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MissKaleidoscopeHeart: You'll get your scenes, I promise, just hang in there a bit... We aren't there quite yet, but we getting there soon.
Chapter 9: An Unexpected Collaboration
The wind was howling past his ears as he rushed to the grasslands just outside Satan City. He'd noticed Erasa screaming something at him while he left, but whatever it was, it had to wait; he'd wasted too much time already: What has gone wrong? How did he manage to waste so much precious time?
First, he didn't even know she was missing! He still cursed himself for being so ignorant, even setting aside the gut-feelings he had; trying to convince himself that she was training to suppress her Ki. He should have known better! She would never leave him hanging on that date without canceling it… he was just so stupid!
Then when he did come to know, he didn't even have the time to process that she was gone. It all happened so fast: Mr. Satan screaming the shit out of him in class was one thing, but before he could even comprehend everything - her being missing and all - the police already came to arrest him. He could have opted to run away, right then and there, but he knew he would be in serious trouble if he did - by law and with Videl - knowing the latter wouldn't forgive him if he undermined the former. He therefore decided to go with them, get it over with quickly, and then go searching for Videl. He didn't expect to be questioned that long though…
And if that wasn't enough trouble for one day, his mother, brother, and his school friends showed up at the police station, making everything so much more complicated. The discussions with his mother - including the things she'd slipped in the car with Erasa and Sharpener around - and his brother who posed a potential danger for spilling the biggest secrets of them all, weren't what he needed at that moment; it all drained the last bit of energy out of him. He just reminded himself that they meant well and he did feel supported, so it wasn't as bad as he made it sound, but nonetheless, he was better off alone at that moment. Although, it did help him with the tag problem… but he was so damn tired.
Now landing in the damp grass, he intensively looked around. He'd hoped for something, but after a good look, he found nothing. No trace of where Videl had gone or when it had happened. It just looked like she'd disappeared without a trace. Though, it didn't help that it was already dark, and it wasn't even past seven.
"The last time you decided to handle things on your own, it didn't work out too well," a growling voice suddenly spoke up behind him.
Gohan jumped up, having not noticed him to appear at all - he was too focused on his inner turmoil. Turning around in surprise, he was met with the disapproving glare of his mentor. "Piccolo, what are you doing here?"
"Looking out for you, as always," he said, raising an eyebrow. "We noticed you had some trouble today?"
Gohan sighed, "Yeah, long story. But you wouldn't have come all the way here to talk about that I presume." Gohan gave him a knowing look.
"I see you're in that good mood of yours again," Piccolo gave him a frown, "I came to you to see if you're doing alright. You look like you're on edge; your Ki is all over the place today. I thought we'd sorted that out last time, but I have the feeling a talk is needed."
Gohan's frown turned into worried lines, showing his tiredness. "Piccolo," his voice cracked, "When we were on the roof that while ago, when you were helping me overcome the issues I had back then, you said Videl would be alright within the city's boundaries. Do you… Do you still think she's alright?" He couldn't help but to think back at the pig-tails that were sent to the police station. He knew they were hers, but he wasn't ready to admit it.
The Namekian placed his hand on the half-Saiyan's shoulder, squeezing it a bit out of compassion. "I'm afraid she isn't within the city's boundaries anymore, Gohan," he said with honesty, "But I do feel she's still around."
"I was afraid you would say that," Gohan sighed reluctantly as Piccolo confirmed his worried feelings. "I too feel her Ki, but somehow it's vague, like it's muffled or something; I can't locate it."
Piccolo looked at his apprentice in sympathy and, knowing what was on the half-Saiyan's mind, he replied, "I spoke to Dende, but sadly he's been visiting hospitals again to help out the ones in need. When he'd noticed Shenron was summoned, he went straight to the lookout, but it was too late; he isn't that skilled in flight. He hadn't witnessed what was at play at the time."
"Do you know when it happened? Do you have a time frame?" Gohan looked up, afraid of the answer.
"Monday - 7 PM sharp."
"Well, that at least explains something," Gohan sighed as a nauseous feeling came over him. What the heck have they done to you? Where are you…
"I know you want to look for her right now, but your energy levels are low. I advise you to go and get some rest or come with me to the lookout; maybe Dende can give you a boost so you won't collapse while searching," he clearly was worried. "Besides, it's dark. What would you expect to find?"
Gohan gave him a half-hearted smile, "I'll be fine." Then his eyes shot wide in realization, "Of course…"
"Hm?"
Gohan looked at Piccolo with a serious expression, while explaining, "Normally when Shenron is summoned, the sky turns dark, and if the wishes were made when it was already dark outside, it only makes sense we didn't notice the change in the sky. And since a dragon as big as Shenron should've been spotted, it only made sense that the wishes were done far from civilization."
"Alright," Piccolo growled, "And now you want to search suitable types of barren areas, hoping for something that could lead to her?"
"Have a better idea?" Gohan retorted, taking off directly after as he was done losing precious time.
Piccolo clicked his tongue in annoyance and, leaving a gust of wind behind him, he followed suit. "It's not wise to send you off alone," Piccolo said above the winds, "I'll accompany your search for the evening. Though, do not expect that we'll find her this easily."
