A/N: Happy Thanksgiving!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the DBZ or DBGT characters, if I did, I would be filthy stinkin' rich and wouldn't have to be looking for a summer job, but alas, I am up for employment.

A special thanks to: supersaiyanx, Tri17, AnimeFreak-TrunksPan-Lover4evr, veggie's onna, Trupan, Rachael, Saaf, and Pan-chan34 (thanks times 2). Thanks for all the support guys, sorry for the wait, like always. I no I am horrible at it, and I hope you can find it in your kind hearts to forgive little ole me.

Category: Anime: Dragonball Z

Genre: Romance/Drama/Action/Adventure

Rating: PG-13

Summary: The Z-fighters are fading, their legacy dying. The last of their kind giving up on their blood. Pan, the youngest generation, has been forbidden to fight, yet she refused to lose her heritage. They want her to marry, settle down, start a family, but she refuses to mate any who are weaker than she. She must find the last fighter. MTP

Last Fighters
by: Dark Huntress
Chapter 4: Needed Strength

"If you know what's good for you, you will disappear right now," Pan mumbled as she tucked herself further into the comfort of her warm blanket.

He didn't say anything, only chuckled slightly as he ripped the covers from her body, causing her to shiver and screech loudly.

"What the hell?" Pan demanded, her dark eyes quickly met his grinning face, her ire raising to dangerous heights. It was way too early in the morning, hell, the sun wasn't even up yet. "Someone better be dying, Trunks, or I know someone who soon will be."

"Get dressed, Pan," Trunks laughed, paying her threats little mind. "Your training starts in five minutes."

He walked out the door, leaving a very infuriated young woman to stew about her dilemma. The bed was so welcoming, so tempting, but she had no doubt that he would just be back to get her within the five minutes he had allotted for her. She supposed she should suck it up, it was better than how Vegeta handled things anyways.

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"Come on, Pan, don't tell me your puny body has already played out," Trunks sneered, his arms were crossed as he floated only a few feet away from a huffing Pan.

"Stuff it, asshole," she seethed, the sun was brutal on her forehead as sweat poured down her back causing her thick hair to stick uncomfortably.

Satoya sat on the ground, impressed by the strength of this one girl. He had trained many times with his friend, and never before had he seen anyone last this long. Even though he could hear the taunts made by his friend, he knew that he too was impressed, neither had expected this much potential. But he supposed if she had trained with Trunks's father, from what he had heard about him, that it was within reasoning that she would be good. Vegeta supposedly only allowed for the best.

Growling at his arrogance, Pan puffed out a breath before powering up, directing all of her pent up rage at that stupid smug look on his features. Why had she ever thought him good looking? She wasn't sure right now, as far as she was concerned, he looked like the most despicable creature on Earth.

Charging at him, she watched as he disappeared before her. Swinging around in mid air, she caught his fist before it could make contact with her body while kicking out with her leg hoping to make contact with his vulnerable side. He quickly jerked away, her leg swinging about uselessly as his other fist connected harshly with her prone stomach. The wind quickly rushed out of her as she become reacquainted with the ground for like the hundredth time.

Spitting out some grains of dirt, Pan sat up, grumbling the whole time. Satoya in the mean time had quickly jumped out of the way, the place where he had previously been sitting now occupied by a large crater. The young woman in the center of the hole looked wholly irritated, he wished his friend the best.

"Kamehameha!" Pan screeched, the blue energy blasting from the palms of her hand with precision, surprising the lavender haired male.

"Galick-ho!" Trunks yelled back, hitting Pan's attack point blank, the stream of yellow energy hitting the blue beam and causing sparks to fly about.

Sweat beaded on her skin as the energy required to sustain the attack took a toll on her already battered body. It was too much, she knew it, but grinding her teeth, she pushed herself past that last barrier. With a final burst of strength, Pan let her vision turn black as she slowly fell to the ground beneath her.

