***
Chapter
Two: Enemies
Author:
Evil Child
Disclaimer:
See chapter 1.
AN:
Thank-you guys for reading the first chapter. I was pleasantly surprised one
day when I looked up my story and saw 13 reviews. Thanks people for reviewing
^___^.
***
Chi
Chi sighed, trying not to worry about her son. It had been weeks since he had
last been home, but she couldn't exactly blame him. She had been the one who had
shouted…tried to force him not to fight, though she knew he had to. He had even
told her that he had to fight, but she refused to listen, trying to control him
like she had when he was a child.
If she could go back in time, she
wouldn't have said anything at all. She would have respected his need to try
and destroy the androids, and let him have a good night's sleep and a warm meal
in his stomach for once.
She winced, and picked up the picture of
her family, tracing Gohan's face with her index finger. Where could he possibly
be? Her father had reassured her that Gohan is all right…but that had been
nearly two weeks ago. A lot could have happened since then. She didn't want to
think about it. If only Gokou had survived that disease…then it wouldn't be necessary
for Gohan to fight.
A tear slipped down her cheek, and she
knew that enough was enough. If Gohan wasn't going to come home and see her
then she wouldn't wait for him: she'd go visit Bulma. He might even be there.
"Dad?" She called. When he didn't
respond, Chi Chi walked into the family room, spotting her father dozing on the
armchair immediately. A radio was sitting on the table by his side, on low.
Her eyes widened. He had a radio? Why
hadn't he told her about it? Why hadn't he let her listen for news of Gohan on
it? Growling under her breath about the indecency of it all, she picked up the
radio and brought it up to her bedroom, her plans to go to Bulma's momentarily
forgotten.
"-And we have just received a report
that the androids' bodies have been found. It is being confirmed right now whether
or not the horrible beast that have had everyone living in fear for so long are
somehow inexplicably dead-."
Chi Chi's heart almost stopped. Did the
announcer just say what she thought he said? The androids…dead? She turned on
her heel and went back into the family room.
"DAD!" She shouted, shaking him awake.
His eyes opened wearily, and he took in the scene before him. His eyes widened
in surprise at the radio in Chi Chi's hand.
"T-the radio," he said, staring from it
to Chi Chi, as if he were afraid what she would do to him.
"Never mind that now!" She snapped. "The
androids are dead!"
"What?" The Ox-King said, his voice
rising in excitement. "Are they sure?"
"They're confirming it now," Chi Chi
said, and then asked in a hopeful voice. "Do you think Gohan killed them?"
"It's possible honey," The Ox-King
assured her. "But we should probably find out."
"I was thinking about going to Bulma's
anyway," Chi Chi nodded.
The Ox-King gave her a reassuring smile, "Maybe
Gohan's there."
***
Pan
simply stared at the house the boy had led her to. She wasn't quite sure if she
wanted to go in or not. The man who claimed to be her father was in there, and
although the boy had promised her that she could stay with him, she wasn't sure
if she wanted to trust what he said. She missed 17 already.
"Come on," the boy said. Pan watched him
walk to the door, but he turned around when Pan didn't follow him. "Don't
worry. Nobody's going to make you do anything."
"He killed them," Pan whispered. She
still couldn't understand why they had to die. In fact if they were still
alive, she wouldn't have any reason not to go into the house and find out about
her heritage.
"He had too…" Trunks sighed.
"Please…just give him a chance. Gohan's great…he's my friend, my master…my role
model. If you really are his daughter, then I envy you…I really do. But you'll
never know what he's like or if he's really your father if you don't talk to
him."
Pan stared at him momentarily. He was
being sincere…she could tell, and he was absolutely right. Why shouldn't she go
in there and find out who she really is? And she didn't necessarily have to
stay. If he tried to make her, she'd just kill him- after all he had killed 17.
"You're right of course, I'm sorry," she
said, and held out her hand. "I'm Pan."
"Trunks," he said, taking her hand
firmly in his own. "And you shouldn't be sorry. I just know what I'd do if I
had a chance to meet my father."
She didn't say anything, but followed Trunks
into the house. There wasn't anything to say. 17 and 18 had killed his
father…or so Trunks had told her. If she were told the whole story and given
proof of this fact, then she might apologize for 17 and 18, but she wouldn't
until she was sure what exactly happened.
***
Gohan
straightened when he saw her walk through the door, behind Trunks. She was
eyeing him suspiciously, but he couldn't blame her. Unfortunately, the androids
had done too many things to Gohan, for him to be able to see what Pan saw in
them or for Gohan to even have considered sparing them.
