Disclaimer: See previous chapter J
Author's note: Thanks for reading. I won't be updating for a few days. I have Uni assessments due next week that I haven't started yet, and I like leaving you all in suspense…ok. Time to up the dosage again. Mmm. Medication…
Pan met up with her mother again over Australia just after finding the sixth Dragonball hidden at the base of Uluru (a.k.a Ayers Rock).
"Damn him! Next time we're going to Capsule Corp and those two layabouts can go look for the Dragonballs!" she shouted. Videl, having just flown there from Stonehenge, couldn't agree more.
"Yes. Well we've got six, plus the one at Chichi's place…that makes seven!" Videl yawned and stretched. She looked at her watch. It was just about daybreak back home. The two of them concentrated on Capsule Corp and reappeared in Bulma's lab.
She was still tapping on her keyboard.
"How's it going?" Pan asked. Bulma yawned.
"Hmm? I've finished. Ages ago." She replied.
"What are you doing then?"
"Chatting. This guy here says he had an alien encounter." She gestured to her screen. Bulma laughed. "Ha! My encounter resulted in a purple-haired baby with a tail!"
"Uh huh." Pan wasn't sure what the appropriate reaction to that was. Videl was trying to cover up a smile.
"I'll go and get the last Dragonball and get a couple of hours sleep. We'll be over around midday." She said. Bulma nodded.
"We should meet at the Lookout." She said before the other woman disappeared. Bulma turned off the computer. "Come on. Let's see how much damage those two have done to my gravity room." She sighed.
They walked outside to find it unusually quiet.
Bulma grinned.
"I'm impressed. Not one broken window." She said happily before opening the door. Pan stopped short at the sight before her.
"Stay tuned for another episode in the twelve-hour-marathon of Star Trek." The voice over on the television said. Trunks was passed out on the floor with the remote in his hand and his hair all over his face. Shin was similarly positioned with his head resting on the taller man's stomach.
"How cute." Bulma muttered sleepily. Pan saw red. Instantly she powered up and shot a ki-blast at them.
"ARE YOU QUITE COMFORTABLE?" she roared. The both jumped and sat up. Shin was terrified.
"Oh you're back." He stammered. She glared at him.
"Yes, I'm back!" she said quietly. Trunks was fighting down a grin. "You think this is funny Trunks? Well guess what. Your mother and I are both exhausted from working all night. Now you two are cooking us breakfast." She announced. They both blinked at her. "Come on Bulma. We both need a break."
"Hmm? Oh. All right." She yawned and allowed Pan to herd her out of the GR.
Trunks and Shin moved around the kitchen gathering food and generally getting in each others' way. The two women were sitting on the sofa in the living room passed out after a long night's work. Shin was obviously still feeling guilty and had a very sheepish expression on his face. Trunks found the whole thing very funny. Well, except for where Pan had singed his hair with that energy blast.
The two of them stared at the pile of eggs, fruit, bread and canned items gathered from cupboards.
"Well…" Trunks wasn't much of a cook. "I suppose the eggs should be…cooked somehow." He stared blankly at a saucepan and then back to the eggs. Shin was looking very thoughtful.
"Well…there is something I learned how to do a while back." He mused. Trunks grew more interested. Maybe he could create food out of thin air, the same way Piccolo created clothing. Shin looked at him and chuckled, reading his thoughts again, and walked over to the telephone and pushing a few buttons. He started speaking. "I would like to order…twelve pizzas for the Capsule Corporation."
After a greasy, unhealthy but satisfying breakfast it seemed Pan had forgiven them. Her excitement over seeing Gohan may also have had something to do with it. She was now rummaging through Bulma's wardrobe looking for something to wear.
"No…too formal. Not formal enough…Bulma!" she burst out laughing and held something black and lacey out of the doorway. Bulma stopped pacing with the other two and hastily grabbed it. Trunks shuddered. She glared at him.
"Well your father never complained." She said stiffly.
"No! Mom I've told you not to tell me that stuff!" he shook his head fiercely trying to get rid of the mental image of her wearing that. Shin coughed and looked away, fighting a valiant battle against a laugh.
"Do you have anything else Bulma?"
"No! Just pick something! It's eleven o'clock!" Trunks shouted. Females! Shin's eyes flashed and there was a startled shout from inside the room.
