Chapter 4
Finding home
Pan had never cried in her life, and now…she couldn't seem to stop. On her way to her tousan's she had stopped by the park, she now sat on a bench her tears flowing down her cheeks steadily. She glanced at the palms of her hands, rough, callused, small hands. All her life she had had to take care of herself, even though she had had foster parents. Right now she just couldn't figure out where she fit in. At Capsule Corp. she felt like she was back with her old foster parents. Being around Vegeta really made her feel at home, but most of the time she wasn't around him. She was around Trunks, and he made her feel…weird. There was really now other word to explain it. She couldn't quite place the feeling that came into her stomach, so she shrugged it off as just a stomachache.
Pan felt her shirt begin to stick as it became soaked with tears, she hadn't thought Jami would be that…cruel. Couldn't she tell that Pan was really trying to fit in? Couldn't she tell that she was really sorry? Sure she could tell that Pan hadn't wanted to hurt Mum. Pan sobbed more, even her foster parents weren't so…heartless! How could her tousan have married such a non-understanding woman as she? Pan knew that she was over reacting, but Jami really had seemed to hate Pan. Now…after Pan had finally gotten the courage to ask to move in, it was totally squashed by Jami. How could she ask to move in after that? What would her tousan say? Would he be mad at her as well? Say she should have stopped the spar? Pan was so confused…nothing in her life had ever been so…difficult.
She finally stood and rubbed the tears away fiercely. She looked up at the building her tousan worked in. She flew up to his window and watched him a moment. He was talking to one of his patients recording their conversation. How? She kept asking herself, she would only make a fool of herself. Asking to move in after almost getting her nee-chan killed! She would look like a major baka! Pan lowered herself on his window's sill and lay her chin in her palm. Why did life itself have to be so difficult? She shook her head, tired of all of this. If she had really ruined it…then she needed to know now.
She knocked on the window and watched in slight amusement as he jumped. As soon as he saw that it was her, he opened the window,
"Pan!" He said surprised, he noticed her puffy eyes and his face turned from surprise to deep concern. "What's wrong?"
"I…I…" Pan stammered as she played with her hands, "Mum and Bra were sparring, when the two were very close to super saiyajin I gave them a push. Bra said something about hurting you guys and Mum got upset. She went super saiyajin and began to beat Bra badly, but Bra soon went super saiyajin as well. The two couldn't hold the power long so they both fell out of it before fighting. I gave them each a senzu, but when I took Mum home Jami saw that she was hurt." Pan felt as new tears began to well up, "I…I didn't want Mum to get hurt! Honest! I…just, knew that she could handle it! She's saiyajin! But I didn't know that Jami hadn't thought her to be so weak!" Tears were now silently flowing, and Pan began to sob, "Why? Why now? I was so sure that she trusted me. And I was ready to move in and everything! Why did this have to happen?" Pan collapsed on the ground and began to cry.
Gohan stared at his daughter utterly speechless. He politely told his patient that they would have to continue later. The man understood and left the room silently. Gohan bent down to his daughter and lay a hand around her shoulders. He held her a moment before he came up with words to comfort her,
"Pan…Jami is very protective of Videl. She grew up with a family that was never there, one that never protected her. So naturally she wants her daughter to grow up differently." He explained, "She knew of the saiyajin race and how ruthless they were. She also knew how they came to an end. Don't worry about it, I'll explain to her…"
Pan cried in her tousan's arms for awhile then looked up at him,
"I honestly didn't want her to be hurt. Really!" She pleaded.
There was a small click and the two stared at the small recorder that had been recording their incident. Pan then looked up at the four corners and noticed that there were two camera's. She stiffened when she realized her foolishness.
"Gomen nasai…for ever coming into your life. I didn't mean to hurt any of you." Pan stood abruptly, "I'll…just leave. Try and find my foster parents…the barbarians that raised me."
Pan then flew out of the window, before receiving an answer from her tousan.
Gohan immediately flew to his house. He had to make Jami listen to the recording. If that didn't change her mind then nothing would. He barged inside the house and went straight to their room. Jami was in the bed reading, and when he walked in she screeched.
"Gohan! You scared me!" Jami said.
"Gomen! Listen to this…you didn't believe my daughter was genuine. Listen to this and you'll see just how much she cares for Videl!" Gohan threw the recorder on the bed, "Hurry and listen…so I can find my daughter!"