"Hello Mom, Gohan," Trunks said, and sat
down at the table between them, leaving Pan to stand by the door.
"Come sit down Pan," Bulma said,
ignoring her son. "I'll make some tea for everyone."
She stood up, letting Pan take her now
vacant seat. Pan gave Bulma a small smile of gratitude, and Bulma smiled back.
Gohan sighed in relief. So the androids raised her decently enough. He paused
to think about that statement for a moment, realizing how funny it actually was.
He never thought that he would have anything good to say about them.
"Why is your hair black? I thought it
was blonde…" Pan was staring at Gohan in confusion. He almost laughed. She
didn't know about becoming a Super Saiyan and she thought she was strong enough
to protect the androids?
"I was a Super Saiyan before…it's a
transformation that all Saiyans can make," Gohan explained. "If I hadn't turned
into a Super Saiyan then I wouldn't have been able to fight the androids…they
would have been way too strong."
"I can't turn into a Super Saiyan and I
can still keep up with 17," She replied. Gohan stared at her in amazement. It
was impossible for Pan to be as strong as she just implied without turning into
a Super Saiyan.
"Maybe it's different for female Saiyan,"
He shrugged after a moment of thought. "There's never been a female Saiyan on
Earth before you, so no one would know."
"There's never been a female Saiyan on
Earth before?" Pan asked, confused by Gohan's statement.
"It's very complicated," Gohan sighed.
"In fact our whole history is very complicated."
Pan said nothing, as if she knew Gohan
wasn't ready to explain the whole story. Bulma pulled a chair up to the table,
sitting between Pan and Trunks. She turned to stare at Gohan intently, waiting
for him to explain.
Gohan sighed, "Bulma- don't you have the
whole story written up somewhere?"
"I don't write Gohan," she chided
him.
"Then how did you tell Trunks about the
whole mess?"
"Bedtime stories," Bulma shrugged. "It's
not hard when you have an extended period of time…as in fourteen years. How did
you tell Videl?"
"I didn't," Gohan said bluntly. "She
knew I was an alien from a different world, and that's all she wanted to know."
"Didn't anyone write down
anything?" Trunks asked.
"Chi Chi might have…she has spare time,"
Bulma shrugged. As if on cue, Chi Chi burst into the house.
***
Pan
stared at the woman in astonishment. Her hair was drawn back into a tight bun,
but in her haste to get into Trunks' house, the bun had loosened, enabling hair
to fall out of it, framing her angry face. The woman's power level was weak,
but one forgot about that with one look at her face- she was a woman who could
terrify the toughest fighter.
"Why haven't you been home?" She
screamed in Gohan's general direction, though Pan wasn't quite sure whom she
was talking to. "I've been worried sick! What if they had killed you?"
"Relax," Pan soothed the woman, her tone
a bit sardonic. "He managed just fine to stay alive-."
She stopped herself before she said
anything else. It wasn't this man's fault that he killed them; he was supposed
to kill them, they were his enemy. Everyone in the room viewed 17 and 18 as
their enemy…they didn't care that they died…not the real 17 and 18 anyway, so
why be bitter to their face? They would just end up hating her.
"Look here little girl," the woman
turned on Pan. "I don't care who you are, but stay out of my business! This is
between me and my son!"
Pan's eyes widened slightly; this was
her grandmother. Or she is according to this man. Pan gave the woman a second look,
seeing the mark of a fighter on her. This woman deserved to be feared.
"Mother," Gohan tried to defend himself,
but she cut him off.
"Where have you been? Why did you leave
me to worry about whether you're alive or dead? You know that is anything happened
to you I'd have no one left!"
"You'd have me," Pan told her, and the
woman turned back to face her, momentarily looking confused.
"What do you mean?" She said angrily.
"Who are you?"
"Mother," Gohan tried again. "This is
Pan…my daughter."
The woman looked like she was about to
faint. Bulma stood up and helped her into a chair, obviously knowing what to do
from experience. "D-daughter?"
"Or so he claims," Pan said. "Though he
hasn't proven it yet."
"Prove it?" Gohan stared at Pan
blankly. "How could I possibly do that?"
"I don't know," Pan shrugged. "But
you'll have to find out a way, because I can't forgive you-." She stopped
herself again, shaking her head. The man understood though, biting his lower
lip.
"Look Panny-," Pan stared at him for a
second, whatever he said next lost. How had he known her nickname? 17 only used
it when they were alone…there was no way he would have told this man her
nickname!