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"I think she's dead," a voice commented, which was not something Pan wished to be waking too, it wasn't pleasant really to be pronounced dead.

"No, she has a heartbeat and she's breathing, she's definitely not dead," the other voice snapped, it was more familiar and welcome.

"Are you sure? She's been like out for a couple hours," the annoying voice said, Pan really wanted to slap that person.

"Just because you're passed out for a couple hours, does not mean you're dead," said the good voice again, she could tell that whoever the voice belonged to that their patience was wearing thin.

Sighing, Pan snuggled back down, unsure of whether her body really moved or not. The slight whirring in the background did not bother her like she was sure it would have if she wasn't so tired.

Sleep soon took over.

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Sitting up, Pan groaned loudly as the pounding in her head intensified to an unmanageable rhythm. The slight glow of the lights hurt just as much as the ticking of the clock did. She wished someone would turn off those damned lights and stop all the unnecessary racket. There was definitely no need to go out of their way to make as much noise as humanly possible.

Hopping off the rather uncomfortable cot, she slowly made her way to the staircase, her balance precarious due to the sledgehammer that continuously pounded. She couldn't imagine what had caused her to feel so sick, maybe due to her stubbornness when battling with Trunks, she wasn't sure.

Opening the door she sighed in thanks at the darkness that enveloped her, obviously it was night, and most likely a very late hour. The stove was cool and the moon was very high in the sky allowing just enough light to filter in to show her a path to the medicine cabinet. The Tylenol was paretically screaming her name, the mere thought of that beautiful white pill had her mouth to watering.

Opening it and popping the lid off, she quickly swallowed two pills dry, uncaring of the bitter residue left on her tongue. As far as Pan was concerned it was a welcomed relief, anything at all to divert her attention that didn't cause her head to thrum even harder.

Turning on the tap, and cupping her hands, she slurped down some of the metallic tasting water, ignoring the disgusting taste of this world. Over the time she had spent here so far, she had learned to accept the slight inconveniences that popped up. This world was dead, she didn't expect anymore to be able to go shopping for food at a local grocer or for the water to be perfectly clean.

Wiping her mouth, Pan made her way into the living room, and flopped down on the couch, covering her eyes with her forearm. And like many times when the rooms were silent and still, she wondered about them and how they were doing. Was Trunks and Marron still planning their wedding? Were they waiting for her to come back? How was her mother and grandmother holding up? Was Goten and her father beside themselves? Was Bulma at this moment sitting in her lab, asleep at the computer, unable to find an answer? Had Vegeta and Goku disappeared again like they did in these situations? She didn't know, but she wanted to.

Biting her lip, she wiped away the stray tears that fell down her cheeks, feeling foolish for the millionth time since she had arrived. How long had it been, two weeks? She supposed it wasn't all bad, she did like the people here, it wasn't that. But here, it wasn't home. Getting to know Trunks without the old past, was nice, she was getting to know the Trunks that didn't think she was still needing to be protected from a splinter. But that didn't cover up the pain that each person here carried, or the pain of her own missing family. This was not home, and she wanted to go home so bad.

Sniffling, she hadn't realized til now just how wet her face had become or how an hour had passed as she lay her silently in the dark. Her headache had fallen away leaving her with a dull throb that centered from her skull and piled in her tear ducts. It took all of her strength not to sob aloud, but there was no way she was going to let any of them see her like this...weak.

Sitting up, Pan hunched over, hiding her face in her hands as she rocked back and forth, desperately clinging to whatever sanity she had left. What would it be like when she got back? Would everyone have changed? Who knew how long it could be, she could be old and gray by then, though she suspected she would have a prolonged life because of her Saiyan heritage. But even with it, could she miss the passing of her grandparents, her parents? Would she never get to see them again? Would she ever get back?

