48- The Summit
Early Summer
Pan grinned as she rushed down a familiar path. She had been on earth visiting and walking in the gardens when a path between the trees caught her attention. She couldn't help herself before she took off down the familiar trail.
The clearing was just as Pan remembered it. Her grin spread as she walked further into the small hidden spot. Her garden that she had planted years ago was thriving. The place was being back so many memories.
"What in the world," Tarble mumbled as he walked into the clearing as he held Takara. "The way you took off, I thought you had seen gold."
"This place is like gold to me," Pan smiled warmly.
"Yeah, this is where she used to sneak off to so she could meet Trunks," Yamcha commented as he walked up with Takehiko.
Pan fought back her giggle as she walked over to the stream. "You see those rocks over there?" Pan pointed to some near the bank. "A few years ago, I decided to try and jump from rock to rock. I did pretty well at first, but one was too far away. I slipped and-"
"And I swooped down and saved her," Trunks cut in as he appeared. He wrapped his arm around Pan with a grin. "She's been swooning over me ever since then."
"Look at this guy," Yamcha muttered with a frown. Even after all these years, he and Trunks still bickered and had a love-hate relationship.
"I know," Tarble nodded. "He thinks he's so smooth, but he's the same boy that used to go streaking in the town square."
"Hyung!" Trunks' cheeks grew pink as Pan erupted in a fit of giggles. "I don't like you two together. You always gang up on me."
"You deserve it," Yamcha told him.
"He was right, though," Pan told her uncle. She smiled up at Trunks, "I've been swooning ever since."
"Awe," Trunks smirked as he leaned down and kissed her.
"Not in front of the children!" Yamcha cried as he shielded Takehiko's eyes.
Tarble just snickered. "Come on, let's head back to the palace," he told Yamcha.
Pan couldn't hear what Yamcha was muttering as they walked away, but she was sure it was about Trunks. She snorted as she looked up at him. "Are you and my Uncle ever going to get along?"
"He starts it," Trunks pouted.
Pan just shook her head with a small smile and wrapped her arms around Trunks. "It's been a while since we've been here."
"Yeah," Trunks let out a small sigh as he patted Pan's hair. "Since before we got married."
Pan nodded, "it was before I moved to Vegeta-Sei. I still love this place. It's where we met."
"Meeting you here used to be my favorite part of the day," Trunks said.
"Mine too," Pan nodded against his chest. "I can't believe how much has changed since we first met." They had found out that they both were half-Saiyans and half-earthlings. They had gotten married, had twins, and not to mention they found her Papa and Tarble. And Frieza was dead. "So much has happened."
"Yeah," Trunks agreed. "And you aren't as sick as you used to be either, which is a relief. Though I still don't like those pearls," he mumbled.
Pan furrowed her brows together. Trunks was right. She hadn't been sick since before the twins were born. The pearls still hadn't shrunk, but they hadn't grown either. She couldn't help by wonder if the growth of the pearls had something to do with her not being so sick anymore.
"I wish you would stop worrying about them so much," Pan frowned as she leaned back to look at Trunks. "They saved Takara's life."
"I know," Trunks sighed. "And I will always be thankful for that, but the fact that they're not shrinking worries me as does the fact that they won't let Grandpa near them. If we just knew what they were, I'd feel a lot better."
They're harmless, Pan thought to herself.
Truthfully, she didn't know if they were harmless or not. Sometimes, she got the feeling that they were alive, and that thought chilled her. She couldn't tell Trunks that, though. He would really panic then.
Pan didn't say anything more about the pearls as she grabbed Trunks' face and pulled him down for a kiss. "Let's stop worrying about it," she told him. "And let's think of something positive. The summit is just days away."
"That doesn't bring me joy," he winced. "I'm already so nervous that I feel nauseous."
"Trunks," she held his face and stroked his cheeks with her thumbs. "You will do amazing."
He gave her a smile that made her heart pond before he leaned down and kissed her. "With you by my side, I'll be okay," he told her gently.
Trunks felt like he was going to throw up. The day of the summit had arrived. He was very nervous and excited. He felt like most of the planets that agreed to come had only come because they wanted to see the Saiyans make fools out of themselves. Trunks was leading the summit, so he felt an immense amount of pressure.
He licked his lips nervously and tried not to pace as his stomach bubbled anxiously. Everyone was counting on him. Pan believed in him, as did his Appa. He could do it.
Letting out one last sigh, Trunks walked into the bedroom to see Pan. She was just finishing getting ready as she put in some dangling ruby earrings to match her necklace. Her lips were painted a dark red, and the black dress she had on looked amazing on her. Trunks felt himself smiling. Pan was confident that the summit would work out, and so he needed to think that way too.
