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Chapter 2- Erudition
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Pan stepped around the room. It was big. It was very decorated. It was... nice... She scanned each and every detail she could of the room. She looked for any devices that could spy on her. She lost track of the number of devices, which she found in the South Quadrant. Nothing seemed too big of a threat to her now. Pan figured a way to get out of every situation. Her lies and deception were nothing new, and she used them on Trunks.
She couldn't help but feel that he had more trust in her than she did. She never trusted anyone.
There seemed to be no spy devices lying around. She smirked. He had more trust in her than she thought... or was he that stupid to underestimate women?
"I like this room," commented Pan as she gently smiled to Trunks. She knew he was watching her every move, and she counted on him to do just that. She folded her hands before her and let her eyes roam around the room once more, this time to soak in the beauty of the area.
Trunks did watch her every move. He analyzed each movement she made, and he could tell something was a bit off with her. Her smile was just too sweet, and her 'innocents' was just too much. The saiyan prince couldn't help but push that information to the back of his head. He wanted to use that for later... possibly when he felt like looking into her background more.
It was true. He found out that she lived in the South Quadrant. He was there with Gohan a few times when they went searching for his missing daughter; he did spot Kooler a few times... but every time he went to investigate the ice-jin seemed to have vanished. Gohan had the same luck as Trunks did.
"You must be of high authority to have a nice apartment as this," stated Pan from the other side of the room. He noticed her sitting on the king size bed and feeling the comforter on top.
Trunks rubbed the back of his head, "I guess you can say I'm somewhere in that area... I do work under the emperor."
She nodded in response, "Who doesn't? He's the ruler of the universe. He's probably some ugly, perverted, old geezer."
She never saw the emperor with her eyes... she only relied on information that her father gave her.
Trunks stared at the female for a moment. "Are you asking for a death wish, Pan?"
She stood up once more. Her heals clicked on the tiles and she placed a finger on his cheek lightly sliding it over his skin. "You must realize, Trunks, that I live in the face of death every day in the South." She brought her hand down and looked to a photo sitting on the top of a dresser. "You have to be tough to live there... you cannot be some sissy."
Trunks nodded as he turned himself to watch her. "Indeed. I have been down there a few times with his highness."
Tearing her eyes away from the photo, which had a group of ten different people, she looked back to Trunks raising an eyebrow. "Is that so?" She put her innocent act back into play as her eyes curved up and her lips turned into a bright smile. "That's so neat!" She looked back to the picture and she grabbed the framed photo. "Could you tell me why there's only one girl in this picture among all these guys? Oh... and two babies?"
Trunks looked to the picture and smiled lightly. That was his sister, Bra. She had lavender locks of hair and was a split image of her mother. And the two babes, they were already a few years old. It was a photo Videl took of all the existing people of saiyan blood.
Pointing the back row starting with the top left Trunks began, "That's Nappa...He's carrying his son, Bankotsu, and the next is Raditz," the saiyan hybrid pointed to the man in orange training armor also carrying an infant, "And he's carrying his daughter Nigirimeshi. Both kids are around the same age... I think they are only a few months apart, but they live on earth with their mothers. They're both working towards getting an education." Trunks pointed to the last two saiyans on the row, "And that's Goku, also known as Kakarot; his son is standing beside him. That's Gohan, his oldest son."
Pan glanced over to the picture of the emperor. She couldn't help but feel that she had seen him before... but where? She mentally shook her head. It wasn't important.
"What about the row below them?" she questioned.
Trunks smiled as he started with the young adult on the far left, but a row lower, "That's my friend, Goten; he's the younger brother of Gohan and the youngest son of Goku. The one next to him... is I... with shorter hair..." His hair was cut in the bowl style in the picture.
She couldn't help but mentally drool. He was a cutie... She couldn't help but smirk... he still was. "What about that next guy?" she questioned softly.
Trunks looked down and he smiled. "That's my father."
Her eyebrow rose, "He has tall hair..."
Trunks laughed as he looked back down to his father. Her comment was stating the truth. One could only guess how long his hair truly was...
"Now, the one beside him is my sister, Bra."
