AN: Hey there, a bit faster on the update this time cause I got bit by the story bug again. This is a couple of months after the events of the previous chapter. I am moving forward with the sort of teaser I put out in chapter 8. I'm glad to see that people are enjoying the story, please let me know your thoughts on what I'm doing here, it really helps keep the motivation going.

Videl sighed for the umpteenth time as she gave herself a once over in the mirror. This was seriously not her thing. The disgruntled image that stared back from the reflection was a far cry from the tomboyish persona that she normally preferred.

Gone were the two signature pigtails, messily pulled back every morning in her haste to leave home, traded in for a more free flow that allowed her rarely cared for silky locks to fall to its natural shoulder length. The comfortable hip hugging black jogging shorts and oversized t-shirt had been replaced by a liquid midnight hued dress of modest cut, her running shoes traded in for a pair of simple dark kitten heels that added a couple centimeters to her height.

The only daughter of the world savior had forgone any makeup simply because she hated the stuff, but had applied a faint trace of lip gloss that Erasa had handed her before she shut the door on the nosy blonde's face. Videl knew she would never hear the end of it if she didn't, so grudgingly applied the lightest layer of the shiny coating possible to appease her friend. Scowling at the girly twin mocking her from the reflective surface, the crime fighter had to resist the urge to punch the mirror. This wasn't her. Videl Satan did not get dressed up.

"V, you done yet?" the muffled voice of the school gossip queen called impatiently through her doorway. Giving her own reflection one last glower, Videl stalked over to her bedroom door and opened it with enough grumpiness to show her displeasure.

"Why the heck do I have to do this again?" she demanded. The martial artist glared at her friend as if her current state of dress was the taller girl's fault.

Unlike Videl, Erasa had been ecstatic when she found out that the Satan girl had been tasked with showing up at the newly opened Hammond Defense Corporations grand opening gala in her father's stead. The blonde girl had practically exploded with excitement when Videl had invited her friends to join her for the 'monkey circus' as the crime fighter had put it.

Normally one would take a date to such events, but Videl would rather swallow a bottle of cyanide before asking a boy to go out with her. Yet at the same time she also didn't want to show up alone because that was just downright awkward. So her solution to the dilemma had been to take her friends instead. Sharpner and Erasa had been easy enough to convince, both having their own reasons for showing up. Gohan had begged off apologetically saying that it simply wasn't worth the hassle for him given how far he lived.

While Videl understood perfectly why he wouldn't want to take an almost seven hour round trip jet flight just to come to the zoo exhibition she was going to be paraded through on his weekend, there was still a pang of disappointment that she couldn't quite place. Then again she was trying very hard to compartmentalize any feelings she had for the dark haired country boy she had come to call a friend. Compartmentalize and bury somewhere very deep and dark within her so she wouldn't have to face them.

Still it would have been nice to have all her friends there.

Lime had her own invitation to the event having been slated to kick off the event with one of her chart topping songs and needed to make her own arrangements for arrival so she currently wasn't present in the Satan mansion with the trio preparing for the weekend gala.

Erasa had opted for a fire engine red low cut dress that accented her curves nicely, exposing enough cleavage to be distracting. She'd kept her blond hair cut short so there was no need to do much with it, though it did appear unusually glossy in comparison to her normal looks. A pair of glittering eye popping black stilettos finishing off the whole package putting her nearly half a head over the Satan girl.

Judging by the happy expression on her face, she approved of Videl's transformed appearance.

"Oh my gosh V, you look soooo cute! Hold still!"

The blonde dug hastily through her purse and snapped a photo of Videl with her cellphone camera before the crime fighter could protest.

"Erasa!" she whined uncharacteristically. "I don't want photos of me like this! I'm a crime fighter! Heroine of the city! Defender of justice! I don't do dresses!"

"Oh don't worry so much V, not like you'll be able to avoid all those cameras at the gala tonight. Besides, I have to show Gohan what he's missing out on right?"

"Wait what?!"

Erasa stuck her tongue out at her friend, dodging nimbly back as Videl clumsily made a snatch for the offending phone. Damn heels. How was Erasa moving so quickly?! She had three inch stiletto's on!

"Hurry up Videl we're gonna be late," the blonde girl called out in a singsong voice as she glided skillfully towards the grand staircase that led to the reception floor of the Satan Mansion. "Sharpner probably fell asleep on his feet by now!"

Cursing under her breath at Erasa, and adding a few good ones in for Sharpner too just because, Videl followed at a much more sedate place, wobbling precariously in the faux high heels she had on. Stupid fashion. Who the hell decided it was a good idea to add hard to balance on pointy end to women's shoes anyways? Probably a man who never had to wear them, the bastard.