Her shoulders shook, her back aching as she curled in on herself, unsure why it was all hitting her at this very moment. She had known these same risks two weeks ago when Trunks had first brought her here to this house. Yet it was now that she couldn't control the overwhelming grief that rocked her heart, it was now that she finally was starting to comprehend the magnitude of trouble she was in. And no matter what, no matter that she knew these people from her own time and realm, they were not the same, and never would be. They were different, somewhat similar, yet circumstances that someone is put through forms their character, and these people had been through totally different happenings. She didn't know them, not really, and therefore, she was all alone.

A warm hand brushed her back, caring and steady as she broke down in the silent room. The ticking of the clock was slow compared to her thrumming heart and her beating head. She hoped that no one else had heard, that no one else would see her falling apart. She didn't have the strength to stop now, nor did she want to. She needed someone to be her strength for once in her life, and she was glad it was he who had shown.

Curling into his embrace, Pan laid her head in the crook of his neck, clinging to his bare chest with all her might. A soft thrum filled the room and invaded her senses, a comforting noise that she remembered vaguely from childhood. In the back of her mind, in a long ago forgotten memory, she could recall a similar sound her father would make to calm her toddler screams.

Trunks pulled the girl next to him on the large sofa, rearranging their forms so that they fit together. With her back to the back of the couch, he lay facing her, tucking her head beneath his chin. Her form shuddered with chills as she snuggled as close as she could, breathing in his warm scent and focusing on that one sound that reverberated from his chest.

Hiccupping once, Pan held the arm that was wrapped tenderly around her waist, needing his added warmth and silent support. Perhaps, then, she wasn't alone in this.

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Blinking at the noon day sun, Pan tried desperately to gather her wits about her. Apparently crying all night didn't do well for ones mood. She hadn't slept much, only a few short hours before the morning had woken her and brought her back to a harsh reality. She would have much preferred to just stay in bed, or the couch, since that had been her preferred bed the previous night.

"Earth to Pan," a voice said, which she glared at pointedly, not liking his good mood in the least, who gave him the right to be so goddamn happy to today?

"What?" she snapped, wishing mentally that the sun would shine down and burn his smirking lips right off, she really was not a social person today.

"Just wondering if you were ready to head back yet," he shrugged, which earned him another heated scowl and a rock thrown at his head.

"Children, would you please behave?" Trunks teased, his form coming into view as he slid down the rubble of a fallen building.

"What? She started it!" Satoya laughed as he pointed a finger directly in front of her nose, which she promptly bit and smirked as he howled in pain.

Sighing, Trunks rolled his eyes and smiled at his friends, laughing mentally at his old friend's pain. Satoya really did deserve it, he had known that Pan had been in a horrid mood from the beginning, he just had to keep pushing her further and further.

Grumbling to himself, Satoya took off, uncaring of whether or not they caught up, totally disgusted with the whole thing. Why did Trunks have to invite her along anyways? It wasn't like he minded that she joined them, but why today when she was in such a bitchy mood? He was definitely going to give Trunks a piece of his mind when he had the chance, away from the hearing distance of a very pissed off Pan.

Trunks shook his head, squinting into the sunlight as his friend disappeared, knowing that he would soon be over it. Satoya was not one to hold grudges, he was even sure by the time he and Pan reached home that the man would be once more pestering the girl til she ripped his head clean off. He supposed he would have to stop the human before it caused Pan to go that far, he was useful.

Turning to the enraged young woman, he suddenly became somber, meeting her gaze for a long time. In the end she looked away, her mood slipping away to a melancholy, defeated face. He didn't like it, a strange tightening of his chest urged him to pry, when normally he would have left things well enough alone.

"Pan," at the mentioning of her name, and the tone in which it was said, she jerked her head up to look back into his deep blue eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I will be," she whispered, biting her lip, Pan sat down on a large slab of cement and leaned back, the warm sun heating up her now chilled flesh. "It just hit me last night, this whole big, stupid, mess."

"Mom's working on it," Trunks offered as he placed himself a few feet away from her, knowing instinctively that this wasn't the time for the comfort she required last night.

