The Trouble With Hearts

By Light-Eco-Sage

Rated: Teen for romance (Gohan/Videl).

Summary: "What the hell is that thing?" Videl demanded, pointing at her new uniform in horror. It seemed like the whole world was out to get her.

Disclaimer: Dragonball Z is owned by Akira Toriyama, not me. Boohoo. T.T

LES: So… here's an attempt to get my DBZ muse to come back to me. It's just a pointless, humorous, romance one-shot. I have to ask that you forgive any canon-inaccuracies. It's been a LONG time since I watched the show, and I would normally pop in my DVDs to get my muse back. But my parents recently got divorced and in the middle of it, my entire DBZ DVD collection was either misplaced or sold by my no-good father. So, that's $200 down the drain and I haven't got the bank account to spend that money again. T.T Having a father like mine sucks.

It all began when Videl decided that she would join Gohan in his efforts to protect Satan City from the various criminals that infested its streets.

In many ways, it would be no different from her usual routine. She would go out and fight criminals as always. At first, she thought the only difference would be having a partner. It was something she had never needed (or wanted) before this moment, but she had decided to make a special exception for Gohan.

The thing that had surprised her was when Gohan not only refused to do away with his Saiyaman identity (even refusing to consider her suggestion to revive the Gold Fighter), but he kept insisting that she become The Great Saiyaman 2, uniform and everything.

Thus began an argument that lasted for several hours. Well… the word 'argument' was a misnomer. In reality, the whole 'discussion' was just Videl yelling at Gohan that there was no way in hell she would dress up like a dweeb to fight crime, and Gohan shrinking under her yells, calmly explaining to her why he couldn't give up his secret identity.

Eventually, Gohan was able to convince Videl to join him, and then a whole new discussion started. Videl didn't like the name that Gohan picked out for her.

"First of all, I'm not a Saiyan, so I shouldn't be Saiya-anything!" Videl said, counting off the reasons on her fingers. "Secondly, I'm not a man, so I shouldn't be anything-man! And thirdly, just because you are stronger than me doesn't mean you are better than me. I'm not going to be Number 2 to anything!"

They discussed back and forth for a while before Gohan won that argument too. The boy really was too intelligent for his own good, if not a complete dork. So Videl unwillingly assumed the identity of "The Great Saiyaman 2".

But there was one thing that Videl absolutely put her foot down to. She wouldn't wear the same outfit as Gohan. "No offense, Gohan, but that outfit makes you look like a total dweeb. And don't even get me started on that… turban-thing and the sunglasses. I never thought I'd miss that old trashcan you used to wear so much."

So they compromised. Gohan would go back to wearing the 'trashcan' and Videl didn't have to wear a uniform that was like his.

"It's no problem." Gohan assured her. "I can get Bulma to design something for you. It should only take her a day or so."

And thus their plans were set. The soon-to-be-named Great Saiya-Team had been born. But it certainly wasn't happy about it!

The next day, after they were finally free from the forced torment known as High School, Videl and Gohan rushed up to the roof of the school together and Videl waited for Gohan to change into his Saiyaman outfit. She had been shocked to learn that there was no awkward changing involved, just a simple capsule that was hidden in his watch. To think that his secret had been so close to Videl this whole time, and she had never known it!

Within seconds, Gohan was in his Saiyaman outfit and they took off together into the sky for the short flight to West City.

They made it to West City in good time, and it only took a little longer for the duo to make it to the Capsule Corp. facility. Videl couldn't believe that there was a time when she believed that the fact that Gohan was close person friends with the Briefs family was the most unusual thing about him. Of course, that was before she had found out that he was really a super-powerful half-alien and that he had been the one to defeat Cell all those years ago. But, still, it was a shock.

Once they landed, Vegeta stalked out of the living quarters, clearly intent on scaring away whoever had showed up. However, once he saw that it was Gohan in his superhero outfit, he turned and walked away from the scene. The expression that he wore on his face clearly said: 'You are an insult to all Saiyans living and dead'.

Gohan, however, in his typical naïve way, simply scratched the back of his neck and said: "I guess Vegeta doesn't want to spar today. That's a first… Oh well, it's Bulma that we want to see anyway."

