A/N: Whee! I've missed all my reviewers! Anywho, thankies to all of you and
congrats to Nyago and Mii-chan, who figured it out! I'm sorry, I know that
was really predictable, but it sets the stage for the main story, which was
the whole idea. ^_^ Anywho, read on!
Chapter 17: "Final Hours"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pan stared in confusion at Trunks, who was grinning at her. He took a step back and folded his arms, closing his eyes.
"Trunks, what is it, already?!"
He took a deep breath and answered, his smirk never leaving his face, "We go back to the past."
"...What?"
"Back to the past! Well... not our past. The other timeline."
Pan looked away and folded her arms, carefully considering the suggestion. After several long minutes, she looked up at him sadly, "Trunks... we can't just leave."
"...?"
"Ugh! ChiChi and lots of other people are depending on us!"
"Pan-chan, all those people who depend on us besides ChiChi could fit inside one small section of this building. 10, maybe 11 rooms."
Pan looked away as tears flooded her eyes, "I won't leave ChiChi."
Trunks took a deep breath. They both knew the answer to that problem, but neither of them wanted to say it. Finally, Pan figured that Trunks wouldn't speak up.
"...So... you're suggesting we leave after she's dead."
"...Yes."
Pan turned away, struggling with the decision. To leave their world once ChiChi was dead, leaving the rest of the people to fend for themselves and sooner or later, probably sooner, face extinction.
"What about the rest of the people? We can't just... abandon them. Yet... there's no way this small handful of people could re-populate Earth..."
Trunks sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair, "I don't know..."
"Well, let's figure this out later... we should tell ChiChi about the baby."
Trunks nodded, still deep in thought. Pan stepped out onto the balcony, taking a breath of the cold air. She smirked and jumped over the side of the balcony and landed gracefully on her feet. Trunks jumped into the air and floated down in front of her.
"What'd you do that for?!"
"Do what...?" Pan raised an eyebrow at him.
"Just jump over the balcony like that! You could've been hurt!"
"...Trunks, I can go SSJ2... I honestly don't think jumping off a balcony will hurt me."
"...Yah, I guess you're right... Just...don't freak me out like that."
Pan shook her head, smirking, and ran to the hospital. Since there were so few people left, everyone moved closer. Because of this, the building Trunks and Pan lived in was right next to the hospital so Pan could visit Chichi.
Trunks sighed and took off after her. They walked inside and started heading down the hall that would take them to ChiChi's room, when someone reached out and grabbed Pan's shoulder.
She stopped and turned around, looking very confused when she saw the doctor. The shorter man took a deep breath and forced himself to look at her.
"We were just about to call you... You should go see her quickly. She's in her final hours."
Pan's mouth dropped open in shock and she nodded numbly. Forcing her muscles to cooperate, she ran to ChiChi's room. She put her hand up to the doorknob and was about to turn it, but suddenly she couldn't move. She was overcome by a wave of grief, but she weakly shook it off and opened the door.
She froze when she saw the older woman lying in bed, looking even paler than the day before, "Obaa-chan...?"
ChiChi very slowly opened her eyes and Pan's heart broke at the helplessness. The older woman forced as big a smile as she could, which unfortunately didn't look at all like a smile.
Pan made her way to ChiChi's bed, desperately trying to keep her barriers up.
-I.... I have to be strong. I can't let her see how devastated I am... No, she needs all the strength she can get.-
Pan took a seat next to ChiChi's bed and took a deep breath, "Hey, um... I have some good news."
Trunks stepped into the room and made a pained face when he was suddenly overwhelmed with emotions, which Pan was unknowingly dumping on him. He took a deep breath and regained control of himself, taking a spot on the wall. He leaned back and folded his arms, sadly watching and feeling his wife's last fears spill out.
"Um... Obaa-chan... I'm pregnant."
No words were necessary - the look on ChiChi's face said all that she was thinking. Pan smiled in relief but it quickly faded as she noticed ChiChi's ki was beginning to fade.
"No... Obaa-chan..."
