Chapter 4: Something to Prove
By Lady Starra
Rating: PG
presea94@netscape.net
Okay, I am sooo sorry it took me so long to get this out. I went on vacation
and I ended up rewriting this whole chapter from what it was originally. Just
a few more things before you read on...
From this chapter onward 22 year old Pan will be referred to as Mirai Pan. 10
year old Pan will just be called Pan or Young Pan. And thank you, minna, for
all of your nice reviews! =D I won't hold you up any longer, so happy reading!
A bright flash of golden light appeared high in the middle of the forest. As
it faded, two figures encased in a magic sphere descended slowly from the sky
to the ground. When they were safely on the grass, the sphere around them
disappeared, and they opened their eyes and looked around cautiously.
"There it is!" Mirai Pan walked to a nearby tree.
"What?" Mirai Trunks asked.
"Look. The names of everyone in my family are carved into it."
The bark on the tree read, "The Son Family: Gohan I, Goku, Chichi, Gohan II,
Goten, Videl, Pan."
"When I used the pendant, I cleared my thoughts of everything but this tree.
I used it as my main focal point and it worked! We came to the right place!"
she said happily.
"In that case, let's go find everyone. My kaasan of this time should be at
Capsule Corp."
"Just a minute, Trunks. Let me check it out."
She closed her eyes for a few moments, concentrating.
'Uh-oh. More magic,' Mirai Trunks thought.
She opened her eyes, and they flashed a bright silver. 'Now what is she
doing?' he wondered.
When her eyes returned from silver to blue, she spoke. "None of the Z
Soldiers are at Capsule Corp, and neither is Bulma. Everyone is at the
Tenkaichi Budoukai."
"The Tenkaichi Budoukai?"
"Yeah, but it hasn't started yet. There are still people signing in."
"Well then, let's go!" Mirai Trunks got ready to take off, but Mirai Pan
hesitated.
"What's wrong, Pan-chan?"
"I...I'm not so sure about this anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean...once they realize who I am, they'll freak out. And when I tell them
about Zio, they'll freak out even more. And for me...they've been dead for
seven years. I don't know how I'm going to handle seeing them again after all
this time...alive. It was hard enough being around you and your mother,
Trunks. I don't think..."
He silenced her by putting his arms around her, giving her a comforting hug.
She was a little surprised at this but hugged him back.
"It'll be all right, Pan-chan," he said. "I know how you feel. I went through
the same thing when I came to warn everyone about the cyborgs. But everything
turned out fine. And the same will happen for you. You'll see."
"But...my circumstances are a lot different than yours were. The only person
you really knew was your mother and my father, right? But I know ALL of them.
I had to watch all of them die..."
She began to cry. He held her tighter, trying to console her by stroking her
hair. "Shhh. Pan-chan, it's okay. It's all gonna be okay."
The feeling of his arms around her, the soothing comfort of his whispering
words... Pan just wanted to stay like that forever. Then she realized that
maybe she shouldn't have let Mirai Trunks come with her. She afraid that they
would only get closer to one another and in the end it would be harder on
them both once they had to part ways. But she had wanted him to come. When
she thought she would never see the man she loved again, Kami had blessed her
by bringing her to Mirai Trunks. Perhaps her arrival in his world had been no
accident.
"Pan-chan. You can do this. I know you can."
She took a deep breath. 'I can't cry,' she thought to herself. 'I need to
pull myself together if I'm going to help the people here.' She looked up at
him and regained her composure. "I'm glad you're here, Trunks," she said
softly.
He smiled, and wiped some tears from her face. "So am I." He kissed her
forehead and hugged her again.
"Come on," she said. "I think I know just how I want to make my
introduction."
* * *
"Pan-chan, are you sure about this?"
"I've never been so sure of anything in my life. I've always wanted to win
the Tenkaichi Budoukai. I was never strong enough before, but now I am. "
"What if they recognize you?"
