Disclaimer: DB/DBZ/DBGT belong to Toriyama and other rich Japanese guys, not me.

A Brief Moment in Time

Chapter 15: Makeup and Breakup?

Author's note: Please be aware of the following. Trunks Vegeta Briefs will be known as, Mirai no Trunks, and T.V. Briefs. Trunks Yamcha Briefs will be referred to as Alternative Trunks, and T.Y. Briefs. This only applies to scenes where they are both present. Otherwise they are both called Trunks, and I'll just put details to clarify, such as the hair color.

Late that same night…

Goten landed in a spot he knew from his childhood. It was a lake that his brother and him had gone fishing together in when they were younger. This had always been one of his most treasured spots. He looked over the gentle surfaces of the lake, and then sighed to himself. You knew this would happen Goten, he thought to himself. This is exactly why you never told them anything. Yet, he couldn't help but feel a strong bitterness against the world at the moment. Why couldn't there be an easy way? Why does anything worthwhile have to be so difficult? Why couldn't his family just see things his way? It had been a long time since he had ever let these thoughts of pity run through his head. Strangely, he found them somewhat comforting at the moment. Perhaps everyone needs to indulge in self-pity once in a while, even the Duke de Sirrus.

He slowly sat down on the shore, and picked up a smooth flat stone. With practiced ease, he threw it and watched it skip across the lakes surface. As he did this, he felt a small sad smile cross his face. His brother had taught him how to skip stones and with that thought, he felt another pang of pain in his chest. The fact that he may have severed himself from his family tore at him. He'd expected to be hurt, but not as much as this. Slowly, he lay back on the beach and looked up at the night sky. Yet, another thing he had done with his brother while their father had been dead. He shook his head and closed his eyes. He wanted to enjoy the feel of Mt. Paotzu, the feel of his home, one more time before he left for space again. He was sure that he would never be coming back.

Goten awoke to the sound of small splashes against the surface of the lake. It was still dark out and the stars still were shining brightly. He sat up, and looked at the figure that stood a few feet in front of him tossing stones into the lake. He knew who it was without even having to check for ki.

"I don't want to fight, Gohan. Especially not here," he said as he stood up and walked up next to his brother.

Gohan didn't say anything at first. He just looked around for another stone. Finding one, he sent it flying across the lake. "I didn't come here to fight," he said after a moment. "I shouldn't have said what I said earlier… I…"

"Don't worry about it, Gohan," said Goten. "I can understand your anger. I should have told you guys all along what I've been doing. It's not right to keep secrets from your loved ones."

"What's done is done. It can't be helped now," said Gohan. "Pan and I had it out after you left. That girl does remind me of her mother and ours."

"Heh… Yes, she does. How did you once describe them? Ah yes, pushy and obstinate. The women in our family are all like that," smirked Goten. His comment elicited a small chuckle from his brother.

"Speaking of women… how about you?" asked Gohan. "I'm sure the mighty Duke has his pick and choice of the lovelies out there."

"There's only ever been one woman for me," said Goten after a moment of silence. Another subject he didn't want to think about. He stared out over the lake letting himself feel the cool westerly breeze that signaled the approach of morning.

"Another touchy subject, huh?"

"Yeah… I just seem full of them. Never realized how messed up my life was until I got back," said Goten. "Out there, you don't have time to think about yourself."

"Well… that's what family's for. No matter how messed up things are, you can always turn to them right?" said Gohan slowly.

Goten turned and looked at Gohan. "Gohan…"

"Like I said… I'm sorry about what I said earlier," continued Gohan. "I… I thought about it for a while. It doesn't matter if you were a cold-blooded murdered, which you aren't. Pan and your story made that clear to me. But, none of that matters though. I just wanted to say that you are my brother and if you need me… then I'm there for you."

Goten didn't say anything in reply. He just closed his eyes and sighed. "Thanks Gohan… You do know that I'm going to need you… That Chikyuu is going to need you?"

