This chapter is brought to you by the newly formed Team Nuisance - Pandor4 and DarkVoid116. Chapters 1 through 4 have also been edited, although the plot hasn't changed at all.

We do not own DBZ

Videl was annoyed to say the least. Looking down at the carefully leaf wrapped pieces of cooked venison, she couldn't help but internally seethe a bit. Sure Gohan was a country boy, but knowing how to hunt and prepare a kill in addition to being incredibly book smart just didn't seem fair. It was like he was incapable of doing anything wrong. Well, except maybe eating those flowers.

With a huff she stuffed the meat into her backpack. With a fierce pull on the zipper she closed the bag and whipped the bag around onto her shoulders. Turning, she found that Gohan was already standing at the edge of the clearing waiting for her.

"Ready?" he asked, a look of complete innocence on his face. "It looks like we'll want to continue heading this way. At least according to the map."

"Fine," Videl huffed, shouldering past him in order to take the lead. They had, unfortunately, gone a bit off course since yesterday. In addition to that, with Gohan having been incapacitated and then having chased the deer further south than they had originally intended to go, they had lost valuable time. Still, they weren't too far off course, and they should be able to make up the time today.

Glancing up through the thick foliage to take note of where the sun was, Videl started forward leading them towards their destination. It was tougher going than it had been the previous day; the vegetation seemed to be growing thicker on the ground and it was constantly pulling at her clothing. Glancing back, she noticed, much to her annoyance, that Gohan seemed to be picking his way through the overgrowth with ease.

"So, you really grew up around here?" Videl asked as she watched him quickly catch up to where she was standing, before turning and trying to determine the best way to make her way around a particularly knotted mass of bushes and vines.

"Yeah. Pretty close to here actually," he said as he glanced off in a random direction. Videl could only assume his home was in that direction.

"How come you don't know where to find this flower then?" she asked, her bag catching on a branch as she began to push her way forward.

With that infuriatingly charming grin that always seemed to find its way to his face, he reached out and pulled the branch aside for her. "Well, I never had much reason to keep track of where they grew before," he said with amusement. "I've seen them on the cliffs a bit west of here, though that was years ago. Hopefully they're still there."

"Huh," Videl said, mildly surprised. "I wouldn't take you for the exploring type."

"Yeah, well, you know what they say," he replied with another chuckle, "'You can't judge a book by it's cover!'"

Videl couldn't help but smile as she pushed her way past the last scrawny bush and walked out onto the grass covered plain. It was a relief to be out of the dense forest. A smile coming unbidden to her face, she turned and glanced at Gohan as he stepped up beside her. Unsurprisingly, a small smile adorned his face as well.

"So, I'm not the only one that's glad to be out of that forest," Videl teased, as she shifted her pack a bit. It somewhat surprised her how easily they were getting along. Once you looked past his annoying habits, Videl thought.

His smile grew into a full blown grin as he nodded his head. "You can say that again."

Her eyes scanning the horizon, she was able to quickly make out the cliff faces no more than five miles away. If they kept a decent pace the should be able to make it there by noon, leaving them the rest of the afternoon to search for the plant. If they were lucky, they would find one today and would be able to start back to the base camp.

"We should be able to make it there by this afternoon," she said, glancing back at Gohan. "If you are able to keep up that is."

She watched with something akin to disappointment as the smile slid from his face and he frowned at her. While her tone may have been slightly down putting, she hadn't meant to put any real bite behind it.

"Why do you keep on doing that," he asked, his own agitation becoming apparent.

"Doing what," she asked, even though she knew exactly what he was talking about. She couldn't help but bait him. If she were being truthful with herself it was because of her need to continually prove that she was better than others. To show the world that Hercule Satan's daughter was someone special, too. The frustration of continually being shown up by a country boy was not helping.

He glanced at her, his eyes slightly narrowed before he finally let out a defeated sigh. "Never mind," he murmured as his gaze shifted back to the landscape spreading out before them.

"Whatever. Let's just get going."

They had been walking at a swift pace for the past hour before they ran across a wide ravine, its steep walls leading down to a shadowy path. Seeing a chance to walk in the shade, Videl led them down, the shadow cast by the wall offering them some protection from the unrelenting sun. They had gone no more than fifty feet when she saw the sabertooth cub napping on a warm rock some twenty feet ahead of them.

Stopping dead in her tracks, Videl turned quickly back to Gohan and motioned for him to be quiet.

"Wha-" Gohan began, but Videl quickly put her hand to his mouth, preemptively silencing the question he was about to ask. With a meaningful, look she pointed to the cub.