"I have to do something," Gohan frowned, beginning to feel desperate, "Bulma is working on it as well; maybe tomorrow we'll have a better plan, but for now, let's scan the greenlands. If we're lucky, we might pick up on her Ki somewhere."
### Meanwhile ###
"D-Did he just fly off?"
For a while, they stared at the point Gohan had disappeared to and Erasa was finally able to say something, "C-Can someone please tell me what's going on?"
Sharpener put his hand on her shoulder, and directed her inside, "Brains told you he'd explain when he gets back; it's not my place to do so. Also, he never told me anything, I just figured things out on my own."
"Figured out what?"
"That he isn't a regular nerd," Sharpener said, looking slightly to the side and away from Erasa, as he was still comprehending what he had seen Gohan just do. It was almost like they found themselves in a bad scripted movie, though it was very real. He felt sorry for his girlfriend; for her the shock must have been much bigger than for him, certainly as she wasn't given any answers to relativate from what she'd seen; but that wasn't his choice to make. He sighed and turned back towards Erasa, continuing reluctantly, "But other than that, I can't say. He'll be back soon, so you won't have to wait for your answers too long. Let's go watch a movie in the meantime, alright babe?"
"So you guys did hide something from me!" Erasa frowned and felt anger rising, "You know what? I've had it with you guys! I'm leaving!" She pushed Sharpener aside, but when she opened the front door, Sharpener pushed it shut again.
"C'mon 'rase! Don't be like that…" Sharpener pleaded, "You'll soon understand why I can't say anything right now, okay? Just wait until Gohan returns."
Erasa placed both her hands on her hips, looking very angrily at her boyfriend, "For your sake, Sharpener… I hope he comes up with a very good story!" She snorted, "I don't like liars; you know that… And I won't tolerate such things from my boyfriend!"
"Babe… I haven't lied to you, I swear! I just didn't tell you everything I came to know, alright? Gohan is also a friend of mine, and I respect the guy's privacy. It's not my story to tell, and when he tells you, you'll understand. Please, babe, stay here," Sharpener tentatively gave her a hug, which she didn't refuse, but didn't reciprocate either. She was still mad at him.
"Alright, but I swear… If he doesn't come with a damn good excuse, it's over!" she threatened.
His eyes shot wide in shock; he hadn't even thought about her being this mad, and certainly not wanting to break up with him over it. He knew she would understand once she learned the truth; but then again, that depended on Gohan for telling her the truth… and not come up with an excuse. If he decided to do the latter, the jock would be in serious trouble…
"And care to explain what's on your ankle? It seems to me like it's an electronic tag."
"Well… that's exactly what it is…" Sharpener hesitantly admitted while looking down. Then he let out a sigh, "Look, Gohan needs to move freely and he couldn't do that with this tag on his leg. The most important thing at play is that we find Videl… and he needed to follow up on that lead he got from Bulma Brief. This isn't about me, it's not about us, nor about Gohan; it's about Videl. She needs to be found and - seeing how on edge Gohan is - I assume she has to be found quickly… and if I can help with that by wearing someone else's tag, I will."
His words hit her exceedingly hard, not because of her anger towards Sharpener and his actions, but because she almost had forgotten her best friend was missing in her angry mood. And Gohan did say he was going to search for Videl, which was indeed the most important thing at play. Then Gohan's other words came back, 'Please be nice to Sharpener, he's only helping out'. She sighed, Sharpener was indeed most likely just trying to help... She shouldn't get mad at him for being a good friend. She would've done the same if Videl told her something in confidence.
After she managed to cool down a bit, she mumbled against his shirt, "Promise me not to leave me in the dark again after this…"
"I promise," Sharpener tightened his hug, finally receiving one back from his girlfriend as he gave her a soft kiss on her head.
Then Erasa let go, "Give me a second; I'll go wash my face to cool down a bit. Then we can watch that stupid movie." She didn't feel like it, but if she had to wait for Gohan to return, they had to kill some time.
Sharpener nodded and looked after her with a half-hearted smile, knowing that she was trying to keep her emotions in check. When he was left alone, he sighed, and to ease his mind, he reached for a framed photo at the dresser that was lying down for some reason. Looking at it, it featured a strange group of people. He immediately recognized his all-time baseball hero Yamcha, but soon after he saw Gohan's mother standing in the middle of the picture. She stood next to a tall man with an orange getup, his blond hair defying gravity - a feature that reminded him of both the Son brothers. They both had their hand proudly on the shoulders of a pre-teen boy, equally as blond as his assumed-to-be father.
On closer inspection, Sharpener noticed that the young boy had similar features to his nerdy friend, but couldn't understand how that was possible. And the kid wore the same type of Gi Gohan had just left in, albeit with different accessories. Was that boy him? Was Gohan a natural blonde before? He never had seen a picture of Gohan's father, but the woman holding his shoulder was his mother, there was no doubt about it. Maybe his family had been under witness protection due to his father's death? That would certainly explain a lot. But that didn't explain the rest of the scene; the green man, the triclops, the teen with a sword… The whole scene was strange, yet very familiar. And at that moment, Sharpener's eyes shot wide, laying the framed picture down as quickly as possible. That couldn't be it, right?
