At the Stars

Mackie V.

Notes: This was just an idea that spawned after watching the end of DBGT. I like Pan because she's a strong girl, but I don't like the way she's portrayed as constantly being annoying. So I figured she needed to do some growing up. This is her discovering herself and her purpose.

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.

Chapter 2

Pan and Bra sat on old tattered mats on the floor around the low table in the sitting area of their mediocre home. They slowly ate their meal of hot rice and steamed vegetables as they took this time to relax. Their lives were not ones of luxury, and their home was no different. They shared a bedroom, sparse in decoration, save for two beds on either side of the room. Their bathroom was much the same, one and shared. The kitchen was okay, but nothing that amounted to Grandma Chichi's standards. But, the old stove ensured that the duo could have hot, cooked meals on a daily basis. The stove was an interesting contraption. It did not resemble a conventional stove by any means. It was closer to a slightly, very slightly, modern version of an old wood-burning oven. The wood was placed into a rack at the bottom and lit. The flames would heat a grill that covered the entire top and that was how they were able to enjoy hot food. But, this was not a time to be musing over something as lovely as a hot meal. Lastly, there was the sitting area. This room functioned as every room they did not have – dining room, living room, and most of the time Bra's Laboratory.

The life the two women now partook in was completely opposite of how they once lived. Mind you Bra's family was far wealthier than Pan's, but neither woman had to struggle or want for anything. Their families always willingly provided all the things a young woman could ever dream of. Not to mention they had an adequate amount of privacy due to their own separate spaces; having your own bedroom truly was a treasure. On the other hand though, there was something serene about the way they now chose to live. Being part of a small community filled the two with purpose. When your family was the ultimate reason for the destruction the Earth experienced in the first place, it made you feel as if the right and just thing to do was to give back everything they took away. It was your responsibility to clean up the mess and leave a new, virtuous legend in your wake.

Pan and Bra placed their empty bowls into the sink and Bra gathered the one letter they had received in the mail in over a month. It was quite peculiar that even in the most remote places, they were still able to send and receive mail. Bra had suspected that the mail carriers were quite the persistent species. No matter how distant the land, no matter how harsh the weather conditions or the beasts, they would see to it that the letters that were entrusted to them reached their rightful owners. Whenever Bra sent letters home to her mother, she often envisioned the mail carriers fighting off huge beasts with umbrellas. It was trivial thoughts like this that helped her retain her light-hearted sense of humor.

"It's from mom," Bra said waving the letter in the air absentmindedly.

"Oh? How did she manage to find us? We move around so often, you would think we were impossible to track. But, if someone were able to do it… it would definitely be Bulma. That woman could find a specific dust particle in space if she really wanted to."

"I wrote home," Bra said blushed a cute shade of rose pink. No matter how old she was or how independent she felt, there was always a piece of her soul that held an immense fondness for her childhood home, the place she felt most safe.

Pan giggled as Bra eagerly ripped open the envelope, completely enraptured with joy. There was that look of child-like excitement on her face. When Pan was able to see her friend so carefree and happy, even in a world as devastated as theirs, she knew that there was always a bright side, or a light at the end of the dark, crumbling tunnel.

As Bra's eyes moved across the words written on the paper her face went through so many emotional changes that it made Pan tilt her head, wondering as to what information the letter conveyed. Bra tried to hide a small gasp of shock and the sadness in her eyes when she reached the end of the letter, but she was not quick enough to veil her emotions from Pan.

"What? What's wrong?"

Bra steadied herself back onto the same dilapidated mat she had been sitting on earlier and motioned for Pan to sit down as well. Already this was not boding favorably for the dark-haired woman. If she was asked to sit to hear a letter from Bulma, then there was something in there that was going to be difficult to swallow. Was Trunks sick? Did the company go bankrupt? That was impossible, Trunks took very good care of himself and there was no way in her lifetime that a company that had such a stake in the world's well-being as Capsule Corp could collapse. Had something happened to her uncle or perhaps Marron? Pan's mind moved quickly from one terrible image to the next with incredible speed. She even at one point contemplated the possibility of Kami's tower falling to Earth in a fiery pillar of destruction. But, they would have known about something like that even without Bra's mother's note.