"I suspected as much… I'll be there for you. So will Dad. We ok?" asked his brother stretching out his hand in a peace offering.

"Yeah… we're ok," replied Goten as he clasped his brother's hand, gave it a strong shake, and pulled him in for a powerful hug. "We're ok."

The two of them sat quietly after that looking out over the lake. The sun hadn't risen yet, but dawn was approaching. The sky was beginning to light up.

"Pan yell at you hard?" asked Goten after a while.

"Yeah… Talk about role reversal. I swear I was ten years old again and that it was mom yelling at me for sneaking out and training."

"Heh… You've got one hell of a daughter, Gohan. I feel for you."

"You'll have your turn as a parent soon enough. Anyway, every cloud has its silver lining. I told her she's free to whatever she wants. That made her happy, but I did get a concession out of her," said Gohan. The last sentence was an obvious prompt, which Goten picked up.

"What was the concession?" asked Goten as he looked over and saw that there was a sly, evil smile on his brother's face.

"I made her agree to have this 'purple-haired Trunks' meet me for lunch with her tomorrow," chuckled Gohan.

Goten laughed. "Gohan, that is evil. Videl is definitely rubbing off on you."

"Yeah… anyway, how would you like to join us? I'd like your opinion on the guy."

"As the Duke or as Uncle Goten?" asked Goten cautiously.

"How about just the Goten that I hear Pan talk about. The uncle who's both at the same time," replied Gohan.

"Hmm… I understand," said Goten a bit apologetically. It would take him time to stop acting like the person he once was around his family. At least things would be easier, and a lot less stressful. He wouldn't have to watch what he said, or how he acted in some public places. It would be nice to finally be himself. "You know… We are going to embarrass the hell out of her."

"That's right we are. That's another thing family is great for."

"Evil Gohan… Evil. Anyway, we better get some sleep then. I'll drop by your place tomorrow in the late morning. I have to talk with your wife as well."

"See you then Goten. Good night."

"Good night Gohan and thanks."

A hotel in Satan City…

Trunks woke up groggily. The curtains were open and sunlight was violently stabbing his eyes. He had gone out the night before to a very exclusive nightclub, and had drunk a little too much. Now his cell phone was ringing, and that did not make his hangover any better. He flung his blankets off and reached over into his pant pockets. He grabbed his phone and checked the caller id. He recognized the number, and knew that he had to take the call.

"Hey… let that ring… Trunks," purred a soft female voice. A soft hand ran down his back.

Trunks whirled around and looked on the form of a naked woman. He couldn't exactly remember her name. Charlene? Charlotte? Carrie? Christine? He didn't know and didn't care.

"Get out," he said harshly.

"What?" came the response.

"I said get out. Do it now."

"But… what do you mean get out? I spen-"

"Are you fucking deaf? I said get the fuck out." His eyes lit up with anger and the woman wasn't stupid. Furious, but not stupid. She quickly grabbed her clothes and without even getting completely dressed she ran out of the room.

Trunks ran his hand through his black hair. He had missed the call because of her, and that would not look good. "Stupid bitch," he said irritably to himself.

He went and brushed his teeth to get that foul morning taste out of his mouth. He quickly ordered breakfast as well, and then grabbed his phone. He then dialed the number that had called earlier.

"Good morning," said an elderly masculine voice.

"Prime Minister Whittlesby, this is Trunks Briefs. I apologize for missing your call, I was rudely interrupted from answering the phone."

"That's quite alright Mr. Briefs," said the Prime Minister. He did not elaborate any further.

"Uhh…" said Trunks. "What do you need, sir?"

"You did an excellent job of providing transportation, Mr. Briefs. Our allies are on their way as we speak. What I need you to do is to get all the Son family together in one place in two days time. Can you do this?" asked the Prime Minister.

"Not a problem. I'll invite them all over for a little party. I'm sure they will agree."