Sharpner had cleaned himself up quite well, trading in his usual gym attire for a white tux that most men wouldn't have the confidence to pull off. Somehow the combination of his tall athletic frame, apollonian blonde hair and the arrogant crook of his smile made the combination work for him. Just the right mix of handsome and douche. He'd fit right in.

"You remodel your room or something?" he grumbled when he caught sight of the girls, his eyes lingering on Erasa a tad longer than was strictly healthy for someone who was just supposed to be friends.

Videl hid a smirk as she shot him a knowing look that he steadfastly ignored. It didn't take a genius to figure out what his reason for attending the gala was.

"It takes time for a woman to look this good," laughed the fair haired girl with a hand placed imperiously on her hip. "We can't all just throw on a tux and call it a job done!"

Rolling his eyes, the blond male held the door open courteously for his friends as they exited towards the front of the mansion where their limo was waiting to whisk them away to the south side of the city where Hammond Defense Corporation was holding their grand opening event.

"Did Lime tell you who she was bringing yet?" Sharpner asked with interest as he settled down into the cushy seats of the Satan limo.

"No she wouldn't tell me," Erasa whined, "just that she'd run into him one day and asked him on a whim. URRRGHHH I really want to know, who it is!"

"We'll find out soon enough," said Videl dismissively.

The crime fighter had to admit, she was a bit curious herself. Over the past few month, Lime had integrated herself nicely into their little group dynamics. The blonde superstar seemed wary of making new friends, almost unsure of herself when it came to dealing with the other students at Orange High at a peer to peer level. She seemed happy enough sticking with Gohan and by association they had all become friends by proximity, expanding their numbers to five.

Lime had given no indications she was dating anyone, so whoever she was bringing was unlikely to be anyone they knew, but the way she laughed about it whenever they had asked had left a curious itch in Videl's brain.

She hated mysteries.

Well at least this one will be solved in a few hours unlike the Gold Fighters identity.

"Why couldn't your dad make it anyways?" Sharpner inquired after their normal banter and chit chat had died down. "I thought he was still in the city."

Videl sighed and played with the tips of her hair distractedly as she was reminded of the reason why she was stuck dealing with this mess in her father's place. There was another headache she wasn't sure what to do with.

"There's this woman he's been seeing, probably had a date night set up already," she grumbled in annoyance.

"Wait what? Why didn't he just take her to the gala then?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Seems kinda like the thing he'd do."

It was no secret that Hercule traded dates at the rate most people refilled their toilet paper rolls. He would often take the women he was dating out to socialite events to awe and impress them, and this gala certainly seemed to fit the bill given the number of reporters and high profile attendees that had been on the invite list. Having Lime there was sure to draw the attention of the entertainment world, and there had been rumors that Bulma Briefs herself had set aside time from her busy schedule to show up. This was probably going to be on par with the Oscars, maybe even bigger given the blue haired genius's unexpected presence.

"It's not one of those bimbo's that's always hanging off his arm," Videl replied after pausing to think about it. "This one seems a lot more serious, he hasn't had one of his groupies come over to the house ever since he first started seeing her. Plus he's not taking her out to any public events; she doesn't seem to like the limelight all that much."

"What's she like?" asked Erasa curiously.

"She's nice enough I suppose."

Videl stared out at the passing scenery through the tinted windows. It was odd really. Her mother had passed away while she was very young; she had a few fuzzy precious recollections of the woman that gave birth to her, but mainly her memories came from photos. The women her father "dated" after his rise to fame were hardly ever interested in Videl, mostly there for the attention and money of being the Champ's newest woman short though the time would be, and Videl preferred it that way.

Whatever and whoever her father did it with was none of her business, and quite frankly she couldn't care less as long as she didn't hear any funny noises at night. Thank god for the size of the mansion. She might not have survived the trauma otherwise.

This Anna Harington was a bit of a different story. For whatever reason she seemed to have captivated her father in a way none of the other glamorous floozies that never lasted more than a few weeks had managed. The woman was pretty enough in her own way, radiating a soft quiet femininity, and capable of holding intelligent conversation from the few times she had spoken with Videl.

Anna had two kids of her own from a prior marriage, and seemed rather intent on getting to know her boyfriend's daughter. The crime fighter wasn't all too receptive of the kindly woman's attempts to bond with her, she wasn't the talk about your feelings type. But she had to grudgingly admit it was a nice gesture on the older woman's part. Her father had been talking about a family outing for a while now, wanting to bring Videl along with him to meet Ana's own children, a six and a nine year old.

Videl wasn't sure how to feel about the situation. Hercule seemed very serious about his relationship with Anna. Maybe she should give her a chance.

"Oh my gosh," squealed Erasa. "We're here! We're here!"

Boxing aside her unresolved feelings as she always did, Videl heaved a sigh and steeled herself for the social event that was awaiting her. Accepting Sharpner's helping hand out of the car, mainly because she wasn't too sure she wouldn't fall flat on her face trying to get out on her own, she got her first glimpse at Hammond Defense Corporations new branch in Satan City.

