"Pan-chan!" Trunks cried, rushing across to her prone form and scooping her into his arms. "Pan-chan, wake up! Please wake up!" he urged frantically, using his ki to warm her half frozen body. A single tear streaked down his cheek. "Pan-chan, please talk to me, you can't leave me, not no after we've been through so much together."
Pan's eyes fluttered open and she gazed blearily up at her mate.
"T-runks-chan....." she whispered hoarsely, a smile creeping across her lips. "I knew you'd come....." She coughed violently. "Be c-careful, it's C-Cell....." And with that, she fell limp in his arms and her eyes closed.
"Pan-chan!" Trunks called, shaking her gently. "Pan-chan, no! You have to wake up! Pan-chan!"
"How very touching. Too bad, you came a little too late Trunks."
Everyong gasped and turned to the source of the voice. "Cell!"
Cell smirked arrogantly at the group of Saiyan's. "She was the first, but don't worry, you'll all soon join her!" he announced, then turned and disappeared into the night, leaving no trace of ki.
"Cell, you coward!" Gohan yelled after him, anger marring his features as he tried to track the monster.
Trunks turned his gaze back to his mate, tears running down his cheeks and splashing onto her ragged training gi. "Pan-chan, you can't die! I won't let you leave me, do you hear? I won't!" he vowed, pulling her close and blasting off through the roof, heading back towards Capsule Corp and the latest model of regeneration tanks made by Bulma, the others following close behind.
The moment Trunks reached Bulma's lab, he had Pan stripped and placed into a regeneration tank. As the blue liquid closed over Pan's head, Trunks rested his head against the cool glass and closed his eyes. ~Pan-chan, don't you die on me. I can't live without you, please don't leave me alone Panny, please!~ he pleaded with her mentally, clenching his fists in anger at what Cell had done. To harm a Saiyan's mate was the ultimate insult, and something not to be tolerated in the least. But to harm the Saiyan Prince's mate was to bring death upon yourself. And Cell had harmed the Saiyan Prince's mate, the Princess of all Saiyan's and....... the soon to be mother of the heir to the Saiyan Empire. At least........ if the baby in her womb hadn't been harmed by the beating Pan had received. Trunks growled softly and opened his eyes to check on his mate, hoping she was at least stablized. However, much to his shock, she was wide awake and staring out at him with wide blue eyes. ~Pan-chan! Panny, are you all right?~
Pan smiled weakly. ~I'm fine Trunks-chan, sore and more than a little annoyed, but I think I'll live. Thanks to you.~ she replied, sighing softly. A look of sudden panic crossed her face and she gestured wildly at her stomach, as if asking an unspoken question.
~I....... I don't know, love. It's too soon to tell yet.~ Trunks told her, trying to ignore the stabbing pain he felt in his heart. ~As soon as we get you out of there, we'll be able to check. Just hang on, Pan-chan, I promise everything will be all right soon.~ he assured his near frantic mate, and she seemed to calm down a bit. ~Don't worry sweetheart, I promise I won't let anything happen to you or our baby.~
Bulma glanced worriedly in the direction of her lab and sipped at her tea. "Vegeta, do you think she'll be all right? I don't think Trunks would be able to handle it if she died..." she murmured, frowning anxiously.
Vegeta glanced down at his mate, smiling (AN: O_O) tenderly at her.
"I'm sure she'll be fine, woman. The girl is Saiyan, she won't be killed so easily."
She gave him a skeptical look. "Vegeta, the Jinzouningen killed you without much trouble. I'm sure Cell could have easily killed her or at least, hurt her beyond the help of one of the regeneration tanks." she reminded him, rolling her eyes.
He sweatdropped nervously. "Well........ uh........ *cough* Don't worry, I can still feel her ki and if anything she's gotten stronger since we found her in that shack, so I'm sure she'll be fine....."
What this resulted in was a fight about everything from whether or not you should bathe in 7-Up to the 365 uses for Duct-tape.
Gohan paced uneasily in he and Videl's assigned quarters, a frown etched on his face. "Videl, how can Cell even be alive? This makes no sense, Trunks killed him in our timeline and I killed him in the other timeline..... so how the hell is it possible for him to even be here?" he asked, pausing long enough to glance over at his mate.
Videl sighed and rolled her eyes. He had been pacing like that since he had returned. "I don't know dear. Maybe Trunks didn't completely destroy his cells (no pun intended :P) and he regenerated himself." she suggested, standing and wrapping her arms around her mate.
He leaned down and lightly kissed her lips, then rested his chin on top of her head. "That's one possibility. I'm not so much worried about *who* we're fighting as I am about what kind of damage Cell could cause."
"I know Gohan-chan, but right now all we can do is hope for the best and pray that Cell isn't stronger than all of the Z Senshi." she told him, smiling her understanding as he gave a distressed sigh. "Don't worry darling, I'm sure everything will turn out all right in the end, we'll just have to wait."
Goku silently watched as ChiChi paced around the room, occasionally stopping to glance out the window or into the mirror. "ChiChi, you need to calm down. All this worrying isn't good for you." he said finally, standing and enfolding her in a gentle embrace. "You should be resting, you've been under a lot of stress lately."
ChiChi nodded and sighed quietly. "I know, I just..... I can't help worrying about Pan-chan." she replied, frowning worriedly.
He chuckled a bit. "Don't worry about her dear, she's very much alive and well on her way to recovery. I can tell that much from her ki." he assured his mate, grinning that famous Son grin. "And I think their baby is as well, I can sense at least three ki's coming from Bulma's lab. The child will be very powerful."
She looked up at him with relief. "Thank goodness. I was worried about them, I thought for sure she would have had a miscarriage after the beating she got!" she sighed, smiling happily.
"ChiChi, sometimes I don't understand you at all. Pan-chan is a Saiyan, and a powerful one at that. She wouldn't be killed so easily, and if the baby is anything like either of its parents, it wouldn't be either." Goku mused, leaning down and nipping the tip of her nose mischieviously. "Now, I think it's time we went to bed!" he announced, smirking as he scooped her up and carried her into their bedroom.
ChiChi knocked the door shut behind them.
"Vegeta?" Bulma asked softly, running her fingers across one of his many scars.
Vegeta hmphed in response. "What?"
"I'm pregnant."