Author: The Noseless Wonder = Þ, with the usual advice from Trinity Blue (thanks again)
Disclaimer: I don’t own Dragonball Z/GT, why would I want to? It’s a worthless cartoon. No plot development, horrible characters, it’s completely atrocious. That’s why I sit around all day (when I don’t have writer’s block, anyway,) and write about it. = Þ J
Author’s notes: = Þ again. I just wanted to say that I like to write in English. Considering that’s the only language I know, no wonder. That’s why I write “Saiyan” instead of “Saiyajin”, “Vegeta” instead of “Bejita” or even “idiot” instead of “baka”. Back six months to a year ago, when I read about two characters saying “ashitaru” to each other, they might as well have been saying “you look like a dancing elf” because I didn’t know any Japanese. I don’t think a lot of people do, especially newbies. (Unless they were born in Japan, or just happen to speak fluent Japanese). I also think it interrupts the smoothness of a story. That’s just a little explanation of why I don’t include Japanese sayings in my story. Don’t get me wrong, some of the best stories out there include a ton of Japanese, but this is how I like to write. P.S.- = Þ I just feel like going =Þ a lot.
“Panny, I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to play now.” He said.
“Play? What…?”
“Look Panny, I’m sorry, but I have to run. I’ve got a date tonight and I’m running late.”
“Trunks, I love you.”
“Panny, some day you’re going to find a nice boy who is your age and cares about you very much. Then, you’ll completely forget about me.” He smiled and messed her hair with his hand.
“What are you doing?! I’m not a child!”
“You’re a pretty little lady. Don’t be in such a rush to grow up. Enjoy it while you can.”
“What?!”
“You’re a pretty little lady, don’t grow up…don’t grow up.” His voice echoed.
She sat up quickly, breathing hard. Sweat beaded on her skin and slowly rolled down her face, dripping on her shirt below. Tears filled her eyes and made their way down, mingling with her sweat. She tried to regain composure, reminding herself that it was only a dream… no, a nightmare. For some reason, the tears didn’t stop they only came faster. Her soft weeping quickly changed to sobbing. She held a pillow in her lap and buried her face to muffle her cries.
“It was just a dream!” She told herself. “It wasn’t real. The real Trunks would never act so… mean!”
After calming down a bit, she got up. There was no way she was going to get back to sleep any time soon. She went to the kitchen and made a cup of cocoa. After pouring the hot chocolate into a cup, she wrapped a blanket around herself and made her way outside. Although the night air was warm, it carried with it a cool breeze. It was enough to give Pan a chill. She enjoyed it though, it reminded her that she was alive, and helped her distinguish what was reality and what was not.
Her father always used to make her a cup of cocoa whenever she had a bad dream. In fact, she remembered her mother getting up and making it on restless nights too. Whenever there was tension in her family, the innocent looking cocoa would bring everyone together at the table. It was a conversation starter, a common delight that everyone enjoyed. Her and her parents could talk out any kind of problem over a pot of cocoa. Everyone she was close to loved it, but no one loved it as much as Trunks, and even Vegeta from what Bulma had said.
She smiled fondly as she slowly circled the rim of her mug with her finger. “Why did my mind have to travel down that road again?” She asked herself.
His charming smile haunted her once more. The memory of those tender kisses they shared swam around her brain. She let her imagination roam. She could picture the way he looked at her. The look in his eyes when he was about to kiss her made her feel like royalty, something that he treasured, that could never be replaced.
“Get real, Pan.” She said aloud, chuckling lightly over her own fantasy.
Something in her own sentence reminded her of that stupid dream. That same figment of the imagination that plagued her almost every night for three straight weeks, ever since she first met up with him. It might have only been part of her subconscious, but it spoke a truth. It was a truth that had been obvious to Pan since the beginning, but she never really acknowledged it.
Trunks was falling for Kara Oakie, not Pan Son. He liked Kara, a twenty-five year-old single woman who was nothing like the real Pan. Sure, she tried to be herself when she was with him, but it was hard. She had to lie about too much, and she was always being cautious about what she said, and how much she ate. She realized that Trunks probably knew that she was hiding something, but she doubted he knew how much. She was hiding her entire life.
Back in the future, he was like an older brother to her, even though she never saw him as one. They would have eating contests, and spar until the sunset. She could talk to him for hours about everything and anything that crossed her mind. They had so much in common. They were both part Saiyan, they had appetites that never seemed to be satisfied, they both loved to fight, yet it saddened them that it was in their blood, and they had no other choice.
They had their differences though, but it only seemed to add a quality to their relationship. Pan had a youthful energy about her. She could never seem to sit still for more than a half an hour without going stir crazy. Trunks couldn’t help but be affected by her rambunctiousness. It seemed to be contagious; it renewed an energy that he had given up when he became an adult. Trunks, on the other hand, was a lot calmer than he used to be, even since the days of Bebi. It brought Pan out of the clouds and down to earth. Maybe that’s why she wasn’t nearly the brat she had been when she was younger, the need to impress and appear older in front of Trunks helped her mature.
That wasn’t the way it was here in the past, however. Pan was playing a façade of a different woman. This woman was normal, well, almost. She was a human. She was also three years older than Trunks, not fourteen years younger. She ate the normal amount of food for a human, and she fought like one too. Kara acted differently, dressed differently, and had a completely different past.
Pan laid down on the grass and looked up at the stars. Would Trunks still love her if he knew that Kara was actually Pan? How would he react if he found out? Sure, he would be hurt, and would probably feel betrayed because he was lied to, but would Trunks Briefs be able to put that all behind him to be with her?
“Too many possibilities and variables.” She grumbled lazily while yawning.
Then there was her age. Perhaps, that’s why he never wanted to try a romantic relationship with her in the first place. Maybe he would feel like a dirty old man if they were to hook up, or maybe he was afraid of the scrutiny he would earn from the public. He was a very famous man, now that his little family-owned business had gone global, and he was now considered the richest man on earth. A lot of aging CEO’s walked around with young women on their arms, it was possible that he just didn’t want to look like them. Or maybe, just maybe, he didn’t want her at all.
