohanna thought reacting to her own train of thought. "I'm going to have to keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't decide to roam," she mumbled to herself. She could only imagine the kind of reaction she'd get if Videl was around when her extra appendage decided it wanted to explore. Talk about a guaranteed way to expose her secret.
Finally reaching her closet Gohanna grabbed the nearest gi, red top and bottom with a dark blue long-sleeved undershirt, and put it on. Tightening the dark blue belt around her waist she immediately turned to look for something to put over her eyes. It would be fun to train blindfolded again. She could barely remember the last time she'd attempted it, probably before the Cell Games. 'Now if only I had a proper sparring partner to test my abilities against,' she thought as she spotted a dark piece of cloth lying on the floor of her closet. 'This should do the trick,' she continued as she plucked it from the ground and tied it around her eyes effectively blocking the pale light from the full moon from her gaze.
Slipping on a pair of training boots, Gohanna headed for her window blindly making her way across her room before jumping through the window. Tracing the familiar path to her regular training grounds, she was unsurprised at the ease at which she travelled. It wasn't as if she hadn't made the same trip hundreds of thousands of times. After all she probably knew the route better than she knew the back of her right hand. Arriving at her usual spot, she flew to where she knew the largest oak tree of the clearing would be and crossed her long legs after hitting the ground, leaning her back up against the tree in the process. 'It's been quite some time since I last meditated properly too,' she thought as she began to relax her mind like she'd been taught by Mr. Piccolo. She let go of all of her worries, focusing on her energy and envisioning her fighting technique, the exact placement of her hands, the proper sweeping of her feet. She imagined her sparring partner moving its hands and feet at a blur that she was hard pressed to keep up with.
Several hours passed before Gohanna rose from her spot on the ground. "Okay, now I need some practical training," she said aloud as she stretched her arms above her head and walked towards the center of the clearing. The cool night air surrounded her as she sunk low into her first stance. Focusing her ki near her center, legs spread apart she began her morning ritual, advancing through her forms, slow and precise but eventually gaining speed and momentum. And like many other mornings, her mind wandered to the topic that had plagued her for what seemed like weeks.
A light blush colored her cheeks as she remember the previous night. Only hours passed yet it already felt worlds away. Sighing as she moved to the next form she fell head first into the memory. The feel of the heat radiating from Videl's skin as they stood impossibly close on that balcony, stargazing. The smell of Videl's perfume, something beautiful yet more than she'd ever smelled before, all of these memories and more rushed back to her in a whirlwind. 'I'll remember that moment for the rest of my life,' Gohanna wisped as she continued to go through the motions, her mind drifting.
Unwillingly, the light red staining her cheeks only seemed to grow as the memory of taking Videl home invaded her thoughts. With Erasa in charge she'd been left with the task of escorting Videl home. Apparently, Sharpner was permanently banned from driving any of Videl's vehicles, cars included. From what she'd been able to gleam, there had been some incident a couple of years ago on which Erasa had refused to elaborate. Needless to say Gohanna wasn't going to be asking Videl about it either, at least, not any time soon. Either way, it turned out that having Videl and Sharpner in the same car especially if Videl wasn't driving was generally a bad idea. As it so happened, driving was the only thing stopping Videl from killing him whenever they were in the same vehicle. So in order to avoid the untimely death of her only male teenage friend, Gohanna found herself the personal chauffer to one Miss Videl.
She could only imagine what would have happened if Videl hadn't been so intoxicated, probably miss out on the chance to take her home, but thankfully that wasn't the case. Instead she'd found herself helping said girl into one of the capsule cars Bulma had given her for her birthday last year. A little unsteady on her feet, she'd supported her as she climbed into the passenger seat of the sleek red vehicle. Just being able to touch her had sent a flush to her face. Fluidly switching from stance to stance, she remembered the night with perfect clarity, every touch, smell and sound imprinted on her mind.
'Man but the Satan Manor is certainly impressive,' she thought as she recalled the huge stone pillars holding up the front of the mansion and the heavy black iron gates surrounding the entire estate. Even after stating her name and the purpose of her visit she'd only been allowed on to the premises because she'd had Videl in the car with her. At least she could sleep easy knowing that Videl would be safe from ordinary human forces. 'With that type of security Videl's probably safe from an entire army of invaders,' Gohanna thought with a small smile as she continued with her morning workout.
She didn't think she'd be forgetting the stern looking woman that had greeted her at the door any time soon either. Despite her demure stature the strict looking woman had an air about her that commanded respect. Dark brown hair held in a tight bun, not a hair out of place even at that late hour, Gohanna instinctually knew that this was not a woman to cross. It was this instinct that had her hesitating to exit her car. Without a formal invitation, it had felt almost like trespassing and intruding. However, one look at the small woman and she'd changed her mind. There was just no way she would've made it to wherever Videl's room was, even if by some odd coincidence her room was on the first floor, something she highly doubted.
Disregarding her own personal safety, Gohanna hurried out of the car to assist the woman ignoring the pointed stare and frown that had been thrown her way. If nothing else Gohanna could tell that the stern woman in front of her was skeptical of her presence. Given what she'd been dressed in, Gohanna couldn't quite blame her. Somehow she'd managed to gather what little courage she possessed to open her mouth and formally offer her assistance before taking Videl's full weight and starting for the door.
Finishing her forms, she moved on to her favorite imaginary sparring opponent, losing herself momentarily in the violence in each motion. Her mind wandered and she felt the phantom touch of her arm firmly wrapped around a small waist, seemingly delicate and vulnerable in that one moment she'd been able to lend her assistance. 'You know that woman reminds me of someone,' she thought as she banished the distracting phantom touch from her mind. 'Oh that's right. She reminds me of mother, very strict.'
