Author's Notes: Ahem… (Runs away and hides) Don't kill me. I didn't mean it. I just…had…severe writer's block and lost interest in my fanfiction. But I'm back, right? I mean, at least I didn't leave forever…I wonder if anyone is still willing to read this.
-
Reviewer Responses:
Lionpire: It's been longer than 2 months. It's been longer than 6 months. Well, if you're still willing to read I'll try my best to write both my fanfiction and my original fiction. It will be difficult though.
DH88: Thank you so much. If you're still waiting for me to update, I've finally answered the pleas. I AM BACK AT LAST!
-
Because I'm moving onI won't forget you were the one that was wrong
I know I need to step up
And be strong
Don't patronize me
Chapter 10: I Won't Forget
Pan floated in the air, her black aura flashing around her. Her eyes were red, dangerous red. And the power that was flowing from her body…
Vegeta had never felt something so radical—not from a Saiyan, not from Pan, or even Goku. Black Saiya-jin was a horrible transformation—it ruined one's own normal mental thoughts and emotions. It turned someone completely inside out and left them like a slave to power, left them in a box of insanity. The need to have power drove one to transform in the first place, but if the Super Saiyan transformation was not possible, then the body had to change somehow to hold all that energy. Otherwise, the person would die from the force of it all.
Pan did not realize this though. She was already way too far gone. She had thought of good reasons to need the power, but the way she reached it was what killed her—or what would kill her if she couldn't find her way back to them, if she couldn't control it. But…Vegeta had never heard of anyone controlling the Black Saiya-jin transformation. Super Saiyan was tough enough to control as it was. Black Saiya-jin…near impossible.
"Vegeta, what's going on?" Goku asked him, confusion obvious in his shaking ebony eyeballs.
Goku had dropped his Special Saiyan transformation, losing his special connection to unimaginable power. Special Saiyan. Bah! Why can't I ever surpass him—it's like fate itself hates me!
They were all staring at Pan now, confused, and frightened, but only frightened because of Vegeta's reaction to it. If the Prince of the Saiyans was worried about this new transformation, something had to be dangerous about it.
Shaking his head, Vegeta moved his eyesight to the left a bit just enough to see Trunks staring speechless at Pan, and Pan staring with jealous eyes at the unconscious form of Reda. "I said get Reda out of her! Do you want her to die, son? Get her out of here!" He screamed out the last part, forcing himself to go Super Saiyan as he did so.
He knew he would have a difficult time defeating this new Pan. Black Saiya-jin was a powerful transformation. Perhaps if Goku wanted to fight in his Special Saiyan form…No. That was out of the question. Asking Goku to fight Psyfoam was hard enough. Asking him to fight his own granddaughter…definitely out of the question.
"Goku, leave with Trunks and Reda. Trunks can't take care of himself anymore, much less his own girlfriend. If Psyfoam were to come after Reda, she'd need someone who could actually protect her. You are the only one among us that has the ability to survive a fight against that bastard—you, Reda, and Vee. None of the rest of us can dream about such a thing." It was different admitting all of this, admitting his own weakness. He knew he wasn't the strongest anymore. He accepted it. Now, all he could do was fight for a reason, fight for a just cause. Well, this was honorable enough for him—fighting Pan so Goku wouldn't have to fight his own relative.
Goku sighed as he looked at his granddaughter, eyes sad and tired. Goku was sick of the warrior life; he was still tired of being a hero. "All right, Vegeta. We'll leave." It's what you want to do anyway. "Come on, Trunks. Stop staring like a frozen chicken and let's go."
"Go? Why would you want to go?" Pan asked, her voice crushing the words so hard so as to sound evil. Vegeta inwardly shuddered. He didn't like where she was going. "We were about to have some fun. Why go?"
Before Goku could move, Pan launched out, gathering an energy ball in the palm of her hand and throwing it at Reda. Trunks, unable to see the move, unable to move himself, did not dodge away from the blast at all, but instead let it hit him and Reda both. What's wrong with him? He's frozen stiff. What the hell is going on?
Since no bodies fell, Vegeta felt himself grow sick to his stomach. He couldn't believe it. He had just floated here and allowed Reda and Trunks to be…
"What the hell is going on?" He shot up at the voice, feeling a familiar power enter into his senses again. He smirked.
Goku laughed. "Reda! Welcome back to us!"
Pan floated in the air, the black aura growing. "I can't believe it. The bitch actually woke up."
"Bitch? Who you calling a bitch, you bitch!" Reda's form flew out of the smoke, her hair flashing silver and her power skyrocketing through the roof. She charged out and punched Pan straight in the face, throwing the lost girl through the air a couple of feet, only to chase after her with a rush.
"Reda! Wait!" Goku called out, his hand grasping at the lines of energy his sister left in her wake. He hung his head low and whispered into the wind, "Don't kill her. She's not gone forever."
Vegeta shook his head, plainly not agreeing with his Saiyan friend. "I don't know, Goku. Not many people can remember themselves after a transformation like that."
