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"Triple Threat 3: Escape from the Other World"
Chapter 7: "Memory of Sacrifice"

Gero stopped before the beam hit him, so it shot in front of his face, and growled. "Who did that?"

"Piccolo!" Pan smiled at the Namek and flew up to meet him. "Piccolo, I'm glad you're here!"

"Namek! Long time, no see." Gero smirked, glanced at him and raised his hand at Pan's back as his eyes moved to her. "Photon Wave!"

"Pan, watch out!" Piccolo yelled and teleported behind her to divert the blast. He hit it away with his left hand and it exploded in a nearby forest. He glared down at Gero. "No one hurts my friends, especially my students, and gets away with it"

"So it runs in the family?" Gero smirked

"You shouldn't attack them, Gero." Kayla eyes became angry and focused as she stared at him. "You want me, so why attack them?"

He turned to face her with a smile. "You're right." He quickly shot a Photon Wave twice the size as the previous one before Kayla knew how to react.

"What?" Kayla barely had time to blink before her instincts kicked in. She stretched her arms out beside her. "Guardian Barrier!" A yellow energy barrier formed around her and the others. Gero's attack bounced back at him as it hit the barrier's defensive energy.

Gero growled as he held his palms out and absorbed the blast. "So, you've learned a new technique. No matter. You'll still die." He flew at her from the sky at lightning speed.

"Kayla!" Gohan appeared in front of her, blocking Gero's path. "You know your Guardian Barrier uses all your energy." He kneed Gero in the chin and kicked him to the left.

"Master!" Raditz yelled tried to flee from the attacking Piccolo.

"Where do you think you're going?" Piccolo grabbed his right leg before he could fly away.

"Let me go, Namek!" The Saiyan growled in frustration and tossed a small energy blast down at him. He jerked his foot from Piccolo's hand and the moment of split second distraction provided by the blast.

Piccolo pulled back his hand and gritted his teeth. "Hey!" He shouted roughly, but didn't go after him. Instead, he looked over at Pan.

She frowned, lowering her eyes. "I know. Stay here."

"Right. I don't want to have to watch you." Piccolo told her, didn't move. His eyes widened as he saw Gohan help Kayla onto her feet. G-Gohan... " He watched for a moment, part of him wondering how he got to the world of the living, another wondering if that was really him. He didn't have to ponder it, though, as Pan spoke.

"Who's watching over who?" Pan asked him as she caught a large energy blast from Raditz. As she kicked it away from the two, she turned to him and frowned, as if scolding him. "You're the one spacing out. You're the adult. You know to always keep your guard-"

"Pan!" He barked at her, still gazing at Gohan and Kayla below. Pan scoffed.

"I'm fine, Gohan." Kayla told him. "I'll just need to rest for a bit. R-Really..." Her breath became heavier.

Gero smiled, rejuvenated by his own blast. "Now I can kill you easily." He charged down toward her, faster than either of them could see.

"I don't think so, Gero!" A voice shouted and legs wrapped around Gero's neck. He was then slammed into the ground, their blonde hair sweeping across their angry scowl.

Gero stood back up to look at his attacker. "Who's that? Who dare- You!" He glared at the former android and grinded his teeth together. "What do you think you're doing? You were my-"

"That's right. Were." Eighteen spoke harshly as she held an energy blast at his face.

Eighteen... She... She saved me. Kayla stood, staring at the woman in disbelief. But why...?

"I won't allow you to kill any family of mine. She snarled, and before he had the chance to recover, jerked back his wrists and held him up. "...Blood related or not."

"Do you really think you can defeat me, little girl?" Raditz smiled knowingly and teleported behind her and kneed her in the back before she could react. As she fell to the ground, Raditz raised his palms above his head and gathered energy. "Double Sunday!"

"Pan!" Piccolo saw the two blasts release and soar down at her out of the corner of his right eye. He darted to her falling body, but in his mind, he was going in slow motion. Not again! "Not again!" He let out a burst of energy and appeared in front of the blast. "I won't let Pan die while I'm here!"

Hearing her name, Pan slowly opened her eyes just in time to see Raditz's energy blasts rip through Piccolo's chest.

Gohan looked up and saw Pan jerk her body forward. He looked ahead of her and flinched, too shocked to move. His mind going back many years ago, Gohan yelled out.

"Mr. Piccolo!"

As soon as those words left Pan's mouth, she glanced back at Gohan, wondering why - only for a second - why the boy would use that name also, and sped toward her mentor. "Piccolo! Mr. Piccolo! You can't die!" She held back tears as Piccolo fell into her arms.

Goku used his Instant Transmission and brought back Dende from the lookout a minute later. Everyone didn't hesitate to gather around the Namek.

Gero smiled at the older Namek in the girl's arms and looked up at Raditz. "Good job. You've let them know we can't be toyed with."

"Master?" The Saiyan raised looked at Gero questionably.

"Let's go. Let them think it over. I... have an idea that needs to be tested." He said as he laid his eyes on Kayla and vanished.

"Pan, bring him down here, please!" Dende yelled urgently. "I may be able to save him."

Pan nodded and teleported to him. She wiped away tears and watched as the younger Namek pressed his palms onto Piccolo's chest where the two blasts went through.

"Please, Dende... He can't die. He... He can't die, too." She shook her head, blinking back more tears.

Pan... Gohan watched the girl stare at Piccolo and smiled. She really is... "He'll be fine, Pan." He spoke aloud to her and turned to look at Piccolo. "Won't you... Piccolo?"

Piccolo groaned as he gained slight consciousness. "It's... It's really you, huh?" He looked at his former student weakly. "I thought it was..."

"Don't speak." Dende told him softly. "You need to rest." He nodded toward the others. "What happened anyway? He knows how to avoid attacks like that."

Piccolo gazed at Gohan, a faint smile tugging at his lips, but before he spoke, Pan answered. "I'm just weak. Mr. Piccolo... I mean, Piccolo, saved me from that Saiyan's blast." She turned away and wiped her eyes. "I'm pitiful. I still call him Mr. Piccolo...That shows you how weak I am. Trunks had to save me as well. I... I'm just not strong enough."

"No, Pan..." Piccolo's voice was low and forceful. "You're not weak. You actually helped me..."

"Yeah, helped you get over him, right?" Pan turned back to him, her tone half angry, half concerned. "That's why you've always been so eager to see me grow stronger... That's why when anybody looks at me, they never see me, they see him."

The silence was tangible. Everyone but Pan averted their eyes downward. She scanned the group but stopped to gaze at her mother glaringly. "Well? Say something."

"You're right... but not all of us." Videl looked up with damp eyes. "Piccolo has his own reason, but me... Well, it's a long story. Everybody else recognizes you as Pan, as a 15-year-old girl. They see you. We all just see you in a different degree. Do you understand?"

Pan didn't answer at first. She slowly turned around and took a few steps forward. "Was he that important to you? When... When will you tell me about him? Nobody will tell me anything. They all say that you will, when you're ready."

Videl watched as the wind whistled loudly in the tense silence and blew her daughter's dark colored hair. "Soon, Pan." She said quietly. "I'll tell you soon..." She balled her fists up, supressing tears again,

Gohan came up behind her and touched her shoulders, and Kayla watched the touching motion, smiling. Pan just lifted herself in the air and flew away slowly.

Videl didn't try and stop her. She stood up and took hold of Gohan's left hand and said aloud, to the howling wind. "Soon, Pan... I promise."


11/18/07: Just in case any of you are readers of my story Memoirs of a Geisha 2: Sayuri's Next Journey and haven't see it yet, please read the important status change on my profile page. Thanks!