LVR4Trunks-n-Vegeta: Heheh yes they did! And errr... She might.

emikot316: Yeah she had her birthday a few months back. She's 18.

Nando: I thought about the whole scent thing... But I was honestly too lazy to add it :p how about Trunks just took a quick shower before meeting the others, eh?

julietbriefs: Meeh not yet! Hehe

The Night Whisperer: In Goku's defenses, which he will explain, he thought he was helping (saving) Pan.

Becca: *taps fingers* perhaps...

VampireKnight123: Thank you!

Kasumi Michaelis: MAYBE I GUESS YOU'LL JUST FIND OUT, WON'T CHA.

Sango: *glances around and whispers* wrong anime, guuurl. Hahah but I get it xp kinda sounds like that, huh? But naaah Goku had his reasons.

Thank you, Kim!

38- The Truth

Trunks rubbed his eyes as he made his way outside of the lookout to the small spot where the others sat around a small fire, bringing them some warmth.

Trunks looked around the group. Goten looked half-dead, his elbows resting on his knees, his head in his palm, snoring quite loudly. Beside him, Gohan rubbed his tired eyes, yawning. On the other side of the man, Piccolo sat, his back straight and arms crossed. Trunks almost wanted to snarl at the Namek for waking him up. And, across from him sat Vegeta and Goku.

With a sigh, Trunks took a seat next to his father. "You two are back early."

Vegeta snorted, crossing his arms. "Like we need a full year of training!"

Goku smiled, "it was still nice."

"So... Is there any particular reason we're having a meeting?" Trunks mumbled.

"Actually, there's a reason I wanted you all here," Goku spoke up.

"Hey, get up," Gohan nudged Goten, causing the man to jolt up.

"I'm awake," he smiled tiredly.

"What's wrong Dad?" Gohan asked, knowing his father wouldn't have called them all there in the middle of the night without a serious reason.

"All the women are asleep, and it's just us... I figured it was the right time to tell you guys."

"Tell us what?" Trunks asked, scratching his chin. Why did he have to wake up in the middle of the night anyways?

Goku took a deep breath, "the truth about the crystal... I lied when I said I lost it. Truth is, I know exactly where it is..."

XxXxX

Pan turned on her back, blowing some hair out of her face. She had tried to fall asleep after Trunks left, but it was useless. She just couldn't get comfortable again... Slowly, she sat up, rubbing her eyes. Her stomach grumbled and she frowned, maybe she was a bit hungry.

Carefully she slipped off the bed, wincing at the pain between her legs. She slipped on her clothes before quietly sneaking out of the door.

She searched for Trunks' ki, but she didn't only find him... Her grandfather and Vegeta were back already? And, what was her father and uncle still doing up? Piccolo was there, too...? Pan lowered her ki, not wanting any of the boys to sense her as she tip-toed to where they were. She was curious... Were they having a guy talk?

The Saiyaness peaked over a pillar, seeing the back of Trunks and Vegeta, and the others around them... So, they were having a guy talk! She was tempted to go out there and surprise them, but she stopped when she heard her grandfather's words.

She gasped before clamping a hand to her mouth and leaning against the wall, silent tears streaming down her face. It couldn't be true...

XxXxX

"The crystal is more powerful than you can ever imagine," Goku began softly. "It's what gave the Horosha their life..."

"So, it's their life force?" Gohan asked.

"In a way," Goku nodded. He sighed before continuing. "When I found the crystal on Yardrat, King Kai warned me about it. He told me it wouldn't be wise to keep it, but I was mesmerized by it.

"After my heart ordeal, I found the crystal again... To my surprise it absorbed into my body... I felt so much stronger! And, you can imagine how King Kai reacted when I showed up at his place after the fight with cell... He wanted me to take it out, but I simply didn't see the harm in it, so again, I didn't listen.

"We all know how Pan was when she was first born..."

"Dad, you didn't..." Gohan whispered, his throat suddenly feeling dry.

Goku let out a shaky breath, nodding. "Pan was born so premature, and she was so weak... I was able to give her some of the crystal and just like that... She instantly became better."

Gohan blinked, recalling the strange turn in health Pan had when she was just a baby... She was born weak, even for a Saiyan, and then one day, her health suddenly improved. She was eating and breathing right, she started growing, although she always stayed petite.

"Some of it?" Trunks cut in, trying to wrap his head around the information. "Are you saying some of the crystal is in Pan, and some is in you?"

Goku shook his head slowly, "no... There was a Shadow Dragon-"

"Dad," Gohan cut in, his eyes wide and fearful. "Please don't tell me what I think you are..."

Goku sighed, looking at the ground. "Pan died..."

"What?!" Both Trunks and Goten demanded.

"Dammit," Gohan cursed lowly, covering his eyes with his hand as he welled up.

"The dragon absorbed Pan," Goku said as calmly as he could. "I couldn't hurt the dragon without hurting Pan... I tried my best to be as careful as possible, but it was in vain. Once the dragon was gone, Pan laid on the ground, motionless... I became scared, heartbroken, angry... I didn't know what to do...

"But, then I did... I knew exactly what I had to do to bring Pan back... I gave her the rest of the crystal. All of it is inside of Pan, now you know why it's so important that we convince the Horosha that the crystal is not here. If they take the crystal from Pan, she'll-"

"Don't," Trunks stopped him, shaking his head and looking at the ground. He tightened his jaw before loosening it. His body shook as silence dawned on the group. The story was ridiculous! But, the hybrid knew it must have been true... Goku wouldn't lie about something like that... "Don't talk in 'ifs', because those damn aliens aren't laying a hand on Pan."

"We'll convince them," Goten said, determination in his voice.

Gohan fisted a hand in his lap. "We're going to do whatever it takes to keep Pan safe..." He looked around the group, seeing the others eyes just as serious as his. "Whatever it takes..."

XxXxX

Pan leaned off the wall, rushing down the hallways as her vision blurred with tears. She couldn't believe what she had just heard... The crystal was in her? She died? Why hadn't she been told this before?

She halted suddenly as someone stepped in front of her and she wiped her eyes. "Dende-Sama..." She whispered. "You knew, didn't you...? The other day, that's why you were looking at me..."

The Namekian nodded slowly, his face and voice soft. "I'm sorry, Pan... I was trying to keep it from you as well."

The young woman closed her eyes, hot tears spilling from them. She swallowed a lump in her throat. "What should I do?"

"I cannot tell you," Dende said softly. "Whatever you decide, the decision must be one you make on your own."

Pan sniffed, letting the tears roll down her cheeks. She didn't want to die... She didn't want to leave everyone she loved, but she knew what the right thing to do was. The question was, could she do it?

Pan let a few more tears roll down her cheeks before breathing deeply and wiping them away. She wouldn't allow herself to cry over something she couldn't change any longer. And, she wouldn't let anyone know that she knew. She opened her eyes to look at Dende, but he was already gone. With a sigh, she quietly made her way back to Trunks' room. It was best to pretend like nothing had happened at all...

Previews For The Next Chapter:

"I'm not a kid," she continued to mumble, her eyes rolling close.

"I know," Trunks smirked lightly. "I just like touching you."

Pan grinned softly, "you've been touching me all afternoon..."

"Mhm..." He agreed, "I want to touch you more too."

"Pft," she said lightly. "How are still going?"

"I'm a man, Love," he kissed her temple gently. "I have two heads, but mostly think with one."

Pan snorted, burying her nose into the pillow more. "I guess that's true."

Trunks smiled softly, resting his head on his arm and tucking a piece of Pan's hair behind her ear. He knew she was tired; she hadn't opened her eyes in a while.

"Panna," Trunks whispered.