Hi there!

Hope you'll get the chapter-update... FF is doing crazy things again nowadays.
Hope you'll enjoy; the chapter is a bit different from the others ;)

Chapter 11: Meanwhile in the Shadows

### Three months ago ###

They were convened in very exceptional cases, so neither of them knew what was going to happen. From each district its representative was gathered amongst the big conference table and, other than a cup of coffee, no hospitality or information was given. Why were they there? What was so important?

The murmur in the room abruptly stopped when the door slammed open. Incoming was a slim woman in her early-thirties, dressed in tight black-leather jeans and jacket, wearing a crimson-colored blouse underneath. She compensated for her short height with high heels, in the color matching her shirt. Her hair was cut in a bob style, but even though it was colored black, in the light her natural red shone through. She was considered very attractive by many of her subjects, though nobody dared to even wink at her - it may just be the last thing they ever do.

"I'll be straightforward with you all; I'm pissed," she said with an icy tone and slammed her hand on the table to strengthen her comment, "Can someone clarify why we went from a high market status to almost non-existent?"

No one dared to speak up, afraid of what might happen if they did - they'd all heard the rumors of how she handled things if she wasn't pleased; saying nothing wasn't a wise strategy either though. "Well?!" she urged, scowling at each and every one at the table.

"It's because of that new 'hero' in town…" one finally spoke up, "Whenever there's a crime, he needs only seconds to defeat us. Many of our small-time dealers have been caught by him, or they've quit. The same goes for robbing and break-ins; we are short of people."

"And why does he still walk among us then?" Carmine retorted harshly.

"We've tried," another one said, "He seems to be immune to bullets or knives. Even a taser didn't do shit."

"Yeah, I've seen him catch bullets with just his gloved hands!"

"Bullets?!" The leader of the third district let out a defeated snicker, "I've seen him catch a missile out of the clear sky and send it back without even touching it! He even mockingly said 'I think this belongs to you' before my men could run away. We barely survived!"

Carmine sighed and sat on the table and, while a storm of replies came her way, she placed a new cigarette in her holder and placed the slender tube at her lipstick-covered lips. Lighting it with disinterest, she gestured to her men to be silent after her second drag. Carefully blowing out the smoke, she icily summed, "So you tried to kill him with weapons; bullets, missiles, knives, tasers… and nothing seems to work? And after that you gave up and started to panic?" Most men gulped; her cold look said it all: she wasn't pleased.

A loud coughing sound was heard at the end of the table. The leader of district 4 - the district that drives crime in the midwest of Satan City - began to look pale, holding his hand before his mouth. He coughed again - now blood dripped down his beard - and in a panic he tried in vain to grab onto his colleague next to him before he fell off his chair; his body now lying limp on the floor.

"There are more ways to kill a man," Carmine continued as if nothing had happened, "Ever heard of the strong and powerful Heracles? Also known by the name of Hercules by the Roman empire? He was an ancient hero from Greek Mythology; fierce and indestructible - yet not unkillable. One of his enemies managed post-mortem to kill him with a cunning ruse - giving his lover a piece of his blood-drenched clothing and telling her it had magical powers. She was told that it would enhance the hero's love for her and when she had the feeling Heracles was unfaithful one day - we all know how men are - she gave the piece of fabric to him. The thing is, not only was it soaked with the enemies 'magical' blood, but it also contained the very same poison Heracles dipped his arrow in before killing that enemy. The poison tore Heracles' skin apart and exploded his bones and eventually killed him." She let out a soft snicker. "All I need is someone stepping forward as my Nessus."

"But you just said Nessus managed to poison him post-mortem," a man from district five said, still glancing at the body lying next to him. "So it's a suicide mission?"

"The company is making great losses; if it goes down, you're all dead anyway," Carmine replied threateningly. "And I don't care if you die in the process, but if you don't, I'll award you richly."

"And if we fail?"

"I think I made that clear already," she retorted, "At least you have a chance to save your own skin."

"This will take some time to prepare," the leader of district nine spoke up, "If that is granted, then I'm willing to take the task. The poison that killed Heracles was that of Hydra if I remember correctly; a serpentine monster. What would be more fitting then killing our target with snake venom?"

"Alright Billy, I'm listening," Carmine replied, calling him by his first name as she refused to call him Boss; she was the one in charge.

The man winced, finding it humiliating being called that way, but knew he had to swallow his pride with her. "I know a man who works with poisonous and venomous animals. Give me some time to figure out how to get to the target, but I'm sure once we do, it will be all over in an instant."

"One month," she answered his request, "You get one month." Then she looked at the remaining districts, "The rest of you are tasked with making as much profit as you can without drawing attention. So, no major break-ins, no robbing banks, no shootings. We remain low-profile while Billy executes this mission in the meantime." She then looked around, "Understood?!"

"Yes, ma'am!" they all shouted, making her grin in content. She loved playing the boss.

"And district three, can you make sure district four is informed that they need to appoint a new head?" Carmine asked, "Too bad it had to be him who grabbed that cup of coffee I poisoned to make my point, he was a good subject." She blew out the smoke of her last drag and put out her cigarette before standing up, "District nine; you have permission to keep me updated directly," she looked at Boss sternly, "Don't disappoint me."

Boss nodded, "I won't."

### Three weeks later ###

"Goddammit! Why does that mor'n stay on the stupid roof!" He adjusted his glasses while he frowned, "This way the whole operation is pointless!"

"If you ask me, it was pointless from the start anyway," Lawrence stated gruffly from behind the State Bank's door, "How many times have we tried this already? Three? Four times?!"

"Twice; third time's a charm. It has to be…" Habas thought about what was at stake; his daughter and the prospect of her having the proper treatment she needed. A bead of sweat trickled down his bald head; if only he would come down. "Besides, now we have the proper darts!"

Lawrence clicked with his tongue, "Randy is having a hard time, looks like the girl is getting the better of him. She surely is a chip off the old block."

"He better stand his ground. He was supposed to overpower her to lure the bastard in!"

"Well, why don't you shoot her instead? You have more than enough darts," Lawrence proposed.

"Are you crazy! I ain't gonna kill no kid! If I hit her she will die instantly," Habas exclaimed, feeling anger rising.

"He would never let you," Lawrence assured him, "Kill her I mean. He's always on the lookout to protect her. I've seen it happen more than once." Now cracking the door a bit more open, peeking up to the hero standing at the roof's edge, "But if you're not going to kill a kid, what are we doing here? That costumed idiot shouldn't be much older than her. At least, the dances he performs all the time are that of a seven year old…"

"To me he ain't nothing more than an anonymous being that stands between my daughter and her treatment." No, he shouldn't see him any other way, the task at hand was already hard enough; he wasn't a killer, but he would do anything for his daughter.

