TITLE: Chapter Two - A Journey Home
DEDICATION: To Sky Dragon (a.k.a Archaic Tears) for being the great (and insane) person that you are.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except my computer and my clothes. The only thing I may own are the people I make up. I make nothing off this stuff.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I changed the summary (doubt anyone noticied). I figured this one sounded better than the last one. My apologies to anyone who has been trying to keep up with this fic. Many things have prevented me from working on it, but now, this chapter is finally here. Enjoy and as always, let me know what you think.
=====
"It's not what you have in your life,
but who you have in your life that counts."
=====
Pan continued to walk on, lost in the beauty of the early evening. She loved the way the colors in the sky integrated amongst themselves, creating a sea of fire to herald the coming of the wondrous night. The sound of waves crashing gently against the shore could still be heard as she slowly made her way further inland. The wind rushed through the leaves of the few trees that were there adding to the peaceful atmosphere. She took a deep breath and smiled, loving every minute of her journey. A hesitant voice brought her back to reality and she turned angrily in the direction of the voice.
Her aggravation was obvious as she snapped at her companion. "Well, what do you want?"
Trunks flinched at her outburst. He didn't want to bother her, didn't want to annoy her or make her hate him. After all, she was the one giving him a chance at a better life than the one he had always known. His life, before she had arrived, had been filled with anger and hate directed at him by the villagers. He prayed with all his heart that she would not be angered by his request.
"Can...can we take a break? Please? I'm kind of tired."
Saying that he was tired was more of an understatement than anything else was. He was exhausted both mentally and physically. Pan had not stopped walking all night, not even for a short break. She had kept walking without speaking a single word to him ever since they had left the little village earlier that morning. He was hungry and still shocked from everything that had occurred to him in the last twenty-four hours. His mind was still coming to terms with the fact that Tom was now dead and would never come back. He still could not believe that the little village, which he had grown to love from afar, would most likely disappear from his life forever. To complicate matters further, he had not eaten anything all day and was terribly hungry.
Pan heaved her shoulders in anger. She was not angry with his request. She was angry with her inability to understand him and see things from his perspective. Why the hell would he not let her kill those villagers? They were cruel and didn't deserve his sympathy. They did not deserve to live. Why would anyone want to spare heartless, cruel people like them?
"Fine! We'll rest at the next town we come to."
Pan continued on and could do little to resist the smile that began to creep over her face as she heard Trunks sigh in relief. Everything about him was so damn cute that she could not remain mad at him for long.
=====
Nightfall had descended and the stars were twinkling above them as Trunks and Pan finally reached a nearby town. Trunks staggered in, almost ready to collapse right on the spot. Pan, on the other hand, looked tense as her eyes flashed in every direction. Something was not right. The place was too silent.
Taking a cautious step forward, she strained to see every inch of the small village. Every door and window was shut, almost as if forcefully held closed. Not a single sound could be heard, not even a dog bark or the shrill cry of an infant. She took another step forward, one hand wrapped around the handle of her sword, ready to draw at any moment.
Finally, Trunks seemed to notice as well.
"Wow. This place is pretty silent. Is it always like this Pan?"
Trunks turned around to look at his new friend only to find her extremely tense, eyes flashing this way and that. Cautiously backing up, he made his way to Pan's side. He could tell there was lurking danger, but he was not sure to what extent. He could not help but feel a bit defenseless. He had no weapon to defend himself with although he was not sure how he would defend himself even if he did have a weapon.
A cackling laughter rung through the night air as Trunks jumped back, heart beating in agonizing horror. His face was a mask of fear as his head twirled this way and that. Pan on the other hand, remained calm and cool, waiting for whoever or whatever it was to come out. Eyes closed, sword ready to be drawn at any moment, she stood still as a statue.
Suddenly, a scream of fear erupted from a nearby house. Trunks was paralyzed with fear and could do nothing more than stare in open-mouthed horror but Pan immediately moved in the direction of the scream. Bursting through the door of the house that the scream had come from, the sight that greeted her would have made any normal person's stomach churn. There, in the middle of the house stood a one-eyed demon, claws ready to rip into a poor young man. The young man whimpered in terror as the demon loomed over him.
With the bursting down of the door, both young man and demon turned their heads to look at the new arrival. A smile of joy spread it's way over the demon's face as it looked at its next victim.
"Ah. I love it when my victims come to me. Saves me the hassle of having to find them."
Pan scrunched her face up in disgust. "I will not allow you to harm any more humans."