Pan squinted her eyes as she looked to the picture of Trunks and Vegeta before looking back to her. The female shook her head, "There's no resemblance... except for you. You both have the same color hair."
Trunks chuckled as he set the picture back down in its original place. "You should look at our mother. If my mother was a few years younger, than you wouldn't be able to tell the difference."
"They look that much alike?" questioned Pan as she smirked.
Trunks nodded as he stretched his arms. "Yep. It's almost scary." A beeping went off and Pan lightly jolted before she glanced around the room in a paranoid like manner. Were they after her? Where did that noise come from?
Trunks paused for a moment as he watched Pan's actions. Why was she so... fearful? He lightly grabbed her shoulder causing her to jolt in fear before her eyes locked onto his. Pan frowned. "Why did you do that?"
"Are... you alright, Pan? Is there something wrong?" He was becoming very concerned for her.
She licked her lips, "What... was that noise I just heard?"
Trunks lightly chuckled as he held up his wrist; there seemed to be some type of device. "It's my timer on this watch. I should be going to meet my father right about now; he gets very impatient if I'm late."
Pan placed a hand on his muscular arm... and for the first time, the two felt some type of electricity shoot thru their arms, fingers, and thru the rest of their body. Pan immediately brought her hand back and touched it gently before she looked into the saiyan's eyes. "Do you know where the training faculty is?" She noticed Trunks eye her strangely, "Um... I need to exercise some. My muscles need to stretch some from being cooped in a small ship."
That seemed to avoid much questioning as Trunks nodded his head. "Sure. It's on my way to my father's meeting place."
Pan smiled brightly. For the first time on this ship, her smile was genuine.
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Balling his fits, Gohan shouted loudly as he powered up. The rush of energy was coming quickly. It flowed in every vein, every muscle, and every cell screaming to release the hidden power of the legendary.
The familiar flow of golden energy began to spark and shine through every pore of his body and he lifted his bright teal eyes. It felt good to release this energy every once in a while. It was like a caged bird that yearned to stretch its wings and fly around feeling the freedom as it soared in the winds.
Yes, Gohan enjoyed the feeling of this power he first summoned 24 years before. He was only a child then. He had never experienced the pains and the horrors that lurked in the universe. But now... that he ruled it... he was the one that everyone feared. He was the one on top of the food chain. He just needed to hunt down one pest that lay in his way for complete contentment.
He needed to find Kooler.
"Wow..."
Gohan turned his head at hearing an alien voice. His teal eyes noticed the form of a girl, a girl much younger than he. Who was she? The emperor saw everyone in the universe, and he remembered faces very well. He usually visited different planets after about three years and would meet all the families who had new children in a specific area. He remembered all faces, even if he didn't know their name, but this girl... he never saw her in his life. She was well in her late teens, or early adulthood.
Her face was pale, as if she had never gone out into sunlight, her cheeks were a rosy pink, and her lips were a rich red. Her eyes... they...
Gohan gazed at them a few seconds more.
Her eyes seemed... familiar.
"That is an interesting technique," she commented as she walked further into the training room. Gohan looked back down to his hands. He could see the golden light that radiated off of his skin. Ah yes, he was still in Super.
The next question surprised him when she asked it, "Could you teach me that?"
He blinked, "W-what?"
She walked up to him, this time closer. He noticed her silky black locks of hair. If it were shorter, it would have been spikier. Her hair, at this moment, was tied into a knot. He looked down; her clothes were of the spandex training uniform.
Pan happened to notice the emperor's actions.
"It was the only thing I could find," she stated before Gohan could even ask his question, "I didn't want to ruin my normal set of clothing."
Gohan gave a slight nod as he lowered his power; his golden locks of hair turned back to black and his teal eyes became dark once more. He opened his eyes a bit more giving him the look of child innocence in his features.
"What do you mean by that?" questioned Gohan as he tilted his head slightly, "What I mean to ask is... why do you want me to teach you to transform?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "It looks cool for one." Gohan smiled gently; this transformation, which this girl thought as 'cool' could be proven deadly if provoked. "And two, I can sense much power in it."