Clearing her mind, Gohanna threw herself back into her workout. Fists moving in rapid succession she assaulted her imaginary opponent. Combination shots to the head were followed by knee strikes and elbows as she moved violently across the clearing. Low kicks and flips were added into the violent rhythm as she continued her assault. She reveled in the feel of the pull in her muscles as she forced her fists and feet to form the complex maneuvers she'd been taught since childhood. Continuing her assault her violent momentum was ripped off balance by the warm burn of an unexpected ki blast. Twisting her body into a backwards hand spring Gohanna just barely managed to dodge the blast aimed at her chest. Instinctually she landed facing the direction the blast had originated, bent low as she fell into her favorite attack stance. Whoever had the gall to attack her was about to regret it. She was more than ready to strike.
A moment of inaction passed before recognition struck her. The ki signature that had attacked her was more than familiar to her. It was family. Smoothly dropping out of her attack stance, Gohanna bowed briefly to the figure across from her. "Good morning Mr. Piccolo," she greeted pleasantly to her old sensei.
Absentmindedly Piccolo nodded his head in acknowledgement before realizing his blunder. His former student was currently practicing blind. "Indeed," he replied dryly before retreating back to silence. He would wait for his former pupil to address his presence directly.
"Sensei, may I inquire into the reason for your visit?" she asked with her usual polite formality. It would have been the expected reply if not for the waves of exhaustion and fatigue that colored each word. Clearly his visit was overdue. Without words he sharply raised his ki level in warning before lunging at his sightless opponent. Without sympathy he went in for the kill, aiming his fists at key locations. Several strikes to the head that Hanna-chan just barely managed to dodge were followed by a swift kick to her abdomen which she twist out of the way of at the very last second. Undeterred Piccolo refused to let up on his assault, launching punches and kicks in complicated combinations leaving Hanna-chan unable to attempt anything other than evasion tactics. He had her on the run and that greatly bothered him.
Finally with the same abruptness that he'd entered into the spar, Piccolo flipped back placing a significant amount of distance between them and effectively ending the fight. "You have failed to put forward the proper effort," he stated sharply. He had not had her on the run like this in years. Even blindfolded Hanna-chan should have been dominating their match. 'What is troubling you my little Hanna-chan?' he internally questioned as he slowly lowered himself back to the ground.
"You'll have to forgive me Piccolo-sensei, but my mind has been occupied as of late," she replied softly, bowing low in apology.
"I see meditation has failed to ease your mind," he replied as he slowly walked forward.
"Hai, unfortunately nothing I've tried seems to clear my head properly," she sighed as if the weight of the world had been dropped firmly on her shoulders. And while that may have been the case, Piccolo saw something more in her tired frame. It was the unknown that bothered her. For once she seemed to be up against a faceless demon. And it appeared as if this fact alone was creating more anxiety than even her fated fight with Cell knowing she was the last defense against that monster.
"You have not been sleeping," he added pointedly finally unable to continue to hide his concern.
"No, I have," she tried to defend, but the hard glare that even she could feel with her hindered sight forced her to correct her response. "Well, I've tried to sleep."
Despite the truth of the statement Piccolo could not ignore the feeling that there was more to it. There was far more to this problem then what little Hanna-chan was willing to admit. Her health was deteriorating and while lack of sleep was a central issue it was not the root of the problem. For both their sakes, he had to get to bottom of this.
"And the distraction," he prompted his tone sharpening in hopes of gaining a quick truthful response. None was forthcoming. Patiently he watched little Hanna-chan fidget unwilling to answer. The silence grew as he waited, hoping that the girl he considered his only living family would trust in him, confide in him so that he could help.
"It's nothing really," she spoke softly, hesitant to continue her lie. "I…I just can't clear my head."
The lie stung. He'd had no idea that he could feel this way. Hurt. Betrayed. Turning on his heels he began his ascent in the air. He could not look at his onetime pupil as he left. Pausing mid-air he hesitated. Could he leave it at this? No, he couldn't let little Hanna-chan feel like she was alone with this because she wasn't. She would always have him. "When you wish to tell me what plagues you Hanna-chan I will listen," he stated quietly before blasting off into the sky.
"Mr. Piccolo," Gohanna called out weakly, but he was already gone. Turning around in frustration she fell back into a fighting stance. Piccolo was one of her best friends she thought as she lashed out at her invisible opponent. He was family, the older brother she'd never had, and she admired him like no one else, but she could not confide in him. Not about this. Not this time. 'He would never understand,' she thought as her fists delivered devastating combo after combo. 'He's an asexual being, he wouldn't even know where to begin,' she continued in a lackluster attempt to justify her own falsehoods. Even to her own ears her arguments were weak. 'He can't help,' she added lamely, allowing one last pathetic excuse to enter her mind before purging her mind of all thought. Her sole focus was quickly back on her training, her last sure fire way to escape.
Elsewhere as the sun began to peak its way over the horizon, lighting the towns and cities below it, a figure was getting up for another day of work. Following her strict morning routine Olivia found herself exercised, dressed and ready to ensure that Satan Manor was secure and functioning like a finely tuned clock. Making her way down to Surveillance Room Alpha, she couldn't help but notice something missing from her morning routine. Strangely held just out of her grasp she couldn't put her finger on it, but there was definitely something different about this morning.