“If that’s the case,” she told herself, “then I should just give up, and be grateful that he likes me as a little sister. I know I’m being selfish, but I’m enjoying myself too much. I’ll spray him before I leave. He won’t remember this little romantic interlude at all. Then he can go back to… seeing other women, leaving me to wonder what could have been. I could gather up my courage and tell him about this some day, but that would put everything at risk, and he would probably only resent me.”
She sighed in frustration. There was no way that any of this would turn out to be for the better. She was playing a game that she couldn’t win; it wasn’t fair! But she wanted him so much! She always had! She was certain that there was no other woman that loved him as much as she loved him. But was it really love, or just some little girl’s crush just like her dream told her? Tears fell from her eyes once more landing softly on the grass below. She was grateful no one was around to see her act so childish over a man.
She continued to cry as she fought the loosing argument with herself. She knew what had to be done, and she knew that it had to be done quickly, but she didn’t want to do it. Her silent, inner war continued within her mind as she drifted off once more. She was still laying on the grass, wrapped up in her blanket. Just as she had expected, the dream came back to haunt her again. It was relentless at convincing her that Pan Son was only a child in her love’s eyes, and she would never be anything more.
Pan walked back inside the ship. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and yawned. The previous night’s sleep wasn’t very nice. She took off Trunks’ dress shirt, which she had been using as a nightgown, and threw it into the washing machine along with her blanket. They were both soaked with morning dew from the grass she had been sleeping on. After laying out some dry clothes on her bed, she grabbed a towel, and jumped in the shower.
“Why did I have to fall asleep outside?” She asked herself, groaning at the way her muscles felt after sleeping wrong, and the fact that there were blades of grass in her hair.
She yawned slowly again as she allowed the water beating down to massage her stiff neck. The heat of the water was washing the chill out of her, creating goose bumps across her skin. After such a relaxing shower, she felt as if she could easily drift off to sleep again, but she couldn’t. Today was going to be a busy day. She walked out of the bathroom naked, using her towel to wring out her hair.
“Ah!” She screamed after seeing the large form of a man in the corner of her bedroom, while quickly covering herself with her towel. “Mr. Piccolo, I thought I told you to knock!”
Piccolo grunted in response, seemingly unaffected by Pan’s lack of attire. “I did. No one answered.”
“Pervert!” She yelled, even though she knew it was untrue.
Piccolo simply stood there with his arms crossed. What was the big deal? Son and Gohan would bathe in front of each other all the time without any concern for nudity, even when Piccolo was training with them. It must be one of those “minor differences” Gohan warned him about when it came to a human female’s attitude. ‘But he said that only happened once a month.’ Piccolo argued with himself while continuing to stand in front of an embarrassed Pan.
“Well?” Pan said, expecting him to get the point and leave, but he just stood there. “Do you mind waiting outside so I can get dressed?”
Piccolo growled and walked outside. All the while acting like Pan was the one inconveniencing him. Pan growled back and slammed the door behind him. She went over and quickly dressed, then grabbed her bag and her capsule car, and headed out the door.
“What did you want, Mr. Piccolo?”
“I wanted to know if you would like to go into the room of spirit and time and train with your new power.” He spat, using a false politeness that could rival that of a politician, and yet filling the question completely with sarcasm.
“I didn’t know you could be cynical, Mr. Piccolo.” Pan said, still more than slightly peeved at the jolly green giant. “It’s bad enough having to be alone for three months. Why would I want to be alone for a full year?”
“I think you should. You need to get used to making your new transformation. That way, it will be easier for you. It’s such a strong transformation, I wouldn’t advise using it down here. Someone would surely sense you, and your cover would be blown. Besides, the earth may not be able to handle such strength if you ever fought full out using your new power. When your grandfather turned level three, the entire planet shook.”
“How powerful do you think this new transformation is? Do you think I might be able to surpass it someday?” Pan asked, amazed that Piccolo might see so much potential in her.
“I don’t know it’s impossible to tell until you’ve mastered the transformation, and fight all out. As far as surpassing the power you already have, you’re Gohan’s daughter and Son’s granddaughter, so anything’s possible, but I doubt it.”
“Thanks Mr. Piccolo, but I think I’ll wait to train until I get home.”
“Where are you going?” He asked, noticing her clothes. She looked like she was planning on going somewhere.
“Oh, um… I was… just going to… go into town, so I could… get some more supplies.” She lied.
“So when are you going to be back?” He interrogated.
“Later.”
“When? It should only take you a few hours to buy what you need and be back.”
“I’ve got to run all over for the things I need. I doubt if I’ll be back any time before… well, later tonight.”
Piccolo narrowed his eyes at her and she became nervous. Any idiot could tell that she had been lying through her teeth at him. She expected a lecture, but he didn’t give her one.
“Fine then.” He said, and he took off without another word.
Pan sighed and watched him disappear. “Piccolo, if only he knew how much I really love Trunks… then maybe he’d understand.”
She tried justifying the situation, telling herself that Trunks would only get suspicious if she didn’t show up, and he might go looking for her, but she couldn’t. Once again, she had lied to get her own way, and her relationship with Trunks was getting deeper and deeper.
“Stupid conscience.” She said as she took off into the air. She would fly until she got closer to town.
She had a feeling that she was going to have to pay for her unscrupulousness, but this love was worth it.
She pulled up to the big white dome once again, without a worry in her mind. She re-encapsulated her car and headed inside.
“Kara!” Trunks yelled as he ran over to her.
He greeted her with a small kiss on her lips, which she eagerly accepted. ‘I will not feel guilty. I will not feel guilty.’ She repeated in her mind, reminding herself that he wouldn’t remember anything anyway.
“Hi.” She answered.
“Listen, I’ve got to go get my tux from the cleaners and run some other errands.”
“Oh, okay. Do you… want me to come back later?”
“No, you can stay here.” He offered. “My mom wants to take you to lunch. Then she said you could start getting ready. Mom figured it would take a few hours, what with the cosmetologists she has coming in and everything.”
“Cosmetologists?” Pan’s eyes grew wide. “A few hours?”