A loud and frustrating roar pulled him out of his thoughts and Habas grimaced as he looked at what was rolling his way on the ground, "And there goes his teeth, Randy is going to lose…" Reality struck, that Satan girl was going to win for sure. "How-," Habas hesitated for a moment, but had to ask, "How sure are you he is going to protect her?"

"90 percent," his fellow criminal replied, "And if I'm wrong, we have a problem less anyway. It's a win-win."

They both watched as the girl took a leap and planted an elbow in the back of Randy's neck. And while the former semi-finalist stumbled forward and fell to the floor, Habas shifted his aim at Mr. Satan's daughter and shot three times.

He'd closed his eyes, not wanting to be confronted with what he had actually done; he was afraid he'd hit the girl. But then those bombastic made-up words released him from this guilty feeling

"Sorry Miss Videl, but I had to intervene."

Habas directly opened his eyes, seeing three of his darts sticking from that costumed idiot's arm. A wave of intense relief fell over him, he couldn't believe it! "O my God! I just hit 'm!" He'd actually accomplished the task; his daughter was safe.

"I just hit Saiyaman!" he repeated almost in disbelief - he was almost shouting ecstatically at this point as Lawrence pushed the front door of the bank open to see for himself. Their two other companions peeked outside too, wanting to witness it for themselves.

"Inform Boss!" Laurence shouted at one of them, "Tell him we got him!"

"Shit!" he heard Habas saying, "Why hasn't he collapsed?" Then a smirk appeared on the man's face, "Whatever comes next, it's out of our hands now," and with that he dropped his gun.

But before Laurence could reply to that, he felt a strong wind whoosh by and everything became black.

### Three days later ###

"So, is he gone now? For good?" Carmine looked intently at Boss while she leaned against her desk, crossing her arms. "How can you be so sure?"

"Each dart contained poison that should at least kill 110 adult humans. He got hit by three." Boss stood up and smirked, "And he hasn't been seen since. But to be absolutely sure, me and the other districts have set up a little test to see if he really is gone; consider it as a little gift for you." He nodded to the big screen in the room, "Do I have your permission to put the news channel on?"

When the news channel appeared it was clear there was a great chaos going on. "-arently all criminals have gathered around to not only loot the City Mall, but wreck the place as well," a woman with long blond curly hair was reporting the current situation as behind her someone was painting the walls of said building with graffiti.

"A mall looting?" Carmine raised a brow, "Since when aren't we handling things discreet anymore?"

"It's to lure out our target, so discretion wasn't what we were going for," Boss looked at Carmine with a smug grin, "And we're almost an hour into the looting and he still hasn't shown his face… Which means; the odds are that our little plan worked."

"We are still losing men to that girl," she pointed out, not liking to see her subjects getting arrested.

"She's the daughter of Mr. Satan. We can't do anything about her." Boss' face turned serious, "If we do, we will lose our public puppet."

"Ah yes… our beloved Mr. Satan." Carmine sighed, "Well, I suppose we can let her separate the wheat from the chaff; this way we will only have good criminals left to do our jobs."

On-screen the reporter almost shouted in surprise while looking up, "Wait!? Is that… Yes! Yes it's him!" Then she faced the camera again, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Great Saiyaman just arrived at the scene. This seemingly endless looting should be over soon."

"WHAT?!" Carmine looked wide-eyed at the screen, she couldn't believe it. There he was - alive and kicking - knocking out the thugs one by one, ending their looting. For a fraction she'd thought Boss' thought-through plan might have been successful; that they were finally back in business. But of course they weren't.

"I-I don't understand," Boss exclaimed, equally surprised. "H-He should be dead!"

Now anger rising, she came from the desk she was leaning against and lit a cigarette and, after a deep drag, she mumbled, "That bastard." Her facial expression said it all; she was infuriated to say the least.

"I-I," Boss began stuttering, afraid his failure to kill the hero would cost his own skin. "I did ev-"

"Apparently not enough!" she shouted in anger, slamming her desk with her free hand. After an intense moment she pinched the bridge of her nose, mumbling to herself, "Why do I always have to take care of things myself if I want to get it done right?" She quickly took another drag of her cigarette to collect herself and made her way to the door, holding it open for Boss, "Get out now before I decide to let my frustrations out on you, Billy. I'll give you a sign when your services are needed to make things right with me."

Following her directions - or better said: demands - he made his way to the door, but before he stepped out he looked at the intriguing yet terrifying woman holding the door. "What are you going to do now?" he almost whispered, afraid that he was crossing boundaries again.

"It's time for plan B," Carmine icely said.

Both looked at each other for a moment until Boss couldn't contain a smirk, "I'll wait for your orders." With that, he stepped out of the room.

### One month and a week later ###

Bang

Another body fell to the ground; this time it was a police officer. "That makes 5 against 4, Jimbo!"

"What?! I already got 6 feds to begin with! You're cheating!"

"Hey, we said no unnecessary casualties. For every civilian you've hit, I deduct a point. You really need to learn how to aim."

"Shut up Slim," Jimbo mumbled, frowning as he knew his partner had a point. He aimed his gun at the last standing officer at the scene and pulled the trigger, "Alright, that makes it a tie…"

"Are you boys done playing?" A mountain of a man grinned, throwing a bag at Slimjim. "Let's get a move on. The Upper Hand made it very clear to bring that orange orb as soon as possible to her. We've wasted enough time already." Chills went down his spine only thinking about what Carmine might do if they failed her.

Slimjim stood up, hanging the bag on his shoulder. "Got anything nice for us as well, Rock? Feels heavy."

The large bulky man grinned even wider, "The old man had some nice extras lying around indeed. I would've dishonored the reputation of the Red Shank Gang if I would've left it behind."

The two others returned his smirk and they all prepared themselves to rush out of the building, but stopped in their tracks when a female voice shouted, "Not so fast, you lowlifes!"

Jimbo looked over his shoulder, "Shit, it's that Satan's kid."

"I give you one warning: drop that bag now!" they heard Videl saying sternly.

"I'll hold her off, just complete our mission," Rock ordered his accomplices and turned around, facing the girl. He raised his hand and pointed at her, "You wanna have a piece of me? Come and get it!"

"Are you nuts?!" Slimjim hissed through his teeth, "She will kick that ass of yours right into jail!"

"Just go!" Rock told him, "And have a little faith in me; I'm not the most powerful thug in Satan City for nothing." He dropped into his fighting stance and smirked at his petite opponent, "So, let me see what your daddy has taught you."

