Chapter 3: Homecoming

Crash!! "Look what you did, Goten!" Bura yelled, waking Pan and Trunks. Pan smiled and rolled over.

"I didn't do anything!" the other demi-saiyajin yelled back. "I was across the room!"

"Oh, so I'm lying?" She returned, tail lashing violently.

"Hai," Goten replied, just as angrily. Of course, he had no tail to lash about, but he was obviously angry.

"Good morning," Pan said, allowing him a light kiss before she got up. He merely grunted in reply as he, too, got up. I hope he doesn't keep up the ice cube act. Pan thought worriedly, glancing at him as he left for his morning workout. She took a quick shower and changed into the suit of saiyajin armor Bura had given her. Frowning, she noticed that it had a place for a tail.

"Bura?" she called, walking out of her room. She found the princess in her own room. "Bura, we don't have tails. Is that going to cause any problems for us on Vejitasei?" The blue haired woman frowned.

"I forgot about that. At first, yes," Bura replied. "But the good thing about regeneration tanks is that it replaces a saiyajin's tail if he loses it. So the first time you have to use a regeneration tank, you'll get your tail back.

"Really?" Pan asked. "Does- "

"Atmospheric contact in five minutes!" Trunks called down the hall. Pan jumped up and zoomed out of the room, determined to see Vejitasei from space. Bura followed more slowly, as the sight was nothing new to her.

Landing went well, and the royal siblings led the three demi-saiyajins and Videl into the palace as medics came to move Parse to a regeneration tank to finish his recovery. They were announced at the door as the Earthborn saiyajins, the prince, and the princess. Pan's first impression of the queen was that she was beautiful and in charge. Vejita struck her as hard and cold. So that's where Trunks gets it She thought with a smirk.

"Names." the king said curtly, looking over the three saiyajins. Their power levels were completely unimpressive; he didn't see how these three had been able to kill two of his elites and disable the other. The younger man stepped forward.

"My name is Son Goten. This is my brother Son Gohan, his mate, Videl, and their daughter, Son Pan." He gestured to each person as he said their name, the king jerked his head in acknowledgement. "My father was Son Goku, better known here as Kakarotto."

"Kakarotto?" Vejita said, trying to recollect the name. "Ah, yes, Bardock's youngest. Third class if I remember correctly. I assume you three" he completely disregarded the human. "are also third class by your power levels."

"Sir." Trunks interrupted politely. "None of these three are third class. I propose you put them to the test to best estimate their abilities. My personal estimation is that all three saiyajins are elite class, while his mate is third class."

"Well," his father said, sounding amused. Videl looked sick at the thought of joining the saiyajin army. Bura hadn't included army life in her training, only housekeeping and the like. "You think his mate can make third class? And the girl elite? Very well, they may take the test tomorrow. Who would you have them fight?"

"Well," Trunks said uncertainly. He moved closer to the platform so that only his parents could hear. "I think they should fight you, king." The king arched an eyebrow, but nodded after a moment of silence. "Privately, of course."

"Tonight, then," his mother said, joining in for the first time. "You should challenge Son Pan and Son Goten before supper, and fight Gohan after supper. We can find a second class warrior to fight Videl at the same time."

"Good idea, mother," Trunks said absently. He smiled. "You heard, Pan, Goten? Before supper. I'll show you all your temporary rooms and then you can fight the king." Pan turned pale on hearing that she had to fight King Vejita, Trunks's father. Sure, she could beat Trunks, but his father was probably -no, she felt, he was- more powerful and more experienced than her Trunks.

"Very well." the king said. "dismissed." Trunks and Bura bowed, and the demi-saiyajins hastened to imitate them before leaving.

Thirty minutes later, the king fought Pan. Vejita had found it necessary to go super saiyajin very early into the battle, as he realized that Pan was quite strong.

Pan was struggling with the decision to go super or not. Her father had advised not to, but her uncle had said she should. "After all," he had argued, "You're going to be fighting for him, not against him He might as well know our abilities." Gohan had finally talked him out of transforming if they did not.

On seeing the king go super, Pan decided her uncle was right. If he could, then he wouldn't mind his elite fighters being able to as well. She quickly transformed, and the king stopped his attack mid-charge, staring at her in amazement.

"You," he said darkly. "Are a super saiyajin." It was not a question, just a statement, but Pan could feel the disbelief he had.

