Author's Note: This is my very first fanfic. It's Pan/Vegeta, which is a pretty bold starter fic I suppose. This couple is bizarre indeed, but I find myself enjoying them together. I prefer Bulma/Vegeta, but Pan/Vegeta seems to have more adventurous aspects to it since they both have that Saiya-jin thing going for them. Feedback would be wonderful, but leaving comments about my choice of coupling would be silly since no one is forced to read this. I apologize ahead of time if any characters get to be too out of character.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z or anything related to it, unless you count action figures…

" " ~ talking

' '~ thinking

Chapter 1: Everyday Life

As she did almost every night, Pan Son pushed the window of her second story bedroom open and flew off into the darkness. Her destination was one she frequented, so she barely paid attention as she travelled. Instead, she thought back to the conversation she had with her parents earlier in the day.

Videl paced back and forth next to the table at which Pan sat, running her hands through her jet black hair. Gohan stood behind one of the table chairs, thrumming his fingers against the chair back.

Videl stopped walking and turned to her daughter as she spoke, "Pan, you know why we're down here. Again." Pan sat quietly. She knew what was coming.

"Panny, this is the fifth time this month a teacher has called about you. Things are getting out of hand. There's no reason for you to pick fights with your classmates. You know you're much stronger than any of them. If you're not careful, you could send someone to the hospital. Or worse," Gohan gave his follow-up, using his nickname for his daughter.

"Papa, I don't see what the big deal is. I never start any of those fights. The guys at school pick fights with me because they think I'm an insult to their manhood for being as strong as I am. And it doesn't help that both my grandpas were World Martial Arts champions. Would you prefer if I just didn't defend myself?" the demi-Saiya-jin retorted.

"You're seventeen, almost eighteen, dear. Fighting in school is a bit immature and I know you're better than that," Videl said, still raking her hands through her hair.

"I already told you, I was only defending myself," Pan repeated.

"You know those boys can't hurt you. You're a Saiya-jin," Gohan offered.

"So you just want me to sit there and take it? I don't think so," Pan crossed her arms across her chest and mumbled, "It's not my fault they were born weak."

"Trunks and Bra don't pick fights with people, and they're both more Saiya-jin that you are," her mother wagged a finger as she spoke. Pan's temper began to flare, but she attempted to contain it.

"Trunks and Bra both manage to play nice in school, so why can't you? Neither of them spend a bunch of time training just to beat up the boys in their classes," Videl lectured, her comment stinging her daughter. Pan leapt up, knocking her chair to the floor.

"Do you know why they don't get into fights? Because they're too busy chasing boys or girls. Bra doesn't like training, but it's not because she doesn't want to be stronger. And Trunks has gotten lazy. But I still don't see what the big deal is. I'm making the top grades in my class. My teachers like me, for the most part. The only time I get in trouble is when I'm defending myself, and most of my teachers have a hard time believing I'm capable of beating up a group of guys," Pan didn't yell, but it was obvious she was angry.

Gohan continued trying to play good cop, but Pan knew the routine. "Well Panny, your mother and I think you need to lay off the excessive training, maybe even try dating. I know you do well in school, but that's not going to mean anything if you get expelled for beating up your classmates."

"I'm not interested in any of the guys at my school. They're all weak and silly," she spoke evenly, but her anger only grew.

"You're far too picky, Pan. I know you wish you could find a Saiya-jin boy so you'd have someone to match up with you, so why don't you try dating Trunks?" Videl's comment stung Pan again. She knew Pan had always wished for a guy who could content with her strength and sharp mind. The only kind of boy Pan wanted was a Saiya-jin boy. There was even a time when Pan jokingly asked Gohan if she could find the Dragonballs to wish up a boyfriend. He laughed and told her she sounded like Bulma.

"Ha! Trunks is such a womanizer! Like I would date him!" she laughed.

"He's a nice boy, and he's set to inherit Capsule Corporation. He's got a lot going for him," Videl countered.

"He's weak and foolish." Pan gave her mother a Vegeta-like scowl. Videl sighed, exasperated, and threw her hands up in surrender.

"The whole point of this discussion is to keep you from fighting in school. If you don't want to date, you don't have to, but please Panny, stop getting in trouble," Gohan pleaded. He wasn't too keen on the idea of his little girl dating, but he hated seeing her get herself into trouble.

