Pan writhed in pain, black turning into a rich burgundy when she tried to open her eyes. She tried to feel her way out of her seat but found her hands wouldn't move. Her legs were restricted in the same way.
Oh my Dende… Oh my Dende, I'm paralysed!
That first, irrational thought that spun through Pan's head was the first of many. Her vision obscured, her limbs rendered useless – the disorientation that came from such a confined state was soon replaced with a heightened sense of smell and hearing.
Blood. All she could smell was the thick, acrid odour of her own blood. The sounds of metal upon metal were the only things she could sense. After trying to clear her eyes of what she assumed to be yet more blood, hazy, blurred movements, the distinction between light and dark started to become more apparent.
She was no longer on her ship, that was for sure; there were also many more people around her than she had been used to in her chosen, anti-social confines.
She saw figures moving around her, craning their long, thin necks over her. She felt cold metal prod into her arm, then a ripping pain of a large needle probing deep into her veins. She let out an unwanted shout and flung her head to the side, trying to locate her violator.
The response she achieved was nothing more than gobbledegook, a series of throaty clicks and hums, not too dissimilar from the whirring noise ancient automobiles made.
"Who are you!?" Pan shouted. "Where am I!?"
More clicks and hums filled the air, before a deep voice pierced the commotion.
"Your bloods read Saiya-jin…."
Pan's uncertainty and bewilderment intensified. The voice spoke in her native tongue, something that had been a rare occurrence on her travels.
"Tell me, Saiya-jin… what are you doing in this part of the galaxy? As far as we were all aware, the last remaining Saiya-jin's were settled on Earth."
Pan refrained from answering. The voice felt familiar, yet foreign to her. She was not about to release any fine details about herself, or her family and friends.
"If that's the way in which you choose to conduct yourself, then I believe the Daiforians under my command have a unique way of extracting the information I so desire…"
An eerie silence filled the room. One could have heard a pin drop. The quiet started to make Pan exceptionally nervous. Beads of sweat started to pool on her brow, slowly sliding down the side of her face, painting a nude trail in the rouge patterns starting to crust and form on her cheeks.
The atmosphere was dissonantly calm, unnerving in fact. Until the peace was shattered by the piercing scream of a just twenty-year old girl.
The long, spiny fingers of a Daiforian plunged deep into her stomach, clawing deep and scratching like the sharp needle of a spinning wheel. She could feel every movement, going deeper and deeper into her skin, scratching away at the toned muscle of her torso.
Another earsplitting scream resonated throughout the metal chamber through the heart-wrenching sobs of the young Saiya-jin explorer. She had never felt suffering like it. It felt as though her heart and soul were been forcefully ripped from her very being. It felt as though she was losing the battle against her independence, against her dreams and ambitions.
Her thoughts strayed to her family, how she had not been in contact with them for just over two years. How she would never see her parents again, never see Bulma and Bra again; never see her Grandma and Grandpa Goku again; never see Trunks again.
The tears started to flow down her cheeks with more vigour, the steady stream turning into a fast flowing river. Her body started numb, her skin turning a deathly grey from the lack of blood, goosebumps dotted her skin from her collarbones to the tips of her toes. Pan closed her eyes, and took what she believed to be her last, stunted breath. She was starting to give up…
"Stop this!"
The deep voice from before reverberated around the chamber and Pan felt the clawing sensation subside, and a blast of cool, clean air hit her tender, throbbing wound.
"Let the girl free and patch that wound. I wish to speak with her alone."
Pan heard the owner of the deep voice take several steps away from where she was strapped, possibly heading towards an exit.
"Why do you wish to speak with me after this?" She shouted after her native-speaking captor.
The footsteps stopped.
"We need to discuss the abnormal mix in your blood, quarter breed Saiya-jin…"
"Pan? Pan-chan? Hey!"
Pan came to, being shaken forcefully by the shoulders by Trunks. She refocused and looked around, taking in her current surroundings. Everything was as it should have been. Her room at Capsule Corp., was untouched, and as normal as could be possible considering everything.
For what seemed like the millionth time since her return only thirty-six hours prior, she stared into cerulean eyes, and lost herself again.
Shaped just like his…
She shook herself mentally, ridding herself of thoughts she'd rather not have.
"Sorry Trunks-kun," Pan shone a half-hearted attempt at a dazzling smile. "I just had a little daydream."
"Daydream, Panny? It's two thirty in the morning."
Pan's mouth shaped into a perfect 'O' at this unbelievable revelation.
"Oh… sorry, my bad…" She trailed off, not knowing what else to say, as she'd rather not divulge any information about anything that she'd been thinking of previously.
"Pan, I'm really worried about you… you seem detached from everything… well, not like that's not normal, but…"
"What do you mean, Trunks?" Pan's demeanour changed in an instant, from one that he was comfortable with to something completely the opposite. Her eyes had darkened, and she screamed contention.
"I mean that you were pretty distant from us before you even left, it's like you're an entirely different person now. Hell, Panny, I don't even felt like I know you in the slightest anymore."
Pan crossed her arms, inadvertently drawing more attention to her chest. She continued to stare Trunks out.
"Isn't it apparent that I'm not the same person anymore? You, however…" She nodded her head, drawing Trunks' attention away from her chest and back up to her eyes. "Seem to be as vulgar as ever."
"I was never vulgar!" Exclaimed Trunks, shocked at her accusation, but also at himself – he had no idea that he was staring so intently… especially at something like that!
Pan's voice dropped to a whisper. "I thought you had changed, Trunks-kun."
Inwardly, Trunks smiled to himself. Not everything had changed. His and Pan's relationship thrived on the occasional argument, and this time was no exceptional. They'd bicker and then fight, then Pan would buckle, and change the subject in a quiet voice.
"Pan-chan, I have changed… we all have. A lot happens in four years, especially when someone so important vanishes without a trace… We missed you so much."
Pan was silent, again starting to feel guilty about her adventures.
"But it's OK, you're back now, right? You're not going anywhere in a hurry?"
Pan shook her head.
"Because I couldn't bear it if you were gone again…"
Trunks moved closer to Pan, brushing her cheek with his index finger and then cupping her face, tilting her face upwards.
"I'm so glad you're back…"
His lips brushed against her cheek, before slowing moving downwards to lip the corner of her mouth. Pan emitted a gasp unwillingly, giving Trunks access to her mouth. Their lips met in a fiery clash of anger, relief and passion, their tongues dancing together as they had done that one, solitary night they had shared together. Pan's arms wound their way around Trunks neck, her fingers tangled in the long strands of purple hair at the nape of his neck. He pulled her closer in response, crushing her against him with more force than was necessary, causing them to stumble backwards and fall on to her bed.
Their fingers danced, their minds raced, their skin burned. Energy spiked around the couple, creating intricate patterns in the shadows of the room. Lavender locks tangled with midnight black, gasps and moans echoed about the walls.
Pan pulled away from the ardent embrace and looked down at Trunks, opening her mouth to speak. He placed a finger over her lips and hushed her gently.
"There's no need for words…"
Right, now I definitely need your input – whether to make this a more mature story or not… if you get me.
This is rated 'T' at present, and I'm willing to put the rating up if reader want that.
So please, drop me a review and the story will continue accordingly.
Many thanks,
-listenserendipity