Attempting to place the notion on the back burners, she entered the surveillance room and tried to fall back into her familiar pattern. "Were there any new or suspicious occurrences since your last report?" she asked briskly as her eyes quickly traced over the various surfaces of the room.
"No ma'am," replied one of the stiff backed surveillance team officers, Olivia was too distracted to place a name with the voice. There was just something off with today.
"Very well," she replied offhandedly as she continued her inspection of the room, crew and random bits of film. Finishing up she gave a curt nod in silent approvable before exiting the room. Striding down the familiar hallways checking staff and general building condition alike Olivia made her way towards Surveillance Room Bravo's current location.
Upon her arrival the three individuals quickly stood to attention, their feet snapping together at a speed almost too rapid to follow with the human eye, but as their heads pointed forward, eyes held straight with their hands held tightly by their sides it became painfully obvious to each surveillance room officer that Mistress Olivia wasn't paying them any attention.
"Any unusual or suspicious occurrences last night of which I need to be made aware?" Ms. Olivia's voice was sharper than normal causing the others in the room to stiffen, little beads of sweat forming on their brows.
"No ma'am, nothing at all happened after Ms. Videl returned to the premises and retired to her room," came the nervous reply of a blond haired man sporting a tightly trimmed goatee. Man did he hate it when it was his turn at the lead rotation. He always felt like he lost two years of his life whenever he reported to the Mistress.
"Thank you Mr. Werner," Ms. Olivia replied as she did a quick sweep of the room before leaving.
"There must be something really bothering Mistress Olivia," Rene said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead and plopped back into his chair.
"Yeah, I've never seen the Mistress look so distracted," replied Anya as she swept her black hair away from her face before sitting down as well.
"Well, all I know is we should keep out of her way," Tsumi added before turning back to her security feeds.
"I'm with you on that one, but I think I'll leave a note for the morning crew's eight o'clock shift just in case we forget to warn them," Rene grabbed his pen and jotted down a quick note while the rest of the team got back to work.
Olivia didn't make it very far down the corridor before she realized what was missing, Videl. 'Videl's typical morning report was missing today,' Olivia thought as she continued down the path ahead of her for the main security building. Doing a quick mental check, she counted off all of Videl's favorite gyms. None of the ones she'd already passed had housed the sound of rhythmic punching. There was only one gym she'd yet to check, but given the current evidence she didn't expect to find it inhabited.
Finally making her way to the last gym, she was met with the expected sound of silence. No heaving pounding or broken bags spilling sand on the floor. Not even the soft hum of lights as the room remained pitch black. The room was empty just like the rest of them.
'I'm not entirely sure if I should be extremely disappointed in regards to the reason she's probably still not up or elated that she's finally getting some rest,' Olivia thought as she continued on her way. She wouldn't be able to check up on Videl for another hour or so as it was. Unfortunately, she just had too much left to do.
Olivia arrived at the security building in a matter of moments, foregoing her usual stop by the kitchens. 'That girl will not be rising any time soon. Breakfast can wait a while longer,' she thought as she entered the small structure just outside of the mansion. 'It's not like that bumbling buffoon is actually concerned about when he eats.' That was true to an extent, it was really less that he didn't care and more that he cared enough about his image that reading his name in the paper could distract him for hours. He was, after all, still that relatively simple man she'd known for the majority of her life.
Unlike the surveillance rooms, the main security building was comprised of several rooms connected by a small maze of corridors with each walkway lined with security personnel. As Olivia passed each security officer quickly rose to attention in the customary salute. While it wasn't common for a private security staff to be so well disciplined, Olivia prided herself on her ability to acquire the best. Walking to the end of the hallway Olivia entered the last door on the right. Upon her arrival the lone figure in the room immediately stood at attention from behind his desk.
"Your report for the morning Mr. Nara," Ms. Olivia asked after coming to a stop in front of his desk while her eyes narrowed on the tall lengthy brown-headed man in front of her.
"Hai Mistress Olivia," Mr. Nara began as he kept his eyes straight in front of him. "Starting from the last report at 2100 hours no unusual activity was spotted on the premises until zero dark twenty-eight when an unfamiliar car drove up to the gate and requested entry. After entry was granted Ms. Videl was dropped off at the main entrance and taken into the interior of the mansion where the young lady who dropped her off assisted you in taking Ms. Videl to her room. The car and occupant then left the premises after the young woman exited the mansion around 0117 hours."
"Very well, I expect a full detailed report to be on my desk," Ms. Olivia said after giving a nod in confirmation.
"Hai Mistress Olivia, the report will be there by 0800 hours," replied Mr. Nara.
"No, make it 0730 hours I have other things that need attending at that time," Ms. Olivia commanded as she turned to leave.
"Hai Mistress Olivia," Mr. Nara said before giving a long heavy sigh. 'I'm never going to get use to that stare of hers,' Onigara thought as he slumped back down into his chair. "I don't know how such a small woman can be so intimating," he muttered to himself before dragging a hand across his face.
The heels of Olivia's black pumps clicked against the marble steps beneath her as she re-entered the mansion, heading towards her office. 'I still haven't the faintest idea on what I'm going to do with that girl,' Olivia thought as she skillfully navigated her way through the labyrinth of corridors. 'Coming home intoxicated,' she shook her head at that as she made another turn. 'She certainly has one interesting new friend,' and she was certain that the tall black-haired girl was new because she knew all of Videl's friends. She'd had background checks done on every person Videl had regular out of school contact with as well as most of her classmates and all of her teachers. Maybe it was a bit extreme but she liked to be thorough. On the bright side, she'd been able to uncover and remove the repeat sex offender who had been Videl's assigned gym instructor for her first year at Orange Star Junior High School, so her thoroughness couldn't be all that bad.