Mirai Pan sort of giggled, then used her magic to transform her clothes. It
was identical to the outfit she had been in when she first arrived in Mirai
Trunks' timeline, only now it was purple and didn't have a cape.
"They won't recognize me. Count on it."
"Okay, but they could recognize ME. What am I going to do if my mother sees
me in the stands?"
"You'll need to be discreet. Here." Pan waved her hand, and the next thing
Mirai Trunks knew, he had on jeans, a black leather jacket, and dark
sunglasses. His long hair was pulled back with a baseball cap closed over it.
There was also a pair of binoculars in his hand. He looked at himself in
amazement.
"You have to stop surprising me like that. Is there anything you CAN'T do
with that magic?" he asked.
"I can't use it for evil. But if I can think of anything else, I'll let you
know," she said with a wink. "Now listen. The only ones who aren't competing
are my grandmother, my mother, Bulma, Bra, Kame Sennin, and the Pan of this
timeline. They're all sitting on the north side of the stadium, if you don't
want them to see you, sit away from there. Now Trunks, I know that the
cyborgs in your world were evil, but try to keep your composure and don't fly
out from the stands and try to kill Juuhachi when she comes out, okay?"
"What?! Juuhachigou?!"
"Yes Trunks, but calm down. She isn't the same cyborg that destroyed your
world. I also don't think Kuririn would appreciate it very much if you killed
his wife and the mother of his child."
His eyes widened in surprise, but he nodded in agreement.
"Keep a low profile. I don't want them to find out who I am until I've won."
"My, aren't we Little Miss Confidence? What makes you think you'll be able to
beat Goku or my father, hmm?" he asked.
"Unfortunately, the same way Zio did. With my magic, they can't touch me."
"Don't you think that's being just a tad unfair?"
"Trunks, you're spoiling my fun again."
* * *
In the locker rooms, the Z Soldiers were suiting up and preparing themselves.
Trunks was in a somewhat uneasy mood. From the moment he got up that morning,
he couldn't shake the feeling that something was out of place. At first he
thought he was just nervous, but why should he be? He had never been nervous
in any of the previous tournaments.
"What's wrong with you, boy?" Vegeta asked him.
"Yeah, Trunks. You've been acting like a zombie all morning," Goten said.
"I just have this really strange feeling."
"About what?"
"Like...I don't know. Like something out of the ordinary is gonna happen.
Something real weird."
"You're losing it, Trunks," Goten said.
"No. He's right. I've been feeling that way today too," Goku said.
"What do you think it is?" Gohan asked.
"It's hard to say, but..."
Suddenly, all of their senses picked up an extremely powerful ki nearby. The
Z Soldiers stood there, trying to pick up more on it.
"Who...is it?" Yamucha said.
"I've never sensed anything like this. It's got a very different energy to
it, but it's not evil," Goku said.
"That's a relief," Kuririn breathed.
"And it's here. No doubt they've come to fight in the Tenkaichi Budoukai,"
Piccolo said.
"Well men, it seems we may just have a worthy opponent this year after all,"
Vegeta smirked. "Let's just see if this guy is as strong as a Super
Saiyajin."
* * *
Mirai Pan waited in the registration line, trying to sense the ki of all the
Z Soldiers. She was definitely stronger than them, she knew that. But that
was only because after they died, she continued her training intensely, and
learning Mystoke had brought her to a level none of the others could ever
reach. She didn't know why she felt the need to win so badly. That last year
she had spent with everyone before their deaths, she had been a teenager but
everyone still looked at her as a child. They had never truly seen her grow
up. Perhaps it was about time they did.
Before she knew it, she was in the front of the line.
"What's your name, sweetheart?" the man doing the registrations asked her.
A name. She couldn't use her real name. She said the only thing that came to
mind.
"Dahlia," she said quickly, then shot the man a look of annoyance. "And don't
call me 'sweetheart.'"