He was startled when Erasa spoke up, failing to notice she'd come back. "Alright, what movies does he have," she sighed while grabbing the remote from the side table. She was still tense, but decided to drop the subject for the moment; Gohan really had a lot to explain when he came back though. She opened the streaming platform he had on his device and was surprised with what she saw, "He seriously has only watched Jurassic Park? And he hasn't even finished it… What does the guy do with his free time?"
"What do you expect? He's a nerd… The only thing he probably does is studying," Sharpener replied and finished in his head 'And playing Satan City's costumed superhero…' The jock let out a sigh, 'Jeez, he really is a nerd.' But when the image of that picture came back in his mind, he added, 'much - much - more than a nerd'.
After some scrolling back and forth through the movies available, they decided to turn on the news channel instead; they weren't in the mood to watch a movie anyway. Luckily for Sharpener, Erasa had found herself in such a better mood that she even laid against him on the couch. After a while, Sharpener excused himself, needing to go to the bathroom, but when he returned, Erasa wasn't sitting on the couch anymore. Sharpener followed the muffled sounds; Erasa was apparently looking around the apartment. The jock rushed to her, trying to stop whatever she was doing - it probably wasn't the best of ideas to snoop around in the apartment of someone with a lot to hide - but when he found her looking into a room with wide eyes, he couldn't stop from looking inside himself.
"What the heck is this room for?" she asked when he came standing next to her. Sharpener was as confused as she was, now both standing in the white fluorescent-lit room. It consisted of two compartments; a small one with a display computer and some buttons and a bigger - but empty - compartment behind a glass wall.
"It's a gravity room; you can train in it with higher gravity levels and against simulated opponents."
Both blondes turned around in shock, and saw Gohan leaning against the door frame. He wasn't pleased that they'd found the room, but he only could blame himself for leaving them without any restrictions. He inhaled deeply, trying to be cool about it, "I'll show you how it works one day, but it's getting late and you should go home. I'm really spent and need to sleep some."
Frowning and with anger rising, Erasa walked over to him with big steps. "Hold it there bud! You promised me an explanation!"
Her firm voice surprised Gohan and he looked confused at Sharpener, who shrugged, "Dude, this is your call, I promised you not to tell, so I didn't."
"Ah," Gohan let out while scratching the back of his head, now understanding her reaction. "Well, where to begin…" He really thought Sharpener would've told her by now since he'd hinted he would tell her anyway, but apparently he'd misjudged his loyalty towards him. Sharpener really was a good friend. Gohan then took a deep breath and continued, "You remember when I said I was with Videl when that picture was taken? You know, the one from that magazine? That she wasn't cheating on me with Saiyaman? That's all true… but what I didn't tell you was that we both are in that picture." His cheeks were now flustered.
Erasa was visibly processing his words, but when it hit her, her eyes grew wide, "Y-You mean…?"
"Yeah, I'm Saiyaman," he admitted reluctantly. "Videl figured it out a while ago when I went missing. I got hit during that State Bank Robbery with some poisonous darts that were aimed at her, and if she hadn't found me when she did, I would've been dead." He came from the door frame and had a guilty expression on his face, "Sorry I didn't tell you earlier; it's supposed to be a secret identity… But since Sharpener figured it out on his own after that magazine appeared and now with Videl missing, it's only fair for you to know as well."
"Have you found any answers," Sharpener interrupted, really wanting to know the result of the search.
"No, nothing," Gohan looked at him with a defeated expression, "I've searched the grasslands that stretch all the way to the mountain ridges, northeast from here, but in vain. I'll continue my search tomorrow after school. I hope the search will go better when it's still light outside." Gohan ran a hand through his hair and looked apologetic to his two friends, "I really need some sleep right now. Let's switch the tag so you guys can go home too. Though, I would appreciate it if you would take it over again tomorrow."
"Yeah sure, no problem," Sharpener replied, and remembering the code being Videl's birthday, he opened it and gave the electronic tag back to Gohan. Then the jock turned his attention to a still gob-smacked Erasa, lost of words. "Let's go babe, I'll fill you in with the rest now that the word is out."
###
The next morning Gohan woke up with a heavy feeling. He'd pondered over and over the things that happened yesterday. Even though he didn't find any physical clues on Videl, he now had this gnawing feeling her missing case must have a correlation with those recent wishes made by the Dragon Balls. He could only hope that it wasn't as bad as some of the scenarios that were playing in his head and that she was still safe and sound somewhere… anywhere. The only thing he could do now was continue his search in those barren areas, hoping for something that could lead to her.
He forced himself out of bed, took a quick shower and, after he'd eaten some leftovers from his mother's cooking, he went downstairs to walk his way to school. As much as he hated the idea that he'd have to waste time again, he didn't want to put the chief's sacrifice in quandary, so he had no choice but to show up in class - following his regular routine - how frustrating that might be.
A sigh left his lips as he entered the school, already receiving whispers and judgemental stares; his arrest had not gone unnoticed. Ignoring it as much as possible, he went straight to his class and was relieved his two blond friends were already there; he didn't want to be alone right now.
