Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z!
"Triple Threat 3: Escape from the Other World"
Chapter 5: "Attack from Above"
Pan turned from the group with a scowl. "I guess I'll have to leave now, right? Since this is about a man I've never even met?" She didn't wait for an answer though. She blasted off into the sky and high speed.
Bulma sighed and shook her head. "Trunks, go talk to her. Calm her down, just don't tell her anything. Videl should tell her about Gohan."
Trunks looked at his worried mother and nodded. He then flew in the direction of Pan's energy.
"Trunks?" Kayla asked, her eyebrow raised.
Bulma smiled wearily. "Yeah. Even Vegeta approves of him. Everybody knows that Trunks cares for Pan, even Pan herself, but she won't let him get close. She's just too stubborn to admit she feels the same way."
"Kind of like someone we know, right?" Kayla smirked.
Bulma nodded and her eyes smiled. "Exactly."
"Are you sure Pan's going to be alright?" Chichi spoke up suddenly. She had been unusually quiet since Videl fainted, but couldn't any longer.
"Positive. Trunks won't let anything happen to her." Bulma assured her.
"Hey, aren't you Kayla?" a voice behind her asked. "Videl's sister?"
"Oh, hey, Chiko!" Goten waved at her and Pigero. "Yeah, that's Kayla."
The two sat five grocery bags down on the side of the house. "We brought the groceries you asked for, Bulma." Chiko looked at the woman.
Kayla stared at the unfamiliar woman warily. "Do I know you?"
Chiko smiled. "Hi, I'm Chiko and this is my husband, Pigero. Our daughter, Marie, is around her somewhere. She's one year younger than Pan."
Kayla smiled slightly, but it grew in immediate recognition of her name. "Wait a minute, You're Chiko, Rom's sister?" She remembered Gohan's friend mention her name in Other World.
Chiko narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice in surprise. "What do you know about him?"
----------
All Gohan could do was stare at her, appalled. "Pan is... mine?" The last word was barely audible, his mind going everywhere in sudden confusion.
Videl just nodded silently, trying not to meet his gaze. "I'm sorry... Gohan."
She's... our daughter? Videl's soft words snapped Gohan out of his trance. He instinctively reached his arm out and gripped her right shoulder softly. "What are you sorry about, Videl?" He lifted her chin up with his free right hand and looked into her tear stained eyes.
"I'm sorry... for everything." Videl tried to keep her voice steady, but it was only half-working. "It's just been hard for me without you around. Even with Pan."
"Oh, Videl, it's ok." But before he could move, somebody appeared in the sky.
"I would think you should be more worried about them." He dropped an unconscious Pan and Trunks beside Videl and Gohan.
Videl ran toward them, but Gohan stared at the newcomer with anger. "What'd you do to them... Raditz?"
Videl jerked her head back in horror. "Raditz? But he was killed-"
"How'd you get out of HFIL. Raditz? You couldn't have been wished back."
He smiled. "How'd you get out of the Other World?"
"We got out legally."
"I doesn't matter that much now, does it, Gohan? Well, I've got to go. He wanted me back in a few minutes after I took care of the two brats." He smirked and waved as he disappeared.
"Wait a minute! Who's 'he'"?
But he had already vanished. Gohan growled in frustration and walked over to Videl. "The portal Kayla andI were guarding in HFIL is the only way out. How are they?" He looked at the two, not moving.
Videl breathed a sigh of relief. "Fine. They aren't seriously injured, but it looks like Trunks is in worse shape." She glanced over at Trunks.
Gohan walked over and gently picked Pan up. He gazed at her solemn face for several moments then smiled in confirmation. "Come on, let's take them to Capsule Corp."
"Right." Videl picked up Trunks and followed Gohan into the air.
----------
Kayla's eyes scanned the sky fiercely. I know I sensed someone... And Trunks and Pan's energy levels dropped. I better go see what's up.
"Kayla!" Gohan yelled to stop her from taking off. Videl landed beside him.
"Gohan!" Kayla shouted in surprise, then say the two in their arms. "Oh, no, are they seriously injured?"
Bulma ran over to Trunks and quickly carried him inside. Gohan shook his head. "Just unconscious. Raditz escaped through the portal in HFIL."
"Raditz?" Kayla scoffed. "Atleast we can deal with him" It's Gero I was worried about. He's still around here... somewhere.
"It's OK, Kayla. We'll take care of him, too." Gohan's voice broke Kayla from her thoughts. She just looked at him blankly.
"I know who you're thinking about. If he comes, we'll take care of him, too." Gohan smiled confidentally.
"Oh? Like last time?" She responded sarcastically and narrowed her eyes.. "He didn't die and hasn't been seen for 16 years. He's waiting for me, Gohan."
Pan's eyes fluttered open. "Trunks..."
"Pan!" Videl yelled out of relief that her daughter was awake.
"Mom?" Pan looked at her mother, realizing she wasn't in her arms and jumped down, looking around frantically. "Where's Trunks! He got injured!"
"He's resting in the house, Pan. Let him-"
Pan ignored her mother and ran into the house with an angry frown on her face. When she went through the doorway and saw him lying on the couch, she screamed. "You idiot!"
"Pan?" The others were at the doorway. Bulma stopped as she came from the hallway with a bottle in her hand.
Pan slammed her fists on Trunks chest. "Wake up, Trunks! You better not die on me!"
Videl silently hugged her daughter from behind empathetically. "Pan..."
"Oh, mom... He told me to leave, so he could fight the Saiyan... alone. He didn't want me to get hurt..." Pan's voice shook.
Videl flinched and squeezed her daughter a little more. "Yeah? Well, guys are like that about girls they care about. He'll be fine. " She smiled.
"He better be." Pan whispered.
----------
"Now Raditz is attacking people that are weaker than him?" Videl shook her head. "He attacked Trunks and Pan when they were alone, knowing that he could knock them out of commission before we were alerted."
"Exactly." Kayla said as she walked outside beside Videl. "We'll protect everyone though."
"Of course we will." Gohan smiled. "He can't be allowed to pick on weaker Saiyans."
Videl gasped slightly and looked up at him. "So... you believe me?'
"Believe you about what?"
"About... Pan. I didn't get a chance to finish. I'm still sorry. I feel as though you should have known before now."
"How could he have known, Videl? We were dead. There's no way he could have known," Kayla said, frowning at her.
"But he's... her father." She whispered, but no one heard her.
"Trunks!" Pan yelled from inside.
Everyone hurried beside her to see him open his eyes. "Pan... why didn't you go?" His words were barely audible. "Did you... get hurt?"
"You should be worried about yourself, Trunks, not me!" Pan yelled out of anger and worry.
Trunks managed a gentle smile. "Why? You know how I feel about you, Pan."
"Wha..." Pan breathed. He told me he loved me, but...
"Just be safe, Pan. I wanted you to know that." He whispered and his face became distant.
"Trunks! No! Stay with me!" Pan gasped and suddenly threw her arms around him. Tears trickled down her cheeks slowly and were absorbed by the blue cloth of Trunks' shirt.
His eyelids drooped.
"No, you can't leave me, Trunks! I need you! I... I love you, Trunks... I always have... and always will. You can't leave..."
And at that moment, he closed his eyes and his heart stopped beating.
Hope you like it! Comments? Suggestions? Review or PM me!