* * *
Mirai Trunks sat in one of the middle rows of the west side of the stadium,
impatiently waiting for the Tenkaichi Budoukai to begin, feeling restless. He
wanted to see Pan fight! It would be quite interesting to see how she fared
against Vegeta. Just then, the announcer finally began to speak.
"Welcome everyone, to the annual Tenkaichi Budoukai! The first rounds are
about to begin!"
Mirai Pan, otherwise known as "Dahlia" stepped out into the combatants'
waiting area. She spotted all of her family and friends at the opposite end.
They seemed to be speaking intently to one another, no doubt talking about
how weak the competition was going to be. However, their conversations were
halted and the Z Soldiers looked over at "Dahlia" in total astonishment.
Mirai Pan noticed their reaction to her and smiled inwardly. She hadn't
bothered to hold back any of her ki when she arrived at the arena. She didn't
know why she was being so coy. Perhaps it was the only way for her to keep
from breaking down at the sight of her loved ones that she hadn't seen in
over seven years.
"That enormous ki! It's coming from that girl!" Kuririn said to the others
quietly.
Trunks, Goten, and Yamucha all gaped at the girl in total awe. They didn't
know if they were more amazed at the kind of power she had, or the fact that
she was one of the most gorgeous people they had ever laid eyes on. (AN:
Right about here you'd see their eyes turn into hearts. =D )
"Who could she be, I wonder?" Juuhachi said.
"I don't know why, but she seems very familiar to me," Gohan said, studying
the girl. "In fact, she even actually kind of reminds me of Videl...they
could almost be sisters."
Mirai Pan could hear their conversation perfectly from where she was
standing. She gasped slightly at her father's comment. It was true, she did
inherit a lot of her looks from her mother. But she didn't think it would be
so obvious! She only hoped that they wouldn't figure her out. But how could
they? She was nothing like the tomboy she used to be. Her title as the new
queen of Dahlia had called for her to be feminine, sophisticated, regal. Once
they proclaimed her as queen, her days as a tomboy were over.
'But that doesn't mean I shouldn't be the winner of the Tenkaichi Budoukai.'
she thought with a smile.
* * *
The first rounds of the competition began. The way it was set up, four pairs
of contestants would fight at once. Mirai Pan looked up at the electronic
board and saw who her first opponent would be.
Marron. If there had been anyone Pan had ever been envious of, it was Marron.
She had been pretty and popular and always had guys fawning all over her. But
she had never been arrogant about it. What made it all harder, was that
Marron had always liked Trunks. They dated for a while, but Marron found out
rather quickly that Trunks was practically married to his job as the
president of Capsule Corp. She didn't want to be with someone who worked as
often as he did, despite the fact that Trunks was the wealthiest and most
handsome bachelor known to the earth. For that reason, their relationship
never went to the next level. It would be interesting to see how tough Marron
really was, although Mirai Pan knew she would have no trouble beating her.
"And now, in ring four...Marron faces off against Dahlia!" the announcer
said.
The Z Soldiers watched as the beautiful girl with the outrageous ki stepped
into the ring with Marron. They all gasped.
"There's no way Marron can beat that girl," Goten said.
"Dahlia. They said her name was Dahlia," Trunks said.
Mirai Trunks watched from the stands, straightening up as he heard that
familiar word. It seemed that Pan had decided to use the name of her planet
as her alias. Heck, why not? If Vegeta could be named after his home planet,
there was no reason Pan couldn't.
"Marron's going up next!" Videl said from the stands, looking down through
her binoculars.
"Ah, that's a fine little opponent she's got there!" Kame Sennin exclaimed,
drooling.
"You old ecchi. Can't you ever think of anything besides women? Honestly!"
Chichi snarled.
Young Pan looked down at Marron's opponent in wonder, then uneasiness. She
looked at Bra, who had the same expression on her face. Videl saw the
troubled look in her daugter's eyes. "What is it, Pan?"
"That girl that's going up against Marron. She's so strong! Her ki is so
huge!" Pan said.