“Don’t ask me, you’re the woman.” He laughed, “Anyway, then we’ll all go to dinner, and then the party.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Cool, then I’ll see you in a few hours.” He leaned down, giving her another small kiss. “Bye, sweet.”
“Bye.” She waved, as he jumped into the sky. ‘Sweet?’ She thought to herself. ‘A few hours? Just to get ready? How long can it take to put on a stupid dress?’
“It’s a newer design. From what I’ve heard, its simplicity is in style this year. I’m sure your lady friend will appreciate its beauty… and its value.” The man behind the showcase said.
Trunks examined the necklace in his hand. It had a long, fragile, gold chain with a large diamond secured in a gold, heart-shaped charm. “It’s perfect, I’ll take it.”
“Excellent choice, Mr. Briefs.”
The jeweler went into his office with the necklace to charge it up. Trunks walked around the store casually, admiring all of the dazzling jewels that sparkled brightly inside their glass cases. In the middle of the room, there was another small glass case. Inside was a pyramid of rings. On the bottom were the smaller, less expensive rings. Trunks looked at the others, but there was one on top with a large stone that he couldn’t take his eyes off of. It appeared to be the most expensive one in the case, and it was obvious why. Its brilliance out shined all of the others. His mouth went dry and his palms began to sweat, as an idea boiled up inside his mind.
‘No, not yet.’ He told himself. ‘You’re getting ahead of yourself, big time. But maybe it’s time to take this to the next level. There are a lot of things she doesn’t know about me…’
“It’s the best one we have.” The jeweler interrupted his thoughts. “That would be the choice of any ring in town. If you want, I could credit an exchange of the necklace for it and have it wrapped up for…”
“No…” Trunks cut in, “But I might be back later.”
The jeweler nodded in understanding of what Trunks had said. Trunks took the necklace and walked out the door, confident in his decision.
Pan drummed her fingers on the table as she listened to Bulma talk. Well, she was trying to listen. Her stomach was successfully drawing most of her attention. She had ordered a rice bowl, one rice bowl, and her stomach was making it evident that it needed more. Bulma had already asked her twice if she was feeling all right. Pan simply replied that she was nervous about the party, while shoving away the temptation to request another twenty orders. Pan thanked Dende that she had brought an encapsulated lunch, and that she had made it a Saiyan sized meal too. She promised her stomach she would eat it as soon as she got a moment alone.
After lunch, the two women went shopping. Bulma had insisted that they find some shoes that would go perfectly with their dresses. Five shoe stores and two hundred pairs later, Bulma finally found the pair she wanted. Pan found some good ones too, while she was waiting for Bulma to just pick a pair and buy them.
Pan had been deceitful with her, just like she had been with everyone else. She tried her best to give Bulma the same story she had given Trunks. She tried to sound impressive too. The Briefs were like her own family, but for some reason, she felt extremely uncomfortable in front of Bulma that day.
‘Maybe it’s because you’re living a lie.’ She told herself. ‘Or maybe it’s because you’re trying to convince one of the most influential women in the world that you’re the right woman for her only son.’
“Kara?” Bulma asked. They had been in the car for twenty minutes, and she was silent the entire time. “Kara, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine Ms. Bulma, just a little tired.” Pan replied.
“Well, maybe you should get some rest when we get back home. You’ve still got a whole party to get through today.”
“That would be nice.”
They pulled up to the Capsule Corp building shortly afterwards. Pan yawned as they got out of the car and went inside. Her previous night’s sleep had been basically useless, and she was still sore from sleeping wrong. ‘A little nap couldn’t hurt.’ She told herself.
“Hmm… It’s twelve o’clock now, and the cosmologists won’t be here until three, so that gives us about two hours, before we have to start getting dressed.” Bulma figured out loud. “Why don’t I show you to a guest room, so you can get changed and rest a little before hand?”
“Thank you Ms. Bulma, I appreciate it.” Pan said.
“No prob…”
The doorbell rang just then, interrupting her sentence. Pan followed her into the front room, which was a mistake. Bulma opened the door. It took a moment to register with Pan because it appeared so strange. Her eyes grew wide and she gasped quietly.
“Oh, hi Gohan, hi Videl.” Bulma greeted, just as an orange, red and black blur flew past her. “Hi Pan!” She yelled.
“Hi Bulma.” Gohan said back.
Pan’s mouth was till open with shock, but she composed herself quickly, and put on a polite smile.
“Oh, this is Kara, Trunks’ girlfriend.” Bulma said. “Kara, this is Goten’s brother Gohan and his sister-in-law Videl. That little girl who ran by faster than you could probably see was Pan, their daughter.”
“Hi.” Videl greeted.
“Hello.” Pan respectfully replied. ‘Wow, they look so young! Mom’s hair is so short!’
Gohan waved at her and smiled, then turned back towards Bulma. “Thanks for taking her for the weekend. When we scheduled this trip, we didn’t think Mom was going to come down with a bad cold.”
“And I don’t think Goten’s ready to handle an eight year-old for a couple of days straight.” Videl included.
“It’s no problem, Gohan. Besides, she’ll probably have more fun here with Bra and Trunks.”
“Where is Trunks?” The little Pan asked, coming back with Bra following.
“He’s out running errands,” Bulma said, “But he’ll be back soon.”
“Oh,” little Pan said with disappointment. It was then that the little girl finally noticed the woman who was also standing there. A scowl automatically formed across her face.
“That’s Trunks’ new girlfriend.” Bra whispered in her friend’s ear. The little Pan’s scowl deepened, and Bra giggled at her reaction.
“Well, I’m sorry we picked the weekend of your big party.” Videl said.
“Don’t worry, Vegeta will be here. I couldn’t drag him to one of these things if his life depended on it.” Bulma said, but after a moment, she began to see an error in that statement. “On second thought, maybe you should worry. We are talking about Vegeta and Pan here. I’m sure the two could drive each other crazy, given the chance.”
The older Pan chuckled silently at some of the memories she was reliving where Vegeta had to baby-sit her. She never knew why, but for some reason, it was particularly enjoyable to annoy Vegeta.
“Well maybe she could just come with us to the party.”
“I don’t have a dress!” The little Pan quickly and loudly replied, fearing the thought of having to dress up.
