Quick edit!: **Tell me, my reviewers/readers-am I allowed to change my title? Because I REALLY want to! I never cared for it to anyway-I just needed a title so I put the first thing that came to mind. Terrible, I know! I might just change it tomorrow...**
In the "past"
By the time Gohan returned to his house with Pan, he was surprised to find that a couple of hours had passed since leaving Bulma's. The group had a quiet lunch as he filled his mother in on the situation. Chi Chi was a little surprised by the news, but managed to stay positive for Pan.
Gohan eyed the girl with some concern, but gave her a reassuring smile every time she looked at him. She was being very quiet. He wondered if she felt awkward because of how he had held her before, or if she was still just sad about being stuck here. It only got worse as Chi Chi began asking about their family from the future.
"So…who is your mother?" was her first question. Gohan barely had time to balk before tears were filling Pan's eyes. It was also Chi Chi's last question, and Pan didn't even answer it.
"I don't think she should tell us, mom," Gohan cut in hastily. He didn't want Pan to be upset, plus he really didn't want to know. It felt very awkward to consider talking to his mother about someone with whom he would have a sexual relationship in the future. He'd really never even thought about having sex before, and just the thought made him a little anxious.
Shockingly, his mother only nodded. She obviously felt bad for upsetting Pan, so she quickly changed the subject, "Well, what about school?" she directed at Pan. "Were you home-schooled?"
Pan had recovered swiftly, without even shedding a tear. "I was for a few years, but I started going to school in the city when I was in middle school."
Gohan considered this with interest. He had always wondered what it would be like to go to regular school and be around people his own age. Honestly, he'd never spent any real time around anyone that could be considered a peer; but then again, his wasn't a normal childhood. The teen realized that Pan must have led a fairly normal life, though. This made him glad for some reason. He wouldn't change his past, exactly, but he would never wish his screwed-up life on anyone else. It was something he worried about constantly with Goten. He had made it his personal duty to do two things for his little brother: give him as normal a life as possible, and never leave him. He glanced over to smile at the little guy who was happily stuffing food into his mouth. It was, after all, his fault that the boy didn't have a father. Gohan quickly put his hands under the table to conceal their slight shaking.
What does this make, three times in less than twenty-four hours?
He brushed it off with relative ease though, so he didn't take any more time to worry about it. Still, he noticed Pan giving him a strange look. The boy scrambled for something to say that would distract her, but he was saved by his mother.
"Then I'll be teaching you while you're here, however long that may be. We can't allow you to fall behind on your studies!" While Chi Chi looked delighted to have a new 'student', Gohan noticed Pan's less-than-thrilled expression. But it was obvious that she knew his mother well enough that she had expected this anyway. "Now Gohan will have a study partner! And you're both the same age, it's perfect!" she was getting excited again.
I swear, Gohan thought with some exasperation, I've never in my life seen mom so ecstatic. I'm starting to wonder if she really did wish she'd had a daughter!
Chi Chi looked at Pan thoughtfully for a moment. "But I'm guessing you probably aren't as exceptional as my Gohan…."
Pan's jaw dropped, Gohan saw, but he avoided seeing much more of her reaction by burying his head in his hands. Come on, mom, he lamented silently, How embarrassing.
"No matter!" Chi Chi continued. Gohan wished he could cover her mouth with his hand as he had Pan, but he knew it wouldn't go over as well with his mother. "Gohan will be an excellent help for you!"
Pan looked pretty angry at this point, and Gohan was really starting to worry about where this would go. He wasn't at all surprised when she opened her mouth; he had already learned that the girl didn't take anything lying down.
"I know that," she gritted out, although she was speaking with a great amount of patience, meaning her respect (or fear—probably fear) for Chi Chi was great. "Who do you think taught me?"
Instead of being offended at all, Gohan's mother's eyes lit up. He was surprised when she looked at him.
I want no part of this!
"Oh, son! You're going to be such a wonderful father!" Gohan was blushing furiously.
"Mom-!" he was cut off as Pan abruptly stood. He and his mother regarded her in surprise. His humiliation was forgotten quickly at the look in the girl's eyes.
"May I be excused?" she spoke so softly it was almost a whisper. Her fists were clenched tightly and it was apparent that she was trying not to cry then.
Chi Chi nodded, eyes wide. Pan turned to dash away quickly, a sob escaping her lips.
"Oh no," Chi Chi moaned, head in her hands. "That poor girl!"
Gohan didn't say anything in response as he stared at the opening into the hall Pan had disappeared through before slamming the door to his bedroom. He heard the lock turn and knew that she had sealed herself in. His heart ached for her as he stood to follow. Chi Chi barely noticed his exit as she started cleaning Goten up hastily.
Reaching his own bedroom door, the teen boy knocked softly. He could hear Pan inside, crying even more heavily than she had out in the wilderness, which he wouldn't have imagined possible. Getting no response to his knock, Gohan spoke gently.
"Pan?" he heard her sobs quiet, but she still didn't answer. He sighed. He was really not used to girls: they seemed to be very emotional, although he knew she had good reason. "Will you let me in?"
There was no response for several moments. Gohan was beginning to think she hadn't heard him when suddenly the door opened slightly, revealing the tear-stained girl's narrowed eyes.
"What it is, Mr. Exceptional?" she was trying to sound severe, but she wasn't doing very well. Gohan grimaced at the appellation. What the hell was wrong with his mother, anyway?
"I'm sorry. She doesn't always think before she talks," he mumbled as he glanced back to make sure his mother wasn't listening. She wasn't.
Pan's eyebrows were raised in annoyance when he looked back at her. "Look," she started. "It was really nice what you did for me earlier, and I truly appreciate it. But you don't have to do this—you don't have to come take care of me every time I get upset. It's probably going to be happening a lot, so…" Pan trailed off with a shrug.
"But I don't like to see you upset; I want to help you-."
Pan cut him a look so irate that his throat closed off of its own accord. "You," she said quietly, "are not my dad." Gohan stepped back in shock at her words. Pan began to close the door, but the boy regained his composure. Holding out a hand to keep the door open, he looked at her with sympathy. She looked back with even more anger, seeming to be bothered that she couldn't budge the door against his hand.
"I don't want to be your dad, Pan. I just…want to be your friend. Is that okay?"
She stopped trying to force the door closed to eye him in puzzlement.
He raised his eyebrows and gave her a hesitant smile, praying that his wouldn't serve only to enrage her further. Finally the girl sighed and rolled her eyes. Gohan exhaled in slight relief as he released the door, taking it as a good sign that she didn't immediately slam it in his face. After considering him for a moment longer, she stepped aside.
