60- Dragon Soul

Late Spring

Trunks was frozen in his stance. He was leaning forward, his weight on his back foot that he was about to push off of to jump to Pan. But Kalamity had beaten him.

The dragon laid on the ground in front of Pan. Crescent had run over to him; her shrieks were as loud as Pan's sobs.

The breath Trunks had been holding came out in a choked sob. He could feel his heart throbbing, and he wasn't sure if it was his own heartache or if it was Pan's. The only time Trunks had seen her this distraught is when she thought she miscarried. Her gut-wrenching sobs filled the air as her body convulsed.

Shakily, Trunks walked over to her and fell beside her as he looked at Kalamity. He looked as if he were sleeping. No, he couldn't be-

Trunks let out a breath as he shook his head. He wouldn't even think it. Crescent was rubbing her face against Kalamity's, her whines loud and desperate.

"Is this what you wanted?"

Trunks glanced up, and his eyes narrowed at the sight of Nahum. He had done this. This was his fault.

"How many more have to die?" Nahum asked Pan. "Just give me the stone and-"

Pan let out out a noise like she was struggling to breathe. Trunks turned to her quickly and gasped. Her fist was clenched so tightly that her knuckles were shaking and white. Her teeth were barred as a growl started to form in the back of her throat. Her eyes looked murderous.

Pan threw her head back with a loud cry that turned into an ear-piercing scream. Trunks covered his ears as the ground shook from the force of the Ki Pan was admitting. A blinding light came from her, and Trunks closed his eyes as he leaned over Kalamity and Crescent to brace himself.

Everything was shaking. The planet felt like it was being ripped apart. Trunks could hear the worried shouts of everyone, but he couldn't even open his eyes to check on them. The light coming from Pan was still shining so brightly. What was happening?

The light dimmed, and Trunks' heart thudded in his ears as he slowly opened his eyes. He gasped and almost fell back at the sight of Pan. Her long dark hair was now in golden, flowing locks. Her dark eyes were now a ruby red. Her Ki was erratic, and sparks were coming off of her.

"This-" Nahum gasped. "This power-"

"I'll show you," Pan's voice came out in a dark hiss as she glared at Nahum. "I'll show you the wrath of the dragons!" She screeched as she flew to him.

"PANNA!" Trunks yelled after her, but she was already gone.

"Panny!" Goku ran up with the others. His eyes were wide as they watched Pan grab Nahum by his collar and ran him through a nearby mountain.

"She's glowing," Marron whispered.

A low groan from under Trunks made him gasp, and he leaned back quickly. Kalamity's eyes were barely open, and Crescent had her head over his neck, a faint glow coming off her. Of course! She was healing him!

"Hey, you Troublemaker!" Trunks laughed through his tears as he smiled at Kalamity. "You had me worried!"

Kalamity let out another small groan.

"It's okay," Trunks gently petted his head. "You saved her.

Kalamity hummed in contentment.

"I've never seen anything like this," Vegeta whispered.

Trunks glanced up as he watched Pan deliver hit after hit to Nahum. The power coming from her was so raw and overwhelming that Nahum didn't have a chance to catch up.

"Pan's pissed," Endou whispered.

"Of course she is," Bulla huffed. "He hurt one of her children."

"You hear that, Kalamity?" Goten laughed as he looked down at the dragon. Tremor and Whirlwind were now laying down with him as well. "Your Mama is up there kicking that guy's ass for you!"

Kalamity rumbled his approval.

Trunks smiled as he continued to pet Kalamity and watch Pan. The air was still trembling from her power and lightning dancing across the sky. Trunks wasn't worried about her hurting anyone other than Nahum. He knew Pan, and he trusted her. Just like when she fought Freiza, she wouldn't let any harm come to those she loved.

The first time they fought, Pan was mostly dodging Nahum's hits. Now she was the one delivering them, and Nahum couldn't even block them. Pan grabbed him, and round-house kicked him, sending him flying even higher into the sky. He looked beaten. His blue face was covered in dark red blood.

Pan floated in the air below Nahum. She didn't move for several seconds as she stared at her enemy.

"What is she doing?" Gohan whispered. No one could answer him because no one knew.

Pan turned around and glanced down at them. Her eyes met Trunks,' and she smiled. His heart pounded at the sight of her, and he smiled back.

"You can do it," he told her.

Pan nodded her head in determination and turned back towards Nahum. He was moaning and coming to.

"The stone-" his voice broke.

Pan reared her arms back as she raised her Ki with a yell. Lightning danced around her before she shit forward towards Nahum. Trunks was in awe as he watched her body began to morph from the lightening surrounding her and her power. A shape of a golden dragon was taking form.

The dragon roared as it rammed itself straight through Nahum's chest. The impact sent a powerful wave across Vegeta-Sei, rattling the planet. Trunks threw his arms up to protect himself.

When he could finally open his eyes, the dragon was gone, and Pan floated in its place. Nahum was gone, and the blast must have hit his ship in the atmosphere because it was exploding. The sky was on fire, yet Pan was the brightest thing up there.