"The mother will be nearby," she whispered, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She may go up against hardened criminals on a regular basis, but she had no desire to run across a full grown sabertooth mother. Motioning with her free hand, she indicated that they should move back the way they had come. She stared up into Gohan's eyes, willing him to understand until finally he gave a small nod of his head. Taking her hand away from his mouth, she carefully stepped around him in order to lead the way back out.

Luck, however, was not on their side today. Ten feet in front of her stood the mother, the cool feline eyes resting on Videl and Gohan. Standing as still as the deer that they had seen just this morning, Videl stared straight back into the beast's eyes.

She nearly yelped when she felt Gohan's hand touch her shoulder.

"You climb up the side of the ravine, I'll distract her," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear.

She turned her head slowly towards him, never taking her eyes off the sabertooth that was currently evaluating them. "No!" she whispered back furiously, "I'm faster and stronger. You climb out!" She turned and gave him a strong push towards the side of the ravine, causing him to stumble towards the wall from the unexpected shove.

It was then that the saber tooth choose to lunge.

Rolling to the side, Videl came up with her hands out in front of her and her stance wide. Her gaze locked with the mother's, Videl very slowly lowered herself until she was able to scope a large rock off of the ravine floor. The weapon in hand, she circled towards the center of the ravine.

It was crouching back to lunge again, and Gohan was yelling, but Videl paid him no mind. Raising the rock, she threw it with all her might at the giant head of her attacker. It struck true, but the saber only flinched, a low growl rumbling from deep within its throat.

It lunged again.

She ducked, but wasn't fast enough.

A giant paw caught her on the shoulder, the claws digging into her tender flesh.

The force knocked the wind from her, and she fell hard, the edge of her skull catching a rock.

Her vision blurred, and she could have sworn she saw Gohan wrestling with the sabertooth before finally passing out.

Videl's heroic shove had simply caught him off guard, but the ensuing action happened too fast for Gohan to react. He felt fully responsible when the mother had sprung from her spot and attacked his friend.

She was just the latest in the long line of friends he'd been unable to save, whether it be due to clumsiness, inadequately preparedness, or weakness.

His vision was starting to see red at this latest failure, but, luckily for the sabertooth tiger, he still maintained his senses enough to not act ruthlessly. He was mad, that much was certain, but unless it was for nourishment, killing was still not on his list of favorite activities.

Gohan shot forward from his spot against the wall of the ravine, immediately putting his body between the beast and Videl. Mr. Satan's daughter may find him incredibly annoying most of the time, but he considered her a friend, so he'd do his best to protect her.

Knowing time was of the essence, the Saiyan had little time to ponder whether or not Videl was conscious or not. He needed to end this situation quickly and get her medical help. If some of his deeper, darker secrets were uncovered along the way, then so be it. Saving his friend was more important.

Controlling his varying emotions, Gohan meticulously made his way around the tiger much like Videl had done. Caution was of utmost importance in any situation where a life was in modest danger; the difference, however, is that when the mother lunged at Gohan, he was able to move faster than humanly visible and placed a not-so-delicate chop to the back of the orange cat's neck.

The sabertooth tiger immediately fell unconscious, although definitely still breathing. As far as Gohan was concerned, that was the best case scenario. Now all he had to do was gently move Videl's body to a safe reprieve and perform some first aid.

Spinning around, his breath caught in his throat. She was worse off than he'd thought. Where the tiger had struck her shoulder lay claw marks, blood dripping out. Videl was, fortunately for his secret life's sake, unconscious. She was alive, but could've sustained a concussion from the force her head hit the rock. Plus, even if she doesn't have a concussion, the amount of blood loss she was sustaining certainly was dangerous.

Gohan gingerly cradled her limp form in his arms as he moved her to a safe location. The ravine they currently occupied was too out in the open for his liking; additionally, he still needed to peruse the surrounding area for a substantially hidden cave.

Once Videl was situated nicely, he took off into the sky to survey the vicinity. It didn't take long for him to spot a small cave peeking out around the corner of the nearby mountainside. Gohan mused that the area as a whole looked somewhat familiar to him, though he couldn't pinpoint where from.

He flew back down and picked Videl up, carrying her basket-style in his arms. He then took off towards the small crevice in the mountainside he'd found. The small opening in the jagged rockside was dim as he entered; overall, however, it presented a fine temporary home for the pair.

The ground was coarse and uneven, which made it difficult for Gohan to adequately place the raven-haired teenager down whilst making sure her body wasn't in a disadvantageous position.

Once he was satisfied, he left the cavern and gathered up leaves. Back when he'd been abandoned in the wilderness for a full year during Piccolo's training, Gohan actually had the opportunity to practice his father's trademark healing method.