"What's the bag for?" Gohan asked Sharpener curiously as he sat down in his seat, having noticed a huge overnight bag shoved under the jock's desk.
Sharpener smirked, "You wanted me to be your roomie, right? So I brought some stuff."
Gohan's face lit up, finally hearing some good news for once; this would make his life so much easier!
Then Erasa gave him an intriguing look, with a smile from ear to ear. Clearly the blonde was briefed by Sharpener, now trying her best not to squeal being in his presence. "Yep, and make that two. I'm joining in as well; I still have a lot of questions I want you to answer." Even though she was over enthusiastic - a stark contrast to her mood the day before - she understood that 'his secret' was a sensitive subject; luckily for Gohan, she knew they couldn't talk about it at school and was patient enough to wait for those answers.
Gohan grinned, "I'll answer any question you want." He was relieved that she took his revelation of his secret identity the good way. Things finally seemed to go his way.
Sharpener leaned forward, with a smirk on his face, "Be warned, she is fangirling over you ever since she found out."
Gohan raised a brow, "Why? I'm still the same Gohan…"
"A super-duper Gohan," she joked and gave him a wink. "But I promised Sharpener that I'd behave." Gohan just let out a groan in defeat; Erasa was just the type to value fame. He hoped it would subside soon as he didn't want this to influence their friendship.
However, his worries about this issue were dwarfed by his concerns about Videl. And while staring at the clock on the wall - seeing time slowly pass by - he gritting his teeth in frustration. This wasn't something he could endure for seven hours straight; what a waste of time it was. He really needed to get out of here!
Gohan turned his attention to Erasa, and whispered, "Can I borrow your phone?"
"What, now?" Erasa replied confused as the lecture had just begun, but took her phone out of her bag nonetheless. He thanked her as he put it quickly into his own pocket and raised his hand. When he got his teacher's attention, he asked if he was allowed to go to the bathroom. Even though a bit hesitant - as Gohan had the bad habit of not returning to class - he got his permission and soon found himself standing in the hallway, with the phone pressed against his ear.
"You speaking with Bulma Briefs, how can I help?" again, Bulma didn't recognize the phone number.
"Hey Bulma, I need to get out of here, quick!" Gohan pleaded, getting straight to the point as he was done wasting time.
"Gohan, is that you? And you want me to get you out of… prison?"
Gohan sighed, "No, I want to look for Videl, but I'm stuck here at school. I have to show my face here because of the restrictions the police imposed on me, so I can't leave until school is finished. Can you please help me?" His desperation was clearly heard in his voice.
Understanding his problem, he heard the blue-haired scientist adjust her position; probably turning to her computer. "Alright, leave that to me. How long do you need to get back to class and show your face?"
Having no clue whatsoever her plan was, he just answered, "Uh, about 5 minutes or so?" It sounded more like a question.
"Alright then. All you have to do is go to class and wait 5 minutes, then you are free to go." Then Bulma hung up without any explanation. Gohan looked confused at the phone in his hand, but eventually shrugged it off, knowing that if she said that it'll be arranged, it'll be arranged.
Going back in, he handed the phone back to Erasa and again gave his full attention to the clock on the wall. Four minutes; three minutes; two minutes… one minute.
"TRRRRRRRRRRRR"
Gohan winched as the shrill chirping sound of the fire alarm went off. But once his sensitive ears had adjusted to the sound, he smirked; 'Bulma you genius'. He stood up, patiently following the instruction of the teacher trying to evacuate the class, when the sprinklers went off too. Cursing and admiring Bulma at the same time for her effort, he ran out of class with the others, but as soon as he found the chance, he grabbed Sharpener by the arm and dragged him into a dry closet.
"We need to switch the tag, I'm going out," Gohan announced. "Here are my keys, make it yourself at home. Don't wait up for me."
"Gohan, this isn't the time… what about the fire?" Sharpener asked, a bit startled.
The half-Saiyan chuckled, "There is no fire, that's Bulma helping out."
Sharpener's eyes shot wide in surprise. "Well, I'll be damned…" he said in admiration and then he smirked, "You really have your team assembled, don't you?" He again received a slight chuckle as the two quickly switched the electronic tag.
After Gohan had said his goodbye to his blond friend, he took a quick stride to the roof, using his Ki to avoid becoming too wet. Though, almost at the top of the stairs that led to the roof, he heard his name being called. Surprised that someone was still here as most of the building was evacuated already, he looked down at whoever was calling his name. He frowned deeply - his luck was apparently short-lived.
"Gohan, I need to talk to you."
Gohan's frown deepened even more, "Stapler, I'm not in the mood for whatever you want from me," and turned his back at him and continued his route.
"Please…" Stapler pleaded, his normal hostile demeanor was hard to find, "It's about Videl."
Hearing her name, Gohan stopped in his tracks and looked back at the jock, "What about her?"
"I have some information for you that may help with finding her," Stapler finally caught up with Gohan. The brown-haired teen had followed the nerd as soon as he'd left the classroom - he didn't believe there was a fire; it was all too coincidental.
Without a word, Gohan grabbed the jock and almost dragged the guy with him until they were on the empty roof. With a bang Gohan shut the door and looked straight at the dripping wet jock, "Alright, spit it out."
