Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.

Vegeta

On Saturday morning I flew Nimbus over to Capsule Corporation, rather than making Trunks double back to meet me. Trunks had given me a pass to show security at the door, apparently they would just let me through. Then I would go straight through the ground floor foyer to the lifts, and take one up to the fourth floor.

"Just head on through," the security guard waved to me when I flashed him my pass. I grinned, feeling like I was part of some exclusive club now.

The elevator opened up to a corridor that seemed to go on forever. I remembered the last time I was here, and recalled the lost feeling that was back again.

"Umm…Hello?" I called out, hoping someone would come to rescue me.

"Hmm? Who's that?" I heard someone say, in a voice that sounded as if it belonged to someone quite old. I looked down the hall, to see an old man with a walking stick come out from one of the rooms.

"Oh, hello dear. You must be the young lady Trunks was talking about," he said while walking slowly towards me. "I'm his grandfather, Dr. Briefs."

"Oh!" I exclaimed, finally realising where I'd recognised him. "I'm Pan, its such an honour to meet you."

"Nonsense," he replied, "the pleasures all mine. That boy has been much happier since he met you, you know. Besides, I still find you Saiyans fascinating, do you mind if I run some tests sometime?"

"Gramps!" I heard Trunks say, before he appeared out of another door. "Pan is not a specimen you can study!"

"Oh, come now, boy," the old man replied, "I'd just have her run on a treadmill for a few minutes, it's in the name of science! Besides, I've never met a Saiyan female before," he added, the eyes behind his glasses looking me up and down, "I think it would be good to study her genetic and physical make up, especially if you two plan on procreating some time."

"Grandpa!" Trunks yelled, his cheeks red. He turned to me, grabbing my hand, "come on Pan, before my grandpa gets any more crazy ideas." I had to admit, I was glad to be pulled away from that conversation, judging by where it was headed. Procreating? Why were all the adults always assuming such things?

"You have to excuse gramps, he gets a little carried away when it comes to science," Trunks apologized as he led me down the hall. Abruptly he stopped beside a doorway, whispering so low that no human could hear. "I'm going to introduce you to my grandmother now, I have to warn you, she's a bit of a ditz. Sometimes I wonder how my mum ended up so smart, to be honest."

Before I had a chance to say anything, he pulled me through the door, his hand coming to rest on the small of my back. I realised I had been in the room before; it was the living room where I had first met Bulma. Just like last time, Bulma was sitting on one of the couches, leisurely reading a magazine. Beside her sat an old woman, her hair dyed platinum blonde, reading a magazine herself.

"Ahem," Trunks cleared his throat, and both women looked up.

"Oh my!" began the older of the two, a hand placed across her heart, "is that her? My beautiful granddaughter-in-law? Oh, its so good to meet you honey! Aren't you a pretty little thing!"

"Uh…its good to meet you, too," I replied as she wrapped me in a hug. She smelt of expensive perfume, and looked so happy that I could hardly see her eyes, she was smiling so hard.

"Come on mum," Bulma stepped in, "let the kids have some space," she said as she pulled the woman off me. "Come sit down, you two. Have a little snack before you head out."

Trunks and I took our seats, as did the two women, and immediately Trunks' grandmother began to chat, asking me about what shops I bought my clothes from, and whom I went to for my hair. I could see that Trunks was right; in all honesty she was a bit of an airhead, albeit a very nice one.

After half an hour of talking and snacking, Trunks finally stood up. "We better be off now," he told the two women, "We have quite a way to travel yet."

"All right," Bulma sighed, "well you two have fun." As Trunks and I walked onto the balcony adjoining the room, she spoke once more.

"Kids, just make sure you stay safe, okay?"

As I stood trying to work out what she meant, Trunks transformed, picking me up with more force than necessary and blasting off into the sky. I looked up to see his face red again, and felt even more confused.

"Is something wrong?" I asked innocently.

He looked down at me, his eyebrows furrowed together. "She was referring to birth control," he said in a stern voice, before looking ahead again. "Damn mother," I heard him mutter under his breath, "has she never heard about being subtle?"

