GOMENNASAI!!! I never meant for you all to wait so long! I know it's been over a week since my last post, and I feel terrible about it! So I'll reward you for your patience with COOKIES!!! ;;; Or maybe... I'll just give you another nice action-packed chapter... Once again, ENJOY!!!
Chapter 14: Fight or Flight?
It took a while, and Yamucha, Zamuri, Pan, Videl, Kuririn, and the twenty other assistants were soaked. But they were finally down to about ten people. Paris stood to the side with baby Goku still in her protective grasp.
"Pan! Yamucha-san! Kuririn-san!" Trunks suddenly came running in with Uub at his heels.
Pan turned and yelled in greeting. "Trunks! Did you stop the army already?"
"Of course not, Pan. In fact, I just ran ahead of the rest of my group to warn you that they're almost here!" Trunks looked behind him just to make sure they weren't already here.
"Well, we're almost done here." Videl assured him. "Besides, what are the chances that a lot of them, if any of them, will even find their way to this exact spot?"
"Pretty high, considering how many there are, Videl-san. We have to hurry." With that, Trunks headed back out to rejoin his friends in stalling the troops.
Uub turned to Yamucha. "Yamucha-san, swim ahead and start leading the group away from here."
"Right." Yamucha nodded. "Uh... just exactly where do you want me to lead them, Uub-chan?"
"I don't care! Just anywhere they will be safe! Ugh... Videl-san, do you think you could help him?"
"Sure, Uub-chan." Videl said. She then took hold of a little boy in the remaining group, and eased him into the water with her. She then instructed him to take a deep breath and hold it, and then dove out of sight with him tightly in her arms. Yamucha did the same with an attractive young woman in line, and followed Videl.
Pan suddenly heard faint blasts and battle cries coming from the entrance of the cave. She couldn't take it; her father was out there! Trunks was out there!
"Pan, what are you doing?!? Get back here! Pan!!!" Pan paid no attention to Uub's cries from behind her. She needed to get out there and help them.
From the entrance of the cave, Pan could barely see anything because of the hard rain, but she could make out the smoke coming from the base of the mountain. Most were battling on the ground, but Pan caught sight of a few zooming around in the air. One of which was her father.
"Hey, I can see Otou-san!" A voice yelled obnoxiously from behind her. Pan whirled around to see Zamuri had followed her.
"Zam, what are you...? Oh, never mind..." Pan sighed, and turned back to the battle below her.
"Why did you run off like that, sis?" Zamuri asked.
"I just have to help them..." Pan whispered. "Stay here. I don't want you getting hurt." Without another word, Pan flew off toward the battle, leaving Zamuri on the ledge.
No sooner had she come within thirty feet of her father, when an armed soldier shot a small ki blast directly at her. Quickly remembering Trunks' flight maneuver training, Pan straddled her legs, and put both hands on the blast, sending it under her, and crashing it into the mountain behind her. She then quickly launched a ki blast of her own at the soldier, and it was a direct hit. The man was sent hurtling to the ground, and disappeared in the thick smoke below.
"Otou-san!" Pan yelled, as she continued toward him. He was breathing heavily, and had a pretty bad gash in his left leg.
"Pan... Why are you...?" He couldn't answer. He had been flying for a while, and had been shooting a whole lot of ki blasts. He was almost completely out of ki. He suddenly blacked out, and Pan caught him on her back, and began to float back to the ledge Zamuri was still standing on.
"Oh no, Otou-san! What happened to him, Pan?" Zamuri raced to her as she softly landed just inside the entrance so no one could see them.
"His leg is in pretty bad shape, and he's exhausted from all the fighting."
"I'll get Dende! Wait right here!" Zamuri sprang to his feet, and started running into the cave.
"Wait, what good will that do, Zam?"
"Don't you know? Some Nameks have the ability to heal people, and Dende is one of those Nameks!" Zamuri then continued on his way into the cave. Pan was amazed. She had never heard much about alien races, but she had never expected any of them to have such astounding abilities.
Gohan suddenly began to stir. "Uh... oh, my leg... Pan... what's going on...?" He mumbled.
"It's all right, Otou-san. Zamuri is going to get Dende." Pan whispered. Her father breathed a sigh of relief, and closed his eyes again. Pan gazed back at the smoking field below them. If her father had been hurt this badly, what did that mean for the others?
Just then, Trunks flew up the ledge, carrying a limp figure on his back; both were soaking wet.
"Trunks, over here!" Pan called. "What happened to Tenshinhan?!?"
"He was wounded pretty badly. He blacked out."
"So did Otou-san. Just look at his leg!"
Trunks looked, and nodded. "It looks bad. I should get Dende." He stood up and started running further into the cave.
"No need, Zamuri has already gone to get him." Pan called after him. Trunks walked back, sat down, and sighed.
"This has gotten completely out of hand. I only thought we would create a simple diversion, but I never imagined it would lead to an all out war. This whole thing is my fault..." He buried his tired face in his hands. Pan didn't know what to do or say. It had always been the opposite. When Pan was feeling lost and hopeless, she had always come to him for help. Now that he was the one who felt hopeless, Pan couldn't help him.
Pan noticed how battered Trunks looked. Both of his pant legs had holes in the knees, and one of the sleeves on his jean jacket was completely torn off. There was a tear in the side of his black muscle shirt under his jacket. There were scratches, bruises, and bits of dirt on his skin and clothes, and his hair was very messy. His sword was still sheathed and strapped on his back. Pan only realized she was staring when Trunks looked up at her, and then she quickly looked away. So the two sat in silence for a good five minutes before they heard hurrying footsteps from inside the cave.