"Very good, Mr. Briefs. I'll see to it that you are rewarded properly. Good Day."

Trunks smiled to himself when he heard the phone click. It would be a piece of cake to get the Sons to Capsule Corps. He'd either ask his mother or Marron to send out invitations for a small pre-wedding party or something on that order.

Same morning… Same hotel even…

Trunks hopped out of the shower when he heard his communicator beep. One of the officers on the ship he had been treated at for malnutrition had given him the device on the orders of some higher ups. Trunks quickly wrapped a towel around his waist and moved with super speed to where he had left the device.

"Hello?" he said into the device as he activated it.

"Hey Trunks, its Pan," said the voice from the other side. She sounded tired, and a bit nervous.

"Good morning there… How'd everything go last night?" he asked. By the sound of her voice things may not have gone so well.

"I'll tell you at breakfast… thirty minutes?"

"Hmm… Yeah I can make it in thirty minutes. Where do you want to meet?"

"Where are you staying?" she asked.

"At the Crown Royal," he answered.

"Wow… blowing some of that gem money I see. Well there is that nice buffet in the hotel, but I'd rather go someplace else. How about I just meet you there in thirty and I'll take us to a more secluded place. You CAN fly right?"

"Yes, I can. A secluded place, Panny? You have any plans?" he said teasingly. There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment.

"We have to talk about that, Trunks. Meet me in thirty ok?" she said in a serious note.

"Uh… Ok Pan. I'll see you in thirty," he replied before hanging up. He didn't like the ominous sounding tone in her voice. He didn't have time to fret about it though. There were a few errands he had to run quickly. He quickly got dressed and left the room.

Two minutes later he entered the hotel buffet and began chowing down. Food from the hotel began disappearing left and right. Every egg benedict, omelet, pancake, French toast, and bagel went to gorge Trunks' monstrous appetite. Twenty minutes later he paid the fifteen-zeni bill, but he left an enormous five hundred-credit tip. Imperial credits were worth about ten Zeni apiece, so there was one happy waiter.

Trunks stepped out into the lobby and quickly got into the reception line. He had a few minutes before Pan would get there, and he could keep an eye out for her from where he was anyway. Just before it was his turn, a man his height cut in front of him and went straight up to the counter. Trunks was not about to put up with that. He was in a hurry, not to mention the fact that no one cut in front of Trunks Vegeta Briefs. There were certain things that were definitely genetic. Trunks walked up to the counter and smiled at the receptionist. It was a devastating smile.

"Ma'am, I think I was next… I'm in a hurry so could you please extend my room for one more week. It's Suite 2506," he said very politely, but at the same time with a strong emphasis that there would be consequences.

The poor receptionist gulped. She knew who the man who had cut in front was, but the other man was definitely in the right. She was in a bit of a quandary.

"Say… look here, kid," said Trunks Yamcha Briefs to the upstart purple haired kid that dared question his actions. "Do you know who I am?"

"I don't care who you are… Take your place at the back of the line," snapped Vegeta Briefs. He didn't want a scene or a confrontation, but he wasn't going to back down from some egotistical idiot.

"Wha? How dare… you speak to me like that?" sputtered Yamcha Briefs. "I'll have you arrested."

Trunks didn't say a word. He just grabbed his alternative counterpart and picked him up. Walking to the back of the line he dropped him there.

"Stay there," he growled menacingly. It wasn't T.Y. Briefs' style to fight people straight on. He simply glared at T.V. Briefs. If looks could kill then T.V. Briefs would have been one dead man. After an appropriate time of glaring, Yamcha Briefs finally whirled and stalked out.

Mirai no Trunks didn't even notice that his counterpart left. He simply went back to the counter and secured his room. Afterwards he waited for Pan to show up.

Pan didn't arrive until about twenty minutes later. She scanned the room for Trunks' ki and found him within seconds of her arrival.

