His Weakness

Chapter 4: Trunks

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He had only left her side when she had woken up for a little while; claiming she needed a shower because her stench had woke her up. At the same time, she smiled and told him to go eat something. But that was a few hours ago. She was asleep again.

He abruptly awoke. An annoyingly familiar ch'i was enclosing fast. Trunks. Vegeta sighed quietly. Even though he knew the sigh wouldn't wake her, but he didn't want to chance it. She needed rest.

What happen next surprised him however.

Trunks burst through the French doors that led out to the balcony he'd added just last month, and froze.

Vegeta had put her in the room he had been working on for Bulla before Bulma's death. When everyone left him, well... except Pan - he was still getting used to that, he had started working on it in his spare time - and on the nights when he hadn't been able to sleep. It was something to do that took his mind off the past. His children, however, left before they knew he had done anything with it. It was a room designed for a princess. It was the room he now considered Pan's.

Vegeta and Trunks looked at each other for a long time. Then Vegeta turned to watch Pan again. Finally, he broke the silence.

"What do you want, Brat?" His voice was just above a whisper, looking over his shoulder.

"I was told that Panny was here," He growled as quietly at his father, while he turned to look at Pan. But, she was asleep below the sheer white canopy. Vegeta looked at her too. She looked like an angel. Her long black hair twisted around her alabaster skin and dusky eyelashes playing against her flush cheek. But Trunks saw how stiff her body was from sleeping so long, and turned to Vegeta.

"She got hurt, didn't she?" he growled, eyes flashing.

"Yes," Vegeta replied quietly.

That was the opening he needed. "You were supposed to look after her, Vegeta! Supposed make sure she didn't get hurt. I have no idea why Gohan and Videl didn't have her stay with me, or Bulla!" His voice had worked up to yells by then.

Vegeta saw Pan starting to come around and grabbed Trunks by the shirt to haul him outside the room. Trunks, being surprised, didn't hesitate when he as being lead.

Pan was now annoyed with Trunks. How dare he berate Vegeta like that! Vegeta wasn't off the hook either. He was just sitting there taking it! She'd woken up when she had felt his angry ch'i coming closer. She had heard everything Trunks had said. She still could tell Trunks was angry, furious now that Vegeta had hauled him out of the room by the front of his shirt!

Then he crossed the line. And she was not happy.

"We all knew you would let her get hurt! We knew you would hurt her! You're a bastard, Vegeta! You hurt our little Pann-"

He cut off when he felt her ch'i spike from the doorway she was leaning on so desperately. Vegeta had yet to say anything.

"Are quite finished, Trunks?" she lifted her eyes to his and he jerked back a bit at the fierceness of her glare.

"N-now Panny-"he started, hesitating.

"Do not patronize me, Trunks!" She growled lowly.

"But you know Vegeta-"

"Leave him alone Trunks!" she started to grip the door frame harder and Vegeta noticed.

"Onna, you need to rest." He started towards her, only got a step.

"No not touch her!" Trunks growled threateningly with a hand gripping harshly on Vegeta's shoulder.

Pan leaned forward, as if wanting to rip his arm off Vegeta's shoulder.

"Leave. Him. Alone." Her voice was quiet and deadly. She now looked ready rip his head off and tear what was left of his body to shreds. Vegeta had never seen her this angry.

"Panny, be reasonable! He hurt you-"

"TRUNKS!" She roared furiously. She was on the verge of going Super Saiyan; her hair was flashing gold, eyes teal…."Get out," she growled like an animal.

"Panny! He let his own wife-" Trunks started, not even looking at her. But stopped when her power spiked violently. He was glaring at Vegeta as he released the shoulder from his painful grip. Pan came away from the edge of Super Saiyan to some extent.

"By the way, do not call me 'Panny'. I am Pan. The only female Super Saiyan," She growled before Vegeta made it to her side, without interruption this time, and placed his hand gently on his shoulder. She sighed when he touched her, and relaxed fully. She looked over to the side where Vegeta stood.

"Are you okay Vegeta-sensei?" She asked after a minute, panty delicately.

Trunks looked at her shocked. Was Vegeta, the Prince of Saiyans, okay?

"Go rest, Onna. You're barely standing," was all Vegeta said.

She gave him a cheeky grin. Her smile faded slightly, as if an annoying thought had just come to her.

"Geta…?" He raised an eyebrow in response.

"Did you eat dinner while I was in the shower?" She asked dubiously. She decided to ignore Trunk's presence and Vegeta followed her lead unconsciously.

Trunks, however, was wide eyed as he watched them interact. He was too shocked to say one word. His father looked away at the question, but his hand didn't move.

"Geta!" She whined, looking up at him annoyed. He fidgeted a little. He was embarrassed, but he wouldn't admit it….