Even if her tongue was working, ChiChi wouldn't have been able to respond, because she was on the verge of unconsciousness. Pan began to panic, knowing if ChiChi went to sleep, she'd never wake up again.
"Stay with me! You can't...leave me..."
Pan quickly stood up and picked up the frail woman. Her breathing became shallow as ChiChi's ki slowly drained away. With her last bit of strength, the older woman reached up and touched Pan's butterfly necklace, mouthing her last words.
"I....love....you."
Then she went limp.
Pan's bottom lip quivered as she slowly shook her head. Several tears rolled down her face before she regained control. Trunks opened his eyes in shock the second he had felt ChiChi's ki disappear. He continued staring at his wife, almost wincing under the waves of raw emotion that were getting stronger and stronger.
Pan slowly walked over to the window and opened it. She stepped on the ledge and took a deep breath before blasting off. Trunks sighed deeply and stood up, following her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Trunks and Pan were standing at The Memorial in silence. Trunks was staring at Pan, shocked at her reaction. He saw her reaction when Videl died, and he expected something similar, and was completely shocked when she did nothing but release a few tears.
Pan was staring blankly at ChiChi's grave in turmoil. She knew she had Trunks, but that didn't take away the feeling of abandonment. She was honestly amazed at her own reaction, but for some reason she didn't feel anything except abandonment.
Her eyes wandered from grave to grave, her face still expressionless, -Goku... Gohan... Videl... ChiChi... WHY'D YOU LEAVE ME?!-
Her eyes narrowed in anger as she glared at the graves, -...Why'd it have to be my fault you're gone...?-
Her last question replayed over and over in her head. She scowled, her ki rising, and suddenly blasted off into the air. She flew as fast as she could, not even paying attention to where she was going. Suddenly, she stopped and leaned forward, exhausted physically, emotionally, and mentally. She floated down to the ground and collapsed to her knees. After blinking several times to clear her vision, which had begun clouding over, she finally blacked out and fell to the ground with a small thud.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hee hee, the next chapter is gonna be the last one! I know you're probably gonna miss it (yah, right), but this is my very first finished story. ^_^ PLEASE remember to review!
Chapter 17: "Final Hours"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pan stared in confusion at Trunks, who was grinning at her. He took a step back and folded his arms, closing his eyes.
"Trunks, what is it, already?!"
He took a deep breath and answered, his smirk never leaving his face, "We go back to the past."
"...What?"
"Back to the past! Well... not our past. The other timeline."
Pan looked away and folded her arms, carefully considering the suggestion. After several long minutes, she looked up at him sadly, "Trunks... we can't just leave."
"...?"
"Ugh! ChiChi and lots of other people are depending on us!"
"Pan-chan, all those people who depend on us besides ChiChi could fit inside one small section of this building. 10, maybe 11 rooms."
Pan looked away as tears flooded her eyes, "I won't leave ChiChi."
Trunks took a deep breath. They both knew the answer to that problem, but neither of them wanted to say it. Finally, Pan figured that Trunks wouldn't speak up.
"...So... you're suggesting we leave after she's dead."
"...Yes."
Pan turned away, struggling with the decision. To leave their world once ChiChi was dead, leaving the rest of the people to fend for themselves and sooner or later, probably sooner, face extinction.
"What about the rest of the people? We can't just... abandon them. Yet... there's no way this small handful of people could re-populate Earth..."
Trunks sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair, "I don't know..."
"Well, let's figure this out later... we should tell ChiChi about the baby."
Trunks nodded, still deep in thought. Pan stepped out onto the balcony, taking a breath of the cold air. She smirked and jumped over the side of the balcony and landed gracefully on her feet. Trunks jumped into the air and floated down in front of her.
"What'd you do that for?!"
"Do what...?" Pan raised an eyebrow at him.
"Just jump over the balcony like that! You could've been hurt!"
"...Trunks, I can go SSJ2... I honestly don't think jumping off a balcony will hurt me."
"...Yah, I guess you're right... Just...don't freak me out like that."