"It's your room anyway, I guess I can't really keep you out," Pan mumbled as the boy entered. Gohan laughed a little as he turned to face her, realizing suddenly that he'd never had a girl in his room. Would this bother his mother? Then again, this particular girl was probably the only one in existence that it was okay to be alone with.
"So," Gohan smiled, hoping to put Pan at ease, "what would make you feel better?"
Pan scowled. "What do you mean? You know what would make me feel better."
"I mean, what do you normally do when you're upset? To help you relax?" he clarified hastily.
Gohan was surprised when she seemed to consider him much more closely all of a sudden, a lot more interest in her gaze. "Train," she finally said.
Her response made Gohan raise his eyebrows. He didn't know why this surprised him; maybe because he hadn't known many female fighters. He could tell by her intense gaze that she wanted to spar with him. But could he do it? What if he lost control of himself and hurt her? She may have Saiyan blood in her, but she was still mostly human—and therefore much more fragile. Gohan hadn't sparred with anyone but Piccolo or Vegeta for three years, not counting the deadly enemies he'd had to defeat. And even the four years before that it had only been his father and mentor. If the freak inside of him came out while he was fighting Pan…he wouldn't be able to forgive himself for harming her. His stomach turned at the thought.
Pan's eyes widened expectantly.
On the other hand, he wouldn't even have to go Super Saiyan to fight her, so he shouldn't really have trouble controlling the urges. Especially just for one short spar to burn off a small girl's steam. He also couldn't help but be curious about her abilities. Seeing her dark eyes so full of hope cinched it; Gohan knew there was no way he could say no.
He let out a breath he didn't even know he'd been holding. "Would you like to spar with me?"
The words weren't fully out of his mouth before Pan was nodding enthusiastically, all sorrows forgotten. As Gohan prayed that he wouldn't regret this later, the girl shocked him by grabbing his hand and pulling him to the bedroom's open window.
"Right now!?" Gohan exclaimed. His question was answered as Pan jumped ouside, hauling him right along behind her.
Pan couldn't remember ever being so excited in her life. Here she was, in the middle of a clearing a few miles away from the house on the Son family's land, about to face off with the earth's strongest fighter. Gohan shook his head slightly as he looked at their surroundings. She didn't bother to ask what he was thinking. She was ready for this, ready to feel her blood sing in the way that only fighting could make it. She had taken up a defensive stance immediately upon landing, but her partner stood fully upright and did no more than stare at her.
"Are you going to just stand there, or what?" she snapped as annoyance shot through her glee.
He chuckled, eyeing her from head to toe. She realized that he was appraising her, sizing her up. She had an advantage here, though. She had sparred with him multiple times throughout her life, and watched him in action as well, while he'd never even seen her fight. Pan still knew that he was worlds stronger than her, but there was no denying the benefit she had from knowing him in her time.
Gohan raised his brows. "Are you ready to start?"
Pan just rolled her eyes in reply. He obviously thought that she must be a total weakling, and was probably really only doing this to humor her. She smirked.
Underestimating me will be his downfall.
Wasting not another second, Pan attacked head on, going in for a right hook with all the speed she could call up. Before her opponent had a chance to move, she phased out and reappeared immediately behind him, bringing her arm around to connect with his right temple—only it didn't. Pan jerked to a stop as Gohan vanished completely. Before she had time to look around for him, she was dealt a devastating blow to the back which sent her plummeting into the ground not far below her. She grit her teeth as her head connected with the grassy land. Quickly she rolled onto her back.
Gohan hovered above her, looking at her with some concern. Pan's jaw clenched in anger, determined not to look like a fool.
She jumped to her feet and attacked him again, this time bringing her foot up to strike the underside of his chin. She felt a surge of smugness as this one hit its mark, but the smirk was quickly wiped off her face as the teen boy grabbed her leg and brought her down, connecting her back viciously with his knee in precisely the same spot he'd hit her before. This knocked the breath right out of her, but Gohan had once again disappeared. Whirling around to search for him, his swift kick connected with her left side. She cried out in pain at this one, immediately incensed by her own weakness as she was knocked back several feet.
Damn! Pan stared at her opponent in disbelief, fairly shocked by how this was going. She wasn't an idiot; she knew her dad had always gone easy on her but…damn! He was her age, and she couldn't even see him move! It was starting to look like that benefit was worth nothing at all. She decided that she might be better off fighting him on the ground and quickly landed before he could decide to attack her. He dropped easily to the earth as well, not a scratch on him. The quarter-Saiyan on the other hand was breathing heavily already, and she knew a few bruises would be appearing before the next morning. Gohan was once again watching her with some apprehension.
"Why don't we call it quits?" he called, sounding like he already knew what her answer would be.
"Yeah, right," Pan muttered before speeding toward him once again. Even though he had expected her to want to keep going, she thought the boy looked a little surprised by the suddenness of her attack, and she finally succeeded in landing a real blow in the form of her fist on his cheek. He even stumbled back a few paces before he regained his balance.
He looked at her with a wide-open mouth, appearing shocked that she had managed to knock him back. Pan just grinned before going on the offensive again with renewed vigor. The two traded blows for several minutes, Pan never gaining the upper hand, but managing to stay with his pace. Since she could actually track his movement now, she stood a much better chance, even though it was frustrating to know that he had slowed down a lot to make it happen. And still, he got more hits in than he missed, while she missed a few more than she landed.
Pan's mind was spinning as she fought with all she had. This was great. Exhilarating, even. He wasn't nearly as gentle as anyone else she sparred with in her time. Everyone always went easy on her back home, not wanting to hurt her, she supposed. But here, he treated her like a real opponent, even if he didn't put everything he had in it. But he couldn't, of course, or he'd kill her.
With a sudden realization, Pan ducked to avoid her adversary's kick and jumped back several yards. Laughing a little at the puzzled expression on Gohan's face, she easily took up a position she was sure he would quickly recognize.
"Kaaaa" she couldn't help but smirk as realization dawned on the muscular teen's face.
"Meeeee….haaaa….meee….haaa!" she let the blast go, knowing that she had put all she had into it. Pan concentrated hard on maintaining it, sending the full force toward the adolescent that was her target.
Gohan's face was almost comical in its astonishment. Just when Pan was sure he would be slammed into the ground by his father's signature attack, the boy held out his joined hands and volleyed the wave off its course and straight up into the sky—with what appeared to be annoying ease, no less.
