"What in the world are you idiots doing!?"

Pan didn't look up; only one person could yell with such vigor, and only two idiots were present. It didn't seem to matter that Trunks and Goten were both almost 30, they basically acted like two nine-year olds, at least when they were together. Well, maybe two people could yell with such vigor, since now Pan's grandma was joining Bulma in verbally thrashing their sons. It sounded like it had something to do with food, and having no patience, and being bottomless Saiyan pits….the usual.

Bulma's little reunion party was in full swing in Capsule Corp.'s backyard, and the whole gang had turned out for the event. Pan didn't know all the others quite as well as she knew the Briefs, who were practically part of her family, but she still knew them. She watched them with some interest. They were quite the odd group when you stood back and looked at it. Yamcha, who still hung out with his ex-girlfriend from like 40 years ago; Tien, a guy with three eyes, and Chiaotzu, his constant little white-faced companion; Krillin, the short man with the beautiful android wife, along with their daughter, Marron, practically a perfect blend of her parents; Master Roshi, a perverted old man that had somehow been the one to invent the Kamehameha Wave; a talking, shape-shifting pig; and a flying little cat. Strange company, but Pan loved them all.

And let's not forget the aliens, she added in her head. Vegeta was leaning against a tree not too far from her, arms crossed over his chest. He was watching Trunks and Goten with something that resembled disgust mixed with fondness. Pan's mother (though not an alien) was sitting at the picnic table to Vegeta's right, and was soon joined by Chi Chi as the yelling died down. Gohan leaned against the table, laughing at his younger brother and his…well practically other younger brother.

Bulma, finally giving up on Trunks and Goten, was stomping over to sit with the Son women, Eighteen following suit. Uub stood a little ways off, conversing with Hercule and Krillin.

Pan turned to Bra, her best friend who sat next to her in the grass. Bra hadn't been too happy when Pan took off into outer space without telling her about it, but of course she had forgiven the younger girl. "Are you as bored as I am?"

Bra smirked, and Pan almost laughed out loud at how that one expression could take her from Bulma-clone to female-Vegeta in a split second. "You're always bored Pan!" she snorted, "But, yeah this is a little tame. Wish we could be shopping instead, but I'm pretty sure my mom would tear into us next if we tried to bail."

Pan sighed as she threw herself back. Shopping sounded worse than this, so Pan thanked her lucky stars for Bulma. Turning her head to the side to watch people some more, she noticed her father's suddenly forlorn expression. She wondered whether it was his father or his mentor that he was thinking about. She wished she could do something to make her dad feel better. His father may have been a wavering presence, but Piccolo had been one of the few constants in his life. Looking back at the sky to ponder this, it occurred to Pan suddenly that today was probably not the best day for a picnic, considering the dark clouds that were rolling in. "Check that out" she pointed with a thrust of her chin to the rapidly darkening sky.

"Whoa, when did that happen?" Bra responded after she dragged her eyes away from Uub. "Wasn't it sunny and clear a minute ago?"

"Yeah I thought so-no more I guess," Pan hopped up as she felt a drop of rain hit her nose. The rest of the party had noticed the sudden change in the weather and was beginning to hurry into the house for cover. Pan and Bra quickly helped move the food inside.

Once in the house, everyone was able to eat their fill as the rain started pounding down. Pan wasn't sure if she'd ever seen such a violent storm. She watched from a window in the living room as the outside world was plunged practically into night, even though it was only 1:00 in the afternoon. Thunder shook the house, lightning cut jagged lines in the sky. Trees were nearly bent in half by a wind that howled as if it were being tortured. Goten jumped onto the couch Pan was occupying, glancing out the window. "Pretty good one, huh?" he asked his niece.

"Yep," was her short reply. Goten grinned and linked his hands behind his head, leaning closer to Pan. "Are you scared?" he asked. Pan shot him a glare and pushed his head away. He pinched her cheek and laughed, trailing off as something across the room caught his gaze. Rubbing her slightly sore cheek, Pan followed the line of his sight and grinned.

"See something you like Uncle Goten?"

Marron leaned against the wall, talking to Videl.

"Yep, your mom's still got it- ow!" She cut him off with a thump to the head.

"Don't change the subject!" Pan hissed. "Why don't you ask her out or something?"

Goten stuck his tongue out at her.

"Come on I'm serious," Pan pushed. Her uncle only closed his eyes and leaned back, pretending not to hear her. Pan threw her arms around him, smiling sweetly. "Don't you think I need some cousins, Uncle Goten?" The Saiyan man's eyes shot open at that, but he only groaned in response. She laughed heartily. She and her uncle usually operated like this, teasing each other mercilessly. And now Pan had some pretty solid ammo. But they loved one another fiercely. Goten was in a lot of ways more like a big brother to Pan than just an uncle. "Can't you just imagine a little blonde-haired, blue-eyed Goten running around, getting into untold amounts of mischief? I'd even babysit that hellion for you!"

