Revelation
by Pan no Ojousan
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“I don’t know, Pan,” Gohan said to his daughter. “I think maybe we should call it quits.” “No!” she cried, giving him her best pity-provoking face. “I’m not gonna give up, I refuse to. If you don’t help me I’ll get Vegeta to.” Gohan sighed. Ever since Goku left, she had become determined to achieve Super Saiyan status. Only a few days ago had she become so focused, managing to talk her dad into taking time off of his job to train her. “I can’t let you train with Vegeta. That’s just not safe.” “Then I guess you’ll have to teach me,” Pan smirked, folding her arms over her chest. “But remember, Daddy, I’m seventeen years old now. I might be able to take Vegeta’s training.” “No way,” Gohan said firmly. “Vegeta would kill you.” Pan smiled faintly. She knew it was true, but she liked to believe she was stronger. “He wouldn’t intentionally kill me. If he did, he’d find the Dragonballs...” She fell silent, remembering that the Dragonballs were no more. “Exactly. That’s why you’re not training with Vegeta.” He sighed again, glancing over at the setting sun. “I suppose we can squeeze in a couple more hours if your Mom doesn’t come looking for us..” “Yes! Thank you, Daddy!” she cried, squeezing Gohan into a hug. “Now, let’s go!” “All right, Pan,” he said, preparing to attack. “When I wanted to become a Super Saiyan, I didn’t want my father to hold back on me. I’m assuming you want the same thing.” “Exactly,” she smiled. “I trained a little bit with grandpa, and he said you were the youngest Super Saiyan ever who had to actually work to get there.” Gohan frowned. “Yeah…you can’t imagine how shocked I was when your Uncle Goten went super when he was seven.” “And I can’t do it when I’m seventeen,” Pan pouted. Gohan took advantage of her distraction to strike. He landed a kick right in her face, sending her flying several meters back. “That’s why you never let the opponent get you sidetracked,” he smirked. “Dad! That wasn’t fair!” she cried through gritted teeth. “You’re supposed to wait until I’m ready!” He didn’t say anything; instead, he sped toward her and then disappeared at the last second before impact. She soon felt her legs get knocked from under her, and she caught herself in midair seconds before she hit the ground. It was too late, though, because Gohan was already standing over her, preparing to knock her into the ground. “Daddy, I’m helpless!” she said angrily. “Grandpa would never hit me if I was helpless!” “I’m not your grandpa, huh?” he said simply. He laughed at the terror that crossed her face. “Don’t worry, Pan; I’m not that heartless.” “Thanks again,” she breathed as her dad helped her up. “Pan,” Gohan said seriously, “this time, I’m not going to help you. Got it?” She nodded solemnly. “Okay. Now, go on over there and watch me for the attack. I can’t stress that enough.” “All right.” Pan flew backwards a few meters, keeping her eyes on her dad. “I’m ready.” Gohan tried to push all emotion out of his head. If he felt pity for Pan, then she wouldn’t be properly trained. That was the way he saw it. Taking a breath, he struck. For a second, Gohan looked troubled. His eyes were closed in deep concentration. Pan kept herself as alert as she could. His finger twitched the slightest bit, and she immediately knew it was time. He attacked almost instantly. He rushed at her and punched, but she blocked. Angered, she kicked back and hit him in the head. It didn’t phase him too much, though, because he just grabbed her foot and threw her behind him. Then he turned and shot a light ki-blast at her. Pan was completely powerless to stop the blast. She curled into a ball and held her arms over her head in an attempt to block it. She cried out in agony, as the blast burned her skin. It didn’t hurt much aside from that. “Daddy!” she yelled angrily. “You’ll pay for that!” “Will I?” he smirked. Pan had never seen her dad quite so heartless with her before. That must be what was bothering him, she thought. I’ll show him. He’ll be sorry he messed with me! She wasn’t sure, though, because she never saw much of his power either. She gritted her teeth and held her arms out in front of her, outstretched. “I’ve never done this seriously before,” she warned, “so I don’t know how strong it’ll really be.” His confident smirk angered her more. “Grandpa Goku