"I'll work on it, Papa, but I refuse to stand there and let them punch me in the face or something." With that, Pan made her way to her room. Once inside, she closed and locked her door, and collapsed on her bed. Soon, she fell asleep. When she woke, the sky was dark. The clock next to her bed read a little past nine. She traipsed into the bathroom, which connected to her room, and took a quick but thorough shower. Using her ki, she dried her body and ebony locks after stepping out of the bathroom. Pan looked in the mirror briefly. She kept the same hairstyle she had during her childhood. Bangs and straight hair that reached her shoulder blades. Her face showed no flaws. Bulma's advanced regeneration tank was to thank for that. She remained a tomboy even in high school, so she dressed herself in a loose pair of black track pants and a plain nay blue T-shirt. As she changed, she wondered where the fighting spirit her parents used to have disappeared to. She had always been told stories about how great a fighter her father was and how strong her mother was for a human. Her anger still burned and she needed to relieve some stress the only way she knew how. Sparring with the Saiya-jin no Ouji. She made quick work of her hair, pulling it back into a tight bun her grandma Chi-Chi taught her to make. It kept her hair out of the way in a fight. Then she slipped on a pair of tennis shoes, opened her window, and flew toward Capsule Corp.

Before she knew it, Pan reached her destination. She touched down next to the Gravity Room, which was already in use. It didn't take a genius to guess who would be in there. She brought her fist to the door, preparing to knock, but the door swung open before she had a chance. Of course he knew she was coming. Pan smirked before stepping inside.

In the middle of the Gravity Room, Vegeta stood with a towel around his neck. Not surprisingly, he wore only a pair of black spandex shorts and a pair of tennis shoes. His body glistened with sweat. The Ouji's incredibly toned form distracted Pan for a second before she caught herself. Yes, Vegeta was very good looking, but he was also married and had two children. She quickly dropped her gaze and closed the Gravity Room door. When she turned around, Vegeta had thrown his towel to the edge of the room and was beginning some stretches. Pan joined him. The pair stretched together in silence. When Vegeta finished, Pan stopped too and fell into a fighting stance.

"You're in a hurry today, brat," Vegeta observed. He took his own fighting stance.

"I had a bad day and need to relieve some stress," Pan answered.

"Then let's begin." Vegeta rushed her, but Pan was prepared. He aimed a punch for her face, but she ducked and kicked his legs out from under him. Vegeta caught himself with his left hand and kicked up, hitting Pan in the face and sending her into the wall. She recovered quickly and lunged at her sparring partner. She attacked him with incredible ferocity. Though he blocked all of her attacks, Vegeta found himself powering up to Super Saiya-jin to keep up with her. With deadly focus and accuracy, her barrage continued. However, the Saiya-jin no Ouji's Super Saiya-jin strength became too much for her. Soon her attacks began to slow and weaken. In her anger, she expended too much energy too quickly and was now paying the price. An hour later, Pan sported a variety of cuts and bruises all over her body. Her clothes managed to stay intact for the most part, only suffering a few tears here and there. Videl and Chi-Chi made sure Pan had very durable clothing since the Saiya-jin girl insisted on training.

Vegeta knew Pan was almost spent, so his pace slowed. With a fierce kick to the gut, he sent her flying into the wall, yet again. When she fell to the floor, she rolled over onto her back and stayed there, breathing heavily. Vegeta hovered over her fallen form, sweating and sporting his own wounds. Pan looked up in time to see a Super Saiya-jin fist flying at her. She rolled out of the way but stayed on the ground. He came at her again, but she couldn't move fast enough. He stopped his attack just short of her head when he noticed.

"Giving up, brat?" he mocked.

"If I could move, I would punch you right now Vegeta-sama," she laughed breathlessly. Vegeta smirked. She attempted to hit him anyway, but in less than a second, he was sitting on top of her, restraining her hands above her head. He smirked again.

"Maybe if you were a Super Saiya-jin, you'd actually stand a chance," he teased. Pan's face hardened. She wanted to become a Super Saiya-jin more than anything in the world. A growl escaped her lips. She struggled as best she could, but Vegeta's grip didn't weaken. He leaned in close, as if wanting to tell her something he didn't want anyone else to hear, even though they were the only two in the room. Pan forced away a blush.