Goten shoved a pillow into Pan's face, laughing. "Dream on, sweetheart! This man is not about to—"

"Hey, Goten!" interjected Marron. He jumped, startled by her sudden appearance. "I haven't seen you in forever!" Pan smirked at her uncle's sudden deer-in-the-headlights face, slipping silently away. She wandered over to Vegeta, who had replaced his leaning-tree with a leaning-wall in the next room.

"Hi-ya, Prince!" she greeted him with a huge grin. She just loved calling him that. He grunted and rolled his eyes, but Pan was pretty sure he loved it too. "I can tell you're in a good mood today," she continued. He 'hmphed' again, still not looking at her.

Well this won't do. I demand attention, darn it!

Pan jumped up and pecked Vegeta on the cheek before dashing away quickly. She glanced back to see the blush on his cheeks as he yelled at her to "get back here brat" and started to chase her down. She laughed, knowing it was all a big joke, he'd never hurt her, unless they were sparring of course.

Not looking where she was going, the girl ran smack dab into a wall of half-Saiyan that was her father. "Did Vegeta just yell for me….?" he asked. Pan laughed as she jumped around him, deciding on a whim to use the sliding glass doors in the backyard as her exit. She plunged into the thick downpour, closing the door behind her, barely catching her dad's "Pan, get back in here!" She couldn't see a thing in front of her face, so she held out her hands to prevent a run-in with anything. She was fairly certain that Vegeta wouldn't come out here.

Once she reached the place where she'd been lying previously, she flopped down on the ground again, uncaring since she was already soaked. Her mother would be annoyed with her later, but oh well. She also hadn't thought about having to go back into Bulma's house like a wet cat…..

Guess I'll have to stay out here until we leave, Pan thought with a smile.

The girl turned her head to the side, squinting. It hurt to look directly at the rain; it was coming down so hard. Her lids began to drift closed as another flash of lightning crossed the sky…..

She sat up suddenly, heart pounding, staring intently away from the house. She had seen something with that flash of bright light, she was sure of it. Something that looked an awful lot like a person. As adrenaline pumped rapidly through her body, Pan extended her senses, trying to locate the intruder in Bulma's yard. She shouldn't be scared, had no reason to be; she could take on basically any human alive. Still, she couldn't seem to shake the feeling of apprehension. But her senses detected nothing, no unfamiliar energy in the vicinity at all. She let her eyes close again as she sank back to the ground, heart still galloping.

I couldn't have seen anything with this rain anyways; it's practically a solid wall of water. She opened her eyes again, looking back in that same direction. The lightning flashed.

"Okay, who's out there?!" Pan jumped hastily to her feet, stalking toward the form that she was certain she had seen a second time. She could still sense no energy there, and that prickling sense of apprehension was getting stronger. For a split second she considered the possibility that maybe this was an android, maybe she should go back and get help instead of rushing headlong into possible danger. But she was already most of the way there. And that form looked shockingly familiar. Her body was practically vibrating with tension, the sound of the rain hitting the ground suddenly much louder, the feel of it on her skin suddenly much harder, nearly painful. Pan realized how shallow and rapid her breathing was as she neared her target, how her heart seemed almost like one solid thrum in her chest.

She was nearly there now….just another yard…. She stopped in confusion.

I should be right on top of it. Where'd that thing go? Pan took a deep breath, folding her arms in annoyance. How the heck could I have imagined that? Shaking her head and scowling at herself, the young Saiyan girl turned to head back to the house.

She never saw the fist coming, and was knocked out on impact.

Glancing out the window yet again, Gohan sighed. That headstrong girl. The thought came with a rueful smile though. His daughter had his wife's fighting spirit and his own Saiyan strength. Or some of it at least. It made her what Vegeta had always called "a true Saiyan" and he couldn't be more proud of that, even knowing that he didn't want what had been his existence of life-and-death battles for his daughter. But she was a true Saiyan, in more ways than one. She had her grandfather's yearning for adventure inside of her. That thought gave Gohan a little shock of something close to fear. He'd never thought about it that way, put them together and compared that one trait. He prayed to his good friend Dende that he'd never have to live through the day when he was without Pan, too. Losing his father (each and every time) was nearly unbearable, and losing Piccolo was somehow even more excruciating, maybe because it had never happened before, or at least not for years. But if he lost Pan, if he lost his little girl…. Gohan had a special relationship with most of the people in his life: his wife, his mother, Bulma, Goten, Trunks, Krillin, even Vegeta. And of course his father and Piccolo. But nothing, not even his great love for his father, held a candle to the love he felt for his child. He imagined that people were made that way, feeling a tie to their own offspring that was indescribable and unparalleled. He only knew that the world would stop spinning if Pan wasn't in it, that the hurt he would feel if she left him would engulf his mind, his very soul completely.

He shook off the thought, checking on Pan through the window again. He couldn't see her lying on the ground anymore, but he could still feel her energy and knew she was close.

"Don't worry so much, kid," Bulma elbowed Gohan lightly. He laughed.

"You know I can't help it," he said sheepishly, hand rubbing the back of his head. Bulma winked at him with a chuckle.