"Pan! We're here, Pan!" Zamuri called as he rushed toward them, Dende right behind him.
"Alright, let me see them." Dende said, while trying to catch his breath. Pan noticed he and Zamuri were both soaked, so she guessed Dende had been on the other side of the underwater tunnel.
Dende examined Tenshinhan and Gohan, and then stated, "Okay, this won't take long." He bent down, and placed both hands on Gohan's chest. A soft eerie gold shimmer emitted from Dende's palms, and seemed to go straight into Gohan. After about 30 seconds, the shimmer died down, and Gohan opened his eyes. All of his wounds were completely gone, and all that remained were a few minor blood stains and rips in his clothing.
He sat up, and looked around curiously.
"Hey Dende... What happened...?" He looked down at his leg. "Whoa, thanks a whole lot, Dende!" The young Namek beamed with satisfaction. Then he leaned over to Tenshinhan, and began the same process.
About 30 more seconds later, Tenshinhan was on his feet, looking back down at the battle scene. Dende was now in the process of healing Trunks.
"How long was I out?" He asked.
"Not very long, Tien." Trunks called, using his friend's nickname.
"Please, try to remain still and relax, Trunks." Dende said.
"Oh right, sorry Dende." Trunks closed his eyes again and sighed.
"How is everyone else in the cave?" Tien asked, turning around.
"I was just in there, and everyone has gotten through to the other side." Zamuri spoke up. "My mother and Yamucha are leading them deep into the valley where no one will find them."
"Good." Tien muttered, as he turned back to face the battle.
"All right, that should do it." Dende said, removing his hands from Trunks' chest. Trunks stood up and joined Tien and Gohan by the ledge.
(Terrible...) Trunks thought to himself, staring into the dark smoke below.
("Trunks? Trunks, it's me! Can you hear me?") Trunks suddenly looked up. Had he just heard another voice inside his head?
("Trunks? Are you there?") He wasn't hallucinating.
("Yes, Goku-san. I'm here.") Trunks thought back. He didn't know how else to respond to a voice in his head.
("Oh good. I'm trying to see if anyone's missing or hurt. Where are you?")
("I'm at the entrance to the cave with Gohan, Tien, Dende, Pan, and Zamuri.")
("Excellent! I was just about to try communicating with Tien. But I tried Gohan earlier, and he didn't answer. Is he all right?")
("Yes, but you probably tried to reach him while he was unconscious. Dende just healed him.")
("Oh, okay. Well, go on ahead without us. Take the children through the cave, and the rest of us will catch up. Oh man, I have to go! Ja ne!") Suddenly, Trunks felt Goku's presence in his head disappear.
"Okay... Pan, Zam, Dende, follow me. Gohan and Tien, you can choose whether you want to fight again or not." Trunks turned and walked into the cave. Dende and Zamuri immediately followed, but Pan stayed put.
"Why?" She asked. Trunks whirled around and stared at her.
"Because I need to take you to safety. Orders from Goku, now let's go!"
"Orders from grandpa? When did he tell you that?"
"Just now; he talked to my mind somehow..." Trunks dazed off deep in thought, and then quickly snapped out of it. "Now, Pan; let's go!"
Pan stood her ground.
"Come on, sis! What are you waiting for?" Zamuri called.
"... I have to help..." Pan mumbled. "... I have to go and help them..."
"Pan, just once could you listen to me?!?" Trunks suddenly burst out. "Just let the adults take care of it for once! Why do you always have to be so stubborn?!?"
Pan backed away from him, toward the edge of the cliff. "I guess I was just born that way..."
She glanced at he father, and then continued backing up until she fell purposely off the cliff. Trunks and Gohan rushed to the edge to see her flying off into the smoke.
"No! We have to stop her! She could be killed!" Gohan took off after his daughter.
"Tien-san, could you accompany Zamuri and Dende back through the cave?" Trunks asked frantically. Before Tien could reply that he didn't know the way, Trunks flew off the ledge after Gohan.
"I'll show you the way, Tenshinhan-san!" Zamuri chirped cheerfully, as though reading the puzzled expression on his face. Even though he knew his sister was flying off toward inevitable harm, he tried not to show his emotions. He took one last look longingly over the ledge, and then disappeared into the darkness of the cave.
Pan could hardly see where she was going. The smoke from the ki blasts was so thick, she felt it was safer for her to land, and find her grandfather, uncle, and friends on foot. She knew her father and Trunks would no doubt try to follow her.
The ground was littered with dead and dying soldiers, and Pan tried her hardest not to look at them for fear of becoming nauseated. She noticed the fight was moving ever closer to the slopes at the base of the mountain. They couldn't hold the army back too much longer.
"Grandpa? Goten-kun? Juuhachi-gou? Piccolo-san?" Pan called her friends and family, but no one answered her. Instead, she was greeted by a shower of ki blasts from an enemy soldier above her. She quickly dodged them, and blasted off the ground, ramming into the soldier's stomach with her shoulder blade. A bit of spit and blood shot from his mouth as he backed away, clutching his stomach. "Don't think I'm weak just because I'm a girl in a dress!" Pan shouted. She then shot many tiny ki blasts straight through him, and looked away as the limp body plunged to the ground. Pan landed again, and continued her search.