Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Windows to the Soul ❯ If at First You Don’t Succeed Try, Try Again ( Chapter 9 )

Chapter Nine - If at First You Don't Succeed Try, Try Again

Pan rested her forehead against the cool glass of the regeneration tank. Trunks floated inside a sea of green liquid with numerous cords connected to his body and an oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose.

Pan sighed. It had already been two full weeks with him inside the healing dome, and Bulma said it would be another day or two before he was fully healed.

Pan raised her eyes to his face. The machine hummed and Trunks slightly opened his eyes for a split second, then closed them again. Pan sat back in her chair. Five minutes later, Bulma came through the door carrying a tray with food.

She smiled at Pan and placed the tray on a table before her. "Here's your dinner. Is he doing any better?"

Pan nodded, "He looks much better now. He opened his eyes once."

Bulma's smile grew. "That's good. He'll probably be healed soon. Well, enjoy your meal. I'll see you in the morning."

Pan thanked her as she left. She nibbled on her food silently. `Poor Bulma, she took this so hard.' Bulma had complied to bringing Pan food and clothing since she had refused to leave the room until Trunks was well. Pan looked back up at the floating Trunks and sighed. `How long will this war last?'

*****

The silent machine beeped during the nightly hours. Not it's normal humming, but a louder sequence of beeps. Pan slept silently on a chair nearby. The patient inside the round structure stirred.

His eyes twitched and the green liquid drained from inside. His eyes opened as well as the entrance into his glass prison.

Trunks pulled off the oxygen mask and sighed. He pulled off the tabs that connected him to the machine. He stepped outside and stumbled. `What the…?' He looked behind him and discovered a lavender tail was connected to his body and thrashing about wildly. He almost screamed. Then he remembered his mother telling him that Saiya-jins were born with tails, but his was cut off at birth. He stood a little wobbly.

He clenched his fists and tensed his muscles. He had definitely increased in strength. Just like any other Saiya-jin, after healing from severe wounds.

His cerulean eyes wandered over to the beauty asleep on the armchair across from where he stood. She, no doubt, had been there the whole time he was floating in the green void of healing fluids. `How long have I been in there anyway?,' He wondered as he maneuvered over to her. He brushed back her bangs. `I need to reach level two, for her sake.' He stepped away from his soul mate and flared his ki to dry himself. Trunks walked out of the lab, but not before he stole a glance back at Pan.

*****

Pan awoke with a start. She stood up and stretched. She turned towards the regeneration tank and almost fell over in shock. It was empty.

Pan's eyebrows lifted and she ran up to Trunks' bedroom. She slowly opened the door and peeked her head inside. She discovered Trunks sleeping on his stomach, with the covers pooled at his waist. She smiled and crept to his side.

She lowered herself next to his side and kissed his forehead. He sighed and shifted in his sleep. Something brushed her arm and she jumped. She tried to stand, but discovered that she couldn't. She looked down and found something wrapped around her waist. She almost screamed. A purple tail had wrapped itself around her waist and wasn't letting go.

`Nani?! A tail?! That can't be human, but he's not completely human. Neither am I, but I don't have a tail. Well, I don't remember having one. The regeneration tank must have made it grow back.' She sighed in exasperation and tried to stand again. The furry appendage squeezed tighter and the air was squeezed out of her lungs.

She rolled her eyes. It didn't look like she was going anywhere for a while. She laid down next to him. As soon as she did, she was pulled into his arms. Pan gasped. She self-consciously reached down and brushed his tail. He vibrated against her as he began to purr. She gave up and closed her eyes.

*****

Pan ran down the stairs in a rush. She found Bulma in the living room. "Where's Trunks?" she asked.

Bulma pointed out a window. "He's training in the gravity room like a madman. Good luck trying to get him out."

Pan nodded, "Arigatou, Bulma-chan," and she was out the door like lightning.

Pan knocked loudly on the door to the gravity room. "Trunks, come on out!" No answer. She knocked again. No answer. She peered inside the red tinted window.

Trunks was deep into his training. She looked over the controls in the center of the room. Her eyes went wide. The gravity was set to 600 times Earth's gravity. `That's it.' She opened a hidden panel on the side of the door. She pushed a button and the gravity shut off, along with the door opening.