"Panny?" She raised an eyebrow,
pretending that the name meant nothing to her, though in actually fact it was
very important what he said. She knew 17 wouldn't have told him, and 17 was
careful never to use her nick name in front of 18…so she knew that 18 didn't
know it.
"T-that was the nickname your mother
used to call you…" Gohan winced. "Sorry…I didn't mean to-."
Pan knew that her face paled, though she
tried to hide her feelings. So 17 had stolen the nickname and let her believe
that it was of his own invention. She growled under her breath, regaining her
self-control. If he were still alive, he would have received the beating of his
life, but since he isn't…
"Pan? Are you alright?" Gohan was
staring at her in concern.
"I'm fine," Pan said gruffly, and
replaced the contorted look on her face with the one she used when 18 was angry
with her.
"Is something wrong?"
"I said I'm fine," She growled. "Just
don't call me that…"
"Why not?" Trunks asked.
"I just don't want to be called that,"
Pan adverted her eyes from the table. "My past is very complicated…especially
after today. I may tell you some other time."
No one said anything, an awkward silence
filling the room. Pan refused to turn her head to face the table.
***Flashback***
Pan
ran through the forest, keeping on the lookout for 17 and 18. They had left her
at home again- obviously thinking that she was either too young or too weak to
go with them. But she would show them! She'd bring back one of those weak
Earthlings heads, and show it to them- maybe then they'd bring her on their
"vacations."
She grinned suddenly, feeling a ki near
her. It was weak but she knew it was human. Yes, she'd show 18! Still grinning,
she continued her fast paced towards the ki signature.
He was standing in the middle of a
clearing- sword in his hand, ready to attack an invisible enemy. She stood
behind a tree watching him for a moment. The man suddenly charged forward,
making complicated movements with his hands as if he were really fighting
someone.
"Who are you fighting?" Pan ventured
into the clearing. The man stood up suddenly, turning his face towards her. She
saw at once the large scar that ran down his right cheek.
"No one," the man said, turning his back
to Pan. "You should leave here- the androids have been spotted around this
general area."
Pan stared at the man for a moment, and
then chose to ignore that comment. "Do you think that you can fight 17?"
"I have to defend my honor by taking
revenge for my family," The man said, and began his sword practice again.
"You can't beat him that way," Pan told
him. "Swords don't have any affect on them."
"How do you know?"
"I've seen humans attack them with
swords before."
"You saw them fight and have lived to
tell about it?" The man was a bit surprised, his arm stopping in midair.
"Yes," Pan shrugged. "They won't hurt
me."
"Why not?"
"I live with them."
The sword fell out of the man's hands,
his face going pale. "Y-you live w-with them?" He asked, his voice shaking.
"Of course," Pan told him as if it were
the most natural thing in the world. "They took me in when my mother died."
"How did your mother die?"
"A mob trampled her- 17 told me that he
felt so bad about it, because she was trying to save me, so they took me in,"
Pan told him. "They still don't know who my father is."
"T-then you're not lying?"
"Why would I lie?"
"Then- you've been trained in their
ways?"
"Of course."
"Then I can take my revenge on
you?"
"If you must. 17, 18, and I are family.
Whatever issue you have with them, you have with me," Pan told him. The man
nodded slowly.
"Then I challenge you to defend you're
"family's" honor as I defend mine," the man said, and Pan nodded her agreement.
He attacked first, swinging his sword at
her. Pan easily knocked it out of his hands, and at the same time delivered a
punch to his stomach. She was surprised and a bit disgusted when her hand went
totally through; creating a fist-sized hole.
"I thought you were stronger," She said.
The man simply stared at her, his eyes
widening and then he died. Pan walked over to the sword, picking it up and then
beheaded the sword's master. She picked up the head and headed back home, her
stomach a bit queasy about what she had just done.
***End
of Flashback***
Pan
growled under her breath, shaking the images of the first human she killed from
her head. 17 had been less then happy when she brought the head home- sending
her to her room, but later apologizing for his hasty actions. He let her come
with them occasionally from then on, but Pan never received any satisfaction
from killing the humans. She had seen 17's face though- he loved it, thrived on
it.
"Pan?" Gohan asked. She looked up
suddenly, realizing that her fists were clenched so tightly that blood was
dribbling out of them. She relaxed almost immediately and assessed the damage
she inflicted on herself.
"I'm sorry," She shook her head. "It's been
a long day."
"You're bleeding," Trunks said, a
bit concerned. He reached over to touch Pan's hands, but she jerked them away.