When he returned, Gohan rolled up the leaves he'd collected and pressed down with moderate force in order to squeeze out as much ointment as he could. When done, he proceeded to pluck some of the cream with his finger and lightly apply it to the wound on his companion's shoulder. She subconsciously winced in her sleep, but otherwise made no move towards waking up, which he was glad for.

He then pressed the leaves on the ointment, creating a makeshift band-aid. It wasn't the most medically sound solution, but it would definitely serve its purpose well in stopping the bleeding. Hopefully her wounds would close on their own as time passed over the next day or so.

Gohan could only imagine the ruckus Hercule Satan would cause if his precious Videl returned to the campsite with a tiger's claw imprinted on her shoulder. It wouldn't go over well, that much was certain.

With his business done, and Videl calmly asleep without cause for concern, the only immediate concern became whether or not she would be disoriented upon waking. Would she show symptoms of post-concussion syndrome?

Maybe that wouldn't be the worst outcome, though. If that were the case, at least it'd mean nobody remembered his hallucinogen episode.

He chose not to ponder what was out of his control, instead opting to lay down on the uncomfortable cave floor and get much-needed rest.

Sitting by his lonesome, Mr. Pestran pondered everything that'd happened in his life recently. His bothersome students weren't the only ones bummed out that they couldn't attend the previously planned field trip.

Who wouldn't want to go somewhere famous? He had been looking forward to going to the great Hercule Satan's house too!

"Hey," a voice interrupted his musings. Peering over his shoulder towards the entryway to his cosy cabin, the teacher spied the park ranger scrutinizing him.

"Can I help you?" Multiple broken bones did not necessarily do anything to improve one's attitude towards unwanted guests.

"You look pretty bored here," the ranger commented."Do you want to go to the hot springs or something?"

That... was a quite good-looking alternative to sitting and brooding in this place. "Sure." With that, Mr. Pestran hoisted his body from its sitting position and trailed after his makeshift travel guide. The campgrounds were relatively deserted - which didn't surprise him at all - so the pair trudged along in silence.

"So what made you come out to a place like this, anyhow?" his companion inquired, attempting to strike up friendly conversation.

"It's a long story," the man said with a sigh. "To get directly to the point, my students mocked my bad luck." As he gave the brief explanation, he pointed at the body parts the accident had damaged. "This trip is sort of revenge for that," he finished with a sinister smile adorning his features.

"I see your logic," the park ranger commented, "but there must be more to the story. You seemed like you glossed over some important information. Like how the school would ever sanction a power trip."

Mr. Pestran resented the insinuation that the entire ordeal was about exerting his authority, but his ranger pal - he would have to learn his name soon - did bring up some good points. "We already had a scheduled field trip that had to be cancelled because I couldn't chaperone it do to some unforeseen circumstances."

"Ah," the other man spoke in understanding, "that makes more sense. Still, though, you sound more upset about missing the first trip than you do excited about torturing your students through this mess. That seems a little weird, to be honest with ya."

"Well, I am here enjoying myself, talking to you, while all of those inconsiderate delinquents are fending for themselves. That's some reason for happiness. By the way, what's your name? I didn't catch it."

"Jack Spielstra."

With a name to place to the park ranger, Mr. Pestran decided he had enough information for the meantime. Was this Jack character right?

Was he simply putting his students through this because of his own disappointment? Sure, the students had provided a legitimate way for him to express how let down he felt, but was that truly fair to them?

He knew how they felt; how many opportunities did one really have to tour Hercule Satan's home, anyway?

Perhaps he'd been a bit rash. Maybe even unfair?

He always heard one of his prized students complain about another one of those teenagers being a large nuisance on her life.

Had he, the example for these delinquents, become the one pestering them rather than the other way around? Had he overstepped his boundaries with this weekend in the wilderness idea?

One thing was for sure, though. He was becoming annoying at his own antics and now wanted to right the ship and fix this matter. He hadn't been kidding about the wildlife, and the last thing needed right now was for a student under his - and Mr. Satan's, technically - watch to suffer a serious injury. What if it were Videl Satan? Her father would have his soul in an instant.

He then decided to stop being hurt by a few offhanded comments from his students, suck it up, stop being annoying, and play the role of the adult.

That's the chapter folks. Please leave us with your thoughts.

For those who are interested, we are a group of collaborative writers who combine our efforts to bring you stores such as this one. We're an open group, meaning that anyone can apply to join. Feel free to check out our forums, our Facebook page, and perhaps apply to join the group via the link on our profile. It's a great opportunity for those who would like to better their own writing abilities and exchange skills of the trade with fellow authors, or to simply be more a part of a writing community.