Pan's jaw dropped a little. She gaped at him as the remainder of her attack's light faded away. He's amazing. I look like a complete amateur.
The girl blinked suddenly, drawn out of her thoughts when she realized he was no longer standing there.
"Whoa, that was pretty good!" Gohan's voice right beside her almost gave Pan a heart attack.
"Gahh!" she screamed aloud and nearly fell over. The boy caught her forearm and easily righted her, his eyes filled with laughter. Pan huffed as she took in his expression.
"What do you mean? You blocked it with no effort!" she yelled to cover her embarrassment.
"Well…it took some effort! And it was still impressive," Gohan smiled genuinely.
The girl scowled, knowing he wasn't even making fun of her; the kid was so fucking humble it was ridiculous! It was much easier to be pissed at a cocky person.
"Well thanks," she mumbled. She started to step away from him and was surprised when her legs actually gave out. She would have gone crashing to the ground if it weren't for Gohan's hand still holding onto her arm.
"Are you alright!?" he cried anxiously, pulling Pan to him and giving her support. She tried to push away, but quickly found that she was too weak to put up any fight.
Guess I really did give it all I had…she thought mildly.
"I guess you put everything you had into that Kamehameha, huh?" Gohan echoed her thoughts eerily.
Pan sighed in resignation. "I'll be fine, I just need to rest for a few minutes," she mumbled, feeling like the lamest person on the planet as Gohan lowered her to the ground.
Two hours later found the two teens flying back to Chi Chi's house. Pan was so embarrassed: she had actually fallen asleep! For two whole hours, right there on the ground beside the boy that had just kicked her ass, and she had been so far gone that she didn't even realize she'd been asleep until she had opened her eyes to see Gohan's face. He had that laughing look in his eyes again, but he hadn't made any comments as they headed back.
Pan looked over to find him watching her, still wearing a silly grin.
"What!?" she cried, mortified at the whole situation.
Gohan laughed out loud. "Nothing!"
The girl growled, but quickly pushed thoughts of her humiliation aside. There was something important she wanted to ask him before they got back to her grandma's house. Swallowing her pride, she turned to the boy once more.
"So. You're an awesome fighter," she stated truthfully.
He raised an eyebrow and gave her a small smirk, which threw her off guard so much that she had to scramble to remember what she wanted to say. "Thanks," Gohan replied with amusement. She could tell he was about to go all humble again, and add 'you too' or something to that effect, so she cut in quickly.
"Will you train me?" she glanced at him hopefully. She could barely contain her excitement at the possibility. Here was the world's strongest being at her disposal, and not afraid to rough her up either. She had the soreness to prove it. The quarter-alien had just had by far the best work out of her life, and it had only lasted about twenty minutes. But Pan was surprised once again by his reaction.
Suddenly he was all seriousness, no remnant of a smile left on his face. Pan felt her stomach drop a little. That look couldn't be good. There was silence as he continued to look straight ahead for several moments.
He looked at her then with a strangely grim air. "I'm sorry, but I can't," he finally said.
The lighthearted atmosphere had vanished; now there was only tension.
Pan narrowed her eyes and looked away, more hurt than she would like to admit. Did he not think she could handle it or something? She knew she didn't compare to him, not even remotely, but she still thought she had held her own fairly well. At least she hadn't given up easily, something she knew her family valued.
What is his deal? She wondered if it was her gender, holding her back once more. Suddenly she was sure that was it. It was so unfair. Sexist bastard.
"I'm sorry, Pan," Gohan repeated softly, sounding as if he was almost pleading with her. She could tell he felt bad, but it didn't make her feel any better.
"Why?" she finally asked, not even trying to hide her anger.
He didn't respond. Asshole can't even say it! "You think because I'm a girl, I can't keep up, that I'm not worth your time!" she finally accused him.
"No, that's not it!" he was immediately protesting, though he didn't follow with anything else.
"I thought you wanted to help me," Pan mumbled. She could feel tears pricking her eyes.
I'm so sick of crying!
Gohan winced at her comment. He grabbed her arm to make her stop in midair and face him. "I do. I really am sorry…it's just…"
"Save it," Pan cut him off harshly, yanking her arm from his grasp. She felt a stab of regret at the look of hurt on his face, but pushed it away quickly. Without another word, she took off again. The teen must have known it would be a bad idea to push it, so he didn't say anything else.
Pan ran straight inside as they reached the house. Chi Chi looked up as she came in, Gohan close behind her. "Where were you two?" she asked. She didn't look angry, weirdly, just curious. Little Goten, who had been playing on the floor, ran quickly over. He never could miss out on any action.
"Uh…Go…he was just showing me around," Pan answered quickly, jerking her head behind her. "Nothing important," she added this just to spite him, and then forced a sheepish smile onto her face. "Sorry for running out grandma. I could really use a shower, though." She prayed Chi Chi wouldn't notice how very dirty she was for only being 'shown around'. Not to mention the fact that this was her home, and there wasn't much he could show her that she didn't already know well. Luckily, someone seemed to be listening to prayers right then.
Chi Chi smiled. "Are you feeling a little better now?" she almost sounded cautious.
Pan nodded, trying hard not to overdo it. She wasn't sure her grandmother bought it entirely, but she did nod back. "Okay, good then. Go ahead and get cleaned up, dinner will be ready soon."
The girl headed into the hallway, walking toward the bathroom quickly. She was a foot from the door when the person she was so pissed at appeared in front of her, causing her to stop abruptly.
"Hey, listen," he began quietly. Pan didn't let him do more than begin, though, stepping around him quickly and entering the bathroom. She tried but failed to avoid his gaze as she turned around to close the door. The boy looked so sorrowful that Pan almost felt bad for him, his dark eyes more unhappy than she would have expected. She slammed the door, angry at how hard it was to be angry at him.
What the hell does he want from me? she raged internally as she got into the shower, turning the hot water up as far as it could go. The stream of heat soothed her achy body. He has no excuse—my family was the way they were with me because they loved me. But he's just being a chauvinist. Briefly Pan wondered if it could be something else. But what could it possibly be? She choked back a sob. She had been so excited; something good could have come of this fucked up situation, but now she didn't even have that. For some reason, it seemed like having that hope and then having it snatched away made this whole thing a lot harder. The jerk had been fine with playing hero, being strong and comforting her when she was weak, but he refused to help her become stronger herself. Typical guy.