"You'll ascend, so long as you continue training." If Pan's senses weren't as heightened as they were, she would have missed it. She had always trained with Vegeta, and he had never once said anything remotely close to this. A small smile formed on her lips and she whispered back, "thank you, Vegeta-sama."

"But that's only if you train with your Ouji," he added, leaning up but not moving from his position on top of the demi-Saiya-jin. He still hadn't powered down from his Super Saiya-jin state. Again, Pan found herself admiring him. When she was younger, she all but worshipped the ground he walked on, especially when she found out he was the Saiya-jin no Ouji. As she grew older, her hero worship didn't die down. She thought Vegeta was the greatest person who ever lived. But lately, she found herself thinking about him in other ways. She cursed her hormones. Of course he was completely gorgeous, but he was also completely off limits. There age difference never bothered her: she had always liked older, more mature men. However, she still felt ashamed for crushing on him. Pan hoped it turned out to be a silly infatuation. It was becoming increasingly difficult to hope for such things while Vegeta sat, half naked, on top of her. She quickly pushed all thought of him in that sense from her mind, knowing he would quickly realize something was up if she didn't. He titled his head slightly in confusion but quickly regained his composure.

Vegeta powered down, got off Pan, and went to grab his towel. Pan slowly stood, stretching the kinks from her body. She would definitely feel that in the morning. As the Ouji walked toward the control panel, Pan concocted an evil plan. As graceful as a feline, she pounced. Vegeta's guard had been dropped, and her attack was successful. She wrapped him in a hug from behind, and they fell to the ground. Shocked, Vegeta barely managed to stifle a grunt.

"Thank you again, Vegeta-sama! My stress is one hundred percent relieved, and I got one Hell of a workout," she said as she lay on top of him, still hugging him from behind as he lay on his stomach. He grunted and stood up, Pan still clinging to him. Her Son heritage showed clearly.

"Brat, you're going crazy on me." He peeled her off him and moved to face her, "Save it for your ascension."

Pan couldn't help but frown. Hugging Vegeta felt good, but it was wrong and there was no way he would ever hug her back. He misinterpreted her frown.

"Remember what I said earlier. Just keep training." she knew this was his attempt at comforting her. She forced a smile and moved away to finish her stretches. Vegeta watched her, momentarily hypnotized by her movements.

When he first started training Pan, she annoyed him, but he knew how much pride she held for her heritage and how badly she wanted to join the ranks of the Super Saiya-jin. He couldn't but admire at least that much about her. So, he took her under his wing. She hung on his every word and pushed herself as hard as she could. Pan's determination reminded Vegeta of himself. She definitely had Saiya-jin blood running through her veins. He watched her grow and mature. Over the years, she became very strong with a quick mind and an attitude to boot. Their fights were always interesting. Now, she was almost of age, and he couldn't help but notice her. It was silly to think he and Pan would ever share an intimate moment, but the thought passed through his mind nonetheless. For the first time ever, he cursed his pure Saiya-jin blood. Certainly it caused his interest in the younger Saiya-jin. Pan had it all though, intelligence, beauty, and strength. But he and Bulma had children together. Though he never fell in love with her, he decided to settle down with the aqua-haired genius in order to have offspring. Attractiveness didn't skip over Bulma, and she lived a life of luxury, which caused Vegeta to stay with her, even though he knew they would never have a real relationship together. Not in the normal way and certainly not in the Saiya-jin way. He choked down a frustrated sigh. Pan could only be his student, nothing else. He needed to keep it that way, or things might get out of hand. Besides, he didn't think it possible for Pan to be interested in him when there were men much closer to her age around, like Trunks.

Pan finished her closing stretches. She followed Vegeta out of the Gravity Room and he locked it up behind them. As he walked toward the house, Pan leapt into the sky.

"Good night, Vegeta-sama! I'll see you tomorrow!" She waved and sped away without looking back for a response.

"Good night, brat," he mumbled. Slowly, he walked into Capsule Corp. and up the stairs to the bathroom. He hoped his strange thoughts regarding his pupil would wash away with the sweat and blood. Instead, his thoughts insisted upon replaying a specific scene in his head. He sat on top of Pan, restraining her arms, but as soon as his mind started making clothes disappear, he shook his head. The images and thoughts of Pan were forced away as he finished his shower.