"Hey there. Sorry I'm late but I ran into an old friend on my way in. I promised him we'd catch up later since I was in a hurry," she explained. Pan didn't want to mention who it was mainly because she didn't want to explain that she had once had a crush on the man. She was over that, and some things were unnecessary to mention.

"No problem. So… where are we going to eat?"

"Since you took me to that splendid restaurant on the liner, I'm going to take you to someplace equally nice. There's this beautiful place on the continent, Chateau Bordeux. I got us some reservations for 10:00 there. How fast can you fly?" she asked.

"Oh… I can keep up with you. Don't worry about it," he said cryptically.

"We'll see," she smirked. He was so damn cocky sometimes. She was going to have to leave him behind just to make him pay for his comment. "Ok, let's go."

The two of them walked outside of the hotel, and then walked out back. Pan powered up and blasted off into the air. Trunks followed suit.

The restaurant was almost a thousand miles away, and they had to make it in an hour. That meant that they had to fly 16.7 miles a minute or well over the speed of sound. Pan could easily accomplish that; in fact she could make it in less than a quarter of the time. She knew that Trunks could fly, and she knew that Buu had estimated his power at 20,000. This was a substantial amount, and she figured that he was probably twice, maybe three times as fast as her mother. An hour would be plenty of time so long as he had the endurance. Pan grinned to herself as she looked over her shoulder to see that he was right behind her. She decided that it was time to see if he could back up his words. With a powerful surge of ki, she blasted ahead.

Trunks knew that Pan was testing him. She had agreed that she wouldn't grill him about his past until they had found his mother. That didn't mean that she wasn't trying to find out things about him. He enjoyed the game though. It showed the subtlety of her mind and made her all the more attractive to him. He smirked to himself. She's powerful… but unless she goes Super, if she CAN go Super, there is no way she can leave me behind. He, too, summoned more ki and blasted ahead to stay right behind her.

Twenty-two minutes later they set down in a small exclusive town on the continent. Pan had put a lot of ki into her speed. She was even breathing deeply from the exertion. When Trunks landed, she frowned. The man isn't even winded, she thought to herself. "Trunks… how are you NOT be tired at all? There is no way any human can keep up with me. Well Krillan and the Androids could but that didn't need to be mentioned at the moment."

"First time for everything right?" he said nonchalantly with a smile.

Pan looked him in the eye with a seriousness that he hadn't seen before. "That's part of what I wanted to talk to you about today. Lets see if we can get a table early."

Meanwhile…

"Woman," said Vegeta gruffly. "Come here."

"What is it, Vegeta?" asked Bulma as she sidled up next to him in the control room.

"We just come out at the edge of the Sol system right behind Neptune. Kakkarot's brat has the system picketed to hell and back. We need to make it to Chikyuu without detection. Can you do this?"

"I don't know, Vegeta," said Bulma as she looked at the screen. There were hundreds of little blue dots that symbolized where various ships of Sixth fleet were. "Are you sure they don't know we are here already?"

"If they did they'd be hunting us down already."

"Vegeta, why do we need to hide?" asked Bulma. From what she was able to garner from Vegeta, she knew that he actually cared a bit about this Goten. She didn't understand why he was determined to get unnoticed into Chikyuu.

"I need to be certain of his loyalties," he said unconvincinly. He then relented and told the truth. "I need this collar off first. I refuse to meet Kakkarot with this infernal device on. I plan to crush him like the third-class he is."

Bulma just shook her head. "It's been thirty years for you. You are an Emperor, and have a bazillion other problems… and you still want to beat Goku?"

"Yes."

"You are one complicated bastard you know that?" she said in bewilderment.

"You wouldn't have it any other way." Vegeta moved closer to her as he said this. He slowly came up behind her and nuzzled her neck.

Bulma let a contented sigh. When she realized that she had a ton of work to do she stiffened. "Out!"

"What Woman?"

"If you want me to do this, there is no way I can do this with you in here doing this. We'll… We'll end up doing that OTHER thing."

