Bulma sighed in frustration as Vejiita yelled at her. Woman, I'm hungry; Woman, the damn Gravity Room's broken; Woman, keep the brats away from me while I'm training! It never stopped. Woman this, Woman that... Vejiita needs this, Vejiita wants this... he could at least do her a favor by calling her by her real name.
"Bulma," a whispery voice sounded behind her. Soft and seductive...
Bulma frowned. "Vejiita, I told you, get it yourself-"
"I'm not Vejiita."
She gasped, whirled around, and screamed. The vampire...
"Damn it!" Bra slammed her fists on the ground. "Damn it! Damn the vampires to hell!" she screamed.
Goten backed away nervously. "Er... Bra..."
"Shut up, Goten! You should be happy! Now both of our mothers are in who-knows-where with those vampires, maybe getting the blood drained of them as we speak! I guess our families just seem to have the same curse! It's always the mothers or fathers to go first! It's always the second child who is ignored! It's the second child that isn't as special! It-"
"B-chan, get ahold of yourself!" Goten yelled.
Bra looked up from her raving, stunned. Since when does Goten-kun call me B-chan?
Goten took a sharp intake of breath. "Listen, I'm sorry. And I'm sorry about your mother. But Goku, Krillin, and Vejiita are all crazy as it is! Do you think it'll be any easier with you and Marron running around like our possessed fathers?"
"Gomen," she mumbled. They were both alone in his room. Trunks had gone to comfort Pan, Celira was seething, and Marron... well... Marron was daydreaming again. She's the next to snap... Goten thought in half-amusement.
Suddenly Bra threw herself at him, sobbing into his shoulder. "It's never going to stop! We'll be living like this until Quinn gets to us all!"
"Shhh," he soothed, rubbing her back awkwardly. He swallowed. She's never been so close before... she smells nice... and she's gorgeous... he thought, half-dazed.
Bra sniffed. "I must be a big burden to you guys right now..." she mumbled.
"Bra... I..." Goten didn't know how to say what he wanted to say. B-chan, I love you... your so nice... kind... pretty... Kami... B-chan, why are you doing this to me?
"Goten?"
"Huh?"
Bra winced. "Um... you're hurting me..."
Goten realized that he had grabbed her hand, and now was squeezing it... too hard.
"Ack!" he let it go, biting his lip. "Gomen nasai, B-chan." She was about to say something, but he cut her off.
"Listen... Bra... I... have to tell you..."
"You let me go! My husband will come here! He'll find me and kill you!" Bulma screamed.
Quinn chuckled. "He's no match for me," he purred. "No match at all. And Son Goku... I could kill him in an instant with half my power."
ChiChi had broken down hours ago and was sobbing horribly.
"Shut up! AGH! Master Quinn, I can't take that noise anymore!" a vampire yelled. He fit the description of what Bra and Marron had told them... the one after Bra.
Quinn made a sharp gesture with his hand, and the vampire immediatly was silent.
"Koru, if you really want the blue-haired girl, then you must put up with this for... oh... say at least a day or two. Then," he smirked. "You can get her. If you really want her, that is," he added.
Koru bowed his head. "Gomen, Master Quinn. I shall stay silent until directed otherwise."
"Good."
"You little bastard!" Bulma yelled. "You stay away from my daughter, you hear?!"
"Quiet!" Quinn ordered. Then he smirked to himself. "Hano." Hano bowed. "Yes, Master Quinn."
"You want the blond girl."
"Hai."
"Fine." Quinn chuckled. "I shall get what I want soon... very soon," he murmured to himself softly.
"This... is... so... stupid!"
"Pan... please... calm down..."
"Calm down? Calm down?! How can I calm down?!" she yelled.
Gohan let out a breath. Everything was insane... his tousan, Vejiita, and Krillin had lost their minds, Pan was acting... lovestruck... yes, that was the way to describe her mood. Yet she was upset and angry. Damn, fucking vampires! Captured Kaasan, after my daughter... and I can feel that Videl is their next victim... He had no doubts. He knew he couldn't protect her from them... but he also knew he would die trying if he had to.