A silence fell - Stapler visibly trying to find the right words - and after a good moment of thought he began confessing, "I kinda mentioned your name to some people that were looking for the whereabouts of Saiyaman."
Gohan froze as he couldn't believe his ears; not another one who knew about his identity…
"I didn't know they were such bad criminals and… and… I didn't think that they really wanted you dead," Stapler continued, now with a panic noticeable in his voice, "I swear, if I'd known, I wouldn't have replied to that advertisement! I just thought it would scare you a bit… But when I came face to face with them, they threatened to kill me if I didn't deliver them a name, so I told them." His voice now cracked, "I'd asked Page to warn you, but… but-" he tried to collect himself, trying not to trail from what he came to say, "I'm afraid after they failed to get to you, they went for Saiyawoman instead."
When his words sank in, Gohan felt anger boiling up, and not even denying that he had anything to do with Saiyaman, he grabbed Stapler by the collar of his shirt and growled angrily, "You complete idiot!"
Stapler swallowed, feeling the air around him move and that suppressing tension he recognized it from the hallway explosion; it was there again. Though, he knew he deserved whatever would come his way. "I-I know, and if I could, I would take everything back! I just was so pissed that she chose you above me… I just couldn't accept it… I-I'm in love with her… but I never thought my actions would spiral out of control like this and certainly didn't think it'd put her in any danger..."
"Tell me everything you know about these criminals," Gohan hissed through his teeth, trying to restrain himself from getting too mad; he needed Stapler to tell him what he'd learned.
"T-They'd told me to go to some pharmacy somewhere in the southwestern suburb of Satan City. I needed to tell them a password, then they took me into this room and someone threw a burlap sack on my head so I couldn't see shit. I had to step into a car and we drove for an hour for me to meet a guy; one with some scars on his face. All I know is that they called him Boss…"
"So you've seen this 'Boss'?" Gohan pressed on, still holding Stapler by his shirt.
The jock nodded.
"Southwestern suburb you said?"
"Yes."
Gohan let go of Stapler's wet shirt, much to the relief of the jock. But what happened next he couldn't process: the air suddenly moved violently around him - warm and intense - and when he opened his eyes, he saw they both were surrounded by what looked like a shield of wind despite it being a clear, still day. As it stopped, Stapler looked down confused as he realized that he was no longer dripping wet. And before he could open his mouth to ask the nerd what the fuck had happened just now, Gohan had grabbed him and he was now held under his arm.
"W-What are you doing?!" Stapler stammered, still not processing what was going on, "Put me down!"
"Oh no," Gohan replied angrily at his demand, "I'm going to find Videl, and you're coming with me!"
And with that, Gohan blasted off, southwest, with an audibly frightened Stapler under his arms.
After being flown through the roaring winds for what felt like an hour - in reality it being only a few minutes - they had landed in a nearby alley unseen. There, the jock was dropped onto the ground and could do nothing but sit on the floor where he'd been put. Gohan closed his eyes to do a quick Ki-swipe in the nearby area, nervous that it would be crawling with people, but to his luck, this area was almost deserted.
"So, which way to that pharmacy?" Gohan asked without looking, still frowning out of annoyance. After he didn't receive an answer, he looked back at Stapler, who now had fallen silent and stared aimlessly forward - his face as white as a ghost. "Which way, Stapler?!"
"What?" the jock mumbled confused as Gohan's firm voice pulled him slowly out of his shocked state, and continued at himself, "What the actual fuck…"
"Which way, Stapler?! Do you want to help Videl or not?" the half-Saiyan repeated himself for the third time, now beginning to lose the little patience he still had.
His unwilling passenger finally looked up, finally finding his voice again, although weak, "How does getting killed help her? They mean business, Gohan, there was blood on the floor when I was there…"
Turning around and grabbing the jock by the arm and pulling him back on his feet, he looked straight into his eyes, "I assure you, you have more to fear from me when I get angry than from those criminals. Videl has already been missing for more than three days and the longer it takes to find her, the bigger the chance that something bad might happen to her. We have put her in that situation and we need to get her out of there! So I ask you one last time, which way?!"
Digesting Gohan's words - having already experienced what can happen when the nerd got angry - Stapler gathered himself together; it was indeed his fault Videl was missing, so he should at least try and fix his mistakes. He'd already made his decision about it, the exact reason why he approached Gohan in the first place, so he should see this through to the end. At least, hopefully not a permanent end that is.
"Two streets ahead, then turn left. It's the one with the big R on the facade."
Now able to relax a bit - knowing he got through to the jock - Gohan let go of him and looked around the corner of the alley, "So tell me, you mentioned you'd to tell someone a password. How does that work?"
###
"Welcome to Red Pharmaceuticals, how can I help you?" A friendly young woman greeted them as they walked to her counter.
Seeing Stapler already chickening out, not able to hold a cool composure, Gohan reluctantly took charge and forced himself to smile back friendly, "We need to pick up a prescription," Gohan said, following the instructions Stapler had given him before they went in.
"Alright, do you have a prescription number for me?"
"CI 75470"
As on autopilot, she turned her attention to the computer, but before entering the code, the girl's eyes shot wide in realization. Now looking up and straight back at Gohan, she hesitantly asked, "Are you absolutely sure that's the prescription you are looking for?"
