Chapter 7
One Word
Pan crouched down into her real fighting stance, ready for anything.
"Ladies first," the leader, who she later found out that his name was Talon, sneered.
Pan shot forward, and felt her fist connect with his jaw in a bone-jarring punch. Talon fell back to the ground with a thud. "Not on the battlefield," she sneered back. She jumped back, and positioned herself back in her fighting stance, fighting down the butterflies in her stomach that threatened to arise.
Talon hopped into a back-hand-spring and stood up in his own fighting stance. Suddenly he flew forward. Pan saw him and met his fist with her own, a punches and kicks were given and taken.
Pan's mind went blank, as it does when one talks, and concentrated only on the task before her, leaving no room for thought.
Trunks watched the two go at it, surprised at how well she was holding up. Not only could she give punches, but she could take them too. If she had someone to sharpen her up on her training skills, she could become a very accomplished fighter-maybe, even, one of best.
On the battlefield, Pan did not have as much brute strength as Talon had, but she made up for her lack of strength with speed. She dodged a punch and brought her leg up to kick him in the gut.
She decided to end this little match, and brought her power up higher. She kicked Talon into a tree, and with a satisfied smirk heard the sickening thud as Talon hit the ground.
"Say good-bye, Talon," she hissed and held her palm out in front of her.
What?!?! She has mastered ki blasts?!?! Trunks thought to himself. Left with no more time, he materialized next to Pan and put a restraining hand on her shoulder. "Let him live," he said calmly. At that moment, he had no idea how his voice sounded so calm when his mind was reeling. Impossible! How does she know how to project her ki in a fatal fashion? Son Gohan wouldn't have taught her… She knows how to fly… and to fight… what kind of female is she? He thought. He watched her power down and she calmed, and concluded his thoughts. She is a saiyan.
Trunks looked around to the remaining rebels. "I suggest that you get a new outlook on my strength, because it is obviously not weak, as you have previously thought.
"Since I am a ruler who believes that we are only people and must make mistakes, I will let you live and go home to your families. Do not make the same mistake twice.
"As for you," Trunks said, looking to Talon, "you will be coming with us. That will be all."
The rebels dropped down in a guilty bow, mumbled something that resembled 'to the glory of Vegeta' and left. Pan, Trunks, and Talon followed shortly after.
*******
Pan shoved Talon into the dungeon, her eyes glowing proudly. Trunks may have been able to do this job unaided, but she did it and did it alone.
"Don't get too cocky," Trunks muttered to her as they walked back through the halls. "They were an easy group of rebels. Train harder and you can become one of the best."
Pan became infuriated. "What do you think I've been trying to do, Trunks?! Where would you like me to train?!" she hissed.
He shrugged, then smirked. "Somewhere where no one can see you." He turned, and was gone in the swirl of his cape.
"The nerve of that man!" Pan growled to herself as she walked back to her quarters. She stopped suddenly. "Does that mean I am allowed to train?" She continued walking as she puzzled this new question.
"Where do you think you're going?" a voice stopped her in her tracks.
Doshen.
"Back to my quarters," she answered, not looking behind her-she knew Doshen was there.
"I don't think so. You're coming with me."
"No, Doshen, I'm not," Pan snarled. She was not in the mood for his crap. "I'm tried and I can hardly stand up." She continued down the hallway to her room. Abruptly she felt Trunks's ki flare up, and she wondered what was wrong as she felt a number of other kis rise up as well. What's going on? She questioned herself.
It seemed that Doshen felt this as well. "You're lucky, I will deal with you later," he growled, and then ran off to the throne room, his power growing as left.
What is going on?! She thought to herself. She continued on her way to her room, too tired to care, and knowing that if she wanted to care, they would never let a female saiyan actually do something.
Getting to her room she collapsed, knowing she would hurt tomorrow, for she hadn't trained for almost a month.
*******
Abruptly, Pan woke with a start. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness of her room, trying to find what had awakened her. Not finding anything physically, she searched the palace with her mind.
She gasped-something was terribly wrong. Down the corridor where the royal family lived, there were a few kis that were trying to hide their power moving about. Her intuition told her that they were up to no good. She got up out of her room, deciding that she wasn't going to leave this to the experienced-she was going to help her lords whether they liked it-and whether she was allowed or not.
She crept out of her room, sneaking down the hallway quickly. Her senses were alert, waiting for the slightest sound or movement that would give the intruders away. Her jet eyes watched the dark hallways, looking for movement. Her saiyan tail twitched, waiting.
Absently she made her way to Trunks's room, and when she found herself in front of his door the only thing she could think to do was to go in. She quietly knocked on the door once, then let herself in-she couldn't risk making all that commotion.
"Trunks? Trunks I-"
A hand closed around her throat. "I suggest you shut up, or your precious Prince will go down in history," a voice hissed.
Pan's eyes darted about, her body quivering in fear. Her tail quivered once, then fell limp behind her-it was all over. She had been caught. "W-Who are you?" she stuttered.
The voice snickered. "The new King of Vegeta."
"W-w-wha? Y-you didn't!" she gasped. There was no way that this saiyan had killed the King of Vegeta.
"No, not yet. But soon." The person dragged her over to Trunks's bed, shoving something cold in her hand. "Farewell, young rebel," the voice jeered, and the presence was suddenly gone.
"Trunks?" Pan said tentatively, frightened. "Trunks, are you alright?" She knew that if she was caught she would most likely would be tortured for life, for being in the Prince's room with no pass and after curfew-but she just had to make sure Trunks was alright.
Pan waited for an answer in the silent room, her tail quivering with fear. One word, she thought. All I want is one word. She waited, the seconds dragging on to several minutes, but she refused to leave until she knew Trunks was all right.
But Pan never got the chance. Suddenly the lights were thrown on in Trunks's room, and a dozen guards filed in, King Vegeta standing in the doorway, his hands crossed in front of him. His cool, harsh glare settled on Pan. "So this is Son Pan. Yes, I've heard plenty about you, but they never told me you were an assassin."
"W-what??" she stammered. What had happened in the dark world of the room when she couldn't see, while she was waiting merely for his word? She looked at Trunks on the bed and gasped. Puncture wounds covered his body; leaving him a bloody mess-and so was the knife in her hand.
Author's Note: Hey everybody!! I'm really sorry about not updating sooner; I had track meets the last two days and had no time to write. Sorry!! All I have left if track championships, and then it won't be here to occupy my time. All right? Like I said, I'm sorry!!
Thank everybody SOOOOO much for the reviews!!!!! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!