As she continued down the maze of hallways her thoughts flashed back to the previous night. 'I'm still surprised such as delicate looking girl could so easily help Videl to her room,' she thought with a mental sigh as she turned another corner, finally reaching her office. Videl had been nothing but dead weight. Olivia had been sure that she was going to have to call one of the guards to help, but then her new friend had just stepped forward and lifted her up, almost carrying her up to her room.
"Well, there's really only one thing to do now," Olivia spoke to her empty room as she sat down at her desk, large and mahogany with the power to intimidate anyone who came into the room, especially with Olivia behind it. "I've got to do a background check on this girl."
'Now if only I had gotten her name,' she cursed her unfortunate luck, but last night she had more pressing issues on her mind, like how she was supposed to break the news to Hercule that his little girl came home intoxicated. 'I still haven't informed him,' she thought as she gave a heavy sigh, it wasn't going to be easy.
The sun peeked through the blue and white lace covered windows, its warm rays lighting the figure in the canopy bed for the first time in nearly two weeks, each radiant beam hitting Videl's pale face and stirring her to wakefulness. A moment later her eyes fluttered open revealing blue almost violet eyes still blurred with sleep. As Videl's vision cleared up and her world came back into focus, she groaned in protest of waking, rolling back around and sticking her head into her pillow to block out the sun. Finally giving up on getting any more sleep Videl rose up, tossing her feather stuffed blanket aside and placed her feet against the carpet covered floor only to stop in mid-motion, holding on to her head at the sudden onslaught of pain.
"Kami-sama, what the hell happened last night," she muttered as she tried not to toss the nonexistent contents of her stomach. "I feel like shit." Finally getting to her feet she staggered across her navy blue carpet and made it to her bathroom. "And I look like shit too, just great," Videl groaned at the black smudges below her eyes and the pale, clammy color of her skin. "I'm never drinking again," she grumbled softly as she splashed her face with water.
Stripping from the t-shirt and shorts she was sure Olivia had helped her into last night despite the fact that she couldn't quite remember she turned on her shower. 'You know, I don't remember how I got home last night,' Videl thought as she stepped under the hot blast. 'The last thing I remember is going outside with Son and looking at the stars…' her thoughts wandered as she tried to remember. "Oh Kami-sama, what did I do?" she began to panic. "What did I say?" She finished rinsing the last of the soap from her body before grabbing her shampoo. "That's all I need right now," she groaned under the hot spray of the water. "Yup, I definitely needed to embarrass myself in front of her. How fucking fantastic. I don't even remember what I said," Videl added as she washed her long hair. "And now I'm worried about what some girl thinks of me, great the gods must be having a damn field day with me, and why does this always take so long," Videl muttered as she finish washing her hair, rinsing out the shampoo. "Stupid long hair."
Getting out from under the shower Videl dried off. 'Olivia's going to kill me for last night,' Videl thought as she walked back into her room, she had no doubt about it. Slipping on a pair of biker's shorts after putting on underwear and grabbing a tank top and an oversized white t-shirt, Videl searched for her shoes. "Where'd I put 'em?" she questioned under her breath as she searched the floor around her. As it turned out they weren't on the floor where she normally tossed them, they had been moved to a nearby chair. 'How weird,' Videl thought as she grabbed her fingerless gloves and headed for the door. 'Olivia must have moved them.'
Slowly making her way downstairs, Videl winced at the all too bright light shining into the corridor. Kami-sama how she hated this. Her mouth was impossibly dry despite brushing her teeth twice and triple rinsing with the most powerful mouth wash she could find in her bathroom. Her head was pounding, beating a frantic cadence that probably fit better at a luau than her head. 'But on the bright side, at least I was able to get some sleep last night,' Videl thought as she continued down the corridor. 'And beside the pounding headache that feels like someone has a jackhammer working on my head, the blinding lights that only seem to make the headache worse and my dry as the fucking Sahara desert mouth, I feel absolutely fine. Now all I have to do is survive the morning,' Videl thought as she entered the kitchen saying her usually grumpy good morning as she passed the staff. Videl entered the dining room to find Olivia already sitting down with papa sitting at the head of the table, paper open. She slid into her seat as quietly as she could.
"Good morning Ms. Videl, do hope you slept well?" Olivia inquired without looking up from her morning cup of tea. The apathy at which she spoke gave way to a formality so tense that papa's attention was captured.
"Yeah, just great," Videl grunted with a wince at the detached tone. She refused to look up from her plate. That tone could only mean one thing, trouble. Grabbing for her fork, she preceded to shovel the contents of her breakfast into her month as quickly as possible. As long as there was food in her month, there would be no opportunity to respond to any probing question posed to her.
"Olivia, pumpkin," papa questioned as he set down his paper. "What's going on?"
"Oh, I was inquiring upon Ms. Videl's health given the incident from the other night," Olivia began causing Videl to reluctantly lift her gaze from her plate.
'Please don't tell papa, please don't tell papa, please don't tell papa.' She said the mantra in her head like a prayer, pleading with any and all deities that would listen.
"What happened last night?" he asked as his eyes shifted from one woman to the other. "Wait, wait didn't you go to a party last night? What happened?!" Unfortunately, it didn't take long for him to reach borderline hysteria. It never really did.
"Hercule, please refrain from your needless hysterics. Ms. Videl is sitting right in front of you, clearly in one piece," Olivia replied in an attempt to soothe papa's frazzled nerves.