“She could borrow one of mine!” Bra yelled.
Little Pan’s expression of anger quickly became one of terror as she imagined what she would look like in a pink, frilly dress. She hissed at Bra, and even bared her teeth. Again, Bra just giggled at Pan’s expression.
“No that’s okay,” Gohan intervened, much to his daughter’s delight, “I’m sure Vegeta can handle her for a few hours.”
“Well, we have your number, if we need you.”
“Thanks again Bulma.” Gohan said, “Panny, you behave this time okay?”
“Okay!” She yelled as she and Bra ran back to their room.
Gohan and Videl walked back to their car as Bulma waved them off, and closed the door behind them. Videl had a peculiar look on her face.
“What’s wrong?” Gohan asked his wife as they drove off.
“I have a strange feeling that I’ve seen that girl before.”
“Who? Kara?”
“Yeah.”
“Well of course you have.”
“Where?” She asked him.
“Every time you look in the mirror.” He laughed.
“Gohan, I’m serious.” She said.
“Well, if I ever saw her before, I’d remember. She looks a lot like you.”
“Really?” She asked. “You don’t think that’s weird?”
“Look, I’m almost positive Goten and Trunks both had crushes on you when they were kids. So it’s expected that Trunks may date someone like you.”
Videl smiled, “You’ve got to be kidding me. Them? They had crushes on me? I thought Trunks’ type was blonde and stupid.”
“They were young boys then, and according to Goten, all of those dumb blondes were just dates. He said Trunks was rather serious about this one. Maybe this is his true type.”
“Hmm… well, she seemed a lot nicer than most of the other girls he’s dated… and prettier too.”
“Sorry about that. I didn’t know they’d be coming so early. They hardly ever get a vacation together, so I just thought I would help them out.” Bulma said.
“That’s nice of you.”
“Well, if I could ever get Vegeta to go on a trip with me, I’m sure they would do the same.”
Bulma led Pan to one of the bigger guest rooms. It had a large entertainment center in the corner, and a king-sized bed in the center. Pan thought she had never seen that room, but maybe it was just used as something else in her time. Then again, they had a ton of rooms in that house, and she was sure she had not seen them all.
“Here you go. Feel free to take a nap on the bed or watch some TV. I’ll bring your dress in so you can get changed later, and don’t worry about waking up, I’ll let you know before the beauticians get here.”
“Thank you Ms. Bulma.” Pan said.
As soon as Bulma walked out of the room and closed the door, Pan went over to the bed and collapsed. She stretched as far as her body would allow and let out a loud yawn. Her stomach then growled loudly, to remind her about her packed lunch and her promise to eat it when she got a moment alone.
She sat up and dug through her pockets. She found the capsule and threw it on the ground. A little puff of smoke came up and then cleared, and on the floor was a large picnic basket. She sat herself down and started emptying the contents on to the floor in various places. There was rice, chicken yakiniku, some beef curry, and even a couple of small sushi rolls. They kind of smelled, so she kept them in their container. She got out her water bottle and started chomping. The beef curry went fast, and her stomach thanked her for it.
She ate happily for a couple of minutes. She was just about to finish her curry when she heard a noise. It sounded like someone snickering. With her mouth full, she turned around and saw little Pan and Bra laughing at her. She gasped and nearly choked on her food, which made them laugh louder.
“You eat like a pig!” Little Pan yelled.
Her older version glared at her. ‘You should talk, Mini Me.’
Bra was laughing behind her, “And I thought my dad ate fast!”
“That’s not a very nice thing to say.” The older Pan said through clenched teeth, before returning to her meal.
Suddenly the smell of food reached both girls noses and they stopped laughing. Now they were inching forward in curiosity, hoping the woman might offer them something to eat.
“Don’t even think about it.” The older Pan said with her mouth full while protecting her meal.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.” Bra said while licking her lips.
“Yeah,” The younger Pan admitted, “that smells really good.”
The older Pan thought about it for a moment. Bra was just being a typical younger sister, and the younger Pan was probably jealous of her older version for dating Trunks, like she remembered being. She used to pull some pretty nasty stuff on some of Trunks’ girlfriends, at least, the mean ones. She even managed to scare a lot of them away.
“Okay.” She gave in, not wanting the young terror’s retaliation. “You can have some of it, but only if you two promise to be nice.”
“Yeah.” Bra answered.
“Okay, whatever.” The younger Pan said while wiping the drool from her chin.
The two of them sat down and ate. The older Pan split the meal into three parts, while giving them the smaller portions. After all, they would soon have dinner, and this meal was going to have to last the older Pan virtually all night. They each ate like there was no tomorrow. The older Pan didn’t mind eating so much in front of the kids. Most likely, they weren’t old enough yet to know that eating that fast wasn’t normal.
After the meal, the younger Pan sat rubbing her tummy. “Wow, that was almost as good as my grandmother’s cooking!”
“Uh huh!” Bra agreed. “Hey, what other stuff do you have in your capsules?” She asked as she began digging through the other capsules that Pan had put on the floor.
“Just some… clothes, and boring things.” The older Pan said as Bra threw one down on the floor. It exploded into a gym bag.
The younger Pan spotted something orange and familiar, as Bra exploded more capsules around them. She tugged on it and it came out of the bag. It was her orange bandana. “Hey!”
“Oh,” The older Pan explained, “that’s just a… umm… flag. From a race.”
“No it’s not!” The younger Pan yelled, as she sniffed it, checking for the sent of her hair and the detergent her mother used to wash it. “That’s my bandana! It was missing! You stole it!”
“I did not!” The older Pan yelled in her defense.
“Did to!”
“Did not!”
“Did to!”
The older Pan reached for it and began pulling. “Did not!”
“Did to!” The younger Pan yelled, while pulling back as hard as she could.
“Did not!” The older Pan yelled louder while pulling back harder.
The game of tug-of-war over the bandana ensued. Neither Pan could believe how strong the other one was. They pulled even harder, but they both held back still, not wanting to rip the cherished article of their grandfather’s old gi.
“I did not steal your stupid bandana!” The older Pan yelled.
“Stop pulling so hard! You’re going to rip it!”
