Disclaimer: I deny all rights and ownership of the characters and world of Dragon Ball. I acknowledge Akira Toriyama's brilliance and authority.
Trust
How dare he take her grandpa away? It wasn't fair, and it wasn't right either! Pan sorely hoped that if she closed her eyes and opened them again, Grandpa Goku would have won the match, and be telling her that they could go play more games again. But no, he still stood with that boy, smiling brightly.
Oddly enough, that smile managed to cause her more pain than she felt when falling for the first time.
Did he love this boy more than her? This boy who he just met today? Was that it? Did she chase him away by doing something bad? She made him proud by winning her first match, right? Then why was he leaving?
It was the second time she felt like crying today, only this time, the reason for her tears was much more serious than a dead ice cream cone.
"Grandpa, you can't leave!"
Picking Pan up, he simply smiled and said words meant to comfort.
"Aww, don't worry Pan, I'll be back someday! I'm just going to go with Uub for a while, alright?"
Pan wondered, when would someday be?
Still, she decided to be brave for her grandpa. Swallowing her tears, she gave him a watery smile that was hopefully as wide and as bright as his. She might have had her doubts, but she wouldn't let that glimmer of hope die just because she didn't believe in her grandpa.
He'd be back.
Regardless, there was still a chance, no matter how small, and how seemingly insignificant, there was always the shadow of doubt.
Pan needed to make sure that he would come back, because there would be a lot of people who would miss Grandpa, even if he didn't know it himself.
Looking beyond her grandpa, she saw the boy who he decided to train. He looked bewildered by everything that had just occurred. Then again, her grandpa was amazing. The fact that he was going to train him is an obvious reason for shock.
Leaping out of her grandpa's arms, she made her way over to him.
His eyes were honed on her grandpa, so he didn't even seem to notice the little girl who had just made her way over to him.
Until she made herself noticed of course.
Flying to his eye level, she crossed her arms and glared. Pan had to admit she found a bit of amusement in watching the poor boy recoil in surprise when he saw her flying like the birds did on a bright day. He looked nervous as she examined him, evaluated him. It looked rather silly when you thought about it, a five-year-old intimidating a boy twice her age. Finally, she took a deep breath.
"You better make sure my grandpa comes home, or else I'm going to really beat you up, got it?"
Somehow, he understood that there seemed to be some universal rule warning him that he shouldn't anger the girl in front of him, so he quickly nodded in agreement. Goku, amused by Pan's aggression, chuckled quietly to himself.
Seeing that no further goodbyes had to be said, Goku and his new apprentice took off, eyes shining with the prospect of a new adventure.
As she waved goodbye, Pan could feel the wicked feeling of doubt creeping up on her again.
Then she remembered Uub's eyes, so similar to her grandpa's in the way that they glowed with the will to protect.
She decided that she could trust him for now.
That didn't mean that she wouldn't make him eat dirt later though.
Notes: Well here's a bit of a longer chapter, at least compared to my last one. Not much to say on my end, but I hope you guys have a bit to say on yours. Reviews are forever appreciated.