"But what about," he yelled before Olivia glared at him. "I mean, what about the incident?" papa hissed in displeasure.
"Ah yes, the incident," she began before fixing her eyes onto Videl. Damn, it didn't look like she was going to get out of here before Olivia told papa. "It would seem that our Ms. Videl arrived home a fair bit intoxicated," she continued and Videl paused in her eating, preparing herself for the onslaught to come.
"Intoxicated!" her papa yelled, his face going red and his volume reaching new heights as it went unchecked by Olivia. She winced in pain. She was definitely never drinking again. "What were you doing drinking in the first place!?" he accused with a finger pointed directly towards her.
"They spiked the punch," she defended guiltily. She'd known that when she'd started drinking, but what her papa didn't know wouldn't hurt her eardrums.
"Hercule," Olivia began, the unmistakable glare to calm down leveled directly at papa. "There is absolutely no need for your accusatory antics." Surprisingly, Olivia came to Videl's defense. Videl looked over at the woman stunned, she was the last person Videl expected to come to her aid on anything improper and inappropriate. And as far as she could see, arriving at the mansion completely wasted was most definitely inappropriate conduct.
'Okay, something's up with her, she's never like this,' Videl thought as she eyed the head of her household.
"Olivia," papa protested and despite the fact that it was several decibels lower than his previous comments Videl still winced in pain at the volume. Out of all the times she'd wished for a quieter papa, now was probably the only time she thought she might actually beg for it. "Don't tell me you think it's okay for my little sweet pea to go running around getting drunk, it dangerous out there. There are countless numbers of sick people who would love to take advantage of her! And boys! There are boys out there!"
"I am in no way suggesting that this should become a habit, nor should it ever happen again," at this statement she leveled her eyes on to Videl, "however last night Ms. Videl was in no danger," she added cutting off papa's chance to protest further. "You should be glad you are possession of particularly loyal group of friends," she continued, clearly directing the statement towards Videl.
At that Videl gave a sign of relief. 'It doesn't look like I'm in too much trouble,' Videl thought as she dug back into her breakfast quickly finishing off her plate and going on for thirds.
"I wouldn't rush to excitement just yet Ms. Videl," Olivia added nearly causing Videl to choke on the mouthful of food she'd been in the process of eating as her head flew up at Olivia's statement.
"What?" Videl managed to ask between mouthfuls, her head was pounding a vicious cadence and all she wanted to do was finish eating so she could be as far from the table and the loudest man on the planet before her head exploded.
"You shall be punished to ensure that there will be no repeat incidence of a similar caliber," Olivia informed as she turned back to her morning tea.
"Finally, you're on my side again," shouted papa causing Videl to once again wish for a papa that had a quieter demeanor. Something meek and shy that barely got above a whisper. At least then she could save her skull from its impending implosion.
"For the next two weeks you shall assist Mr. Nara in security for a minimum of two hours each day. Following that you shall assist Ms. Bryan in the kitchens each day for the same amount of time. Is that understood?"
"Hai Olivia," Videl replied quickly as she finished another plate. 'That's not so bad, now if I could only finish eating I can get out of here.'
"And Ms. Videl, please do introduce me to your new friends before they escort you home from parties." Olivia's added comment stilled Videl's hand in mid-motion.
"Come again?" Videl asked not really wanting to know exactly how much Son had helped her last night, and she knew it was Son. It had to be. Olivia already knew all of her other friends.
"You are more than aware of what I just said," Olivia replied with a stern look. "I will not be surprised again by your knew associates no matter how nice and polite they are. You should thank her at your earliest convenience as she was a great help in assisting me in getting you upstairs and to your room. As much as it pains me to admit, I really am too old to be carrying you upstairs. Do remind me, what was her name again? I don't believe I caught it while she was here."
"Gohanna," Videl replied barely above a whisper. Looking down at her partially finish plate, Videl slowly rose from her seat. She wasn't hungry any more. "I've got to go," Videl said as she headed to the door. "I didn't get any training done this morning."
"Okay, bye sweet pea," papa called as she left the room, his anger already long forgotten as he picked his paper back up. He had been in the middle of an interesting article about himself that he just had to finish.
Olivia watched her leave with a frown. 'That was an exceedingly unusual response to a simple question,' she thought as she finished her tea. 'I really ought to run that background check.' With that thought in mind, she headed out of the dining room after reminding Hercule to eat. She needed to figure out what had effected Videl so much. Had it been the mention of this Gohanna girl?
Meanwhile Videl was walking towards her favorite training room. 'Kami-sama, I'm never drinking again,' she thought for what felt like the thousandth time that morning as she held on to her head in an attempt to shake her pressing headache. 'But thank kami-sama it's a weekend,' Videl added to herself as she entered the room and spotted her first victim, I mean training partner.
"Come on Mike, let's see how well papa's been training you," she called to the mammoth of a martial arts student. Mike was at least a foot taller and probably weighed 200 plus pounds more than her but that didn't give him any confidence as he faced off against Videl. Shaking in his boots he waited for her to make the first move, but she didn't. She simply stood there in her perfect stance and glared at him causing his slight shake to become so visible that his teeth began to clink together. He was so scared he almost cried. Why him? He'd only wanted to practice his skills and now this. He cursed every deity he could think of before praying for their combined divine intervention. Finally steeling himself in a feeble attempt to calm his nerves Mike lowered himself closer to the ground and readied himself. He took one hesitant step in her direction and stopped. She didn't move so he took another small step before looking back towards her still immobile form. Upon discovering the same results he moved closer, gaining confidence with each step.
