3A/N: Thank the gods, the last chapter is here! Took a while but I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 2: Dance, Dance
"Boom para para, boom para para!"
Bon Para clapped in time to the rhythm as his brothers joined the chant. "Boom para para, boom para para!"
Gohan, Videl, and Pan swayed to the beat like a synchronized machine. If they hadn't had their bodies hijacked, Pan would've remarked on how Gohan's dancing improved from its usual spastic, uncoordinated chaos.
Not that the "Boom Para Para" dance was much better to look at, coordinated or not.
"C'mon guys!" Son Para cried. "You guys need to put more soul in it. It's almost like you don't want to be here!"
"Gee, how'd you guess," grumbled Pan, mid-twirl.
"I know what'll cheer 'em up!" grinned Bon. "One of their Earth dances! Head~!"
"No. . ."
"Shoulders, knees, and toes! Knees and toes!"
"No!"
"Head, shoulders, knees, and toes. Knees and toes~!"
"If they make us do the Hokey Pokey, I will kill them!" grunted Videl as she touched her ears.
"There's got to be some way to beat them," muttered Gohan, pointing to his eyes.
"No," Pan moaned while pointing to her nose. "The only way to beat them is to get them to stop. We can't do anything!"
"Anyone down for the Galactic Slide?" asked Don Para with a sly grin.
Bon Para grinned. "Ah yeah, Don! I love that one! Everybody sing along! You can't see it~!"
"It's electric!"
"You gotta feel it!"
"It's electric!"
"Of course they have the electric slide in Outer Space," Pan grumbled as legs shifted into the slide.
"Do they have to sing?" complained Videl. "It's so off-key. . ."
". . . Mom, I think we have more important issues to worry about."
"Right, right. Sorry."
"You gotta know it!~" belted Bon Para.
"It's electric!"
"Boogie woogie, woogie!"
The gang slid along the floor in the line dance, seamlessly moving with the Para Para Brothers commands. Pan couldn't help gritting her teeth. She wasn't supposed to get pranked. She was the prankster.
Yet there she was doing the Electric Slide.
"Wait a minute?! What if. . ?"
Before she could ask what her Dad meant, the boombox fell off of Bon Para's shoulder.
Actually, saying it was knocked off would have been more appropriate. It flung itself into the wall behind them with a thunk before crashing, loudly, against the metal floor.
"Wha-?!"
The Brothers gawked at the boombox-shaped dent in the wall, completely forgetting about the annoyed Z Fighters.
Big mistake.
Goten gawked at the damage. Not to mention the dangerous glimmer in Pan's eyes. It was the eyes of a predator closing in on its prey. "Shit! We've gotta get the cam. . . era. ."
Bulma and Trunks were nowhere to be found. They'd seriously left him there.
"Oh, that's messed up."
Nonetheless, Goten scrambled over to the camera, unhooking it from the computer, picking it up, and making his way out with blazing speed.
He was running so fast he didn't even see Vegeta until it was too late. He found himself on his arse, blinking the stars out of his eyes.
"Watch where you're going, damn half-breed!"
Goten pushed himself up with a grunt, apologizing with a sheepish grin. It did little to sate the annoyed Saiyan. "Sorry, Vegeta, but I've gotta go-oof!"
Goten's jaw crashed against the ground as a sudden weight sat on his back. Arms snaked their way around his own and small legs clutched at his sides.
"You didn't think I'd let you get away, did you?" Pan half-purred, half-growled. It was more terrifying than he'd like to admit.
Goten reached around him to no avail. She kept shifting and staying just out of his reach.
The absolute devil.
"I'll blow you off of me! You wouldn't be able to hang on if I used a Kiai."
"You wouldn't do it in Vegeta's house. He'd kick your ass if you destroyed anything. Besides, if you do that, I'll just have to make you dance."
Goten paused. "You wouldn't dare. . ."
"We both know that isn't true."
He hated to admit it, but she was absolutely right. He was at her mercy. Goten was desperate at this point. "Vegeta help me!"
Not his proudest moment, if he was being perfectly honest.
Vegeta glowered at the half-breed before scoffing and turning heel. "You're on your own."
Just like that he was alone with the demon. He inwardly cursed Trunks and Bulma, not for the first time.