Gohan left the room and slammed the door behind him.
Jami starred at the recorder stunned. She picked it up and rewound it. But all that she heard was Gohan and one of his patients. When she was about to turn it off and go down to Gohan, he heard Gohan's voice say 'Pan!' She turned the recorder's volume up and listened to their conversation, she cried along with Pan as she realized how foolish she had been. She never knew that Pan was such a caring person. Jami about screamed 'Iie!' when she heard Pan's last words…what else had happened? She had to know. Jami jumped off the bed and ran down the stairs. She found Gohan in his office pacing, She still had tears streaming when she came to a halt,
"Tell me…what did she say after it stopped recording." She asked her voice shaky.
Gohan looked up at her,
"She apologized for ruining our lives and said she'd look for the 'barbarians' that raised her." Gohan said softly.
Jami burst into tears,
"Barbarians? I said that! I was the one that called them barbarians!" She wailed, slowly sliding to the floor, "I yelled at her when Videl was slightly hurt! It was me that said she would not train her anymore! Oh Gohan! How could I have been so foolish?"
Gohan did the same with his wife as he had done to his daughter.
"Jami…don't." He whispered. "Don't blame yourself."
"But it was my fault!" Jami wailed.
Pan lowered her ki as low as she could and went to the mall…the most crowded and loud place she could think of. She figured she would just start over again…looking for her foster family instead. She was still shedding tears…only not as many as before. And this time she wasn't trying to stop them…she had her arms crossed over her waist, her tail underneath her baggy shirt and her head was cast downward. She walked on as if a zombie…bumping into people now and then. She would mutter apologies and continue on.
She put a hand in her pocket and found that she had twenty dollars. She looked at the stores she was by and stepped inside one of them. She walked through the store searching for a good winter coat for twenty dollars. She found one that was quite warm and really big on her. She bought it along with a pair of gloves and an umbrella. The money she had left over totaled a dollar and ninety-five cents. She stopped at the food court and bought a sandwich with the remaining.
She sat at one of the tables and picked the sandwich apart. Her vision was really blurry and she was still thinking of how stupid she had been to think her tousan would just take her with open arms. She pushed a piece of the sandwich in her mouth and ate it…not enjoying the meat and mustard as much as usual. She was so engrossed in picking at her food…that she didn't notice her Grandma and Bulma walk in.
"Oh dear me! Is that Pan?" ChiChi screeched quietly to Bulma.
"Hai…but she looks as if she wants to be alone." Bulma answered.
"Oh…but look at her! She seems so…upset!" ChiChi protested.
"Iie ChiChi! Let us leave her be…" Bulma pulled her friend the opposite way.
Pan picked her bag up and threw the rest of her sandwich away. She left the mall and pulled out her things. She put her gloves and coat on, and put the umbrella in the huge pocket on the inside of her coat. She then crossed her arms tightly and cast her eyes back downward.
Jami agreed to leave Videl at Capsule Corp. with Mrs. Briefs…while she and Gohan set up a meeting with the Z team. The way they had planned to do this was call them all from Capsule Corp. and have them all meet at Dende's. They had gathered all of the Z team within twenty minuets,
"What is the meaning of this!" Vegeta barked, "Why was I pulled from my training?"
"Is something wrong?" Yamcha asked.
Jami and Gohan were looking nervous,
"Tell us already!" Vegeta snapped.
"Pan left." Gohan said, "She's gone. We need help finding her."
They were obviously not expecting this…
"Nani!?" Vegeta yelled, "She can't leave!"
"Why…what happened?" Trunks asked, he looked heart broken.
"What would she want to leave for?" Goku asked confused.
"I…yelled at her." Jami whispered, she looked down as more tears began to well up.
"When did she leave?" ChiChi asked.
"About an hour ago…why?" Gohan answered.
"Me and Bulma saw her at the mall…and it was about forty-five minuets ago!" ChiChi exclaimed. "Oh Bulma! She looked so…alone!"
Jami burst into a new set of tears at this,
"I…I didn't know." She whispered to Gohan.
"I know Jami, don't worry about it." Gohan said.
