15- Day Terrors
The warm summer air rustled Trunks' hair as he walked into the Son's backyard. It was lively as the family scattered across it, but Trunks' eyes scanned the backyard and landed instantly on Pan. She was laughing as she tossed Goten on the ground from the game they were playing. Trunks' chest tightened at the sight of her. It had only been two days since he had seen her since he had to run to South City for a meeting, but it felt like it had been longer.
It was as if she sensed him because Pan looked up, her dark eyes widening. She let out a small scream and then ran straight to him.
Trunks was smirking as he held out his arms to her. Pan ran straight into them, her arms wrapping around his neck as he lifted her. Their lips touched, and for the first time in days, Trunks felt himself relaxing.
It had been a few weeks after New Years' when Pan moved in with him. She fit right into his penthouse like she had always belonged there. They had found a routine, and it worked well for them. Trunks enjoyed waking up next to her every day, and for the last two nights, it had been hard trying to sleep without her by his side.
"Yuck!"
Trunks and Pan broke apart, and he looked around his girlfriend to glare at his best friend. Goten was snickering, his arm around Eijiro, who was shaking his head at him.
"I'm so happy you're back," Pan gave Trunks a quick peck. "And tonight, I promise to show you just how much I missed you-" she gave him another peck. "But right now, I'm going to go beat up Goten!" She jumped out of his arms quickly before she turned around. "I'M KICKING YOUR BUTT, TEN!" She screamed.
Trunks chuckled as he watched Goten scream and detached himself from Eijiro as he started running from Pan.
"Hey, Trunks!" Gohan greeted as he walked out of the Son's backdoor. Little Tsu, who was a little over a year old, was hanging on his shoulders. "Did you just get back?"
"Yeah," Trunks smiled. "Just in time."
"Fuck! Fuck!" Tsu smiled at him as she wiggled in excitement.
Trunks' eyes widened in surprise. Did he hear her correctly?
Gohan's eyes were wide as well. "She's saying duck!" He explained quickly. "I promise, it's duck! It's her favorite animal, and so she calls everyone duck, but she can't pronounce it very good," he admitted with pink cheeks.
Trunks felt his lips quivering before he laughed. "It's okay, Gohan," he said as they started walking over to a picnic table. "We both know that if Tsu starts cursing, it'll be because she heard it from Marron."
"Excuse you," Marron commented from the picnic table beside Eighteen, who was speaking with Chi-Chi. "I remember you getting into trouble plenty of times because of your potty mouth. It'll be Uncle Trunks she'd be learning words from."
Bulma, who was sitting beside Chi-Chi and across from Marron, smiled at Trunks. "She's right. Though you never listened to my threats- too much like your father," she huffed.
Trunks just smirked and rolled his eyes. Off to the side, he could see Goku, Krillin, and his father near the river bank. He wondered if they were fishing.
"Mom!" Goten yelled from where he was with Pan and Eijiro. It looked as if Pan had him in a headlock. "Pan's being mean to me!"
"Don't listen to him, Chi-Chi! He deserves it!" Eijiro yelled.
Goten let out a gasp of betrayal as Pan laughed.
"Why's Panny beating up on Goten now?" Bulla asked as she walked up with Seventeen. "Oh, you're back!" She smiled at Trunks as she spotted him.
Trunks snorted, "nice to see you too, Bulla."
Bulla opened her mouth to retort something, but a loud, piercing scream shook the air. Trunks' stomach tightened as his heart dropped. Pan!
He turned around quickly to see Pan on her knees. She was screaming as her hands clamped over her ears. Goten was behind her, his eyes wide and fearful.
Trunks was in front of Pan in a matter of seconds, everyone else quickly surrounding her in worry.
"No!" She screamed as her shoulder shook. "No!"
"I just grabbed her, and she screamed-" Goten's voice was full of worry.
"Panna-" Trunks grabbed her shoulders.
She let out a shriek as she shook her head. "PLEASE, NO!"
"Panna-" Trunks grabbed her wrist and pried them away from her ears. "Panna, it's me."
Pan opened her dark eyes. Tears were falling out of them. She choked on a sob, "my nightmares. I'm seeing them during the day now," she cried as he pulled her to his chest.
Trunks wrapped his arms around her tightly as he held her. She had never had a nightmare like this. Truthfully, Trunks had thought they were getting better because she would only have one or two a week. His worried eyes met Chi-Chi's, and there was something about the fearful look in the older woman's eyes that said she knew something. Something that no one else did.
Chi-Chi's stomach rolled with anxiety. She felt terrible. How could Pan have such nightmares for years and she not even know it? She felt like a horrible mother for never noticing.
Pan was sitting at a picnic table, and she leaned against Trunks for support. His arm was still wrapped around her shoulders, his hand soothingly running up and down her back. Goten and Gohan sat nearby, both of them with worried looks on their faces.