Not knowing what to say, I settled for kissing his neck, hiding my red cheeks from him. "My mum's been a little troublesome, too," I admitted.

"That's understandable," he said, his voice softer than before, "I don't blame her, I'm a lot older than you, Panda. But I wouldn't ever make you do anything you weren't ready for."

"I know," I sighed into his neck. "I know."

With Trunks in a bit of an irritated state, it didn't take us long to reach the lookout. It really was true; power levels were connected to your emotions. Angry Super Saiyan Trunks seemed to fly twice as fast as a happy Trunks did.

I was still shocked by the power that he possessed, many, many times higher than my own. Trunks had taught me, during our last meeting in the forest, how to manipulate the level of my ki, so that I could now comfortably keep it at the minimal level at all times. It meant that I appeared not that much stronger than the average human to anyone who could sense ki, so that in battle, I could take the enemy by surprise.

As the huge tower came into view, exactly as Trunks had described, I found myself feeling quite nervous. Trunks changed angles, suddenly flying upwards, and forcing me to cling to him even more than I was before. He slowed down as we reached a palace sitting precariously on the tower, until we were floating just outside it.

"This is Korin's place," he explained, "the lookout is above this, but I thought we'd stop here and get some senzus first."

"Senzus?" I asked, but before he could reply we were interrupted by the noise of footsteps.

"Ahh, young Trunks," came a voice, and I turned to see a large white cat, clutching a staff, staring at us with a small smile on his face. "Come in, come in," he motioned, "no use floating out there."

Trunks complied, setting me down beside him inside the open room. "I thought I might see if the senzus are ready," he told the cat, his hands thrust in his pockets.

"Yes, yes, I've got some ready now," the cat sighed, "you young people are too impatient, you know that."

I couldn't help but smile at the cat. I knew he was an ancient martial arts master, but when I looked at him, the only words that came to mind were 'cute' and 'fluffy'.

"Tell me, young one," he said, turning to me, "you're the daughter of Gohan, aren't you?"

"Yes," I replied, looking at my feet, "my name's Pan."

"Well its lovely to meet you, Pan. I don't get many visitors up here, its always nice to meet someone new," he replied. "I'm Master Korin, by the way," he added as an afterthought.

Korin turned and began heading down a flight of stairs, "Come on!" he called to us, "If you want the senzu beans, they're down here."

Trunks took my hand again, smiling reassuringly as we followed the cat into a room under the main floor. I looked around, observing the various jars placed here and there, and the little desk and closet off to one side.

"Here we go," Korin mumbled to himself before turning to face us. "Will six senzu do for now?" he asked Trunks.

"That would be great," Trunks replied, "I'm taking Pan to the lookout today, so I was thinking we might be needing some, after training."

"Ah, yes," Korin mused, "it depends on what kind of training you plan on doing, though."

As we left Korin's, I questioned Trunks again on what a senzu was. "It's a bean," he replied, "when you eat one, it heals all of your injuries, restores your power, and fills you up. They're extremely useful in battle. Unfortunately, we ran out of senzus when your father was still alive, but I brought back some more seeds from the past timeline, and Korin's been growing them again. We won't ever run out again, I hope."

It still amazed me how much people were missing out on. Most people had no idea of the world I was slowly being introduced to; they had no idea about flying clouds or magic beans, or even that there was supposed to be a guardian of the Earth. I felt privileged that I could be a part of all of this, and I hoped that my mum would slowly come around to all of this too.

The palace at the very top of the tower was magnificent. A huge, upside-down dome, the top surface was covered in large white tiles that reflected the bright light of the sun, while the sides were richly decorated in red, yellow and blue designs. Rows of pines circled the outer edge of the lookout, while palm trees cut across the middle, closer towards the main building.

The building itself looked to be in perfect condition, although I already knew it was ancient, even older than the Egyptian pyramids. The architecture was that of some exotic style, long forgotten by anyone who lived on the Earth below.

"Wow," I breathed, as Trunks set me down on the lookout, "its so…" Lost for words, I stood there gazing at my surroundings.

"Its pretty cool, huh?" Trunks asked, taking my hand in his. "Lets see if we can find Mr. Popo."