'I'm bigger than her. I outweigh her. I have a longer reach so she has to come in close to do any damage. I can do this. I won't end up like one of her punching bags,' Mike chanted in his head as he brought Videl within his striking distance but far enough away from Videl that she wouldn't be able to reach him without opening herself up for an attack. Securing his feet one last time, he lunged, moving his arms faster than a person his size should, and twisted his body around her to avoid the fist he was sure would come from the front. It didn't. The punch he was so sure would be aimed for his previous position was instead a back bend followed by a swift kick to the knee he hadn't moved in his pivot, knocking him from his feet. Mike rolled across his shoulders and sprang to his feet just to narrowly avoid a fist to his face with a quick duck, but Videl was faster than him and could easily follow her right fist with a left to his gut doubling him over for a moment as he jumped back in an attempt to create more space.
Unfortunately Videl refused to give him the space and time he desperately needed to recover as she followed his movement and drove a knee to his face. A loud crack filled the air as blood gushed from his newly broken nose. Rearing his head back he slammed his head up towards Videl's face in an attempt to reciprocate her gift, but with a quick lift Videl was up and vaulting over his head in a front flip. Interlocking her hands in mid-flip she flung him to the ground. On his back Mike stared at the ceiling in a daze. He laid there counting the numerous stars floating in his vision as he waited for the next blow. Wondering when the next hit would land, Mike was relieved to her the sharp cadence of Videl's voice. A quick "hai Chief, I'm on my way," left a blessed echo in the air as he listened to the sound of boots running away from him.
"Well at least I can wallow with my dignity intact," Mike said to himself as he continued to stare at the ceiling, the stars had given way to lovely little circles. "At least I didn't break down in tears like Neal."
Moments earlier in Satan City two familiar faces were working their way through the mall. After her exhausting meeting Bulma needed a pick me up so under the pretense of getting Hanna-chan more stylish clothes to expand their selection choices for future parties, Bulma dragged her from the mountains and down to the mall. Satan City Mall to be exact because today she was looking to do some heavy shopping, and the West City Mall just didn't stack up.
'I'm going to have to fix that,' Bulma thought as she dragged Hanna-chan to another store. 'I shouldn't have to trek all the way to Satan City just to do some shopping.'
They had just started their shopping thirty minutes ago, but she had already found some really sexy outfits, nothing she could ever get Hanna-chan to wear, but Vegeta would be pretty happy.
"Hanna-chan look at this," she pointed to a baby blue mini-skirt. "You'll have the boys eating out of your hands in this," she said with a wink. 'That boy of yours won't know what to do with himself if he sees you in this,' Bulma silently added as she remembered what Vegeta had told her.
"Bulma there is no way I'm wearing that," she protested as she tried to steer the older woman away from the mini-skirts. "It barely covers the essentials."
"And that's a bad thing because?" Bulma asked as she let the mini-skirts go. 'I didn't really think she'd go for it anyway.'
"Well, for one thing I like being able to bend over without flashing whoever's behind me," Hanna-chan flushed at the thought of flashing people, a certain black haired girl coming to the forefront of her mind.
"Fine, but we have got to find you something to show off those legs," she conceited as she turned to browse through the blouses. She was going to have to give the shirts a rest, for now. "What about this? Why don't you try this on?" It was a relatively simple white blouse that seemed to cover everything so Hanna-chan had no room to complain as she took the offered garment and headed to the dressing room.
Bulma continued to search the selection of blouses picking out two more in a similar style, one in a burned yellow and another in a forest green. 'I still wonder what her beau is like,' she thought as she moved on to skirts, finding a flowing skirt in a swirl of warm colors, one in blues and another in black. 'What kind of boy can capture her Saiyan heart?' she wondered because she knew from experience that capturing a Saiyan heart wasn't an easy feat. By the time she had finally made it back to the mini-skirts, Hanna-chan had decided to make her way back over without the blouse on.
"You were supposed to put it on and bring it out so I could see you in it," Bulma said as she turned towards the newly red faced girl.
"No, I-kind-of-like-it-so-we-can-get-it," Hanna-chan replied so quickly that Bulma could only understood half of her words, but thankfully it was the last half so Bulma thrust her load of clothes into her hands and sent her on back to the dressing room. Bulma watched her make it half way across the store before stopping and cocking her head to the side, one ear in the air.
"Hey, don't get cold feet now. Go try them on," she shouted not wanting her to give up on the outfits before trying them on, who knows she might like them.
"I've got to go," Hanna-chan said as she rushed back towards Bulma and placed the clothes back into Bulma's arms. "I hear trouble."
"But what about the clothes?" Bulma questioned as Hanna-chan rushed out of the store.
"Just get whatever you want, but please don't go crazy with it," Hanna-chan called back before disappearing through the store door.
Gohanna rushed around the corner looking for an unoccupied area where she could change into her costume. She could hear the sirens from here, but the trouble couldn't be in the mall. None of the stores had enough to make the job worth the trouble. If her memory served her correct though, there was a jewelry store about a block away from the mall. It was several times bigger than the jewelry stores inside the mall so that would make it the likely target of a heist. Running out of the building, Gohanna turned down the nearest alleyway, quickly hitting the button on her watch before taking off for the scene of the crime, this time by air.
The scene was just as she thought it would be. From the rooftop of one of the nearby buildings, she could see ten or twelve guys holding up the jewelry store. Some of the guys were filling bags with golden watches and diamond earrings and other such like jewelry while the others were standing guard, but all of them looked to be armed. Looking to the front of the building, she spotted three police cars and about six officers, one of which she recognized as the relatively chubby police chief. Videl was huddled next to the police chief behind a car to avoid any random bullet sprays the thieves inside might attempt.