"She's right," Kame Sennin said, suddenly becoming serious. "That girl is
extremely powerful. So powerful that...no! Kami-sama, it couldn't be!"
"What's going on?" Bulma asked.
"That girl....she's even stronger than Vegeta, perhaps even Goku!"
"NANI?!" Bulma, Chichi, and Videl all cried as they looked at him in shock.
"It's true," Bra said, looking at the unusually powerful stranger.
"Someone stronger than Ojiisama," Pan said. She never thought that was
possible. Pan adored her grandfather, and as far as she knew, no one in the
universe matched his power. But this person...this girl...surpassed it. How?
"Are you all absolutely sure about this?" Bulma said.
"Yes," Kame Sennin said. "Whoever this lady is...we can only hope that her
intentions are good."
* * *
Winning the match against Marron was child's play. Defeating the other human
opponents was even easier. Whenever anybody went to attack her, she simply
faded out and reappeared behind them, or she would dodge it and humor them
a little. Mirai Trunks watched the woman he loved as she continued to
fascinate the crowd with her skill, beauty and graceful, flowing movements.
She never kicked her opponents out of the ring. She would always use her
magic. The entire time, all the Z Soldiers watched her, stunned. So far she
had managed to defeat Marron, Yamucha, Juuhachi, Tenshinhan, Goten, and, to
everyone's surprise, Piccolo as well. After that, they knew that she was more
than a warrior. This girl was winning every match and not even having to
touch her opponent to do it!
"She's definitely using some form of magic to beat her opponents," Goku said.
"Maybe she's a witch, or some kind of weird sorceress," Marron said. "I mean,
I don't even know how she knocked me out of the ring. She disappeared and the
next thing I knew, I was pushed off! The energy she gave off was too weird."
"Oh, great," Trunks groaned as he looked up at the board. "I'm her next
opponent!"
"Well Trunks, I only have these words for you. Watch your back, and don't
let that pretty face distract you," Goten said.
* * *
"Ladies and gentlemen, the semi-finals of the Tenkaichi Budoukai are about to
begin! The next match...Trunks Briefs versus Dahlia!"
Trunks joined "Dahlia" on the stage, and she looked at him with a smile.
'Gods, she's beautiful,' he thought again in awe. 'Thank goodness she's not
evil, or we'd all be doomed.'
Mirai Trunks watched as his other self joined Mirai Pan in the ring. This
was going to be interesting. Then he looked at the way his alter ego stared
at her. He was gone on her. 'Just great. I'm falling in love with her twice!
Not good,' Mirai Trunks thought.
Trunks and Mirai Pan bowed to each other in the ring. "Begin!" the referee
said. Both got into a fighting stance, just staring at each other. 'If I
attack, will she disappear and then reappear behind me, like she did to the
others? If that's her strategy, maybe I need to do something a little
different...'
"Well, are you going to make a move, or are you just going to stand there and
stare at me, Trunks?"
Trunks was surprised at the fact that she said his name as if she already
knew him. "Do we know each other?"
"I know that you're Trunks Briefs. The president and CEO of Capsule Corp."
"I'm not president yet."
"President, vice-president, same difference. But I'm not here for small talk,
Mr. Briefs. I'm here to fight. Now attack."
She had attitude. He liked that. "Hmm. If you insist."
Suddenly, he disappeared. She grinned. 'Well, at least he's smarter than the
others were.' She felt him reappear behind her. He was about to make a move
when she leaped into the air and hovered there.
'She's so fast!' he thought. 'How could anyone have that much speed?'
She threw her usual blast of magic at him, and he dodged it, hovering in the
air next to her.
"Well, you should feel proud. You're the first one who's been able to dodge
that attack today."
"I'm stronger than you think." He flew at her to make his next move but she
disappeared and reappeared behind him.
"So am I." She hit him with the magic blast again, and this time, it hit him,
sending him flying off to the side. When she landed back down on the ring,
the referee declared her the winner.