With that, she unsheathed her sword and flung herself at the demon all in one motion. The demon jumped out of the only window in the house, realizing that it could not fight well in such a confined area. Pan took one short glance at the young man and gave him a reassuring smile before following after the demon.
Landing squarely on her two feet, her right hand clutched tightly to her sword, Pan kept a weary eye on the demon for any signs of movement. Instead, the demon stood motionless, head down. Standing her ground, she patiently waited.
Without warning, the demon turned around and blasted a large ki ball in her direction. Barely making it out of the way in time, the look of pure shock on her face made the demon laugh.
"Prepared to die yet?"
Without answering the question, Pan let her ki flow through her sword as she and the sword became one. Flying towards the demon, she swung her sword forcefully downwards only to have it clash against the demons own, blood red sword.
Pan immediately recognized the sword. Only demons with a decent ki level could produce such a sword. From what she had learned, such swords were made from the blood of the innocent victims who fell to the demon itself. The more victims that fell to it, the redder the sword would be. The redder the sword was, the stronger the demon, presumably was.
Her sword flashed instinctively, almost with it's own mind as the demon swung at her. Backing up at the first opportunity she had, she made a quick assessment of her situation, a simple plan on the tip of her mind. Attacking the demon with the sword in her right hand, she began to build a small ki ball in her left hand. Their swords clashed again as the demon snickered at her.
"Think you can beat me do you you worthless human?"
Ignoring the demon once more, Pan drew away from it. Closing her eyes for an instant, she forced the mini ki ball onto her sword. Taking one forceful step towards the demon, both hands on the handle of her sword, she made a circular movement with her arms before letting the energy in the sword fly towards the demon.
A look of terror crossed over the demon's face as it screamed in anger. A few seconds later, it's body crumpled to the ground in ashes while it's sword also disintegrated into nothingness. Pan waited, knowing exactly what to expect. Trying to escape without notice, a small red glow rushed across the ground.
Taking out her bottle, Pan used her ki to capture the little glow into it. Smiling to herself once more, she put the stopper onto the bottle, content that she had captured one more demon's soul.
"Never underestimate your enemies."
Trunks, no longer paralyzed in fear, came rushing to her side, eyes wide in surprise. All traces of fatigue seemed to have disappeared or were at least forgotten for the minute.
"Wow Pan! That was amazing! How did you do all of that cool stuff?"
"If you want, I can teach you."
"Really?"
The conversation was cut short as the occupants of the town began to come out of their houses and hiding spots. The villagers seemed relieved yet scared at the same time. Inching forward, they all eyed the two new arrivals wearily. Were they friend or foe?
Flashing an innocent smile at the villagers, Pan sheathed her sword across the strap on her back and extended a hand of welcome to the man nearest her.
"Hello. I'm Pan and this is my friend Trunks. We happened to pass by your little village and were wondering if we could rest here for the night if it is not too large a burden."
A look of suspicion shone in the man's face as he stared at her hand, not quite sure what to do. In his lifetime, he had seen demons kill each other to take possession of villages and he was not sure if this was another one of those times. Suddenly, the young man who had been attacked was brought out of the house, howling in pain. Everyone turned their attention to him, many looking away at the sight.
The poor man's skin was peeling off as acidic looking juices crawled over his skin. Chunks of his skin fell even as he was carried over to the two strangers on a stretcher. Cursing the gods and his own life, the young man's tear streaked face began to peel off, revealing veins and muscles as blood mixed with tears.
Trunks clutched at his stomach, finding it difficult to stand firm as the world spun in continuous circles. The sight, along with the pained cries of this fellow human being, made him feel like fainting. Never in his life had he seen anything so atrocious.
Pan was unaffected as she watched them carry the young man towards her. She had been trained for situations like this and had already encountered them countless times. Walking towards the little procession, she kneeled down and gave the young man another reassuring smile. Then, closing her eyes, she placed her right hand slightly above his head, whispered a few hushed words and let a greenish ki-like light radiate from her hands, over his body.
Almost immediately, the acidic liquids began to vanish without a trail. Slowly, the young man's crying subsided and the scars disappeared. Looking gratefully at his savior, he could do no more then mutter a quiet thank you before falling into unconsciousness, the pain he had endured finally consuming his body and mind.
Unsure of how else to show their gratitude, the villagers treated Trunks and Pan as if they were royalties for the following two days. As the sun rose on the third day, the two friends could be seen leaving the village, heading out to face the world and more adventures than even they were aware of.