"With pleasure," Videl smirked, dropping into her fighting stance as well and when she'd analyzed where he'd left an opening, she charged.

Making use of the opportunity, Jimbo grabbed Slimjim by the arm and pulled him out of view, "Quick, get the car running. I'm going to try and help Rock. If something goes wrong, just go."

"What about Rock's orders? If something goes wr-."

"Just do it. And don't hesitate to leave us behind if something goes wrong."

Now nodding, Slimjim rushed away. Jimbo however pressed himself against the wall and cautiously crept forward until he could look around the corner. Rock seemed to have the upper hand in the fight, though got some nasty punches coming his way as well. But after the girl missed her target with her fist, her wrist was grabbed by his boss and with a quick maneuver, he twisted it on her back and threw his other arm around her neck, locking and holding her in a sleeper hold. Videl threw her other arm up and tried to make some room to breathe, but was unsuccessful. Rock grinned, knowing he had her where he wanted and if he could maintain this position, she would pass out eventually.

Videl let her arm fall to the sides, letting Rock think he had her. But as soon as she felt his grip loosening the slightest of bits, she planted her elbow in his abdomen with full force. With a growl of pain he let go of her and as soon as Videl's feet hit the ground, she launched a kick against his head; launching him against the wall of the building and knocking him out.

To his luck, Jimbo saw that the girl got distracted. Following her gaze he saw two beings standing on one of the larger buildings. For a moment he froze out of shock himself: the fact that there was a young man standing on the edge - and judging by his wrecked clothes and bruises he didn't seem to be in a very good condition - was one thing… but the green demon-like creature overwhelmed him. What the fuck was that?

"Gohan…"

Hearing Videl mumble something about a bowl of rice for some reason, he reminded himself he had a task to do. He shook his head to clear his thoughts; whatever that freaky green demon was, it didn't have anything to do with him. Now looking at the body lying on the ground he noticed Rock had become conscious again. Reaching out, he hinted to his boss not to make a sound; the girl was still distracted by those beings on the rooftop and if they acted now, they might be able to cover some ground before she snapped out of it herself. Rock crawled toward Jimbo and when he managed to turn the corner unseen, they both made it for a run.

"I almost left, you idiots!" Slimjim hissed and - as soon as both his accomplices jumped into the already running car - he sped off. "What the fuck took you so long?"

"Slim, chill out man!" Jimbo urged, "We are here right? Also, if you drive like this, we'll get attention for sure. Just pull up the car roof and blend in with the rest. We weren't followed. Whatever we do, we don't want that Saiyaman on our tail. Then we'd be done for it."

"Speaking of that guy," Rock said while he was rubbing his temple; that girl had kicked him quite hard in the head, "He doesn't show up quite often anymore. I wonder why that is."

Slimjim shrugged his shoulders while turning left, he now had adjusted his speed to a more appropriate one, "Maybe he got scared? I do believe the Upper Hand had something really bad coming his way."

Rock grinned, "That bastard deserves whatever is coming. Serves him right for locking our friends behind bars all the time." He reached for the bag and rummaged around for a while and pulled out that orange orb. He inspected it and noticed it had one red star in it. "I wonder what she's going to do with these."

"I heard rumors it can grant you wishes," Jimbo answered, "All superstition if you ask me, but whatever pays the bills."

Thinking back to the conversation he'd had with Carmine - one that had told him the consequences if they'd fail - he wasn't so sure. Carmine wasn't one to believe in superstitions, yet she was really into finding these orbs. Looking back over his shoulder Rock mumbled, "We are in luck, no one is following us. I hope other districts are as fortunate as we are…"

### almost two weeks later ###

"Where the fuck is it?!"

Now ripping a bookcase from the wall out of anger, Yama-Ha looked at his father, "We've searched everywhere! It's not here and it looks like no one has been in here for weeks for that matter!"

"Calm down," Hodaka hissed through his teeth, "If you're any louder, the neighbors are gonna hear you!"

"Captain, how accurate is that information you received from the Upper Hand?" Marusho asked, while looking again through some drawers, "I think we've covered every inch of this place."

Hodaka sighed, "I was told the radar they use only gives information every twenty-four hours or so. Other than that, it is very accurate if I've to believe the others. The one we're looking for is the one that was located somewhere south around the Mushroom Rocks. It was a blessing when it popped up here so close to home." He looked at his men, "But we would've found it by now if it was here. I'll report back to Boss tomorrow and wait for the new location."

"I don't understand," Marusho said, "Why do you have to report to him? Ever since the Upper Hand killed off our old leader, district four should be led by you now. Boss isn't even from this district!"

"As I understood, Rush, there are bigger things at play that had to be led by an experienced leader. After we achieve the upcoming missions, district four is in our hands." Hodaka snorted; if they could manage to please the Upper Hand, then he finally had created a safer environment for his son - considering the circumstances. The sole reason why he joined this life anyway, so he could look out for him.

### The next day ###

He didn't know how, but somehow he dodged the bullet again. Even though their mission to steal that orange orb out of that apartment had failed, Boss seemed to let it slide. He probably needed them.

"I did some research," Boss announced and slid a piece of paper to Hodaka, who's adrenaline was still rushing through his veins.

Curious, he picked it up and looked intently at it. It was a picture of a teenage boy; fair skinned, dark spikey hair and neatly dressed. Next to the picture, some personal information was added. "A missing person pamphlet?"

"Yes," Boss answered, "The strange coordinates the radar gave us the last couple of days can all be traced back to this guy. The apartment you broke in the other day? It's his. Mount Paozu? His former address. And those around near that High School? Well, he probably goes there as well. I couldn't break into their system to check for sure, but I suggest you and your men look for him. He probably carries that orb around all the time." Boss now leaned forward, showing his scarred face in the dim light, "This is the last one the Upper Hand needs, so don't screw it up. We need this more than ever, understand?!"

"Yes sir," Hodaka looked again at the picture, "So, Son Gohan it is…"

### a week later ###

Her fingers traced along the curves of her body. "Gosh, I never can get enough of you," she whispered while planting a kiss on her collarbone.

The ginger-haired woman giggled, "C'mon Car, we both know you can."

Looking up at her face, she formed a frown, "How many times do I have to apologize for that, Amber? I was in a really bad mood, I didn't mean it."

Another giggle escaped Amber's mouth, "I'm just teasing you." She leaned over and planted her lips on hers and added against it, "It's so easy to get under your skin."

"You're even more evil than me," Carmine chuckled as well and answered the kiss with one of her own while running a hand through Amber's short ginger hair.

