Chapter Eighteen: The Final Stand
Gohan's heart began to race painfully as he zoomed with all his speed in the direction he sensed Pan's raising chi. For some reason, even with all his speed, he was slowed. A sudden pain filled Gohan causing Gohan to halt in the air and clutch his sides. He felt as though someone had just punched all the air out of his lungs. Gohan let out an airy cry as the pain increased. Through his pain, Gohan could see his hand was slowly disappearing.
"No. I can't give up. Mirai Trunks will save our world," Gohan gasped clasping his hand tightly.
Suddenly the pain ceased letting Gohan catch his breath. He closed his eyes and let out small sigh before everything went black. His tired body fell silently from the sky and landed roughly on the ground.
Pan let out a cough as blood slipped down her chin. The villains smiled vindictively at the girl they had just beaten to the ground. Her limbs shook as she stood back on her weak feet. She had been at it for several minutes now and still her offensive was not enough.
"Give up, little Panny?" Zangya smirked rubbing her knuckles.
By this time Buujin had returned. Zangya gave Trunks to him to hold. She rather fight then hold a dead weight. Gohan was still nowhere in sight.
Pan wiped away the blood from her lips and glared up at her foes, "You don't scare me."
"Oh?" Zangya smiled. "That's good. Makes things so much more interesting."
Pan backed up her back gracing the broken building behind her. She filled her chi into her hands as she watched Zangya loom towards her. She bared her blasts to her foe and looked up at the incoming storm.
Gohan flinched at feeling something cold hit his cheek and stream down into his eyes. He jerked up off the ground just as the rain began to pound down on the earth. Gohan sat staring absentmindedly around him trying to figure out where he was. The dirt between his fingers seeped into mud as his mind searched back the past days.
"Pan," Gohan said suddenly climbing to his feet.
His senses were worn and distorted. He could barely indicate where the girl was, but with a pang of his heart, Gohan realized his senses might not be wrong at all. But Pan's chi had grown incredibly low.
Gohan kicked off the ground, his clothes weighing down with all the rain water. He closed his eyes and focused in on where Pan was trying not to imagine what was going on with him. For some reason his body was slowly ceasing to exist. Gohan could feel everything disappearing with every painful nerve of his body. But his mind was still honed in on his future daughter's chi as little as it was.
"I'm coming…"
Zangya kicked Pan against a wall listening to the pleasuring sound of bones cracking. She grabbed the girl by her neck and pressed her against the stone slowly pushing her father into it. Pan garbled out several words that were unclear to Zangya but no doubt meant as cruel. She cussed out some very clear afterwards causing Zangya to go a beat red with irritation.
"You should talk!" Zangya piped building her chi into her palm. "Now to finish you off. Don't worry. I'll make sure your head comes clean off, sweet heart. Won't want it to be painful, would we?"
Pan cringed and closed her eyes just as the painful beam came closer to her throat. Just as it was inches away, Zangya suddenly buckled over with pain. Pan was released instantly causing her to cough up blood violently into her palms.
Zangya screamed clutching her hand that was now a twisted lump of flesh. She glared up at who did it to see the silhouette of Gohan behind her. She smiled and turned about to face him, "Well, isn't this a sweet surprise."
"Go away, Gohan," Pan shouted. "I can handle this myself."
"Sure. And get yourself killed?" Gohan frowned as his wet hair waved in the powerful winds and rain. "I won't let you die."
"Leave me alone! I don't need to be protected by you!" Pan screamed firing two chi blasts up at the boy.
Gohan dodged them both but not as easily as he should have. He had a small burn across his forearm from where one of the chi blasts got too close.
Zangya smiled at Pan's stubbornness and used it as an opportunity.
"You two should get along before you fight us," Zangya smiled firing several tiny zaps of chi down at Pan.
Pan let out a cry as she trying to avoid them. They hit on each side of her cutting her bare arms and slicing at her pants and sides. Pan bit her lip and turned her energy onto her attacker.
"Kaaaaaa meeeeeee haaaaaa meeeee… HAAAAAA!!!!"
"Pan don't!" Gohan screamed trying to stop her suicidal attack.
Buujin came up behind Gohan using his famous electricity to hold Gohan firm. Gohan struggled but he could only watch in mere horror as Pan released her energy.
