Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.

Reality

My muscles tensed automatically as I moved into position, my left foot forward, my body slightly crouched, and my arms up ready to both attack and defend.

From what I had seen in the past week, I had assumed my father to be a modest man, slightly shy, and definitely not one to brag.

Looking at him now, I was beginning to think I'd assumed wrong.

We were standing out in the desert, and the wind whipped at my face. I'd tied my hair in a high pony in preparation for the fight, but now I wished I'd done it in a bun. No doubt it would get in the way, and I was already at a huge disadvantage.

Across from me stood my father, his hair glowing gold, his arms crossed and head tilted as if to say 'I'm bored'. I swallowed down the bile that rose in my throat, and hoped that I didn't look as scared as I felt. It was if my cool dad had been replaced by this angry super-being, who seemed completely unimpressed by what I had to offer.

Oh shit.

"Just stay calm, Pan! You'll be fine!" Trunks called from the small crowd on the designated 'sideline'. "Use your instincts, remember to block, you're much smaller than him, so try to use it to your advantage!" He continued to yell out advice, but it fell on deaf ears. The only thing I could hear now was my pulse, going crazy in my ears.

The Super Saiyan let his arms fall to his sides, and lurched forward suddenly. I barely had time to block the first blow, which still propelled me backwards. I did a quick back flip and took to the air, my breath coming in shallow gasps. It was easier to fight someone far bigger than me in the air, where the height difference didn't matter so much.

He flew up to meet me, and I jerked sideways suddenly, landing a kick in his face. For a moment, I felt excited, because I'd actually done something right.

Then I realised I'd done something very wrong.

"First rule," he bellowed, making a show as he swung me round by my legs, "never leave yourself open!" He threw me then, and I flew straight into a nearby cliff, all the air leaving me in a great 'whoosh'.

I seriously considered just staying in the rubble. What was the point of asking for more pain? But then I heard the voices of our small audience, carrying over the wind.

Vegeta was insulting me again, going on about how weak and pathetic I was. Tarble was defending me, and Piccolo merely grunted in disappointment. Then I heard something that really pissed me off.

"She's just a girl," someone commented, "I don't think she's that strong at all, Saiyan or not."

I felt the anger I had been lacking boil inside me, and with it all the Saiyan instincts that I usually repressed were released. It was this fuel that I needed- the sense that the fight was fun- a thrill, a challenge. Pushing rocks aside I stood up, and strode out with my head held high.

Then the real fight began.

***

I came to, to find that I was lying flat on my back, or at least that's what it felt like. I couldn't totally be sure, my vision was blurred- whether from tears or dizziness I couldn't tell- and my ears were ringing, drowning out any other sounds.

My arm ached, of that I was certain. In fact, it felt like someone had set it on fire, but when I tried to move, I found myself too weak to do anything more than blink.

So it was tears that clouded my eyes. I felt them rolling down my cheeks, as more welled up, until all I saw was a strange whirl of blue above me. Quite suddenly, a little purple added itself to the mix.

"Trunks?" I croaked hoarsely, managing to wiggle one finger in greeting. Kami, was I dying? It sure felt like it.

"Gohan!" Trunks yelled, loud enough for me to hear above the sound of my own throbbing pulse, "What the hell is wrong with you? That was too much! You could have killed her! Hurry up, Krillin, get a senzu over here, NOW!"

There were more people standing above me now, the colours of them swirled together in my vision. Lots of black blobs, a blue head too, and a few bald heads thrown in the mix. I could hear them all speaking, although I couldn't understand anything, and I suddenly felt very scared. Did they even realise how bad this felt?

I must have made some sort of noise, because Trunks' face suddenly hovered above my own, his bright blue eyes blazing through my tears.

"Pan, Pan, look at me!" he said, not bothering to hide the worry in his voice. "Sweetie, can you talk? It's going to be okay, Krillin has a senzu here for you."

I tried to speak, but my entire mouth felt swollen and numb, all that came out was a slight gagging sound. I coughed, my chest constricting in pain, as spittle flew out my lips. I thought I saw red, and realised with panic that I was coughing blood.

I tried to suck in air then, but it wasn't enough, and I gurgled, drowning in the wetness that flooded my throat. My vision suddenly whirled, and I groaned in pain as I found myself facing the dirt, strong hands supporting me as the liquid drained out of my mouth.

I saw the sky again, then, and something was placed in my mouth. "Eat the senzu!" Trunks' voice said, "Chew it, Pan."

My jaw didn't work; I couldn't seem to remember quite how to chew. My vision began to darken then, first around the edges, closing slowly around the middle, although the rest of me remained conscious. Somewhere, far off, I heard my mother's panicked shout.

