Author: The Noseless Wonder
Disclaimer: I didn’t create DBZ. Three cheers for Akira Toriyama! The man who actually
created Dragon Ball Z/GT and all of its characters!
Authors Notes: Chapter six is finally up. I say that a lot, don’t I? I tried to correct some of the spelling errors, so it should be more accurate this thyme. (heheh) Stupid joke, I know. Oh well, enjoy.
Goku Jr. happily leaned over the huge cake that Chichi baked and blew out the five candles on top. Blowing really hard, he managed to get all of the candles out, but he almost fell into the cake while doing so. Everyone laughed and clapped as Goku Jr. just gave one of the Son’s patented grins. Videl walked over to the cake and started cutting it while Goku Sr. and Jr. jumped up and down in their chairs in anticipation. Their faces both fell into frowns when Videl told them to be patient. They could only eat when everybody else was served.
Goku Jr. made a wish when he blew out the candles. His grandfather had told him what to wish for… that Pan would come back. He missed his sister, but everyone else was there, and that made him happy.
Videl and Gohan looked on at their son. He was growing too fast for them, but they couldn’t be more proud of him. Goten and Marron also stood nearby. They were wishing they had a child of their own, but they were glad they could celebrate his birthday with him. Trunks was behind Goku as he blew out the candles. He laughed and messed his hair when he had almost fallen into the cake. Bra sat next to Ubuu the entire night. She had been practically hanging off him. Ubuu didn’t mind. He thought she was kind of cute and it gave him somebody to talk with.
Bulma sat across from Goku Jr. and cheered him on as he blew out the candles while Vegeta just sat there with his arms crossed and glared at everyone. The only reason he was even there was because there was going to be chocolate cake. He was a regular chocoholic, but he would never admit it, even though everyone knew… and as much as he detested Kakarot’s mate, at least she could cook a good meal.
Goku Sr. was seated across the table too. Chichi was standing over him, watching him to make sure he wouldn’t try anything. Thinking he was out of her sights, he subtly moved his hand across the table. He acted completely innocent as it neared the cake… his fingers slowly walking up to the edge and stretched to reach the lining of frosting that beckoned him so loudly. The ever-vigilant Chichi saw the pitiful attempt and attacked. She grabbed a rolling pin, seemingly from nowhere, and hit Goku hard on the hand. Goku recoiled in pain as he rubbed his sore, red hand. His wife may be only human, but Chichi could make it hurt if she wanted.
Everyone chatted about how big and strong Goku Jr. was getting and how much he looked like his father. They were enjoying each other’s company. It had been a while since everyone was together again. In fact, the last time they had a dinner so big was when Pan came back from her training.
No one ever mentioned Pan. They were trying to keep the party from going downhill. Every one had it in the backs of their minds though. They were all very worried and wondered if she even got there okay, but Trunks was sure she did… and he was counting the days to her return.
After cake, Vegeta figured there was nothing left for him there, so he went off and sat by himself against a tree. Everyone else gathered on the grass and watched as Goku Jr. opened his presents. His face lit up brightly with each one. Every new gift opened was like discovering a hidden treasure. He got a lot of toys, like any five year-old would, some weapons, which Videl wasn’t too happy about, and some science books, which were obviously from Chichi. He thanked everyone and gave them hugs, even Ubuu, who he didn’t even know.
Soon after, all of the gifts were opened and everyone was given their thanks. Goku Jr. went off to play with his grandfather, Trunks and Ubuu. The rest of the party began to clean up, except for Vegeta, who was still off by himself. There was a huge mess to clean. After all, most of the people there were either Saiyans or demi-Saiyans. There were plenty of dishes from the party to be cleaned, and because Gohan and Videl didn’t have a dishwasher, they had to be hand washed. At least no one had to worry about leftovers. Tupperware was a rare sight to this family.
All of the women were outside cleaning off the picnic table. Gohan was washing the dishes they were bringing in while Goten dried them. Gohan noticed that Goten’s eyes were focused outside the window. He was watching Goku toss his grandson up in the air. He threw him up and over, then materialized behind and caught him. Goku Jr. couldn’t fly yet, so he was at the mercy of his grandfather’s strength and speed, but he was having a ball. His laughing could be heard from all the way in the kitchen.