"Am I?" Amber laughed, pulling away so she could look at her partner, "C'mon, I don't believe you're that evil yourself. You only act like it." With her finger she brushed one of Carmine's locks out of her face, "There is nothing wrong with ruling with an iron fist once in a while…"

A sigh left Carmine's lips, "You don't even know half of it…"

"I know enough," Amber whispered and planted yet another kiss. Carmine couldn't contain a smile; Amber always could make her feel better about herself.

A loud knock at the door interrupted them. Trying to ignore it, Carmine continued kissing, but in vain and, after the third knock she shouted, "What?! Didn't I give you orders not to disturb me for the upcoming hour! Do you have a death wish?" Amber couldn't suppress a laugh; Carmine was cute when she was angry; scary, but cute.

Through the door, an uncertain voice came, "S-Sorry Ma'am, but you also gave me orders to inform you right away if we got them all… the Dragon Balls I mean."

Now sitting straight up she answered, "Be there in five!" Jumping out of bed she pulled herself into her leather pants and grabbed a bra hanging on the chair.

"You know that's mine right?" Amber said and looked cheekily at the rushing woman who was now stepping into her high heels.

"Sorry, no time to lose. This is that big moment I was waiting for. Pick whatever you want from the closet!"

Now sitting up in bed the short-haired woman watched intently as Carmine buttoned up her blouse. "Are you absolutely sure you don't want me to go with you?"

"Am, I already explained, it's too dangerous."

"Why are you so obsessed with that guy anyway?" Amber's face turned serious.

"He's the sole reason we're almost bankrupt," Carmine explained and teasingly added, "So he has to go. Simple as that. How else would I be able to satisfy your expensive taste?" She gave Amber a wink.

Still in her serious demeanor Amber continued, "But does he really have to die? He's probably just a kid…"

"Well do I have to remind you that 'just a kid' got my father killed?!" Carmine retorted.

Amber raised an eyebrow, "I thought Officer Black did that?"

"Alright you win, but that kid did demolish the rest of the Red Ribbon Army; the pride my father devoted his life to! One I had to rebuild almost from scratch."

Standing up and walking over to her lover, Amber threw her arms around Carmine. "And you did a marvelous job doing so," she said in a calming voice, as she planted a kiss on her cheek.

Hugging Amber back she sighed, "Thanks. But don't worry your pretty head about it. I don't think I could kill him off even if I wanted to. If I have to believe the notes my father left me, that wish-granting dragon can only kill off people that aren't stronger than himself and, considering that that lunatic survived our last attack on his life using a ridiculous amount of poison, I keep in mind that I can't get him personally with any wishes. And to be fair, I want him to suffer the consequences of his actions; it'll let him know that the Red Ribbon Army isn't one to mess with. I think I have the perfect plan to do exactly that: to get him where it'll hit him the hardest."

### 2 days later ###

"Look at that beautiful sight!"

Carmine was in a very good mood to say the least as she laid down the last of the Dragon Balls on the stony surface. She looked at all seven, each with its unique number of stars, whilst the last bit of sunset light reflected in each of them. She came all this way to the Franfran Desert - waited all this time - and it was finally happening. She wasn't even mad it took her two extra days to gather them and bring them all the way out here.

"Now what do we do? I don't see a dragon?" one of her confidants asked.

Checking the notebook from her father to make sure she wasn't forgetting something, she took a couple of steps back. Then in a confident, loud voice she chanted, "Mighty Eternal Dragon, please rise to grant my wishes!"

All seven balls lit up in a dazzling golden glow and from it a beam of light shot out, writhing like a snake to the now darkened sky. Thunder filled the air as the tension in the atmosphere increased. A heavy, intimidating growl caused the hairs on the back of the necks of all present to stand up.

As the wind subsided and the thunder stopped, the small group of people dared to look up. Gasping by the sight of the enormous serpentine green dragon, who's sharp-toothed jaws spoke with a deep voice, "Why have you summoned me? I'll grant three of your wishes. Choose your words wisely as you speak. Now, name your first wish."

With wide eyes, Carmine stared at the dragon. She somehow always had this nagging feeling her father had chased a myth, but this here was as real as could be. She shook her head, trying to snap herself out of her shocked state. "Eternal Dragon, if you allow me to, I first have a question for you before I state my wishes."

"Proceed," Shenron growled, much to the relief of the dark-haired woman.

"Do you have the power to kill or relocate one that calls himself the Great Saiyaman and is roaming Satan City?"

After a short moment the dragon spoke, "I cannot defeat or kill one whose own power exceeds that of my creator, so that cannot be done. I only can relocate him if he allows me to do so for that same reason."

"So you basically need to ask him permission?" Carmine asked, raising an eyebrow while crossing her arms. She already figured this would've been the case, so she would have to go with plan B - the more preferred one if you asked her. Though, she was a little disappointed nonetheless; she'd expected much more of this big wish-granting creature.

"Yes." The Dragon replied curt. "Now state your first wish."

"Alright," Carmine said and grabbed some large sheets of paper out of a tube. "This here is a blueprint of a hide-out. Details on the dimensions, the coordinates, the desired depth, and a list of necessary attributes are on there as well. I want you to realize this blueprint for me out of material not even the strongest human can demolish and hide it so that it cannot be uncovered by even the smartest human." She crossed her fingers, hoping this would be seen as one wish and not multiple. She desperately needed all three to finalize her plan.

The dragon's intimating red eyes started to glow, "Your wish has been granted. Now state your second wish."

Her face lit up as relief washed over her. Looking past the dragon at the spot she had in mind for the entrance of her new hide-out, there was now standing a small building with a large door - exactly as she had imagined.

Now feeling indestructible, she took out a pen and marked something on the blueprint she still had in hand. After she was done, she raised the print to Shenron, "For my second wish I ask you to relocate - not the Great Saiyaman himself - but his love interest to the confined cell in the new hide-out as marked on this blueprint."

Again the dragon's eyes started to glow, "Your second wish has been granted. Now state your third and last wish so I can proceed my slumber." His long barbels moved as he spoke.

Now grinning from ear to ear - stoked that relocating his love interest was within the dragon's power and that her plan was working out - she reached into the tube once more and picked out another blueprint. This was a gamble, unsure it would work, but if it did, she had everything she needed to get back at Saiyaman.

She held up the print - one she had stolen from Capsule Corp along with the Two Star Dragon Ball.