taught it to me before he left. I think you probably know this, too. Are you ready?” “Of course,” he replied. He didn’t bother to prepare to block. “Okay. I’m gonna give this all I’ve got,” she said, still uneasy about it. “If I hurt you, I’ll take you straight to Grandma’s and have her give you a Senzu bean.” “Don’t worry, Pan. I can take care of myself,” Gohan assured her. She gained a little confidence at his more caring tone. “Okay,” she said again, drawing her arms closer to her body. She put her palms next to each other, cupped and ready to fire. Still, she hesitated. Gohan could see quite plainly that she was afraid. “Pan-chan,” he said seriously. “I’m stronger than you give me credit for. I know I haven’t fought in a while, but I didn’t just lose all that strength. Some of it, yes, but not all of it. Believe me, I can handle it.” “Okay,” she repeated for what she hoped the final time. A small ball of energy began to form in her hands. “Ka....me....” “Kamehameha?” he said incredulously. “Oh, please. Good job, Dad. That move will never die.” “Ha.....m-me.....” The energy in her hands grew brighter and stronger with every syllable. She held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut. “HAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Gohan watched as the Kamehameha wave raced toward him. At first he didn’t worry, but he soon felt an incredible amount of energy within it. She’s stronger that I gave her credit for.. “Kamehameha!” he shouted, firing a blast of his own. The two beams collided and exploded between them. “Wow, Daddy,” she said admiringly. “You are stronger than I thought. You can go Super Saiyan, right?” “Yeah,” he laughed. “I was the strongest one of all of us for a while.” “But now grandpa can go SS4, huh? And so can Vegeta-san.” “Right.” Pan frowned. “I want to be as strong as them someday.” Gohan laughed. “Yeah, right. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s next to impossible to get to your grandpa’s level without cheating like Vegeta did.” “Grandpa did it,” she said, giving him a questioning stare. “I’m sure you could, too, if you’d fight instead of do whatever it is you do.” He laughed again. “I’m afraid I can’t do that. With all the training I’ve missed out on, there’s no way I’d get to a level that I’d be able to compete with the others on.” “You could probably beat Trunks and Goten,” she pointed out. “Maybe,” he said. “Unless they fused into that demon Gotenks...” Pan lit up. “Hey, you think they could train me? As Gotenks, I mean?” “Don’t get your hopes up. They’re really not all too nice as one.” “So? I could ask.” Gohan shrugged. “If you really want to, I’m not gonna stop you. Go ahead, they’re probably both at CC right now.” “Thanks, Daddy!” she beamed, lifting into the air. “Tell Mom that I might be staying over Bra’s tonight, okay?” “Okay,” he said uneasily. “If at all possible, though, I want you to come home.” “I will if I can,” she promised. “Bye!” Pan took off into the orange sky, gazing at the sunset. I wish I had someone here to enjoy this with, she thought, almost bitterly. She pushed the thought out of her head and flew on toward Capsule Corp. It had been almost three years since Goku had left. She never referred to him as being dead, because she could feel that he wasn’t. She couldn’t exactly sense his Ki like she could her father’s, but she could just sense him. He was out there.. somewhere. She felt like she had an obligation to him to reach Super Saiyan status, though he’d never pushed her to it himself. But everyone else in her family could do it, save for her mom and Grandma. And Bra was the only one in Vegeta-san’s family who couldn’t, though his ‘family’ only consisted of himself and Trunks. The wind whipped through her wild hair, making it fly all over her face. She closed her eyes to enjoy the breeze for a moment. It wasn’t too often anymore that she had time to waste, what with school and all. But that was all over now. Due to her dad’s pushiness, she’d graduated ahead of her class. But she planned to fight for the rest of her life, and if that didn’t support her, she could work at Capsule Corp. That would always be an option. She was glad to have friends in high places. Not that she was using them, of course... There it was, just ahead. The headquarters of Capsule Corporation, which also doubled as Bulma and Vegeta’s house. Several