When Pan returned home, she quietly flew through the window and collapsed on her bed. She knew she needed a shower badly but was too tired to take one. It would have to wait until morning. Sleep overcame her quickly, thoughts of fighting, Super Saiya-jin, and Vegeta on her mind.

Since the next day was Saturday, Pan didn't worry about waking up early. When her eyes finally did slide open, her clock read 11:42 a.m. She rolled out of bed and immediately walked to the shower. Fifteen minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom, squeaky clean. She glanced in the mirror and noted the bruises on her body and the bags under her eyes. Nothing a Senzu Bean couldn't fix. After rummaging through her dresser drawers for a moment, she produced a tiny brown bag containing the Senzu Beans Vegeta made her keep. The bean quickly found its way into her mouth and down her throat. It was hard, chalky, and tasteless, but she could instantly feel it working its magic. Her bruises and bags disappeared. Pan felt energized.

"Pan! Lunch is ready!" Videl yelled up the stairs for her daughter. Pan's stomach rumbled loudly at the mention of food. She dressed herself in a black wife beater and baggy olive green pants. Her trademark orange bandana was fastened on her head. Then she all but ran to the kitchen, eager to fill her starving stomach. Gohan was already eating. Pan sat next to him and began shoveling all the food she could down her throat. She was by no means a messy eater, the regal Vegeta-sama wouldn't have it, but she ingested a very large quantity of food. When she finished, she hugged and kissed Videl, thanking her for lunch, before bounding toward her room. Before she reached the door, Videl called out to her from the stairs.

"Pan, what are your plans for the day?" she asked.

"I'm going to train with Vegeta-sama, like I do every Saturday," she answered.

"Don't let him work you too hard. He's much too strong to be fighting with a young lady," Videl worried.

"I'll be fine, Mama. He knows my limits." She could hear her mom walking the rest of the way up the stairs. Her eyes rolled briefly before Videl made an appearance.

"Well, you know I don't care for Vegeta. The only reason I let you go is because your father trusts him."

"Vegeta-sama isn't a bad guy, Mama. And he's a great teacher."

"He's a dangerous man, Pan. Who knows what would happen if he let his temper get the better of him."

"Mama. He's fine. Please trust me. I won't let anything happen."

"I'm not worried about what you might do, dear. I'm worried about what he might do."

Pan sighed. Her mother's fear of Vegeta seemed ridiculous. Sure he was rough on her, but it was only to make her stronger. Vegeta was her idol. His ability to go Super Saiya-jin made her idolize him even more. She hugged Videl again before entering her room and closing the door behind her. Pan went about her routine of pulling her hair into a bun and putting her tennis shoes on. This time, she left her beloved bandana on her head. Instead of leaving though the window, Pan walked out the front door and flew to Capsule Corp.

When she arrived, the Gravity Room wasn't on. That struck her as incredibly odd. Maybe Vegeta broke it. She ventured into the Briefs' home, looking for her sensei. He was found in the kitchen, attempting to cook lunch and failing miserably. Pan snickered. Vegeta's swung around as he turned to glare at her.

"What's so funny, girl?" he seethed. Pan's laughter stopped abruptly.

"Nothing, Vegeta-sama. I just thought you knew how to cook," she answered.

"I am the Saiya-jin no Ouji. I shouldn't have to cook. I should be training right now."

"Well, Ouji-sama," Pan gave a mocking curtsey, "let me cook for you. Grandma Chi-Chi taught me a thing or two."

Vegeta grunted and sat down at the table, letting Pan take over. She made him shrimp stir-fry. He devoured the meal.

"Was it adequate, my Ouji?" Pan teased.

"Better than the garbage the woman cooks, but that doesn't mean much," he stood up, leaving the dishes on the table, "now why don't you be a good little peasant and clean up this mess."

Pan growled but attended to the dishes. She only had to put them in the sink since Bulma had built cleaning bots, but Vegeta found it amusing, which irritated Pan. When she finished, the two travelled to the Gravity Room to begin training. He walked to the controls to set the gravity to 800 times Earth's gravity. Bulma constantly worked on the Gravity Room. It was her pride and joy, right up there with the Dragon Radar, and it was capable of sustaining much more than 800 times Earth's gravity. This was just the warm up.