"Well," started off Gohan as he rubbed the back of his head, "Not everyone can use this transformation. I don't think you could learn how to do this-"
He noticed the scowl written on her face as she crossed her arms in a threatening manner. Did she realize whom she was talking WITH? Gohan inwardly smirked. This would be very interesting... It seemed, to him, that she obviously didn't. He might have just been some random person from the military training.
But, being broken from his thoughts, Pan's scowl seemed to deepen. Gohan's chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. Her gaze looked almost like Videl's when she was angry!
His eyes opened, and he stared at the girl.
She looked exactly like an angry Videl.
This girl... couldn't possibly be the person the two boys explained to him a few moments before.
"What do you mean 'I cannot learn this technique'? I am very capable of training until I could get this transformation correct!" exclaimed Pan as she huffed. "What is it when men thinking women can't do everything they can?" she muttered off to the side.
A sweatdrop fell from the side of Gohan's head. "It's not that! It's just..."
She turned her gaze to him. Her eyes seemed to darken ever so slight.
"...Just you need to have it in your blood."
She raised an eyebrow, "In my what? If I have to inject something into my body to do that-"
Gohan shook his head, "Oh no! Nothing like that!" He shook his head, "You need to have saiyan blood for this transformation to be possible."
Her eyes turned from dark to confused in three seconds flat.
"You're kidding me," she replied as her face turned back to a scowl. "Well that's cheap." She paused for a moment looking to the ground.
Gohan took this time to look over her once more. This time, he searched for different things... he searched her body posture.
She was very insecure.
Her arms crossed in that manner easily showed that quality.
She was strong, as in muscular.
He noticed the thin lines indenting in her arms and her legs. She was obviously trained by a good warrior. Only the best of the best could train people to become the absolute strongest they could. Even though her muscles were very lean, almost no body fat, they were even with the others. Sure, there were some that seemed a bit more built, but that was needed to show that you were a warrior of patience, of self-control, and of power.
He noticed... a tail.
Were his eyes deceiving him?
She had a fuzzy brown tail wrapped around her waist!
Funny...
Only saiyans had the fuzzy, brown tail in the humanoid alien figures. Saiyans were the only species to have that quality. Gohan learned that two years after he was first 'crowned' the emperor. He learned about ALL the species of the universe down to the smallest parasite. It took the work of a true genius to learn all that.
But going back to the saiyan thing... it started to make sense. She did look familiar because she was of the same race as he, his father, his brother, his uncle, his cousin, his friends and comrades. That's what it was! That is... unless...
"Do you know of what species you are?" questioned Gohan as he sat on the ground. He began to stretch his legs.
She took that as a hint also, and began to stretch hers legs also. It seemed that he was willing to spar with her. That was the main reason why she came down here.
Pan bit her lip as she reached her arms to touch her toes. She easily grabbed them and brought the front part of her body down to stretch her back. Gohan clearly noticed that she was flexible.
Pan didn't think about the meaning behind that question. She didn't exactly think this guy was as oblivious as the other she met a while back. What was his name again...? Oh yeah, Trunks. Although this man before her seemed to be completely naïve to the universe and its surroundings, she felt the knowing. He seemed to be quite educated, and his words... she picked them to be very well thought out and spoken carefully.
There was just something about him...
She just shrugged. There was no harm in speaking the truth to this one human. Maybe she would not speak in lies... just this once.
"I don't know of my original family. I have no clue of what my species are."
Gohan turned his head up to her as he stretched his muscled arm. That brought up a red flag. "Is that so?" questioned the emperor calmly. It took years of practice to keep his emotions calm, years and years of practice. "Does that fact irk you?"
She brought one of her legs back behind her back, and leaned backwards. "At times. It doesn't matter."
"Why is that?" questioned Gohan smoothly.
Pan leaned forward and switched her legs to face opposite. "Because, father won't allow it."
That made Gohan pause for a moment. He brought his arm down and rolled his shoulders, "You're father? But I thought you just stated you didn't know of your family."
Pan inwardly frowned, 'He's sharp.' "Well... I call him my father because he has taken care of me all my life. He has taught me all I know and he has protected me thus far."