"Very funny." Pan said.
"It's good enough. Let's go!" he called. She emerged from the room in a purple, white and blue version of the Kai's uniform. Trunks didn't understand the whole dress-up thing. He was happy in his Capsule Corp jacket. As was Bulma. Trunks frowned. He thought she'd be just as nervous as Pan and Chichi, since Vegeta was coming back, but she seemed calmer than anyone else.
Trunks took hold of his mother's arm and the four of them transported to the Lookout.
There was already a large gathering there. Chichi, Videl, Master Roshi, Oolong, Puar, Dende and Mr. Popo were already sitting around chatting quietly. Trunks grinned. He should have known no one would wait for midday to get there. The seven Dragonballs were all gathered together and their light was pulsating, waiting for the dragon to be summoned.
"Well it's about time!" Chichi shouted. "My Goku and Gohan are coming back and you four take your sweet time getting here! I thought you'd know better than that Pan! Come here!" Without giving the girl time to respond she pounced and used the Grandma Straightening Clothes attack.
"Grandma quit it! Hey Dende. How are you?" Pan greeted the green alien.
"Never better, thankyou. Are we all ready now?" Trunks looked around. Everyone was gathered there.
"Yes." Pan pulled away from her grandmother and stood next to Shin. Dende faced the Dragonballs.
"I summon the Eternal Dragon." He said simply. The seven balls began to pulse brighter and the sky darkened. Beams of light shot up into the air and took the form of a dragon, which transformed into solid matter leaving a glowing-eyed creature staring down at them.
"I am the Eternal Dragon, and I will grant you two wishes." It said in a deep voice which shook the ground. Dende looked around at the others.
"I wish for the one named Goku to be brought back to life." He said.
"That wish cannot be granted. He has already been brought back from the next dimension once." It said. Fortunately Dende had thought it through.
"Yes it can. You were under the control of Kami then. I am Dende. Using my power you can bring Goku back to life."
"Unacceptable." It argued.
"You could only grant one wish back then. You can now grant two, and they are more powerful. You are not the same dragon. Now I wish you to bring Goku back to life."
"No. I will not." Trunks had an idea.
"Dragon! I wish you to return the one called Kakarott to life!" he shouted. The dragon's eyes dimmed. It was thinking. Almost as if he were trying to find some technicality to refuse them with.
"Your wish has been granted." He said at last.
"All right!" Bulma squeezed his hand. "I knew I had you for a reason!"
"Thanks." He said wryly as a glowing figure appeared in front of them. A spiky-haired outline appeared and solidified into Goku.
He stood there looking around at everyone. Then he reached up over his head and waved his hand around. He looked down at his hands and then pinched himself on the arm. Hard.
"Ow!" he said, startled. With excited cries Bulma, Chichi, Master Roshi, Oolong and Puar rushed forward and all tried to hug him at the same time. Trunks stood back watching the gathering with folded arms. He wasn't part of that group. At least not yet. Pan and Shin stood back also watching. The dragon made a sound as if clearing its throat.
"You have one wish remaining." It said impatiently. Goku, still with his arms around Chichi and Bulma, shouted up at it.
"I wish that all the warriors killed by Dr. Gero's androids be restored to life!" Instantly several glowing figures appeared on the tower. They all looked around in disbelief, as if they hadn't expected it to work. Gohan recovered first.
"Mom! Videl!" he shouted and was rushed by both of them. Trunks smiled. The others were standing together in a group as if unwilling to approach the others. Trunks looked at Vegeta. He looked just as he did in the alternate timeline. Rather short with outrageous hair and Saiyan combat suit. He was looking at the three of them and frowning.
"Trunks!" Gohan shouted and rushed over. Trunks received a semi-gentle blow to the chin and a strong hand gripping his shoulder. "You did it! I knew you could defeat those Androids." Trunks felt his face warming. He'd never expected to hear his Master congratulate him after seeing his broken body abandoned by the Androids. He squeezed his friend's hand, and then remembered something.
"Right. Good to see you too." He said, before sinking his fist into the older man's stomach. He doubled over. "That was for knocking me out that time!" he announced.