"Positive," the half-Saiyan assured her, still trying to smile.
She looked quickly around, but when she was certain no one was listening to them she replied, "That product is out of stock."
"And when does the next delivery arrive?" Gohan asked, still trying to keep up the cryptic way of talking.
She began to look nervous, "I was told that the product has been recalled by the manufacturer and is no longer on the market. So, I'm sorry sir, but I cannot help you and I think you should leave."
Now leaning on her counter and his smile all gone, he said with seriousness in his voice, "And where can I find this manufacturer?"
Panic began to show on her face, "Sir, please, I cannot help you. You need to leave."
"I'm not leaving with empty hands," Gohan replied firmly, "So if you want us to leave, you should point us in the right direction."
Now looking anxious - normally dealing with people with bad intentions that ordered such requests - she swallowed, "Alright, I can show you our stockroom, but as I said, there hasn't been a replenishment of stock for a couple of days nor has the supplier picked up what has to be returned, so it won't help you much."
Gohan beamed her a smile, "I'd rather decide that for my own. Please, lead the way."
With trembling hands she opened the counter wicket and motioned them to follow. Gohan gave Stapler a knowing glare over his shoulder, telling him nonverbally he shouldn't think of deserting the 'mission', and then followed the girl; the jock on his heels.
They went from door to hallway, to some stairs and through another door - a route Stapler was unfortunately familiar with. Now standing in a dark room, the pharmacist looked at Gohan and said, "This is where things end at our part, what lies beyond, we were taught to never ask. They come and go through that garage door."
"Thank you Kusuri," Gohan replied, using her name from her name tag to make the situation more personal. "You can go now. We will see ourselves out."
"But…"
"I advise you to go," Gohan now said with clear intention in his voice. He didn't like to come across as threatening, but he needed to move on; he felt like they were on to something.
Without a word Kusuri turned on her heels and walked away, leaving the two teens behind. When he was sure they were alone, the half-Saiyan looked at his classmate with a serious expression, "Ring any bells?"
The jock was on edge, "This is the place I waited for someone to pick me up. They made me wear a burlap sack so I couldn't see anything… I think it took them an hour to get there." He looked at how Gohan walked to the garage door and somehow managed to open it without any effort and was now inspecting the grounds beyond.
"Track marks…" Gohan mumbled more to himself, looking intently at them.
Then fear of what was coming overshadowed Stapler's shocked state, and with trembling hands he held up his index finger, "N-No way! Y-You have what you want from me. Y-You ain't going to m-make me go in there…"
Gohan sighed in irritation, "Let's see about that…" With a swift movement he flew up and grabbed the brown-haired jock under his arm. Stapler struggled, kicking and waving his arms around in vain as he tried to free himself - he really didn't want to go in there - making Gohan hover above the ground.
"Are you done yet?" Gohan asked, annoyed, knowing they were wasting precious time. He understood Stapler's fear and at any other time he would have had sympathy for the guy, but his boiling anger overshadowed any form of compassion.
When he felt Stapler giving up his resistance - beginning to see it was futile - Gohan headed to the garage door and into the underground dirt tunnels at a - for him - very decent pace. The tracks were deep, meaning that it was quite a heavy car they used.
For some minutes the two remained silent, following the seemingly endless tunnel until it finally started to incline. This made Gohan fly a little faster, but stopped at the dead end; it was obvious though that it had to be a gateway. He put the jock down and walked to the end and, after some tapping and testing, he sat himself underneath and pushed, opening the passageway - again without any effort.
The bright light that came in was a painful contrast to the dark space they found themselves in.
Stapler watched in shock: the massive stone door Gohan was effortlessly holding up with one arm looked like it should way tons! How was this even possible?!
After their eyes got used to the light, Gohan looked over his shoulder, "You coming or what?"
Shaking his head, Stapler forced his feet to move. Standing next to Gohan, he too looked around; they were in the open rock fields, quite some distance from the city. He then let his eyes fall on Gohan, and looked from him to his hand holding the stone door up - letting him know he'd noticed this wasn't normal.
Gohan wasn't normal…
When they were outside, Gohan let go of the door and with a loud thud it closed behind them. He looked over his shoulder; the door was perfectly well camouflaged. It made him wonder what person would be behind this all; whoever they were, they were well organized and clearly wanted to hide their activities.
"So what now?" Stapler broke the silence, unsure and still a bit weak. He'd surrendered himself to the situation, realizing that he had no say in whatever was going to happen.
Gohan kneeled down, inspecting the ground below his feet, "There are still tracks visible, so let's see where they take us." Then, the half-Saiyan stood up and walked over to Stapler to pick him up again, but he stepped back.
"No, not again… isn't there another way you can carry me?" he tried, "It's not very comfortable… Also, it's downright humiliating."
Not fond of the idea, and thinking of it as humiliating himself, he sighed, "The other option is a piggyback ride…"
The expression of the jock said it all; he wasn't too fond of it either - not at all. But it was the better option of the two. "Can't you give me some pixie dust too or something?"