Videl couldn't help but laugh at him. She couldn't understand how a guy could be so intelligent and so naïve at the same time. But, somehow, that only served to endear her to the young demi-Saiyan all the more. Gohan stared at her, confused, as she continued to laugh at him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing." Videl said, still giggling. "Just forget about it."

"Oh, well…" Gohan paused. "Let's, uh… go." Gohan blushed deeply as he began to walk into the complex, Videl following closely behind him and breaking out in giggles at random moments.

"Ah, perfect! I've been expecting you two!" Bulma greeted the two teens as they stepped into her private lab. "How are you doing, Gohan?" Bulma asked, embracing the young man.

Gohan shrugged. "Oh, you know…"

"Well, that's good. As long as there are no more super-powerful monsters trying to destroy the universe, right?" Bulma joked good-naturedly. "You'll be glad to know that I've finished Videl's new outfit. Wanna have a look?"

"Sure." Videl said, trying hard to hide her anticipation. Bulma may be a genius inventor, but she knew very little about fashion. After all, this was the person who made Gohan's Saiyaman outfit.

Bulma smiled (was it an evil smile?) and moved over to her work bench. A mannequin had been set up on the table and covered with a tarp. Bulma took the tarp and tore it off with a flourish. "Ta-da!"

At first sight, Videl had to admit that the uniform wasn't that bad. At the very least, the color scheme was not nearly as gaudy as Gohan's outfit was. Besides the colors, the outfit was very similar to the one that Gohan wore, except…

Videl's eyes locked onto the helmet of the piece: her very own trashcan. It was slightly different from Gohan's. It featured a blue visor that could cover her eyes and also be retracted into the helmet if she ever had the need to see clearly. After all, Videl used vision a lot more than Gohan did, so it was important for her to be able to see at all times. Also, it was not as important for her to keep her identity a secret. Indeed, it would be nearly impossible. But the mechanism that allowed the visor to move up and down was controlled by a slider switch that was in the shape of a…

"What the hell is that thing?" Videl demanded, pointing at the helmet of her uniform in horror.

"That?" Bulma asked, pointing at the large, heart-shaped switch on the front of the helmet. "Well, you slid it up and the visor goes up, and you slide it down to…"

"No, I know what it is." Videl said quickly. "But why does it have to be in the shape of a heart?"

"What's wrong with a heart?" Bulma asked, confused. "It looks cute."

"What's wrong with it?" Videl repeated incredulously. "It makes me seem like I'm Gohan's little love-partner rather than his partner in fighting crime!" At her words, Gohan blushed.

"Aren't you?" Bulma asked. "I was under the impression that you two were dating now."

At those words, both teens blushed and began stammering.

"I—we're not…"

"We're just friends, Bulma!"

"As if!"

Bulma sighed as their protests quieted. "You know, you two, denial isn't a river in Egypt. If you two are 'just friends', then Vegeta and I are 'just friends'."

The blush on Gohan's face darkened. He didn't really appreciate the parallel drawn between him and Videl and Bulma and Vegeta. They were fully-fledged mates and showed it… all the time. Gohan couldn't deny that he didn't want to have that with Videl. But, thus far, she had shown very little interest in him. Or so Gohan thought.

If he were actually paying attention, he could have known that Videl had feelings for him and was terrible at hiding them, but he had never been that bright when it came to women. Though in Gohan's defense, he was just as obvious about his feelings for her, and Videl had not seen anything. Perhaps it was true that if you were too close to the situation, you couldn't see the big picture after all.

"You've got us all wrong, Bulma." Gohan said. "Videl and I are just good friends. That's all."

Bulma nodded, but had the air of one who didn't believe a word of what Gohan was saying. "Mmm-hmm. Sure. Whatever you say, Gohan. Just mark my words; you two will end up together eventually." She turned to the blushing Videl. "If you really want, I can change that switch to something else, but it will take another day."

Videl was about to say that the criminals could wait another day when her watch suddenly went off. "I'm sorry." She apologized, stepping a few feet away from them to take the call. "Videl here, what is it?"

"Thank God, Videl!" It was the Satan City Police Chief. Videl sighed. There goes her chance of telling Bulma it could wait another day. "We need you to come downtown as soon as you can! The Red Shark gang is attempting to take the mayor hostage again."