"I'm going to my room," Pan said quietly.
Gohan frowned. Pan had been spending an awful long amount of time back in her "room"...
"He might be getting suspicious by now, don't you think?"
Pan lifted her head, troubled eyes looking into his face. "Is that your way of saying you're leaving me?"
He hugged her tightly. "No. Of course not. I'm just worried..."
"I can handle him," she said firmly, shutting her eyes.
Trunks looked down at her. "Tired, Pan-chan?"
"Mm... kinda." She patted his hand limply. "Maybe I should sleep a little... you look after your tousan..."
"I'm not leaving you," he said firmly. "I won't take the chance of Quinn getting you when no one's around."
She yawned, too tired to argue. "Okay. If you want." He let her go, and she lay down on her bed.
"I'll watch you..."
"This is bad... so bad..."
Everyone - with the exception of Trunks and Celira - were totaly unstable.
Pan was the worst.
Celira was wearing his usual blank expression. Bra's hair was messed crazily and her eyes had dark rings under them. Marron's blonde pigtails were coming loose, and her eyes were red from crying. Goten had apparently lost it; he was lying on the floor, hugging his knees, muttering things in strange languages. Trunks' hair was also as messed as his sister's, but his face had a terrible calmness in it. Pan's hair was also messed, just not as bad. Her eye were also red and swollen from crying, but now they seemed dry, lifeless, yet had an awful insane look in them. They were all gone. Gohan, Vejiita, Videl, Bulma, ChiChi, Juuhachigou, Krillin... Son Goku had been the only one to just barely fend the vampires off... There was no quick recovery for him... no senzu, no rejuvination tank... Goku could only recover be rest and care... the old way. Pan was pacing back and forth, making Trunks slightly dizzy.
"They almost got Grandpa... he couldn't even make them bleed! We're going to die!" Pan suddenly screamed, collapsing on the floor.
".........." was the reply she got.
"Pan..." Trunks said softly, reaching for her.
Celira interceded smoothly, taking the girl's hand. "Pan, it's okay... we'll protect you..."
"Oh, sure, now Pan's the princess! Well, who's gonna protect us?" Bra yelled, pointing to herself and Marron.
"I'll protect you, B-chan," Goten said quietly.
Bra started to say something, but Trunks interrupted. "Whoa, hold on a second!" He glared at his best friend. "Goten, are you seeing my sister?!"
"Erk..." Goten backed away.
Bra sighed, hanging her head. "You really blew it this time, Goten-chan..." she mumbled.
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!" Trunks screamed.
"Mommy!" Goten yelped as Trunks went for his throat.
"TRUNKS, KNOCK IT OFF RIGHT NOW!!!" Trunks froze, hands frozen on Goten's neck. Goten choked out strangled noises until his friend let go.
"I... I'm sorry, Pan-chan..."
"WHAT'D YOU GET MAD AT ME FOR?! I CAN'T SEE YOUR SISTER, BUT THAT MEANS YOU CAN GO OUT WITH MY NEICE?!" Goten yelled.
Marron sat quietly throughout all this.
"Pan-chan..."
"Don't 'Pan-chan' me after what you just did!" a tearful voice rang out through the entire cave.
"But... gomen nasai..."
"And don't tell me you're sorry, either! Goten made a very good point, and I can't beleive you didn't know they liked each other in the first place!"
"Since when did they start liking each other?"
"Since loooong before we got together, baka!"
"Goten never told me he liked Bra!"
"That's because he knew you'd kill him!"
"I wouldn't have killed him!"
"What do you mean?! You already almost just did!"
Bra rolled her eyes. "Don't they ever stop?"
Marron and Celira shrugged simultaniously.
