WHEE!!! Hyper, hyper, hyper... OFF AIR AGAIN!!! Yes yes, I'm back with yet ANOTHER continuation!!! I'm sure some of you are thinking, 'Is this EVER going to end?' Well to be perfectly blunt, I HAVE NO IDEA WHATSOEVER!!! WHEE!!! (Sings along to En Fuego ) Whew... anyways, here's the chapter... Enjoy...

Chapter 34: An Anxious Peace

Nearly five peaceful and prosperous years later...

For the 'rebels', this was a time of mending old wounds, and the beginning of a new kingdom on Vegeta-sei. They traveled deeper into the hills surrounded by the deadly mountains, and built their new village on top of the largest hill they could find. It seemed perfect for them. Not a mile from the site was a large freshwater river that ran down from a large waterfall (perfect for training, as Piccolo said). Plus there were some excellent plains for planting crops not too far to the north.

In need of a leader, the people instantly and unanimously voted Goku as their new king. He promised to govern them fair and justly as best as he could. The people built him a magnificent castle right in the center of town, so no matter what window he looked out of, he would see his people busy with their everyday lives. And there was no great white wall surrounding the castle that prevented anyone from coming or leaving as they pleased. Goku's entire family (and many of his close friends as well) were invited to live there with him.

As well as the new kingdom's economy, its population had flourished. In those five years alone, the number of people in the city nearly doubled. This was mainly because some groups of travelers from Vegeta's kingdom had come seeking a new life under Son Goku's rule. But there was also the fact that after the truce had been made, there was a dramatic increase in the birth rate. In fact, Goten and Paris had been blessed with a healthy baby girl about a year after the treaty signing. She had her mother's smooth brown hair and chocolate-colored eyes, and her father's goofy, laid-back personality. And because of her good looks, she had been given the name Emi, which means 'blessed with beauty'. But of course, there cannot be births without deaths. Three years after the treaty, Hercule Satan had died of a sudden heart attack. And not being able to live without his lifelong companion, Chiaotzu had also died of the devastation of losing Tien.

Though there was peace, the days did not go by without training. The length and intensity of Pan's lessons had reduced at least, but nonetheless remained ever challenging under the watchful eye of Piccolo. Trunks often participated in their training sessions to sharpen some of his experimental techniques. Now that Pan was much stronger, she was frequently used as his guinea pig for testing out some of his new moves. Since the truce was made, Pan no longer found it as vital to achieve the level of Super Saiyan, though it was still a goal of hers. Many times before she had gotten so close, but there seemed to be some sort of barrier keeping her from powering up any further. She was missing something, but couldn't figure out what.

As for Prince Goku, he grew up knowing nothing about how he was the main cause of a major rebellion. He was adopted into Gohan's family, almost like a fill-in for Zamuri's absence. Goku was now five and a half years old, and had been given exactly the kind of childhood Bulma had always wanted for him. Of course, he never knew that.

"Hey sis, wake up!" Young Goku exclaimed, bursting into Pan's bedroom and whipping her blanket down to the end of the bed.

"Mmm... Goku, go away..." Pan mumbled, refusing to open her eyes.

"No! You hafta wake up now!"

"Still sleepy..." Pan tiredly pulled her blanket back over her head and held it tight so Goku couldn't pry it away from her.

"Come on, Pan! It's your birthday! You gotta get up!" Goku clambered onto the bed and began jumping around.

"Since it's my birthday, I should be allowed the right to get up whenever I please." Pan said through the sheets.

"Aww..." Goku whined, plopping down on his seat beside her.

"Just kidding!" Pan burst out from under the sheets and tickled his belly.

"He... Hey! S-... top... STOP!!" The little boy gasped in between giggles, desperately trying to grab her hands. But she did not stop, not until he had resorted to rolling right off the bed. "Okay... you win..." He panted. Pan chuckled and went into her bathroom, ruffling his messy black hair as she passed.

A few moments later, she was washed and dressed, and followed Goku (who was practically skipping) downstairs to the dining hall. There, her family and friends were waiting for her.

"Happy birthday, Pan!" They all shouted in unison as she entered the room. Hanging from the ceiling was a bright red banner with shining gold letters spelling out the words, 'Happy 20th Birthday'.

After a hearty breakfast, and the relief of Piccolo's announcement that training had been cancelled for the day, Pan decided to go for a walk outside the village.

"Not unless someone goes with you." Her father had said. He had been very overprotective of his daughter, especially now that she was a princess (for real this time). Without hesitation, Pan had asked Trunks to accompany her. She had wanted to talk to him anyway.