"Hey," she turned to him with a smile. "Are you ready? Bulla just popped her head in here and said that the delegates have arrived. Gohan is getting them settled."
Trunks nodded his head as he held out his hand to her. Pan took it as they left her old bedroom. The summit was being held on Earth since Trunks felt like some aliens might feel a little threatened if they had been invited to Vegeta-Sei.
They reached the doors, and Pan gave Trunks a gentle smile. "You can do it," she told him.
He nodded his head and opened the doors for them. They seemed to be the last ones there, and as they stepped in, they bowed deeply. Most aliens bowed back before Trunks and Pan straightened up and walked towards their seats.
The conference room was a large circle with rows of seats going up from one to four. The Saiyans and the earth were seated on the North section, and Trunks and Pan walked to their seats in the third row below his parents and hers. Pan took her seat as Trunks remained standing.
"I want to thank everyone again for coming here-" he bowed again before he glanced across the room.
Including Vegeta-Sei and the Earth, there were twelve planets meeting today. Each planet had brought ten delegates, so the room was a little bit cramped, but Trunks was pleased that they had all come.
The first planet that agreed to come was Josen. They were an earth-like planet that both Vegeta-Sei and the earth traded with, which was why Frieza never raided it. Gohan was close to the King, and he was able to talk them into joining the summit early on.
The second planet was called Povis. Their planet was relatively small, and Trunks was guilty to admit that their planet had been raided years before he was born. The aliens that lived there were little creatures, with skin tones that ranged from green, blue, and pinks. They were vegetarians that lived in small holes in the ground.
The third planet, Cikiter, was home to insect-like creatures. Trunks honestly didn't know much about the planet because Frieza had never paid it any attention. But the aliens there seemed friendly and curious.
Thueria was the fourth planet to join the summit. It was an older planet. The aliens that lived there had been around for so long that no one knew exactly where they came from. Trunks was positive that Frieza had never raided the planet because he was fearful of the aliens. Truthfully, Trunks was a little scared of them too. But the aliens, with their silvery eyes and earth-tone skins, looked kind and regal.
Misiri was a mist-like planet full of whispering beings. The creatures there were tall and nearly see-through. They were all about nature, and their planet was overrun with trees.
The aliens on Lienus were feline-like creatures. They had cat-like ears and tails. Large eyes and whiskers, too. Frieza had come close to raiding their planet before he decided not to.
Ichaclus was home to timid creatures. They were small, like the aliens on Povis, and had ash-like skin. Their planet had been raided years ago, and Trunks still remembered it. They hadn't put up a fight. They just stood by, silently crying as they watched their home be ripped apart. They declared that they had come since they saw the effort Vegeta-Sei putting forth.
Rolara was an arctic planet. The creatures there were tall with light blue skin, wide eyes, and white hair. They could shift into giant bear-like creatures. Freiza himself had visited the planet several times, though he had never raided it.
Alia was a planet home to tall, golden-skinned aliens. Their planet was one of the last planets Vegeta-Sei raided, and Trunks could tell from their scowls that they were still bitter from it. They had come only to see what the Saiyans planned on doing before they would agree to any terms.
And lastly, the planet Seizumo. Out of all the planets arriving, Trunks was most worried about them starting something. The aliens were grey-skinned creatures with gills on the side of their necks. They had flat faces with only slits for nostrils. Their planet was mostly rock with deep dark waters underneath it. They were close allies with Planet Siren, a planet the Saiyans has raided just before Frieza's death.
"I would also like to apologize on behalf of the entire Planet of Vegeta-Sei for anything we have done that caused you fear or grief," Trunks said. "I know that words alone are not enough, so we are making it our determination to better ourselves as beings and as a planet.
"That is why we invited you all here today. We hope to move forward in peace," Trunks bowed one last time before he sat down next to Pan. His heart pounded anxiously as he waited for someone to speak up.
An alien from Misiri stood up. Their long limbs swayed slightly. Their voice was gentle as they spoke.
"My name is Meahla," they bowed slightly. "Young Saiyan Prince, how do we know that you Saiyans are being true?"
"As soon as Frieza was defeated, we called back all our men that were out on raids," Trunks began. "We gave them orders to stop the attack and to return anything they had already seized. Since then, we have not raided or attacked a single planet, nor will we ever again," he promised.
"My name is Fushia," a female alien from Lienus stood up. The name fit her well since she had a fuchsia-colored mane around her face. The spots on her face were similar to that of a leopard. "Did Freiza have that much control over you?"
Before Trunks could answer, he heard his Appa's chair scrapping back as he stood up.
"As everyone here knows, Freiza was a frightening creature," Vegeta began. "My fear of him is what caused my planet to go down such a dark road. He threatened my people, so I caved in to his dark and twisted ways. I regretfully think that if I had stood up to him sooner, not so many of us would have been hurt.
