Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z/GT… yadda, yadda, yadda…
A/N: So, now you'll find out if Vegeta really knows that Pia is Pan or not! Enjoy!
And thank you for the many, many, many, many reviews!!!!
Chapter 8: Just let it go
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Pan didn't know what to think of it. How could Vegeta of all people ask her to spar? She must be just another weak human for him… Or had he…? No, that was impossible. No one else had and no one could feel her ki because of her bracelet, so why should he? Suddenly she noticed that she was still in her fighting stance and quickly dropped out of it. Maybe it was just a coincident. Maybe he saw that she was working out and that she knew at least how to fight a bit because of the fighting stance. Yeah, try to tell yourself that, her subconscious said, you know that your cover has been blown.
Vegeta's smirk grew wider as he saw the confused look on her face. It seemed like he hit the right button. "I asked you, if you want to spar with me. That's one simple question that you should be able to answer."
"I… I…" she stuttered at a loss of words. "You want to fight with me? But I-I don't know if I can… I mean, I-uhm don't even have the right clothes… so how…?"
"Oh yes, you can. And don't worry about your clothes. There's a spare set of my daughter's battle armor in the gravity room. It might be your size," Vegeta told her coolly.
Pan was dumbfounded. "Bra fights?"
The Prince just nodded, knowing that he had her, where he wanted her to be. "She started shortly after you left seven years ago, to kill time, or so she told me. But I think that there were other reasons, for example that her best friend just left without looking back."
Bra started fighting because of me? Because I left? she asked herself. "I-I have no idea what you are talking about," Pan said, still trying to hide who she was, even though she knew deep down that it was hopeless. Vegeta knew who she was and she could just hope that he wouldn't tell anyone else.
"Stop lying, brat. Your looks may have changed, you may have changed your style and I might not be able to sense your ki, but I can still feel the Saiyajin in you. Your blood gives you away," he told her seriously. "According to the reactions you got from the others earlier, especially the other Saiyajins, I can say that they also felt it, but had no idea what those feelings meant."
Pan hung her head in defeat. "You got me, Vegeta. But please, don't tell anyone."
"Don't worry. I won't. It's your decision and your life and I couldn't care less about it," he said.
She smiled. If someone ever invented a Vegeta-English dictionary, he could write down that 'couldn't care less' usually meant 'I don't agree with it, but I accept it'. "Thank you…" she said. "Hey Vegeta, and what about your challenge?"
Vegeta smirked again. In some way she hadn't changed at all. "You know the way… And after we sparred, we'll discuss what's going on between you and the brat."
Pan just stared after him. How did he know that there was something going on between them, when she was fighting hard to suppress this knowledge? She shook her head and followed him. That would have to wait until later.
Just a few minutes later, Pan came into the gravity room, dressed in one of Bra's battle armors and her hair tied back into a ponytail. Vegeta was already waiting for her and had started his warm-up. "So, I'm ready," she told him smirking.
Vegeta grunted. "Took you long enough, brat."
"Uhm, Vegeta… Is this room ki-shielded?" Pan wanted to know.
The Prince nodded. "I can activate it, if I don't want the woman or anyone else to find me, just like now."
Pan chuckled. "Let me guess: Couch-threat, so that you went to the party."
Vegeta smirked back. "Worse. She threatened to destroy the gravity room. Can we start now?"
"One moment…" Pan took one glove off and removed the bracelet. "When this room is ki-shielded I don't need this. So I don't need to worry about it being damaged."
As soon as she put the bracelet away, Vegeta was able to feel her ki. "This small thing shields your ki?" he asked impressed.
"Yep, invented it myself," Pan answered proudly. "So, can we start? Full out from the beginning? We don't want to stay away from the others too long, do we?"
"Sure. Show me what you've got."
Pan clenched her fists and began to power up. She couldn't wait to fight. It had been a really long time, well, seven years to be precise, since she last had a decent spar with someone. But at that time she wasn't nearly as powerful as she was now. She had trained hard in the last seven years in a gravity room Bulma just built for her and spent as much time as possible in it just to get stronger, after her father had told her that she would never been able to turn Super, because of the lack of Saiyajinblood in her body. She had trained at her limits just to prove him wrong and hoped that Vegeta, too, was in for a small surprise.
While Vegeta was watching her, Pan effortlessly turned Super Saiyajin and went beyond it to the level they called SSJ2. For a quarter Saiyajin a truly remarkable level.
"I see you haven't stopped training," Vegeta stated, after he also had powered up to SSJ2. "You are stronger than your father was, when he fought Cell."
"Thanks for the compliment," Pan said smirking. "But can we please fight now?"
"As you wish."
After eyeing each other for the split of a second both Saiyajins disappeared. The only things that could be seen were several explosions of ki in different parts of the gravity room. The only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of fighting. This went on for about half an hour, before they called it an end. Luckily for Pan there was a bathroom in the gravity room, so that she could take a quick shower before she went back to the party. She just wanted to leave the gravity room, when Vegeta called her back. "Brat, we still have to talk about Trunks and you."