"Hey, Trunks..." She said quietly once they were far enough away from the village. It was a rather humid day, so they had sought shade from a nearby forest. The two walked slowly along the worn dirt path listening to the birds' midmorning songs.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think Zamuri's okay?"

Trunks didn't answer for a moment, and took time to gaze up at the beautifully woven tapestry of leaves above them.

"I'm sure he's all right, Pan."

"Really?"

"Hey, he's a tough guy. If you two are anything alike, then I'm positive he's fine." Trunks smiled, which made Pan smile. How it was possible Trunks had grown even more handsome in the last five years, Pan didn't know. He was now fully 28, but looked years younger. His soft lavender hair was still the same style it had always been in; a short bowl-cut with a small widow's peak displayed on the top of his forehead. His sparkling blue eyes shone bright with energy and vitality. For the first fourteen years of her life, Pan had looked up to him as her big brother, role model, and best friend. But as the years went by, she began to see something different in him. She found it hard to spend even a single day without his constant presence. Just being with him excited her. He was the first one she thought about when she awoke every morning, and the last image in her mind as she drifted off to sleep each night. At first she thought it was simply because she had missed him so much while he was in captivity. But she was smarter than that. At 20, she knew well what this new emotion was. She was just too afraid to express it.

The two walked in silence for a few more moments, until they reached a familiar clearing where an old, moss-covered tree corpse lay. It had long since died and fallen due to its age. The trunk had gotten to be around five feet thick, making it one of the oldest trees in the forest.

"Hey Trunks, can I see your sword for a minute?" Pan asked.

"Sure. What for?" Trunks asked curiously, drawing the blade and handing it to her.

"Well, while you were being held captive, I made a promise to myself. I told myself that my training would be complete when I can chop this tree in two with one swing."

"What'll that do?" Trunks shrugged.

"It's just something I need to prove to myself. I need to know I am strong enough to wield this sword, should there ever come a time where I must use it." She clasped the handle with both hands and spread her feet apart. Facing the gnarled tree, she raised the weapon above her head, and let it down hard and swift.

THUD

Trunks stared for a moment at the large incise she had created in the bark. It had to be at least a foot deep. But it hadn't even cut through half the trunk. Pan sighed, wrenching the sword out of the tree.

"See that?" She pointed to a very small dent to the left of hers. "That's the mark I created the day I made that promise." She handed the sword back to him, and began to walk back the way they had come. But she hadn't gone ten feet when she heard another thud behind her. Whirling around, she saw that Trunks had made a clean cut about three feet through the tree.

"You're right... this is hard." Trunks sighed, sheathing the blade. "And that's because this tree has grown harder with age. It's really tough! I guess I still have some training to do as well!" He laughed, scratching the back of his head.

"Happy birthday, Zamuri!" Keiko grinned as she entered his usual cell that morning with an extra large plate of food. "I snuck some extras from the kitchens for you!"

"Ahh thanks, Keiko! You're the greatest!" Zamuri beamed. He loved looking forward to her visits every morning and evening. She was the only company he really ever had.

In five whole years he hadn't seen the light of day. He had all but forgotten the smell of the spring wind, the call of the birds, and the touch of grass beneath his feet. His only connection with the outside world was this girl- who had now grown into a fine young woman of 19. She was absolutely fascinating to him. Her chocolate-colored eyes always lit up with eagerness when she saw him. Her black hair was uncharacteristic for any normal Saiyan, but Keiko was certainly not normal. Unlike most Saiyans, the tip of every fine strand of her hair was a rich dark brown color, which made her even more interesting in Zamuri's opinion. He sometimes felt a bit embarrassed in front of her because he was hardly presentable to someone as beautiful as her. Over the years, his hair had grown down to nearly shoulder-length and his clothes were tattered and dirty. He had begun to look much older due to his lack of sunlight and exercise. Perhaps the only sign of youth left were his vivid black eyes. They were all Keiko seemed to want to look at.

"Hey Keiko, what's wrong?" He asked, seeing the troubled look in her eyes.

"Oh Zamuri... for five whole years I have watched you wither away in this cold chamber. I just wish there was something I could do."

"You being here is enough, Keiko." He comforted her.

"I know... I just wish things didn't have to be this way."

Zamuri had to agree with her there. When he had first met her, she had given him a message from his sister across the mountains. She had said they would come for him soon. Well now, five whole years later, nothing had happened. He couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. Keiko brought him news from the outside as well as his daily meals. She had informed him all about his family's conditions after the battle, and of Keiko's involvement in Prince Goku's kidnapping.

