Chapter 2: The Birth of a Prince

"Hurry up, Pan!"

It was almost fourteen years to the date since Trunks had brought Pan home. She knew nothing about how Trunks had saved her life, or that she wasn't really his sister. All she knew or even cared about right now was her mother. The two rushed down the hallway to where someone was waiting for them outside their parent's bedroom.

"It's about time you woke up!" Bra, 13 years old, was born a year after Pan was adopted. Her long, light blue hair reached the small of her back. She was dressed in a long dark purple nightgown made of silk, with a matching purple robe over it. Her blue eyes shone with an intimidating glare.

"Wha...what's going on?" A voice asked with a yawn. The dark figure stepped out of the shadows of the dark hallway. It was a 17-year-old boy just slightly taller than Pan. He had on green pajama bottom pants, and a white t-shirt. His hair was jet black and spiked up in the back. On his forehead sat his large widow's peak. Just like his father.

"Oh, nothing. Okaa-san is just having a baby, that's all!" Bra scowled at her older brother, who scowled right back. The main reason his father, Vegeta Sr. had given him that name, was because he thought it an old tradition for at least one son of the royal family should bear this name.

"What are you all doing up at this hour?!?" A large head had just poked out of the bedroom door, and glared down at them. "Go back to bed, all of you!"

"Gomen, Otou-san. We were just worried about Okaa-san, that's all." Pan said, staring at her father, who she had never seen without a massive amount of gel in his hair. Without the gel holding it up, his hair had fallen all around his head, covering his ears, and reaching down to his eyebrows.

"She's fine, now leave!" Vegeta's command was soon drowned out by an ear-piercing wail coming from his wife behind him. He quickly looked behind him, then back at his children, then quickly shut the door and locked it.

"Well, you heard the king, back to bed." Bra sighed and stretched as she began walking back to her room.

"I'm not about to leave Okaa-san!" Pan looked up anxiously at Trunks. This was now the fourth time Trunks had heard his mother in labor. Though it was not an easy thing to endure, he had gotten used to it. Pan, however, was too young to remember when Bulma had gone into labor with Bra. She had only been one year old at the time. Her dedication to the wellbeing of her family was touching, even though they weren't really her family.

"Are you leaving, Trunks?" He hesitated, looking at his sister's famous puppy dog pout got to him every time.

"No, Pan. I won't leave. Not if you don't want me to."

"Arigatô, Onii-san." Pan's eyes glittered in admiration.

Trunks awoke to the warmth of his little sister's head on his lap. He was sitting up against the door to his parent's bedroom. It seemed his mother's wailing had stopped. The light from the rising sun was coming through the windows. He was just about to carry Pan back to her room, when suddenly the door behind him swung open, and Trunks found himself lying flat on his back with a throbbing pain in the back of his head from the impact of the wood floor.

"What were you doing there?!?"

Trunks groaned and rubbed the back of his head. He opened his eyes to see his father standing over him with his hands on his hips, and a scowl that would send any normal Saiyan running for the hills. His hair now had a few layers of gel in it, and was in its usual spiked up position. He was wearing a dark blue skin tight muscle shirt, with dark blue shorts to match.

"Well?!?"

"I... I was just..."

"It's not his fault, Otou-san. I made him stay here with me." Pan had awoken upon hearing her father's yelling.

"Vegeta, leave them alone. They were just worried about me." Vegeta looked behind him to see Pan wasn't the only one he had woken up with his yelling. Bulma was sitting up in her bed, giving him a cold stare. It seemed she was the only one who had the least bit of control over him.

"But... Bulma, you're tired. You... need your rest." Vegeta stuttered, but his wife overpowered him easily.

"I said, leave them alone!" Vegeta seemed to almost cringe in fear from her, and he obliged. With one last threatening look at Trunks and Pan, he left the room. Pan and Trunks walked to the side of their mother's bed. Bulma's face softened into a smile. Her short blue hair was very messy, and her eyes were tired.

"Well, would you like to see him?" Pan's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.

"Yes, of course!" Bulma turned to face a white door on the far side of her large bedroom.

"Paris? Paris, the baby has visitors!" A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a beautiful young woman dressed in a long, light blue dress. Her long brunette hair was tied into a braid with a small blue ribbon to match her dress. In her arms was a small white blanket holding their new baby brother.

"Oh, he's so cute!!!" Pan squealed at the sight of the tiny baby. She seized him from the arms of the maid, and brought him over to Trunks. "See, Trunks? He kind of looks like you! See, he has your eyes!" She was right. He had inherited his mother's light blue eyes, and his father's jet black hair. The baby opened his eyes, and blinked at the sight of Pan. Pan began to giggle, but the baby started to cry.

"And your father's demanding attitude..." Bulma added. "He must be hungry. Here, Pan, give him to me. You two had better go."

Trunks chuckled, then ushered Pan out the door, and shut it behind him.

"What do you think she'll name him?" Pan asked excitedly.

"I don't know. They might not decide on a name for a while. Nothing is official until the naming ceremony in a couple of months."

(A/N: Just a little thing I made up, it's not real. Every royal blooded Saiyan has a naming ceremony when they turn 3 months old. Since Pan was about 5 months when adopted, they just gave her a name without a ceremony. Plus, she isn't really of royal blood anyway.)

It was now about 10:00 AM. Both Pan and Trunks were starving, so they headed down to the kitchens for breakfast.

FLASHBACK

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! WHY ON VEGETA-SEI DID YOU DO SOMETHING SO NAÏVE, TRUNKS?!?" This was King Vegeta's initial reaction when he found out what his eldest son had brought in from the streets. It was not soon after Bulma had heard the yelling that she had quickly placed Pan in the care of the young Paris, and stormed out of her room to join the fight.

"Trunks honey. Why don't you go back to your room while your father and I have a little talk?" Trunks, glad to have an excuse to leave, nodded and ran into his room. No sooner had he closed and locked his door when the yelling started up again. About an hour later, a very hoarse Bulma knocked on Trunks' door.

"Trunks, its dinner time. Come downstairs, please."

"Okaa-san? Is Otou-san mad at me?" Trunks peered out of his room to make sure his father wasn't around.

"No, Trunks. Your father was just... concerned."

(If that was concerned, I'd hate to find out what he's like when he is actually mad.) Trunks thought. Concerned or not, Trunks did not want to face his father during dinner.

Surprisingly though, Vegeta was not at dinner. He was not at the next several dinners. In fact, he was nowhere to be found. Bulma could be heard in her room crying at night. He couldn't be gone. Not with yet another baby on the way. Bulma had been pregnant for the last three months. Everything seemed quiet. No one talked very much at all. There were rumors going around the kingdom that he had gone to another planet, or run off to start a new kingdom, or even committed suicide. Vegeta, however, showed up at their front gate about a week later, looking perfectly healthy, and a little tired. Without a word, he had calmly walked up to his room, and acted as if nothing had happened. No one ever spoke of that week in the royal household again. Slowly, everything had resumed back to normal.

About six months later, Bra was born. She was definitely her father's favorite child, though he had been disappointed that she was a girl. Everything about her was like an exact copy of her mother. However, the king had also had an especial liking for Vegeta Jr. because he had been born with an especially high power level. Also, Vegeta Sr. had always had an especial disliking for Pan. Vegeta Jr. was just the same. Although the boy had long since forgotten she was adopted, he always felt she was very different from the rest of them.

END OF FLASHBACK