I was pretty nervous about meeting a genie; I had no idea what he would look like, or what he would do for that matter. I looked up at Trunks- he seemed to be perfectly at ease- and felt a little better after that. Still, I wondered what Korin had meant about needing-or not needing- the senzus for training.

The genie seemed to appear out of nowhere, he moved so quietly. Since I was used to hearing a person's approach before I saw them, his movement from somewhere within the palace startled me, and I couldn't help but jump. Trunks chuckled, moving his arm around my waist and pulling me closer towards him.

"I won't ever let anything happen to you," he whispered, "so you don't have to worry." To the genie, he spoke much louder. "Hi there, Mr. Popo, long time no see!"

"Why hello Trunks," came the reply in an odd, but kind voice. "Who is this that you've brought along?"

While Trunks explained to the genie who I was, I tried to refrain from staring at the creature, who didn't look anything like I had expected. He was pudgy and short, wearing exotic clothes and a turban. I had to admit, his clothes did seem suited to this place, though.

His skin was midnight black, contrasting magnificently with his wide, round eyes, and the bright red of his lips. He didn't appear to have any hair at all, and his ears were large and pointed, a gold earring hanging from each one.

He wasn't what I expected, but I could tell straight away that he certainly was magical.

Popo turned to me, smiling. "So, you are learning to fight?" he asked, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Yes," I replied, looking down at my feet. I suddenly felt very insignificant, standing next to someone who had been alive for many millennia.

"Hmm," he mumbled, before turning towards the main building. "Follow me," he called over his shoulder, and Trunks gave my hand a reassuring squeeze as we started towards the retreating figure.

We walked in silence, Trunks seeming to be lost in thought, while I looked around in awe, trying to memorise as much as I could of the place.

"Here," Mr. Popo stopped suddenly, gesturing to a large, red door. Pulling it open by the large, gold handle, he gestured for Trunks and I to enter.

"What is this place?" Trunks asked the genie, once we were inside. "I've never seen this room before."

"It's the pendulum room," Popo replied, and I noted that there was, in fact, a giant pendulum hanging from the dark roof, swinging ominously two and fro. "This room allows a person to be transported to any time and place in the whole universe."

"What?" Trunks asked, clearly shocked. "Its like a time machine?"

"No, no," the genie chuckled, "it transports only your mind, not your body. If you were to go to the past in this room, it would only be an impression of the world, not reality. Your actions, while there, would not actually occur, and they will not alter future events. Your body will stay standing in this room, only your mind will go elsewhere."

I didn't really understand what he had just said, and it must have clearly shown on my face, for the genie turned to me with a smile.

"Its better if I just show you, then you will understand," he said. "You want to know more of your Saiyan heritage, don't you child? Use this room, and you will find what you are looking for."

I gasped, my eyes widening. When he had said 'any time or place,' I had thought that perhaps that meant you could go to other planets- to the Saiyan planet- but how had he known?

"This will be good for her training," Mr. Popo said to Trunks, "and I will send you with her, but you must not help her. She must learn to fight for herself, or she will never get any stronger."

Before either of us could answer, the genie stepped back, and the world suddenly flashed around me. Thankfully, Trunks' hand was still intertwined with mine, so I at least knew he was with me, but the experience was still truly terrifying.

I blinked and gasped for air, my legs suddenly collapsing from underneath me. Trunks grunted, and I felt his ki increase slightly, his legs tensing beside me.

"The gravity here is heavier than that of Earth," he told me, lifting me back up to my feet. "You can handle it, though."

He was right. It was the sudden change of gravity that had caught me off guard, throwing me to the ground. By increasing my ki a little, I found that I could stand in it easily.

I looked to the sky, and was shocked to see the colour above was not the pretty blue I was used to, but a blood red instead, gray clouds floating here and there.

"Where are we?" I asked, further noting our surroundings. We were in some sort of desert, although up ahead I could see a city, the white and purple towers rising out of the sand like some sort of man-made oasis.

Trunks continued to look around, his hand gripping mine firmly. "Vegeta," he finally said, frowning into the distance.