“And after I gave you all that food…!”
Bra just sat there on the bed, watching as the two fought it out over the bandana. She happened to look up at the doorway, where her mom was standing. Little Bra took off as fast as her legs could carry her, not wanting to be blamed for what was going on. As Bra ran out, little Pan looked up at the doorway too and saw Bulma. Scared at maybe getting in trouble, she let go of the bandana, sending her older version to the floor. The older Pan landed with hard thud. The younger Pan started laughing, but she stopped as soon as Bulma scowled.
“What’s going on here?” Bulma asked, obviously angered. “Why are you in Kara’s room after I told you to be quiet and not disturb her?”
“She stole my bandana!” The younger Pan cried out.
“Oh? Which bandana would that be? This one?” Bulma asked holding up an identical bandana. “You dropped it in the front room when you zoomed by after your parents dropped you off.”
The little Pan said nothing. She just ran by and grabbed the bandana. Bulma let out a frustrated sigh.
“Sorry about that.” She said as she closed the door.
The older Pan chuckled lightly, as she got back up and proceeded in re-encapsulating everything. After she was done cleaning up her mess, she plopped back down on her bed and covered up. “Man, I was such a little brat.” She scoffed. Shortly after, she fell asleep.
He knocked on her door gently. There was no answer, so he opened it slowly. She was still lying on the far side of the bed; her back was turned to him. “Kara?” He said, not wanting to startle her. “Kara?” He said a little louder.
Still, she didn’t move. He walked over to the bed and climbed up on it. Gently he crawled to her side, and whispered in her ear, “Kara?”
She moaned lightly and turned over, but she was still asleep. ’Wow, she must be pretty far gone.’ “Kara?” He stroked her hair to the side. She was lying on her back, facing him. The temptation was too great, and he had always wanted to try it, so he leaned down, and put his lips to hers. When he felt that she wasn’t kissing back, he pressed harder, but she still didn’t wake up. “Kara?”
“Look Panny, I’m sorry, but I have to run. I’ve got a date tonight and I’m running late.”
“Trunks, I love you.”
“Panny, some day you’re going to find a nice boy who is your age and cares about you very much. Then, you’ll completely forget about me.” He smiled and messed her hair with his hand.
“What?”
“Don’t be in such a rush Panny…Panny.” His voice echoed. “Panny? Panny… Kara? Kara?”
“Kara? Kara?” He kept saying, louder and louder.
Slowly, she opened her eyes. She was startled and jumped at the sight of his close face. “Trunks?” She said groggily.
“Wake up Sleeping Beauty, it’s time to get ready for the ball.” He said softly.
She relaxed and stretched in contentment with her nap. He leaned down again and kissed her. This time, she was awake enough to reciprocate it. “Hmm…” She moaned after they broke, “That was a nice way to wake up.”
He chuckled. “Did I scare you? You looked like you were having a dream.”
“No, I don’t remember.” She said, closing her eyes again.
“No you don’t, you’ve got to wake up. Those beauty… people are coming in half an hour.” He took her hand and pulled her into a sitting position. “Come on, wake up.”
She groaned, and stubbornly made her body move and stand up on the other side of the bed. Trunks smiled. ‘That’s the way she looks right after she sleeps? Wow, I wouldn’t mind waking up to that.’ He thought fondly.
“Your dress is on the dresser. Mom says to meet her in the main bedroom upstairs when you’re done.” He said. “It’s the third…”
“Third door on the right.” She finished along with him.
He looked at her strange. “That’s what she told me before.” She quickly covered.
“Oh.” He nodded. “Well, we should leave around five if we’re going to get some dinner.”
“Okay.” She said, still sleepily.
He kissed her one more time before he stepped out and closed the door. She chuckled and sighed as she started undressing. “I think he likes kissing me.” She quietly observed.
Trunks stood in front of a mirror in the front room and adjusted his tie. He had been ready for a half an hour, but Kara and Bulma were running late. After checking five times over for any misplaced clothing or mysterious body odors, he was sure he would make an essential impression. Tonight was important for the young VP of Capsule Corporation. He would be introducing himself as the future CEO of the company for the first time, and mingling with his future clients that might not like the idea of such a young man taking over such a powerful company. He had to amaze them with his know-how and maturity, to let them know that he was more than capable of taking over his grandfather’s business.
However, his career was not his main worry for that night. There was Kara. He was going to tell her how he really felt that night, and make it clear to her how much she meant to him. His body was reacting like it was his first date ever. His palms were sweaty, his mouth was dry, he felt overly self-conscious, and he had discovered a large pimple that was making its appearance on his forehead. Luckily, it was hidden well by his hair. For some reason, she seemed to have that kind of effect on him, ever since the first time he saw her.
“I’m nervous.” He admitted quietly.
Vegeta sat behind him, staring at the TV. The woman had said that he would have to stay inside and watch the younger brat and her friend the entire night. He wasn’t allowed to train. After several failed incentives, she finally resorted to hard torture for the Saiyan. The threat of one full week of her patented home-cooked meals and sleeping in the gravity room for a month brought him out of his pride, and he gave in to her orders. Oh well, at least there was a nice, relaxing, action movie on that night.
Trunks looked back at his dad. His eyes were fixed on the TV screen, apparently he was watching some goofy clown dance around and give the weather report. “Dad?”
Vegeta grunted, which was about the best response Trunks could ever expect from him.
“What do you think of her?” Trunks asked.
“Of who?”
“Kara, that girl I’ve been dating for the last couple of weeks.”
“Why would I care about who you choose to mate with?”
Trunks growled quietly at his father. He knew Vegeta was never one for father and son talks, but at least he could give him some input. He could just tell him whether or not…
“So what do you think?” Bulma asked, interrupting Trunks’ thought.
He spun around and saw the most incredible sight he had ever seen. His jaw went slack and all he could seem to do was stare… at her. She had on her dress and her shoes, and of course, they looked like they had been made for her and her alone. Her hair was simple. Two strands on the side of her face were brought up behind her head, and secured with a small, gold hair clip. To him, she was magnificent, flawless, the embodiment of perfection.
“Wow,” was the only word he could find to express how beautiful she was to him.
