Chapter 3: Angel
By Lady Starra
presea94@netscape.net
Rating: PG
See foreword for standard disclaimers.
Trunks and Pan walked into the gravity room, both of them with their swords.
It was identical to the room she always trained in on her own world, just a
little different. Trunks took off his jacket and faced her.
"So tell me, can you turn Super Saiyajin?" he asked.
"Yes, I turned Super Saiyajin when I was 14," she told him.
"Wow. Okay then, show me."
"Okay."
Pan concentrated all of her energy until the golden aura appeared around her.
Trunks stared at her, yet again mesmerized by how beautiful she was. Her eyes
now glittered like emeralds, and her hair went from straight to wavy. It
didn't spike upwards like his own hair when he turned SSJ. It just got a
little curly. But he could tell that she was still holding back her true
power, and wondered what her true strength was. However, she was only a
quarter Saiyajin. She couldn't be stronger than him, could she?
Trunks himself got into SSJ mode and unsheathed his sword. "Why don't we have
a little fencing match?" he said, smirking.
"I would hardly call it 'fencing' with the kinds of swords we have, Trunks.
But whatever you choose to call it, I guarantee I won't be easily beaten,"
she smirked back.
"Well then, Miss Son Pan...why don't you show me what you're made of then?"
Pan unsheathed her sword as well. It very much resembled a katana, only the
hilt wasn't the same. "Let me warn you," she began, "That this is no ordinary
sword. Appearances can be deceiving, you know."
"Hey, don't pull any of your hocus-pocus on me! I just want a friendly
swordfight!"
"You're spoiling my fun, Trunks. Engarde!"
* * *
An hour later, Mirai Trunks was exhausted. He had made the stupid assumption
that because Pan was only a quarter Saiyajin, that he had to be stronger than
she was. He had greatly underestimated her. She was faster than him and her
style of swordsmanship was very unique. And she had surprised him when she
flared into SSJ2. NOW he was ready for sleep.
"I must say I am impressed, Pan-san. You're a lot stronger than I had
anticipated," he said.
"Well, so are you. You're much stronger than the Trunks from my world, and he
was older than you. But I told you that I wouldn't be beaten easily."
"By the way...what did you mean when you said you didn't have an 'ordinary'
sword? What's so special about it?"
"Other than the fact that it was my great-grandfather's? It's the Sword of
Mystoke. Watch." Pan held up the sword, and then it began to glow. Trunks
watched in amazement as it turned into a boomerang-shaped blade.
"It turns into a slicer. And," she said as it glowed again, "A short sword."
She lifted it to show Trunks a smaller version of the full-length sword. "As
well as," she added, the weapon glowing once more, "claws." She held her
hands up and showed Trunks what looked like silver gloves over her hands with
metal spikes in the knuckles. "Each one deadly, made from an enchanted
mineral found only on Dahlia. Of course, you can't make the weapon transform
if you don't know the Mystoke art." Pan returned it to its original form and
sheathed it.
"That's pretty cool, Pan. But what on earth would you need to fight with
claws for?" Trunks asked in confusion.
"Well, claws are weapons that are used by most Dahlian women, since a lot of
them don't like carrying a huge sword around. Personally, though, the slicer
is my favorite."
"Well, that transformation thing with the sword is a neat trick, but tell me,
how is it that you're able to heal your own wounds?"
"My, aren't we just full of questions?"
"I can't help it. I'm intrigued. Now tell me."
"Magic, of course. I know techniques that can heal poison and sickness too,"
Pan told him.
Trunks froze. "Did you say...sickness?"
"Yes. Why?"
Suddenly, Trunks wasn't feeling so tired anymore.
"Follow me."
* * *
Trunks took Pan to the north wing of the infirmary, where at least a dozen
people were bedridden and sick, some of them children. They looked so
miserable and fragile, that it actually scared Pan.
"What's...wrong with them?" she asked nervously.
"They have what's called the Obsidian Virus. There's no cure for it, and it's
already killed a lot of people. Do...do you think you'd be able to heal
them?" Trunks asked her.
"I...I suppose I could try." Pan walked up to the bed of a little girl who
had experienced so much pain they had to give her sleeping drugs so she could
sleep and not be hurting. One of the doctors tried to send them away.
"What are you doing up here? The virus is contagious. You can catch it if you
go near her!" the doctor said.
