Chapter 14: Step Up or Step Off
The young woman flew straight towards Drakna a look of anger marring her otherwise pretty face. Drakna's eyes flashed and he looked like he was preparing himself for battle, but instead Gohan flashed in front of the new stranger. The woman pulled back floating in the air looking cautiously at Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 form
"Well, come at me," Brickan called out towards her.
Gohan charged forward. The movements were blurred as she watched her father fight, but she couldn't help the distracting questions that started forming in her brain. Apparently Trunks was listening into her thoughts because he suddenly moved from her side towards Drakna who was watching the battle intently.
"Why did you lie to us?" Trunks asked drawing the attention of everyone else.
"What do you mean lie?" Drakna asked crossing his arms over his chest and puffing it up indignantly.
"I mean why did you want us to think that Nido was a man and you even referred to her as such," Trunks replied throwing a glare at the man that spoke of great pain if the man kept trying to deceive them.
"Honestly it wasn't a lie more an omission of fact. I didn't think you would take me seriously if I told you that Nido was the nickname of a mother and daughter who have been rampaging through space for many years," Drakna responded averting his eyes to watch the ongoing battle.
"Look at me, and listen closely. Unless you want me to blast you straight back to whatever piece of shit place you crawled out of, you will answer my questions," Trunks commanded grabbing the other man's shoulder and turning him so he could look directly into the other man's eyes.
Pan realizing that this was escalating quickly started to move towards Trunks, but her attention was suddenly director towards her father who came careening through the air. Gohan slammed into the mountains behind and a cloud of dust rose into the air covering the place he landed. Pan stared wide-eyed at the raining debris and then turned her attention quickly towards the woman who only had a small cut on her face. Before Pan could move forward or say anything Goten flew towards the visitor taking his brother's place.
"Brickan came to our colony under the guise of a refugee. She spun this intricate story about escaping from one of Nido's raids. She integrated herself into our social systems and submerged herself into colony life. It was only after she had been there for a while that we found out who she really was," Drakna said with a sigh locking eyes with Trunks.
"That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If she truly was this hideous warrior that you speak of then she shouldn't have been able to blend into your community that easily," Pan commented quickly and noticed that Brickan faltered in her attack patterns when she heard Pan's words.
Pan watched as the woman roundhouse kicked Goten across the side causing him to crumple forward onto his hands and knees out of breath and spitting up blood. Goten wiped his mouth clean and began to climb back to his feet glaring at the woman who refused to give up any ground in battle. Pan watched as Goten shot a kai blast and Pan was only mildly surprised when the woman avoided it.
"Why don't you step in and battle with her? Why are you allowing us to battle for you? Or are you too weak?" Pan asked Drakna trying to strike a chord to get to the root of what was actually happening.
"Brickan has not engaged me for an actual fight since we left the colony. I think it had something to do with my sister who she created a friendship with," Drakna replied muttering the last part and not meeting Pan's eyes.
Pan didn't know why Drakna seemed so fascinated with her, but she realized that he would at least answer her questions and she felt like he was at least being halfway honest with her. Pan watched as his attention turned from her and focused on an approaching figure. Pan turned her head as well and watched as her father returned to the group. Gohan was walking and the only visible wound was a large gash across the front of his chest.
Pan moved away from Drakna and towards her father wrapping an arm around him in case he needed any support. Gohan smiled down at his daughter and told her that he was fine. Trunks continued to stand ominously next to Drakna deciding that it was his job to keep tabs on the man since he didn't full trust him. Trunks especially did not like the way the man kept looking at Pan. Goku and Vegeta had remained strangely silent since the fighting began focusing on the woman while listening into the conversations around them.
"Pan," Goku called out drawing her attention from her father to her grandfather. Goku motioned for her to join him and she did so leaving her father standing near Trunks.
"What do you need Grandpa?" Pan asked standing between Goku and Vegeta.
"The woman, Brickan, what do you think of her?" Goku asked and Pan got the distinct feeling that he knew there was something more to the situation than was being shared.
"I think I'd like to talk to her and get her side of the story, but I don't know if she would be willing to stop lashing out and just have a conversation right now. I definitely think that she feels cornered," Pan replied and was surprised when Vegeta nodded in agreement.
"Well said," Goku continued, "There's something going on and no matter how much we question Drakna he's not going to give us the full story. There's something about this whole situation that is just not lining up to me."
Pan was about to say something more but her grandfather suddenly disappeared. Pan blinked a couple of times and refocused just as her grandfather reappeared standing directly between his son and Brickan. Goten pulled back as he realized his father was standing in his path, but Brickan continued forward assuming she was just changing opponents. She brought her leg around to kick him in the arm and was surprised when he didn't block but instead allowed her to land the blow. The older man didn't flinch and instead turned his full attention to the young woman. She pulled back and crossed her arms almost protectively in front waiting to see what would happen next.