Gohan nodded as he rubbed his shoulders; it almost look like he was trying to move the joins into another place!
Gross.
"What about your original family? What happened to them?" questioned the emperor as sincerely as he could.
Pan shrugged her shoulders, "I've been told their rotting in hell. My father's informed me that they weren't good people, and he took me from them bringing me to safety after I was born."
... After you were born?
Holy... shit...
"Well," started Gohan as he stood back up again making sure his limbs were very loose. "It sounds like a very noble deed he has done." He noticed Pan nod her head, "Why don't you tell me his name? I can report it to his highness so he could send his gratitude to your 'father'. I am sure this deed shouldn't go with out reward." Gohan did his best to try and lace as much sincerity as possible to get this person to trust him. He also added his gentle smile as he cracked his knuckles. Almost an oxymoron it was to show 'toughness' while smiling brightly.
This universe was filled with baloney.
Pan took his words as sincere. She obviously didn't notice any gestures that could sound off an alarm in her head. She stood up and cracked her back. "To be honest, I do not know his true name. I only call him by 'Father'."
Gohan nodded. Pan was now giving him the truth. He could easily sense it. There was no longer the tension in the air he faced earlier, and it seemed that she actually trusted him!
"I see," stated Gohan as he noticed her stretching the last of her limbs. "Read for a spar? I think I have loosened up completely."
Pan crouched down into a fighting position almost looking like a tiger about to pounce on its prey.
Gohan also lowered down into a fighting stance. "By the way," stated Gohan as he brought a fist up, "I'm Gohan."
She smirked up to him; "Pan."
That was the last word stated before an intense battle took place in the gravity room.
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"You wished to see me, father?" questioned Trunks as he slipped into the conference hall of the ship. Trunks was now dressed in his royal uniform of the empire. He was known to be one of the high officials. He was only 6 years younger than the emperor, thanks to the room of time and spirit.
He had to rush back to his room after he sent Pan to the training hall. He did not want her to become too suspicious of him.
Vegeta, the regal saiyan prince, stood up from the chair he was currently seated in. He frowned to his son. "You're late."
Trunks lowered his head. The lavender locks of hair fell before his face covering it. "I apologize, father. But there was this girl-"
Vegeta raised an eyebrow up, "A girl, you say?" The saiyan prince walked over to his son. The full-blooded saiyan's heavy weight cape flowed as he strides to his son; his eyes were cold as ice, and his face were set in stone. As he eyed his son a small smirk was plastered on his lips. "It's about time you find a suitable mate."
Trunks swallowed a glob of saliva that built up in his mouth. The hybrid saiyan just knew where this conversation was heading...
"If you don't have children soon, our family line will die."
Trunks raised his head up with a frown, "But what about Bra-"
"She has nothing to do with this, SON," snapped the father to his child.
He walked over to the other side of the room as he folded his hands behind his back. "Gohan and I have been talking for many years, even before the time in which you have come to live on the space ship."
This fact alone caught the attention of the son of Vegeta.
"Gohan didn't think he would have a child anytime soon. This was before he met Videl; let me give you that fact first. He felt that he wouldn't be able to find true love. He knew that I was the prince over him, but he was emperor over me... in order to settle this strange occurrence he came to a solution where the Saiyan Empire will be over all."
Vegeta paused for a moment before he turned his head to his son. Trunks had taken a seat in one of the many chairs of the round table. Vegeta smiled lightly. "He wanted you to become the heir to the throne if he ended up dying in war or when he felt it was time to step down from duty."
Trunks' eyes widened greatly. Were his ears deceiving him?
"Gohan's willing... to give his empire up to me... if anything goes wrong?" Vegeta's smirk returned to his face as he nodded his head.
"Yes. Gohan wanted to make sure that I gave you this information. He was very determined to find his daughter, after her abduction," there was a pregnant pause, "but now the hope of her being found is almost none." Vegeta turned his head to one of the many windows displaying the beauty of space. "That is why his original plan of making you the heir of the empire has been reconsidered."
Trunks bit his lip. "Is that why there is a huge party tonight? Is it in my honor?"
Vegeta nodded his head. "Yes."