Fingers were in my mouth again, and the bean was gone. Then Trunks' breath was warm on my cheek, and his tongue was in my mouth. I had the oddest sensation as if I were out of my body, watching the scene from a distance. Was this when the handsome hero realises he can't save his lover, and so gives her one kiss goodbye?

His lips left mine, but there was something bitter still in my mouth. "Swallow it, Pan! Swallow the bean!" I lay there, the strange lump of goop on my tongue, my eyes blind to the world, wondering what on Earth was going on. A small voice told me in the back of my mind that Trunks had chewed the bean for me, saving me from the effort of moving my jaw.

I swallowed then, although it was painful, and I felt like vomiting. The seconds seemed to go by slowly, and then suddenly, everything was fine.

I had been lying on the ground; Trunks' arms were around me now, supporting my head. I lifted my arms, amazed to see my strength returned, but horrified by the amount of blood that covered my torn clothing and dripped down my limbs.

I sat up slowly, blinking in surprise, checking myself over for any trace of injury. The senzu beans never ceased to amaze me- it shouldn't have been possible to heal so quickly, and yet that was what happened every time.

"Hey," someone said near my ear, and I turned to see the worried face of my father, his dark eyes examining my own. "I'm really sorry, Pan, I put too much force into that last blast."

"Huh?" I mumbled, blinking in confusion. Slowly, the memories of the fight trickled back- images of flying fists, feelings of anger and excitement, and the fear that froze me when he fired the last attack. I opened my mouth to say it wasn't his fault- it was me, after all, that had failed to block the blast correctly, as I had been taught- but before I could even get the words out, I was interrupted.

"Don't apologise," Vegeta snarled, "She's a Saiyan; she should have been able to deflect that blast with ease. If she can't even handle such basic moves as that, well, she shouldn't even bother trying to fight."

"She panicked, brother," Tarble interjected, "that's understandable, given the fact that this was the first serious fight she's ever had. You must admit, she's done very well, to have progressed so far in such a short amount of time. Had she been on our own planet, I have no doubt that she would have been classed an elite immediately; you know she's far stronger than you were back then, and you were the strongest…"

"Strength isn't the only factor that makes a good elite! Of all people, I would expect you to know that, little brother," Vegeta snapped back, "considering you're the son of a king- bastard or not. If she cannot form good strategy- if she cannot keep her head in battle- then she will die. Everyone knows that, so don't try and stick up for her. Why do you always have to be so soft?"

To Tarble's credit, he stood his ground against Vegeta, glaring back up at his older brother. "I think she fought well," he said slowly, "save for the mishap at the end. But everyone makes mistakes, even you. That is how one learns to do better next time."

Vegeta glared back at Tarble, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "You are a fool," he said, his low voice filled with contempt, "and I just hope you don't rely on this child while on the battlefield; I certainly wouldn't trust her with my life." With that he blasted off, not bothering to look back.

"Just ignore him," Trunks whispered, kissing my ear, "you did very well, Panda. You just need to remember to stay calm, okay?"

I nodded in reply, getting to my feet slowly, and brushing off my gi as well as I could. I was very embarrassed about how the fight had gone- in the end I could have blocked the blast properly, or even counteracted with my own, but I had simply stood there like a fool, frozen in place as the blast hit me.

"Man, I think you did great, facing a Super Saiyan!" Krillin said, giving me a pat on the back, "You couldn't pay me to get in the ring with Gohan, nowadays."

I faked a smile in reply, nodding as everyone told me how well they thought I did, reassuring them all that I was fine. My mother was giving my father a strange look, her face a mixture of anger, fear and revulsion, her lips pursed in a thin line.

"You promised me you wouldn't hurt her," she whispered, meeting his gaze.

"It was a mistake," he replied softly, "I'm sorry."

"Everything's a mistake with you, Gohan," she said with a sigh, "you're always sorry." With that she turned to me. "We're going home, now."

I shook my head, taking a step back. "I'll fly Nimbus home, I'll meet you there," I told her. Not waiting for a reply, I jumped into the air, calling for the cloud at the same time.

"Pan!" Trunks called, taking to the air.

"No!" I yelled back, "Just leave me alone, okay? I just… I just need some time to think."

Trunks nodded, although he looked hurt that I had rejected the offer of his company. Still, I was sure he understood; sometimes a person just needs their own space. Right now, I only had enough patience to deal with myself.

Feeling the soft nimbus cloud beneath me, I sighed in relief, and told it to fly. I didn't care where it took me, so long as it was away from that battlefield.