"What?" I asked. "What does this place have to do with your father?"

"Not my father," came the reply, "the planet. Planet Vegeta. That is where we are now."

"Are you sure?" I asked, suddenly apprehensive. Yes, I had wanted to learn more of my Saiyan heritage, but at the same time I was scared. Trunks and Bulma had both told me of the ruthless nature of Saiyans, and now we were on a planet full of them.

"I'm sure. One of the few conversations I had with my father in the past, was about this place. This is exactly how he described it."

I clung closer to his warm body as the wind picked up, blowing my ponytail around so that it whipped me in the face.

"This isn't good," Trunks continued. "We don't fit in."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "We're Saiyans."

"We're half-breeds," he replied, "something that was frowned upon by the Saiyans. If we looked like Gohan, maybe we would get away with it. But look at me, my hair and eyes are all wrong, and you're not much better."

I gasped, suddenly understanding. 'All full blooded Saiyans have black eyes, and black hair,' Trunks had told me, the day we first met. My eyes were blue, and Trunks' colouring stood out on Earth, let alone on a planet where everyone had the same hair and eyes.

"Well, maybe we should just go back to the lookout, then?" I suggested.

Trunks looked down at me, his mouth pressed into a grim line, and his eyebrows furrowed. "I don't think that's an option at this point," he said. "Mr. Popo told me I had to let you fight, and I don't think he's going to let us return until you do."

I gulped, trying hard to remain calm. "You're saying I have to go fight Saiyans?" I asked. "Saiyans, who massacre entire alien races so that they can on sell the planets, you want me to fight them!" By now my voice had risen, the panic setting in.

Trunks gripped my shoulders, staring into my eyes. "You need to calm down," he said in a quiet voice, full of authority. "You are stronger than all of the others on this planet, we already know that. However, you are inexperienced, so you'll have a disadvantage there. If you panic, you will get hurt. So stay calm."

I looked away, not wanting to deal with anyone at the moment. How did I get myself into this mess?

Trunks pulled me close, wrapping his arms tight around me. "Panda," he whispered in my ear, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine. "Panda, look at me."

I did as he asked, and he kissed me passionately, with more force than he ever had before. "I won't ever let anything happen to you, Panda," he said with determined eyes, "you're far too important to me."

We decided it would be best to run over to the city, making sure we kept our ki levels low enough that they would not stand out in the crowd. Saiyans didn't seem to have the ability to lower their ki levels, so that there were plenty high enough to not make ours- at running level at least- seem any different than others.

"At least this is all in our heads, right?" I said to Trunks as we approached the city.

"Yeah," he replied, a small smile gracing his lips. His eyes still looked wary though, and the sick feeling in my gut grew stronger. If he was worried- the powerful Super Saiyan that he was- something wasn't right.

Trunks slowed down completely, grabbing my arm and bringing me close to him. "Don't make any unnecessary noise," he whispered, directly into my ears. "Remember, all of these people have all of the same abilities as we have, if you can here them, they can here us too."

We edged into the city, looking down each deserted street before traveling in a quick run to the next hiding spot. I pulled Trunks' ear down to my level, whispering as quietly as I could into it.

"What is the purpose of this? What are we looking for?"

"I don't really know, Pan," he whispered back, "but Popo won't let us out until he thinks you've learnt something."

I didn't really know how I could learn something in a desolate place like this.

"Pan," Trunks whispered again at the next corner, "think about it. This place isn't even around anymore. Even with my father's stories, nothing compares to seeing it in person. It's the only chance we may ever have to see our heritage first-hand. We can both learn things here."

I looked around, seeing the streets with new eyes. This certainly looked like a place for the poorer Saiyans, and Trunks had told me my grandfather had been a low class. Could my relatives be around here somewhere?

"Trunks," I asked, "when are we?"

"I don't know Pan," he answered, frowning, "I really don't."

We could sense a huge cluster of ki in the direction we were heading towards. I felt almost as if I were some kind of suicidal animal- a deer perhaps- wandering into the den of many, very hungry lions.

As we rounded the corner we saw the first of them, five Saiyans talking in loud voices. I could just make out what they were saying.