"Okay. I'll be there as fast as I can." Videl said, hanging up on the Police Chief. Gohan and Bulma stared at her, and Videl sent a glare at the heart-shaped switch on her uniform. "Oh Dende… give me the damn uniform!"

Bulma smiled. "I knew you'd see it my way eventually." She put the suit back in its capsule and installed it into a watch just like Gohan's. "That button there brings the suit out, and the other one puts it back in capsule form." She explained, pointing at the different color buttons.

Videl rolled her eyes and took the watch without another word.

As Videl had expected, dealing with the gang was superbly easy. But that was mainly because she and Gohan were working together now. Fighting crime became a whole lot easier when you have a super-powerful half-alien boy fighting at your side.

The difficult part came after, when the reporters and paparazzi insisted on getting to know the new team of crime fighters. They nearly had a heart attack when they discovered that Saiyaman's new partner was actually the daughter of the World Champion, Videl Satan.

"Miss Satan! Have you joined forces with The Great Saiyaman?" One reporter shouted.

Videl looked around for her partner and found that he was dedicating himself to handing the criminals over to the police. The demi-Saiyan back-stabber had abandoned her to deal with the press all on her own. "Yes." She answered. "The Great Saiyaman and I have decided that it will be much easier and much more safe for the city if we put aside our differences and worked together to defend the city."

"Does that mean that you know The Great Saiyaman's identity?" Another reporter asked.

"Yes, I do know who he is. But that is not my secret to tell." Videl said.

"Then can you give us insight into his unusual abilities?"

"The Great Saiyaman is a student of the older schools of Martial Arts." Videl said. It wasn't a complete lie. "For example, his ability to fly comes from the school of the Crane Hermit and his ability to fire blasts of energy comes from the school of the Turtle Hermit." Thank Dende for pre-made excuses. Videl thought to herself.

The questions continued on in this vein for a while, and Videl actually began to hope that this wouldn't be that bad. After all, most of the questions were ones that she had been expecting, and she had ready-made answers for; until…

"Miss Satan, are you romantically involved with The Great Saiyaman?"

Videl froze in horror, staring at the reporter that had asked that question. She recognized the reporter instantly. She worked for a celebrity gossip-rag, and she seemed to live for getting the scoop on new celebrity couples. Videl had a number of run-ins with her before. This particular reporter reported that Videl had a new lover practically every week. Any boy that Videl spent more than three seconds talking to without judo flipping obviously had to be her boyfriend.

"I'm afraid that you are mistaken." Videl said. "I am not romantically involved with The Great Saiyaman."

"Really?" The reporter continued. "Because it seems to me that you have a big heart on your forehead, and that mostly means…"

Videl lost her temper. "The heart was not my idea!" But it was too late. Nothing she said could possibly get the reporter to change her mind about the crime-fighter's relationship.

Videl had expected the story about her and Saiyaman's 'romance' to run in the reporter's usual gossip-rag, but she received the surprise of her life when the story actually appeared that night when she was watching the evening news with her father.

"We are currently following a late-breaking story." The anchorman said into the camera, faking interest in the story as usual. "The attempted hostage-taking of the mayor this morning, as expected, were thwarted by the combined efforts of our own Videl Satan and our resident superhero, The Great Saiyaman. However, the great shock came when these two were seen, not at odds with each other, but having joined forced to become one superhero-crime-fighting-team."

"And that's not even the most shocking part of the story." The anchorwoman continued. "Rumors are now in full swing about the developing romance between our two defenders."

The reaction was instantaneous. Videl felt like all the blood in her body were suddenly rushing to her cheeks and like she was drowning in embarrassment. Mr. Satan, however, could only stare at his daughter with an incredulous look on his face. Under her father's stern gaze, Videl just wished that she could sink down through the couch and disappear.

The anchorwoman continued. "Yes, indeed! Miss Satan admitted that she knows The Great Saiyaman's identity and she was blushing most profusely when confronted about the nature of her relationship with our own resident superhero!"

"Very interesting." The anchorman said, not sounding very interested at all. "Now we go to Dan Williams with the weather…"

The rest of the news was drowned out when her father stood up from his chair violently and spun on Videl. "And what was all that about, young lady?" He demanded.

"It was nothing, daddy!" Videl said. "You know how those reporters are! If they had it their way, I would be in love with a different guy every week!"

