I don't own DBZ

A/N: thank you to all my wonderful reviewers ^^ hope you won't have a too permanent trauma from Paris from this fic ^^;;;

What's Betrayal Among Friends?

Chapter 8 – Female Turbulence

Pan felt like she would die. Right there and then. Or puke. That was another good option. Right on that bitc…

"Heya, Goten! I forgot you had such a cute niece!"

"Well, don't blame me. I had no part in making her!"

The couple laughed while Pan kept her glare fixed on Paris. Oh, the things she felt like doing to her…

"Pan, what do you want?"

"Huh?"

She asked, snapped out of her bloody day dream.

"Well. The usual."

"Everything and tons of it. Gotcha."

Seeing that Paris already had her own ice cream, Goten went to take his and Pan's orders. Pan sat opposite to Paris, looking at the table. Paris kept her sweet tone and smile.

"Well, aren't you sweet. How old are you, honey?"

A shiver ran down pan's spine as she remembered how Bra called her that less than an hour ago, and how different the tones were.

'Bra really cares. Paris is just a bitch!'

Ah, but it takes two to tango, her jealousy reminded her.

Goten looked back at Pan when he felt her Ki flare up, but shrugged it off as an after effect of being so upset earlier.

"What'll it be?"

"Two of everything! On the double!"

The man behind the counter fainted.

"Oh, Goten made another one go faint."

Pan chuckled, but didn't really feel like laughing. She felt like bashing Paris to the next dimension.

"Why the long face, Panny?"

"Don't call me that."

Pan grumbled. Paris didn't hear it.

"Come again, Hun?"

"Just like that. What you see is what you get. Got a problem, Paris?"

The older girl was taken a back by the hostility in the teen's voice.

"My… you need to learn your manners!"

"Teenagers these days…"

Pan said venomously when Goten came with the orders.

"Well, here we are! Dig in!"

Goten ate at his Saiyan pace; Paris ate her ice cream, this time with a spoon. Pan ate, but not as fast as she should have.

"What's wrong, Panny?"

Asked a worried Goten.

"Nothing, uncle."

"She was like this before, too."

Paris took the liberty of adding. Pan glared at her. Goten looked even more worried.

"Well, it's a girl thing, so… why not tell Paris, Pan? Maybe she could help too!"

Pan almost chocked on her ice cream with laughter, but had to control it. The irony!

"No thanks, uncle. No offense, Paris, I just can't trust you like I can Bra."

'Or at all."

Pan thought angrily.

"That's ok, I understand, Panny."

'That you don't like me. Why's that, brat?'

The warm smile didn't leave Paris's face. It could be a bliss or a curse, but Goten was clueless to the daggers the girls were secretly glaring at each other.

"Be right back."

Pan said, and went to freshen herself up.

"So, Goten, what're your plans for next week?"

Goten licked his lips as he finished his ice cream and grinned.

"Trunks-Kun is throwing a party!"

"Oh, really? I wasn't invited."

She pouted. He blinked.

"That's odd."

"Yeah."

Placing her hand on his, Paris looked into Goten's eyes.

"Can I come, Goten-woten? Pleeeeeeeeease?"

Goten blushed, then grinned again.

"Sure thing! I'll even arrange a personal invitation from Trunks! I'm sure he won't mind!"

'Oh, I'm counting on it that he will, my air headed love. I'm counting on it.'

Pan washed her face, and looked at her reflection. Blue jeans. Yellow baggy top. Orange bandana. She looked much better than Paris, she thought.

'But obviously, Trunks disagrees.'

She closed her eyes to block the tears as the image from earlier that day came to her mind.

'How could she do it?! Be so lovey-dovey with uncle Goten while being with Trunks?!'

Her anger flared again.

'And how could Trunks do that to Goten?!'

She felt a great urge to just shout it out, not minding Goten was sitting outside. But she couldn't; she promised Bra.

'Calm down, Pan. You can't go berserk out there; as much as Paris's face is begging to be punched. You're better than her. So let's go and show it to her!'

Determined, Pan returned to face the music.