"Hmmph… we can have some play prior," started Vegeta.

"No. I need to be at my best. Go cook me something or keep yourself busy somehow. I need a few hours to plot this course," said Bulma firmly.

"Am I a servant to be dismissed as such?" said Vegeta darkly.

"Yes… but I'm sure this servant will very much enjoy his rewards for a good cooked meal. I'm sure I'll be very grateful," said Bulma in an offhanded manner. She was almost not paying any attention to him. Already, she had brought up the orbits and positions of all Goten's ships and running complex algorithms to see if there was anyway that she could slip through.

Vegeta didn't say anything. However, he didn't leave. Rather he studied her carefully as she worked. Her concentration was intense; it was as if he didn't exist. She was wrong about her not being able to concentrate if he was here. She was doing it just fine. In fact, she reminded him of himself whenever he trained. After watching her for another ten minutes, he turned around and left.

A few hours later, Bulma was snapped out of her concentration by a smack on the head.

"Ow, what the hell are you doing?" she said with a scowl on her face.

"You were not paying attention to me, Woman. I expect you to answer me when I speak," said Vegeta as he placed a dish in front of her. The aroma was intoxicating.

"My god, this smells wonderful," she said as she took a bite. He was forgiven the instant the rich tangy taste hit her tongue. "mmm… this is heavenly. You are a man of many talents, Vegeta…"

"I am the Emperor. I do everything well."

"From the Prince of all Saiyans, to the Emperor," laughed Bulma. "You still say it with the exact same tone. Some things just don't change."

"hmmmph… How have your calculations come along, woman?" asked Vegeta.

"Good… I just have to figure out how to get through the last batch he has around Chikyuu… Another twenty minutes or so," she said while taking another bite. She was famished. She hadn't eaten since early that morning and in her single-minded determination to complete her task, she had totally not paid any attention to her bodies need.

"When can we expect to arrive on Chikyuu?"

"Tomorrow afternoon at latest," replied Bulma. "I need to do something before we go to Capsule Corporation though. I need to drop a letter off for the Guardsman that died saving your life."

Bulma didn't see Vegeta wince; she felt it. It was a strange feeling, and she didn't know where it came from. It was as if she could somehow see his emotions even if they didn't show outwardly.

"Fine. Afterwards you will get this collar off of me," he stated.

"If I can Vegeta… If I can."

Elsewhere on Chikyuu…

"This is very nice," said Trunks as he looked around the small but exquisite restaurant. The establishment that they were in was decorated in a very colonial manner. "So what's the big event?"

"No event," she replied casually as she sat down in front of him. She had brought him out to this restaurant for privacy as well. This was a place where many high-ranking officials and businessmen met and part of the restaurants service was privacy. She pressed a button that would signal to the staff that they wanted service. "I just wanted to take you out for the day. Maybe spend some time together, just the two of us."

"I think I'd like that," he replied. "So what do you have planned?"

"Nothing much… just this breakfast. Maybe a hike through the woods and then we'll see. I just wanted to talk to you about some things," she said a bit warily. She had promised to bring him to her father and uncle. They were going to meet them for a late lunch at one of her father's regular haunts. Anyway, she had decided it was time to tell him about her heritage. There was no point in taking the step of introducing him to her family if he was going to bolt the moment he found out she was a quarter alien.

Before she could start, a sharply dressed waiter came over and asked if they were ready to order. Pan quickly ordered for the two of them and shooed him off.

"Pan… you seem to be a little tense. Are you ok?" asked Trunks with concern in his voice. He was a bit worried, as well, about this talk she wanted to have.

"Trunks…" Pan began slowly. "There are a few things I need to tell you about me. I'm not what you think I am. I'm not even completely human."