A blush appeared on her face and she chuckled nervously. “I was hoping you’d say something like that.”
“But it needs something.” He added, putting on a serious face, and tapping his chin with his forefinger.
“Huh?” She asked quietly.
“This.” He pulled out a small, flat, black, velvet box from his pocket and opened it.
Pan gasped at the necklace that was inside. It was beautiful. “Trunks, I can’t…”
“Yes you can.” He interrupted. “When I saw this, I thought of you, so I had to get it.”
“But Trunks, it had to be expensive. I can’t just…” She trailed off.
Trunks laughed and walked around to her back, and put the necklace around her neck. “Its chain looks so delicate, but in reality, it’s remarkably tough and strong. The stone appears simple, yet its brilliance can overwhelm a man from all the way across the room. I’m sure all the other necklaces were jealous of its splendor, and with good reason. It shouted out to me when I saw it, there was no way I could leave it alone. Just like you.”
Pan laughed quietly at Trunks’ suave line that he had given her, so corny, yet, utterly romantic. Then again, that’s how Trunks was. “It’s nice, thank you.” She said to him, earning her one of his lady-killer smiles.
Bulma laughed loudly in the background, snapping the two out of their haze. “How long did it take you to come up with that line?”
Trunks glared at her, but complimented her, while giving her a kiss on the cheek, “You look very elegant yourself, Mother.”
“Thank you dear.” She said. “Vegeta, we’ll be back later. Try to keep the house in one piece and remember, Pan can be annoying, but she’s only a little girl. Do not kill her.”
They got in their limo and drove off towards the restaurant. It was a nice restaurant, and probably very expensive. Bulma, of course paid for everyone in their party. There were fifteen people that they met there, all of them chatting about the latest stock quotes or the foreign exchange rate. Pan just sat back and ate, very little, while Trunks talked to the man across from them about inflation and the local government.
Pan was glad when dinner was over. The food smelled very good, and she had already finished off her entire plate and two small loaves of bread that came with it. She really wanted to get to the dancing part of the party, so she could get close to Trunks.
After they ate, the three of them piled back into the corporate limo and headed to the reception hall where the ball/party was being held.
“I think Gyoza was very impressed with you, Trunks.” Bulma said.
“Huh?” He asked, “Oh, that man I was talking to?”
“Yeah, he’s one of our bigger clients too. He owns some kind of clothing line.”
Trunks nodded and looked over at Kara. She was staring out the window. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She answered. “I just like to see the city outside my window.”
“Listen… I’m sorry if I seem a little… preoccupied tonight. It’s just… this is a Corporate party, and all of the big shots are going to be here and…”
“I understand Trunks,” Pan insisted, while leaning her head on his shoulder, “just promise me you’ll save me a dance tonight.”
“One? You’ll be lucky if you get to sit down.” Trunks chuckled.
“So then I just said, ‘find your own ride home if you’re going to be like that Mister!’ and he did, but then…”
Pan was regretting the choice of table she had sat down at. The lady across from her was babbling on and on about how atrocious it was that her husband bought her a red car when she asked for a blue one. Pan wasn’t really listening anymore, she just nodded her head occasionally, and the lady kept talking. Couples were dancing all across the dance floor, everyone looked like they were having a good time. There weren’t very many people sitting down, but she was one of them. Bulma was dancing with some young man who looked to be about Trunks’ age.
‘I’m sure Vegeta would love to see that.’ She thought.
Trunks was over in the corner talking and laughing with a bunch of old guys about something. He looked like he fit right in with them.
‘Maybe this is the “married to his job” part of his life.’
All of a sudden there was quiet from the woman across from her, so Pan seized the opportunity. “Excuse me, Ika, but I’m going to go get something to eat.”
“Oh, okay.” Came the reply.
Pan made her way over to the snack bar. The lure of all the food was making her nearly insane. Quickly, she stuffed a few sandwiches in her mouth and swallowed, while loading up her plate with a few more.
“Kara!” A voice yelled.
“Marron?” Pan said, “What are you doing here?”
“I’m here with Unagi. He’s the son of one of Capsule’s clients.”
“Yeah Trunks told me about him. He seems nice, from what I’ve heard.”
“Oh, he is.” Marron said, with a peculiar smile on her face. “Listen, you’ll have to forgive Trunks for ignoring you like he is. I’m sure he doesn’t mean to.”
“I know, he’s busy with his job. He warned me about it before we came.” Pan said, wondering what Marron was up to, “Why do you seem so determined to keep me happy with Trunks?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to butt in; it’s just that… well… it’s been a long time since Trunks has relaxed with a girl, especially a girl that he’s so serious about. It’s nice to see him busy with something other than paper work.”
Pan smiled at her comment. “Thanks.”
“Well, I’d better get back to my date. I just thought I’d come and say hi.” Marron said, walking away.
Another hour passed and Pan was still sitting alone at a table. She really wanted to dance, but Trunks was having an animated conversation with some woman about… something. Pan really didn’t care. She was bored. She went back up to the snack bar. She had already emptied out their supply of finger sandwiches and desserts. Now all that was left was fruit, cheese, and those little fish-egg crackers. She was picking her way through the strawberries, trying to find one that looked fresh, when something tapped her on the shoulder. She smiled thinking that Trunks was finally going to ask her to dance, but it wasn’t him.
“Hello, dear lady. My name is Sunomono. Would you care to dance?” The polite man asked.
He was tall, sort of muscular, and her had dark hair. He looked nice enough, and she was bored. “Sure, I’m Kara.” She accepted.
So they headed out on the dance floor. He was a pretty good dancer, but she felt kind of awkward with him. He held her very close, and his eyes were traveling too far south for her comfort. She was trying to make small talk and get him to look at her face instead of the area below her neck, but he was too… preoccupied with the woman in his grip. She put up with it for the song. The last thing she needed was to appear rude in front of one of Trunks’ clients or business partners. Thankfully, the song ended quickly.
“Thanks for the dance.” Pan said as she attempted to walk away.
“How about another one?” Sunomono offered.