"Just chill out, doc. I know what I'm doing," Pan said as she held the little
girl's hand. She closed her eyes, and concentrated on the healing powers
within her. The same kind of glow as before emitted from her, only this time,
it was a golden color, not silver. Trunks and the doctors watched in
amazement as the light enveloped the little girl, and all signs of sickness
began to wash away. The light faded when Pan finished, and the little girl
sat up, completely healed.
"Wha...what happened? I...I'm not sick anymore," the girl said as she looked
down at her hands and arms, and then up at Pan. "Are...are you an angel?"
Pan smiled and laughed. "No, I'm afraid I'm not an angel. Far from it. But
I'm glad I was able to make you feel better, little one."
"I don't believe it. It's...it's a miracle!" the doctor exclaimed.
"I told you I knew what I was doing," Pan said to him.
The little girl looked up at Pan hopefully. "Can...can you make my mommy feel
better too?"
Pan smiled.
* * *
Word of the "miracle" spread through Capsule Corporation like wildfire.
People were, in fact, calling Pan an angel, especially after people found
out that Trunks found her falling from the sky. While Pan was slightly fond
of all the publicity, she knew she couldn't enjoy it too much. She would be
leaving soon. But...she didn't want to leave Trunks. Everything about him,
his demeanor, his attitude and his strength, was so different from the Trunks
she had known before. Because he had grown up in a world of chaos caused by
the cyborgs, Mirai Trunks was stronger and more mature in a lot of ways. Pan
had loved Trunks, but sometimes, he did tend to act a bit childish, and this
Trunks wasn't like that at all. And in the short time they had spent
together, it felt like she was falling in love with the same, yet different,
person all over again.
Pan sighed. She couldn't do this to herself. She couldn't fall in love with
him again, only to be away from him...again. Pan knew there was no way she
and Mirai Trunks could be together. They came from two different worlds,
literally. He had people he needed to help take care of here, and she had an
entire planet to worry about back in her world. No way they could be
together. No way.
* * *
He was dreaming of her again. But this dream was completely different. Her
voice wasn't screaming in anguished grief, nor was it calling out to him in
heartbroken agony. Instead, he heard her laughter, and her perfect face
smiled beautifully at him, radiating warmth and happiness. He was holding her
close to him, kissing the silky soft skin on her forehead, breathing in the
scent of lilies in her hair.
When he woke up, he was disappointed it had only been a fantasy in his
subconscious. In that dream, she'd fit so perfectly in his embrace, as if his
arms had been made just for her. He remembered how her arms had been around
him as well, and how he had felt so wanted, like he belonged there. If only
he could make that fantasy a reality, to be able to hold her every day, to
wake up with her by his side every morning.
However, she would be leaving to do what she needed to do in the past. And it
was a likely possibility that she may leave forever and never come back.
'Baka!' he screamed inwardly. 'You can't let her just walk out of here like
that! You wait for her all your life and you're just going to let her LEAVE?!
Don't let that happen, Trunks!'
Without another thought, he dressed and headed for Pan's room.
* * *
Pan heard a knock on her door.
"Pan? It's me, Trunks. I need to talk to you."
"Come on in, Trunks."
He obeyed, and shut the door behind him.
"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" he asked.
"No. I was just lying down, thinking about stuff," she said. "What's up?"
"Pan...I want to go back to the past with you."
Pan stared at him in shock. "What for?" she asked.
"I want to make sure you'll be okay. I'd be sick to death with worry if I
knew you were out there by yourself," he said.
"Trunks, you don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine, really. You have a
lot to do here. You can't just..."
"There are others that can handle things. They don't need me. I'm going with
you," he said.
"Trunks..."
"I won't take no for an answer, Pan. I want to go with you, and that's
final."
Pan paused a moment. She had a feeling that there was another reason why he
wanted to go back with her, something deeper that she didn't understand. She
didn't want to drag him into a battle that wasn't his, but he didn't seem to
be giving her a choice in the matter. Then Pan smiled. One thing Mirai Trunks
had in common with the Trunks of her world, was that they both had a stubborn
streak a mile long. And Kami, did she love him for it. Both of him.
"Well, if you're going to be that way about it, I guess I can't argue with
you. I never could before when you were set on getting your way," she teased,
smiling.
"It's settled, then. We'll leave tonight, after dinner."
* * *
For the rest of the day, Pan couldn't help but feel on edge. Trunks had
encouraged her to try and rest before the trip, but her mind was swimming too
much. How would it feel, seeing her family alive again after all this time?
How would they react to her? How would her mother react when she found out
that she was actually the heir to the throne of some distant planet that was
eons of light years away? And, how would her younger self react to seeing
what she would look like in twelve years?