* * *
"Hey, don't feel too badly Trunks. I mean, at least you were able to hang on
ten seconds longer than the rest of us," Goten said.
"You're not helping, Goten." Trunks sighed. This was the first time he had
ever been beaten by a woman. In fact, it was the first time he'd ever fought
with one, period. Before he'd fought her, Goten told him "don't let that
pretty face distract you." Good grief, "pretty" wasn't a sufficient word.
Even now, all he could think of was her dark hair flowing around her, and
those beautiful blue eyes that seemed to entrance him. "Pretty" was
definitely an understatement.
"I wonder if she'd go on a date with me," Goten said.
"Ha! Not if I ask her first," Trunks said.
"We'll see!"
* * *
"And the winner...Son Goku!"
The crowd cheered, and Vegeta glared at Goku, who had just defeated him.
Mirai Pan watched from the sidelines and couldn't believe what was going to
happen next.
'I'm going to be fighting my grandfather,' she mused. 'I don't know if I can
do this without...'
It had been so long since she had seen him. She just wanted to run up to him,
and to her father, hug them and tell them who she really was. The pain she
felt in her heart was so strong that even Mirai Trunks could sense what she
was feeling.
'Pan-chan,' a familiar voice in her head spoke.
'T...Trunks?' she thought. 'I must be going insane...'
'No, you're not. It's me. I'm talking to you with my mind.'
'Trunks...I didn't know you could do that!'
'Neither did I. I don't know how I'm doing it, but I am. Pan, I can tell you
feel sad. Be strong!'
'I'm trying! I didn't take into consideration that I might have to fight my
grandfather! This is too hard. I can't...'
'Pan-chan. This is NOT a good time for you to have a nervous breakdown. You
know that. Focus, take your mind off it. I KNOW you can do it, Pan-chan!'
She began to calm herself down, letting his voice soothe and reassure her
like it was always able to do.
'Arigatou, Trunks. Arigatou for believing in me.'
'I'll always be here for you, Pan-chan.'
She blushed at how lovingly he spoke to her. It baffled her that they were
able to communicate telepathically like that. How did he do that, anyway? She
would have to figure it out later, because just then, she saw her grandfather
join her in the ring.
"This is it, people! The final match of the day, Son Goku versus Dahlia! The
winner of this round will reign as this year's Tenkaichi Budoukai champion!"
boomed the announcer's voice over the speakers.
"Now we'll see if she really IS stronger than Goku," Kame Sennin said as
Videl continued to look down with her binoculars. She focused on the girl,
getting a good look at her for the first time. And, for the first time, she
noticed the rather unusual brooch the girl was wearing...and gasped in shock.
"What is it, Videl?" Bulma asked.
Videl didn't take her eyes from the binoculars. She just kept looking at the
pendant, studying it, trying to make sure she wasn't seeing things. 'It's
exactly like the brooch I have at home. The one that belonged to my mother. I
thought there wasn't supposed to be another one like it! What could this
mean?' Videl wondered.
The two opponents stood there, looking at each other for a few moments.
"You're very strong," Goku finally said, breaking the silence. "But I'm not
as strong as you. The kind of power you have is overwhelming. Yet I don't
believe you're a threat to anyone. Who are you and where do you come from?"
he asked her.
"All will be revealed in good time, Son Goku. Although it's an honor for me
to fight with you today, you are right about two things. One, I'm not a
threat, and two, I AM stronger than you." As soon as she said it, she wished
she hadn't. She didn't want to be so arrogant towards her grandfather.
"So you are. Which is why I have a favor to ask you."
"Oh? And what's that?"
"I would like to fight you in my true form."
'He wants to fight me as a Super Saiyajin,' she thought. 'Well, I guess it
doesn't matter.' "I don't have a problem with that. Be my guest."
Everyone watched as Goku's ki rose and he went into his strongest form of
Super Saiyajin, causing the Z Soldiers and their family and friends in the
stands to gasp.
"He's just about at full power now. Goku has to win!" Yamucha said.