"Yes Sir," Pan said. Suddenly, a question struck her. "Are there any other Super saiyajins on Vejitasei? Is that what separates elite and first class?" He merely smirked at her question.

"Of course not," he said condescendingly. She rolled her eyes. Can't be too condescending of someone as strong as you. "Myself and the prince are the only two." He frowned. "And now you, a woman."

"And my uncle and father, though my father hasn't trained in years" Pan added absentmindedly. She wondered if he could go beyond super, to the second level. Suddenly she absorbed what he had said.

"Trunks can go super?" She asked, stunned. She continued on angrily, "Why didn't he transform when we fought on the ship? Our mini-tournament would have been MUCH more exciting." She glared at the saiyajin in question, who was standing on the sideline with his mother and sister. Sister and brother were laughing at her mock outrage. Her glare turned into a small smile.

"Well," the king said with a frown. "I suppose this test is unnecessary. For all three of you. Tomorrow you will join the other elite fighters housed in the palace. I will place you" he pointed to Goten "as the Prince's second guard. You," now he pointed at Pan "will guard the Princess. The other one will continue to train with the other elites until he is used to a warrior's life again. His mate may join him there." He had stopped there, but his mate cleared her throat and pointed at her watch.

"You are all invited to join a banquet the queen is throwing in honor of our children's return from a successful mission," he said. It sounded as if Bulma had made him memorize his little speech. "In an hour."

"We will gladly accept," Goten said, addressing the king, but making a small bow to Bulma, the obvious source of their invitation. "May we be excused to get ready?" Vejita dismissed them.

"Dress as warriors," was his parting comment as he used his Instant Transmission. The others left, Pan with Bura, Goten with Trunks, and Gohan and Videl with a guard.

Trunks and Bura led the new elites to the uniform room, where a male saiyajin greeted them.

"What can I do for you, prince, princess?" He said with a bow. Pan and Goten both stifled laughter at his rather feminine way of speaking.

"These two are newly commissioned elites, Meil," The prince stated, gesturing to the Sons. "They need armor, and they need the first set for the banquet in an hour."

"Oh my!" he said. "Just let me get their measurements...you first, miss. Uh-huh...36, good sized bust for a fighter...25" the man continued, writing down their measurements, keeping a running commentary the whole time. An assistant came up to Bura.

"An specifics, princess?" She asked politely, a personal computer in hand.

"Well, two standard issue each," Bura said, thinking of what they should have already as well as what they would need. "One formal each, his with Trunks's sigil and hers with mine, they're our personal guards." the woman wrote it down, making sure to check with the computer on what specifics that meant. "Two, no, three sets of training gear each," Bura continued. "And that should be it, Vinea. By the way, is your sister still open?" Vinea's sister, Graea, ran the closest civilian clothing store Bura could think of.

"Yes, princess," Vinea replied. "Shall I tell her to expect you tomorrow?"

"No," Bura replied. "Just ask her to send us a few outfits that fit their measurements. One nice, formal outfit, and a few casual ones. No skirts for her though, remember, she has to maintain a warrior's image."

"Thank Kami," Pan said as she threw Bura a relieved look for that last comment. "and you too, Bura-hime."

"All done, just come back her about fifteen minutes before the banquet. You can put them on here and I'll have your things sent back to your quarters," Meil said, snapping the measuring tape back into a roll. As they left, he turned to his assistant. "This banquet is just formal enough to need their colored uniforms. We'll need the cloth for his in 10822 and 74490. Trim the 74490 with the 10822, and put Prince Trunks's sigil on the upper-left breast plate of a size-fourteen 004 chest armor. I'll get-"

Bura rushed Pan back to her quarters, had her hair washed, dried, and styled. Pan refused to have it done in anything more complicated that a low bun, which looked decent, except that her hair was too short for two locks of hair to reach, causing them to frame her face. She also refused to put in hairspray, to which Bura only conceded after a long argument. They made their way back to Meil exactly fifteen minutes before, just as her uncle and parents did.

The elite warriors were all in normal clothes, as they had to change, but Videl was in a short black halter dress and thin 2 inch heels. The saiyajins changed clothes, the only difference between their uniforms being the design on the breastplate. Goten's had a reddish-purple ki-blast, Pan's had a lavender lily lined in gold, and Gohan's had a black symbol lined in gold which Trunks told them was the saiyajin word for elite. Pan took a deep breath before walking into her first social function on her saiyajin home world.