"An' then Bardock comes along an' whops 'im on the head an' bam! He's dead as a doornail!"

"Ahhh, you give me too much credit, Toma," the man I assumed to be Bardock replied. "You know I wouldn't be able to do this stuff without my crew behind me."

This second man had been sitting, concealed behind some of the others. He stood now, and I gasped audibly. His hair, his face even, it was as if he were a clone of my grandfather Goku. He had to be a relation of some sort, the resemblance was too close to deny.

Unfortunately, my gasp had been heard by the lone female there. She turned, her tail flickering behind her, and pressed something on the contraption over her eye. The rest in the group were now looking too, and too late I realised that I had stepped out unconsciously, making myself clearly visible.

"Hey!" one of the taller men called out, "Who are you?"

I've never really been a quick thinker. When things happen suddenly, I usually take a few seconds to work out what to do next. Sometimes, you don't even have those few seconds.

They were flying towards me now, all five looking graceful, and deadly. Luckily for me, Trunks was a quick thinker. He sprang out from the wall he had been behind, grabbing my hand and sprinting in the opposite direction.

We rounded a corner, coming face to face with an even larger group now. Within seconds, we were surrounded.

"What are they?" the female who had first seen me said, while screwing up her nose. "Some kind of alien vermin, that's for sure."

I gripped Trunks' hand tighter, standing as close to him as I possibly could. "It's not working," he hissed at me.

"What?" I asked, my voice tense.

"My transformation! Its not working! I can't increase my ki any higher!" I looked to his face and saw pure terror. Sensing Trunks' ki as it was, it was only enough to handle a few of the Saiyans at a time, but certainly not the whole group present.

"How…" I began to ask, but my sentence was cut short by blow to the cheek, sending my crashing to the ground. It stung like hell, and when I stood up, I saw that Trunks had been dealt the same.

It was the female who had attacked me. She smirked, her tail waving in pleasure. "I think we should take them to the king," she said to the others, "we might get a nice reward for catching a few spies."

I stepped back, my hands forming into fists. "Pan!" Trunks yelled, "increase your ki!"

"Shut up!" said a huge Saiyan, knocking Trunks hard on the head, causing him to crumple on the ground.

"Trunks!" I yelled, starting towards him. I'd only made it a few steps when my head suddenly hurt, and everything went black.

***

When I next came to, the first thing I noticed was that I was lying on something soft. "Mmphmm," I groaned, a hand moving unconsciously to my head. "What the hell happened?"

"Well, isn't that rich," a deep voice rumbled, "The spies are demanding answers. Tsk, they certainly don't have any manners, do they son?"

"No sir," came the voice of a small boy, "no manners at all."

I sat up, and suddenly realised that I was in a large room, the roof held up by stone pillars, and light streaming in though high, stained glass windows. It almost seemed like an old cathedral from Earth, or a castle or something.

A castle.

I looked up at the man who had spoken, my eyes widening in shock. Deep black eyes bore into my own, the eyebrows turned down in a slight frown. Black hair rose in a flame above the head, with a large widows peak framing the face. The face that looked just like Trunks' father, and just like Trunks.

It didn't take me long to realise who it was, or where I was. The man in front of me was clearly the King of Saiyans, and I was in his palace, sitting on the red carpet, surrounded by the strongest of Saiyan guards.

"She has strange eyes," came the little voice again, and my gaze dropped to the little boy standing beside the king's leg. He looked no older than three, but had the same looks as his father, the frowning eyes, handsome face, and hair that rose in a flame.

It was Vegeta. Trunks' father.

He looked cute, and I smiled at him. What a stupid mistake.

Faster than I could react, I was slapped across the face, leaving my other cheek burning. I looked up expecting to see that the king had given me such a blow, but instead came face to face with the little prince, now scowling at me.

"How dare you look at me like that!" he spat. "I am a prince! You should bow at me feet!"

The king chuckled, picking up the boy and passing him to a guard. "Go see your mother," he told the child, "I wouldn't want you to kill our guests before I get to question them." When the boy had left the building, the king turned back to me.