"I'm not so sure," Piccolo said. "She's still not showing her full potential.
She's still keeping some of her power back."
"But she's already so strong! Are you telling us that she's even stronger?"
Vegeta asked in disbelief.
"And something else doesn't make sense. If someone that strong has been here
on Earth all this time, how come we never sensed it before?" Gohan said.
"Yeah, it's like her ki just appeared out of nowhere. This is too strange,"
Kuririn said.
Trunks looked at the girl again, once more becoming entranced by her. Perhaps
she WAS a witch or something, because that was exactly how he felt every time
he looked at her...bewitched. Also, why did he feel like he already knew her
from someplace? The girl was indeed a mystery...a mystery that Trunks
intended to solve, on his own if he had to.
Goku looked at the girl, who didn't even blink when he turned Super Saiyajin.
It was almost as if she were expecting it. "I'd say we're about even now," he
told her.
"Maybe. Then again, maybe not," she replied.
"Are you two ready now?" the referee asked them.
They both looked at him and nodded. "All right then. Ready...FIGHT!"
Everyone looked on in anticipation as the two got into their fighting
stances. Mirai Pan kept her emotions in check, thinking perhaps this would be
rather fun. She hadn't sparred with her grandfather in so long, and he always
won against her but today was going to be different. She then decided she
wouldn't kick him out of the ring so quickly like she did with the others.
She wanted this fight to last.
Goku delivered his first attack, a series of punches and kicks. Mirai Pan was
able to evade them all, and Goku marveled at her speed. He attacked her
again, only to have her block again.
'Punches and kicks won't work on her. I guess I have to do something
different.' The next thing she knew, Mirai Pan saw a ki blast coming her way.
With little effort, she knocked it out of the way like a beach ball right
back at Goku. Stunned, Goku leaped into the air before the blast had a chance
to hit him.
"KAMEHAMEHA!"
"SHIELD BARRIER!" A shield appeared before her and absorbed the blast. Goku
just looked at her in astonishment.
'Where could she have gotten this kind of power? I've never dealt with
anything like this!' Goku thought.
"You're holding back! Why? Because I'm a woman? I know you're stronger than
that! Fight me, Son Goku! Fight me like a real Super Saiyajin!"
Goku's eyes widened, and the other Z Soldiers, who could hear everything
from the sidelines, gasped in shock.
"How..." came Goku's choked reply. This girl knew exactly what he had become
when he transformed. She knew.
"Don't look at me like that, Goku-san. As I said, everything will be revealed
shortly. Now, don't hold back any of your power. I want to fight the real
you."
"Cut the small talk, you two! You need to continue with the match!" the
referee told them.
"You heard the man. Are you going to make the next move, or should I?" Mirai
Pan asked Goku.
"Once this is over, you're going to tell me everything, right?" Goku asked.
"I promise."
"All right! Then let's end this now!" Goku powered up.
'This is it, Pan,' she thought. 'Your chance to show them how strong you are.
That you're not a little kid anymore!'
"KAIOUKEN...ATTACK!!!"
As she watched her grandfather charge at her, she also began to power up.
Mirai Trunks gasped as he stood from his seat. She was going to turn
Super Saiyajin! She'd give herself away!
"Pan-chan! Yamero! Are you nuts?!" Mirai Trunks cried.
Almost as soon as Goku was going to strike, the golden aura enveloped Mirai
Pan, and the Z Soldiers gasped in total disbelief as her hair turned to gold,
and her eyes flashed to a green color.
"She's a..." Goten couldn't finish his words.
"USO!" Trunks cried.
Her sudden transformation threw Goku off guard. Pan used the opportunity to
cast her next spell.
"MIND FREEZE!"
Goku stopped dead in his tracks. 'I can't move!' he thought as he stared at
his opponent, who was now standing before him as a Super Saiyajin. 'What's
going on here?! She's a Super Saiyajin?!' That was his last thought as the
girl threw a magic blast at him and knocked him out of the ring.