"I am going to put this battle on pause. I'm starving and it's past dinnertime. My wife promised me my favorites tonight if I came back in one piece and I really would like to have those. I know this is going to seem very strange to you and I know you might not trust us, but would you consider coming up to Kami's Lookout with us and eating a nice hearty meal?" Goku asked stretching his arms behind his back looking more like a child than the adult he was. Brickan's eyes flashed in confusion as she tried to understand where this question was coming from.
"Why?" Brickan asked blinking several times as she tried to process everything.
"My granddaughter Pan would escort you there, but we will have to declare a momentary truce," Goku continued ignoring her question.
"This would only be for a meal? You would trust me around your family unprotected?" the woman asked a strange accent coloring her tone. Her voice grew soft as she tried to understand Goku's reasoning for extending so much trust.
"The truce would last for however long you wanted it to, provided you don't try to bring harm to anyone. The same offer will be extended towards Drakna although Vegeta's son Trunks will be the one in charge of escorting him back and you two don't have to say a word to each other if you don't want to. So, what do you say?" Goku finished and then stuck out his hand hoping that the woman would take it and seal the deal.
Time seemed to slow down as everyone waited to see what would happen. Drakna watched her through narrowed eyes wondering if she was going to accept and if she did would he do the same. When Brickan reached forward and locked hands with Goku the others breathed a sigh of relief. The woman descended to the ground and lowered her power level causing everyone around her to gasp as she stood unabashed and completely naked.
"Uh, anyone happen to have an extra set of clothes on them for the lady?" Goten asked turned around swiftly to face the mountains a red blush staining his cheeks.
Brickan looked down at her naked body and then looked up at the gathered men, confused. She couldn't understand what was so upsetting about her body. She visibly tensed as Pan moved forward. Pan reached into her pocket and pulled out a capsule starting the woman when she dropped the small capsule that began to hiss and pop. When the small bit of smoke cleared Pan picked up a set of clothes that looked very similar to the ones she was currently wearing extending them towards Brickan.
"I've always trained with a group of rowdy boys so I always bring along something extra to change into," Pan said with a smile, smiling bigger when Brickan's shoulders started to relax.
"Is my form displeasing?" Brickan asked looking down at her naked body.
Pan heard several of the men clear their throats and even Vegeta raised one eyebrow at the woman's question. Drakna stood unabashedly staring at Brickan's body while the other men were either averting their eyes or turned around. Pan realizing that this woman grew up under a difference set of rules decided to try and explain Earth's customs about clothing the best she could.
"Here on Earth nudity is not common unless it's in an intimate situation. We are born nude, but shortly after birth we are wrapped in cloth and told that we must always wear clothes. The only person who's supposed to see our naked forms are the doctors who take care of us or someone we had deep affection for," Pan explained and Brickan nodded in response.
"How do women catch a mate if they always hide their bodies here?" Brickan asked as she pulled on the pants Pan had handed to her.
"That's part of the chase here on Earth. The more covered a woman is and if she gives a tantalizing view to the man she is interested in the more his interest is peaked. The man will begin to imagine what she looks like underneath her clothing," Pan replied unable to go into details about dressing for men because of the heavy blush that began to stain her cheeks.
By the time Pan was finished talking Brickan had managed to finish dressing. Trunks told Drakna it was time to go and with one last meaningful look towards Pan the two took off into the sky. The others began to fly as well flying at a slower speed so that Pan would be within range if she needed anything. Pan turned to Brickan and with a wave of her hand they began to fly as well. Pan became aware that Brickan didn't seem to like flying at faster speeds unless it was necessary and Pan rather enjoyed the relaxed pace they set.
"So Brickan why did you go to that Saiyan Colony?" Pan asked bluntly causing the other woman to stumble slightly in the air at the bluntness of her question.
Brickan was quiet for a little while and Pan was starting to think she wasn't going to answer, but then she began to talk. "After my parents' deaths I was left alone on the only planet I had known as home. My father was a leader to the people there, but he had always wanted a better life for me. I decided eventually to follow his instructions and go out to search for the life he wanted for me, but apparently that was not to be."
The rest of the flight towards Kami's Lookout was silent as both girls got lost in their thoughts. Pan knew that in her gut she didn't believe Brickan was as evil as Drakna was making her out to be and in fact she had more distrust for Drakna, although she felt that he wasn't truly evil either. Pan noticed that Brickan seemed more like a woman that had been hurt and was trying to lash out instead of someone who was simply trying to cause destruction.