***

I sat in the forest outside Orange Star City, curled in a ball on the damp ground, with my arms wrapped around my legs. I was cold, but that wasn't bothering me.

It was the fight, and the reality that had finally hit me today.

Tears trickled down my cheeks as I recalled the last few minutes of the fight with perfect clarity.

I hit him hard in the gut, shifting back and grabbing hold of his arm while he was momentarily distracted. Throwing him down onto the ground, I laughed, reveling in the thrill of battle.

I thought he was injured- he didn't appear to be moving- but suddenly he was behind me, strong arms pulling my arms back painfully.

"You're treating this like it's a game, but this isn't," he said, his voice filled with anger. "You won't survive a battle unless you take things seriously!"

With that I was hit in the back, and found myself plummeting back onto the ground with a harsh thud. I scrambled onto my knees, looking up at my father, who forming a huge blast above his head.

"Take the fight seriously, Pan!" he yelled, "Block this, it's the only choice you have!"

"NO!" Trunks screamed from the small group gathered, "She can't deflect that! It's too strong, you'll kill her!"

I looked back and forth between Trunks and my father, and could feel the panic rising in me with every breath I took.

"Are you always going to make him save you, Pan?" my father goaded, "Or will you stop this yourself, for once?"

"No!" Trunks screamed again, and I looked across to see him transformed, trying to fly towards me while Vegeta, Piccolo and Tarble held him back. "No! Pan!"

"MASENKO!" my father screamed, the blast blazing as it left his hands.

I froze, unable to move, shocked by the suddenly ruthlessness of it all. Up until that point, I had considered fighting to be just a game, and had relied on Trunks too much. Now I realised how terrifying fighting really was, and watched with horror as the blast came down, the heat burning me before it even made contact with my skin.

I shivered, sobbing and burying my head in my knees. It was all too much; I wasn't ready to be a fighter, I didn't have the control or confidence, like all of the true warriors had. I was simply a novice, and they would all be better without me there in a true fight, just as Vegeta had said.

"Hey, don't cry," a voice came, and I looked around, startled.

"Gr… grandpa?" I asked, unsure if I was simply imagining things.

"Yeah, it's me," came the reply, "Grandpa Goku. I watched your fight."

"Oh…" I said, trailing off. I really didn't want to hear what he had to say about it.

"You did really well," he said, his voice sounding reassuring, "you don't have to feel bad about it."

"But…"

"No buts, you did well, okay?" he replied, "I know it's really scary, coming face to face with things like that for the first time. You're really brave, Pan."

"But Bulma said you were never scared of anything?" I asked, looking up at the trees, wishing that my grandfather were actually here on Earth, rather than in Other World.

"Haha!" came his laugh, and I smiled a little myself. "No way!" he continued, "I've been scared plenty of times! You just have to push past it… so don't worry, okay? You should go home and have a big dinner now, you look cold, and you'll feel better with food in your tummy!"

I laughed, wiping away the last of my tears. "Okay Grandpa, I'll go home."

"Good. I'm proud of you, Pan," he replied.

"Thanks," I mumbled, blushing. I paused, wondering if he would reply, but no other sound came. Sighing, I began my run back home.

***

I received plenty of stares as I walked home through the city; although I wasn't injured I was still covered in dirt and dried blood. Deciding that I'd had enough of the stares, I took the shortcut back home, cutting through the local primary school grounds.

Walking back out onto the road, I stopped, with a sudden gasp of surprise. Across the road, I saw something- a creature, an alien. I was sure it had to be something out of this world… no human ever looked like that. But then I blinked, and it was gone.

The whole episode lasted no more than a second. I shook my head, telling myself I was simply imagining things; it was probably the after effects of my fight. After all, I couldn't sense any ki where he had been standing, nor any in the near vicinity.

Still, my gut told me that I had seen something strange, and the hairs rose on my arms as I walked briskly home. Why would there be other aliens on this planet, if what I had seen really were true?

Feeling emotionally drained, I collapsed on my bed, not bothering to eat. I closed my eyes, and soon found myself dreaming about the strange man with purple skin; his white mohawk waving softly in the wind.

A/N: I've been very busy in the last two weeks, which is why it took me so long to update. However, I can assure you all that I will not stop writing until this story is finished, and that there is about twenty-five to thirty more chapters to go. I hope you enjoy this one, I'm looking forward to writing the next chapter because things are really going to get exciting now!

Also, I've left a link to my DeviantArt page on my fanfiction profile, if anyone is interested. I've drawn pictures of both Pan's ring from Tarble (that one isn't very good), and one of Pan in the gi Piccolo gave her. You can find both pictures by browsing through my gallery on there.