"I'll fly off!" he insisted, after a while of squirming. "I'll fly off and lose you!"
"Oh, great idea! My Dad and Mom will kill you, and then I'll get you back twice."
Goten took a shuddering breath, his mind racing with the possibilities of how this would end. None of them seemed good. "What are y-you gonna do to me?"
He could practically hear Pan's smirk stretching across her face. It was truly alarming.
"Oh, nothing much. . . if you tell me where Trunks and Bulma are~?"
"I-I don't know where they went!"
It was genuinely the truth, but Pan either didn't know or didn't care. Goten winced as he felt her fingers digging into his sides. "Wrong answer!"
"The hell do you mean, wrong answer?! It's the only one I've got!"
The sharp pain in his sides abruptly stopped, thankfully. "You better be telling the truth."
"I am!"
"Alright, then you'll help me find them."
"What? Why?!"
"If you don't want a worse punishment, you'll help."
"You are an evil, evil little girl."
"I try."
"I've got them!"
Goten craned his neck to see Videl dragging three very disgruntled Brothers. Gohan trailed behind them looking very sheepish. It took him a minute to understand why.
"You're working with them?" Goten asked incredulously.
Gohan blushed with an awkward laugh. "Ah, Videl can be very convincing."
Of course, it was her.
"Alright, then we can head out!" chirped Pan.
"Head out where?" grumbled Goten. "And can you get off of me?! My arms are starting to fall asleep."
She gave a deep kind of sigh. "You promise not to run?"
Goten scoffed, indignant. "If I run, you'll just track me down like a psycho anyway!"
Pan hopped off of him but not before giving him a strong flick in the side. He glared up at her while gingerly rubbing his aching side. She just stuck her tongue out at him.
"You never told me where we're even going," Goten complained, still rubbing his side. The amount of strength she had combined with that much malice was just not right.
Pan rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious?"
"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking."
"Geez, where would you be without Trunks. We're going to Bulla's house."
"So, you guys need to find my mom and my brother?" Bulla asked as she leisurely combed through her wardrobe's many outfits.
"Yep!" Pan chirped. "You got any idea where they might be?"
Bulla shrugged as she tossed a tank top over her shoulder. "They could be anywhere. They wouldn't go to any of our vacation houses. That'd be too easy. They could be somewhere in the city or somewhere in the woods, waiting you out."
Goten watched Pan with the smallest of smirks. 'Serves you right! Just a little bit longer and the Brothers will get wished back to Namek.'
'Hey, Goten! Where are you, man?'
Goten's jaw set. It took everything within him not to turn Super Saiyan out of sheer rage. After all, it would look more than a little bit suspect. 'Dude, you have a lot of nerve coming here into my mind after bailing on me.'
'. . . Admittedly that was a dick move, but it's for the best, bro!'
'How?!'
'I can come get you. But first I gotta know where you and the gang are?'
'Can't you sense us?! We're at your place-'
"What are you up to?! Don't lie!"
Goten found himself blinking at a very annoyed Pan. He felt conflicted. On the one hand, he didn't want to be a sellout. On the other hand, he was going to get thoroughly "pranked" by who knows what. He didn't even want to know what wicked plot she had concocted.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking about how cool lightsabers. . . are?"
From the look on Pan's face, she didn't seem too impressed with his inner musings. But thankfully, she dropped the subject.
"Whatever," grunted Pan. "What do we do now?"
"There's got to be some other way to find them," Videl muttered.
"How about Dende?" suggested Gohan. "Kami was pretty good at finding people when he was Guardian. Maybe Dende could do the same."
Goten stared at Gohan, restraining the urge to throttle him. 'Seriously, what did Videl say to convince him?!'
Pan grinned as she punched her fist into her open palm. "Alright, let's go!"
It was a reasonably short flight to the Lookout. It would've been shorter if Goten didn't spend so much time stalling. It would've worked, too. He had them captivated with his incredible vocals.
Unfortunately, Pan and Videl had Gohan put a stop to it. Thus, Goten found himself slung over Gohan's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"Hey, Dende!"
The Namekian perked up from some plants he'd been watering. "Hey, Gohan. It's been so lo-!"
"Alright, buddy! Can you help us find Bulma and Trunks?"
Dende blinked at Pan's brazen rudeness with no small amount of surprise.