"WINNER!" The referee declared, and everyone in the stadium stood and cheered
loudly. Everyone, that is, except for the Z Soldiers and their families
sitting in the stands. They just eyed the girl as the glow around her faded
and she returned back to normal. Everyone was still too stunned to do or say
anything. They all just watched as the announcer delcared her the winner of
the Tenkaichi Budoukai and she was awarded the trophy.
"I...I saw it, but I don't believe it!" Goten finally said.
"She turned into a Super Saiyajin," Trunks said quietly.
Growling, Vegeta rushed into the ring and confronted the girl.
"Who are you?!" he yelled. "How is it that you can turn into a Super
Saiyajin?"
The others soon followed, and their families sitting in the stands left their
seats to go down there as well.
"This is no place for us to talk. We need to go somewhere more private," she
told them.
"She's right. We can't very well talk about it in the middle of the arena,"
Goku said.
"I said I would tell you everything and I will. But let me tell you right
now...you'd better brace yourselves," Mirai Pan warned, as she motioned for
them to leave the arena. They began walking out, and when they got outside,
they heard a familiar voice.
"Hey, you!"
Mirai Pan froze as she saw her mother running up to meet them, followed by
her younger self, Bra, Bulma, and Kame Sennin.
"You! Where did you get that brooch around your neck?" Videl asked, pointing
at the pendant.
"I..."
Videl walked in front of the girl and examined the back of it. 'Even the
strange writing on the back is the same! It has to be the same one...this
doesn't make any sense...'
"You don't have to worry, minna. She's not a threat to you."
Everyone turned to the voice that just spoke, and everyone gasped and gaped
in shock for the umpteenth time that day. Trunks stood there, looking at what
could have been his identical twin.
"Kami-sama! Now what?!" Trunks cried. "Another me?!"
"Mirai no Trunks!" Goku exclaimed. "You've come back!"
"'Mirai' Trunks?" Goten said.
"You know this girl then?" Gohan asked him.
"Yes, and apparently, so do all of you."
"HUH?" they all asked in confusion.
"Wait. If you know Mirai Trunks, then are you from the future too?" Bulma
asked.
"I...I am," she said quietly.
"You still didn't answer my question. Where did you get that brooch? It's
identical to the one I have, even the markings on the back are the same.
Where did you get it?" Videl asked again.
"It's...it's quite a long story." She looked down at the ground. The
composure that she had tried so hard to maintain all this time was slipping
away. "It was given to me."
"By whom?" Videl asked.
"My...mother." Tears streamed down her eyes now. She couldn't look up at
everyone, if she did she was sure she would break down in sobs.
Videl's head was swimming. "If you're from the future...masaka! You do look
like me, but it just...CAN'T BE!"
Everyone was beginning to understand what Videl was hinting at. "There's only
one way to find out," Gohan said as he stepped behind the girl. "My daughter
has a birthmark...on the nape of her neck." He moved her long hair to one
side, dreading what he would see next. The Z Soldiers tensed as Gohan's eyes
widened in pure shock.
"I...I don't believe this," Gohan managed to choke out. "She IS Pan!"
Can we say cliffhanger? Heh heh. I hope you all enjoyed this part, if it
seemed like I was over-glorifying Pan I'm sorry, but she's the star of this
fic, and I felt like making her stand out. At first I was going to write this
part much differently, I wasn't planning on mentioning anything about the
Tenkaichi Budoukai. I just thought it would be a little fun, and add to the
wonder of Mirai Pan's strength by having her defeat all the Z Soldiers,
including Goku. Actually, writing the match between Mirai Pan and Goku was
pretty difficult for me, I'm really not used to writing scenes like that. I
hope it didn't sound too dumb. ^^;
I have already started on the next chapter, which will have MUCH MORE
romance, I promise! =D So, stay tuned for Chapter 5: All Grown Up.
Please R&R!
Sincerely,
Lady S