"That's not how it works," Gohan frowned, obviously insulted, "Take it or leave it…"
Stapler rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, alright… I'll ride on your back then."
"Please don't say it like that…" Gohan groaned. He shook his head and walked to his classmate, offering his back - he hadn't felt this awkward in ages. But when nothing happened, he said irritably, "We haven't got all day! Just get it over with."
Sighing deeply, Stapler mumbled, "Yeah, yeah…" Hesitantly, he placed his hands on Gohan's shoulders - equally as awkward - and after a deep breath, he jumped on his back. Gohan grabbed his legs, readjusted his new passenger a bit and leapt into the sky.
Trying to ignore the fact that he was currently giving his all-time bully a voluntary ride on his back, he looked at the surroundings below. The tracks were still somewhat visible, even though they had been exposed to the elements. Gohan was very thankful it hadn't rained the last couple of days.
"So…" Stapler began, emphasizing the word in a way that it sounded awkwardly stretched, "How are you able to fly then if it isn't pixie dust?"
Again a grunt, but Gohan answered nonetheless, "It's difficult to explain, but it's basically part of a Martial Arts form. It has been used in tournaments before, so you shouldn't be that unfamiliar with it."
"I guess…" He paused and let the words sink in a little, "And how did you get so strong? Let me guess: you did 100 pushups and an equal amount of sit-ups and squats, next to running 6.2 miles every single day for one and a half years?"
Again Gohan frowned, "No, I was thrown into mountains instead when I was a kid," his tone was bitter. "Look, you can mock what you want, but remember you are at least one mile away from becoming a pancake…"
"Jeez, I was being serious," the jock protested, a little shocked by the threat Gohan made, but also knowing it was an empty one.
"And that will make two of us."
"Yeah right," Stapler mumbled and for a while they remained quiet as Gohan followed the tracks in a relatively slow pace; he didn't want to lose the trail. At some points the track had faded, but since they were high in the sky, they managed to find it again quite quickly. Overall, the track was quite easy to follow, until it parted. Gohan cursed and stopped, hovering above the T-junction to give himself a moment to think.
"You should go left," Stapler said, "I remember that the car took a sharp turn left."
"Thanks," Gohan replied with honesty; the quicker they got to their destination, the better. He followed Stapler's instructions and since the silence was broken, Gohan asked, "How are you holding up back there?"
He received a sigh, but a moment later the jock replied, "I'm not gonna lie, I didn't have any plans to ride a nerd today in the freakin' sky…"
Gohan cringed at his words, "Please, don't say it like that…"
"It feels like this all is a bad trip that I need to see it through somehow until it wears off," Stapler went on, "But I'm pretty sure I didn't take any."
Gohan raised an eyebrow, "Well, you shouldn't do drugs anyway."
"Says who?" the jock replied with a smirk, "I heard rumors at school after you got arrested."
Now frowning and getting irritated again, Gohan looked at his face over his shoulder, "I don't do drugs, if that's what you're implying." He looked forward again, "Remember when I went missing? I told everyone that I'd been drugged and that I didn't remember what happened. That's where that rumor is coming from; it's taken on a life of its own. In reality they had poisoned me and I almost died."
"Who are they," Stapler asked suspiciously, he didn't have a good feeling about this.
"The criminals at the State Bank Robbery. They were aiming to shoot their arrows at Videl, so I took the blow."
Stapler's face turned serious, "Let's address the elephant in the room; you really are Saiyaman aren't you?"
"I thought that was clear as day by now," Gohan replied, still annoyed that his secret identity was becoming more and more public knowledge. "And let me point out the obvious: you are going to shut your mouth about it. I value my privacy."
"Yeah, I already got that memo," Stapler replied, "But why aren't you dressed as him right now?"
"The police have it…" he replied reluctantly, "They took some of my belongings and are still investigating it. Let's just hope they don't find my suit amongst those items."
"So the police don't know that you are him?"
"Only the chief, but he kept his word, so the investigation has no clue."
"How many people know about it by now?" Stapler began to get curious.
"Including you?" Gohan asked, thinking about the question at the same time, "Seven, not including my family and dad's friends."
A short silence fell, both aware that the mentioning of Gohan's father had some unspoken tension between the two. It was a while ago, when Gohan was still recovering from his poisoning, that Stapler made a nasty comment involving his dad. He wasn't able to use Ki back then and Stapler had cornered him in that hallway, trying to push his buttons. And being the bully that he was, Stapler went as low as making a remark about Gohan's deceased father, stating it was probably his fault his dad died. That got the half-Saiyan raging and as a result, his Ki got activated again, exploding the hallway in the process. They never spoke about it afterwards.
"So, er-" Stapler broached the subject, "I shouldn't have said what I said back then… I'm sorry."
Still hurt, Gohan wasn't too forgiving, "You'd better be."
"How did he die? You mentioned he died a selfless death, so was he a hero too, just like you?" Stapler tried to continue the conversation, but as he felt Gohan's muscles tense up he added, "I know, I know, you told me already that it's none of my business, but I feel like we're bonding here, so I have to ask."
After a short pause Gohan replied, "He was indeed a hero. That's all I'm going to say on the matter."
