Sleeping Panny - Fate

[Author's Notes: It's late and I'm pretty out of it . . . I hope this one turned out right. Most of these are just memories, and I think the next chapter will be the last. Unless I decide to write an epilogue for this one too, which I probably will. Anyway, thank you to the people who reviewed-- very inspiring. ^^]

"The truth?" Videl's voice cracked as she spoke, and though she tried to fake a smile, it was easy to see that she was straining under her mask. "I guess . . ." She tried desperately to look strong, to keep her head held high, to be able to say that everything would be all right in the end. But as much as she tried, or as badly as she wanted it; she couldn't.

"I'll tell her." Gohan continued, relieving Videl of her difficult task. His face bore no expression as he spoke, though his eyes held volumes of emotions for anyone who cared to look. He gazed into his daughter's eyes firmly, fighting the urge to break down, and kept his voice just as firm as he spoke, "Your grandfather is very, very strong-- some say he's not human . . ."

Hot tears spilled down her face as her parents gazed at her stonily, the story complete, and both struggling to maintain their composure. She had never felt this way before-- so weak and helpless, as if her fate had been laid out upon the table already and she had no say in anything at all. And because there were no words she could use to describe this, no feelings that would fit, it was the anger that took over. Through blurry eyes, she glared at her parents and let her rage loose, "I HATE YOU!"

Blinded in her fury, Pan fled to her room, slamming the door behind her. She knew, somewhere, that it wasn't her parents' fault, nor was it her own . . . it was no one's fault. But knowing that didn't help-- knowing that no one brought this upon her, and that no one could take it away.

~fate

"Pan?" Marron's wavering voice broke the silence of the darkened room, and slowly, she leaned over in her blankets. Crickets chirped loudly outside, their calls echoing through the silent room. Quietly, she added, "I don't want you to go away."

Without a sound, Pan burrowed deeper into her sleeping bag, trying to ignore Marron's comment with little success. So everyone had known about it all along-- her fate. Everyone except her. And as she slipped into a dreamless trance, she vaguely remembered the crystalline tears rolling across Marron's reddened cheeks.

Pan's eyes opened as the sun began to rise, bringing with it the faintest rays of golden sunshine. Stealthily, she slipped out of her blankets and tiptoed out the door and through the unfamiliar house. Reaching her final destination, the big oak tree in Marron's backyard, she climbed the branches as if she were a squirrel and perched herself upon a thick limb. She watched intently as the sun climbed into the sky, breathing life to all it touched.

"Pan? What are you doing up there?" From below, a voice roused her from her observations. Digging her nails into the tree's bark solidly, she turned back to gaze at the owner of the voice.

"Uncle Krillin?"

His gaze softened at the familiar title and chuckled quietly. Sympathetic eyes fell upon her lightly shivering figure, and he draped a blanket over her shoulders. "I take it Gohan and Videl finally--"

"They told me," she replied bluntly, "they told me everything."

"I'm sorry." An unreadable expression crossed his gaze, a mix of sorrow, pity, and a million others. "We'll take care of your parents, don't worry . . . "

"I won't," she snapped angrily, anger in her eyes, "I'll come back. I'll find a way. Somehow." Not bothering to hear his reply, she whisked herself into the air without a second thought.

~ fate

"What's wrong, Panny?" A man's gentle voice drifted into her ears, and for a moment, her tears ceased and her bright eyes turned toward the sky.

"They treat me like I'm already dead, Grandpa." Her voice was soft and unsteady, and her eyes swollen with tears. "It's not fair! I don't want to die. I don't want this curse. I don't want any of this!" The tears came once more, accompanied by her soft whines.

Falling to his knees, Goku flashed a winning smile and wrapped his arms around his sobbing granddaughter, "Sometimes things aren't fair. Sometimes you have to make them fair." He gazed into her eyes thoughtfully and let his lips fall into a reassuring grin, "I know you won't lose, Panny."

~ fate

Bitter tears slipped from her closed eyelids as her life flashed before her eyes. There were so many things left unsaid, so many things left undone . . . but her time was over. She had come to accept that, ever since the prince had fallen, she'd known it. That her dreams were mere fairy tales and this harsh reality was life. Her moments with the prince were the last to come, and as the last of her memories faded away, she knew that this was her fate, her destiny. And she wouldn't fight it anymore.

Pan kneeled in the shroud of darkness, head bowed and eyes shut tightly. Violet-colored mists swirled around the vortex, "I'm sorry Grandpa. I think I lost."