It was an impressive sight to behold, a tall dark imposing skyscraper standing vigilant in a section of the city that didn't have any other building higher than four stories. The tinted windows gave it a rather ominous appearance, though the outside was furnished nicely enough with an extravagant marble fountain that spouted out water in seemingly a hundred directions framed with just enough plants to give it a tasteful nature theme.

The camera flashes were blinding, a hundred lights going off in her face at once. Pasting on a plastic smile, Videl led her friends down the red carpet towards the massive logo of the Hammond Defense Corporations, an imposing image of a shield with a teardrop shaped eye glaring out from the center of it.

Spotting Lime already smiling and posing in front of the logo, Videl gave her new friend an uncertain wave as she approached, not quite sure what the protocol was now that they were in their respective roles as high profile individuals at a public event. The singer's face brightened further if possible when she spotted the trio, stepping forward without hesitation to drag her friends onto the carpet so they could pose together.

'Well this wasn't so bad,' Videl thought as she gave her first genuine smile. 'Maybe this night will be easier than I thought.'

After the blonde girls had traded energetic hugs, Sharpner and Videl receiving similarly enthusiastic greetings from Lime much to the male's pleasure, the small group moved off to the side slightly so that another famous couple that looked vaguely familiar to Videl could have their moment in the spotlight.

"Oh my god this is so exciting!" exclaimed Lime fanning herself with a hand. "I usually have to go to these events alone and that's so boring. I'm so glad you guys could make it!"

"Where's your date?" cut in Sharpner as he peered about curiously as if expecting to see a guy hiding behind a potted plant somewhere.

Lime's lips curved into a mischievous smile. "Oh I haven't told you yet have I? I think you'll like him, especially you Videl."

Raising an eyebrow at her friends odd statement, Videl had a moment to wonder what she meant before a familiar baritone voice rumbled from behind her.

"Hello Ms. Videl. Fancy seeing you here."

There was only one person she knew that called her Ms. then added her first name after it. The slack jawed expression mirrored by Erasa and Sharpner only served to reiterate what she already knew.

Turning, Videl was greeted with the sight of the other hero of Satan City. He had not bothered to dress up for the occasion, preferring to wear that strange fluid bone white armor of his over the indigo skin tight body suit that showed off every bulging muscle on his body. And boy was there a lot.

Gravity defying blonde hair that seemed to glow with its own eerie light framed a stern face that boasted a pair of captivating aqua teal eyes with seemingly no pupils. It was easy to understand why some criminal preferred to lay down their arms in surrender rather than face him.

The paparazzi finally noticed the little staring contest taking place between the two crime fighters of their city. There was a mad scramble as scores of reporters made to get in a better position to capture a photo of the pair who had never yet been filmed together side by side till date.

The Gold Fighter cast a dismissive look to the blinking lights being thrown out by dozens of cameras. He uncrossed his arms and raised his left hand in the air. Gloved fingers snapped together once and cries of dismay filled the air. Every single camera within the vicinity had burst into a shower of broken electronics, the sharp acidic scent of burnt film and smoke quickly permeating the area.

Videl barely felt any surprise by the strange capability he had just shown. The man could fly, deadlift a bus and catch bullets with his bare hands. Making cameras explode with a twitch of his fingers was hardly the most impressive thing she'd seen him do.

"There's a handy skill," Videl commented dryly as the reporters all tried to salvage what footage they could. "Think you could teach me?"

The mysterious hero gave her a long penetrating look before he smiled showing off large oversized canines that added to his predatory appearance. Videl shivered as he moved past her without comment and offered an arm to Lime who had watched their interaction with unconcealed amusement.

Eyes burning a hole into the Gold Fighter's back as he passed through the doorway, Videl blew at her bangs in exasperation when he fell out of sight.

The night just got a whole lot more interesting.

'I wonder what Gohan's up to,' Videl thought idly as she collected her stunned friends and ushered them past the grand doorway.

AN: So yes, Gohan is attending the event in his alter ego, thought it'd be fun to do that. No he's not dating Lime, he's there for the same reason Bulma is. And before you ask…yes, Vegeta will be at the gala too =D Next chapters going to be fun to write.

Some of you with good memory might recall that Gohan uses the body split technique from crane school to be in two places at once to throw off suspicion of being Gold Fighter, so why couldn't he have showed up at the event alongside the Gold Fighter? I honestly considered it, but didn't see a plausible reason, and at the end of the day he's still trying to keep a low profile so having "aunt Bulma" greet him would raise too many questions. Still might have been fun to write haha.

Please leave me a review with your thoughts on my writing or ideas on where you think I'm going with this =) That's always good for kicks. Plus I can steal ideas XD, though I'll be sure to give credit where credit is due if I do.