Without waiting for an answer, he took off again, sweeping her around the dance floor. Pan just chuckled in annoyance. Oh well, dancing with that jerk was a lot more entertaining than having another conversation with Ika. She decided to put up with it for longer, hoping that Trunks might see it and get jealous. It was okay until Sunomono’s hand started snaking its way down her backside.
“I’m getting tired, I’m just going to go sit down now.” She said, prying his fingers off of her end.
“Hey, the song isn’t done yet.” He argued, putting his hand back where he wanted it.
“I’d really rather go now.” She said. The man was really ticking her off, and her ki was rising.
“Look, babe…”
“Can I cut in?” Trunks asked, offering his hand to her.
Sunomono backed off, not even questioning Trunks. He wrapped his arms around Pan and started moving to the music. His smile never left his face as he admired her appearance once again.
“That was very heroic of you.” She said, even though she was slightly peeved that he might think she needed her help getting rid of the scum. “Shouldn’t you be mingling?”
“Nope, I’m done. I’ve made it clear to my associates that I am going to dance with my date for the rest of the evening.” He stated.
She smiled softly at him. She was glad that she had gotten his attention and that he was dancing with her again.
“Shh… don’t make too much noise, or he’ll wake up.” The little Pan said.
“I don’t think we should do this. Daddy gets mad when people pull jokes on him.” Bra stated.
The two little girls tiptoed over to the couch where Vegeta lay. The large explosions and sounds of gunfire from the movie he had been watching had lulled him to sleep. The two part-Saiyans were going to take advantage of the fact that their babysitter was out cold. Well, Pan was. Bra was going along for the adventure. She well knew the ramifications of making her father unnecessarily angry.
Pan gently shook the three different spray cans. It was taking all of her willpower not to burst out laughing. “Bra, you come here and cover his eyes while I spray. And be careful! We don’t want him to wake up while we’re still working!” She whispered.
“Okay!” She agreed, as Pan started spraying.
A few minutes had gone by and they were finally finished. All of the color from every can had been used on their masterpiece. Pan threw the spray cans away and walked back into the living area to admire her work, Bra followed. Both of the girls were giggling uncontrollably at the site, but they were trying their hardest not to be too loud.
“It’s too bad we didn’t have purple.” Bra said. “Brother would like to have seen that.”
Pan pulled out a small camera from her pocket. “Now for the evidence.” She whispered.
She took a picture, but she forgot one small detail… the flash. It woke Vegeta up with a start, as the two girls looked on in horror.
“What’s wrong with you?” He asked grumpily.
“Run!” Bra yelled loudly.
The two girls took off in different directions faster than even Vegeta could see. Immediately, he suspected something, so he walked over to the mirror. “Ahhhhhh!!!” He screamed at the top of his lungs at his reflection. His eyebrows were neon green and orange, and his hair was mostly hot pink with some more green and orange mixed in. From his receding hairline to the very peak of the ends, his hair was colored. “You’d better pray to Dende that this washes out!”
The night seemed to fly by in his arms. All she could do was look at his gorgeous smile. She was glad when he told her the evening had gone well for him, but now it was time for fun. They must have traveled across the entire dance floor that night. Her feet were killing her in those shoes, but she didn’t care. If need be, she could always float across the dance floor.
Trunks couldn’t stop staring at her. He was being unusually quiet, but it was a comfortable silence. He couldn’t believe he had such a breathtaking woman in his arms dancing with him. He had been going crazy trying to think of things that might make her stay in town for longer than she was planning on. Why did she have to leave so soon after she got there?
“So what do you know about this Unagi guy?” Pan asked, breaking the silence.
“Well, he’s rich, and he’s next in line to inherit his father’s multi-billion dollar company.” Trunks answered.
Pan looked over at Marron and Unagi. They were dancing, and it looked like they were having a good time. “It looks like they really like each other.”
“Uh huh.” Trunks mumbled. He would rather concentrate on the woman he was dancing with then on Marron.
“Poor Goten.” Pan said sadly.
Trunks looked at her questioningly. Goten had been very discreet about his feelings for Marron. “How did you…?”
“How did I know? It’s obvious. Goten’s been practically falling over her since the moment I met them.”
“Well, you’re more observant than she is.” He said.
“Why doesn’t he just tell her how he feels and get it over with?” She asked.
“He’s afraid that it might make things awkward between them. I have a feeling she feels the same way, but they’re both stubborn when it comes to this. It’s like they’re both waiting for the other to make the first move.” He explained.
“That’s too bad.” Pan said. “They’re not going to be able to love each other just because neither of them are honest enough to explain…” She trailed off, realizing the irony of what she just said.
Trunks stopped dancing and looked in her eyes. What she said had meaning, but not towards Goten, towards himself too. “Kara, I have to talk to you about something.”
“Go ahead.” She said.
He resumed dancing, hoping the movement would calm his nerves. “Speaking of honesty, I haven’t been truthful with you.”
She looked at him with concern in her eyes.
“I mean, I’m not supposed to reveal… something about myself to anyone. That is… unless I really care about them.”
Pan became extremely apprehensive. What was he talking about?
Trunks struggled to find the right words to say what he needed to say. “If you don’t believe a word of what I’m about to say, I understand, but please don’t run away. I’m telling this to you now because I… well… I-I-I’m in l-love with you and I want you to trust me. There shouldn’t be any secrets between people who love each other, right?”
Pan stood there almost in shock. Whatever he was about to say could not be good. ‘Uh oh’
‘I should have asked Gohan about this before hand. I wonder how he told Videl.’ Trunks continued, reaching up to loosen his collar. He had never told anyone about this before, and he wasn’t quite sure how she would handle it. “My father… isn’t exactly from… around here.”
‘No, Trunks don’t!’ Her mind screamed out.
“A long time ago he came here… from another… planet. He was the Prince of this planet and was named after it. Umm… Goten’s father is from this planet too, but he hit his head and didn’t remember until he was told about it as an adult. The people from this planet are unusually strong. Umm… do you remember Cell? Contrary to popular belief, Mr. Satan didn’t defeat him. Goten’s brother Gohan did. M-My family and Goten’s have been saving the world from every strong threat since… well… for about thirty years or more. We’re… much stronger than any human could possibly be.” Trunks barely managed to get it all out of his mouth. He was going to go on about it, but then he looked up at Kara. She had a blank look across her face, and she didn’t look very comfortable.