Zangya smirked maliciously as she released her own energy attack down at the girl. The new energy overpowered Pan's causing it to turn on its master. Pan's eyes could only widen in horror as she was swallowed up in the bright light. Her screams echoed from the lights that eaten her.
"PAAAAAAANNNNNN! NOOOOOOOOOO!" Gohan cried tears of anguish spilling down his cheeks.
As much as he struggled, Buujin's attack only got stronger. He could only grit his teeth and wait for the smoke to die away.
The chi energy ripped out at Pan's clothes and hair. Her flesh burned as she shrieked out in agony. She didn't expect anyone to hear her, nor did she want anyone to save her. This was Pan's destiny. Finally she could die. But the emptiness it brought her was not what she wanted. She was going to leave Gohan and Trunks. She was going to leave Bulma and the dying civilization. She was going to leave… Pan wasn't going to come back . It hurt. But hadn't they done the same to her? In spite of her aching heart she held on… just for a while longer. Her flaccid body hit the ground with a sickening groan of cracking bones. Her left arm was barely left and both her legs lay in awkward positions. Her poignant tears mixed with the blood that was seeping from her deep cuts on her face. Her mouth was so dry with blood that she could utter was, "Daddy…"
"PAN!" Gohan screamed and struggled at seeing the girl laying motionless bellow, "NO! Let me GO!"
Zangya slowly hovered up to eye level with Gohan amused by his struggling. She glanced over were Bojack stood watching. The slight smirk on his face showed he was at least slightly amused by the moving show of death. This made Zangya feel stronger. Their revenge was going perfectly.
"Oh. That's too bad about your daughter now, isn't it," Zangya cooed.
"She's my future daughter!" Gohan snapped still harassed by Buujin's electricity. "You killed her! I will make you pay!"
Zangya ignored the boy's stinging words an formed a rather powerful ki blast in her fist. Her dark eyes shown about his suddenly terrified face as she dangled it near him, "Well, she won't have to suffer if we destroy you, now will she?"
"Bite me!" Gohan spat leaving a small disgusting amount of saliva on her cheek.
She wiped it on the back of her free hand and glared angrily at the boy. "Don't test me..."
Trunks opened his eyes seeing he was being held by someone. Without even pausing to think, Trunks clamped his teeth on the man's hand causing him to howl in pain. He dropped Trunks allowing the boy to through a punch. In the punch was all the might Trunks could muster sending in nearly through the man's skull. The creature went flying into another creature. Blood seeping from Trunk's fist where he had attempted a killing punch. He pulled back his hand and took the moment to see what was going on. 'Goten' was hovering next to the alien girl that had kidnapped him. He remembered his face before he blanked out. And then the 'Gohan's cries. He could only hope what he thought might have happened wasn't true…
"What's going on? Who are you?" Trunks said firmly.
Gohan was glad to see Trunks alive but he didn't have anytime to celebrate. The concentration loss released Gohan so now he could attack. Zangya and Buujin must have forgotten he was there since their attention wasn't on him. Zangya raised her hand to fire a killing blast at the boy when Gohan tried his own trick.
He raised both his hands to the center of his forehead gathering the energy from his body just as Piccolo had always showed him. And in one almighty bout of strength, Gohan released his beam straight at the two of them while screaming,
"Macinqo haaaa!"
Both villains cried out as they were blasted through buildings and out of sight. Gohan could tell they weren't dead but they were stalled. Without a word to Trunks, Gohan lowered quickly to the ground and ran to where Pan lay.
Trunks who had still been a bit sketchy of what was going on and how 'Goten' knew of such an attack. But he caught sight of Pan and swallowed any other questions he had. Trunks quickly followed behind 'Goten' hoping the worst wasn't true.
Both boys forgot about the man above them.
Pan's dark amber eyes fluttered opened weakly as Gohan reached her side. He fell to his knees at her side and lifted her body partially into his arms. She neither protested or struggled which was even surprising to herself. Trunks knelt down the mud next to Gohan looking rather worried and confused. She opened her mouth slightly showing the blood she was chocking on as she sputtered, "You came."
"Yes," Gohan said softly.
Tears slipped down her cheeks as she reached out her shaking hand to stroke his cheek, "I didn't want to be alone… I'm always alone."