Pan shook her head, smirking, and ran to the hospital. Since there were so few people left, everyone moved closer. Because of this, the building Trunks and Pan lived in was right next to the hospital so Pan could visit Chichi.
Trunks sighed and took off after her. They walked inside and started heading down the hall that would take them to ChiChi's room, when someone reached out and grabbed Pan's shoulder.
She stopped and turned around, looking very confused when she saw the doctor. The shorter man took a deep breath and forced himself to look at her.
"We were just about to call you... You should go see her quickly. She's in her final hours."
Pan's mouth dropped open in shock and she nodded numbly. Forcing her muscles to cooperate, she ran to ChiChi's room. She put her hand up to the doorknob and was about to turn it, but suddenly she couldn't move. She was overcome by a wave of grief, but she weakly shook it off and opened the door.
She froze when she saw the older woman lying in bed, looking even paler than the day before, "Obaa-chan...?"
ChiChi very slowly opened her eyes and Pan's heart broke at the helplessness. The older woman forced as big a smile as she could, which unfortunately didn't look at all like a smile.
Pan made her way to ChiChi's bed, desperately trying to keep her barriers up.
-I.... I have to be strong. I can't let her see how devastated I am... No, she needs all the strength she can get.-
Pan took a seat next to ChiChi's bed and took a deep breath, "Hey, um... I have some good news."
Trunks stepped into the room and made a pained face when he was suddenly overwhelmed with emotions, which Pan was unknowingly dumping on him. He took a deep breath and regained control of himself, taking a spot on the wall. He leaned back and folded his arms, sadly watching and feeling his wife's last fears spill out.
"Um... Obaa-chan... I'm pregnant."
No words were necessary - the look on ChiChi's face said all that she was thinking. Pan smiled in relief but it quickly faded as she noticed ChiChi's ki was beginning to fade.
"No... Obaa-chan..."
Even if her tongue was working, ChiChi wouldn't have been able to respond, because she was on the verge of unconsciousness. Pan began to panic, knowing if ChiChi went to sleep, she'd never wake up again.
"Stay with me! You can't...leave me..."
Pan quickly stood up and picked up the frail woman. Her breathing became shallow as ChiChi's ki slowly drained away. With her last bit of strength, the older woman reached up and touched Pan's butterfly necklace, mouthing her last words.
"I....love....you."
Then she went limp.
Pan's bottom lip quivered as she slowly shook her head. Several tears rolled down her face before she regained control. Trunks opened his eyes in shock the second he had felt ChiChi's ki disappear. He continued staring at his wife, almost wincing under the waves of raw emotion that were getting stronger and stronger.
Pan slowly walked over to the window and opened it. She stepped on the ledge and took a deep breath before blasting off. Trunks sighed deeply and stood up, following her.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Trunks and Pan were standing at The Memorial in silence. Trunks was staring at Pan, shocked at her reaction. He saw her reaction when Videl died, and he expected something similar, and was completely shocked when she did nothing but release a few tears.
Pan was staring blankly at ChiChi's grave in turmoil. She knew she had Trunks, but that didn't take away the feeling of abandonment. She was honestly amazed at her own reaction, but for some reason she didn't feel anything except abandonment.
Her eyes wandered from grave to grave, her face still expressionless, -Goku... Gohan... Videl... ChiChi... WHY'D YOU LEAVE ME?!-
Her eyes narrowed in anger as she glared at the graves, -...Why'd it have to be my fault you're gone...?-
Her last question replayed over and over in her head. She scowled, her ki rising, and suddenly blasted off into the air. She flew as fast as she could, not even paying attention to where she was going. Suddenly, she stopped and leaned forward, exhausted physically, emotionally, and mentally. She floated down to the ground and collapsed to her knees. After blinking several times to clear her vision, which had begun clouding over, she finally blacked out and fell to the ground with a small thud.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Hee hee, the next chapter is gonna be the last one! I know you're probably gonna miss it (yah, right), but this is my very first finished story. ^_^ PLEASE remember to review!