Her eyes shone like blue diamonds, or like black sapphires. It was late, it was time he got her to bed, and she knew it.
“Please, Daddy? One more time? Please? Please Daddy?”
He smiled, wishing he could comply to her wish, wishing he could take her out one more time, but his wife would have his ass in a sling, Saiyan or no Saiyan.
“I can’t Panny, you have school tomorrow.”
“Daddy!” She smacked him in the chest with her little fist. He arched his back to take the blow, laughing quietly. For a 3 year old, she could hit pretty hard. “Daddy!” she cried again, pouting, sticking out her lower lip and letting it quiver. “Daddy, please?”
He shook his head and dropped to the ground, hoisting the little girl up into his arms, holding her in the crook of his elbow, letting her lean against his chest. She set her little mop-top of a head on his shoulder and looked up at him with adoring eyes. “Daddy, please?”
Sighing, he set her back on the ground.
“You know Mommy’s going to have my head for this, don’t you?” he asked her quietly, looking down at her as she hugged his legs, her big and innocent eyes wide with wonder.
Giggling and grinning, she jumped back from him and dropped into an awkward yet seemingly natural combat crouch.
Gohan shook his head. He knew the adoration for him in her eyes would fade soon, once she started to grow older and slip outside of Daddy’s protective arms. He dreaded the day, but didn’t fear it.
His little girl would be able to take care of herself, no matter the circumstances.
Her eyes shone like blue diamonds, black sapphires.
Her eyes looked up into his, wide and innocent, so like they had been that night out in the woods, loving him and him alone, her love as pure as it could be.
She’d been his little Panny.
And he could swear to Dende that she was that same little Panny from 18 years ago, just bigger and with longer hair.
He hurt her. The thought rang in his ears, demanding he seek vengeance on that purple haired bastard that had dared to hurt his little girl. But she wouldn’t let him. What’d he do to you, Panny?
“Panny, what happened to you?” he whispered quietly, in total wonder of what his daughter had become, of what she still could be.
She pushed away from him, dropping into a combat crouch, so much like yesteryear, only so much more natural, so much more eloquent and practiced, seemingly effortless. Grinning, he mirrored her, knowing Videl would have his head for messing around with her in the house, but not caring.
For right now, she was his little Panny again, and he was her Daddy and protector.
Her adoration for him made her eyes shine like blue diamonds, black sapphires.