"Now for my third wish…"

### not much later ###

Banging against the glass walls with all her strength she tried desperately to break out. She didn't understand what had happened; one moment she was practicing to control her Ki peacefully just past the sunset, the next she was in this space; a space that had an ominous vibe to it. Panting, she pressed herself at the wall, readying herself for yet another strike with her already bleeding shoulder.

"You can struggle all you want darling, but it ain't no use."

Startled, Videl turned to the voice that mocked her, seeing a slim woman dressed in black leather with an evil smirk on her face. Her high red heels echoed to the room as she walked over to the glass wall, tucking her bob-lined hair behind her ear, "Well, well, well, why doesn't it surprise me that of all people the famous Videl Satan is the one to hook up with the town's greatest superhero."

She extensively eyed the girl in front of her, from her hatred expression to her battered knees. "I'd pictured you much taller," Carmine smirked; it didn't happen often that she met someone similar in size.

"Who are you?!" Videl scrowled, "And what do you want from me?"

Carmine's smirk widened, "Let's just say I can be your best friend or your worst nightmare, depending on whether you decide to cooperate or not. All you have to do is be a nice girl and that's it."

"That's not what I meant," Videl scowled even more, "Why am I here?!"

Carmine crossed her arms and leaned with one shoulder against the wall, "Don't take it personally, you are here because your boyfriend and I had a slight disagreement. I'm trying to persuade him to see things my way. But to be honest, I'd hoped he'd just hooked up with some random girl instead of you. This might complicate things."

Crossing her arms as well, Videl tried to appear confident, "And who says I'm with him?"

"My fairy godmother granted my wish and - poof - here you are," Carmine replied as she made an explosion gesture with her hands to add a comedic tone to it. She smirked, enjoying the torment.

Videl huffed, "Let me guess, your fairy godmother had green scales, pointy teeth and looked like a freaking dragon."

Her smirk faded from her face and Carmine observed her captive, "You are well informed..."

"It's amazing what they teach you in school nowadays," Videl let out a sarcastic snicker, thinking back to a school project they'd had to do on Japanese mythology. Since their topic was about the dragon God Ryūjin and they were short on words, Gohan had told them about Shenron as both dragons had similarities. They decided to add it to their essay to meet the requirements. Back then she'd thought it was just mythical-gibberish, but she knew better now.

"Anyway…" Carmine finally said after a short silence, "Enjoy your stay." She came off the wall and started to walk back.

"I need to go to the restroom," Videl tried, not wanting to leave this opportunity unused.

Turning and walking back, Carmine came standing inches from Videl, both separated by a glass wall. She pressed her index finger on the glass, pointing past Videl, "See that bucket?" the corner of her mouth curled up, "That's as luxurious as it'll get for you."

Gobsmacked Videls eyes grew wide, "You've got to be kidding me?!"

Carmine's grin widened, "Nope." Then she turned and continued her route to the exit; her heels echoing in the room as she did.

Anger rose in the teen's body - and as practiced that evening - she gathered her energy and formed a Ki-ball in her hand. Stepping as far back from the glass as possible, she threw the Ki-ball in that woman's direction; if she wasn't going to let her go, she would do it herself - preferably knocking her enemy out in the process.

What followed was a large explosion.

Looking back over her shoulder to see what had happened, she saw a coughing Videl who tried to wave away the smoke that had formed in the small confinement she was in. Carmine grinned - whatever she tried to do, it was in vain - and will be in vain for that matter, "Don't bother. All the materials in this building are unbreakable. Not even your daddy could break out of this hell-hole."

That dragon really did come through!

### the next day ###

Boss walked outside as soon as the car pulled up in front. He seldomly did so, needing to avoid direct sunlight on his scars, but this he had to see.

He eagerly walked to the trunk and placed his hand on the handle. He was sure Carmine would definitely forgive his failure to kill Saiyaman when he brought in the real deal. His district would become significant again; he was done walking on eggshells with her. With that in mind, he proceeded.

"What the…" Boss eyes grew wide, "Where the fuck is he?! You told me you had him!"

Not understanding what his yelling was all about, the chauffeur came to have a look himself, "Huh? We did everything you asked us to do!"

"How come he's not here then?!" Boss sneered.

"I-I have no idea, I swear!"

"Are you trying to say that this kid somehow escaped from the chains and got out of the trunk without you noticing?! Haven't heard a thing?! Never saw it happening?!" Boss was furious.

"I-I…" the guy stammered, followed by what would have been a moment of silence - if not for the loud music playing in the car. Noticing Boss looking in the direction of the sound, he swallowed. "Sir, I-I needed to calm my nerves…"

"By listening to heavy metal?!" his tone was icy. "And let me guess: you haven't heard a thing because of the bumpy road you were on? Is that it? Is that your excuse?!"

Now swallowing even thicker, he stepped a few steps back, "Y-You told me those shackles were unbreakable! He shouldn't have been able to get out! It's not my fault!"

"And now it's the shackles," Boss sighed, grabbing his gun and pointing it at his man, who now stood transfixed. And without another word or hesitation, Boss pulled the trigger.

Breathing in a good amount of fresh air to collect himself he leaned forward, his hands now resting against the open trunk. He looked at the broken pieces that once were the shackles - which Carmine had given him amongst other things. She'd told him they were unbreakable, that not even the strongest human could break out if it. All but Saiyaman apparently. Or…

His eyes shot wide in realization. Those powers, the lightning speeds, the fact he survived his poisoning… one that should've been overkill…

For humans…

"Fuck!" Boss shouted and kicked the bumper hard out of frustration. He had no choice but to report this incident; this new revelation was too important.

And with trembling hands, he dialed her number.

###

"What do you mean you kidnapped Saiyaman?!" Carmine raged, getting the attention of her girlfriend - who had ignored the warnings not to come and came to visit her anyway, "Did I give you orders to do so?!"

Her raging wasn't new for her, but when Carmine's demeanor changed completely as she mumbled the word 'Son?', Amber looked intently at her partner. She'd never seen that expression on her before… Was that fear in her eyes?

Carmine let herself lower onto the bed in defeat while silently hanging up the phone. It couldn't be him, right? If what Billy told her was true, she'd gotten much more than she bargained for. It could mean the end of what she'd worked for - the end of it all.

"What's wrong?" Amber tried cautiously, not wanting to trigger her bad side.

"I messed up…" she mumbled, "I've held on to too many loose strings and those strings have put us all in great danger."

Amber raised an eyebrow, "Wasn't this whole 'catch the hero'-thing a 'living on the edge'-mission in itself?"

"I can handle that dork, but we got the attention of another. I've told you about that kid - the one that single handedly killed off the entire army of my dad - that kid was called Son Goku. The leader of district 9 tried to catch Saiyaman behind my back, but somehow he kidnapped someone by the name of Son Gohan and that guy managed to break out of the unbreakable shackles I gave him.