She took a breath and glanced at his face. Seeing his shocked expression, her face fell sadly. She was madly in love with Trunks. She had no idea what caused it, but every fiber of her being was screaming for him. Yet, the look on his face was like the shock of so many of her boyfriends in the past when they had witnessed her super human strength. Fear of rejection shot up into her eyes, and her normally well-schooled composure faltered.

She didn't know Trunks' surprise was not due to her revelation of not being human. He already knew that and since he wasn't exactly pureblooded human either, it didn't bother him at all. What took him by surprise was the fact that Pan had revealed this to him. His own Saiyan nature was a closely guarded secret. He knew that in his dimension and in the other dimension that both his family and the Son's kept their heritage to themselves. Surely it was the same here. Pan telling him their most secret of secrets meant that she must have deeper feelings for him then he ever imagined. He was inwardly reveling in the fact. However, he kept that from showing on his face.

Trunks felt or perhaps smelled her fear. He didn't know why she was so afraid that he wouldn't understand. Perhaps it was something in her past. He quickly tried to reassure her that he didn't care if she wasn't wholly human. "Pan… I'm sorry. I wasn't shocked because you aren't completely human. I was shocked because you would confide such a thing in me. I already know you are part Saiyan," he said reassuringly.

Her reaction wasn't quite what he expected. He had thought that his words would bring her some comfort and that she could go on with what she had to say; that they would help her collect herself. In a way they did, just in not in the manner that Trunks expected. Her eyes widened for a second, then narrowed. They went from soft and vulnerable to hard and threatening in less than a second. Her entire manner changed completely. One moment Trunks felt comfortable around her, and the next he felt his skin crawling. He had been in enough battles to know that it was his instincts warning him of a dangerous threat nearby.

"How do you know I'm a Saiyan?" she asked quietly. What the hell! How does he know so much about me already? It's as if he knows all my family secrets. She had been feeling vulnerable before and now she had flipped right back to being shocked and suspicious. Trunks just wouldn't let her pin him down, there was this mystery around him and he just seemed to know much more than he should. It was infuriating.

Ooops, thought Trunks. She hadn't confided that particular little fact to him yet, and he knew that the exact race that his and Goku's family belonged to. "Well, I've seen a video clip of your uncle and he has a brown furry tail wrapped around his waist—Saiyan's have tails like that. So I guessed," he lied. He glanced down at the table so she couldn't look him in the eyes.

"You didn't guess, Trunks. You knew. I know you well enough to know that you already knew. You aren't a good liar, you might be passable at hiding the truth but you aren't a good liar."

"Pan… I will," Trunks tried to explain before he was cut off.

"Tell me when we find your mother? Trunks you will tell me this now… this isn't between you and I… This is something people are terminated for. I want to know how you know I am a Saiyan. Tell me."

"Why is it such a big deal that I know? It's not like no one knows about Saiyans," said Trunks exasperated. "Explain this stuff to me and I'll tell you what I can."

"Why can't you tell me about you?" she countered heatedly. "What's so important about you and your mother that you can't tell disclose this oh so secret information to me?"

"Pan, I want to and I would if it was just about me. But just like you said, the truth about me affects more than just me. It affects my mother, and probably would affect your whole universe."

"You can't confide in me?" she asked bitterly.

"I know you too, Son Pan. If I told you something that might harm your family and the Imperium, would you keep it to yourself? Would you—just for the sake of the trust of some guy—endanger them? Of course you wouldn't, and if you would then you aren't the person I thought you were," he explained. His words were heated and said with a conviction that she hadn't heard before. "You must think I like trying to poison my relationship with the woman I'm falling in love with." Oops again. He had not meant to say the L word.

Silence. Pan had heard his admission and a surge of triumph flittered through her as she knew that her feelings for him were returned. But he was right; these secrets would poison their relationship.

"So how are we going to make this work, because damn you Trunks, I think I'm already in love with you."

Silence again. This time it was Trunks that felt light headed. He had to make this work. "Ok, how about we compromise then. Answer me why me knowing that you are a Saiyan is such a big deal and I'll tell you everything I know about Saiyans and how."