Bra was deep in thought, lying on her back on Trunks's bad, her head hanging upside down from the end. Trunks was pretty much in the same position, only the head was on the other side of the bed.

"So what are you going to do?"

She asked. He sighed sadly.

"I don't know. I really don't know."

She nodded, bonking her head lightly against the bad.

"Well, I know what I'm gonna do. I'm going to tell Pan."

"She won't believe you."

Bra shrugged.

"I know. But maybe hearing it from me will help her accept it."

"And what about Paris?"

The girl's blue eyes narrowed.

"Well, we'll see."

She sat upright and hugged her legs.

"I donno. But you can't go on against her right now. You have too many, let's say, enemies, right here at home."

Trunks raised his head and leaned on his elbows.

"Since when are you a military tactician?"

"Since my brother and best friend are hurting."

'And so is the crush'

Both siblings added to themselves. Trunks was understanding when Bra didn't want to make eye contact.

"I'm lost, Bra. I'm lost."

"Don't worry. I'll help you. We won't let that bitch get away with it."

"Thanks, sis."

"Now come on. Go to work, clear your mind. I'll go find Pan and explain… or try to."

Trunks chuckled.

"Yeah… yelling at some of the lackeys sure will get my mood up."

Bra laughed, then wrinkled her nose.

"But take a shower first. You still smell like beer."

Trunks smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, I guess so. Don't you have school?"

"On winter break? You wish!"

The young man went to the shower, then turned back and smiled at his sister before closing the door. Bra sighed. Ok. She had to talk to Pan. Dende help her. Please.

Pan marched back to the table, her nose raised in a superior way. Goten was happy to see Pan smiling; Paris was put on edge.

'What's she up to?'

"Sorry about that, but nature called."

"'s ok, Panny. Hope you don't mind, but I finished your ice cream."

The girl blinked, then sighed. She was used to it.

"Yep. Goten-kun likes ice cream."

Paris said in a tone mostly used with 5 year olds. All that she missed, Pan concluded, was adding 'chan' instead of 'kun',

"Say, Pan-girl, are you coming next week?"

An eyebrow was raised.

"Why do you care?"

"Just curious."

"Sure she's coming!"

Goten said in his over cheerful voice. Pan bit her lower lip. She wasn't sure anymore. Not after what Trunks did… especially if Paris was going to be there, too. It was odd, but Pan couldn't bring herself to really being mad at Trunks. She was too mad at Paris. And hurt.

"Panny?"

"I'm gonna head on home. Talk later, uncle."

"Bye Panny."

The man said, disappointed.

"Later, squirt."

In her mind, Pan was shooting one Kamehameha after the other at the older girl. If only she could've done that for real.

"Bye."

Paris would've asked how Pan was to get home, had she not been so used to people flying lately.

"Nice niece."

"I know."

No matter whom you were, if you had the least bit of intelligence, you had to be amazed by the Son naivety. Now, Paris was a bitch, (I love using that word on her ^_^ no offense, Paris fans, but she IS in this fic!) but she wasn't stupid.

'He's for real, right?!'

Pan flew home and was greeted by her grandmother.

"Hi, grandma."

"Hello, sweetheart. I saw your shopping bag all alone on the couch. That's a nice suit you have there."

Pan didn't reply, just stuffed her hands in her pockets with a shrug.

"Thanks."

"Pan, what's wrong?"

Chichi said, worried. Pan didn't want to worry her grandmother.

"It's nothing, grandma. Just some boy problem."

The worried expression turned into maternal mocking.

"I see. Is he cute?"

The quarter Saiyan glared at her grandmother.

"Please, grandma! I don't wanna hear it!"

The girl shouted. She just spent a while with the woman she hated most on this world. She didn't need the third degree.

"Sorry."

Trying to make up for it. Pan cleared her throat and said:

"So… why're you in such a good mood?"

Chichi grinned and took out a small black box with golden trimmings.

"This just came in for Goten."

The girl felt her face going pale.

"Grandma, is that…"

"Paris's wedding ring."

Pan fainted, right there and then.

A/N: I did it! :D