In a distant corner of her mind, Pan recognized that maybe she was being a little ridiculous. She didn't know why she was so emotional today, but it was really draining. It must be the stress, she concluded.
During her long shower, Pan got as many tears out as she could, deciding that she could never let that dumb boy see her cry again.
After finishing her shower, Pan quickly realized she had a problem; her only clothes were filthy.
Oh shit.
Now what? She couldn't walk out there wrapped in nothing but a towel, not in this time anyway. After contemplating this situation for several minutes, Pan realized she had no choice but to call for her grandmother. She opened the door, peeking around. Relieved to find no one in the hallway, the girl opened her mouth to call for Chi Chi, praying no one else would come to answer her call. Something in the corner of her eye stopped her, and looking down, Pan was surprised to find a neatly folded pile of clothes on the floor. Sighing in relief, she quickly scooped them up and closed the door again. Her grandmother must have realized the situation even before Pan did, thank goodness. She quickly pulled on the black tee shirt and gray sweatpants, both a bit oversized. Unfortunately, there was no bra or panties included in her little care package. She really would have thought that her grandmother would think of these things, but hers probably wouldn't fit Pan; would have been weird to wear them anyway. She shrugged, deciding to just skip panties. It felt pretty weird, but she could deal as long as no one de-pantsed her. A bra was another matter. A year ago, Pan could easily have gotten away with not wearing one, but since she had filled out a little it was no longer a true option. She grimaced as she pulled her own sports bra back on. It didn't feel damp like she expected it to, so Pan counted herself lucky.
Walking out clean and in—mostly—clean clothes, Pan felt refreshed and resolved. She could get through this alone; she didn't need any friends. Walking into the kitchen, she found Gohan holding Goten as the little boy tried to squirm away. She knew Gohan was looking at her, but she ignored him completely.
"Oh, you found some clothes!" Chi Chi sounded surprised. "I'm sorry, I should've realized you'd need some new ones, but it looks like you got some yourself," she smiled pleasantly and continued stirring the pot of something delicious-smelling on the stove. Pan cocked her head to the side, confused as hell, but she quickly realized that it could only have been one other person. She scowled slightly, wishing she would have thrown the clothes out the window rather than accept help from him. She still refused to look at him, even though he was still staring at her.
If he expects a 'thank you', he's going to be waiting a while. She knew she was being petty. It had actually been extremely thoughtful of him. Knowing her dad, she supposed it shouldn't surprise her, but she was still having trouble merging the two in her mind.
But she wasn't ready to forgive him yet; she was known for being stubborn for a reason. Pan asked her grandma sweetly what they were having for dinner, avoiding the boy's gaze. She was relieved when he finally mumbled to his mother that he was going to shower and placed his brother on the floor. Once he was gone, Goten promptly started running around and around the table, bumping into his mother's legs, the chairs, and anything else within reach.
Pan quickly realized that cooking with Goten the toddler was nearly an impossibility, so she offered to entertain him while her grandmother finished getting dinner together. Chi Chi agreed with obvious relief, and Pan almost laughed as she considered that this rambunctious little ball of energy was her uncle.
"Come on, Goten," she took his hand and led him into the living room. It surprised her how well he listened to her, following happily. She sat down on the floor and pulled him onto her lap. He gave her his huge, innocent smile, making Pan realize just how much she missed her uncle. He had always been a lot like a big brother, teasing her and stuff. But she had loved him like mad from day one, and she knew he felt the same.
"Do you remember my name?" she asked the toddler on her lap.
He nodded in the exaggerated way that little kids do, shouting "Pan!" She laughed at his antics and he joined in quickly, making her laugh even harder. Could he get any cuter? Pan had never been around any small children; in fact she'd always been the baby of the group. She marveled at how easy it was to be with him though, as he began to show her all of his toys with enthusiasm.
"And this is my dinosaur: Buster." Pan bit her lip to keep from laughing as she recognized the toy. Her uncle had always acted like the thing didn't matter to him, but one time when she was about five she had accidentally broken its tail off and Goten had been furious with her. The way the little boy held it now, Pan could tell it was his pride and joy. Suddenly the Saiyan girl realized that there was great potential for blackmail here in the past…
"Hello, Buster," she managed to get out without laughing. Goten glanced at the toy and then back at Pan. "Buster says 'hi'," he murmured.
"Buster seems nice, but he's kind of scary looking," Pan humored the kid, "Is he a nice dinosaur, or is he mean?"
"He's nice!" Goten insisted.
Pan laughed and nodded, surprised when she suddenly felt something hard against her cheek. She looked down to find Goten lowering Buster from her face, looking like he was about to burst with glee.
"Buster gave you a kiss, 'cause he likes you! He thinks you're nice!" he proclaimed loudly.
"Oh does he? Well, I think he's nice too!" Pan was surprised again by how much easier it was to be around her 'uncle' of the past than her 'father' of the past. There was nothing awkward or uncomfortable about it at all. Then again, this Goten didn't really know who she was since he was too young to understand. She smiled, giving the little boy a kiss on the cheek while he was busy laughing. He frowned a little and rubbed the spot, seeming surprised. Then his eyes lit up as he considered Pan.
"Does that mean you like me?" he asked excitedly.
"Of course it does!" Pan responded. She was suddenly very glad she had decided to spend some time with little Goten; he was a great distraction. The boy wrapped his arms around Pan's neck and pecked her on the cheek before leaning back to giggle like a little girl.
Awwww. Pan couldn't help but fall in love with him a little.
"You are just the sweetest little boy I think I've ever seen!"
Goten looked like he was about to respond when something caught his eye over Pan's shoulder. She turned without thinking, still beaming about her newfound friendship with her baby uncle. The smile dropped away quickly, replaced with a straight face.
"Go'on!" Goten jumped up from Pan's lap to leap into his brother's arms. She thought about how funny it was that Goten had slight trouble pronouncing his brother's name when he said everything else with ease. Then she felt the slightest twinge of jealousy at the way his little eyes had lit up upon seeing Gohan, although she grudgingly had to admit that the teen was stupidly adorable with his baby brother, giving him what she could tell was an absolutely adoring smile.
The oldest half-Saiyan turned to Pan then, giving her a small smile. She could tell that it was a peace offering, but she simply turned away, knowing that no reaction would hurt him more than anything.
Damn, when did I become so vindictive? She wondered, feeling slightly guilty again. But she shook it off as she got up and walked back into the kitchen, proud of herself for avoiding his eyes the whole time.