"Tell me who you are," he said calmly. "Tell me, and perhaps I will let you and your friend live."

I looked to my side for the first time, noticing Trunks lying on my left, still unconscious.

"Uh…I…my name is Pan," I said quietly.

"I don't care what your name is, girl! It's who you are! What you are!" the king suddenly bellowed. "Are you a spy? What are you? You smell Saiyan, but your not!"

I was shaking with fear and shock by this point, and not until he put his hand on mine, did I realise Trunks was awake. "Tell him the truth," he croaked. "Its all in your head, anyway."

"I'm part Saiyan," I said to the king, "and so is he," I said, motioning to Trunks. The king's eyes widened, and he made an angry sound, something between a hiss and a growl.

"Part Saiyan?" he finally said, frowning even more than before. "You're telling me you're some kind of half-breed?"

"Yes," I replied. "My father was half Saiyan. That's all. His father was full Saiyan." I thought it best not to mention that his father was actually the boy who was just here, the king would think I was crazy.

The king made a movement towards me, and Trunks growled; the same protective sound coming from his throat that always occurred when he thought men were getting too close to me. This didn't impress the king at all, and he attacked Trunks, hitting him in the face and gut. I screamed, but remained paralyzed by fear.

By time the king was done, Trunks was vomiting blood, sporting a split lip, swollen eye and broken nose. He looked at me, and I saw the fear in his eyes. It scared me more than anything else. He had always been the strong one. He had always saved me. Now it seemed as if it were my turn.

The king stepped towards me, pulling me to my feet by my arm. He was tall, far taller than Trunks, I realised, and he bent his head so that he could look me closer in the eye.

"Hnn," he mumbled, "yes, I see now, you are a half-breed. Such a shame, if it weren't for your odd eyes, you'd be quite an pretty lass." He made a sound in his throat, one that I had heard occasionally before, in moments when Trunks and I were alone.

I knew, somehow, what that noise signified among Saiyans.

Lust.

Trunks growled, even louder than before. Despite his injuries, he launched himself at the king, trying in vain to hit him. For some reason, there seemed to be a wall on his power, and he couldn't summon the strength he needed. It only took two blows, and Trunks was thrown across the room, yelling in pain.

The king moved swiftly back to me, yanking on my hair, pulling my face closer to his own. Something moved like a vice around my waist, and I realised slowly that it was his tail, gripping me in place.

"Perhaps I could spare you," he said. "You're quite a unique creature, after all." His mouth was close to my ear now, and I could feel his breath on my cheek. "Hmm," he continued, "you certainly smell like a Saiyan."

That was it. I wasn't going to let some old jerk treat me like a piece of meat, no matter who he was. I had a boyfriend, and he was the only man I'd ever want touching me.

The king, distracted by his own disgusting thoughts, didn't realise I was aiming for his gut- right under the armour- until it was too late. Taking advantage of this, I hit him again, in the head, and then kicked him in the side, making sure my ki was now as strong as it could get.

Shocked, the king staggered, but quickly regained his ground. With a fierce growl, he lunged at me, and we began fighting. Trunks had been right; I was too inexperienced, and even with my strength, I found it hard to fight the king.

I hadn't been paying attention to what Trunks had been doing, but now realised he was fighting off guards, one warrior in blue and lavender, surrounded by a swarm of black. I moved closer to Trunks, until we stood back-to-back, ready to help each other fight.

The king was not a stupid man, and I saw something flash in his eyes as he watched my interaction with Trunks. Too quick for me to see, he had thrown Trunks on the ground, and was preparing to fire a ki blast at him from close range.

Time seemed to slow down, just as it did when I was shot at in the alley. Suddenly, I saw things with perfect clarity. In his condition, Trunks would be killed by that ki blast.

I could not let that happen.

I dived in front of the king, landing in a sprawl of limbs on top of Trunks. We looked into each other's eyes, somehow knowing that this was the end, our very last second before death.

I saw the love he had for me then, and I knew he saw my love for him.

The fire burnt hot, only for a second, then I felt strangely cold, and my eyes focused again.