Chi-Chi caught Goku's eyes, and she let out a breath. She couldn't hold it in any longer, and Goku nodded at her- his way of saying that if she felt the time was right, then she should do it.
"Panny," Chi-Chi said softly. "I have something to confess to you. To all of you-" she added as she looked at Gohan and Goten. "I'm not saying this is the reason you have nightmares, Panny, but I am scared that it might be. I always told myself that I would wait until you all were 21 to tell you, but if I had known what you were going through, I would have told you sooner," she promised.
"Mom?" Gohan raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Don't tell me you're an alien too," Goten commented.
"No," Chi-Chi shook her head. "No, I'm not an alien. I'm-" she let out a breath and licked her bottom lip in nervousness. "I'm an enchanter."
There was a stunned silence for several seconds. "An enchanter? Like a witch?" Eijiro was the one to speak, interest evident in his eyes.
Chi-Chi nodded slowly. "Generations ago, my family's clan stumbled upon a gem buried deep inside the earth, and they harvest its power. It gave them incredible powers like super strength and heightened senses. It granted them the ability to connect the elements and to move objects with their minds. They adapted rituals and spells. For many generations, the power ran strong, and then, it slowly started fading.
"The last known true enchanter was-"
"Me-" a voice cut in.
Chi-Chi gasped as she turned around quickly. The older woman had just stepped out of the thicket of woods and was walking over to them. Chi-Chi swallowed hard, taking in the smooth black dress the woman wore as it flowed to the ground. Her hair was gray and pulled back into a low bun. She had wrinkles across her forehead and beside her eyes but looked healthy. Her black eyes still shone.
She walked over and stopped beside Chi-Chi. The tall walking stick she had was a dark amber color with a smooth surface. "Chi," she smiled warmly.
Chi-Chi's lips twitched into a watery smile. It had been so long since she had last seen her. She sniffed before she turned back towards her children. "This is my aunt, Kesai."
"Kesai-san?" Eijiro, who had been sitting next to Goten, stood up suddenly.
"Hi, little Eji," Kesai smiled at him warmly. "You've grown up to be so handsome."
"You know her?" Goten tugged on Eijiro's shirt.
"I told you my grandmother's best friend had been a witch," Eijiro sat down slowly. "I just never realized she was an actual enchanter. Like a real-deal enchanter," he mumbled.
"Of course, I'm the real deal," Kesai said. She lifted her stick and tapped it on the ground, where wildflowers began to grow suddenly. "My specialty is the earth element. I'm not the only one, either," her eyes met Pan's.
Pan sat still beside Trunks, her dark eyes wide as she looked at Kesai. "Me? You're saying I'm an enchanter too?"
Kesai nodded, "I can sense the power of the gem running through you."
"What about Gohan and I?" Goten asked curiously. "Do we have magic?"
Kesai looked at him thoughtfully, "I would say there's some in you both, but it's a minimal amount compared to your sister's. Your Saiyan genes are more dominant."
"Mom," Gohan spoke up as he stood up slowly. "Why haven't you ever told us this before?"
"I always thought your Saiyan genes would be more dominate," Chi-Chi said, "and-" she trailed off, her throat feeling tight.
Kesai reached over and patted her shoulder. "It's because of my son," she began. "His name was Axel. He was born with little magic, and the greed for it drove him mad. He killed many in our clan in hopes of obtaining their magic. Your Mother was protecting you by keeping it a secret. I also stayed away, so he could never track me to any of you."
"Kesai, you felt me calling, didn't you?" Chi-Chi asked softly. "That's why you're here."
"Yes," she smiled softly at Chi-Chi. "You know I've always supported your decision to keep your children hidden. I know you were wanting to wait another year before you revealed any secrets. What has troubled you so?"
Chi-Chi could feel herself shaking. "It's Panny," she said. "She has horrible nightmares. She's had them for years. Today, she experienced a day terror. She says someone's chasing her in these dreams, and she can feel the world decaying around her. I am afraid it's him."
Chi-Chi herself still had nightmares from time to time about her cousin. He had been an evil child. His dark hair had been loose and unkempt, his black eyes endless as he stared at nothing. He would hurt animals and relish in pain. He had left a scar on Chi-Chi's right arm when he struck her when they were younger. It was hard to believe that Kesai, who had always been gentle and kind, had given birth to such a demon.
"Him?" Trunks said as his grip tightened on Pan. "Axel? Your cousin? I thought he wasn't born with any magic."
"He was born with little magic," Kesai sighed. "But sometimes a little is all one needs. It's been a long time since I've tried to find him."
"Wait," Goku said as his eyes widened. "Do you think it could be him doing that to Panny?" He asked.