“Thanks for your help Goten. It would’ve taken forever without you.” Gohan said.
Goten seemed to not even hear the question. He was still drying the dishes that Gohan was handing him, but his attention was elsewhere. “It isn’t fair.”
Gohan put the last of the dishes away and turned to face him. “What was that?”
“I just said that it isn’t fair. I want one of those.”
Gohan looked out the window to see what had gotten Goten’s focus. He smiled when he saw his son laughing hysterically as Goku attacked him with the “tickle bug." He wouldn’t trade his children for anything in the universe. He never thought he could be so proud and willing to give up his life for anyone. He also knew that Goten wanted very much to feel that way about someone too. “How long have you and Marron been trying?” He asked.
“We’ve been married for five years, so we’ve been trying for five years, but it wasn’t until the last six months that we started getting desperate.” Goten noticed the look on Gohan’s face. He thought that he looked smug. Every time they would start talking about children, Gohan would get the same stupid look. Goten started feeling angry. That must be Gohan’s way of shoving in his face.
“You should see a doctor. They have over-the-counter medicine they can give you that might help.” Gohan was just making a simple suggestion. After all, Goten was the one who brought it up.
“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with us.” Goten was fuming now. How dare Gohan say that he and his wife were unhealthy?! There was nothing wrong with them!
“Well, it most likely isn’t you, you’re half Saiyan. It’s probably Marron.” Gohan hadn’t meant to insult her. He was a family doctor and saw many of these cases. He was just giving a medical suggestion.
Goten’s ki flared. He was extremely angry with his older brother. His teeth clenched and his anger over came him. Goten had his back to Gohan, but he could feel the power surge. When he looked up, Gohan saw that the back of Goten’s hair was gold and there was a golden aura surrounding him.
“Goten, what’s wro…”
Gohan hadn’t even finished the question before Goten’s fist made contact with his jaw. Because Gohan hadn’t braced for such a heavy impact, the punch threw him back into the wall across the kitchen. He sat up and rubbed his jaw. There was blood coming out of his mouth, so he must have bitten his tongue. Gohan’s glasses had also been knocked off and were lying in pieces on the floor.
“Goten, what the…” He started to say before Goten cut him off.
“Marron is not sterile!” He yelled.
Gohan calmly stood up. He wasn’t angry, Goten was just being defensive about his wife. “I never said she was.” Gohan’s voice was calm and quiet. That made Goten even angrier. “It could be something as simple as a hormonal imbalance.”
Goten ran and side kicked Gohan in the ribs for that remark. Gohan stood up again and finally got into a defensive stance. “She’s not unhealthy!” Goten yelled. “She’s not old either! Not like Videl!”
Gohan allowed his ki to rise. He was willing to forgive and forget before, even though Goten had ruined his kitchen, but nobody insulted his wife and lived to tell about it. Untrained power or not, Goten was going to go down for this one. Gohan didn’t even care weather or not Goten had control over his actions.
Goku stopped playing with his grandson when he felt his sons' power levels rise. He knew that both of them had gone Super Saiyan, but he couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Even Vegeta poked his head up. It was about time something interesting and worthy of his attention happened. Trunks wasn’t as sensitive to ki levels as he used to be, but he too felt the power jump. Ubuu stopped talking to Bra and walked over to Goku’s side, preparing in case of a battle. They waited and listened, but all was quiet for the moment.
Both demi-Saiyans suddenly crashed through the glass sliding door. Everyone was stunned when they saw that the two brothers were fighting each other. They just stood there and watched.
“Cool!” Goku Jr. yelled from his grandfather’s arms. “Dad and Uncle Goten are fighting!”
“Goku, stop them!” Chichi yelled from the sidelines, but Goku didn’t. He was curious as to which one was more powerful. Most of the time, when they sparred, they would always pull their punches and never really go full-out. However, as anyone could see, that wasn’t the case this time.
Goten and Gohan rustled on the ground. They kept throwing powerful punches and kicks at one another, even though their angle was screwed up. Their fighting was sloppy because they were blind with anger, but it was still interesting to watch.
Vegeta got up from his seat and casually walked over to Goku. “So, Kakarot,” He asked, “who do you think will come out in better shape?”
“I don’t know.” Goku said while still just watching them. “Gohan’s got the experience, but Goten has been training more lately.”