"I know," she whispered, turning her head to look at the decimated city, a hollow ache filled her chest at the thought of everyone that had passed.

They sat in silence, the breeze sweeping their hair and dust into their eyes. For the dusty land, it was as good a day as they came. The sun was neither blistering nor covered by sand clouds that sometimes blew in and covered the sky in a brown haze.

"How did you know I was crying last night? Was I that loud?" Pan asked, looking away from the whitewashed trees and back to his tanned features.

"I really don't know," he remarked, he too leaning back onto the fallen building and staring off into the distance. "I just woke up, and knew something was wrong. You were really quiet for the most part, I didn't hear you til I got downstairs."

"Oh," she whispered, smiling sadly as the breeze lifted her hair off the base of her neck. "Let's go back, okay?"

Trunks nodded his head, jumping into the air, following her back to his home.

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"Sakura! Honey, baby, I swear its not true!" Satoya whined for the millionth time that night, causing Pan to cackle silently as he followed the fuming woman back and forth.

"How could you! I thought we were going to be together forever!" Sakura ranted, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks.

Giggling, Pan ignored the small sting of guilt that fluttered in her chest, she'd remedy this later, right now she was going to have fun. He had deserved more than just a simple bite for all of his jabs today, and she was going to make sure he reaped his just desserts.

"You're sleeping on the couch tonight!" she screeched and stormed out the back door with her fiancé hot on her heels. Pan had originally planned on telling the truth and letting Satoya off the hook before the night was over, however, this new occurrence had possibilities.

Trunks sat beside her, his arm across the back of the couch as he burst into laughter moments after the two exited the back door. Bulma sat in a nearby recliner shaking her head and hiding back her own chuckles, the laptop on her lap momentarily forgotten.

"Are you going to tell her soon?" Trunks asked as soon as his guffaws settled into a manageable state.

"I guess, but the thought of him sleeping on the couch tonight is really tempting," she replied thinking it over quickly. "I mean really, there wouldn't be any sex stories tomorrow."

"What a wonderful thought," Bulma commented, snickering slightly before readjusting her glasses and setting back to work.

Sighing, Pan shook her head and stretched, knowing that she would have to go tell Sakura the truth, her conscious just wouldn't let the charade carry on that long. She really hoped that Sakura would believe her, but she wasn't so sure.

"Trunks, will you come with me?" Pan asked giving him the best puppy dog eyes she could muster up at the moment.

"Why?" he asked as he raised one of his brows, unsure of where she was taking this, and not trusting her in this mood in the least.

"Because, Sakura might not believe me, and I want to set things right before I go to bed," she replied, already standing she waited for his reaction.

Sighing, Trunks stood and followed her out the back door, wincing as he heard something crash from the guest house. It definitely seemed that his friend was in need of rescuing, he just hoped that those flying objects wouldn't be directed at their heads.

Knocking on the door, Pan shifted from foot to foot, hoping that they would hear her over all the noise.

The door was yanked back as a panting Satoya filled the doorway, his eyes narrowing once he saw who it was.

"You better get in here and fix this," he hissed, his form moving aside as his fiancé came into view, a very scary picture in Pan's opinion.

"That's the plan," she chirped, hoping that her good mood grated on his nerves as much as his had on her's earlier that day.

Walking over to the redhead with little fear, Pan ducked once as a flying dish went sailing towards Satoya's head, which had just happened to be behind Pan. The young man ducked just in time as Trunks jumped out of the way of the flying shards.

"You jackass! How could you do this to me!" Sakura screamed, the agony plain in her voice and all of a sudden Pan's guilt took complete control.

Looking back at the demi-Saiyan, Pan knew he was thinking along the same lines as herself, it was time to do damage control.

"Sakura, can I talk to you?" Pan nudged in knowing how delicate a situation this was, and also knowing how horrid she was at these type of things.

"Sure," the girl sniffled as she rubbed her running nose, the two girls walked into the bedroom, Pan grimacing at the memories of the many stories she had been told that had taken place right here.