"Pan!" Videl reprimanded.
"Someone's missed their nap, I see," Goten muttered.
Goten didn't even need to look to know Pan's glare was thrown on him. "Shut it, Goten!"
"Pan," stressed Videl. "Apologize to Dende!"
"But-!"
"Pan."
"I'm sorry, Dende. . ."
"Ah, don't worry about it," said the Namekian with a wave of his hand. "I was just a little surprised, is all. What brings you all here?"
Goten tuned out the conversation in favor of trying to stop a nagging headache that was starting to form. "Gohan, can you put me down? I swear I won't fly away or anything like that."
He could feel Gohan snort. "I wasn't born yesterday, Goten. You'll fly away the second I let go."
"No! I may lie from time to time, but I'm not crazy! She'll do things to me! Evil things!"
"I know Pan can be a little mischievous, but she isn't malicious, Goten. This'll be fun, right?"
Goten's widened at the teasing quip. He didn't think his brother still had a playful bone in his body after Mom had been through with him. Gohan was doing this as much for himself as whatever reason Videl gave him. "Oh, come on! You've gotta be kidding me!"
Before Gohan could give a misguided retort, Pan's shout broke through the conversation.
"What do you mean you won't do it?!"
"Seriously, Gohan. Can you put me down now? I swear I'm gonna get blood loss from being upside down this long."
Gohan ignored him. The nerve of that jerk.
"I can't use my powers as Guardian for something like this. It would be a disgrace to all the Guardians who came before me."
"Gohan, I'm seeing spots now!"
"C'mon, this is for the greater good!" complained Pan.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot."
"Dude!" Goten hissed. "I can't feel my toes anymore, man! I swear if I have to get amputated or something-!"
"Shut it, Goten!" barked Pan.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Goten quizzaciously commented. "Am I inconveniencing you?"
Pan didn't take the bait, unfortunately.
"Allow me," muttered Videl as she strode towards the Guardian. Goten wasn't able to see much, and he heard even less. The only things he was able to gather were some unintelligible, hushed whisperings before she drew away.
Dende was blinking in shock before he hurried to the edge. "I'll see what I can do!"
Goten looked at Videl incredulously through his hazy eyes. Probably from the blood still rushing towards his head. "Seriously, how do you keep doing this?!"
Videl smiled innocently. "I have my ways."
"I found them!" cried Dende. "They're just outside of East City!"
Goten's heart dropped into his stomach. There was still too much time.
"Let's go!" cheered Pan, an aura flaring to life as she shot off.
Goten wasn't entirely certain what he was going to do once he saw the traitors. He understood their fear, but damn just leaving him was so wrong. He wanted to be petty and let them get caught, but his common sense held out.
Trunks seemed to have a plan, and, if it was anything like the plans he'd made when they were kids, it would probably be their best bet.
"Do you think Dende was wrong?" asked Gohan, scanning the crowds. "I don't see or sense them anywhere."
Pan scowled, her eyes flitting every which way. If it were under different circumstances, Goten would've been impressed she didn't keel over from dizziness. "They've gotta be here somewhere!"
"Hey, I think I see them over there!"
Goten followed Videl's finger to two people sitting at a cafe table. Two people that quite clearly looked like Bulma and Trunks with horrible disguises. Goten wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or facepalm.
"Let's get them!" cheered Pan.
In a flash, the group surrounded the Briefs.
Trunks looked up at them through a pair of shades and a wig of black hair, faux-confusion written all over his face. "Who are-?"
"Cut the act, Trunks!" snapped Pan.
"Mom, seriously?" asked Bulla. "Blonde is not a good look for you."
"I knew this wasn't gonna work," grumbled Bulma, yanking her blonde wig off.
Trunks gave a soft smile as he stood up. "Well, it was worth a shot. . . run for it!"
In a flash, Trunks flared into his Super Saiyan form, drawing multiple eyes towards them. Bulma used the distraction and booked it, running away screaming. Goten and everyone else looked over in shock.
It was genius. Bulma got a head start, attracted everyone's attention, and Trunks was disguised all in one fell swoop.
Gohan, having finally snapped out of his stupor, ran after her, but Trunks fazed into his way. Unfortunately for him, though, he couldn't stop Pan from flying after her.