"I sure do! We should have all seen what type of father you'd be long ago, just knowing you as a kid."

Gohan frowned a little. "Do you think I overdo it?"

Bulma laughed out loud. "Of course you do, Gohan. But that's what makes you, you- it always has. Pan's a lucky girl. I just don't envy the boy that wants to marry her."

Gohan shuddered at the thought as Bulma walked away. Abruptly Gohan felt Pan's energy level increase. She was frightened, he could tell. He quickly headed for the door, noting Trunks, Goten, and Vegeta following him. He threw open the sliding glass and ran into the rain without hesitation. Just as he was about to call her name, the amount of rain decreased exponentially.

And his daughter's energy vanished.

It was dark, and it was cold, unbearably quiet. Pan had never experienced such silence, such complete and chilling emptiness. She couldn't feel anything; no thing touched her on any side. It was as if she were floating, completely weightless. Yet she was totally immobile. She tried to open her mouth to say something-to scream-but no sound came out. She couldn't tell if she had even opened her mouth at all. Couldn't even tell if she had a mouth to open.

Was this death? Panic started to seize her. If she were dead, she was surely in the worst circle of hell. She would be insane inside of an hour, inside of a minute in this…emptiness. It was like a vacuum, a void of terror. Pan knew her heart should be racing, her body tense and ready to run, but she felt nothing but a numb horror. None of the physical reactions which she was used to came, although she knew it was cold and dark.

And suddenly the world flipped. It was bright, too bright, painfully stark white light, practically burning her alive. Or maybe it was the intense heat that scorched her body from the inside out. Her ears were filled with a rushing sound, getting louder and louder. She felt her body now, felt it being compressed, crushed. Felt it being slowly stabbed with a thousand knives. She wondered if she would be turned into dust from this great pressure. Her mind was buzzing, no her entire body was buzzing, almost ringing. Her heart was suddenly beating again, frantically, like a rabid animal. She realized she had a mouth now, and so she opened it.

This time, she screamed.

Gohan didn't understand. They had searched everywhere, and there was absolutely no sign of his daughter.

How can this be? How could her energy have just vanished completely? It was there one minute and gone the next!

He groaned, feeling sick to his stomach. He was quickly beginning to panic, but he couldn't let his wife see that. She was standing with his mother, who was bawling by now, having already awoken after passing out earlier. Videl's face was stark white, her eyes wide, every muscle in her body tensed. She hadn't cried, and he knew it was because she refused to accept that her baby was not okay.

Flying down to meet her on the ground, Gohan saw the plea in his wife's eyes, begging him to tell her that he had found their daughter, that she was fine, that she had run off for some silly reason. He clenched his jaw and shook his head. Videl blinked, a ragged breath escaping from her lips. She swallowed hard, refusing to give in still.

It wouldn't have been too shocking; Pan took off when she got upset sometimes, though not far, and never without letting someone in her family know where she was going.

Besides, she was happy when I saw her last. Gohan replayed that moment in his mind, Pan running into him, running from Vegeta. She had laughed, looked into his eyes for a split second and laughed before going around him to get outside. And even then, she had been outside for a while, perfectly calm, he could tell by her energy. But she had suddenly been in distress, and then all of a sudden disappeared. No, he was certain. Even if those things hadn't happened, he would have known. He could feel it deep in his bones. Something bad was going on. His baby had run into something that had scared her, and then she had vanished.

But how? Or perhaps more importantly, who? And why? Gohan had no idea who could have done this. They had searched for an unfamiliar presence but found none. In spite of this, Gohan was certain, he would find this person. And when he did, they would pay dearly.

Goten flew down to his older brother, taking their mother so that Videl could lean into Gohan for support. Gohan could tell that his little brother was scared; they all were.

Gohan's resolve strengthened. He felt an anger that he hadn't felt in years. No, that wasn't right; he had never felt anger this potent.

He looked his wife in the eyes. They were a darker violet than he had ever seen."I will find her. I promise you that. I will get our little girl back." He spoke the words with conviction, because he meant them with everything he had. Videl nodded.

I am Son Gohan, the son of Goku. No one takes what is mine. He gazed fiercely at the horizon. Whoever you are, I will find you. And I will show you no mercy.

A/N: Well a little action there, thank goodness. :) I hope everyone's enjoying it so far. It's amazing how long it takes to write a chapter, and then it only takes ten minutes tops to read! Frustrating! I'm going to work on making them longer. I'd like to see this thing go a long way. I don't know how long I will go between updates, hopefully not long at all. Also, I feel like I should warn people: I intend to fill this story with lots of sickly sweet lovey-dovey father/daughter-ish moments! I've always LOVED Gohan, and have always been dissatisfied with the lack of relationship between him and his daughter. That's why I'm writing this story. Not to mention the disappointment they made him into in GT... oh well! Please review, I absolutely crave it! The two reviews I have utterly MADE. MY. DAY. Thank you both, SO MUCH! Good, bad, and ugly, I don't care, just review please :D Also, I think it would be really cool if anyone had anything in particular that they want to see in the story. If so, please tell me! Thanks!