"You really do hold a grudge, don't you?" Gohan gasped. Trunks caught another glimpse of Vegeta. He was staring absolutely dumbstruck, only just realizing this was his son standing in front of him. He knew what to do this time. In the alternate timeline Vegeta had taken…well technically a couple of years to show any kind of feeling towards him. So this time Trunks would keep his distance. He gave a half-smile and inclined his head once before turning back to Gohan.
"I'd like to introduce you to someone. Gohan…this is Pan." He motioned for Pan to come forward. She had been hanging back with Shin looking as though she would rather not be noticed. Gohan's eyes widened.
"Pan?" he said. She slowly moved forwards and took his outstretched hand. Suddenly she threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. For the first time in a long time she was speechless.
Trunks looked around at everyone. Chichi had Goku in a death-grip and wasn't letting go. Krillin was talking excitedly with Master Roshi. Piccolo and Dende were talking quietly. Gohan was still being smothered by Videl and Pan. Shin looked lost. As for his parents…uh oh.
Vegeta watched the scene before him. He couldn't believe after all this time he was alive again. He gritted his teeth. If only Kakarott hadn't stopped him from killing that damned King Kai!
The purple haired boy…Trunks…his son was standing with Gohan and his family. He had smiled and nodded once but kept his distance. That had surprised Vegeta, but he dismissed it. It was best if the boy stayed away anyway.
Speaking of the boy…
Bulma was staring straight at him. She moved away from Kakarott and was walking straight towards him. Vegeta wasn't sure what to do. Though he would admit it to no one he had missed her. But he didn't want her to make a scene either…
She stopped right in front of him. She looked a bit older but was still just as attractive. She opened her mouth and…
"Vegeta you muscle-bound idiot! I told you not to go and fight those Androids but you wouldn't listen! Well I hope you'll admit you were wrong for once! Thanks to your stupid behavior I had to raise our son all on my own!" she shouted. Vegeta almost flinched. He should have been expecting that.
"Can it! I just got back from being dead for thirteen years. The last thing I want to see is some moronic human female shouting in my face!" he growled. Well, now that the pleasantries were over with… "Who is that?" he gestured to the younger girl standing with Gohan.
"It's Pan. Gohan's daughter." Bulma answered. Vegeta stared. She was quite short, not much taller than Gohan's mate, Videl. But she had Gohan's eyes. And…he looked again. Was that a tail? It was flicking excitedly from side-to-side. "Yes. She kept it to remind her of Gohan." Vegeta glanced at Trunks briefly but he saw no furry appendage on him. He covered up his disappointment. "She's only one quarter Saiyan but I'd say she's more like one than Trunks is. So damned competitive. You two would get along just great." She added. Vegeta scowled.
"I have no time for children, my own or anyone else's." He announced. They were silent for a while.
"So do you have somewhere to stay or are you squatting at my place again?" she asked.
"That depends. Won't your new mate be jealous?" he spat. She blinked.
"News flash. I don't have one." She answered. Vegeta half-smiled. That answered the question foremost on his mind.
"I should have known. You're too old to attract a mate now. You're lucky I came back."
"Bite me." She turned and walked off. Vegeta allowed himself a smile. He had missed her.
Shin decided to give everyone a few hours before getting down to business. When he had met the Z-fighters in Otherworld they had seemed like a serious lot, but now they were one big, noisy family.
Chichi hadn't had time to cook so they all went to Capsule Corp, even Dende and Mr. Popo. They had ordered enough take-out to feed an army and it looked like they were going to need it. He'd always thought Pan ate a lot but compared to the others…well Goku was on his fifteenth bowl and that was just the entrée.
"I'll never get used to that." Piccolo said, looking even greener than usual. Shin had never met him or Kami before they died and decided to fuse in Otherworld but he found the tall green man's quiet manner a relief after being caught in the middle of a group of gossiping humans.
When all the food was served and all were eating slightly slower Trunks began to tell the story about his battles with Cell and the Androids in the Alternate reality. For the first time that evening Pan left her father's side and sat down on the floor next to Shin. They listened in silence to the story they had hard several times before. At the end of it Gohan jumped up.
"All right! I defeated Cell!" he shouted before turning to the other two Saiyans. "Ha! Now you two can stop competing because I am the most powerful fighter in the universe!" he announced. Shin almost choked on a laugh. That was so much like Pan it was scary. Speaking of whom…
"I hate to disappoint you Father, but that title belongs to me." She announced. Vegeta choked on his meal.