Focusing in, she could just barely pick up the conversation as the police chief filled Videl in on the situation.
"…and they have all four employees and about six other hostages. We've counted eleven men but there could be more so you have got to be careful in there and watch your back," there was a pause before the Chief continued.
'He's probably waiting for Videl to nod in agreement,' thought Gohanna as she continued to listen to their conversation.
"Now each man is heavily armed so you're going to have to watch out for that too," the chief continued.
"Hai Chief, is there any entrance that they aren't watching," Gohanna heard Videl ask.
"No, they've got all the doors covered. No one can get in or out without at least one of them noticing," the chief replied and there was another pause. Gohanna looked down and noticed Videl had already left the protection of the police cars and was working her way around the building looking for an entrance.
'I'll wait until she's in the building. She won't be able to get in without disarming at least one of them so they'll probably know she's there. I'll follow her after she's inside and cover her back,' Gohanna thought over her course of action before picking a spot to enter. 'It's got to be somewhere that's going to distract the majority of the thieves so Videl can maneuver around.' A moment later she found the perfect spot, now all she had to do was wait.
This wasn't going to be the easiest job she had ever found herself doing, but frankly she really needed the stress relief. 'Isn't this perfect,' Videl thought as she found a door with only one person guarding it. 'This is why I love my city. When I need a new punching bag, I get one.' Quietly she wrenched the window next to the door open before she jumped through it with a swinging kick at the thief standing guard by the door, landing on him so that his face was pressed against the floor muffling any sound he might make before knocking him out with a blow to the back of his head. She looked around to get a better survey of the room while she tied the thief up. 'Let's see, there's someone standing guard at each doorway, five more breaking into the glass cases and a couple more scattered around, damn. There's no way to get these guys one by one this space is too small and open,' she thought as she dragged the thief off to the side.
Moments later there was a crash sound right at the heart of the store, glass and plaster filling the air. Videl ignored the distraction. Only one person felt the need to make such a dramatic entrance, instead she crept up behind the nearest thief and knocked him out with a swift chop to the back of the neck. As she was tying her latest criminal up the smoke finally cleared up, confirming what she already knew. There was Saiya-girl in another ridiculous pose about to shout out absurd phrases about truth, justice, and the superhero way, but instead of hearing the boasting voice of Saiya-girl, the room was filled with the sound of gunfire. 'These creeps aren't playing around,' Videl thought as she snuck up on another thief and knocked him out. She wasn't worried about Saiya-girl, this had happened before and Saiya-girl always seemed to just bounce back. It was as if there was an invisible force field surrounding her protecting her from each shot, a field so powerful that not even her clothes were touched by the burning slugs of lead.
'Three down, seven to go,' Videl thought as she worked her way across the room, staying low to the ground, unnoticed and out of the way of the gunfire. As one of the thieves pause to reload his weapon, Videl knocked him from his feet with a low sweep before smashing her elbow into his face effectively breaking his nose and knocking him out. The gunfire was finally dying down when Videl reached the next guy and taking him down like his partner before him.
"Is that all you cretins can do!?" Videl heard the familiar yell as she worked her way to the next guy. "Ha! Then justice will truly prevail today because I am…The defender of the innocent…and gladiator for the weak…I am the Great…and Wonderful…Saiya-girl!" Videl was fully aware that each of those ridiculous little phrases was accompanied by an equally outlandish pose, but she didn't let that distract her from her job. A job that consisted of her beating the living hell out of these idiots stupid enough to rob a store in her city and think they could get away with it. Creeping up to the next thief, Videl swung a low kick at his knees, effectively breaking them while causing him to release a high pitched scream reminiscent of a little girl unfortunately catching the attention of his buddies before Videl could silence him with a shot to the head.
The thieves looked away from Saiya-girl and noticed for the first time their missing numbers. There were only five of them left but they were all still heavily armed and reaching for fresh clips as Videl raced up to the nearest thief, kicking his gun from his hands before giving him three quick punches in his chest followed by a swift upper cut, knocking him off his feet and into the air. 'Okay so by now these guys should have already reloaded their weapons,' Videl thought as she flipped across a counter and ducked out of the way, waiting for the sound of gunfire to reach her. None came.
Gohanna watched Videl jump back over the counter a couple of yards to the left of her original position. She had just finished disarming the rest of the thieves so Videl could take care of them. She'd already learned that letting Videl take out the bad guys would keep her happy and off her back at least for the moment. It wasn't as if Videl couldn't handle them. 'Hell, if we weren't in such a small space Videl wouldn't even need them disarmed,' Gohanna thought absentmindedly as she watched Videl rush the nearest thief, brutally punching him in the chest before giving him a low kick to his knees and an open palm to his face. Gohanna winced. 'Dende, she must have broken a couple ribs, his knees and his nose. Someone's in a bad mood. I'd hate to get in her way today,' she thought as she watched the guy fall.
Videl lunged for the next guy who screamed as his shoulder was ripped for his socket as Videl threw him over her head before punching his face and giving him a bloody nose to match the rest of his partners. 'Man, she's being a little rough today,' Gohanna thought, but she wasn't exactly complaining. She usually enjoyed watching Videl fight, but the sheer brutality of each attack was definitely better than anything she'd ever gotten to see before. It was savage, the look of pure concentration of her face, the burning fury in her eyes, and it was the sexiest thing she had ever seen. Her eyes were glued to the sight before her as Videl gave the next guy a series of punches that must have broken ribs and bruised organs while leaving him with a bloody nose to match the rest of his buddies.