Finally Chichi stepped forward. If her husband wasn’t going to do anything, then she would. She was angry. Not only were her two sons making spectacles of themselves, but they were getting their nice clothes dirty too. “Stop it! Stop it you two!” She yelled, but they continued to fight. “Look, if I have to make your wives ground you…”
A stray foot stuck out and knocked Chichi on her back. She wasn’t hurt, just surprised. Both men stopped fighting when they realized what had happened. They both quickly got up and helped their mother to her feet.
“Mom, are you okay?” They both asked. Hearing their voices at the same time, they turned and growled at each other. “Look what you did!” They both yelled, again at the same time.
They soon blurred out of sight. Now they were fighting for real, the right way. Goku knew it wouldn’t be too long before they started throwing energy blasts at one another, so he motioned to Trunks to come and help him. They both flew up to where the brothers were fighting. Goku grabbed Gohan and Trunks grabbed Goten. They had them in a decent arm lock, but both men put up a mean struggle before Goku and Trunks managed to force them to the ground.
Marron and Videl ran up to their respective husbands. Neither of the wives were afraid of their husbands, which were now both at Super Saiyan level two. As long as they were married, the women had more power, and they knew it. Both of the wives started yelling their husbands, and Chichi was switching off between the two.
“He hit me, ruined our wall and called you old!” Gohan argued to Videl.
Goten heard him, even though he had both Marron and Chichi yelling in his ear, and countered. “You said Marron was unhealthy! You said she was barren!”
Marron blushed. There were people present at that party that she didn’t even know. Boy, was she going to let Goten have it when they got home. She put her hands on her hips and tried to stay calm. She was determined not to cry out in front of everyone.
Both men stayed at Super Saiyan. Each one of them unwilling to power down before the other one did first. All was quiet, until Marron lost her control. With a single tear streaming down her cheek, she slapped Goten in the face. Her hand hurt more than his face, but the shock brought him out of Super Saiyan. Trunks let him go and backed out. There was no way he was going to stay and witness the beating Goten was about to go through. Goten just looked at Marron. Guilt was written all over his face. He did it again. He lost control.
“Did you ever stop to think that he was giving his professional opinion?!” She asked, trying to regain her calm. “He’s a doctor. His specialty is young children and families that want children. I know he’s seen these kinds of cases before. He was just trying to help!”
Goten didn’t respond, which gave Marron a clear answer. He hadn’t been thinking. Gohan dropped out of Super Saiyan as well. He thought that due to the circumstances, he’d get off the hook, but he was wrong. Videl grabbed his chin and turned his head to face her.
“And you,” She said sternly, “if someone insults me I can defend myself, thank you. Besides, just because he called me a name didn’t give you permission to fight. Especially right in front of our son like that.”
Gohan knew she was right. He didn’t want his son to think that fighting with your family like that was okay.
“Let’s go home.” Marron said. Goten just shook his head. She went over to apologize to Gohan and Videl right when Goku Jr. ran over and hugged Goten. Goten picked him up and messed his hair. Goten and Trunks were the only ones who were allowed to do that as far as Goku Jr. was concerned.
“Are you leaving?” Goku asked disappointedly.
“Yeah, but happy birthday.” He said. “I’m sorry for ruining your party.”
“You didn’t ruin it. The fight was really cool!”
Goten chuckled as he put Goku down. The kid was definitely a Saiyan. Marron walked back over to Goten. He could tell by the look on her face that it was going to be a long flight home. He picked her up and started levitating while she waved goodbye to everyone.
“Hey brother!” Gohan yelled. “Call me when you’re ready to start training.”
Goten’s expression softened. That was a nice gesture of forgiveness made by his older brother. After all, Goten had hit him, ruined his door and kitchen wall, insulted his wife, and to top it all off, he had ruined his son’s birthday party as well. Goten even gave a soft smile as he took off, wife in arms, toward their home.
Everyone left after that. It had kind of dulled the party. Vegeta was disappointed. He had hoped that a fight between brothers like that would have been more interesting. Goku was just trying to avoid getting hit by a rolling pin from Chichi again. After everyone had left, Goku Jr. smiled and turned to his parents.
“Hey Dad,” He said. “Can we do that again next year?”
“No!” His parents quickly answered at the same time.