"Go get something to eat! We skipped lunch after all!" She growled at him; but it wasn't like the growl she'd thrown at Trunks, it was like a motherly clucking hen. After a silent battle took place for a moment, Pan sighed annoyed and exasperated, "Fine…I'll just go make you something-"

"I'm going," he growled to her. It was a pleasant growl…like he was saying, "Woman, I'm going! Plant yourself somewhere before you hurt yourself!"

The annoyance left her eyes, and she smiled at him happily.

"There's some leftovers in the fridge," She told him lightly. She knew he couldn't cook.

He turned away sharply, retracting his hand. She turned a little and watched him leave. She knew he was annoyed with what she was doing, and that she would pay for it when they were training again.

Trunks watched them interact together and was wide eyed. They understood each other better than Bulma and Vegeta ever had. Pan and Vegeta….

"What are you still doing here Trunks?" she asked quietly without looking at him; her voice was hard. "You're only succeeding in causing Geta more pain." She turned to face him. "Don't you see that! As much as he acts like he doesn't care about you or your sister; he's just tired of being betrayed! He doesn't want to hurt anymore!"

It surprised him that the moment Vegeta went down stairs she would continue. However the moment she brought his sister into this into the conversation it made something in him snap. "Don't you dare bring Bulla into this!" he growled and wrapped her shirt around his knuckles.

She griped his wrist tightly. "She's part of this, too, Trunks! You are both hurting him more than anyone else!" The grip she had on his writ tightened to the point of almost pain. "You know I could break your wrist easily right now."

He released her and she let go of his petulant wrist. "You don't know! He let my mom d-"

"You idiot!" she interrupted. "Do you really think he wouldn't care that his wife died in fro-"

"You don't know what happened! You were too young to remember!"

"…You're wrong about that…." She said suddenly sullen. "I remember people being angry with me…" she paused again looking down, thinking. "You were one of them… the people who scarred me." She looked at him again, her forehead creased in thought. "I had asked where Uncle Vegeta was. Everyone glared at a five year old girl for wanting to know where her idol was.

"...Oh and…"she paused to let that sink in because he seemed shocked that she remembered, "Vegeta told me his side of the story; while the rest of you are too busy nursing grudges to tell me why Vegeta was so 'bad.' Until it started to become apparent I would be around Vegeta, did anyone both to tell me anything? …No." She was running on empty again…. She had very little energy left. "It wasn't Vegeta's fault! Has anyone listened to his side? His feelings of guilt! I've heard everyone else's side of the story his story makes more sense…. Now leave." She was panting heavily now.

Then Vegeta was beside her; a tempered, stormy look in his eye met her face and that was the last thing she saw before falling into the soft, black velvet relief that is unconsciousness.

Trunks was startled… with everything Pan had said…. He had been one of those people who had glare at the little girl… he hadn't cared what his own father had to say, he just listened to everyone else's rumors…. What did Pan find out that for all these years he didn't have the guts to listen to?

He had felt her ch'i start to fall and left his half eaten dinner. He'd heard everything, but what really angered him was the pain he'd unknowingly ended up costing a five year old girl. Her family's respect. It was frustrating…. And when she stuck up for him… it was a first. Someone defending him for a change….

She needed more rest. He changed his hold on her limp form; from when he'd caught her to his chest to cradling her angelic form close. He moved through the still open door to her delicate looking room.

His son followed looking like a whipped dog. Vegeta didn't pay one iota of attention to him until he had Pan safely tucked away in her perfect bed. "Are you happy now?" Vegeta asked in a quiet, gruff voice. It was so at odds with the man Trunks knew it took him a moment to register what he'd even said. But, Vegeta didn't see it, his sad eyes never took his eyes off her.

"I-" Trunks started. "I never meant to hurt her…." He finished sullenly, like a child caught in a lie.

"Neither did I," Vegeta replied quietly, never glancing away from her for a moment; it was as if he was trying to apologize to the inert figure lying there so peacefully, completely oblivious to the tension building mere feet from her.

Trunks chewed on that for a moment then said, "I'm going to leave now… father." That was it. Then he disappeared through the flawless French glass doors through which he came in the first place.

Slowly, Vegeta got up to closed them and paused looking through them at the sunset for a moment. Then he pulled the attached dainty white curtains closed before returning to her side. After along minute of sitting in the chair next to her, jammed up as close as possible, he was still staring at the girl who was in such a deep sleep, she didn't feel the intensity of his gaze. He bent down to the girl who seemed to be his guardian angel and whispered, "Thank you… you- you gave me back my son… Pan." After a few more minutes of watching her, he gave in to sleep.

Translation:

ch'i: energy

Okay, major fluff in this chapter. Sorry for the ooc it just kindda happened. ^.^;

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Saki