Videl was taking out the last guy when she heard it, the click of another gun. She turned around to see another three thieves walking out of the back offices where the hostages were probably being held. They didn't shout, and they didn't laugh. They simply opened fire on Videl and there was almost no way she'd be able to get there in time. She saw Videl look up at the sound of gunfire, watched her face fall as she realized she wouldn't be able to dodge the shots in time to save herself.
'This can't be happening,' Gohanna thought franticly as time seemed to slow to a crawl in her attempt to get in front of Videl in time. 'If only I was powered up, I could be there in an instant.' But she wasn't and it would take time to power up. Even if it was only a one thousandth of a second, she still wouldn't have enough time. 'No, I won't let her die. I can't let her die!' The thought was a stone mantra as every part of her being filled with the singular purpose of keeping Videl alive. Her energy flared and the next thing she knew was the light peppered spray of gunfire as the bullets made holes in her disguise. But none of that mattered right now. No, what mattered was making those bastards pay. Instantly her vision was clouded with red, and for a moment all she wanted, all she craved was the blood of those who'd had the gall to threaten her Videl's life.
She tried to banish the red from her vision and the fire from her blood before she spoke to the girl in front of her. "Ms. Videl, there are three more thieves, one on the right and two on the left. I'll grab the left side if you can get the right," Gohanna nearly growled, surprising herself at the intensity of the emotions she was feeling. All rage, but a rage she'd never felt before. She spoke without looking down at Videl, the fear of ripping those fuckers limb from limb too strong for her to risk adding any more fuel to her already burning inferno. She couldn't let what little resolve she had left to not to kill them die.
"Hai." Her reply was strained but Gohanna didn't have time to consul the girl. In an instant she was on the other side of the room, taking out her two thieves in a violent fury she was hard pressed to restrain. A moment later she heard the 'thump' that signified the last thief was down. She turned around finally allowing the red to seep from her vision.
"Ms. Videl are you alright?" she asked, her mind finally in the right state to calm the other girl down. After all, looking death in the eye was definitely no joke, and definitely not an easy experience to shake. She took a step towards Videl only to stop in mid-stride, something was wrong. Videl was holding her side tightly as her face paled. 'That last thief must have gotten a hit in,' she thought as she rushed over to Videl's side. "Are you alright?" she questioned almost hysterically. There was an urgency she couldn't mask from her voice. A fear she didn't dare let take hold of her mind.
"Hai, I'm fine." But Videl's voice sounded weak and frail, she was in no way fine. It was then that Gohanna finally let herself take full stock of Videl. As her eyes grazed the contours of her body, her heart stopped and her blood turned cold. Blood seeped through her white shirt. It could mean only one thing. Anxiously Gohanna grabbed the hand Videl used to hold her side with a gentle pull. She froze. 'I didn't make it. I couldn't protect her,' she thought as something deep inside of her stirred. Her tail ached to wind itself around Videl, to assure herself that she would be okay, but she most definitely couldn't do that now. She needed to attend to her wound. 'I've got to, I've got to…' but the thought wouldn't completely form in her head. Videl was hurt. She couldn't seem to remember anything else. Not any of the extensive medical knowledge she'd learned after hours study. Not the rudimentary patchwork skills she'd learned from her youth of fighting evil. Heck, she had trouble remembering her own name. Why was she even here? What had she done? How could she allow this to happen? As she stared at the blood seeping from Videl's side she felt completely helpless, lost. There was nothing she could think to do.
'No, there is something I can do,' she berated herself as she continued to stare at the wound. Focusing, she tried to recount the hours she'd spent shut in her room studying everything under the sun. Finally remembering the much needed information she shook herself from her stupor looked around for clean bandages. But just before she could move her feet in her search of the much needed material, she heard a shuffle and turned back towards Videl. She'd grown even paler in the sparse amount of time Gohanna had been freaking out. She swayed on her feet, and moments later, she went tumbling to the floor.
"Videl!" Gohanna frantically cried as she held her in her arms, stopping her descent to the ground. There was no time to go looking for supplies. No, she would have to make them, here. Now. 'If only I had Mr. Piccolo's power,' she thought wistfully as she gently lowered Videl to the ground and rolled her blood soaked shirt up so that she could get to the wound. Without another second of hesitation she ripped a long strip of cloth from her costume, pressing the thick material into her side before ripping another strip off to bind the wound. She dressed her wounds as best as she could and pressed hard in an attempt to stop the bleeding. 'Come on Videl, don't die on me now. You can't leave me, not when you've captured my heart and made it beat for you, bleed for you,' her thoughts were desperate as she yelled for one of the hostages to call for an ambulance. 'I may have only known you for a couple of weeks, but something deep inside me screams for you. I don't think I can live without you,' she thought as she looked at the pale face in front of her and the too still body below her. "And I don't think I want to," she whispered as she heard the sirens in the air followed by the sound of feet pounding in their rush to get here to help her Videl. Everything just had to be okay. It just had to be.
AN: Okay I know none of you saw that coming (unless this is your second time reading this) and don't try to say you did because I didn't see that coming until a couple of days ago and I'm the writer! As always I'm looking for reviews good or bad. I especially want to know about the bad. Sorry again for the long wait and good luck with guessing the next chapter starter. I'll get started on that as soon as I can, but it's looking to be a bit of a filler so it might be a little shorter than your use to by now. Anyway thanks for reading!
BloodRed13