In her bed a few hours later, or Gohan's bed, really, Pan thought again about how nice the he had been to her that evening. It was obvious that he hated to have someone upset with him. She had lost count of the number of times he had tried to catch her eye. He had quickly started trying to anticipate her needs, offering to fill her drink during dinner, asking her if she needed more blankets that night, giving her another shirt of his to sleep in. She managed to mostly ignore him. There were a few times when he asked her a direct question—in an annoyingly cheerful voice—that Pan was forced to answer, or her grandmother would have noticed that something was up. Still, she answered without looking at him while using the least amount of words possible.
When Pan had gotten up later to head for bed, she was unsurprised to find the slightly taller teen blocking her entry. He was making an aggravating habit of this. She crossed her arms over her chest and tried her best to look blank. His dark eyes were troubled as he took in her harsh stance.
"Pan, please don't be upset with me," he took a hesitant step closer to her. "Not wanting to train you has nothing to do with you—it's me…" he trailed off, seeing by her unchanged expression that he wasn't getting anywhere.
Seriously? He's pulling the 'it's not you it's me'? Unbelievable.
"Are you finished?" she asked calmly after a moment of silence. Gohan looked away from her, appearing to finally be resigned, and nodded slightly.
She stepped around him without another word, and he turned around to watch her go.
"Goodnight," he spoke so quietly she barely heard him. Something made her look up before closing the door, something about his voice. Pain and a small amount of guilt lanced through her body as she met his dark eyes, surprised by the nearly palpable hurt in them. She hated herself a little then; something about the males in her family—they were all hard to stay angry with. But her father was by far the hardest; not only was he a little naïve, he was unimaginably kind and considerate, the kind of person that would sacrifice anything for anyone. His father and brother would too, on the battlefield, but they didn't have that everyday sort of bleeding heart that her dad was famous for. Thinking of how much she missed him, how horrible she felt for being…horrible to this young version of him, and how upset he looked, Pan suddenly felt exhausted. She didn't have the energy to be angry anymore. If he didn't want to train her, it was his choice, and knowing him he probably had a good reason; her being a damn baby about it wasn't going to change anything, and he really didn't deserve to be treated that way.
She had forced a small smile onto her face, though she knew her eyes were filling with tears. "Goodnight," she'd mumbled back before closing the door gently on Gohan's surprised face.
Lying there considering all of this a few sleepless hours later—which was incredibly annoying considering her exhaustion—Pan's last thought was how pathetically short-lived her promise not to cry in front of him had been. As sleep blessedly pulled her under, she realized that she didn't even really mind.
In the room next door, the half-Saiyan boy struggled with his demons. He had never felt so awful about upsetting someone before, but something about Pan's eyes just tore him apart inside. He had thought it couldn't get any worse when she had looked at him with so much anger, but he had been wrong twice; being ignored completely cut into him like a knife every time, and then that…desolate look she had given him before closing the door…Gohan's stomach turned remembering her face, the unshed tears that filled her eyes. She had looked utterly alone and hopeless. It had been physically painful for him to turn and go into Goten's room then, but he knew without a doubt that she would only be more upset if he tried to follow her that time.
Gohan was suddenly jerked out of his thoughts by his little brother. "Yummy, ice cream pizza…" he mumbled dreamily, still asleep. The older half-Saiyan smiled a little in amusement, remembering Pan with Goten earlier. He had to admit it had been pretty cute. Goten had later confided in him, with a huge smile of delight, that Pan liked him. He had then proceeded to ask—perceptive little guy—why the girl didn't like Gohan, prompting the teen to quickly shush him. He really didn't want his mother to get involved.
Truly, it hurt to think that she actually didn't like him, which was certainly the impression she was giving. He had a small bit of hope, since she had actually responded earlier and given him a small smile, although he almost preferred her anger to that sad look. The teen turned over, unable to get comfortable. He knew sleep wouldn't be coming anytime soon with the way his mind was whirring. He sighed, forcing himself to actually contemplate training her. Sparring with her today had been just fine…had been great in fact. He was surprised by how much he had missed it. But actually training, probably several hours a day…that was a different matter. Convincing his mother to allow it would be a hurdle, although he thought they could get around that. The fact that his body was trembling with excitement just imagining training again made him even more apprehensive. Although…he had to admit, the compulsion often quieted in Pan's presence—something about her seemed to calm it. He had been in complete control today, actually forgetting about his worries of the monster being unleashed.
Unable to lie on his makeshift bed on the floor any longer, Gohan got up quietly so as not to disturb his brother, noticing that it was only two a.m. He froze as Goten started talking, but after hearing, "That's my brownie, Buster…" he relaxed and crept out. Without thinking about it, he walked silently to his bedroom door and opened it to slip inside.
Pan was curled on her side, facing him, fast asleep on his bed. She looked so soft and innocent in sleep, no anger, sadness, or worry marring her face.
She's pretty, he mused.
Gohan sat down on the floor with his legs folded, an elbow propped on his knee, his hand supporting his head as he considered her. He realized it would be much easier to sleep on the floor in here, since Pan obviously was a much quieter sleeper than Goten. But he didn't lie down, knowing that actually sleeping in his bedroom with a girl would definitely upset his mother—future daughter or not. So he simply continued to watch the small Saiyan sleep, realizing idly after a few minutes that this probably made him a first-class creeper. Still, he couldn't get himself to leave. Instead he continued to deliberate, carefully weighing the pros and cons of training her.
A few hours later, the decision was made, even though the facts hadn't changed. He wondered with slight amusement if he was doomed to give this girl he barely knew everything she ever wanted for all eternity.
When Pan opened her eyes around seven the next morning, Gohan knew she was pretty surprised to find him looking at her. She sat up quickly with apparent alarm. She had opened her mouth to scream, but managed to swallow it, he was relieved to see. He was surprised to note that she didn't look angry at all, but maybe it was just the shock; just in case, he spoke before she could recover.
"I'll do it."
Pan gaped at him, understanding immediately, although she looked wary of believing his statement. He grimaced, knowing he probably didn't deserve her trust, though he was determined to earn it. She blinked a few times before finally responding.
"Why now?"
Gohan sighed. He really had no idea how to answer this. Somehow, he didn't think 'I've decided that you being upset with me is worse than the potential for me to lose my mind and destroy the world' would sound very good. Instead he said simply, "You convinced me."
Pan narrowed her eyes, not looking convinced of this herself. Gohan bit his lip uncomfortably under her scrutiny.