of the strongest people in the world lived there, although most people only saw the richest in the world. Pan had grown not to think of them for their money, though. One of the horrible curses of being Bra’s best friend. She smiled as she lowered herself to the ground near the low hum of the Gravity Room. “In there again?” she muttered. “Vegeta, you’re gonna kill yourself by pushing yourself too hard.” “Hi, Pan!” Bulma called from inside. “Bra’s out right now, but she should be back—” “No, Bulma-san,” Pan said quickly, “I was looking for Goten and Trunks. Are they here?” Bulma was silent for a few seconds, and her head disappeared from the window. There was a muffled yell followed by a muffled response. Finally, she reappeared. “They’re in the kitchen,” she said dryly. “Big surprise there.” “Yeah,” Pan laughed. “Thanks, Bulma-san.” She let herself in the side door and made her way to the kitchen. “Pan?” Goten asked in surprise, looking up from stuffing his face with food. “What are you doing here?” She stared in disgust. “Uh…I wanted to know if you two’d train me.” “We’d like to, Pan, but we’re not powerful enough. Sorry,” Trunks said flatly. “That’s what my dad said,” she replied, smiling sourly. “But he said you could, um, fuse or something and teach me as Gotenks.” Goten and Trunks exchanged a glance. Neither of them had even thought of Gotenks since they were like eight. Then again, it might be fun to try.. “Well? Hello?” Pan said impatiently. “I’m not gonna wait here forever. I’ll go make Vegeta mad and then he’ll kill me. At least I’ll get trained faster.” “I’ll do it,” Goten volunteered. “C’mon, Trunks! It’d be fun!” “No.” Trunks turned from the pitiful stares that the other two gave him. “There’s no way in hell that I’m doing that again now. It was cool when I was seven, now it’s just a memory and I’d like to keep it that way.” “Trunks!” Pan whined, moving back in front of him to stare at him. “I need you to do this if I ever want to go Super Saiyan. Please? For me? Your little Panny-chan?” He stared at her, still reluctant. She tried her best to look pitiful. “I…I…um…” He sighed. “I guess so.” “All right!” she cried, high-fiving Goten. “Now come on and fuse already! I wanna get started!” “Let’s go outside,” Goten said, grinning. “Wow, this is gonna be so cool! I wonder if Gotenks has changed at all?” “Probably not,” Trunks muttered, following his friend. “I cannot believe I’m doing this. Again. Please, Kami, let it be a dream.” “It’s not,” Pan said cheerfully, dragging her uncle and Trunks out the door. She stared at them expectantly. “Well? Fuse!” Trunks stared at Goten, and Goten stared back. They both just stood there for several seconds until Goten grinned sheepishly. “I sorta forgot the fusion dance..” Pan’s face fell. “No! You can’t forget! It’s against the law that says Pan needs a trainer!” “You could go to Piccolo,” Trunks suggested. “He can’t make me a Super Saiyan!” Goten sighed. “Okay, but the dance is really dumb so please don’t stare.” “What?” Pan asked incredulously. “Puh-lease. I’ve seen you both do really dumb things before, and I’m not about to miss out on this one.” “Okay fine…hey, what the hell is that!?” Goten cried, pointing. “Where?” Pan chirped, turning to look. Next thing she knew, there was a huge flash of light and the boys were gone, replaced by a stranger. Gotenks examined himself, surprised. “Wow,” he commented, “I’m a lot different now! Look how tall!” Pan gaped. “Wow, you guys! That was cool! Too bad I missed the dance part of it, Goten.” “Goten’s not here anymore,” Gotenks corrected, staring at his niece/friend. “Now and for a half hour, I’m Gotenks.” “A half hour? That’s it?” “Yup. Enjoy it while you can,” he smirked, preparing to fight her. Pan stared in wonder as the fused half-Saiyan combination went Super Saiyan 3 right in front of her. “Gotenks, I’m not that strong. You think maybe you could fight as a regular person?” “Oh,” he said in that eerie, echo-voice that fusions have. “I guess so.” He powered back down to normal, with his freakish combination of black and violet hair. There was a loud explosion at that point, and a huge Ki that everyone was used to immediately dropped. Gotenks turned around, confused. “The gravity room exploded,” Pan explained, racing toward the scene. “We have to get Vegeta out of there before he freaks out.” Without another word, the