Bra cleared her throat loudly which managed to bring Pan out of her chaotic trance and back to the reality of sitting on the dirty floor of their sitting area in their house in their village in their part of the world. Pan looked up frightened and worried. She did not have the slightest clue as to what was going to happen and that was what scared her most of all. The uncertainty always created the greatest fear within her. It caused her chest to tighten, her heart to beat erratically, her mouth to become parched, and breathing to become difficult. The unknown did strange and terrible things to her body that no amount of training seemed to diffuse.

"Dear Bra,"

The anxiety that had made Pan's stomach sink to the bottom of her feet had dropped below the surface of the Earth when a loud, disrupting crash and feral roar could be heard outside of their home. Something was in the village and that something was wreaking havoc on all the hard work the two women had done. Without a single word, or another thought in regards to the letter, both of the Saiyans were out of the door and running toward the source of the destruction. The two moved so rapidly that it was nearly impossible to follow their path through the village and to the base of the same field that Pan had been tirelessly working in earlier that day.

They stopped briefly, attempting to find the cause of all the trouble, not being able to see the intruder just yet. However, the villagers in the vicinity were running as fast as their weary legs could carry them to a safe area. The screams of the terrified people pierced Pan's ears like a needle to the spine. It seeped into the most remote places of her body, spread out like wildfire, and then burned its way through her eyes. She could not stand to see the people that had welcomed her so easily in such a panicked state.

"Can you find it?" Pan gritted between clinched teeth.

"Not yet, maybe whoever or whatever it is… is hiding its power…" Bra replied while continuously scanning the area before her. She stretched her senses beyond the village and began to search the outlying forest when she felt a flicker of rage.

"Pan! Bra!" The village elder Orie screamed with exasperation as she hobbled up to the two women. "The beast it took Moka!"

The two saiyans looked at each other with horror-stricken faces. Moka was just a young boy from the village. He had done nothing to warrant a beast to attack him. He was always so nice and kind to everyone, he even often worked with Pan in the field, trying to help her as much as he could. Other times he could be found trailing behind Bra, eager to find out what new experiment or invention she was working on that day. He was just a kid; just a sweet, little kid who did not have an ounce of evil or anger in his body.

Pan clinched her fists in fury at her side. If she had squeezed any harder, she would have been sure to draw blood from her own palms. Pan and Bra looked at each other once, able to read the unspoken command in each other's eyes. They nodded then took off in the direction where Bra had sensed the disturbance earlier. The air was thick with the smell of blood. The distinct metallic taste caught in Pan's mouth and made her stomach twist in knots. This was not good, not good at all.

There was a piercing roar and the best came into sight. He was large, but not larger than the tallest trees in the forest. The beasts green scales glinted in the moonlight giving everything below it a sickly green glow. The smell of blood was stronger now. It surrounded Pan and Bra and made them dizzy with its vile odor. The large reptilian-like beast looked as if it were smirking at the two women before it. It raised its heavy paw to strike and that was when Bra saw it. Clutched in the beast's other hand was Moka's limp body, a mere shell of the former boy. The boy's limbs had been torn and his flesh was ripped from the bone. The pair could now see the red drops falling off of the nearby leaves and the scarlet blotches that littered the grass. The crimson fluid looked unnatural upon this seemingly serene setting.

Fresh blood was still steadily dripping down the paw that had Moka's body secured within. Had they been here two seconds earlier, they would have been able to stop the rampage. Had they been here one second earlier, they would have been able to get Moka out of harm's way. Had they been here a few milliseconds earlier, they would have already destroyed the beast. They were too late. Their failure to react fast enough had caused this innocent boy to lose his life.