"Now I will teach you to respect your Ouji," Vegeta smirked and attacked, skipping preliminary stretches completely. Pan's guard never had a chance to go up as Vegeta kicked her squarely in the chest. She hit the wall, gasping for breath. He gave her no recovery time. Vegeta fiercely attacked Pan, pummeling her with a variety of punches and kicks. It was time to push her.

"You're never going to reach Super Saiya-jin at this rate. You haven't even hit me once." He crossed his arms over his chest. Pan stood shakily. She tilted her head and spat out a mouthful of blood. Vegeta was beginning to cross the line. The other day he said all she needed to do was keep training to ascend, and now here he was, berating her. How ridiculous. A feral growl rumbled for her lithe form. She flew at him with as much vigor as she had the previous night. Vegeta preferred it this way. She made battling so much more exciting when she fought solely off instinct. Even though she would never be able to beat him, their heated battle managed to excite him. He went Super Saiya-jin to finish teaching her a lesson. She couldn't get over how wonderful the Ouji looked in that state and hoped she would look just as beautiful when she ascended. She would ascend. She had to. She needed to show Vegeta she wasn't weak and useless. Saiya-jin blood coursed through her veins. If Trunks could do it, she could definitely do it.

"Don't lose focus on me, girl," Vegeta gave her an uppercut to remember, "Super Saiya-jins never lose focus."

He continued to push it. Why did he have to bring it up? He knew better than anyone how hard she tried. The barrage of attacks on Pan continued. She knew there wasn't any chance of her winning, but she wanted so badly to stick it to her sensei. Her attacks became restless, desperate even. Vegeta dodged each of her attacks with ease.

"Come on, brat. I thought you told me you wanted to ascend. Trunks and Goten managed it as mere children, and here you are, a woman, and still aren't anywhere close. Maybe you should just give up." He continued to dodge her attacks. A loud cry of frustration came from Pan as her strikes continued. Vegeta was too fast, too strong. She would never catch him. She couldn't catch any of them. Trunks and her Uncle Goten had been Super Saiya-jins for what seemed like forever. Even her bookworm of a father could do it. It was in her blood. She was a Saiya-jin, so why couldn't she do it? Why did she have to train so hard and get nothing? Why not just give it all up?

Because of him. She wanted to show Vegeta she could do it. She wanted to prove herself. Failure was not an option. He would be proud of her, even if it killed her. Sweat poured down her face. She locked eyes with Vegeta as she fought him. In them he saw her raw determination, her incredible desire to show everyone what she was capable of. In that instance, she looked more Saiya-jin than anyone he had ever met. He wanted to help the brat ascend and was pushing her to her limits.

"I see. You really just don't want it. You'd rather play games," he caught her arm mid-punch and tossed her across the room, "instead of training. We can stop now, since you don't seem to care."

She yelled out, "I'm not playing around!" She lunged at him, "I will be a Super Saiya-jin! I have to!"

He smacked her away. Pan jumped back at him in an instant. He saw her eyes flash from black to teal and back again. Almost there. Just one more good push. As Pan went in to hit Vegeta in the face, the Gravity Room beeped. The gravity reduced to normal, catching Pan by surprise. Vegeta, used to intrusions, caught Pan as she overexerted her punch and fell clumsily. Bulma appeared at the doorway.

"What is it, woman?" Vegeta pushed Pan back to her feet, and she mumbled words of thanks under her breath.

"Gosh, Vegeta, I figured you'd be glad to know dinner is ready," Bulma pouted. Vegeta rolled his eyes.

"Could you not wait? We were in the middle of training."

"You always train. I'm sure you won't be missing out on much. Besides, you've gone and beat the snot out of Pan there."

"I'm fine, Mrs. Bulma." Pan forced a smile.

"I think you're being too rough on her. You were never this bad with Trunks," Bulma spoke again to Vegeta.

"It's none of your concern. She is a Saiya-jin and can handle it just fine." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"She's more Chikyuu-jin than Saiya-jin, Vegeta."

"No matter. If she didn't enjoy this training, she wouldn't be here still. That's why the boy left."

"Pan, honey, you're crazy." With that, Bulma left. Pan laughed loudly. Vegeta's brow arched.

"And what, exactly, is so funny?" he asked.

"I guess I am crazy, training with you, Vegeta-sama," her laughing didn't stop.

"You can always quit."