Pan floated down slowly and landed in front of Kalamity. Her suit had held up for the most part. It only had a few minor tears in it. Her eyes were dark again as she caught Trunks' gaze, and she grinned.

"You're incredible," Trunks told her.

Their families were asking a thousand questions, but Trunks couldn't pay them any attention. His focus was on Pan only.

A small whine silenced the questions, and Pan laughed as she grabbed Kalamity's head and held it up. "Look at you!" She grinned at him. "You like to stress me out, don't you?"

Kalamity raised himself up enough to lick Pan's face, and she laughed as she kissed his snout.

A chill swept through the air, and Trunks shivered. He glanced up to see the skeletons that had taken out Nahum's rock army standing several yards away. Gently, Pan placed Kalamity's head down before she stood up and walked over to them.

"Release us," their ghostly voices pleaded.

Pan bowed her head. "May you find peace."

The skeletons bowed their heads, and with sighs, they faded until they were nothing.

A light rumble came from the clouds overhead, and Trunks felt the first cold plop of rain against his cheek. His eyes widened, and he looked up as the downpour began. It was raining on Vegeta-Sei. It hadn't done that in years!

Trunks gave Kalamity one last par before he stood up and glanced around. His family and friends were unharmed. There were some losses, but as Trunks looked at the battlefield, he saw that everyone was celebrating.

Trunks walked over to Pan, who was still standing where the skeletons had been. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pressed her back against his chest. She sighed as her hands came up to hold his arms. For several moments, they stayed like that, not carrying that it was pouring down rain and they were getting drenched.

Pan turned around to face Trunks. He reached up and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Most of her hair was back again. The blonde had faded into silver that was peeking out behind the black. It looked like starlight, and it was beautiful.

"So, what now?" Trunks asked Pan.

Pan smiled up at him. "Now, we go get our children and live happily ever after."

"Happily ever after?" Trunks repeated as he raised an eyebrow. "Are you turning us into some cheesy fairytale?"

Pan just giggled, and Trunks didn't waste another moment before he grabbed her and kissed her.

ELEVEN YEARS LATER

"Agh!" Seventeen-year-old Takara screamed as she stomped out of her room. She nearly ran into her twin, who seemed to be passing by.

"What's your problem?" He asked as he ran his hand through his messy dark blue hair.

"Look at this!" Takara held up her cape. Scorch marks were all across the pretty silk. "Khaos did this! I know she did! Why?!" She cried. "Why did she have to take after Kalamity?! She looks like Crescent, so why couldn't she had taken after her?!"

Takehiko snickered in amusement. "I don't know why you're all pouty about it. You spoil her just as bad as Mama does Kalamity."

Takara gasped. "I do not! No one can spoil as bad as Mama does when it comes to Kalamity."

Even their Appa got aspirated with it at times, but at the end of the day, he put up with it. And Kalamity did deserve it to a degree; he had saved their Mama after all. Still, the dragon was so spoiled that he should stink.

"Little brothers," Takara sighed. "What can you do?"

"Hey," Takehiko shot her a glare. "I am not your little brother. I am your Oppa!" He declared as he placed a hand on his chest.

"No, you're not!" Takara denied as she shook her head. "I was in Mama's stomach months before you!"

"I was born three minutes before you!"

"That doesn't count!" Takara huffed as she blew some of her dark bangs out of her face.

"Does too!"

"What are you two fighting about now?" Sighed a familiar voice.

Takara turned around and beamed as her Appa walked down the hall towards her and Takehiko. He was most likely going to his study, where her Mama would be at the moment.

"Appa!" Takara ran over to him. "Tell Take that I'm the oldest!"

"Tell Kara that I was born first!" Takehiko shot back.

Their Appa let out a loud groan as he continued walking. "You two have been fighting over that for ten years. Can't you stop arguing over it?"

"No!" Takara declared at the same time as Takehiko. "I will if he admits-"

"I'm not admitting it!" Takehiko glared at her.

"Fine! Fine!" Their Appa huffed and waved his arms to signal them to be quiet. "In the fall and winter seasons, you're the oldest-" he motioned to Takehiko. "In the spring and summer, you're the oldest," he motioned to Takara.

"That makes no sense Appa," Takara muttered.

"It doesn't have to make sense for it to work," he smirked.

"Ha! It's fall, so I'm the oldest!" Takehiko declared.

Takara's eye gave a twitch. "Appa!" She cried.

He let out a groan and sped up his pace as he neared the study. He opened the doors loudly. "Panna, the children are aggravating again!"

Their Mama, who was sitting on the couch knitting, glanced up and smiled in amusement. "What are they doing now?"

"They're still fighting over who's the oldest," he said as he walked over to her and sat down beside her.

"You guys still fight about that?" Their Mama raised a dark eyebrow.

"Mama, I was in your stomach months before Takehiko was," Takara declared.

"But I was born first!" He huffed.

"If you want to be technical about it," their Appa began. "The true oldest sibling is Kalamity. He was in there way before either of you."