In an effort to make her feel better, Zamuri put his arms around her waist and embraced her in a reassuring hug.

"Me too, Keiko. Me too."

After Trunks and Pan had returned from their walk, a meeting had been called in King Goku's council chamber to discuss some important matters.

"This is ridiculous!" Gohan exclaimed, banging his fist against the table. "We've been at peace with King Vegeta for five years, completely disregarding the fact that he's still holding Zamuri prisoner! We must act!"

"We may be at peace, but it is an uneasy peace." Trunks said calmly. "My father's army is very large. If we were to do anything out of line, he would not hesitate to launch an attack on our village."

"But we can't just sit around while my son is in the hands of that menace!"

"Calm down, Gohan!" Goku said. "We'll get Zamuri back, I promise. But first we need a plan to negotiate his release peacefully."

"We ask something of him, and he's bound to ask something of us." Goten intervened. "I'm with Gohan on this one. He could easily ask us to strip down our defenses, making us even more vulnerable to attack! And if we don't do what he says, we'd be putting Zamuri's life on the line."

"Then what do you propose we do, Goten?" Trunks asked rather harshly.

"I think our best bet is a hit-and-run type tactic. We sneak in, get Zamuri, and sneak back out."

"Do you even know what you're saying?!? You have no idea how heavily guarded that castle is!" Trunks exclaimed.

"Oh, and I suppose you would, being locked up in that dungeon for so long!" Goten retorted.

"Guys! Please, settle down!" Goku held up his hands to try and stop the bickering. "We need to work together to come up with a plan!"

Piccolo stood silently in a corner and watched the Saiyans argue.

"It's clear to me that these two kingdoms were never meant to be at peace with each other." He muttered. "Why don't you just build up your own armies and train them for battle so we would actually stand a chance?"

"We don't have nearly enough men to stand even half of a chance against Vegeta's forces!" Gohan disputed.

"Look, I was just making a suggestion! I have no intention of joining this pointless argument." Piccolo said. "In my opinion, Goten's plan was a bit hasty. But we may be able to use his general idea to our advantage. Hit-and-run tactics sound like a better plan for the battlefield to me."

"Are you saying there's no avoiding an all-out war with Vegeta?" Gohan questioned.

"All I'm saying is we had better be prepared if it comes to that!" Piccolo raised his voice in frustration.

"Please, you guys! Stop your fighting, or we'll never get anything done!" Goku intervened.

"I wasn't fighting; I was just trying to get my point across!" said Piccolo.

"I agree with Piccolo, you guys." Kuririn said recessively. "There's no telling how much longer Vegeta will stand being at peace with us. Knowing him, he's probably just itching to call off the truce and battle us once again. And I think we'd all feel safer if we had a few troops to back us up if it ever became necessary."

"But if my father finds out we're building up our arms, he'll just use that as an excuse to attack us!" Trunks exclaimed.

"Okay, look." Uub intervened, unable to sit in silence any longer. "It seems to me that we have two main strategies. One, we could try and negotiate for Zamuri's release. Or two, we could break the truce and try to get him back by force. Since we can't seem to come to any mutual agreement, I suggest we either make one of the two ideas work so that we all agree, or come up with a new plan."

"I vote we take a lunch break!" Goten suggested, raising his hand.

"Now there's something I like to hear!" Goku cheered. "This bickering has gone on long enough anyway. I officially declare this meeting dismissed!" He stood up and watched the others file out the door before leaving himself.

"So, did you boys come up with any brilliant rescue plans yet?" Chi-Chi asked her husband as he staggered wearily out of the room.

"Not yet..." Goku answered hesitantly.

"Ridiculous..." Chi-Chi sighed. "Goku, when are you guys going to decide on something?"

"These things take time, Chi-Chi."

"You've been having these meetings every so often for the past five months! How much more time do you need?!?"

"I'm not sure!" Goku said defensively. "We've come up with a few ideas, but we just can't seem to agree on anything."

"My only grandson is in danger, and you men are having cooperation issues?!? Goku, if you don't find a way to get Zamuri out of there soon, I will never forgive you! I'm surprised even Videl puts up with you! It's her son over there! Though she doesn't show it, she's heartbroken that it's taking so long! She's worried sick!"

"What do you expect me to do, Chi-Chi? This is a very delicate situation, and one wrong move could spell disaster for us!"

"Well, think about it! He has something we want, and we have something he obviously wants."

"What's that, Chi?"

Chi-Chi was careful to speak very slowly and clearly, despite her overwhelming frustration. "We have his youngest son."