"So…how about we start tomorrow?" he added, hoping that this would assure her of his sincerity.
He was pretty sure he had succeeded when she suddenly jumped up from the bed to tackle him enthusiastically. She must have decided that she didn't really care about his reason, as long as he was doing it, which didn't bother him at all.
He managed to stay on his feet, but only just as she hugged him tightly, her eyes lit up like a child's she was so full of excitement. He laughed a little, pleased with her response, not to mention a little relieved. He had been worried she would never forgive him. The teen was startled by her next move—a kiss on his cheek, but he only laughed more, slightly embarrassed by the affection. His family wasn't particularly big on PDA, especially if you went out on a limb and decided to count Piccolo or Vegeta, so he wasn't at all used to this. Trading punches was more common for his household. Pan had already released him and begun jumping around in a strange dance, oblivious to his thoughts.
"I can't believe I'm going to be trained by the strongest person on earth!" she was crying happily.
Gohan blushed a bit at that. It wasn't a title he was used to, even if it was true. Pan turned back to him suddenly looking startled, pushing him out the door before he knew what was happening.
"And how dare you come into a girls room while she's sleeping, I know you have better manners than that!" she was scolding. He turned to face her, marveling at the rapidly fluctuating moods of females. She smirked at him though as she leaned against the doorframe, so he knew she was mostly teasing him.
He half-grinned, half-smirked at her, wholly relieved that she was so happy with him. "Sorry," he mumbled as he scratched his head. Gohan knew he didn't look a bit contrite, but Pan didn't seem to mind. The girl's eyes suddenly widened as if in surprise before she shook her head slightly and rolled her eyes at him with another smile.
He heard her continued shouts of glee behind the door after she closed it. Gohan walked away unable to get rid of the smile on his face, despite the small fear that stayed lodged in his gut.
Eating breakfast an hour later, the half-Saiyan's high had worn off considerably, and he was now having some trouble keeping his eyes open. His mother had to repeat his name several times before he responded to her; even then he wasn't sure what she had said. Thankfully she seemed pleased by the nod of his head. He took the time to wonder what he had just agreed to before his lids began to droop again. A moment later he was awoken by a slight kick to the shin.
The boy looked up in shock to find Pan staring at him from her seat to his left with a little bit of laughter in her eyes.
"Gohan!" he flinched as his mother yelled again, commanding his full attention. Well, almost his full attention; he did take the time to nudge Pan back with his foot, hiding his smile as he looked at his mother with as much innocence as he could round up. The human woman eyed him shrewdly, even having risen from her seat to yell at him.
"What in the world is the matter with you!? Why are you having so much trouble staying awake, didn't you sleep last night?" she was obviously very annoyed, his Saiyan hearing informed him.
The teen tried to keep himself from glancing at Pan then, but he failed completely. Unfortunately the girl totally noticed, eyebrows raised in surprise. His mother didn't seem to see anything, though, so he counted himself lucky for that.
"Well…" he tried to think fast, "I didn't sleep well because Goten snores and talks in his sleep. I'm just not used to it yet, don't worry," he tacked the last part on hastily, hating to sound like he was complaining.
Chi Chi seemed to accept this answer, Gohan was grateful to see. "Hmmm, that is a problem." She sat back down and seemed to consider this for a moment before coming to some decision. "Well, since it looks like Pan will be staying with us for a little while," she squeezed the girl's hand briefly with a small smile, which Pan returned, "we should probably come up with a better sleeping arrangement. We'll just have to clean out the extra room that we use for storage. It really needed to be cleaned out anyway." Gohan's mother looked pleased with herself, but then she usually liked her own ideas.
Gohan nodded drowsily. He didn't mind this one either.
After a few minutes, his mom made another discovery concerning Pan; the girl was still wearing a shirt and pants two sizes too large.
"Are you wearing Gohan's clothes?" she cried in shock. "Oh, no, that won't do! A lady needs a lady's clothing, dear," she told Pan with much patience, as if the girl had any other choice. Even through his half-asleep haze, Gohan saw Pan's scowl at the word 'lady'. Chi Chi on the other hand was oblivious as ever, which the teen was quickly realizing was a good thing when it came to Pan.
Finally she responded. "I don't have any other clothes, grandma. The ones I came here in are dirty."
"Even so, you couldn't wear that same outfit every single day; we'll have to buy you some new things," the woman stated. Pan tried to argue, saying that it wasn't necessary; she hated to be a burden; big clothes weren't the end of the world; yadda-yadda-ya…Gohan jerked awake. This conversation wasn't exactly riveting for him. His mother was shaking her head adamantly.
"We'll be buying you some new clothing and that's all there is to it. You're family, not a beggar off the street!"
Pan finally gave up.
"In fact, we'll go today, after breakfast," she added decisively. Seeming to expect Pan to argue with this, Chi Chi narrowed her eyes as if to dare her to. The girl had in fact opened her mouth to probably do just that, judging by the horrified look on her face, but she snapped it closed at Gohan's mother's look and nodded instead. To her son's dismay, Chi Chi turned her attention to Gohan then.
"And you, Gohan, can start cleaning out that room. Getting it done today means you'll be able to sleep there tonight." He knew better than to do anything but agree.
"Grandma," Pan looked surprisingly guilty all of a sudden, "I appreciate that you're going to get me new clothes. But, please, at least let me stay and help clean the room. It's my fault you have to do it at all, plus I just feel like I need to do something to repay you for the clothes; for everything really!"
Gohan narrowed his eyes, not quite buying her piousness; he was pretty sure this was an act, and he could guess why it was being pulled. Seeing his mother's reaction then, the half-Saiyan rolled his eyes. She looked as if she had just seen an angel.
"Oh you sweet, wonderful girl," his mother began—Pan widened her eyes pleadingly—"Well, I suppose if that's what you want, then of course you can help out. But you really don't need to; you've already been a great help around here—watching Goten, helping to cook and clean." Pan was shaking her head quickly.
"That's not enough! This puts more work on someone else," she glanced at Gohan "and that just doesn't sit well with—" she seemed to swallow "—how I was raised." Gohan almost laughed. Easy, tiger. Pan tacked on a sheepish smile toward Chi Chi, although she glanced back at Gohan to cut him a threatening glare; obviously she could tell he wasn't buying it. He smirked at her sleepily, only caring to keep his head supported by his palm at that moment.