The dragon, who was sleeping on the floor next to Crescent and two babies, looked up and tilted his head.

Their Mama laughed and nodded her head. "That's right. He would be the oldest."

"I can't believe this," Takara muttered as she sat down on the chair next to the couch.

"We shouldn't be surprised," Takehiko muttered as he squeezed in beside her. "He's spoiled, remember?"

Takara watched as one of the babies, Khaos, who was nearly white with faint black markings, got up and stretched. The little dragon let out a small sneeze and ran over to her brother, Creation. He was solid black, like Kalamity. Even though Khaos tugged on his ear, Creation did not want to get up, so the little dragon ran over to Takara.

"I'm mad at you," she muttered.

"Why are you mad at her?" Her Appa asked.

"Look at this!" Takara held up her cape. "I was going to wear this when Ichika and I went to the town square this afternoon."

"Oh, going back to town square so you can see your armorer?" Takehiko snickered.

"What?" Their Appa sat up straight.

"Huh?" Their Mama added. "You're armorer?"

"No one!" Takara's eyes widened as her cheeks grew hot. She sent Takehiko a glare.

Her twin didn't take note of the glare and laughed.

"Last week, Kara and Ichika went into the town square, and Kara nearly tripped on a crack she didn't see-"

"Shut up!" Takara elbowed Takehiko.

"And this armorer who worked nearby happened to catch her before she fell. She's smitten with him now."

"Am not!" Takara hissed.

"Catching her before she fell?" Their Mama raised an eyebrow. "Why does that sound familiar?" She gave their Appa a sly smile.

He was pouting. "Ours was romantic, Panna. I saved you from falling into the water."

Their Mama just laughed and shook her head. She met Takara's gaze and winked at her, causing her cheeks to grow even hotter.

"Well, what do you think?" Their Mama asked as she held up what she had just finished knitting. It was a tiny white onesie with pink trimmings to match the little white onesie with blue trimmings resting in the couch's arm.

"I think they'll look like marshmallows," their Appa commented.

Takehiko let out a snort but quieted it down when he saw their Mama's pout.

"Trunks!" She whined. "Seriously-"

He leaned over and kissed her. "They're perfect," he told her. "They'll look adorable."

Takara smiled as she watched her Appa place a hand on their Mama's swollen stomach. She caught Takehiko's eyes, who smirked.

"Another little brother to pester me," Takara sighed.

Takehiko rolled his eyes. "Another little sister to annoy me."

He elbowed her, and she elbowed him back. They shared a grin. Takehiko was the biggest pest in the universe, but he was her best friend. And truthfully, Takara was excited about her new brother and sister arriving soon. Their parents had been trying for years to have just one more baby, and they seemed to luck out and get two again instead.

Everything just seemed perfect, and as it should be.

That is, until Kalamity sneezed and caught the rug on fire.

"KALAMITY!" Their Mama yelled as she jumped up. "AGAIN?!"

Epilogue

Pan laughed as she ran down a familiar path. Her bare feet hit the soft soil in soft thuds. She hadn't run this fast in years!

A warm breeze brushed by her, lifting her dark hair that was free from silver and grey. She glanced down at her hands, free of wrinkles and scars. Her skin was tight, flexible, and young again.

There was a rustle in the trees beside her, and Kalamity popped out. Pan wasn't surprised to see him there. She should have known that he would follow her.

He gave her a chirp, as if saying, 'hurry! They're waiting!'

Pan picked up her pace and ran through the entrance to the clearing. She slowed down as she spotted a familiar figure near the bank of the stream. Kalamity took off towards Crescent, who was waiting for him.

Pan smiled as Trunks turned around to face her. Like her, he looked young again. Her heart pounded at the sight of him. He looked just like he had the first time they met.

"I've been waiting for you," he told her with a small pout.

She let out a laugh, "you've only been waiting a few minutes, you know. I was right behind you."

Trunks smirked then, "I know." His gaze softened, and he smiled at her warmly. "Ready to do it again?"

Pan placed her hand in his and clasped their fingers together. "As long as your the one by my side again, I am."

"Always," he promised as he leaned down to kiss her.

THE END

"And I'd choose you;

In a hundred lifetimes,

In a hundred worlds,

In any version of reality.

I'd find you and

I'd choose you."

-The Chaos of Stars

Hey guys,

I have so many mixed emotions in writing this final chapter. Relief. Happiness. Sadness.

I've been working on this story for seven years, and it's changed so much since I first started writing it. I remember being a junior in high school when I first came up with the plot. I remember writing the very first chapter to this during my lunch hour instead of eating.

This year, I went back and changed things up. I changed the plot some and added new things as well. Still, I can look back at this and say that I'm proud of the changes I made. I hope I gave this AU justice, and I feel as if I did.

The ending is something that I have been thinking of for a while. I like to feel as if all my stories are connected somehow- one way or another. Maybe they're just Trunks and Pan meeting in different universes. I like to think that, anyway.

Thank you all so much for all the love and support you have shown this fic. Words enough cannot express my gratitude.

I love you all!

Pannabee