Trunks turned to her with a determined look on his face. His tail jerked from side to side behind him.

"Trunks, what are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm training."

"At 600 times Earth's gravity!"

"I need a challenge. It's the only way I can get stronger."

She stepped inside. "You'll kill yourself at this rate!"

"I'm trying to protect you!"

She took another step forward. "How can you protect me if you kill yourself?"

His eyebrows twitched. "I'm not killing myself, I'm simply training."

"That may be true, but your body just healed and isn't ready for these measurements just yet."

"I have to try." he said softly.

She slowly advanced towards him. "Please, Trunks…" she touched his arm, "Take it easy. Your body will be tired from healing. You haven't done any physical movements for the past two weeks." His eyes glanced at her hand, then returned to her onyx pools. She blinked. "Just spend a day or two relaxing and getting accustomed to movement… and perhaps that." She pointed to his tail.

He twitched his tail and moved away from her touch. "I'm sorry, Pan, but I must train. The only way I can ascend is by getting stronger."

Pan took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I was afraid you would say that, knowing how stubborn you can be. Well then…" she opened her fiery eyes and crouched into a fighting position, "Fight me."

He looked at her with amused eyes and gave a small laugh. "Come on, Pan, I can easily defeat you."

"Is that a fact?" Her eyes flashed, "…or maybe you just don't have the balls to do it. If you can beat me, you can do whatever you wish, but if you lose… you take the next two or three days off of training. No Super Saiya-jin."

He nodded. "Alright, I'll take up your offer. Remember, I'm stronger now that I've healed."

Pan gritted her teeth and powered up. She leapt forward with a yell. Trunks disappeared before she reached him. She was slammed into the floor by his elbow. `How did he move so fast?' She was instantly back on her feet and struck him with her right foot. He was knocked back and both charged towards the other. They exchanged blows and a bright light exploded.

The air was knocked from her lungs as Pan hit the wall from the force of the attack. She fell to the ground onto her stomach.

Trunks appeared before her and crossed his arms. "You can't beat me, sweetheart, so just give up."

Pan looked up. "Hell no." She sprang up and wrapped her legs around his neck. She fell backwards and landed on her hands and propelled him towards the center of the gravity chamber.

Trunks stopped mid-air and thrust his foot into her stomach. She jumped up and pummeled his face. He grabbed her fists. "I don't want to hurt you."

She bared her teeth. "And I don't want you to hurt yourself."

He smirked and slightly squeezed. Pan yelped in pain. "Say Uncle, and I will stop."

"Never." She mumbled. He squeezed her hands just a little bit harder. She clenched her teeth and thrust her knee into his groin. Trunks doubled over in pain and fell to his knees. She smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. "Serves you right. You should never hit a lady."

He grimaced. "I never actually hit you, and besides, your not a lady, just a wild beast."

"At least I'm not the one gripping my crotch and weeping like a lost child." She knelt beside him and grabbed his tail. "I can be nice." She stroked his tail, "…or I can be mean." She pulled his tail lightly.

Trunks groaned. "That's it, you need to be tamed." He stood up and swung her over one shoulder.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" She pounded on his back and he laughed at her weak attempts.

Trunks flew back to her bedroom. He threw her onto the bed and pinned her before she got the chance to move. "I won fair and square, so I get to train as I like." he said.

She frowned, "You cheated."

"I cheated? What about the maneuver you just pulled? You deserve this. Don't be a brat." He got off the bed and returned to his training. Pan just lay still on her bed and huffed.

*****

Trunks swung his fists into an invisible opponent. He growled and thrust his leg into the air. The machine beeped and he looked to the controls. A digital voice rang out in the silence of the room, "Gravity level raised. Seven-hundred times Earth gravity." Trunks hit the floor from the force of the change. He had set the machine to up the gravity every hour. He shrugged off his anguish and roughly restarted his training.

Trunks shot at one of the three round drones that floated nearby. It passed from one to the other, then back to him. He batted it away and it hit the center of the room. He screamed as a bright light enveloped him and the entire room.