He looked around. I can't beleive it... you come back to get together with the Sons, and the whole place is gone... just like the rest of the world now... Uubu sighed. It had been quite awhile since he'd seen any of the Sons. He hadn't even considered coming until he heard Kami/Dende had somehow brought Goku back despite the negotiation he had made with Shenlong. And he couldn't feel anyone's ki, which was what made the hairs on his arms stand up most. I'll keep looking, he decided. They had to be here somewhere...
It had been two days since Goku had just gotten better. Pan was constantly at his side, avoiding Trunks and Celira all the time. Which, of course, upset Trunks greatly.
Little did they know they were about to get a surprise.
"I can't just sit here," Goku had insisted the night before. "I'm looking for survivors all over the world."
"But Quinn will find you," Pan had protested.
"I have to take that risk," Goku explained, smoothing out his neice's hair.
Pan had reluctently agreed. She admired her grandfather's spirit greatly. Kind, determined, and not afraid to risk his life for the safety of any other.
Now he was gone.
Pan had been sitting near the entrance of the cave, waiting impatiently.
"Pan, that's really risky," Trunks had said earlier.
"Mind your own business," she'd snapped.
He'd sighed. "Pan, I'm just worried-"
"I can take care of myself!"
He glared at her. "None of us can take care of ourselves with Quinn around! Now without Tousan, we don't stand a chance, not even with Goku!"
"My grandfather is much nicer and stronger than your tousan will ever be, so I think we'll do fine!" she'd yelled. Now she stared intently at the entrace, thinking, It shouldn't be taking this long, not with Grandpa...
Then, as if answering her silent question, Goku entered the cave. Smiling brilliantly.
"You'll never guess who I found," he said in his ever-happy childlike voice.
"Any humans?"
A sad look crossed his face momentarily. "No... well, it depends on if you think he's human..."
Just then the others came. "Who is it, Goku-san?" Bra asked, trying to look past the tall form in the cave's doorway.
Goku grinned and stepped aside.
"Uub-chan!" Pan cried, flinging herself into the dark boy's arms.
"Pan-chan!" Uubu exclaimed, hugging her back. "Wow, you've turned absolutely gorgeous since I last saw you," he said, sounding a bit shy.
Pan pouted playfully. "That must mean I wasn't pretty before."
Trunks did not like the slight blush on Uubu's face as he spoke to Pan.
"No, that's not what I meant," Uubu laughed nervously.
Pan smiled, the first time since Quinn had last attacked. "I know what you meant!" She grabbed his hand. "Come on, I'll show you some other pretty girls," she winked.
Uubu smiled at Marron and Bra. "I... don't exactly remember you..." he said, pointing to Marron.
"Oh, that's my best friend, Marron. And you might remember Bra, my other best friend," Pan grinned.
Bra smirked. "Well, Pan, it seems you have quite alot of men after you these days." Pan blushed, and a frightened look crossed her face.
Bra realized what she'd just said. "Oops... gomen nasai, Pan..." Pan shrugged.
"What's so wrong about that?" Uubu asked, teasing.
Everyone glanced at him. "Ubu... sit down for a minute..."
"Poor Pan-chan..." Uubu said sympatheticaly.
Goten, Celira, and Trunks glanced at him. The four adolesent boys had gathered in Trunks' room.
"Poor B-chan and Marron-chan," Goten added.
Suddenly the girls burst in. "You boys have been too depressed since we told Uub-chan the story, so now we're going to take a break and have fun for once," Bra announced loudly. Pan and Marron nodded in agreement.
"Sit," Bra ordered everyone.
They sat.
"Now," she said firmly, taking a seat between Goten and Marron. "We're a little uneven for spin-the-bottle-"
"Yay!" both Trunks and Goten cheered.
Bra glared at them. "...so we're playing truth-or-dare."
"No!" Marron, Goten, and Trunks yelled.
Bulma's look-alike glared at them again. "And you're GOING to have FUN," she added through her teeth.
No one said anything.
"Good. I'll go first..."