"No way! I will be a Super Saiya-jin. All I have to do is keep training." She smiled and left the way Bulma did, her anger completely melted away. Vegeta allowed a chuckle to escape before following Pan inside for dinner. She had certainly caused him to work up quite the appetite. He only prayed that Bulma wasn't the one who cooked the meal.

When Pan and Vegeta made it into the kitchen, Bra, Trunks, and Bulma were already seated at the table. Goten stood at the stove, apparently visiting and volunteering to cook dinner.

"Uncle Goten!" Pan smiled her inherited Son grin.

"Hey, Pan-chan!" Goten's grin mirrored Pan's.

"I can't wait to eat! That smells great!" Pan sat in an open seat next to Bra, across from Bulma and Vegeta.

"Ugh. Pan, you and Daddy smell terrible." Bra scrunched her nose.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize how sweaty I'd gotten. Do you think I could use your shower really quick before dinner?" Pan's face reddened in embarrassment as she asked. Trunks chuckled.

"Yeah, sure. I'll lay out some of my clothes for you to wear, too. We wouldn't want you putting those sweaty things back on."

The two girls excused themselves from the table and went to Bra's room. Pan immediately grabbed a towel, left the room, sprinted to the bathroom, stripped down, and hopped in the shower. After a quick scrub down, she reemerged and sprinted to Bra's room, wrapped in a towel. She dried herself with her ki. When she walked over to Bra's bed, she saw the clothes her friend laid out for her.

"Wonderful," she mumbled. The only difference between Pan and Bra at this age was height. Pan was almost half a foot shorter than Bra. Her friend had chosen black skin tight jeans and a blood red spaghetti strap shirt for Pan to wear. She grudgingly put the outfit on. However, she was thankful Bra had given up some clothes. She was a good friend. Pan rolled up the pant legs as best she could before making her way back to the kitchen. Before she made it around the corner, she stopped. They were talking.

"So, Father, has Pan-chan made any progress?" Trunks asked.

"Of course she has, boy," Vegeta barked.

"Well, I figured she'd be a Super Saiya-jin by now. I mean, how long has she been training with you?"

"Be quiet. I'm certain she could defeat you with one hand tied behind her back," Vegeta mocked. Bra giggled.

Bra couldn't help but join in, "yeah, Trunks, Pan is really strong, even if she hasn't become a Super Saiya-jin yet. Besides, Daddy is training her, so it's only a matter of time."

"Shut up, Bra. You always take Father's side," Trunks grumbled.

"That's because I'm always right, brat." Bulma rolled her eyes at the Ouji's comment. Goten laughed nervously. It was then Pan chose to enter. Bra looked up and whistled, "Looking good, Pan-chan!"

Pan blushed but continued to her seat. She noticed Vegeta had cleaned off and changed as well. He wore a pair of navy blue sweat pants, but that was it. As she passed, she bumped Vegeta, muttering apologies afterwards and fighting off another blush. Vegeta tried to ignore the odd shiver her touch sent up his spine. After all, he had touched her plenty of times while training.

"Kami, Pan! Red is definitely you're color!" Bra continued. Pan grumbled.

"I swear, one of these days you're going to let me take you shopping and I'm going to buy you so many cute outfits!" Bra's excitement was too much. Trunks and Goten laughed. Vegeta had to admit, though not aloud, that Pan was certainly easy on the eyes. Her body was well toned from years of strict training, and she possessed an exotic beauty as a result of her mixed blood. He covered his small lapse of thought by asking, "Why is my food not done?" Goten jumped.

"It's almost done, just a few more minutes." He set up plates at everyone's places.

"I'm so glad Grandma Chi-Chi taught you to cook, Uncle Goten." Pan's stomach growled in agreement.

"All right everybody! It's done!" Goten put food on everyone's plate, though the rations were far from equal. He had grilled dinosaur meat and mixed it with a variety of vegetables before adding Grandma Chi-Chi's secret sauce. It tasted great. Vegeta finished first and disappeared from the kitchen. When everyone else finished, Bra piped up, "Pan-chan! You should stay the night." Pan smiled.

"I'll have to call Papa and ask first." She stood from the table and grabbed her and Vegeta's plates and deposited them in the sink.

"I'll call him for you, Pan. I'm sure I can get a yes out of him. Goten, you're more than welcome to stay, too," Bulma offered.

"Thanks, Mrs. Bulma." Pan gave her a smile before she and Bra took off.