fusion followed. Pan shifted through the rubble, trying to find Vegeta while he was still in shock. When the gravity room blew up, he was always was in shock for about thirty seconds before he became enraged and blasted the remaining bits all over the property. Last time that happened, it had cost several million dollars in repairs to the CC building. “Vegeta-san? Are you okay?” She heard him mumble something in response, allowing her to find him. “There, Vegeta-san. You’re safe now, don’t worry.” Vegeta stared at her. He shifted his gaze to stare at Gotenks. Then he stared at the wrecked gravity room. A vein on his head bulged. “THE GRAVITY ROOM HAS, ONCE AGAIN, BEEN DESTROYED!!” “By who?” Bulma shouted angrily. “I’ll tell you: it’s the same person who breaks it every damn time! You can forget it this time, buddy—fix it yourself!” “Woman! Come back here!” he yelled, preparing to go after her. “I need this gravity room to become stronger than Kakarot!” “He’s dead, dumbass! You can’t be stronger than a dead man!” “He’s not dead, I can sense it! He will return someday!” At this point, he had followed her into the house and their yelling became slightly muffled. “Okay,” Pan breathed. “We can fight now.” Gotenks reluctantly prepared himself. Is she gonna actually fight me? Why would I really want to hurt her? I don’t, he thought, as though he were having a conversation with himself. She’s beautiful…whoa, am I supposed to be thinking that? She’s my niece! Of course I’m not supposed to be thinking that!! “Hey, are you okay?” Pan asked, concerned. He stopped staring at the ground and looked at her. “Um, yeah,” he replied. Fusing was probably a bad idea. “You can strike when you’re ready.” Pan wouldn’t let it go. “Something’s bothering you, isn’t it? I’m not gonna leave you alone until I find out what it is.” “Nothing, really,” he said. “Just fight already!” She shrugged and shot a ki-blast at him. “There, I fought. Now what’s wrong?” Gotenks growled under his breath. “Nothing, I swear. You’re so annoying! Did we do this for nothing or are you gonna go Super Saiyan here?” “Yeah,” she said uneasily. “That’s fair, I guess. But as soon as you de-fuse, you’re telling me what’s the matter.” “Fine,” he lied. That being his final word, he attacked in a fury of fists. To his surprise, she blocked most of them and even got in a punch or two of her own. They fought furiously for the almost the entire half hour, stopping when Pan requested. It was dark by this time, save for the lights of the city. She sat on the grass, motioning for him to do the same. “Now,” she said, staring into his eyes, “you’re gonna tell me what was bothering you earlier, got it? And I’m not letting you go until you do.” Gotenks threw up his hands in exasperation. “When will you just leave me alone? Kami, that’s annoying! Nothing was bothering me and that’s it!” “Fine,” Pan said bluntly, staring at her watch. “You have about ten seconds left. Any last words?” “No,” he said, just as bluntly. He turned his gaze to the night’s sky. “It’s been fun. Sorry you didn’t go Super Saiyan.” “My mind wasn’t in the fight,” she admitted, watching him as the fusion began to wear off. He suddenly look past her, eyes wide. “Whoa, what the hell is that?” he asked, pointing. Like an idiot, she looked again and missed the de-fusion. “That was you, wasn’t it, Goten?” she demanded after the two boys were back. “I hate you! I wanted to see that!” Goten glanced uneasily at Trunks, who looked equally disturbed. “Sorry. I, um.. it was an accident. Pan, you’re coming with me. We’re gonna take you home and keep you there for a while.” “What!? Why?” she asked as Goten grabbed her arm. “Let go! I wanna talk to you two!” “You can talk to me,” he said, glaring at his friend, who just sat there and stared at the ground. “You don’t need and shouldn’t want to talk to him.” “What happened? What was Gotenks upset about?” Pan glanced from one half-Saiyan to the other. “I know that’s why you’re mad, Uncle Goten. What was it?” “Nothing that you need to be concerned with,” Goten said protectively. “Just come with me, okay?” Pan sighed helplessly. “Can’t I just.. I don’t know, wait for Bra?” “No, Goten’s right,” Trunks muttered. “You should probably go home. We have something to settle.” Pan started to say something, but she decided not to. She screamed in frustration instead. “I’M STAYING HERE UNTIL