"Father, where's Psyfoam? I…I have a bad feeling about…"
"Shut up, son. We all feel it. Psyfoam seems to be busy with someone else right now. Let him be. Don't let him cloud your judgement. You nearly let Pan kill Reda! If she hadn't of woken up just in time to save your ass and hers—you would both be dead right now! What's wrong with you?"
Trunks looked at him, shrugging, the wind coursing through his lavender hair, peeling back individual strands that got stuck to his sweaty forehead. Vegeta didn't pay attention to him, focused instead on the distant battle between Reda and Pan. The girls were going at it hard, shooting insults as well as energy, throwing punches as well as foul language. First Pan was knocked off of her soapbox, and then Reda was; they almost seemed equal. That was a scary thought. Pan in her Black Saiya-jin equal to Reda's Special Saiyan…
Goku got the first word in edgewise. "You know, if Pan's this good in this form maybe it's not such a bad thing after all…"
Vegeta shook his head and nearly pulled out his hair at the thought. "Are you crazy, Kakarot?" The Saiyan name slipped off his tongue before he could think, earning a painful wince from Goku as unwanted memories returned to him. Vegeta didn't let it slow him down. "If you let Pan keep that transformation she could die! That's too much power for such a small body to control, isn't it obvious? She's lost herself! She won't ever be the same! She's forgotten everything!"
In the cold air, Goku spoke with ice in his words. "No she hasn't. She can't have. She will remember. Reda's going to make her, and if Reda doesn't succeed…then I'll force her to see the light, even if it means brushing her up against death. You remember a lot of things before you die."
Vegeta sighed, crossing his arms in front of his chest, looking out at the battle commencing before him. "Yeah…I know."
-
"Come on, Pan! Don't forget who you are!" She yelled, kicking out at Pan to throw the girl off of her for the fifty-millionth time today. She was attacking more now than she had in all her eighteen-some-odd years of life. It was difficult to keep her concentration focused because every time she attacked she remembered Vee—and how he had deserted them all when he was needed most.
Vee, wherever you are, I hope you realize how much I want to kill you right now. You never were one to be a coward. Where the hell did you disappear to?
A pain in her cheek reminded her where she was, and she put all thoughts of Vee to the side in order to focus back in on the fight at hand. She grabbed hold of Pan's wrists and powered up some more, feeling the special energy coursing through her body. She felt very powerful right now—and she needed more… No, no…I can't think like that. I've got to control this thing!
"Pan, remember who you are! You're the granddaughter of Goku, the daughter of Gohan. You're a Saiyan! You can't give in to your transformation. You have to embrace it and control, bend its will to your own, not let it control you!" She wasn't sure if her words were getting through. The only response she kept getting from Pan was a "fuck you" and other obscene phrases which did not need repeating.
Now, however, Pan had to struggle to get free of Reda's grip. Reda had her held fast. Their eyes connected and Reda saw the truth—she saw how lost Pan was right now, and she dropped her tight hold with her shock, only to receive a painful punch in the gut. Bending over, squeezing her stomach, about ready to puke, Reda blinked back tears of pain and hurt.
She's lost. She really is lost. Goku, I'm sorry. I can't save her. Dammit, Vee, where are you?And then she had the idea hit her. Vee! Of course! Pan had feelings for Vee! It was so obvious. Why didn't she think of this before? It's like, 'duh, Reda.' She blinked, having the odd feeling that she had heard Vee's voice in her head. That had been happening a lot lately, hearing things like she was still fused with him. It was weird, but maybe…in a way…they had never really and truly separated. Maybe…Vree still existed in essence.
Reda shook her head. Now was not the time to be thinking about Vree. Now was the time to be saving Pan's self. "Pan, girl, listen. What about Vee? Don't you love him? Are you going to let yourself forget about him?"
Luckily for Reda, that comment hit the mark. Pan froze, a ball of powerful energy gathered in her hand, prepared to throw it at the doubled-over Special Saiyan. "Vee?" Her voice rasped out, sounding like the real Pan. "Forget…Vee?" A tear fell from the girl's eye, and then suddenly, the black aura began to disappear. The aura shrunk in size until it all around just completely flicked out of existence. "I won't ever, ever, ever forget Vee! Don't even kid around like that again, Reda. Don't even kid…"
Reda laughed, standing back to meet Pan's eyes from a distance. "I won't, Pan. I promise. Never again, all right? As long as you don't freak out on us again."
Pan didn't reply; she kept staring out into space, as if she were thinking deep. Finally, with a little poke from Reda, she spoke again. "Where is Vee, Reda? He just disappeared. Shouldn't he be here by now? Wouldn't he want to fight? Where is he? I miss him…"
-
Vee: I hate Mikirubai. I hate her fucking guts. She won't leave me alone – and she won't let me leave, either. She doesn't want to help me beat Psyfoam. Vege knows something that I don't. Dammit, I feel so left out! Would someone please explain to me what the hell is going on around here!