Pan crashed on her bed. She didn’t know what time it was, but she really didn’t care. The sun had been up for a while, that’s all she knew. She had been training with Piccolo for what seemed like hours. He had been relentless. He didn’t let her go Super Saiyan, even though there were several times where she wasn’t sure if she was even going to survive. Piccolo told her that if she went Super Saiyan she would make herself detectable to Vegeta and Goku. When she asked why he wasn’t lowering his level, he had stated that the other fighters were used to feeling his higher ki because he was in almost constant training. She didn’t think that was very fair, but then again, Piccolo was never known for his fairness.
“Measuring skill is more effective than measuring power because power is nothing without control.” She made her best impression of his deep, scratchy voice while trying to remember how many times he had said that line to her that night.
When it was finished, she had managed to get him to take off his weighted clothing. You would think that would have proved her point, that she was as skillful as any of the Z fighters, but no. He wasn’t satisfied. He needed to test every aspect of her fighting capabilities. After all, she had claimed that he trained her, and he didn’t want her walking around telling people that if she was a bad fighter. They ended up sparring for ten hours straight.
She slowly turned her head to look at the clock. It was nine in the morning. Pan was surprised that she had even gotten herself back to the ship. Piccolo made her go somewhere far away, just to make sure that her ki wouldn’t be detected. He said something about not wanting her to create an alternate dimension, or something. She really hadn’t understood.
All that she remembered about the location was that it was cold, very far north and west, and it took two hours of flying just to get there. To make it worse, Piccolo had made her swim for a couple of hours, so her ki wouldn’t be detected when she flew. On the way back, she told him that if she were to swim, she would surely drown because she was exhausted, and her dad wouldn’t be too happy about that. He gave in and carried her to the shoreline, but then she had to walk all the way back to the ship.
“Sixteen hours.” She groaned. “Ten hours of training, four hours of flying and two hours of swimming and walking. I never thought that I would be so happy to get back in this stupid ship.”
Her eyes stung. They were begging to be closed. Pan knew she needed a shower, she could smell herself. She could also use a glass of water and a change of clothes, but there was no way she was going to get her body to move for her any time soon.
She was, however, able to move her arms up. That was the extent of her range of motion for the moment. She inspected all of the cuts and bruises that Piccolo had inflicted on her. As she cleaned some of her wounds with a Kleenex that happened to be in reach, something dawned on her. Piccolo might make her train with him again that night. In fact, now that she thought about it, he had said something about resting up for it.
“Stupid Piccolo.” A headache was quickly beginning to make itself known to her. She respected Piccolo greatly, but her father’s former sensei could be a little overbearing and obsessive when it came to training. Pan had often wondered why Gohan had worshipped him so much when he was younger, but Gohan explained that Piccolo had been there for some very hard times in his life… the times when his father was not.
Pan concluded that Piccolo had been like an uncle, or even a second father to Gohan, that’s why he cared for him so much. “I don’t know many uncles who would cause their family so much physical pain.” Then she happened to recall how she ended up in the past in the first place. “Well, uncles that belong in normal families, anyway.”
The room seemed to grow darker as she thought of her family. They must have been worried. She hoped her dad wasn’t too hard on Goten when he told him what had happened.
Sleep overcame her. She was still in her sparring clothes, and she had never had that water or the shower. She slept peacefully and dreamt about how Trunks had reacted to her. She wondered if he ever thought of her that way in the future.
They were sitting on a picnic blanket in the middle of a grassy field. They had just finished a rather large meal and were now simply enjoying the sun and each other. She giggled as he playfully nuzzled his nose to her neck and then kissed the same spot. She was sitting on his lap and he had his arms around her. She sighed contentedly as she felt him press his lips wherever he could reach.
“Kara, you do know that I love you, don’t you?” He asked while still placing kisses all over her neck and ear.
“Trunks, I love you too.” She turned to face him as he tenderly placed his mouth on hers.
“Good, now I won’t have to hunt you down or stalk you until you’re mine.” He joked.
“Trunks, I think there’s something you should know. My name isn’t Kara Oakie.” He acted serious at first, but then tickled her ribs. He didn’t seem to care, it was like a game to him. She laughed in response to his playing. “Trunks, I’m serious.”
“Okay, okay.” He laughed at her over-sensitive response to such a light tickle. “Then what is it?”