=====
The next few days passed uneventfully as Trunks and Pan neared Rotak mountain. When they weren't traveling, Pan was teaching Trunks how to control his ki and how to hold a sword properly. After a full week's travel, not only could Trunks hold his sword properly and create a ki shield, but also they had arrived at the base of the path that would lead them to Pan's house.
Turning to face Trunks, she gazed into his wonder-filled eyes. She could tell what he was thinking just by watching the way he fidgeted on the spot. He was wondering how they would ever make it to up the long, cereous path.
"It's not that bad. Trust me."
He looked at her and nodded, nothing but honest trust written all over his features.
"Let's go then. I'd like to meet this sensei you've been speaking so much of."
It was a long and tiring climb for Trunks as he trudged doggedly after Pan who seemed to find the climb nothing more than a stroll. Knees trembling in pain, sweat dripping down his face, the hot sun did little to ease his exhaustion.
Seeing Pan stop, he walked up to her and stopped as well, chest heaving as he tried to suck in as much air as he could. Following her peaceful gaze, he looked around at his new surroundings and had what little breath he had, knocked out of him.
The place was beautiful, a heaven on earth. A little house stood on the middle of the plateau surrounded by flowers of all types. The house, though made of wood and very small, appeared to be stronger than any brick or concrete house could be. A few exotic trees with pink leaves stood in the large yard creating a calm and tranquil sight. Fallen leaves were scattered over the entire plateau, creating a sea of pink.
As Pan wandered off to find her sensei, Trunks noticed a small pond to the left of the house. Approaching the pond, he admired how the sunlight danced off the surface, creating a dream-like image. Peering down, he smiled at the many little fishes that swam hurriedly by. He wondered how it would feel to sit by the pond and simply relax.
Feeling someone behind him, he turned around excitedly only to feel his blood freeze over. A man, no older then fifty held a sword mere inches from his throat. Closing his eyes, Trunks felt no regrets as he prepared to die. He had not accomplished much, but he had also never hurt anyone. The good were rewarded, the evil perished. He hoped with all his heart, that this statement was true.
He felt the sword move away from his throat and waited for the deathblow.
=====
- "Always prepare for the worst. That way, when the worst does happen, you will never be surprised."
Unknown
DEDICATION: To Sky Dragon (a.k.a Archaic Tears) for being the great (and insane) person that you are.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except my computer and my clothes. The only thing I may own are the people I make up. I make nothing off this stuff.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I changed the summary (doubt anyone noticied). I figured this one sounded better than the last one. My apologies to anyone who has been trying to keep up with this fic. Many things have prevented me from working on it, but now, this chapter is finally here. Enjoy and as always, let me know what you think.
=====
"It's not what you have in your life,
but who you have in your life that counts."
=====
Pan continued to walk on, lost in the beauty of the early evening. She loved the way the colors in the sky integrated amongst themselves, creating a sea of fire to herald the coming of the wondrous night. The sound of waves crashing gently against the shore could still be heard as she slowly made her way further inland. The wind rushed through the leaves of the few trees that were there adding to the peaceful atmosphere. She took a deep breath and smiled, loving every minute of her journey. A hesitant voice brought her back to reality and she turned angrily in the direction of the voice.
Her aggravation was obvious as she snapped at her companion. "Well, what do you want?"
Trunks flinched at her outburst. He didn't want to bother her, didn't want to annoy her or make her hate him. After all, she was the one giving him a chance at a better life than the one he had always known. His life, before she had arrived, had been filled with anger and hate directed at him by the villagers. He prayed with all his heart that she would not be angered by his request.
"Can...can we take a break? Please? I'm kind of tired."
Saying that he was tired was more of an understatement than anything else was. He was exhausted both mentally and physically. Pan had not stopped walking all night, not even for a short break. She had kept walking without speaking a single word to him ever since they had left the little village earlier that morning. He was hungry and still shocked from everything that had occurred to him in the last twenty-four hours. His mind was still coming to terms with the fact that Tom was now dead and would never come back. He still could not believe that the little village, which he had grown to love from afar, would most likely disappear from his life forever. To complicate matters further, he had not eaten anything all day and was terribly hungry.
Pan heaved her shoulders in anger. She was not angry with his request. She was angry with her inability to understand him and see things from his perspective. Why the hell would he not let her kill those villagers? They were cruel and didn't deserve his sympathy. They did not deserve to live. Why would anyone want to spare heartless, cruel people like them?