"Are you afraid they are related? That Son Gohan and Son Goku?"

"Surnames aren't that commonly used nowadays…" Carmine answered in a quiet voice, "And I've built this place not that far from my father's headquarters… What if that Goku guy comes back because we went after his family members?"

"Who says that new guy isn't Saiyaman?" Amber asked wisely, "That guy is also super strong. He ain't a superhero for nothing."

"That Saiyadork is a fraction of what that Goku kid has shown. He is just so…. I don't know… a nitwit. The two just don't match up." Then she stood up and walked over to her computer. After a quick search, she printed something out and hurried to the door with the sheet in her hand. "There is someone who knows!" Amber heard her saying before she slammed the door behind her.

After a while Carmine arrived at the right floor and rushed inside. She slammed the piece of paper against the glass wall of her captive's confinement, "Explain!"

Startled from her sudden rush-in, Videl looked from Carmine to the sheet of paper that featured Gohan's school picture. "What? Do you want me to explain how you need to refill your cartridge?"

"Don't play dumb with me! This is him, isn't he?"

"Who? Saiyaman?" Suddenly Videl began laughing out loud and after a moment of recovery she answered, "That's the biggest nerd of our class." Inwardly she apologized to Gohan, but she knew she needed to get that woman on a different path; whatever the costs, she could not know Gohan is Saiyaman.

"So this isn't your boyfriend?"

Videl frowned offended, "Ew no, I do have better taste than that." 'I'm so, so sorry, Gohan!' she said in her mind directly after. The young crimefighter looked at the woman in front of her; why did she look so scared? What was going on outside these walls? And how did she come up with Gohan being Saiyaman?

"Are you absolutely sure?" Carmine asked again, frowning deeply. Her voice, however, had a note of insecurity in it. Something Videl would gladly exploit.

"Look, he's far beneath my standards. The guy's a nerd. All he cares about is his grades and he's socially awkward too. My boyfriend is a freaking hero. I don't know what's going on in that little head of yours, but God no…" Videl felt terrible saying all those things, but luckily it didn't show; the drama lessons Erasa had dragged her into finally paid off. But there was something that had triggered this woman - she now knew was called Carmine - in relation to Gohan. She didn't exactly know what it was, but to add fuel to her fear, Videl took the gamble and added, "Even if he took after his father, I wouldn't be interested." If that comment didn't mean anything to her, it didn't matter anyway.

But Carmine's eyes shot wide. "...what is his father's name?"

Videl noticed the woman crumbling down and almost couldn't hide her grin. Crossing her arms and trying to sound as innocent as possible she answered, "Son Goku if I remember correctly. Why?"

"Fuck!" Carmine shouted, finishing in her head, 'That bastard is gonna pay for that.' She hated that Billy got her in so much more unnecessary trouble; he'd jeopardized the whole mission. With anger rising, she grabbed a nearby chair and threw it aggressively at a wall, startling Videl in the process.

The chair remained intact of course…

"What's the problem?" Videl asked, still as innocently as she could. She started to wonder what Gohan had done to Carmine - or Goku for that matter.

Said woman pinched her fingers at the bridge of her nose, trying to collect herself from her outburst. She needed to cut off loose ends and send a powerful message to everyone at play. From now on she would only tolerate full loyalty towards her by her own crew and no one-sided behavior like that leader of district 9 had shown! And she had to do it quickly.

As she didn't get a reply, Videl tried to get on her nerves even more, "But now that you're here, can I please take a shower somewhere? I feel dirty and the bucket hasn't been emptied since I got here."

'Cutting loose ends…' Carmine looked up and studied the face of her captive and smirked. That was it! That was the last piece of the puzzle! "Maybe you do need a shower I can smell you from here." She walked to a nearby panel and leaned on it, the ominous look she was giving her made Videl feel uneasy, "And maybe you need a haircut too, if we are at it. I do like my girls short-haired, you know."

Carmine pressed a button and a loud sizzling sound came from the sprinklers in Videl's confinement. Videl prepared herself to get soaked, but soon she realized there was no water coming from it. "W-What are you doing?" she asked, grabbing her head as she felt light-headed already.

"Don't worry," Carmine said sweetly, as Videl fell to her knees, "Just a precaution. Now, sleep tight."

### Later that day ###

"It's just a precaution," Boss explained to Hodaka, while he was tying his own men behind their backs. "She doesn't want to take any risks. It wouldn't be the first time someone attacked her."

"Don't you think this is somewhat extreme?" Marusho retorted, while his hands were next to be bound. "We can give her our weapons, that should be enough to let her know we mean no harm." He then made a head gesture to Boss himself, whispering to the man he trusted as his own leader, "And what about him? Why doesn't he need to be tied down?"

"I…" Boss answered as he overheard Marusho's comment, "...have been in your position a long time ago. I'm one the Upper Hand already sees as trustworthy and soon your leader will be too," he nodded to Hodaka, who was tying up his last man. "After this big mission is over, you will be in charge of the second district. An honor to say the least." Boss leaned back into his chair, breathing in the air slowly. "I assure you, this is normal procedure." It didn't sit well with him though, Carmine wasn't one to show up on location; he did feel nervous about her visit.

"Just suck it up Rush, will ya," Hodaka hushed Marusho as he was about to open his mouth again. Then he turned back to Boss, "What about me, sir? I obviously can't tie myself."

"No need to. I vowed for you to be trustworthy. The Upper Hand already knows who you are and what you're capable of; I couldn't vouch of your men."

Somewhere outside the room a door flew open and the sound of high heels against the wooden floor echoed through the hall as everything else became dead silent. It was a menacing sound, one that fitted a scene of a horror movie and caused the hairs on the back of the neck to stand up by Hodaka. Soon after, a leather-clad woman with an icy expression pushed open the door and stepped in; two men dressed in tuxedos flanking her on either side.

"Carmine!" Boss said in a fake happy tone while standing up to greet her, a little surprised because he hadn't expected her to be this early. "How are you doing?"

"Let's skip the formalities," she retorted icyly, ignoring Boss' outstretched hand and eyeing the men at the other side of the room.

"They are all secured," Boss reassured her, knowing what was on her mind. "They're all bound as requested, though I do want to emphasize that these measurements are excessive and really not needed."

"That's for me to decide," she simply said. She had her reasons. "So everyone here was involved in the kidnapping of this Son Gohan?"

"Yes, that and in the retrieval of that orange orb you'd requested," Boss reminded her, hoping to lighten her mood; he'd noticed she wasn't in a happy one.