‘He cares about me so much, he was willing to reveal our families secret? Why did you do that Trunks? Why would you go and tell your girlfriend everything about us?’ She argued to herself.
“Look, Kara, I’m telling you about this because I want you to know how much I care about you and how serious I am. I’ve never told anyone before because I’ve never found someone who I trusted so much. I love you.”
Pan felt tears well up in her eyes. She couldn’t believe that he had told her… about everything. Everyone she was close to knew that this… family secret could put them all at risk. If it ever got out to the wrong people, they would never be left alone again. That was the whole reason they gave credit to Mr. Satan for defeating Cell and Buu, to protect their family. But he wasn’t telling just anybody. He had made it very clear to her about how he felt. ‘He trusts me. He loves me.’ She kept repeating to herself.
Trunks looked on at Kara. Her face was still blank, but she looked more hurt than anything. He couldn’t figure it out. “Kara, I know this must sound very weird to you, but you’ve got understand. I don’t want to hide anything from you. Every time I’m with you, I have to lie to you about something, and that can’t be good for a relationship, especially one that… I hope… is so serious.”
Still, she did not answer him. He could she her eyes glassed over, like she was going to cry, but a tear never left her eyes. “Kara? Kara, say something, you’re scaring me.”
“I…I…” She began, desperately searching for the words that she needed. She becoming over-whelmed with guilt and emotion, and she would not allow herself to cry in front of him. Not now. “I need some air.”
Trunks watched his love run out of his arms and out the door. He hesitated for a moment, wondering what he should do. He couldn’t just let her get away over something so trivial. He ran out the door to find her, desperate to find out what went wrong, and make things right.
Pan shivered in the cold of the night air. Everything in her being told her to go back to the ship, and get the spray before it was too late, but she didn’t move. She just stood there, outside of the reception hall, freezing her butt off while a million different emotions and thoughts ran through her brain. ‘He told me. I can’t believe he trusts me so much. He was completely honest with me. Why can’t I do the same? Because he would hate me, that’s why. I love him so much, but he loves Kara, not Pan. What am I going to do?’
She rubbed her arms and breathed in her hands, attempting to warm up. Suddenly, a jacket was wrapped around her shoulders. She turned around. He had come after her.
“I’m glad I didn’t have to look too far for you. I was afraid I was going to lose you.” Trunks said.
Pan put her arms inside the jacket, grateful for the warmth. She subtly sniffed the collar. ‘Why does he have to smell so good?’
They both stood in silence for a while, neither really sure of what to say. Finally, Trunks broke the silence. “I don’t know how to… apologize for being honest. Are you out here because of what I said?” He asked.
Pan took his hand and led him over to a near-by park bench where they sat down.
“No Trunks, although telling me that you’re an alien is kind of weird. I just… freaked out. Not because of what you said… but… you were being so honest. I mean, you were telling me everything about yourself, and… I… well… I couldn’t do the same. I couldn’t just tell you the truth. I love you too, but there, in that room I felt suffocated.” She told him, being straightforward for the first time since she landed. A small blush spread across her cheeks in response of what she said.
“So… you don’t mind?”
“Mind? No, but this does answer a few questions.”
“Like what?” He inquired.
“Like your high ki, your large appetite, your father’s hair…” She joked.
Trunks laughed at her response. He leaned over and gave her a kiss, which she happily received. “I love you.” He said, the low, serious tone in his voice giving Pan chills.
“I love you too.” She said back. “Now, tell me more about… your planet.”
“Well…”
Trunks and “Kara” spent an hour outside. Pan sat there and looked up the stars, she still insisted that they looked brighter in the past. Trunks continued to tell her everything about the Saiyans, every battle they’ve ever been through, and every challenge that ever crossed their path. He told her about his relationship with his father, the Super Saiyan transformation, and even the dragon balls. Time went by quickly, and before they knew it, the party was over.
Their limo picked them up at the door and they were headed back towards Capsule Corporation. Pan leaned her head on Trunks’ shoulder the entire way home, and by the time they got there, she was gone.
“Mom, she’s asleep.” Trunks observed.
“Yeah, I noticed. Why don’t you bring her inside and put her in one of the guest rooms?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, just make sure she sleeps in the guest room, and not in your room.” She ordered.
“Mom!” Trunks yelled quietly, at his mother’s allegation.
Trunks picked her up in his arms and carried her inside. He was surprised by how much she weighed while having such a small body. They walked through the living area and found Vegeta on the couch. Bra was laying on his chest and Pan was cuddled up with a blanket on the floor. They were all sound asleep.
“Aw!” Bulma whispered. “Aren’t they adorable?”
Trunks laughed quietly. “Yeah, all three of them.”
“Go ahead and drop her off, then come back here and help me with Pan and your sister.” She said.
Bulma stayed in the living room and woke up Vegeta while Trunks took Kara back to the room where she had put her clothes earlier. Gently, she stirred as he laid her down on the bed and took off his jacket that she had been wearing. He reached behind her head and undid her hairpin so it wouldn’t hurt her, then covered her up.
‘Wow, when she’s out, she’s out. Kind of like a Saiyan.’ Trunks thought to himself.
“Trunks?” A sleepy, but loud voice sounded from the doorway.
“Shh… Kara is trying to sleep Pan. What’s wrong?”
“Me and Bra put some spray in Vegeta’s hair and he got mad and chased us through the house, so we…” The little Pan started at a hundred miles per hour.
“Okay, okay,” Trunks interrupted, “Go to bed, I’ll be there in a minute to tuck you in, you can tell me all about it then.”
The little Pan yawned and stretched as she walked back down the hallway. She loved it when Trunks tucked her in, even if she was too old to be tucked in. But why was that woman sleeping here? And why did he have to tuck her in too?
Trunks looked back at Kara. He loved to watch her sleep; she looked so peaceful and lovely. He bent down and gave her a soft kiss on the fore head, and brushed some of her hair away from her face. “See you tomorrow, love.” He whispered as he closed her door.