“Guess.” She dared as she laid her head on his chest.
“Hmm, okay. I give up.”
“No!” She protested, hitting his shoulder. “You didn’t even try!”
“Nope… I’m not good at guessing.”
She giggled in anticipation of his surprise. “My name is Pan, Pan Son.” She looked up to see his reaction. Trunks’ smile turned instantly into a cold, disappointed scowl. He harshly shoved her off his lap and walked into the wooded area nearby.
“Ouch.” She complained. She had hit her jaw on a plate. She looked up in time to see him disappear into the woods. “Trunks! Trunks, wait! I can explain!”
She followed him in, but she couldn’t find him anywhere. It seemed like she had been running forever when she spotted him walking only a few yards to the left of her. Pan quickly ran over to his side and grabbed his arm.
“Trunks wait. Let me explain.” She pleaded.
He turned to face her. There was an eerie look plastered on his face. “Panny, I’m sorry, but I don’t have time to play now.” He said.
“Play? Wha…” She just shrugged it off, even though she really hadn’t understood what he meant. “Look, I know I lied to you, but if I would have told you the truth you would have…”
He cut her off. “Look Panny, I’m sorry, but I have to run. I’ve got a date tonight and I’m running late.”
“A date? But we were just…” She couldn’t figure out what he was trying to pull, but she didn’t care. “Trunks, I love you.”
He took her hand in his. He had one of those sickening, fake compassionate looks on his face. Like a politician kissing a baby in front of news cameras. “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?!” She yelled. “You have no right to talk to me like that! I’m not a child!”
“You have a lot of time before you have to start worrying about growing up Panny.” He said smoothly as she was fuming with anger. “Take a look over there. You’re a pretty little lady. Don’t rush so much. Enjoy it while you can.”
She looked over to where he was pointing. Even though it was impossible, the nearby waterfall seemed to be reflecting her image. Except… the image it was reflecting was of Pan when she was eight.
She woke up with a start. She sat up quickly as tried to catch her breath. “It was just a dream.” She assured herself. “Just a dream.” It may have just been a weird nightmare, but still, she was hurt. The fact was, she could see him really pulling something like that on her.
“I’ve got to find him again. If he remembers what happened, he’s going to hate me. I have to spray him and make him forget me.” She got out of bed, but not that easily. She was still stiff from her workout. She was trying to think of the places where he would most likely be. “I’ll try Capsule Corp. No, that’s too risky. I don’t want to have to spray the entire Briefs family with that stuff, it may have weird side effects. I’ll go to his office. No, he probably won’t be there. His mom used to let him have the summers off until he was about twenty-five years-old.” She noticed she was talking out loud to herself again.
“I’ve got to stop doing that.” She said, again, out loud. “He might be in the mall again. Oh, I never got to finish my Sloshy. Now I have an excuse to go back.” She laughed at herself. It was a pitiful excuse, but she thought that she deserved an ice cream after the previous night’s exercise anyway.
She grabbed a coat and started to head out the door, but she stopped herself when she noticed the stiff hair on the back of her neck, and the strong odor coming from her shirt. “I’d better take a bath first. I smell bad enough to melt my ice cream.”
Pan hurried around the ship, packing a small bag. She packed a vile of the spray, but she didn’t hook it in to the small spray can. She just didn’t think of it. She also packed some nice clothes and some soap. There was a waterfall with a small pond nearby that she liked to bathe in more than the ship’s shower.
She cleaned up and washed her sparring clothes under the cool, clear water. She was very glad that the ship had landed in that spot. Waterfalls were her favorite way of relieving stress. After drying off, and putting her workout clothes out to air, she put on anther one of Bulma’s shorter skirts and a slightly revealing blouse. They were different than the ones she had one before, but the idea was the same. The clothes were still uncomfortable and awkward to her, but if it made Trunks give her that kind of attention, they couldn’t be all that bad.
Pan jumped back in her black convertible. If she was whistled at, or admired by other drivers, she didn’t notice. Her mind was set on something else. As she got closer to the mall, she felt that Trunks’ ki was close. He was probably somewhere nearby, even if he wasn’t in the mall. Pan hoped that wherever he was, he was alone.
“Trunks come on. I want to leave. We’ve been here forever.” Goten complained.