"So I am," She said, pretending that she
was studying them. "Oh well…it's nothing that won't heal in a few days. She
wiped the blood from her hands on her gi, which had been colored a deep red so
that she wouldn't stain it. Ever since she could remember, she injured herself
like this by mistake. 17 and 18 had given up trying to get her to stop injuring
herself years ago.
"It'll take longer then that," Gohan had
reached over the table now, grabbing her hands a bit forcefully. "Why did you
do that to yourself?"
Pan jerked her hands away and stood up
so abruptly that her chair fell over. "It doesn't matter," She told them. "It's
only a minor injury…an inconvenience- that's all!" Everyone stared at Pan,
shocked by her behavior. Suddenly she relented, picking up her chair and
apologizing.
"Tell us what's wrong Pan," Gohan urged
her.
"You don't understand- none of you can
possibly understand!"
"You might be surprised," Bulma said
under her breath.
Pan took a deep breath, unwilling to
alienate these people. "There are some things a person can never say- my past
could very much be one of those things."
"That doesn't explain anything," Chi Chi
said, joining into the conversation.
"If I told you anything- my first kill,
the first time I defeated 17, the first time 18 got angry and hit me- none of
these things you would understand," Pan sighed. "Even now you only see what I
say from your point of view- not mine. By my standards I had a decent
childhood- but by yours…"
"18 hit you?" Gohan said, his voice
angry.
Pan sighed. "See? That's what I mean! 18
hitting me meant nothing. It was more of a sign of affection and that no matter
how mad she was she did no worse then give me a nosebleed. I love 18 more
dearly then any of you can imagine. I doubt any of you will ever understand
what both 17 and 18 meant to me, but I can't hold that against you, because you
don't have to view things as your enemy sees them."
She wasn't sure what they would do- if
Gohan would be angry by her words, or if Bulma would kick her out of this
house. But at the moment she didn't care. Her families' deaths were still fresh
in her mind and she refused to try and be the perfect daughter to Gohan when he
refused to acknowledge the fact that he killed her family. Of course, 18 had
killed her family too, but it was hard for her to feel angry about it even with
her nightmares.
***Flashback***
"Bitch," Pan cooed and let out a giggle. This woman
could say the funniest things sometimes!
"What did you say?" Pan guessed that the 'bitch'
didn't like what the woman said. She peered though whatever the woman had
wrapped around her, trying to get a glimpse of the 'bitch.'
"…"
"You'll pay for that!" The 'bitch' hit the woman,
knocking her through the air and Pan knew that the woman had let go of her. She
landed a couple meters from the woman, but she could see the scene just fine.
A man stood in front of Pan, blocking
her view. She cooed, trying to get his attention, and he turned his head for a
moment, staring into Pan's face.
The woman chose that time to jump into
the air screaming; "Panny," and the man just simply knocked her to the ground
again. Pan could see that she was seriously injured this time, but she didn't
quite understand what was happening.
The woman seemed to be unable to get up-
flipping over so that she could crawl towards Pan. Pan wondered why the woman
was so bent on getting to her.
The 'bitch' landed in front of the woman
and the woman asked her to spare 'the baby's' life. Pan knew that the woman was
referring to her, and wondered why this woman would want Pan to be spared. She
sighed and watched the 'bitch' kill the woman, wondering what they would do to
her now.
***End
of Flashback***
Pan
was visibly shaking now, new realization dawning on her. That was her mother-
the woman who tried to protect her was her mother! She had never understood
that before, always wondering why the woman was pleading with 18 to spare her.
"Pan?"
Pan shook her head, realizing that the
whole situation was impossible. She turned to leave, telling them that she
might be back someday, but she had to sort through a few things first.
Gohan understood, but everyone else
seemed baffled.
***
Ugh!
Finally I finished this chapter! It took me the whole week! Well, I paused for
a few days of course because of what happened and all…but still it took sooooo
long. I guess I'm just used to writing shorter chapters…but I hope some people
still find this story interesting enough to read ten pages ^.^ I hope you know
that I still plan for Trunks to go back into the past but someone goes with
him…And remember that they still have Cell to deal with…so I hope that this
chapter wasn't too boring (as always if you happen to think that this chapter
was boring or stupid, please tell me! And I'm always open to suggestions, I
know that I'll reread it in few days and will be mortified by all of my
spelling mistakes and things like that. In fact, I revised the first chapter-
there was a really bad paragraph in there that made no sense at all)… and
thanks for reading ^_____^