Chapter 22
Vegeta, Gohan and the others were released from their prison the moment Xellos hit the ground. They wasted no time in rushing to the scene of the battle. When they got there, Gohan, Goten, and Krillin headed for Pan while Vegeta and the others sped towards Xellos.
The sight that greeted Gohan, Goten and Krillin when they arrived where Pan as kneeling over the broken warrior, was not a happy one. Akira's wounds were fatal, one glance told them that. The only thing that could save Akira was a senzu bean and no one had the speed to get to Korin Tower and back in time. The three stepped closer and knelt down beside the fallen warrior, Gohan placed his hand on Pan's shoulder.
Akira's eyes fluttered open, after a few seconds they focused on Pan. "Is he..."
Pan smiled sadly and nodded, tears were beginning to run down her cheeks, "Yeah, you beat him, you..." her voice trailed off and her body shook a little as she suppressed a small sob.
"Are you... okay?" he asked, his breathing was becoming more labored.
"Yes, thanks to you."
"Gohan?" Akira's voice was barely a whisper now.
"I'm here kid." Gohan said, leaning in closer
"I'm... sorry about the fight and... I don't think we'll get to have our chat," he paused and tried to pull more oxygen into his lungs, "Pan knows most of the story... if you're still curious..."
Gohan smiled, "Yeah, she and I will talk. I can't wait to hear about it."
Akira smiled back, and then looked at Pan again. She was crying. He struggled to raise his hand to her face; she caught his hand half way and helped him. He gasped for breath, the blood that had been pouring out of his wounds slowed, he was slipping away and he knew it. "P...Pan, I...." Whatever his last words to her were going to be, his body had not been able to summon the strength to get them out; his hand went limp and fell from hers. Pan's tears flowed freely; she pulled Akira's body close to hers and slowly rocked it back and forth.
Gohan gently placed his hand on her shoulder and started to say something to her when Vegeta called them all over to the spot where Xellos was lying. Pan moved on auto-pilot, walking with her father and uncle towards Akira's murderer, her brain felt numb.
"I think we all need to hear what the good general has to say." Vegeta said. Then, kneeling down beside the alien he said, "Now, tell them what you just told me."
The creature coughed up blood and then said, "The Dark Lord is coming, he and Supreme Commander Runihura will be here in less than six months with a legion of their strongest warriors. You may have won today day, but without the boy you are all dead anyway. Even he would have been nothing compared with the awesome might of the Dark Lord." Xellos laughed weakly, "Enjoy the remainder of your pathetic lives, they won't last long." Then the once mighty alien's eyes clouded over in death.
The Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and the Saiyans looked down at the dead creature for a long time and then went to find their loved ones. They didn't bother to discuss what the alien had said right away, at the moment there were more important things to worry about.
Most of them spent the rest of the day helping the authorities search the rubble for survivors. Pan, however, spent her time on the boulder that she and Akira had shared their first kiss upon. She couldn't help with the clean up, the only thing she could think of was her grief. Several of her friends and family had stopped by; trying to comfort her, but she barely even noticed them. After awhile, they let her grieve alone, it was what she wanted. She cried until she ran out of tears, and then she sat upon the rock and stared out to sea, tearless sobs wracking her body.
Vegeta, Gohan and the others were released from their prison the moment Xellos hit the ground. They wasted no time in rushing to the scene of the battle. When they got there, Gohan, Goten, and Krillin headed for Pan while Vegeta and the others sped towards Xellos.
The sight that greeted Gohan, Goten and Krillin when they arrived where Pan as kneeling over the broken warrior, was not a happy one. Akira's wounds were fatal, one glance told them that. The only thing that could save Akira was a senzu bean and no one had the speed to get to Korin Tower and back in time. The three stepped closer and knelt down beside the fallen warrior, Gohan placed his hand on Pan's shoulder.
Akira's eyes fluttered open, after a few seconds they focused on Pan. "Is he..."
Pan smiled sadly and nodded, tears were beginning to run down her cheeks, "Yeah, you beat him, you..." her voice trailed off and her body shook a little as she suppressed a small sob.
"Are you... okay?" he asked, his breathing was becoming more labored.
"Yes, thanks to you."
"Gohan?" Akira's voice was barely a whisper now.
"I'm here kid." Gohan said, leaning in closer
"I'm... sorry about the fight and... I don't think we'll get to have our chat," he paused and tried to pull more oxygen into his lungs, "Pan knows most of the story... if you're still curious..."
Gohan smiled, "Yeah, she and I will talk. I can't wait to hear about it."
Akira smiled back, and then looked at Pan again. She was crying. He struggled to raise his hand to her face; she caught his hand half way and helped him. He gasped for breath, the blood that had been pouring out of his wounds slowed, he was slipping away and he knew it. "P...Pan, I...." Whatever his last words to her were going to be, his body had not been able to summon the strength to get them out; his hand went limp and fell from hers. Pan's tears flowed freely; she pulled Akira's body close to hers and slowly rocked it back and forth.
Gohan gently placed his hand on her shoulder and started to say something to her when Vegeta called them all over to the spot where Xellos was lying. Pan moved on auto-pilot, walking with her father and uncle towards Akira's murderer, her brain felt numb.
"I think we all need to hear what the good general has to say." Vegeta said. Then, kneeling down beside the alien he said, "Now, tell them what you just told me."
The creature coughed up blood and then said, "The Dark Lord is coming, he and Supreme Commander Runihura will be here in less than six months with a legion of their strongest warriors. You may have won today day, but without the boy you are all dead anyway. Even he would have been nothing compared with the awesome might of the Dark Lord." Xellos laughed weakly, "Enjoy the remainder of your pathetic lives, they won't last long." Then the once mighty alien's eyes clouded over in death.
The Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and the Saiyans looked down at the dead creature for a long time and then went to find their loved ones. They didn't bother to discuss what the alien had said right away, at the moment there were more important things to worry about.
Most of them spent the rest of the day helping the authorities search the rubble for survivors. Pan, however, spent her time on the boulder that she and Akira had shared their first kiss upon. She couldn't help with the clean up, the only thing she could think of was her grief. Several of her friends and family had stopped by; trying to comfort her, but she barely even noticed them. After awhile, they let her grieve alone, it was what she wanted. She cried until she ran out of tears, and then she sat upon the rock and stared out to sea, tearless sobs wracking her body.