"Impossible! You're not even half Saiyan!"
"Maybe, but I kicked your son's a…" she spotted Chichi glaring at her "…rear end at the tournament last year." She finished. Trunks turned bright red.
"You won on a technicality." He argued.
"She did not!" Videl shouted.
"Did too! My son could beat your daughter any day of the week!" Bulma shouted.
"Fine! A re-match!"
"No!" Shin interrupted when it looked like the two warriors were going to be forced to fight by their insane relatives. "We have more important things to discuss. You can fight later!" Trunks looked relieved. Pan looked disappointed. Goku was laughing his head off. Shin gritted his teeth.
"I have spoken to the Kais earlier on this evening. They all agree the energy they've been sensing is in the South quadrant of the universe."
"Would that make it someone else's problem?" Krillin asked hopefully.
"No." Shin said. "They've been able to narrow it down to a relatively small section of the quadrant."
"How small?" Gohan asked.
"Two thousand solar systems."
"Oh well I'm glad they've done such a good job." Vegeta sneered. Bulma threw a pizza box at him.
"Eat. At least you're quiet when you eat."
"Anyway." These people were impossible! "Bulma, could your scanner help us?"
"Yes. And coupled with Pan's work on the space craft we should be able to get there within a few weeks."
"But if we use the IT to get us into the general vicinity is shouldn't take long to get there at all." Trunks suggested.
"Good idea. How big is the craft?" Shin asked.
"Big enough for three people. Maybe four depending how friendly everyone is."
"Well Vegeta will be staying here that's for sure." Krillin muttered.
"Shut up Baldy."
"How soon can we leave?" Pan asked.
"It's ready now. We can leave tomorrow if we feel like it." Bulma said. That sounded better.
"Who's going?" Goku asked. There was silence.
"The four strongest fighters of course. Myself, Trunks, Gohan and you." Vegeta said. Pan cleared her throat.
"You may want to revise that list." She said.
Pan gave a chilly smile and began to power up.
"Hey! That's it! All fighters out of the house!" Bulma shouted. Goku stood up and everyone followed him outside.
Instantly Pan began to gather energy and turn Super Saiyan. Shin watched her. She was an incredible sight powered up and it was good to watch her and know she wasn't going to come and beat him to a pulp in the gravity room.
Vegeta sneered.
"Is that all you've got?" he asked. She yelled and ascended. Her hair grew longer and spikier and sparks flickered up and down her body. The newcomers all stared in disbelief. Even Vegeta was speechless.
"All right Pan!" Gohan shouted excitedly. Trunks stood forward and began to power up too.
"Who do you think trained her?" he asked as he also ascended. Goku stared at the two of them.
"Hmm…so I guess I'm not number one anymore. Still three's not that bad I suppose." He laughed. Trunks looked down.
"Actually…you're number four. Sorry." He gestured for Shin to step forward. With a deep breath Shin began to power up. His body went through no major transformations but his aura glowed silver and he could feel his eyes glowing as he reached maximum power.
The other fighters looked amazed. Except for Vegeta. He looked furious.
"Well why the hell did you bother resurrecting us?" he demanded.
"Because the power the Kais felt is more powerful than any of us." Shin answered.
"But if you're that strong…" Gohan began. Trunks cut in.
"We both know of a place where you can train for a whole year in one day. I'd say it's time to give it a go." He said quietly. Goku's eyes widened.
"Right." He said, looking pale. "The hyperbolic time chamber."
"We need to start as soon as possible." Shin started.
"No we don't." Gohan cut in. Shin looked at him.
"We've been training and fighting for thirteen years straight. We've just been wished back from the dead. It can wait until morning." He said. There was a murmur of agreement. Shin bowed his head. Of course. He was being insensitive.
"As you wish. We will make plans in the morning." He turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" Pan asked.
"I will talk to the Kais for a bit, see if they know anything." He said. "I'll be back soon." She smiled.
"I'll come with you." Piccolo said. "Someone needs to keep Dende informed."
"Right. I'll see you all in the morning." Shin bowed to the small gathering, smiled at Pan and then transported them both to Planet Kaioshin.