I FIND OUT WHAT’S UP!!” “THERE’S NOTHING TO FIND OUT!!” Goten exploded. Pan fell silent, stumbling back in surprise. “If you want to be a bitch and sit here while we fight, then that’s fine!! Happy!?” She said nothing, just stared at him in shock. Her eyes burned with tears of anger, and she got up and took off right then. Goten felt guilty, but he didn’t dwell on it too much. “Now, before I can make everything better between us,” he said, glaring at Trunks but referring to Pan, “we have something to discuss. Isn’t that right, Trunks?” “Yeah,” he mumbled. This wasn’t going to be fun. (_-¯-_-¯-_-¯-_-¯-_-¯-_-¯-_-¯-_-¯-_-¯) “I know, honey. I’m sorry.” Pan sobbed onto her mother’s shoulder, the events of the day spilling out. She didn’t really intend on telling her mom about her determination to go super, but she needed someone to cry to. “I can’t believe he did that!” she said for about the fiftieth time. “Mom, it hurts so much..” “I know it does,” Videl said comfortingly. “I don’t know what I would do if your dad yelled at me like that. He’s never raised his voice at me, ever. Just like you and Goten. Oh, honey, I’m sorry.” Goten had never done anything to hurt Pan. If anyone else had said the exact same words, she wouldn’t have minded, but Goten was different. He always made an honest effort not to. She chided herself for arguing with him. If she had just accepted what he said and left, then it wouldn’t have happened. But something happened when they were Gotenks, and even though she didn’t know what it was, she felt responsible for it because she forced them to fuse. “And I just have to find out what it was, because I won’t be able to live with myself if they fight.” “Why don’t you go on and see?” Videl suggested. Pan looked up at her in surprise. “You’re a big girl now, Pan-chan, and I think you can–no, should look into this. But I’ll leave it up to you.” Pan nodded, wiping away her tears. “I understand, Mom. I’m gonna go now. I might not be back in the morning, but make sure Daddy can sense my Ki before you panic, okay?” Videl bit her lip. “He wouldn’t kill you, would he?” “I don’t think. But just make sure,” Pan replied, lifting into the air. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll see you later.” Videl watched her daughter take off again. Goten, I hope you had a good reason to hurt her, she thought angrily. You hurt her more than anyone ever has before, and if it wasn’t for good reason, I’ll make sure you pay. And she meant it. (_-¯-_-¯-_-¯-_-¯-_-¯-_-¯-_-¯-_-¯-_-¯) Trunks hit the ground again, his vision turning slightly red. He was bruised and bloody, but he wasn’t about to stop Goten; he was enraged, and he had a right to be. Goten was instantly hovering above him, Super Saiyan and very angry. Trunks just closed his eyes and wished he could sink into the ground. “You..! I can’t believe you!” Goten fumed. “No one gave you the right to think that! Or make me think that!” “I didn’t,” Trunks mumbled quietly. “I didn’t do it, Goten. It was Gotenks, I swear.” “Well someone had to create the thought to be…uh, thought…” Goten paused, confusing himself. He shook it off and fumed again. “I know I didn’t think it, so it had to be you! How dare you think that about Pan? And let me hear it!?” “I didn’t,” Trunks said again. Goten kicked his face and he fell silent. “That’s sick and wrong, man! I can’t believe you.” Goten shook his head angrily. “Now I can never let you in the same room as Pan. Kami, that’s my frickin niece! And I thought that about her! No, you did. I didn’t think a thing.” “Well, I didn’t say anything, did I?” Trunks snapped, becoming angry himself. “Is it a crime to think about how I feel?” “When I can hear those thoughts, then yes!” Goten retorted. “You’re lucky I’m as forgiving as I am. I could go tell Gohan and have him beat the life out of you.” Trunks bitterly wiped some blood off of his face. “What, aren’t you having fun anymore?” he asked resentfully. “What, you think it’s fun for me?” He smiled faintly at the look Trunks gave him. “Well, yeah, it is kinda fun. But still, can you blame me? What if you thought that about Bra?” Trunks shuddered. “I highly doubt that. In fact, I’m absolutely positive that those thoughts will never cross my mind with Bra in them.” “It’s like that for me. See how disturbed I am? See?” Goten asked. Trunks nodded numbly. “I thought so. Man, that’s wrong. So