"Why? I don't think that there's something we have to talk about. I'm working for him, not more," Pan said, somewhat nervously.
"You can keep telling yourself that but it won't change anything. You're fighting a battle that you can't win. What you're trying to fight is not some simple attraction towards him or some silly hormones. What you're trying to fight are your primal instincts and urges, those of a Saiyajin. You unconsciously chose your mate and Trunks did the same, just that he isn't fighting those instincts. He's just hesitating to claim you as his because he is as confused as you are about those feelings and he isn't quite sure what he means to you. But this choice is final and no matter what you do, you can't do anything to prevent what will happen," he told her seriously.
"Okay, then there is something between me and Trunks that I can't explain, that I have no control over, so what? I'm 23 years old and not ready for that kind of commitment! And I'm 14 years younger than Trunks for Dende's sake!" she said exasperated.
Vegeta chuckled lightly. "Oh yes, I'm quite sure that you are ready, at least the Saiyajin in you. When you're not ready, then why did you dress like that, if not for getting his attention? And you know that this age difference has no meaning to Saiyajins. For you two it's maybe about two or three years on human terms, and that's okay, isn't it? Stop fighting, because as I already said, you can't win. Don't try to control the Saiyajinside of you, just let it go." He walked past her and stopped at the door. "Think about it," he told her and left the room.
~*~
Trunks was slowly getting nervous. Pia had been gone for more than half an hour and she told them that she just wanted to get some fresh air. It was beginning to drive him crazy. He wanted to know where she was, to make sure that she was safe. What if she didn't like that party and left? What if she was trying to avoid him? This thought sickened him. He hadn't done anything wrong, had he? He had to go and look for her.
He jumped up from the couch, which he hadn't left since Pia had gone outside, even though he had been sitting there alone at the end, but the scent of her that was still lingering on it kept him there. Without looking to anyone else, he left the living room and started his search for her.
~*~
After Vegeta had left the gravity room, Pan started to walk aimlessly through the hallways of Capsule Corporation, the whole time thinking about what Vegeta had told her. And as hard as it was to admit, he was right. She was fighting a loosing battle. Those instincts were taking over her rational thoughts, as she could see at her clothes she wore that evening. Also the one time she almost kissed Trunks at work, or the first day, where she melted in his arms. He was evading her thoughts, her dreams… Oh yeah, she wanted him! How much, she couldn't tell, but she knew that she never wanted anything more than this man, this special Saiyajin.
Suddenly she heard him calling her name, well Pia. Great, she thought, now I'm also hearing voices! But then she heard it a second time and turned around, just to see Trunks jogging towards her. "Pia! Here you are! I was worried about you since you didn't come back," he said and she could hear the relief in his voice.
She smiled, when she saw his distraught face. He was just too cute for his own good. "Sorry Trunks, but, well, how should I say… Uhm, after it was getting cold outside, I wanted to come back, but I somehow took the wrong door and somehow got lost…" she quickly made up this lie.
Trunks laughed and scratched the back of his head. A habit he had taken over from Goten. Dende, how she loved to see him like that. "Yeah, it's really like a labyrinth here… Well, I'll bring you now back to the living room."
"Trunks… If it doesn't bother you… I'd rather like to go home. I am really tired and would be happy to see my bed."
"Sure, I'll bring you home." Pan wanted to say something, but Trunks just continued talking. "Yes, I will bring you home, no argument! Besides, Bra has disappeared with Goten, so I don't think that you need to say goodbye. Let's go. Just follow me and you won't get lost again."
About ten minutes later Trunks stopped his car in front of the building Pan lived in, but neither did anyone of them make an attempt to say goodbye nor did Pan make an attempt to leave the car. They just sat next to each other.
"Pia, I…" – "Trunks, I…" they suddenly said at the same time and then began to laugh.
"You first…" Pan told him grinning, as they stopped laughing.
Trunks grinned back but then turned seriously. He had to tell her. It was now or never. "Okay… Pia, I have to tell you something. Something of what I'm not quite sure what you'll think of it. But the night at the club as we danced… I know you want to pretend that it never happened, but I just can't. That night you've done something to me. Something that I can't explain. Something that I've never experienced before. I don't know what you've done to me, but I don't want it to end. Pia, you're the most beautiful - no, I take that back - the most gorgeous woman that I've ever met. But not just that. You're smart, funny, a great listener and I love to talk to you. I-I think that I fell in love with you…" he told her. "I hope this is not offending you, but I just had to tell you how I feel… So, uhm, what was it you wanted to say?" Trunks asked, looking at her nervously, waiting for a reaction on her right now unreadable face.
"Trunks, I…" Just let it go. Instead of saying more, she leaned over to him and kissed him.
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Haha! Another cliffie!
Well, more about the kiss in the next chapter!
Eternally yours
ChibiChibi