Pan charged at the beast with lightening speed. It was impossible to keep track of her movement. She used this opportunity to distract the beast and allow Bra ample time to free Moka. Bra followed right behind her, her target being the hand that held fast to Moka's body. Bra focused her ki to act as a sword and in one swift motion she completely severed the beast's hand from his arm. She held tight to the amputated member making sure it did not crash to the ground while Moka was still trapped in its grip. She moved out of the path of destruction and untangled the scaly fingers from the boy's body. Ever so gently, she set Moka down on the soft grass and looked back in Pan's direction expectantly.

"Get him back to Orie. Please!" Pan shouted to Bra, already knowing the unasked question on the other woman's mind.

Bra nodded, scooped up the boy in her hands and flew to the village leaving Pan to handle the beast on her own for the time being. Maybe just maybe there was something Orie could do for Moka. The worst thing Bra could do right now was to give up completely, being hopeful in dire situations made more of a difference than people believed. The moment you give up, that's the moment it ends.

Pan's body was as stiff and steady as a piece of cold steel. She was examining the beast closely, watching the way it moved furiously, swinging madly with its one good arm. This beast had no reasoning. It was nothing more than a wild animal. It was not calculating or strategic. It was just angry and attacked whatever was in its line of vision. Pan felt almost sorry for having to destroy such a mindless thing, but the destruction it had caused was unforgivable.

Pan lowered her body into a fighting stance, deciding that ending this fight quickly was more important than the thrill of the actual battle. This was one match that she could not find it in her to enjoy. Powering up slightly she ran at the beast. Before it even realized she was in the vicinity, Pan had already hurled her glowing body through the beast's chest. In one attack she blasted a hole clean through its chest and heart. The beast plunged to the Earth without another sound.

Not bothering to look behind her, Pan trudged towards the village. When she arrived Bra was trying her best to not let the tears that were threatening to fall find their way down her face. Orie had tried every remedy she knew, but there was nothing they could do for Moka. The boy was gone forever. Orie and Bra were now placing the final stone on the grave they had buried Moka's body in. Pan stopped before it and said a silent goodbye and apologized to the boy. She should have been there to protect him. That was one of the reasons she and Bra were in this village in the first place, to ensure safety while they rebuilt. They had failed. She would not let this mistake be forgotten so easily.

Bra grasped Pan's hand as they walked home in silence. Neither sure of what could be said to comfort the other. They both felt the weight of blame heavy on their shoulders. As Pan reached for the doorknob, Bra pulled her friend into a gentle hug. It was the only thing she could think of to do in a time like this. No words could ease the pain they felt. No amount of prosperity could dispel the stench of death.

"We have to go to Satan City tomorrow," Bra whispered into Pan's ear. "I'm so sorry to have to do this to you now."

"What?" Pan asked confused with Bra's sudden declaration.

"Your Grandfather, Mr. Satan, h-he's… he's… passed away Pan." Bra stammered out while clutching her friend closer to her body in an attempt to crush the hurt with her own two arms.

Pan just stood in shock. That was what her mother had written to her about. Bra had attempted to tell her earlier when the mood was more relaxed and she could handle the information better. But now, after all that had happened, it was as if the last nail had been hammered into the coffin. Pan knew that it wasn't Bra's fault. She was just relaying a message, but that did not make taking in the information any easier. Pan broke. The tears flooded her eyes and spilled down her cheeks in vicious waves. Her body shook with the sadness that felt infinite now consuming her. There was nothing else she could do. She reached for Bra as if she were her last life-line within this world.

Pan did not recall making it into her house much less finding her way to bed. She assumed that eventually the agony of the previous day had taken its toll on her body and Bra brought her into the house without complaint. This day did not bode well for anyone. The ache was still ever present in her chest even though the tears had stopped. Bra had already packed what little clothing they would need for their trip and had explained the situation to Orie, letting her know they would be back in a few days. Both saiyans took to the sky and headed north to Satan City.