When a Hero Disappears

Treatment

Chapter 10: Treatment

Why couldn't he say no to her? Of course Gohan was their number one priority, but he was stable at the moment, so why couldn't it wait until tomorrow? It wasn't like he had all the time in the world. He had an important match next Thursday and he hasn't been able to train for almost a week due to his Saiyaman duties. He didn't dare listen to the dozens of messages his answering machine received from his coach. Not to mention the lack of sleep he had to endure, because crime never sleeps. He looked at the navigation system on his watch. Almost there, good. The sooner this was done, the sooner he could go back to bed.

He landed in front of a bulbous house with a blue roof in the upper reaches of Satan City. To the left of the door was a water bottle, which contained the reason why he was there. Yamcha picked up the bottle and before putting it in his bag, he examined it closely. Through the plastic he could clearly see some kind of tranquilizer dart. So this dart was the sole reason why Goku's eldest son was in his current life-threatening situation.

A dog barked next door. Taking it as a sign to leave, Yamcha flew up and headed west. A group of children at the end of the street were audibly excited as the man flew over them. Yamcha smiled and waved at them. It felt nice not to have to worry if someone saw him fly, something ordinary people couldn't comprehend since Mr. Satan had called Ki-users dangerous imposters. However, this costume seemed to have earned its own acceptance and people were loving their hero 'The Great Saiyaman'.

A loud scream made him stop mid-air. His comfortable bed had to wait a little longer, he thought, and Yamcha hurried to where the scream was coming from. Two buff guys were harassing a blond woman in the back of an alley. Within seconds, the two men were laying on the ground, unconscious.

"Saiyaman..." the woman said with a soft voice, relieved that it was all over.

"Kate?"

"Thank you for saving me..." she said, tucking a strand of curly hair behind her ears, avoiding looking at the hero.

"Are you alright, Kate? Did they hurt you?" said Saiyaman, taking a step toward her.

"No, they didn't hurt me yet, although I don't want to think about what could have happened if you hadn't shown up." Kate still avoided his eyes, her brows frowning. "I have got to go," she added coldly and tried to walk past Saiyaman.

"Wait, Kate, please don't go," Saiyaman pleaded.

This time Kate looked him straight in the eye, or at least tried, but instead saw her own reflection in his helmet. "Was I just a tease to you?" she asked hurtfully, then looked away again as she fought back the tears. "You ignored me all week, avoided my attempts to get in touch with you and if I'm to believe the rumors, I wasn't the only one who fell for your charms."

Saiyaman was taken aback by her fervor. "I'm sorry you feel this way Kate, I truly am. The reason I'm avoiding you is that I recently had a reality check. Yes, I got involved with another woman before you and..." he took a deep breath, "I also made a big mistake after that. I admit I got carried away because of the suit, and I'm ashamed of that. Normally I'm not like that at all," he said truthfully. Saiyaman reached out and gently raised her head to encourage her to look at him. "I have made a promise that I wouldn't use Saiyaman's name for my personal gain, so I can't see you anymore." There was a brief pause during which the two just looked at each other. "And for what it's worth, I want you to know that you were the only one I approached on my own and you've been in my head ever since."

"If the suit is the problem, why not take it off?" Kate tried, hoping to open his heart again.

"I can't, sorry," he sighed again, "Too much is at stake. You are the reporter of Z T.V Daily, one of the most popular news channels in the world. And I've a secret identity to protect. I just can't risk it."