“Just another half an hour or so.” Trunks pleaded.
“That’s what you said half an hour ago, and half an hour before that, and half an hour before that…” Marron continued to talk as she let her head fall on the table in frustration. It made a loud thump, but she kept complaining. “…and half an hour before that.”
“We’ve been waiting here for too long all ready. She’s not coming.” Goten put his hand on Trunks’ shoulder for support, hoping he would give up and leave. “Face it man, you struck out. It happens to everyone once and a while.”
Trunks looked up and glared at Goten. “I didn’t strike out.” He said through partially gritted teeth. “She’ll be here.”
“Not everyone comes here every day, Trunks.” Marron rolled her head over and yawned. She felt she would fall asleep if she just sat there any longer. “Only people who are bored, really like ice cream, or whose father’s happen to come from some distant planet.”
Trunks had a look of concern on his face. This girl seemed really important to him, that’s the only reason why Goten and Marron stayed with him.
“Get another ice cream, on me. We’ll leave in an hour or so.”
“An hour?!” Marron yelled. “What ever happened to half an hour?”
“Come on Trunks.” Goten tried pleading his case once more. “We’ve eaten so much ice cream, even I’m getting a stomach ache.”
“Can’t you be patient?” Trunks spoke through gritted teeth. He knew his friends didn’t want to be there. They were just trying to support him, but he was getting angry with both of them.
“She’s not coming! I think Marron and I have been patient enough. If we’re taking Dex to the disco tonight, I’ve got to go home and get ready.”
Trunks turned his head and mumbled under his breath, “What’s the use? It’s not like you ever bathe anyway.”
Goten heard it and got out of his seat. He offered his hand to Marron and she got up as well. “Come on Marron. If you want, I’ll fly you home. We shouldn’t have to wait any longer for somebody who isn’t going to show up.”
Marron agreed, but took a last look at her friend. The look on his face was angry, but disappointed. Marron could tell that he had really liked that girl, but accepted the fact that she wasn’t going to show.
Marron reassured Trunks. “If she knew that you were waiting for her, she would have been here by now. I don’t know if you noticed the way she was looking at you last night, but she seemed real taken with you.”
Trunks didn’t respond, so Goten and Marron walked out the door. “Man, I’ve never seen him go after a girl like that.”
“I feel kind of bad for leaving him,” Marron said, “but he never even got any conformation from her. How does he know that she knew to come back? He didn’t even ask her for her number.”
“Yeah, I see your point.”
They walked out of the mall into a secluded alley way. Goten picked up Marron in his arms, being cautious not to hold her too tight. They had flown together hundreds of times before, but Goten still reveled in it. He loved having her in his arms, and so close.
Back inside, Trunks let out a large sigh. Goten and Marron were right, Kara wasn’t coming. Ready to leave, he got up and started throwing trash away, which was quite a feat.
As Pan walked through the mall, she felt Goten’s ki. He was flying away. ‘Good.’ She thought. ‘If Goten’s gone then Trunks is most likely alone.’ She started in the direction of her favorite old-time hang out when something hit her. ‘Shoot, I never thought of that. Goten and Marron saw me too.’
She panicked when she realized that Goten had all ready left. ‘Crap, I’m going to have to spray them later.’
Trunks finished picking up the trash. He managed to fill two of the parlor’s trash cans with the magnitude of it all. As he walked out the door, he thought of how disappointed he was that she hadn’t shown up. His head was bowed, and he was paying more attention to the cup he was kicking across the ground than to where he was walking.
Pan slowed down as she approached the entrance. What was she going to say to him? He genuinely seemed to like her. A rather large portion of her wanted to stick it out and see where it would go, but she knew it would be wrong. She really didn’t want to spray him. She had waited her whole life for him to notice her like that.
Pan took a deep breath as she all but charged through the entrance. If she didn’t get it over and done with, she might never do it at all. She must not have been paying attention either, because she was stopped in her tracks by a wall… a wall that was softer than concrete, but not by much. Pan fell on her backside after running into it at full force.
“Ouch.” She said looking up. She was surprised to find that the wall had a pair of legs. ‘Crap!’ She yelled silently as she recognized the familiar lavender hair, blue eyes and stupid smirk.