His poor mother, missing their exchange entirely, was probably about to have a heart attack from sugary-sweetness-overload. Since she didn't seem to be able to say anything, Pan stood and began clearing away used dishes, throwing Gohan a smug smile. He only shook his head at the impossibility of what had just occurred; except fot his father perhaps, he had never actually seen someone play his mother and succeed—the girl was good.
Chi Chi was shaken from her happy trance when the phone rang two minutes later and she jumped up to answer it in the living room. Gohan took the opportunity to yawn.
Man, I'm exhausted—I really should've gotten some sleep last night. He felt the smallest bit of guilt at blaming Goten for his lack of energy.
Hoping to wake up, Gohan began to stretch slowly, arms above his head—and was shocked to be interrupted by a jab in his ribs from Pan. He gasped out a high-pitched laugh involuntarily, and was immediately embarrassed. She was already snickering.
"That was supposed to hurt!" Pan gasped between bouts of uncontrollable laughter. "Not make you giggle like a little girl!" she was too engrossed in her glee to be annoyed that she couldn't even hurt him.
"Yeah…well…I'm ticklish, okay!? Gohan proclaimed in his defense, trying to will his cheeks to return to their normal color and maintain a little dignity. Pan laughed harder at his comment, leaning on the counter beside her for support. Even more annoyingly, Goten had joined in loudly, as was his exasperating little habit. Gohan sighed with a slight shake of his dark head. In spite of his embarrassment, he was glad to see Pan in such high spirits; he'd take her laughing at his expense over her anger or desolation any day. Still, he couldn't just take that lying down….
"Training starts now," he mumbled under his breath with a small smile. Gohan jumped up faster than the speed of light and swept his leg beneath Pan, tripping her easily—but since he wasn't totally mean, he caught her before she hit the floor. The girl's laughter was choked off by a shrill scream as she found her upper body suddenly suspended parallel to the floor, supported only by Gohan's hand on her back. He grinned as she opened her eyes to stare at him in shock, instinctively grabbing at his shirt to stop her assumed descent.
"Lesson number one:" he said softly, "don't ever take on an opponent you have no hope of overcoming." Before Pan had a chance to respond, he righted her and smirked lightly. She laughed a little, but recovered quickly to point out his flaw.
"Isn't that pretty much the opposite of our family's philosophy?"
Gohan raised a brow. Not for you. He knew better than to say that out loud, though. Pan didn't seem to expect a response from him, anyway, as she shook her head with a wry smile and continued.
"You think you're hot shit, don't you?" the dark-eyed girl sounded surprised, holding his gaze with a smirk of her own. She looked strangely impressed. Gohan smiled innocently.
"That was Bulma," Chi Chi announced to the young people in her kitchen as she reentered suddenly. Pan and Gohan jumped, but the adult didn't notice. "She was calling to check on Pan. I told her I was about to go shopping if she'd like to come along," she looked at Pan to offer an explanation with a roll of her eyes, "she knows more about how young people dress today than I do. Plus, her mother's agreed to watch Goten and Trunks while we shop, which is a huge help; that way you two won't have Goten to contend with while you're cleaning that room out. They'll be here to pick us up in half an hour." She narrowed her eyes slightly at her older son, "Which means that you'll have no excuse for not having that room cleaned by the time we get back."
Geez, mom—it's not like I was a disagreeable child—ever! Then again, he supposed his mom thought she had to be so strict with him because he had defied her wishes several times in the past to train, fight, or go into space. Oh, and sneak away from homework. Maybe it wasn't such a mystery after all.
"Yes, mother," Gohan said, managing to keep sarcasm out of his voice.
"Don't worry, we'll take care of it," Pan offered, smiling brightly.
Chi Chi nodded, satisfied, before turning to the suddenly-shouting Goten to clean him up.
"Trunks is coming! Yay!" the toddler's face was full of excitement at the thought of getting to see his best friend, but Pan, strangely, looked a little stricken.
Precisely twenty-five minutes later, a giant capsule-copter landed on the Son's front yard. Pan watched through the kitchen window from where she was just finishing putting away the clean dishes as Bulma climbed out with a pint-sized, lavender-headed child.
Ohhhh, boy. She wondered if meeting Trunks in the past would be even weirder than meeting her own father in the past. She glanced at the teen two feet away where he was drying the last dish with a towel. He smiled pleasantly at her. No, not possible. Still, Pan knew it would be really weird to talk to the toddler-version of the man she had, until recently, been crushing on for the past two years or so.
Oh well, she thought as the boy ran inside to greet his dark-haired buddy. Watching the two youngsters, the quarter-Saiyan had to admit to herself how adorable they were, hugging and laughing—and running and toppling chairs and breaking lamps. Then she would only admit immense relief at not being the poor soul stuck with the monstrous duo for more than ten minutes. She winced as she thought of Bunny.
How could Bulma's mother possibly handle these two!? Then again, she reassured herself, Vegeta would be right around the corner.
Hmmm… Prince seemed pretty hard-core these days; should she worry about Goten's safety? No surely not; she knew for a fact that Trunks had survived, and she was quickly realizing that the small boy was ten times the hellion that her little uncle was. Besides, teen Gohan didn't look concerned.
He didn't even look concerned when the whirling tornado of half-Saiyan hit him head-on.
"GOHAN!" Trunks yelled louder than Pan could have imagined possible and leaped into the older Saiyan's arms while Goten laughed and wrapped himself around his brother's legs. Amazingly, the guy didn't topple right over, didn't even wobble as he laughed with them.
"Hey Trunks! How are you, buddy?" he looked at the four-year old in his arms fondly.
Damn. What Pan wouldn't give for a camera right now…Trunks and Goten would be mortified to witness this moment as grown men. She wondered what her father would think, and felt a pang of guilt and surprise as she realized that she hadn't thought of her papa once that morning. But she was quickly distracted as the world's richest woman entered the kitchen behind her son.
"Hi, there! It's Pan, right? I didn't formally introduce myself yesterday; I'm Bulma!" she smiled brightly as she addressed the girl. Pan smiled back.
"I know," she said simply.
Bulma's eyebrows rose. "Oh, of course. Wow, that's so strange; but I guess we should be fairly used to this by now," she glanced at her son then and looked back at Pan with a strangely expectant expression. Pan wondered if this was some sort of test—well duh, she knew about Trunks traveling to the past to warn them of the androids.
"Maybe it's something you never get used to," she laughed. Pan suddenly pictured three different little Trunks figures running around in her head and hastily shook it to remove the image.
"So," Bulma was continuing with a slight smirk, "—what can you tell me about the future?"