"My son is not like me, though," Vegeta continued. "He is not a coward. Please, trust in him."
There were quite murmurings across the conference room, and Trunks couldn't help but feel hopeful. The murmurings sounded good, at least.
"Lies!" Hissed an alien from Seizumo. His flat top lip quivered.
"Maw," a quiet Thuerian spoke up. Their silver eyes looked disappointed. "You are speaking out of line."
"Out of line?" Maw mocked with a slight snarl. "These Saiyans have worked under Freiza for decades. Are we to believe that they are truly free? Do you all honestly believe that they had no say whatsoever over what Freiza did? We still have no proof that Frieza is even dead!" He yelled.
"Frieza's body was nothing but ashes!" Goten defended hotly. "As was-"
"As was his men!" Maw finished with a cold glare. "His ship was in pieces thanks to this 'Grim,' but where is he?! Where is this Grim?! Why do you keep him hidden?!"
Trunks felt his jaw ticking, and Pan grabbed his hand from under the table. They had known that the aliens coming to the summit would be curious about the one who had been powerful enough to end Freiza.
"They are not hidden," Trunks said evenly.
"I just find it suspicious," Maw continued. "Freiza suddenly dies thanks to a powerful Saiyan, who no one outside of Vegeta-Sei has seen. What's to say that it's all a trap? What if Freiza is still alive and the Saiyans are playing us?"
Pan stood up quickly and banged her hands on the table in front of them. "We would never do such an awful thing!"
"Do not speak to me!" Maw roared. "Females should be seen- not heard!"
"DON'T YOU DARE TALK TO HER LIKE THAT-" Trunks jumped up, a Ki blast already forming in his hands. Pan grabbed him by the front of his suit to stop him. He was shaking with anger as he snarled at Maw. How dare he disrespect Pan like that?
Pan, however, seemed calm as her eyes narrowed at Maw.
"Where is he?" Maw gritted out between his teeth. "Where is the grim?"
Trunks gritted his teeth as he felt the air spike with electricity. He could feel Pan's Ki rising.
It was the middle of the day, but the room was growing dark. The warm summer air vanished, and a chilly wind swept through. Lightening danced outside, and Trunks could hear the frightened whispers.
Suddenly, the lights flashed, and Pan was gone from beside Trunks. When the lights came back on, she floated in front of Maw and the rest of the Seizumonians. Her dark dress and hair flowed around her. Powerful energy waves radiated from her, causing Maw and the others to brace themselves. In her hand, she held scythe as her dark eyes narrowed threateningly.
Just as quickly as she appeared there, she was gone, and back at Trunks' side. She didn't look different than she had this morning, except her hair seemed a bit more messy than usual.
The lightning outside clashed one more time before it suddenly stopped. The lights brightened again. The warm air was back.
The room was quiet. Maw looked shocked, and Trunks was happy to see that even looked a little scared.
"My name is Pan," his mate announced to the quiet room. "I am Prince Trunks' mate. Like him, I am also half-Saiyan and half-earthling. I am the one that killed Freiza and his men," she stated loudly. "My only regret from that day is that I did not do it sooner," her voice was cold and clear.
"Just as Maw said, my people were under the rule of a cruel tyrant for decades," Pan continued. "But they were liberated, and now we strive to make sure that will never happen to us or anyone else ever again!" Her voice cried. "But we cannot do it alone! That is why we asked all of you to come here and help us. Freiza was just one- one cruel being in a galaxy that littering with them-" she cut her cold eyes to Maw.
"But do not be fooled," Pan's voice grew cold. "My people might have turned a new leaf, but it will be a cold day in hell before we lay down at someone's feet again!" She nearly shrieked.
Pan squared her shoulders and stood as proudly as her short height would allow her. Trunks thought that she was the tallest one in the room at the moment. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. His heart pounded in his chest as he watched her.
Was this the same girl that he had first met all those years ago? No, it wasn't. This was the woman he had fallen absolutely in love with. The woman that made him proud and happy every day. He was so thankful to be her mate.
Pan smiled and let out a breath. "I've been called The Grim, a demon and a monster too, so I state it here before this summit that I am all of those things. I will become whatever it is that I need to become to protect the ones I love!" She declared. "I'm sure we can all relate to that in a sense. And as for those who want to doubt us, and try stand in our way of peace-" her eyes cut back to Maw. "The door is right over there," she motioned to it. "Trash should be thrown away- not left to stink up the entire room."
"Most species bare their teeth as a threat, as a display of aggression or leadership. It is a reminder that these clenched jaws can and will open up your yielding throat. I want you to think of this the next time I smile."
-Unknown