Hey, people! I know, I haven't updated this one in a while, but I'm
working really hard on it! Yes the chapters are short, but I'm going to
lengthen them. I've got the middle planned out, but the beginning is sorta
like my closet. I don't know what's in it, but I'm scared it might bite me!
Vegeta turned, but Pan beat him to the punch. "The who whatting how with huh?"
Bulma put her hands on her hips. "Ok, that's denial. That usually comes before anger."
Pan exploded. "I'm not having sex with Vegeta!"
Videl nodded. "Anger."
The Saiyan prince pinched the bridge of his nose. "The sun isn't even up, and it's already a bad day."
"Bad day! BAD DAY! You are ****ing my daughter behind everyone's backs, and the best you can say is BAD DAY?" Everyone stared at Gohan for a minute before Pan turned on her heel and stormed off, muttering. Vegeta shook his head.
"If you don't need me, I'm gonna follow the ranting teenager." And promptly disappeared into the almost dawn.
"Pan! Pan, wait!"
She sat down on one of the many stone benches scattered around the Capsule Corp. gardens Mrs. Briefs tended with such ardor. Vegeta sat down next to her. Here, in the cold gray light, sheltered by the rambling rosebushes and shrouded in mist, the little demi-saiyan looked… he paused, watching her shiver. Broken. Torn. The screaming death goddess had been replaced by this shattered cherub, ripped asunder by hate and pain and the cruelty of the world.
"Are you going to be ok?"
She pressed her face against his shoulder. "Are you going to be ok? Does your hand still hurt?"
"I've been worse. I've been dead. Not fun. Very happy to have avoided that."
Pan blinked. "Worse…?"
"Oh, by heaps and barrels. Now, are you going to be ok?"
"I don't know. I mean, I figured I'd tell Mom I overdid it sparring, and everything would go back to normal. No one needed to know about… what happened. But then… they thought… I…with you… why would they think that?"
'I was hoping you could tell me."
"Nope. Maybe it's just gossip that got blown really out of proportion."
"Maybe they're just moon bugs."
Pan looked up. "Moon bugs?"
"Lunar ticks." Vegeta smirked while she thought about that one for a minute and then burst out laughing, which quickly turned to whimpers of pain as bruised and broken ribs were jostled.
"Ow… anyway, are you going to be ok going back home?"
"I… I like to think that I could. But I can't lie to you like that. I couldn't do it, even if it was the only option. Did you see the look in my mother's eyes? She hates me for what she thinks I did. And we can't prove that we didn't, not without them finding out about what really happened last night."
"And you don't want them to know?"
"NO!" Pan sprang away from him and gave him a look of such agony that he recoiled. "Knowing what I've lost... They can never know. Never."
Vegeta opened his arms again, and she fell into them. "So, what do you want to do?"
"I have to leave."
"Point one- you have no place to go. Point two- you have no money. Point three- you have no way to make money."
"So?"
"So, I'm coming with you. I have some friends who might help us."
"Huston, we have a plan." Pan leaped off the bench- and then groaned and began rubbing various aching limbs. "Huston, got any muscle ointment?"
Well, there we go…
Vegeta turned, but Pan beat him to the punch. "The who whatting how with huh?"
Bulma put her hands on her hips. "Ok, that's denial. That usually comes before anger."
Pan exploded. "I'm not having sex with Vegeta!"
Videl nodded. "Anger."
The Saiyan prince pinched the bridge of his nose. "The sun isn't even up, and it's already a bad day."
"Bad day! BAD DAY! You are ****ing my daughter behind everyone's backs, and the best you can say is BAD DAY?" Everyone stared at Gohan for a minute before Pan turned on her heel and stormed off, muttering. Vegeta shook his head.
"If you don't need me, I'm gonna follow the ranting teenager." And promptly disappeared into the almost dawn.
"Pan! Pan, wait!"
She sat down on one of the many stone benches scattered around the Capsule Corp. gardens Mrs. Briefs tended with such ardor. Vegeta sat down next to her. Here, in the cold gray light, sheltered by the rambling rosebushes and shrouded in mist, the little demi-saiyan looked… he paused, watching her shiver. Broken. Torn. The screaming death goddess had been replaced by this shattered cherub, ripped asunder by hate and pain and the cruelty of the world.
"Are you going to be ok?"
She pressed her face against his shoulder. "Are you going to be ok? Does your hand still hurt?"
"I've been worse. I've been dead. Not fun. Very happy to have avoided that."
Pan blinked. "Worse…?"
"Oh, by heaps and barrels. Now, are you going to be ok?"
"I don't know. I mean, I figured I'd tell Mom I overdid it sparring, and everything would go back to normal. No one needed to know about… what happened. But then… they thought… I…with you… why would they think that?"
'I was hoping you could tell me."
"Nope. Maybe it's just gossip that got blown really out of proportion."
"Maybe they're just moon bugs."
Pan looked up. "Moon bugs?"
"Lunar ticks." Vegeta smirked while she thought about that one for a minute and then burst out laughing, which quickly turned to whimpers of pain as bruised and broken ribs were jostled.
"Ow… anyway, are you going to be ok going back home?"
"I… I like to think that I could. But I can't lie to you like that. I couldn't do it, even if it was the only option. Did you see the look in my mother's eyes? She hates me for what she thinks I did. And we can't prove that we didn't, not without them finding out about what really happened last night."
"And you don't want them to know?"
"NO!" Pan sprang away from him and gave him a look of such agony that he recoiled. "Knowing what I've lost... They can never know. Never."
Vegeta opened his arms again, and she fell into them. "So, what do you want to do?"
"I have to leave."
"Point one- you have no place to go. Point two- you have no money. Point three- you have no way to make money."
"So?"
"So, I'm coming with you. I have some friends who might help us."
"Huston, we have a plan." Pan leaped off the bench- and then groaned and began rubbing various aching limbs. "Huston, got any muscle ointment?"
Well, there we go…