Pan bit her lip in consternation, not looking forward to having to disappoint the slightly intimidating woman. This Bulma wasn't really different from the one she knew, but still….
"Sorry, Bulma, she can't tell us anything—it could mess with the future, you know?" the girl thanked goodness for Gohan then, who had somehow managed to speak with shouting toddlers climbing all over his head, arms raised in an attempt to support them. The boys appeared to now be fighting each other to get to stand on top of his head. Pan gritted her teeth to keep from laughing.
Darn it! I'm buying a camera.
Bulma crossed her arms and practically pouted. "Oh, come on now, that's no fun!" she protested. Pan just shrugged in response, an apologetic smile on her face. The woman 'hmphed', seeming to let it go for now as Chi Chi joined them.
"Alright, I'm ready—BOYS, get off of Gohan! You aren't heathens, for goodness sake!" Pan's grandma was quickly shouting. Surprisingly, the toddlers actually listened, allowing Gohan to set them on the ground, although their little faces looked massively disappointed; neither had been crowned king of Mount Gohan. Pan had to hide a smile once more.
"Hey, don't worry guys; you get to go play at Capsule Corp.!" the teen was assuring the younger boys.
"I want to stay with you, Gohan!" Trunks was protesting, sounding weirdly like a spoiled little prince, Pan couldn't help but think.
Gohan smiled. "I'll play with you two another time, okay?" Trunks didn't really look happy, but he nodded anyway, turning to face his mother—probably to ask when he could play with Gohan. But he stopped with a surprised look on his face when he finally noticed Pan standing there.
She smiled at him awkwardly in the strange silence.
"A girl!" Suddenly Trunks was smirking, a strange sight on a four-year old. "She's pretty." Pan's lips twisted in slight annoyance, until he started talking again. "Do you want to be my woman?" Now her jaw dropped.
"Trunks!" Gohan was reprimanding him sternly before anyone else could respond. "That was rude! Besides, you're way too young to be thinking about…that!"
The little boy turned and regarded his lecturer thoughtfully, not looking abashed in the least as his mother held her head in embarrassment and Chi Chi looked on in shock.
"Oh, is she your woman, Gohan?"
This time it was Gohan's jaw that dropped, his face immediately red, although so was Pan's.
"What's a woman? Can I have one, too?" Goten chirped quickly.
As Trunks turned to his friend—presumably to explain what a "woman" was—Gohan recovered his voice, rounding on his little brother.
"No!"
"Aww, no fair! I want a woman!" Goten was protesting loudly. "Does it taste good!? I want one!" Pan flinched a little, although this was incredibly entertaining.
"Okay, time to go!" Chi Chi quickly snatched her young son and hurried out the door. Bulma grabbed the back of Trunks' collar, tugging him out as well, darkly muttering something about 'beating his royal pain in the ass' as she went.
Pan followed them out quickly, avoiding Gohan's gaze, although he trailed behind her. She distracted herself by watching a kicking and screaming Goten's mini-tantrum all the way outside—"I want a woman, I want a woman!"
Never mind; I need a video camera for this zoo….
Gohan was suddenly jogging past her. Reaching him in front of the copter, he squatted down to eye-level with his brother. "Hey, Goten, how about we do some flying on Nimbus when you get back?" he suggested gently as he hugged the boy to him. Goten stopped screaming immediately to grin broadly and nod, his eyes full of excitement.
That was quick, Pan was shocked that something had distracted the boy from "food".
Trunks escaped his mother's grasp then, running over to the Son brothers with what looked like slight jealousy on his face.
"What about me, Gohan?" he cried as he shoved his friend over to fit into the teen's arms as well.
Gohan looked amused, but hid his smile quickly to give the slightly older little boy a firm look. Still approaching the rest of the group, Pan stopped in her tracks as she immediately recognized it; her father didn't really ever look at her like that, but it was an expression she'd seen on his face a million times with Trunks or Goten, the adults, usually when he was annoyed with them.
Freaky.
The teen glanced up at Bulma before responding. "Sure, bro, just as long as you're both extra good for your grandma today. Think you can handle that?"
Trunks and Goten both nodded enthusiastically.
Bulma shook her head in amazement. "I suppose only a Saiyan can really handle other Saiyans," she mused as she approached them. "Or maybe it's just a male thing…. Ready, boys?"
They responded with a happy, "Yeah!" simultaneously, hugging Gohan before turning to Pan to wave, Trunks with a devilish smirk, Goten looking like he had just remembered her. Suddenly the one that looked so much like her grandpa as she had seen him last was rushing at her. Pan was shocked when she actually landed right on her bottom, Goten hugging her tightly around the neck.
"I'll be back—then we can ride Nimbus together!" he was declaring. "You'll love Nimbus, Pan!" she could only laugh and nod, and he quickly took off.
"Don't forget!" Chi Chi was yelling to Gohan over the engine as the group climbed into the vehicle, "Get that room cleaned out, son, no excuses! You hear me?"
Gohan nodded before shouting a reminder to the boys to behave as they waved wildly at the two teens on the ground below them. He turned to Pan as Bulma's speedy driving had them out of sight within seconds. He appeared to be at a loss of words for a moment. The sudden stillness seemed to ring in Pan's ears after what she'd just experienced.
She finally broke the silence herself. "That first step's a doozie, huh?" she referenced the encounter with the toddlers. She wasn't exaggerating either; the last five minutes had felt like a complete whirlwind. Gohan rubbed the back of his neck and laughed out loud. "Thanks for the warning," Pan added, pretending to be annoyed even though she was laughing too.
"Yeah…sorry," he grinned, looking anything but apologetic.
Pan was finding this Gohan to be less and less like the one she knew back home, though none of it was bad. Just…unexpectedly different, and it made it even harder to connect the two in her head, small moments like the one a few minutes ago notwithstanding. In response to his comment, Pan just rolled her eyes and turned quickly away to head back into the house. It was a little disconcerting how extremely cute he was sometimes.
A/N: No visits to the 'present' this time, but we'll be doing that next chapter! A million thank you's to all readers and especially reviewers! I'm trying to get chapters out pretty fast, but my break will be over in about a week, and after that I have no idea how often I'll be updating. I'll get at least one more chapter in before then, maybe two. About the fight scene…well, not my forte, but I can't really accept a DBZ fic without some fighting, so I have to have it. Also, I've just realized that it seems like a lot of my story takes place during meals. lol, maybe I have a food thing. Thanks for reading, and tell me what you think!