"Sorry, Bulma, but Mom wants me home tonight. I was gone last night and she gets lonely without Dad around," Goten politely declined.

"I understand. Well, tell your mom I said hi and have a good night, Goten." Bulma waved.

"I will. Thank you. Later, Trunks!"

"Bye, Goten." Trunks stood and walked to his bedroom.

On the way, he passed Bra's room and heard Pan and his sister talking. He stayed for a listen.

"Okay, Pan, you can't laugh if I tell you something," Bra mandated.

"Alright, shoot." Pan sat cross legged on Bra's bed, waiting for a reply.

"Well, I have this crush on this guy, right. But he's kind of older than me," Bra admitted while nervously running a hand through her long aqua hair. She kept it long, but fashioned lengthy bangs in the front that reached her jaw, courtesy of her mother's hair stylist.

"Let me guess, you have a crush on my uncle Goten," Pan jested.

"Well, yeah, but don't tell anyone!"

Pan smirked, "Does Vegeta-sama know you're crushing on the spawn of Kakarott?" She impersonated Vegeta as best she could when mentioning her Grandpa.

"Yes, actually. I talked to Daddy about it a week ago. He was a little upset, but I'm his little Princess, so he couldn't stay mad. Instead, he told me it was completely acceptable for a Saiya-jin girl to like an older Saiya-jin guy. Age gaps don't really matter."

"That's great, Bra!" Pan forced the lump in her throat down.

"So come on, Pan-chan, spill the beans! I know you like someone, too. You have to!" Bra waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Pan couldn't help but blush.

"Ah ha! I knew it!" Bra shot her fist in the air triumphantly, "now tell me. I told you! So you have to tell!"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure if I like this guy, but he's older, too. Let's just leave it at that."

"Well, is he cute? At least tell me that much."

"Cute isn't a good enough word for it, Bra. The man is gorgeous." Bra fell off her bed laughing at Pan's comment.

"Pan-chan, you are too much sometimes," she gasped. Trunks' heart jumped in his throat. Pan wanted an older guy? Was she talking about him? He had been crushing on Pan for a couple years. If she actually liked him back, now was his chance! He quickly slipped into his own room, forming a plan on the way. Bra giggled as she picked herself up off the floor, "You'll tell me who this mystery man is someday, won't you?"

"Ugh. I don't know, Bra," Pan sighed.

Vegeta took his own turn walking by Bra's door to make it to his bedroom. He had taken a quick flight around to clear his head from earlier. When he heard giggling, he paused for a moment. Like father, like son.

"You can't do that to me, Pan-chan!" Bra complained.

"This guy is way out of my league. He's older than me. And not like Trunks and Uncle Goten older. Older. But not grandpa-looking. I don't think things will be working out the way I want, but lately, that's just how my life has been working." Pan lay back on the headboard of her friend's bed.

"Aw, Pan. Don't be like that. You have to fight for what you want!"

"Bra, that barely works for me in training, and it definitely doesn't work with anything else."

"It works a lot more than you think. I was at the mall today and couldn't help but notice your ki, from all that way. I thought you had made it to Super Saiya-jin for a while there!"

"Thanks Bra," Pan smiled, "it's good to hear someone compliment me on my training."

"Daddy thinks you're doing well, 'cause if he didn't, he wouldn't train you. I mean, you're related to Goku and Daddy still trains you. You must be doing something right!"

Bra playfully punched Pan in the arm.

"Thanks, Vegeta-sama is a good teacher, too. He doesn't go easy on me like Papa. I would have been old and wrinkled by the time I reached Super Saiya-jin if I kept training with Papa. But I can feel it, Bra. It's so close!" Pan punched the air in emphasis.

"See? Daddy's the best teacher around!"
"Definitely, Vegeta-sama is the greatest. I just hope I look as awesome as he does when I turn Super Saiya-jin."

Bra laughed. Vegeta decided to continue to his room. 'At least the brat knows who the better teacher is,' he thought. He became so caught up in their praise that he forgot what it was exactly about their conversation that caught his attention in the first place. He lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Bulma wouldn't come to bed anytime soon, for she had told him she was going out with friends. He knew she'd probably be with Yamcha, but he didn't care.

Okay, well that was the first installmant. Let me know what you think. This story will take a while to evolve, but please be patient. Character development is important to me.

Until next time,

Myrcella :)