Pan swooped down with blinding speed, scooping the Capsule Corporation head before she even got ten feet away. "Let's take this somewhere else, shall we? Like Capsule Corp, maybe?"
Trunks glared up at her, defiantly. He had his back to the wall, and he knew it. "Yeah, right! I'm not going anywhere with you!"
Goten scowled, absolutely done with all the headaches this prank had caused him. All he wanted was to get back at Pan just once. Why couldn't the guys just give him this one?! "Dude, just go with them! It's just a stupid dance!"
Trunks turned his bitter stare on the upside-down half-Saiyan. Goten hoped his glare didn't look as ridiculous as it felt. "You sold me out!"
"Yeah, after you bailed on me!"
". . . OK, fair enough, but you know what she's going to do to us! She won't just settle with making us dance! She wants us to suffer!"
Goten frowned. He was probably right. There was no real escape, and Pan was prideful. She wasn't gonna take this type of resistance lying down. That wasn't even counting the vengeful Videl and Gohan she had on her side.
And Pan, sure as hell, wasn't gonna stop with just making them dance.
"What do we do then?!" Goten shouted. "We're screwed either way!"
If he'd had a better presence of mind, he'd have realized there were a sizable amount of people staring at them with no small amount of morbid curiosity.
Trunks sighed. "There isn't much else we can do then. I'll go with you."
"No, man-"
Trunks raised a hand. "No, you were right. She'll subject you to worse if I don't go with you now. I'd be a terrible friend if I made you go through that alone."
"Dude. . ."
Of course Pan had to ruin the moment.
"As heartwarming as this bro moment is, I've got other things I want to do today!"
Goten and Trunks glared at her. "Whatever. Where are we going?"
"Bulla's house. Duh."
'Got any ideas to get us out of this?' asked Trunks.
'I thought that was your thing?' Goten retorted, mockingly.
Trunks grinned, widely and Goten couldn't help doing the same. He was so glad he didn't have to stay mad at his bro for long. It was too damn weird.
'But nah, I don't have any ideas, besides time running out. Unless you can use your telepathy to talk to Moori from here?'
Trunks' grimace said it all. 'Did you at least get the camera?'
'. . . I'm sorry, what?'
'The camera with the footage of them dancing. Y'know, the thing we went through all of this trouble to get.'
Goten just laughed. It was all he could do to escape the pain. 'I think I lost it whenever she tackled me.'
Trunks sighed. "Ah well."
"Bulla, you wouldn't do this to your own mother, would you?" Bulma pleaded, trying to reason with her only daughter.
Bulla shrugged with a grin. "I'm not gonna be doing it; the Brothers will. Besides, this is too good to pass up!"
Videl and Gohan had finished untying each of the Brothers, and they stretched with relief. Too bad it was short-lived.
"Alright, Brothers," Pan called. "Time to make these suckers dance!"
The Brothers scowled before lifting the boombox and getting into position. "Alright, Boom Para-"
With a pop, the Brothers disappeared. Not leaving a single trace.
Goten glanced around him. Everyone, aside from himself and Trunks, was absolutely dumbstruck.
"Wh-what happened?!" Pan sputtered. "Where'd they go?!"
Goten almost felt bad at the disappointment dripping from her voice. Almost.
"Well, you see, my dear niece, the Brothers only had thirty minutes on the planet. And, as of right now, their time is up."
Trunks strolled over to Goten with a hand raised. "Up top, man!"
Goten connected the high-five with a whoop, and Bulma sighed with relief.
"I don't know why you all are so happy."
Goten and Trunks glanced at each other before turning to the seething child. "Pan," started Goten, carefully, "can we just call it even? You have to admit some of your pranks crossed the line."
Pan glared at him as a thousand emotions flickered through her eyes. Then, Pan looked at the ground with a grumble. "I guess. . ."
Goten and Trunks collectively relaxed, small smiles working onto their faces. She was maturing! And they weren't gonna get pranked!
"But unfortunately for you, I have a reputation to keep. I will get you all. Just wait."
With that the child strolled happily away from the frightened, would-be pranksters.
Trunks sucked in a deep breath as he leaned against the wall. Goten knew the feeling. He just wanted to sleep for a week. Or maybe a month.
"Well, was it worth it?" asked Trunks, dryly.
Goten snorted as he sunk to the floor. "Hell no."