"Fine! We'll rest at the next town we come to."
Pan continued on and could do little to resist the smile that began to creep over her face as she heard Trunks sigh in relief. Everything about him was so damn cute that she could not remain mad at him for long.
=====
Nightfall had descended and the stars were twinkling above them as Trunks and Pan finally reached a nearby town. Trunks staggered in, almost ready to collapse right on the spot. Pan, on the other hand, looked tense as her eyes flashed in every direction. Something was not right. The place was too silent.
Taking a cautious step forward, she strained to see every inch of the small village. Every door and window was shut, almost as if forcefully held closed. Not a single sound could be heard, not even a dog bark or the shrill cry of an infant. She took another step forward, one hand wrapped around the handle of her sword, ready to draw at any moment.
Finally, Trunks seemed to notice as well.
"Wow. This place is pretty silent. Is it always like this Pan?"
Trunks turned around to look at his new friend only to find her extremely tense, eyes flashing this way and that. Cautiously backing up, he made his way to Pan's side. He could tell there was lurking danger, but he was not sure to what extent. He could not help but feel a bit defenseless. He had no weapon to defend himself with although he was not sure how he would defend himself even if he did have a weapon.
A cackling laughter rung through the night air as Trunks jumped back, heart beating in agonizing horror. His face was a mask of fear as his head twirled this way and that. Pan on the other hand, remained calm and cool, waiting for whoever or whatever it was to come out. Eyes closed, sword ready to be drawn at any moment, she stood still as a statue.
Suddenly, a scream of fear erupted from a nearby house. Trunks was paralyzed with fear and could do nothing more than stare in open-mouthed horror but Pan immediately moved in the direction of the scream. Bursting through the door of the house that the scream had come from, the sight that greeted her would have made any normal person's stomach churn. There, in the middle of the house stood a one-eyed demon, claws ready to rip into a poor young man. The young man whimpered in terror as the demon loomed over him.
With the bursting down of the door, both young man and demon turned their heads to look at the new arrival. A smile of joy spread it's way over the demon's face as it looked at its next victim.
"Ah. I love it when my victims come to me. Saves me the hassle of having to find them."
Pan scrunched her face up in disgust. "I will not allow you to harm any more humans."
With that, she unsheathed her sword and flung herself at the demon all in one motion. The demon jumped out of the only window in the house, realizing that it could not fight well in such a confined area. Pan took one short glance at the young man and gave him a reassuring smile before following after the demon.
Landing squarely on her two feet, her right hand clutched tightly to her sword, Pan kept a weary eye on the demon for any signs of movement. Instead, the demon stood motionless, head down. Standing her ground, she patiently waited.
Without warning, the demon turned around and blasted a large ki ball in her direction. Barely making it out of the way in time, the look of pure shock on her face made the demon laugh.
"Prepared to die yet?"
Without answering the question, Pan let her ki flow through her sword as she and the sword became one. Flying towards the demon, she swung her sword forcefully downwards only to have it clash against the demons own, blood red sword.
Pan immediately recognized the sword. Only demons with a decent ki level could produce such a sword. From what she had learned, such swords were made from the blood of the innocent victims who fell to the demon itself. The more victims that fell to it, the redder the sword would be. The redder the sword was, the stronger the demon, presumably was.
Her sword flashed instinctively, almost with it's own mind as the demon swung at her. Backing up at the first opportunity she had, she made a quick assessment of her situation, a simple plan on the tip of her mind. Attacking the demon with the sword in her right hand, she began to build a small ki ball in her left hand. Their swords clashed again as the demon snickered at her.
"Think you can beat me do you you worthless human?"
Ignoring the demon once more, Pan drew away from it. Closing her eyes for an instant, she forced the mini ki ball onto her sword. Taking one forceful step towards the demon, both hands on the handle of her sword, she made a circular movement with her arms before letting the energy in the sword fly towards the demon.
A look of terror crossed over the demon's face as it screamed in anger. A few seconds later, it's body crumpled to the ground in ashes while it's sword also disintegrated into nothingness. Pan waited, knowing exactly what to expect. Trying to escape without notice, a small red glow rushed across the ground.
Taking out her bottle, Pan used her ki to capture the little glow into it. Smiling to herself once more, she put the stopper onto the bottle, content that she had captured one more demon's soul.
"Never underestimate your enemies."
Trunks, no longer paralyzed in fear, came rushing to her side, eyes wide in surprise. All traces of fatigue seemed to have disappeared or were at least forgotten for the minute.