Trunks glanced at everyone then walked to the edge of the look out. He glanced over and began to search all of the ki. He found the familiar ki he was looking for and shot down off of the look out, unnoticed to the others. He had to get to Pan first. How had she gotten her ki so low? He wondered. When he was closer to the ki he began to run, he searched the streets looking for her slim frame. He noticed one person that was huddled in a big coat walking about three feet away, he patted the persons shoulder.
"Excuse me…have you seen a girl about eighteen? She has long black hair…" He trailed off as he realized who the person was, "Pan!"
"Iie…go away Trunks." Pan said, her voice raspy from all her crying.
"Iie…you must come back with me!" Trunks argued.
"I…I can't." Pan looked down. "Jami, hates me."
"Jami doesn't…she was the one that was blaming herself. She's the one that is crying over you, wondering what to do." Trunks corrected her. "She's the one…who misses you second most."
Pan looked up at him confused,
"Who misses me the most?" She asked.
This was crazy! He's known Pan only for four months and he was already in…love!
"Me." Trunks answered softly.
"How can you possibly miss me?" Pan asked.
"Because…because I love you Pan. I've known you only for four months and already it seems as if I've known you for four years." Trunks blurted out.
"You…you love me?" Pan was astounded.
The more she tried to deny it the more she loved him. But he was the Prince of all Saiyajins and she was just a lowly third class.
"I…I'm a third class. How can you love me?" She asked again.
"I wouldn't care if you were fifth class…Pan you mean everything to me." Trunks said.
"Oh Trunks! What would my foster family say if they knew that I had bonded to the Prince!" Pan said loudly.
Trunks chuckled,
"I'm their Prince, they can't say anything about it." He said.
Pan smiled at him, she then threw off her coat and uncurled her tail.
"Are you sure you want me? I have a tail you know…I eat a lot." Pan warned.
"I used to have a tail…and I also eat a lot. I can handle it." Trunks answered mischievously.
Pan put her arms around his neck and kissed him. Her tail wrapping itself around his leg. She broke the kiss and smiled up at him. She bit his chin…and on instincts he didn't know, Trunks bit her nose. Her smile broadened and she kissed him again,
"How? How can I go ask for forgiveness?" Pan asked.
"You don't have to. Jami already forgives you." Trunks answered. "Come on…they are all still at the look out."
Trunks picked Pan up in his arms, grabbed her coat and took to the air.
"You know I can fly!" Pan growled at him.
"Hai…but it's easier this way." Trunks snickered.
"Humph." Pan crossed her arms.
Trunks smirked and he landed on the far end of the look out…away from everyone else. They were all assigning places to start searching. Pan frowned, did they really care about her this much?
"I'll tell them…" Trunks said, "You can wait here."
"Okay." Pan sat down.
Trunks gave her a kiss then ran off to the others.
Trunks stood up on the rise in the floor and got everyone's attention.
"Nani!? What is so important?" Vegeta yelled.
"I found Pan." Trunks said calmly.
"Nani! Where?" Gohan demanded.
Jami cast her eyes around the premises of the look out. She spotted pan sitting behind a pillar, legs over the edge. She noticed that everyone had their eyes on Trunks…so she sneaked off. She made her way over. The closer she got the more tears streamed down her face, when she was standing on two feet away she broke the silence,
"I'm so sorry." She said through tears.
Pan snapped her head up in surprise, Jami moved her hands to her face,
"I had no idea." Jami continued.
Pan stood, her eyes still stung from all the crying she had done she thought she had shed them all. And yet…her eyes still welled up.
"Jami…I didn't want Mum to get hurt. Honest I didn't!" Pan said.
"I know and I'm sorry for what I said." Jami tried whipping her tears away.
Pan sighed and she found the courage to ask to move in…in her own sort of way.
"Jami…I want you to be able to trust me, and I think that if I…if I moved in it would be easier." Pan said.
Jami's eye's widened,
"You want to move in!? After all that I've done to you?" Jami was astonished. "I would love for you to move in!"
"You…you would?" Pan was shocked.
"Hai. That is if you still would like to." Jami said quickly.
"I do…"
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Okay!!! This was shorter than the others I know! I'm sorry. I wrote this one and the last chapter in a hurry.
Author's note: ^_^ did the chap make you cry? It wasn't exactly supposed to…but, just wondering. The next one is while Pan is living with her tousan and Jami. She has all her training on stand by so to speak. And an upcoming event is dazing her…read to find out.