Returning to her old home was going to be difficult for her. Being around the
city, around the forest, knowing that it was HER power that had actually
killed the earth in her world...would make being there especially hard. She
was glad that Mirai Trunks was going with her. She knew that she would be
able to open up to him if she felt depressed, more so than her family.
Because Mirai Trunks had been through similar things in his life, he would
be able to understand her better than anyone else.
And when the day came that she would eventually have to leave and go back to
Dahlia for good...that would be a lot harder than just leaving him now. And
it was a day that she knew she would dread more than anything else in the
world.
* * *
"What is this, Kaasan?" Trunks asked, holding up the new watch.
"It's a universal communicator," Bulma stated proudly. "I just finished it
this morning. It'll allow you to contact me no matter where you are, even if
you're in a different world or timeline. I was going to give it to Pan so she
could keep us informed once she left, but since you're tagging along with
her, I'll just leave it with you."
"Thanks, Kaasan. I promise we'll let you know everything that happens."
"So when are you planning to leave?"
"We're leaving tonight, right after dinner."
"I see. But Trunks, tell me...why are you REALLY going with her?"
"I told you, I'm worried about her, Kaasan. I want to help her in whatever
way I can. She's Gohan-sensei's daughter. After everything he did for me, the
least I can do is take care of her."
"And that's your ONLY reason? Because Gohan is her father, you want to look
out for her?"
"Well...no, that isn't the only reason," Trunks said, suddenly getting very
quiet.
"Well, then...why?"
There was silence for a moment. He looked at his mother, his eyes yearning to
understand an emotion he'd never felt before. Bulma studied the look on her
son's face carefully. The longing in his eyes said it all. It was the same
look he had on his face when he had been watching over Pan in the infirmary,
but now it was more intense. It wasn't worry, or even concern that was
showing in those blue depths. It was love. He was hopelessly, desperately in
love. He had been doomed from the first moment that recurring dream had
haunted him, from the moment she fell from the heavens and into his arms. He
acknowledged his defeat quietly.
"Because I love her."
* * *
The afternoon came and went. After a huge dinner, it was time to go. They
went out into the courtyard that was set in the middle of Capsule Corp, and
Bulma was there to see them off.
"Since there's two of us," Pan started, "We'll need to travel with a barrier
around us. The currents in the time void have a huge amount of force, and we
could get separated easily."
"A barrier?" Trunks asked.
"Take my hand, Trunks."
He did, and Pan lifted her free hand. It began to glow a silver color and a
tiny ball of light appeared in her hand.
"Sphere Barrier!"
The brightness of the light exploded, causing Trunks and Bulma to cover their
eyes in surprise. When it faded, Trunks was shocked to see that he and Pan
were inside what seemed like some kind of glass bubble.
"W-Wow," Trunks said as he tapped on the glass. "Not bad!"
"Amazing, I can even still hear their voices through it!" Bulma said.
"Don't worry about us, Kaasan! Like I said before, we'll keep you posted,"
Mirai Trunks assured his mother.
"Be careful. Take care of each other," Bulma said.
"We will, Bulma-san." With that, Pan turned to face Trunks, and took his
hands into hers. "I need you to concentrate with me, Trunks. Close your eyes,
and clear your thoughts. Think only about our destination."
Trunks closed his eyes, and did as she asked. Silently, Pan began to chant
the spell.
"In the name of the planet Dahlia...I call upon the powers of Mystoke," she
began. "Let your light lead us to our destiny, your energy direct us to our
path."
The pendant began to emit a bright light, enveloping the two of them in a
golden aura. Bulma watched in awe as this happened.
"Fate, take us to our heart's desire...take us to my home!"
The light soon engulfed the entire sphere, and within seconds, it shot
upwards like a golden firecracker, and disappeared. Little sprinkles of
yellow light were left over, disappearing gradually as the light faded.
Bulma looked up at evening sky. "Trunks," she whispered. "I'm so very proud
of you. Tell Pan how you feel, tell her soon," she went on, as a certain
black-haired Saiyajin prince came to her thoughts, causing tears to fall from
her eyes. "Or you might not ever get the chance."
Alrighty then! I hope you enjoyed this part! If I'm lucky (I said IF) I may
be able to finish the next part in a couple days. And just to clear things
up, there was a little confusion from some of you about Pan's age. 'Mirai
Pan' is the one I have been discussing up to this point. She is 22. When she
and Mirai Trunks go to the past, her YOUNGER SELF is age 10. I hope that
clears up any confusion. Feedback is good. R&R please!
Sincerely,
Lady S