"Wow Pan! That was amazing! How did you do all of that cool stuff?"
"If you want, I can teach you."
"Really?"
The conversation was cut short as the occupants of the town began to come out of their houses and hiding spots. The villagers seemed relieved yet scared at the same time. Inching forward, they all eyed the two new arrivals wearily. Were they friend or foe?
Flashing an innocent smile at the villagers, Pan sheathed her sword across the strap on her back and extended a hand of welcome to the man nearest her.
"Hello. I'm Pan and this is my friend Trunks. We happened to pass by your little village and were wondering if we could rest here for the night if it is not too large a burden."
A look of suspicion shone in the man's face as he stared at her hand, not quite sure what to do. In his lifetime, he had seen demons kill each other to take possession of villages and he was not sure if this was another one of those times. Suddenly, the young man who had been attacked was brought out of the house, howling in pain. Everyone turned their attention to him, many looking away at the sight.
The poor man's skin was peeling off as acidic looking juices crawled over his skin. Chunks of his skin fell even as he was carried over to the two strangers on a stretcher. Cursing the gods and his own life, the young man's tear streaked face began to peel off, revealing veins and muscles as blood mixed with tears.
Trunks clutched at his stomach, finding it difficult to stand firm as the world spun in continuous circles. The sight, along with the pained cries of this fellow human being, made him feel like fainting. Never in his life had he seen anything so atrocious.
Pan was unaffected as she watched them carry the young man towards her. She had been trained for situations like this and had already encountered them countless times. Walking towards the little procession, she kneeled down and gave the young man another reassuring smile. Then, closing her eyes, she placed her right hand slightly above his head, whispered a few hushed words and let a greenish ki-like light radiate from her hands, over his body.
Almost immediately, the acidic liquids began to vanish without a trail. Slowly, the young man's crying subsided and the scars disappeared. Looking gratefully at his savior, he could do no more then mutter a quiet thank you before falling into unconsciousness, the pain he had endured finally consuming his body and mind.
Unsure of how else to show their gratitude, the villagers treated Trunks and Pan as if they were royalties for the following two days. As the sun rose on the third day, the two friends could be seen leaving the village, heading out to face the world and more adventures than even they were aware of.
=====
The next few days passed uneventfully as Trunks and Pan neared Rotak mountain. When they weren't traveling, Pan was teaching Trunks how to control his ki and how to hold a sword properly. After a full week's travel, not only could Trunks hold his sword properly and create a ki shield, but also they had arrived at the base of the path that would lead them to Pan's house.
Turning to face Trunks, she gazed into his wonder-filled eyes. She could tell what he was thinking just by watching the way he fidgeted on the spot. He was wondering how they would ever make it to up the long, cereous path.
"It's not that bad. Trust me."
He looked at her and nodded, nothing but honest trust written all over his features.
"Let's go then. I'd like to meet this sensei you've been speaking so much of."
It was a long and tiring climb for Trunks as he trudged doggedly after Pan who seemed to find the climb nothing more than a stroll. Knees trembling in pain, sweat dripping down his face, the hot sun did little to ease his exhaustion.
Seeing Pan stop, he walked up to her and stopped as well, chest heaving as he tried to suck in as much air as he could. Following her peaceful gaze, he looked around at his new surroundings and had what little breath he had, knocked out of him.
The place was beautiful, a heaven on earth. A little house stood on the middle of the plateau surrounded by flowers of all types. The house, though made of wood and very small, appeared to be stronger than any brick or concrete house could be. A few exotic trees with pink leaves stood in the large yard creating a calm and tranquil sight. Fallen leaves were scattered over the entire plateau, creating a sea of pink.
As Pan wandered off to find her sensei, Trunks noticed a small pond to the left of the house. Approaching the pond, he admired how the sunlight danced off the surface, creating a dream-like image. Peering down, he smiled at the many little fishes that swam hurriedly by. He wondered how it would feel to sit by the pond and simply relax.
Feeling someone behind him, he turned around excitedly only to feel his blood freeze over. A man, no older then fifty held a sword mere inches from his throat. Closing his eyes, Trunks felt no regrets as he prepared to die. He had not accomplished much, but he had also never hurt anyone. The good were rewarded, the evil perished. He hoped with all his heart, that this statement was true.
He felt the sword move away from his throat and waited for the deathblow.
=====
- "Always prepare for the worst. That way, when the worst does happen, you will never be surprised."
Unknown