"You can't fool me with that excuse, Videl!" Mr. Satan roared. "You don't think I've noticed how distracted you've been lately? Before the World Championship, you were always away. You claimed that you were training, but you were almost never in my gym! And if you were training as much as you say, you wouldn't have been beaten by that second-rate Spopovich!"

Videl mouth hung open. Didn't her father care that she almost died that day?

"Just admit it, Videl! You were off with some boy, weren't you? And not just any boy, but a costumed freak!"

Videl stood up, facing her father. "Go… Saiyaman is not a freak!"

"Flying is just not natural. It's all a trick."

"Just because you don't understand how it's done doesn't mean it's a trick!" Videl yelled back. "Whether you like it or not, you are not the greatest martial artist in the world."

"Videl…" Mr. Satan began angrily.

At that, Videl turned and stormed out of the room. "I'm going flying. Unless, of course, you can't stand the thought of me knowing something you don't know."

"Videl!" Mr. Satan began, following her down into the yard.

"I don't think I'll be coming back tonight." Videl said, taking off into the air with no clear destination in mind.

Without even meaning to, Videl found herself subconsciously flying towards the Son household. Before she learned how to fly, she never would have considered flying all that way just to let off some steam, but being able to make the five-hour journey in a little under an hour really helped make Gohan's house seem much more accessible.

As she flew, she considered the news reports about her relationship with The Great Saiyaman (AKA: Gohan). It had been a while since she had confessed her love for Gohan to herself while on Dende's lookout, but she was still unable to say those words to Gohan.

This was mainly because she had no idea what Gohan would say. She had no reason to think that he'd be interested in a tomboy like her. She had been nothing but mean and nosy to him since the moment they met. And to his alter-ego, The Great Saiyaman, she had been down-right antagonistic! How could he possibly feel anything for her beyond respect?

She had to admit that joining him in fighting crime was particularly influenced by her need to be closer to him. Perhaps if she got closer to him, she would get to know him better and become surer of how he was feeling about her.

But this news report had really thrown her for a loop. Was her crush for Gohan really so obvious that it leaked over into him being Saiyaman?

No… it's all Bulma's fault. Videl realized to herself. Bulma and her fascination with hearts and with Gohan and me getting together.

In due time, Videl landed in front of the Son household, and as she expected, Gohan was outside waiting for her. But, to Videl's eternal shock, Gohan looked just about as embarrassed and lost as she did.

"You saw it too?" Gohan asked.

"Huh?"

"The news report." Gohan said, nodding towards the house. Now Videl could hear the commotion going on inside. It seemed that Chi-Chi was running around the house in a fury, screaming loudly about her baby's wedding and loudly wondering if her old wedding dress would fit Videl. Chi-Chi's rants were only drowned out by Goten celebrating loudly that he was finally getting a sister. "My mother doesn't watch the news very often, but she happened to turn it on tonight. Just my luck, right?" He asked.

"Well, it still sounds to me like you've gotten off easy." Videl commented.

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked. "I was so embarrassed when my mother started talking about where to spend our honeymoon that I almost spontaneously combusted."

"Well, your mother is happy about it." Videl said. "My father just accused me of running around with a caped freak. He even had the nerve to say that if I weren't spending so much time with you, I wouldn't have gotten beaten by Spopovich at the World Martial Arts tournament."

For a moment, Gohan could only stare at her in shock. So, Mr. Satan wasn't his favorite person in the world. But saying that just seemed overtly cruel. Especially considering how close Videl had come to dying that day. "How could he say something like that?" Gohan asked, confused.

Videl shrugged. "I guess it didn't look good on him when his daughter got beaten so thoroughly. After all, it was supposed to be me versus my dad in the final round. If there's one thing my father can't stand, its making him look bad."

"Videl, you do know that what happened at the tournament wasn't your fault, right?" Gohan asked. "The man was being powered up by an evil wizard. Any human would have had trouble against him."

"I know. But it's still hard." Videl admitted.

Gohan nodded absent-mindedly. "I think… that's why I'm so glad that you asked to join me."

"Why's that?" Videl asked.

"Because I never want to see you get hurt like that again." Gohan said. "Standing on the sidelines while that… monster tortured you. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. I wanted more than anything to rush in there and rip that guy's arms off for daring to hurt you. At least now, I can make sure that you are never hurt like that again."