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"So, I really am sorry, Sakura," Pan said, they were sitting on the couple's living room couch, the earlier rampage having died down.

"I guess I forgive you, Pan, I understand, I just wish you would have let me know," Sakura whispered, her eyes still slightly hurt and betrayed.

"I know it was wrong, but it seemed like the best thing at the time, now I know it wasn't," the quarter Saiyan continued, biting her lip, she really did feel horrid.

"I should have known better, I mean really, where would Satoya find another woman in the first place? But you were just so convincing," the redhead slightly chuckled, no real humor in it at all.

"Yeah, well, living with all the men that I do, you learn to stretch the truth a bit," Pan commented, hoping that her conscious could now be laid to rest.

"I'm sure it does," Sakura replied, turning as she did to grasp Satoya's hands and look him directly in the eyes. "I am so sorry baby, how could I have doubted you?"

"Its okay, I forgive you," Satoya said as he wiped away the stray tears streaming down her face, a slow smile forming on her lips.

"But I must make it up to you," she purred, her body inched towards him, her hands now wrapped around his neck, Pan suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

"Mm, really? What do you have in mind?" Satoya gasped as Sakura slowly suckled his ear, her body pretty much forming to his.

Pan sat in silence, flabbergasted at the scene these two were playing out in front of them. Didn't they have any kind of morals? She was sure that her grandmother would have been beating their heads with a skillet by now and screaming about the sins of horny youngsters. She wasn't sure about Trunks, but she wanted out of there, now.

"So, yeah, uh, we're just gonna go," Pan stuttered, her body flushing as their lip lock turned into a wrestling match on the other sofa, thank goodness clothes were still involved. "Yeah, bye!"

Pan quickly grabbed the stunned Trunks, who until now, had been glued to his seat.

Rushing out the door, she slammed it behind them, her heart pounding in her chest. That was disgusting, who could do that in front of others? It was immoral, nobody in their right minds should ever do those things.

Jumping as a round of moans sounded, she ran to the main house, uncaring if Trunks was following or not. Hey, she had got him out, it was up to him to do the rest.

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"It was disgusting, Bulma!" Pan complained, Bulma was currently holding her sides as she laughed, finding the situation entirely hilarious.

The younger woman scowled, unhappy at the lack of sympathy from the other, she didn't just have her eyes practically burned out. She deserved a nice pity party right now, though she did suppose that looking from the outside, it would have been pretty funny. And anyways, Trunks seemed to be the one having a harder time handling it than she herself did.

"Oh, Trunks, your face!" Bulma cackled, pointing at her son who still looked slightly dazed, his eyes glassed over and mouth slightly agape.

"Earth to Trunks," Pan said, waving one of her hands before his eyes, she saw no reaction, and became slightly worried about his mind.

"I can't believe it, those stories were true," Trunks finally said as he shook his head, a small chuckle now falling from his own lips. "All those crazy stories, and he wasn't lying!"

"Trunks?" both Pan and Bulma both said as they watched the male double over in laughter, his head shaking back and forth.

"If you guys had only heard some of the stuff, though maybe you have," he choked out as he slowly sat back, breathing deeply. "I never believed him til now."

"So he told those stories too, huh? Glad its her and not me, nothing is sacred between those two," Pan smirked, a slight chuckle forming in her as well.

"Yeah, those two are freaks," he mentioned, and the other two had no other room but to agree, freaks didn't even seem like a good enough word.

A/N: Hope you guys liked it, there was a little bit of fluff, but there is no romance between the two yet, just romance. Just wanta make that clear. Oh, and I wanted another special thanks to all my fans out there. I don't care what any other author says, my readers are the best and most fantastic out there. All of you put up with all of my crap with long updates and the like, so therefore, with patience of the gods, you are the best. Just wanted to make that clear, I really do appreciate you all. Please R&R, my esteem needs boosted. Lol.

Dark Huntress