I was standing in the dark room once more, the huge pendulum hanging from the roof. Trunks was still holding my hand, his grip tight around me fingers. I looked up into his face, and saw a vast mixture of emotions swirling in his eyes. Suddenly, his face seemed to go blank.

"Mr. Popo," he said in a monotone, "I couldn't access all of my ki. Why?"

"I warned you," the genie replied. "I told you that you were not allowed to help her. When you did, the room stopped you from using your ki, so that Pan could fight herself."

"I see," Trunks replied, his voice still sounding dead. "Thank you for the training to day. We'll be going now."

All three of us walked silently to the lookout edge, before Mr. Popo finally bade us farewell. "Come visit sometime," he said, smiling.

Trunks transformed, momentarily examining the golden aura around himself, before he picked me up and jumped off. We fell for a few moments, until he finally started flying, blasting off with a bang.

I looked up at his face and knew something was seriously wrong. He still wore that blank expression, and didn't even seem to notice me there, in his arms.

"Trunks," I said, wanting to talk to him. When he made no movement, I spoke again. "Trunks," I repeated more loudly, pressing my hand into his shoulder, "Trunks, look at me!"

Suddenly the air was rushing around me, and I realised I was falling, plummeting towards the Earth. Still new to flying, my shock made me momentarily forget how to stop the Earth from surging any closer towards me.

As the ground came closer, strong arms suddenly gripped me, and I looked up to see Trunks again, his face contorted in pain and anger. He landed on the ground, placing me down firmly, and stepped back.

"I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you," he said grimly. "But look what happened today. I wasn't even strong enough to save you, from…from those pathetic weaklings! From him! My own bloody grandfather!"

"It was just a dream," I replied, but he was already too far in his own thoughts to hear.

"I dropped you Pan!" he yelled. "Do you hate me now? I dropped you! I can't even protect you from a bunch of low class Saiyans! I…I can't…I can't…"

"Trunks!" I yelled back. "Don't be stupid! Mr. Popo did that, not you! He did it to me, to make me train! None of it was real! None!"

"I can't," he continued, "I just can't…I can't take it anymore. I can't handle losing anyone else. I can't lose you Pan, I can't… lose another person I love…" he fell to the ground, his hair now back to the usual lavender, and began to sob.

I rushed to him, falling to my knees and bundling him into my arms as best as I could. He buried his face in the fabric on my chest, his body shaking with every ragged breath.

"Shhh, there, there," I mumbled into his hair. "I'm not going anywhere, you won't ever loose me, I promise."

We sat there on the grass, in the middle of nowhere, holding each other for what seemed like hours. Finally, he spoke.

"I tried," he whispered, "I tried to save you."

"I know," I said, "You're the bravest person I've ever met."

He took in a deep breath, his grip on me tightening. "I know it was just something in our heads, just for training, but Kami, Pan, it felt real. The way he looked at you…it drove me insane."

"It drove me insane to see you get hurt. I hated it. But I did learn something, you know. I've never been in battle, I never knew what it was like to see people fight- actually fight- to the death," I told him, myself now on the verge of tears. "Its so scary," I added, my voice breaking.

We lay down in the grass, and I cried on his shoulder, holding him as tightly as I could, wishing that I never had to be parted from him, not even for a moment. He clung to me just as tight, and it seemed that we were in our own little world, just us two.

"I love you," I whispered, clinging even tighter.

He looked into my eyes, the bright blue piercing my own. "Do you really?" he asked, almost as if he couldn't believe it were true. "Do you really love me?"

"Yes," I breathed.

"I love you too, Pan," he said, his forehead pressed against mine. "I love you so much, it feels like I'm going to burst. I want you to be mine, forever."

"I am," I replied, kissing his lips. "I'm yours."


A/N: Whoa! That's a long chapter lol…it kinda got away on me, I couldn't stop myself from writing! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this one!

The story is really going to pick up from now on, so there's going to be lots more adventure etc…

By the way, if you don't know what the Pendulum room is, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu and Yamcha train in it before the Saiyans first arrive on Earth, they get sent to Planet Vegeta in order to show them how strong Saiyans are. It's only in the anime, though.