Videl reached over and punched Gohan lightly on the shoulder. It wasn't hard enough to hurt him or herself, just enough to get her message across. "I can take care of myself, you know." She said, playfully.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't take care of yourself…" Gohan began nervously.

"But, Gohan…" Videl began. "I still appreciate it. I know that you're saying that because you care about me. So… thank you."

"Ah… you're welcome." Gohan said, a little confused. For several long minutes, nothing was said between the two, and then Gohan broke the silence, asking a question that came several minutes too late. "Wait… you know that I… care about you?"

"Of course." Videl said. "Daddy told me all about how you fretted over me as Saiyaman at the tournament. You were almost disqualified so that you could get the medicine that would make me better. That would naturally make me assume that you care about me."

"Oh… right." Gohan said. "So… then why did you tell those reporters that you were… not romantically involved with me?"

Videl did not answer for several moments. "So you've got super-hearing to go along with your super-strength too?"

"Saiyans and demi-Saiyans have more acute senses then humans do." Gohan answered.

Videl sighed. "I told those reporters that I wasn't romantically involved with Saiyaman in case I wanted to be in a romantic relationship with someone else. You see, there's this other guy that I sort of like. And if decided to get involved with both… at the least people would assume that I'm a cheater, and at worst assume that the people I'm dating are one in the same."

"Oh… I guess that makes sense." Gohan said. "So… who is this guy?"

"You haven't figured it out yet?" Videl asked. "Do I seem like the type of girl who would date two men at the same time?" Gohan's eyes widened. "I couldn't date Gohan if I were dating Saiyaman."

"Vi—Videl!" Gohan gasped.

Suddenly, Videl was a lot closer to him. Gohan blinked in shock. Either his brain had temporarily shut down and he missed Videl's movement, or she had somehow learned how to move faster than the Saiyan could track. She was so close that Gohan was intoxicated by her scent, which passed over him in waves.

"I'm kinda new to this whole dating thing…" Videl whispered, her nose coming in contact with his own. "But I'm willing to give it a shot with you, if you want."

Rather than replying verbally, Gohan tilted his head slightly, bringing their lips in contact with each other. Videl moaned softly and brought her hand up to his cheek, holding him against her as they deepened the kiss.

As if they read each other's minds, their mouths opened at the same time, allowing their tongues to meet, which instilled a greater urgency in their kiss.

Ever so slowly, Gohan pulled away. "I do want to be with you, Videl. I have wanted that for a long time now." Without wasting any more time on words, Gohan pulled her into another passionate kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her as close to his body as the barrier of their clothes would allow.

As they kissed, their moment of passion was interrupted by a sudden squeal coming from the Son's front door. "Oh Dende! I knew it! I just knew it!" It was Son Chi-Chi, and she had just caught her son in a passionate embrace with a young woman: a venerable dream come true. Both teens moved away from each other, blushing heavily at having been caught. "Oh, don't blush like that! It's nothing to be ashamed of!" Chi-Chi ranted excitedly, jumping forward and grabbing onto Videl's arm. She pulled the shocked girl inside, where she was instantly swamped by Goten asking her if she was going to become his big sister and Chi-Chi asking what her dress size was for the wedding dress.

Gohan smiled to himself slightly as he followed Chi-Chi and Videl inside, keeping to himself mostly as his mother went into full-rant mode with Videl. Even Goku got in on the excitement when he realized that Gohan and Videl's relationship was not just a product of his wife's imagination.

Gohan was glad that Videl was met with such acceptance from his family. Gohan knew that he would need his family's acceptance for any woman that he might marry. After all, he probably wouldn't be able to get his mother out of his private life even if he tried.

It was then that Gohan realized that he would do everything he could to keep Videl from taking the heart off her uniform. He understood that they couldn't have a public relationship as The Great Saiyaman numbers one and two, but that little heart would always be a pleasant reminder to him that Videl was finally his girlfriend.

That was worth one little heart, right?

LES: Great DBZ fanfiction Gods, please accept this humble offering and return my DBZ must to me. I have Parts 1 and 2 of DBZ Kai on BluRay and the third part on the way as proof of my loyalty.