"For you to know that we are Saiyans means that you have done some serious checking up on our backgrounds. This means that you have to have some connections… not just some random Chikyuu-jin that I just happened to meet at a bar," answered Pan.

"But, your uncle has a tail… I mean that's a dead give away that he's a Saiyan," boggled Trunks.

"Five out of six species have tails, Trunks… some even have furry ones as well."

Pan looked at Trunks for a moment. His knowledge was absolutely bizarre. He seemed to know some of her family's most hidden secrets, but at the same time he didn't seem to know anything about the greater universe. Was he just absolutely naïve? Or was he very clever? She had to go with naïve.

"Trunks, barely anyone out there even remembers that Saiyans exist, most of them that did were wiped out in the thirty years of war that followed after Freeza died," she said slowly settling down. "Ok, lets figure this thing out. Tell me what you know about Saiyans and how you know about them."

"My father knew quite a bit about them," he answered truthfully. "He told me that they were one of the greatest warrior races out there. How can such a race be unknown and even if they were wiped out how can they be forgotten, Pan?"

Pan blinked her eyes. He truly believes that, she thought to herself. "Trunks… I hate to tell you this, but your father must have been delusional."

"What?" Trunks gasped in disbelief.

"Trunks… the Saiyans were third rate nobodies. The only time they were worth a damn was when they went Oozaru. You know what Oozaru is?"

Trunks just nodded. "Yeah that's when they change into giant apes. It increases their power by approximately 10 times."

"Yes, exactly. Your father told you all this?" asked Pan again.

"Yes. Now… can you explain what you mean that they were third-rate nobodies? If I'm going to be told my father was wrong then I want to know the truth."

"Ok… Let me see how to explain this. Since you know so much about Saiyans and you are from Chikyuu then I assume you know mostly about Chikyuu's relationship with Saiyans right? You know that the alien invaders that first visited Chikyuu like forty or fifty years ago were Saiyans right?"

"Yes. Nappa, and m… er Vegeta," supplied Trunks.

"I am definitely going to want to know how you know that."

"My mother told me," he said with a disarming smile.

"Hmmph. Anyway, Nappa was a Saiyan elite with a power level of about 4,000. Vegeta was the most powerful Saiyan of his generation. He was their Prince and he only had a power level of like 18,000. His special attacks were a bit more powerful, but still overall he was very weak compared to the vast majority of fighters out there. At this moment right now, I know there are over fifty thousand fighters out there with power levels of twenty thousand and higher. So… when the very best Saiyan only breaks out at below average it tells you something. Hell, you have a higher power level."

"Pan. Didn't the Saiyans travel in space and do purges? Weren't they feared?"

"Not particularly. Perhaps in the dim reaches of antiquity. There are the legends of the Super Saiyans and their rampage across the galaxy. However, in the last two hundred years or so there are almost no records of Saiyan travel. The only records are during Freeza's time. From what I know, Saiyans weren't even traveling in space until they defeated their planetary rivals the tsufuru-jin and that was less than a century ago. Trunks, there are thousands of alien species out there who have traveled the stars for far longer. The Saiyans are just a minor blip in history."

Trunks sat quietly. He had always thought that Saiyans were an incredible warrior race that was feared throughout the universe. It seemed that in this dimension he was wrong. As he mulled over what Pan said the waiter brought over their food. He used this as an excuse to stay quiet for a little bit longer.

"Pan… why did Freeza exterminate the Saiyans then?" he asked as he finally began to dig into his food.

Pan was thoughtful for a minute. "He used them to purge planets in their locality. When things began to get slightly out of hand he got rid of them."

"I see… It wasn't because he was afraid of them? I thought he got rid of them because he feared one day that they would be able to challenge him."

"Trunks… Again, the most powerful Saiyan in a thousand years was Vegeta. He had a power level of 18,000 versus Freeza's estimated level of twelve million. I hardly think that Freeza was afraid."