"But why me?" questioned Trunks as he turned his sapphire orbs to his father's coal colored eyes. "Shouldn't Goten receive the empire since he and Gohan are related?"
Vegeta began to walk towards his son. "Yes, that option has been considered. Both of your power levels have been measured and also your education status. Your work has also been measured. You were obviously up to Gohan's standards for being a great emperor. He also wanted you to become the next ruler since he felt it was my bloodline that should have been the rightful rulers."
Trunks bit his lip. "I see..."
Patting his son on the shoulder, the prince gave a small smile as he headed towards the door. "It is an honor for the emperor to chose you to be his heir; and for even reaching these expectations... it has made me proud also."
Without another word, Vegeta exited the room.
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Gohan gave a small smile as he looked down at Pan. She was currently lying on the ground panting heavily with many bruises, and cuts. She was going to be sore tonight.
"You have quite a bit of potential, Pan. It's incredible!" commented Gohan as he crossed his arms. His gaze was still looking down to her broken form.
Her eyes were glazed over. Inside, she felt like a complete failure. When ever her father would whoop her ass this bad, she would get much verbal lashing with rigorous training for a week nonstop! She was very close to her father's expectations but his guy... she proved to be as weak as an infant! She obviously had much to learn.
Gohan held his hand to her. She looked up to it, and firmly grasped it. And being picked up she continued to breathe heavily... but not as deeply as before. She was finally calming her body down.
"You've done a very good job. There are only 6 people, that I know of, which reach the levels that you can." He had a bright grin on his face. It was the infamous Son Grin. "That's saying much since there are billions in this galaxy."
"And who are these 6 warriors that I need to defeat in order to reach YOUR level?" she challenged as she sat on a near by wooden bench. Gohan handed her a new water bottle. One was also in his grasp.
Pan looked to the bottle. She had never seen one of these in her live before. And there was some kind of... clear liquid inside.
She turned her attention to Gohan, who watched her as he drank water out of his bottle. Her face became red from embarrassment as she turned it back to the bottle.
Gohan smiled gently as he grabbed the top of the bottle. He carefully twisted it till the seal was broken as he handed the top back to her.
Pan's eyes widened as she watched the emperor complete this small task. The bottle cap was now resting in the palm of her hands. Now she was really feeling foolish; why didn't she figure that out before?
Gohan noticed the inner conflict she was facing. He gently smiled. "You shouldn't become frustrated over something so small."
She turned her head up to him and lightly tilted her cranium to the side. "What you make you think I was frustrated?"
"Easy," stated the emperor as he pointed to the water bottle in her hands. "You obviously never have seen a water bottle before." He took a swig of the water in the container in his hands. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Old warriors that lived on my ship for a while would have known what water bottles are." He took another drink. "This is imported from my home planet."
Pan sniffed the clear liquid. It didn't look like anything polluted it... or it didn't look as if it were poisoned. She took a small sip. "What planet would that be?"
He smiled gently as he brought the bottle down and closed it back up with the plastic lid. "Earth." He gave a sigh as he lowered his head. "I haven't visited that planet for a few years now." Gohan set the water bottle down on the floor as he stood up stretching. "I should. That's where my family permanently lives."
For the second time that day another beeping noise was heard. Gohan looked down to his watch and he lightly frowned. Glanced back down to Pan. "I'm sorry Pan, for this hasty retreat, but I must leave and get ready for the banquet tonight." Gohan picked up his half full water bottle. "You will be there tonight, won't you?"
She nodded her head as some sweat dripped from her forehead. "Yeah... Trunks is my 'date'." It was funny to Pan how that word rolled off her tongue. She never thought she would be able to date someone. Not with how protective her father is.
Gohan nodded with a small smile gracing his face. "Then I'll see you tonight, Pan." With that stated, he left the room a new spring to his step.
Looking to the ceiling of his spaceship, Gohan gave a relieved sigh as his tense muscles loosened immediately. He smiled brightly as he looked up and closed his eyes. "Thank you..." he murmured. "Thank you for bringing her back to me."
The smile was still fresh... but he had another thing to worry about. That problem was to keep Pan on the ship.
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