very, very wrong.” “I’m sorry, okay? Really, I didn’t want to fuse in the first place. You brought it upon yourself.” “Why did you do it then?” Trunks frowned. “I figured, since his name was Gotenks, maybe you were the base and my thoughts wouldn’t come up as much as they actually did.” Goten blinked, then shuddered. “You’re admitting it. Oh, the trauma! Aaahhh...” “Sorry.. At least Gotenks knows how to handle himself.” “Hey!” came a voice from the sky. The two turned and saw Pan lower herself to the ground. Her cheeks were stained with tears, and her eyes were red, but she still managed to look tough. She shot an angry glare at Goten. “I came to find out what happened to you two. I feel like it was my fault because I forced you to fuse.” “It’s not your fault,” Goten sighed. “I’m really sorry for yelling at you earlier, too. I was really mad but now it’s all good.” Pan stared at them for a few minutes. “You mean you did all that just to make up an hour later? Well, my trip here was totally wasted.” “No, at least you found out it was no big deal,” Goten reassured her. Trunks remained quiet through the whole thing. “Besides, I got to apologize for how rude I was to you.” “Yeah,” she said, grinning sourly. “That was pretty mean. You really are a jerk, you know that?” “So that’s where Gotenks got it,” Trunks said in mock awe. Goten glared at him and he immediately fell silent again. “Hey, Trunks, I have an idea,” Goten suggested. “Maybe you and Pan should talk a little, you know, since you’ve kind of grown apart and all. Get in touch with each other’s feelings.” “Shut up, Goten,” Trunks growled. “I’ll get my dad to kill you if I can’t do it myself.” “But Pan would be so upset,” he mocked. “You don’t wanna upset your dear little Panny-chan, now do you?” “I remember telling you to shut up, and following it up with a threat. You didn’t shut up..” Trunks left his sentence unfinished. Goten took the hint and shut his mouth. Pan looked on, confused. “You guys are weird.” “We know,” Trunks replied, still glaring at his friend. “What happened? What was such a big deal?” “Ask him!” Goten pointed. ““Me!? Why? I.. uh, I don’t wanna talk about it.” “What, you have a problem expressing how you feel? Maybe you should just fuse with her.” “Aah! Never!” Pan cried. “Don’t you have to be the same height for that? Look how much shorter I am!” “Yeah!” Trunks added, equally disgusted. “That would be wrong.” “No, I can think—whoops, I mean you can think of a few things that would be, uh, more wrong. Wronger. Something like that.” “Kami, will you just drop it already!?” “No! I’m gonna be scarred for life!” “It’s not my fault! It’s.. it’s Goku’s fault. I didn’t teach you the fusion dance, did I?” Trunks smirked triumphantly. As though he had proved something. “Don’t blame my father for your dirty, horrible mind!” Goten cried. Pan was silent, trying to piece all these things together. “What do you mean me? Who’s the one thinking of their niece like—” “That was your fault! If you hadn’t thought it in the first place, I wouldn’t even know!” “It wasn’t my fault! I didn’t try to think anything horrible! It was Gotenks!” “Oh, Kami,” Pan breathed. All this was starting to make sense, and it scared her. She buried her head in her hands and just listened to their fighting for a while more, hoping that something they said would prove her wrong. Anything to make it a little better. “I swear, Trunks, I’m gonna be scarred for life. I’ll find a way to make it up to you someday.” “I don’t want you to! I’m never fusing with anyone again, especially not you. You take things too personally and they aren’t even about you!” “But that’s my niece! I love her like a little sister!” “So do I!” “And obviously so very much more,” Goten snorted. That was enough for Pan. She just couldn’t listen to this anymore. She lifted her head and stared at her uncle, tears once again in her eyes. “I’m gonna go now,” she said softly. “Don’t come see me today, and don’t come tomorrow. I don’t want to see you until I have time to think.” She turned to Trunks. “I don’t want to see you, ever. Bye.” The boys watched her take off into the midnight sky in complete silence. Goten slowly turned to his friend. “I don’t think she feels the same way about you,” he said matter-of-factly. Trunks scowled at him and went into his house, leaving Goten to watch Pan disappear in the distance. |