Again, minutes passed in an awkward silence and because it was excruciating for him, the jock again tried to engage in a conversation, "And you and Videl; you're officially together now? I heard Mr. Satan shouting something like that in class yesterday?"
"Yeah, we're together," Gohan replied curtly as he didn't feel like talking about it to someone who had shown extreme jealousy towards it. The guy he carried had a huge crush on her, even going to the lengths of involving criminals to get rid of him. He didn't know how the jock would receive the answer.
"Yeah, I thought so," there was a slight melancholic tone in his voice. "I guess I needed to hear that. I've always known I didn't stand a chance with her, but I always kept hoping… you know. And then you came around, effortlessly getting her attention. I couldn't understand why - it made me hate you - but I greatly misjudged you."
"Well, I get that often, so don't beat yourself up for it," Gohan replied as the tension left his back. He knew first hand that emotions could do strange things to you, so could he really blame his classmate?
"No shit," he received a chuckle, and after a brief moment he continued, "And, have you already fucked her?"
This made Gohan stop right in his tracks, blushing profusely, exclaiming, "What kind of a question is that?!"
Stapler shrugged, "Well, what question is more legit than that? Me and the guys talk about it all the time, it's not that strange to ask."
"You've got strange friends then," he replied in disgust, then remembered Erasa wasn't much better. Maybe that was what teenagers talked about.
Another snicker, "Well, one of them is Sharpener, which I presume is your friend as well." Stapler couldn't contain his curiosity, although he wasn't sure he could handle the truth either, "So did you?"
Gohan frowned, noticing the hesitation in the jock's voice, and replied while he resumed his route, "Don't ask questions you don't want the answer of, that's self-flagellation."
Reading between the lines, Stapler got a defeated grin on his face, "You are one lucky nerd, you know that right?"
A breeze carrying a waft of odor made Gohan immediately look up from their conversation, recognizing the smell all too well. In a short distance, there stood a cabin with a large camouflaged off-road vehicle and some motorbikes. The conversation they'd had had distracted him from the search, not realizing that they'd reached the end of the trail.
With a heavy feeling, Gohan landed in front of the cabin and sat Stapler down. His eyes shot wide in realization when he felt it - that very weak signal - and without a word he pushed the door open. A putrid stench of sweetness mixed with a sour smell came greeting them, and Stapler made a sound to express his disgust. Gohan too couldn't handle the smell for a moment - being much more sensitive than an average human - but knew he had to go on. He covered his nose with his sleeve, and went inside, following the smell, and opened yet another door. They now found themselves in a corridor, with a couple of chairs lined up against the wall.
"Jesus, what is that smell?!" Stapler exclaimed between holding breaths, but then his eyes shot wide; that ticking noise! He looked at the clock hanging on the wall; a clock with rusty hands and bad running sprockets. "W-Wait, I recognize that sound! This is the room I had to wait in before they brought me to their boss!" Stapler's voice cracked, as fear took over his body again. Now his eyes shot at the door at the other end of the corridor; it was closed, but someone had clearly walked out of there, leaving bloody footprints on his way.
"You'd better stay here," Gohan said, and continued walking toward the door.
"You can't be serious! We shouldn't be here," Stapler trembled, his eyes still fixated at the bloody prints. "Let's go; let the police handle this!"
"I can't afford to waste any more time," Gohan scowled at him, and pushed open the door.
The smell became horrific as the sound of flies filled the air, and even though he knew what he would find, Gohan entered.
The room was dark, except for the light that came into the door he'd opened; it was probably designed that way to come across as imminent. In the middle of the room, there was a desk and as Gohan started to walk to it, he felt his feet stick to the ground. Looking down, he grimaced: the floor was covered with old dried up blood.
Closing his eyes and collecting himself, he walked over to the body that laid face first on the desk. He grabbed his head by the hair and held it up, seeing a slightly swollen face with scars he didn't recognize. That weak signal definitely didn't come from him.
"H-Holy shit!" Stapler exclaimed in pure horror, making Gohan look up at him. "W-What the actual fuck!"
"I said you should wait in the corridor!" Gohan frowned deep, he should've warned him better - he knew first hand that sights like this could cause serious traumas to someone who hadn't witnessed it before.
"Did they seriously kill their boss?" Stapler asked, his voice still cracked.
Hearing this, Gohan's eyes shot wide in surprise, "Wait, so this is Boss?" Then when Stapler just nodded he added, "You're absolutely sure it's him?"
"Yes," Stapler said, "That's the one they kept calling Boss."
Cursing out loud and gritting his teeth, Gohan threw the head back on the desk - a bit harder than intended, slightly breaking the skull of said man. Not even noticing he exclaimed, "And there goes the lead I was looking for… Damn!" Out of anger, he slammed his fist against the wall behind him, making a huge hole in it. Immediately fresh air came in and the light that showed through revealed the pile of decomposing bodies in the corner; all tied up and shot through the head - execution style.
All except for one.
It moved as a reaction to the light that fell upon his face, and opened one of his eyes slightly. Seeing someone kneeling in front of him, the man smiled slightly and with the limited energy he had, he mumbled between heavy breaths:
"I'll be damned, for all the people that could show up… it had to be you, Son Gohan."