"You?" Carmine addressed Hodaka, "Are you in charge of these bunch of misfits?" Her voice was still icy.

Hodaka shifted his gaze a short moment to Boss for reassurance as he was allowed to speak - which was given by a small nod - and answered wisely, "I'm the one in charge of executing Boss' orders, yes, and I trust my men with my life. They are loyal to the cause." Even though he did fear Boss, he'd noticed this woman had much more power. He felt that he had no other choice but to make clear he wasn't at fault for the failed kidnapping - certainly as the driver who'd fucked up wasn't one of his crew.

"Well, good for you," the woman brushed off, uninterested. She signaled her two guards to stand on either side of the bound men. They all looked uneasy but stayed quiet, giving Hodaka pleading looks every now and then. Hodaka himself hadn't had a good feeling about this.

Carmine walked to Boss' desk and with a swift movement she sat down on it, crossing her legs in the process. Pulling out her jade cigarette holder, she took her time to light it before turning to Boss, "You gravely miscalculated," she began, her words made Boss' eyes shoot wide, "You went behind my back and fucked up." She slowly pulled open her jacket, showing him a small gun she had hidden.

This triggered everyone in the room - especially the one who weren't able to defend themselves; Boss mumbled some protest; Marusho tried to stand up, but was knocked back down by one of the suited men; Yama-Ha called out for his dad - something he seldom did; and the others just called out swear words or were silently praying.

"Everybody: shut the hell up!" Carmine yelled and her two men loaded their guns, aiming them at each member of the biker gang. It went instantly quiet.

After a moment of intense silence, Hodaka dared to speak up, "The kid got away, yes, but we can bring him back to you, or eliminate him if you want. Not that he seemed harmful or dangerous to me."

Carmine took a drag of her cigarette and tucked her black-dyed hair behind her ear before looking at the one who dared to speak, "I don't want him… And I don't want him involved in any action in any kind of way, whatsoever. I never wanted him to be a player in this mess!"

"But this whole operation is to get at him?!" Boss exclaimed confused; what the fuck did this woman want.

"This whole operation is about Saiyaman! Not him!" Carmine shouted, "Didn't the name Son Gohan ring any bells, you old veteran?!"

Boss looked at her confused, "Should it?" Her attitude made him quite nervous at the moment. It didn't happen often that he lost his composure.

"Why don't you look in the mirror, maybe that would refresh your memory."

Understanding what she was implying, he protested, "The one we abducted was a teenager! This has nothing to do with him!" It sure was a sensitive subject to him.

"Are you sure about that?" Carmine pushed on, "How long ago did he give you those scars? What was it again? Freshly boiled coffee?"

"About twenty-five years ago," Boss was now frowning, hating to be reminded of that fateful day he got his scars. "The kid who did this was a pre-teen then, so sorry to say, but you're wrong."

"I never said that it was the same person," Carmine pointed out, "All I say is; it's plenty of time to grow up and raise a child. A child who he gave the name Gohan." She looked intently at him, "Now understanding where I'm getting at?"

Boss' eyes shot wide again, "N-No, you can't be serious?"

"Oh, but I am…" she said with a slow and sinister voice, now leaning forward, "And that may explain why he could've escaped out of those chains as well… the guy isn't human - he can't be - just like his monkey-tailed daddy. Even I remember how absurdly powerful that kid was."

"And why can't this guy be Saiyaman?" Hodaka tried to understand. He wasn't aware of their history or their enemies, but couldn't fathom why these two personas couldn't be one and the same person.

Giving him the attention again, she smirked, "I do admit there are some similarities between the two, but what you don't know is that I have Saiyaman's girlfriend in my possession. And therefore I know they aren't one and the same guy."

"But we had inside inf-" Boss tried, but was cut short by Carmine.

"Better inside information than his girlfriend?! Please tell me…" she said mockingly. "I was told you made an advertisement; offering my money for the one who came with some info… You know, a lot of people will do everything to get their hands on such a nice amount. He probably lied to you."

Hodaka crossed his arms, "I don't think our informant lied, but even if that's true, why are you so sure his girlfriend didn't? For me, she has a lot to gain as well..."

Carmine shot him a nasty look, "Speak one more time out of place and it will be your last." She stood up and slowly walked over the biker's leader, "But to answer your question, she wasn't. She made some valid points."

"So did our informant," Marusho retorted; he had enough of this mess.

Now giving Marusho a glare, she replied coldly, "I am perceptive and I assure you, she wasn't lying!" And with a bang, Marusho's body became limp and fell to the floor - his hands still bound behind his back.

Everyone looked in shock as Carmine put her gun back into its holster.

"Alright, alright! You made your point! We messed up and I promise you it won't happen again. We can still fix this!"

"I don't think you can, Billy…" Carmine gave the terrified Boss a penetrating look, "You've put the whole company at risk. Ever thought of what might happen if the teen you got kidnapped went crying back to his daddy? He already destroyed the Red Ribbon Army - When he was a fucking kid! - Guess what he might do now he's an adult. And God knows what his son himself can do for that matter!"

She walked over towards Boss and leaned with one arm on his desk. She let out a content sigh and continued, "But I'm glad you got my point, now we can wrap it up." She took a last drag of her cigarette and put it out on his desk, before reaching for her gun and aiming it at Boss' head. "Any last words?"

"I-Is this really necessary?" Boss exclaimed, but as soon as the words left his mouth, Carmine pulled her trigger.

"Yes," She answered him post-caedem. She couldn't hide her satisfaction showing her features.

Her attention turned to Hodaka, who was breathing heavily, "We only followed direct orders from Boss."

"I know, I know," she answered as she came standing near him, "Hush now…" Her gun was aimed at his head.

Trying to stand tall, not wanting to give in to fear, Hodaka tried again, "We got you that last orange orb, that at least should count for something."

The corner of Carmine's mouth tucked up, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot…" and with a quick movement, she shifted her aim from his head to his abdomen and shot. Hodaka groaned in pain, falling to his knees and covering his wound. "... and as a thank you, I give you a chance to live. Hold on, maybe someone will help you in time. Too bad we are in the middle of an abandoned desert, though."

She now turned to her guards, "Alright, I've had enough. Let's wrap this up."

### Two days and some hours later ###

"It's a pity though that I never was good at cutting hair," Carmine snickered, while eyeing Videl. Her hair was short but cut uneven, sticking out to all sides. She looked different without her iconic pigtails.