"You won't have to be alone anymore, Pan. Me and Trunks will take care of you. You'll be okay," Gohan said desperately praying for her life to stay.
"It hurts." Pan cringed and started gargling some more on her blood.
Gohan's tears began to fall rapidly now as he tried to get her to hang on. He didn't mean to shout but he didn't want to lose her. Not that he knew, "Shush, Pan. You won't... I won't let you leave."
Gohan could see Trunks out of the corner of his eyes starting to cry too. He kept blinking them back and rubbing them away unable to turn away as Pan started to slip down the precipice of life.
"Dad," Pan whispered wrapping her good arm about his neck and trying her best to hug him.
"Please Pan. Hold on."
Trunks looked in confusion from Gohan to Pan and then back to Gohan. Suddenly he knew. He knew who 'Goten' was. But he was to befuddled to understand how.
Pan's eyes started to get heavy as she stared up at her future father. She smiled lightly as tears dripped down her cheeks,
"I'm sorry, Dad. I wasn't strong enough for you."
"No, Pan," Gohan muttered trying to keep his voice from cracking. "You were strong. You were great."
"I love you, Dad," Pan muttered.
Her chest stopped raising at that last word leaving Gohan holding a empty shell. Gohan hugged the dead corpse close as the tears slipped down his cheeks uncontrollably.
"Gohan," Trunks said gripping his shoulder.
"I'm so stupid," Gohan cried refusing to let the girl down. "I don't even know her and I'm crying like I lost my mother."
"Gohan," Trunks whispered again.
Gohan turned so sharply that it startled Trunks. His eyes were red with tears as he cried, "Why?! Why did she have to die?! I promised she wouldn't."
Trunks gently took Pan's lifeless body from Gohan and laid her back down. He turned back to Gohan who was still weeping.
"Gohan, I need to... ask you something," Trunks muttered softly.
"I don't belong here," Gohan whispered staring at Pan's blood that had covered his hands from holding her. "I've ruined everything."
"Where are you from, Gohan?" Trunks asked.
"Another world. One you saved from becoming this," Gohan hissed waving his hand about the wasteland. "But you can still use the time machine…"
Suddenly Gohan buckled over in pain. Once again he started to turn transparent. Trunks cried out in fright, "What's the matter?"
"Something's wrong," Gohan cried. "I'm dying in my timeline."
"How could you be…"
"I don't know. I must mean… You were killed... but no one is hear to…" Gohan looked up suddenly as lighting forked the sky.
It illuminated one figure he had overlooked. Bojack, with a grand grin on his face, aimed his chi down at the lilac topped boy before Gohan could cry out, "Trunks! Look out!"
Trunks turned around just as the energy engulfed him. Gohan fought against the winds of energy only to get blow back into a overturned trailer. He could just hear Trunks' scream as the metal crashed about him. Gohan quickly summoned all his strength and rose from the rubble as a super sayian. He glanced down to see Trunk laying a few feet away with a broken neck and severe burns down his body.
"No!" Gohan screamed.
He landed on all fours and crawled hastily to Trunks' side. Gohan gave Trunk's limp body several violent shakes all the while shouting,
"You can't be dead, Trunks. This isn't supposed to happen!"
Trunks didn't answer and Gohan's heart and soul broke. He fell backwards from the body screaming and gripping his head in anguish.
"This is all some awful dream!" Gohan cried.
"Afraid not, little one," Bojack's menacing voice uttered behind him.
Gohan spun around to face the monster who had started it all. He leapt into fighter's stance only for Bojack to laugh so more, "Poor little Gohan. No one to save you."
"How dare you!" Gohan growled through gritted teeth.
"Heard that one before," Bojack sighed pointed one finger directly at Gohan's heart. "Say hi to your friends for me."
He released his energy just to have hit Gohan right in the chest. Gohan went hurling backwards through the air with Bojack already there to meet him. He punch Gohan upwards and then down towards the unforgiving ground. Gohan knew in an instant that upon impact he would die so he braced himself.
Remarkably, the ground startled slowly down making Gohan wonder if this was how it was seconds before death. But then he felt some arms about him, holding him up. It's touch was strange tingly sensation that swept up his spine. He looked up in amazement as his vision blackened out, "Dad?"
To Be Continued…
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