"A Saiyan killed Freeza in the end though, Pan. It seemed like his fears were justified."

"Look, I guess it's possible that the old lizard killed us off because of our potential. Most species produce only a few great ki-fighters, but most of them were really strong, like Ginyu at 100,000, Zarbon at 50,000 or even Krillan who's pushing a million. There are a lot of them but not one single race was producing ki fighters like the Saiyans and if we went Oozaru, then half our planetary population were a match for the most powerful of all the races out there. I mean Nappa as an Oozaru was more powerful than Zarbon. Enough ants can bring down a panther so I think Freiza might have been getting worried about that."

"Trunks… do you know what a Tokage-jin is?"

"Uhh… No," he answered. "Why do you ask?"

Pan ignored his question. "How about the Rongy Alak?"

"Never heard of them."

"Aldersin-jin? Huan-jin? Mailloche-jin? The Sobaki?"

"Never heard of any of them. Why?"

"Trunks. Those were some of the major players in the Union wars and some of the most populous peoples in the Imperium today. How can you know about Saiyans and not about them?" Pan was baffled. Trunks seemed to know an enormous amount about Saiyans and things that seemed to pertain to her and her family. Yet, he knew nothing about the universe in general. It made him a complete enigma.

"I know a lot because my mother's family had a lot of dealings with them." Seeing the look of suspicion cross Pan's face again, Trunks quickly tried to change the subject. "Pan… please. If I tell you now you won't believe it."

"Try me, Trunks."

"I'm from another dimension," said Trunks flatly and with all sincerity.

Pan blinked with disbelief. She didn't really know what to say. He was right; she didn't believe him. She could tell he was sincere or trying to be, but the thought was completely outrageous.

"See? I told you, you wouldn't believe me."

"Trunks… I…"

"You don't believe me… don't try to convince yourself of anything else. I'm not offended at all Pan. I wouldn't believe me either. That's why I keep telling you to meet my mother. Once you see her it'll all come into place."

"Who's your mother?"

"Bulma Briefs."

"WHAT?" sputtered Pan. Every face in the restaurant turned in their direction. Pan looked around embarrassed and then quietly said, "What do you mean your mother is Bulma Briefs? That is utterly impossible."

Trunks just smiled. "I promise you everything will become clearer as soon as we find her."

"Trunks. How can Bulma Briefs be on my ship, and at Capsule Corporation at the same time?" asked Pan as she tossed a credit chip on the table. She slowly got up and hurried Trunks out the door. She floated up in the air, and waited for him to join her.

"Pan. When we find my mother I will tell you everything. Do you want me to sign this in blood?"

"No that's ok… Anyway your mother will be here soon. I can wait."

"What do you mean my mother will be here soon? How do you know that, Pan?"

"Didn't I tell you that Buu can find my ship anywhere? I talked to him a few days ago and he told me that the ship was headed here. She'll be here any day now."

Trunks just looked at her for a second. The next, Pan found him pressed up against her and planting a full kiss on her lips.

"That is great news, Pan! I can't tell you how much I've been worried."

"Well Trunks, I've got some other news. I was going to tell you at breakfast but we got side tracked," she said breathlessly. Did he just kiss me again? Ohhhh… I think he did. "We have to meet my father for lunch today. He wants to meet you."

Trunks' celebration broke off in mid swing. "What? We have to meet Gohan?" he asked with more than a little trepidation.

"Yeah… I promised him that he gets to meet you. I figured we might as well get it out of the way."

Trunks gulped and then got a hold of himself. Why should I be afraid? Gohan was a great kid, and he was a great Sensei, he thought to himself. However, another voice sounded in his head. A more practical, more evil voice. That's because you weren't trying to ball his daughter. Trunks shook the thought off. He had been the most honorable gentleman, just as his mother had taught him. He was sure things would be ok… well he hoped.