Videl could only glare daggers at the woman as she spoke, "I once strapped my little brother Magenta to a chair and tried to give him a nice new haircut for my stepmother's birthday. I got the beating of a lifetime afterwards. I probably shouldn't have used the shaver to sculpt his midsection." A devilish smirk appeared on her face.

"What do you want," Videl was tired and irritated. How many days was she in this hell hole anyway? The lights were always on and she was left alone for hours straight. She had no clue when it was day or night, or what was happening outside these walls. She was tired and hungry, not having received enough food to meet her physical needs. And this woman was the cause of it all. "You gonna gas me again and shave my head now?"

Carmine let out a chuckle, "You're the funny one, are you?" Her grin widened, "No, just want to know if your stay is to your wishes," sarcasm was written all over her comment. "And I guess your boyfriend got our little memo; Saiyaman hasn't shown up lately. Isn't that sweet? We may do a crime test round tomorrow to see how far he is willing to go for you. Or better said: how much he is willing to let go for you."

"He would never let crime go unpunished," she scowled, "He is the upholder of justice and the protector of the innocent!" Hearing her own words, she was surprised she actually had remembered Saiyaman's silly lines in the first place. She really missed him…

"He's annoying," Carmine corrected her, "But that's hopefully all in the past now."

"You can't hold me here forever."

"Oh yes I can, silly girl," still her smirk wasn't coming off her face. "As long as I have you, I've got leverage. And when your boyfriend is starting to forget you, I'll send him a reminder every time he does." She again eyed her, "But let's hope he doesn't, it would be a shame."

An alarm suddenly filled the air and a light at the door started to flash red. Both startled, they looked confused to one another. Carmine frowned, turning to put on the security monitor to see what was going on, yet all the camera's were out. Frustrated, she tried to call one of her men upstairs.

"What the fuck is going on?" anger was heard in her voice while yelling through the receiver.

"Apparently someone broke into the headquarters, Ma'am," the agent on the other side explained. Some gunshots and muffled screams were heard in the background. "I have no idea how this could have happened."

"Well, what are you waiting for?! Kill the intruder!"

"We're trying Ma'am! But he's almost like a one-man army! We're a- what the f-" The connection broke, followed by loud electronic noise. Carmine looked at the receiver she was holding, a shocked expression written on her face. A one-man army? Could it be? Could it be that guy?

"Looks like your luck is running out," Videl smirked, enjoying the fear this woman showed. She had a pretty good idea what was going on.

An explosion was heard, this time not through a security system, but somewhere on the floors above them. The floor began to shake as another one could be heard, which was much closer by. It didn't take long before screams and shouts followed. Though, after some metallic sounds it became awfully quiet all of a sudden; aside from the alarm going off. Some footsteps were rising in the hallway and stopped at the other side of the door.

With a loud bang it flew open.

"Videl!" Gohan exclaimed, rushing to the glass and dropping his Super Saiyan form immediately - knowing she wasn't that fond of it, "Thank God you are alright!" Relief was written all over his face; he'd finally found her! Alive and sound! And - even with her hair short - she was as beautiful as ever.

He placed his hands on the glass - his nose almost touching it as well - and she placed hers on his on the other side. She quickly took him in; other than a tear in his Gi, there were no signs of any struggle. How did he do so well coming all the way down here?

"Go-"

Videl abruptly stopped, swallowing his name as she realized Carmine was still in the room.

"Who the fuck are you?"

'Speaking of the devil,' Videl thought and almost rolled her eyes. Now Gohan was with her, she suddenly felt much more confident; certain she would be out in no time. She smirked, while placing her hands on her side, "Ah yes, I haven't properly introduced you two. Carmine, this is my boyfriend; Boyfriend, this is Carmine."

Gohan couldn't suppress the corner of his mouth to grin when hearing her say 'my boyfriend', but immediately it was washed away by hearing her name, and a serious frown formed on his face, "So, you're the one that's called Carmine… You're a nasty person, do you know that? Leaving that severely-wounded man behind to suffer for three days!"

"Ah, you found the biker gang…" Carmine waved it off and gave him a know-it-all look, "And it was two, not three days… you know, the warmth out there speeds such processes up. But I'm surprised the bastard survived that long. Anyway, they were just minor puppets who were failing me. They had it coming."

Gohan frowned deeper, "I think you failed to listen. As far as I can see, they did a very good job in tracking me, even managing to cuff me and throw me in a trunk." Gohan took her in and raised an eyebrow, he'd expected this Carmine to be much taller. "So, what's your deal?"

Carmine looked at him in shock. So this was Son Gohan, the one they have abducted? And he single-handedly broke into her lair without even a scratch? He definitely took it from his father. Or…

"You're in the way of her criminal empire," Videl explained, "Being so effective in fighting Satan City's crime."

"So, who are you exactly?! Are you Saiyaman? Or are you that Son Gohan I keep hearing about?" Carmine was confused, "I demand answers!"

Gohan glared at her, "Seems like Boss and his men did a better research than you have. I'm both," He now looked at Videl, hinting her to take a few steps back.

"You lying bitch!" Carmine exclaimed through her gritting teeth. She hadn't forgotten that that Satan girl had convinced her 'Son Gohan' wasn't her boyfriend. That filthy child! She will make her pay for playing her like that!

With a Woosh-sound Gohan went from black to blond, shrouded in a golden glow. "You call her that one more time and you'll wish you never had taken her in the first place," he shouted, slamming his fist into the glass wall, breaking it almost effortlessly.

Videl, who had taken cover at the other side of her confinement from the shattering glass, stood up and ran towards Gohan. He opened his arms to finally hold her after all those excruciating days she'd been missing; where he didn't know where she was or what had happened to her. It finally seemed over.

Then there was a bright yellow flash - and while Gohan was about to embrace her - she suddenly vanished into thin air.

And so did her Ki.

Hi there!

Congratulations! You are about halfway through the story now. I'm kinda excited for the upcoming half; looked forward to it long enough.

Also, post-caedem isn't probably a real word though… but I liked it xD.

Furthermore, if you want another read while waiting for my next chapter, one of my beta's and dear online-friend is writing a nice Chi-Chi space-adventure (AU). It's called 'the List' from RobynX_x (AO3) or RobynXart (FF). And even though I normally read only HanVi stories… I really enjoy reading this one. So please check it out!

If you are here only for HanVi's and missed the memo: the eyes of the panda picked up writing again and published a new chapter on her "Please Friendzone me" story. If you decide to read it, don't forget to write her a nice review to motivate her. I think she pulls strength out of it ;) .

Anyways, it took me quite some time to write this chapter as it was a bit complicated, but I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. Have a nice weekend and see you at the next chapter.