Chi-Chi let out a breath, "it's something I wouldn't put past him. My magic was never strong. It gave me heightened senses and helped me fight, but that was it. What Panny has, is true magic, like Kesai. If Axel has sensed that then-" she swallowed hard.
Kesai let out a deep breath and looked back over at Pan. "For me to see if it's him, I will need to view your dreams."
Pan's eyes widened. "You can do that? You can look into my dreams?"
"I can," Kesai nodded. "But it would have to be performed in a ritual-" she glanced up, eyeing the still blue sky. "Tonight, once the sun sets. I won't pressure you, Dear, but taking a glimpse inside of your mind might help us find out more about your nightmares. I'll give you time to think about it. In the meantime-" she turned back towards Chi-Chi, "I'm going to see if I can track him down. If he is the one doing this to poor Panny, then we'll need to find him."
Chi-Chi let out a breath and nodded her head. Since Kesai was a full enchanter, she could easily track anyone down as long as she had something of theirs. Even though she didn't have anything of Axel's, it would be possible for her to track him down since he shared the same blood as her- no matter how small.
For Pan's sake, Chi-Chi just hoped everything was okay.
Pan sat on the old porch swing in the backyard and rocked it slowly. The sun was beginning to set, and she was still deep in thought. Everyone still seemed deep in thought.
She was an enchanter. An actual enchanter with powers. She glanced at her hands and wondered what the difference was between her enchanter powers and her Saiyan abilities?
For the most part, everyone had left Pan in alone to let her absorb the shock and think.
Someone sat down next to her, and her lips twitched at the sight of Trunks. He leaned back and let out a small sigh.
"So, how does it feel having an enchanter as a girlfriend?" She asked him. "You still like me, don't you?"
"As long as you don't turn me into a frog," he replied with a smirk. "In all honesty, Panna," he reached down and held her hand. "Whether your an enchanter or not, it doesn't bother me. I love you all the same," he raised her hand and kissed it. "I just want your nightmares to go away so you can be at peace."
Pan let out a heavy sigh. "What if it really is him? My crazy cousin? Does he really want my power bad enough to send me these awful dreams?" She let out a shudder and shook her head.
"I don't know," Trunks said softly. "I mean, until today, you didn't even know you were an enchanter. I think we should wait and see what your aunt finds out first. Who knows, maybe it's not him. Either way, I hope it helps you."
Pan hoped so too. She was tired of having nightmares. Of hearing that haunting voice yelling for her. Of feeling the pain of everything dying around her.
"Panny," Chi-Chi walked up to them and smiled softly.
"Mama," Pan smiled.
Trunks squeezed her hand and leaned over to kiss her temple before he got up. "I'm going to go make sure that Goten's still not trying to blow up things with his mind."
"Thank you," Chi-Chi laughed after him before she took his spot.
The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes. The sun was growing deeper into the horizon. The air was growing chilly.
"Axel," Pan began, and she heard her Mama let out a small gasp. "Did you grow up with him?"
Chi-Chi swallowed hard. "I did," she nodded. "As you know, your grandmother died giving birth to me. Kesai was her younger sister, and Axel was born when I was five. I remember thinking what a strange child he was. He didn't cry like normal babies did. There was just always something that felt off about him. He was a mean little boy. He always hurt animals when he was upset, and he would set things on fire. He'd smile anytime someone got hurt.
"Your Papa and I had just gotten married when Axel began killing the others in our clan. The ones with the stronger sense of their power. Your Papa and I ran and hid here in the small corner of the East District to stay away from him and lay low under the radar." She let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, Panny. For years, I could tell that the enchanter blood ran through you stronger than it had the boys and myself, but I was so worried about what might happen if he found out."
"It's okay, Mama," Pan said. "At first, I was confused as to why you would never tell us, but then I started thinking- if Axel is the one sending me these nightmares, and he's as bad as he is in them, I don't blame you for not telling us. I know you were just trying to protect us."
Chi-Chi gave her a sad smile, "I'm sorry I never noticed you were having those awful nightmares, either. It must have been so hard on you all these years."
"I'm sorry too."
Pan glanced back and saw her Papa standing behind the swing. He had a frown on his face and sighed. "I knew you were having them out in space, but you said they were because of Baby. I never realized you continued to have them all these years."
"Don't feel bad," Pan told her parents with a sigh. "I didn't want you to know. I felt childish for having them so often, and I didn't want you to worry."
"Oh, Panny," Chi-Chi as she reached out and caressed her cheek. "We're your parents. It's our job to worry about our kids. One of these days, when you're a parent, you'll see. We want to know everything that's bothering our kids, and even if we can't help, we want to be there for you."
"No matter how old you get," Goku said with a small smile as he leaned down and kissed the top of Pan's head. "We'll be here for you."