He knelt down to help the woman he had knocked over pick up the spilled contents of her purse. His smile widened when he noticed who exactly the young woman was. “Kara, hi!” He said it kind of loud. ‘Shut up Trunks!’ He yelled at himself. ‘Stop sounding so eager. She’ll think there’s something wrong with you.’
“Hi Trunks.” She was rubbing her sore back. Wearing heels can really throw you off balance. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have even been thrown on the ground.
“Sorry, I guess I wasn’t watching where I was going.” He quickly hopped back to his feet and offered her his hand for assistance in getting up.
“That’s okay, neither was I.” She took his hand and stood up, then preceded to wipe off the dirt that had stuck on the back of her skirt.
“Are you okay?” He asked, hoping he hadn’t permanently damaged her or something.
“I’m fine.” She assured. “I doubt landing on my butt could ever hurt me.” She chuckled quietly when she remembered all the times he had thrown her into a tree or a brick wall.
“I didn’t expect to run into you here.” The blush of embarrassment that had been on his cheeks before darkened when he discovered how stupid that must have sounded. He silently wondered if he was ever going to act normal around this girl.
She chuckled again, mostly because she had noticed that he was blushing. She turned her head up and gave him a bright smile. The same smile she had given him the day before. He felt that he could completely lose himself in that smile if he wanted to. All the worries that she might not have liked him disappeared into the back of his brain as he gazed into those soft, blue eyes of her. He probably wouldn’t be able to remember his name at that moment if somebody asked him. He probably wouldn’t even hear the question. However, something did manage to bring him out of that sweet serenity. He wasn’t sure if it was the sound, or the sensation of glass breaking under his foot that brought him back to reality.
He looked down to see a glass vile, that used to be filled with something, lying in pieces underneath his boot. He cringed as he realized that it was seemingly something that had fallen out of her purse. When he looked up at her face, he got the answer. Her hand was over her mouth and she looked like she was sorry that happened.
“Was that important?” He asked with a sheepish grin.
She looked at the clear liquid that was slowly spreading across the pavement, and kicked herself for not bringing another vile. When she looked up at his expression, all she could do was laugh. He looked like her grandfather did whenever he did something wrong. Oh well, at least the ants wouldn’t remember who she was, and this gave her an excuse to sit down and talk with him a while. “No, it can be replaced.”
“Um…I’m not usually this much of a klutz. Can I buy you an ice cream, to make up for throwing you to the ground and then breaking all of your things?”
She was still laughing at the irony of it all. “Yeah, that would be nice.”
Trunks had to wonder what she was laughing at. It must have had something to do with that tube he broke.
They talked for an hour and a half straight. Pan had lied through her teeth about almost everything. She told him that her father was a doctor, her mother was a house wife and she had a five year-old little brother. She made up names for them quickly, but purposefully said them while mumbling so he couldn’t understand. Because he was trying to impress her, she figured that he wouldn’t admit that he couldn’t hear her, and he didn’t. She also told him that she lived across the world, and was just in town visiting relatives. He never questioned her honesty, so she must have been a decent actress.
She spent most of the time listening to Trunks drone on, but she didn’t mind. She knew that talking too much would probably only get her into trouble. He told her almost everything about himself, save the fact that his father was from outer space, and of course, she all ready knew everything that he told her. He did exaggerate on some of the finer details, which amused Pan because she could corner him for that when she got home.
The rest of the time he filled in by telling her funny stories. She noticed that he told them a lot better when he thought the listener was only hearing them for the first time. He added a lot of untrue information, to make it sound more impressive, but at the same time, he cut out the parts about other planets, ki blasts and going Super Saiyan. She still recognized them as the same old stories though. He had told her flat out that he fought in his spare time, she didn’t quite know how to react, so she just shook her head and looked impressed.
Even though Pan enjoyed the funny stories, like she always had, she was mostly enjoying the special form of attention that Trunks was giving her. He treated her like something special, instead of just a good buddy that he was sharing some of his memories with. He somehow worked his way from across the table to the seat next to her. That way, he could get closer and put his arm around her. He was still giving her that look of his too. The look that said he was enjoying the company, and wanted to be with her.
She could have listened to him talk forever. There had been so many times when she had wanted to lose herself in his eyes. So many times where she wanted to study his chiseled features and inhale the sent of his cologne. He was in the middle of a story about him and Goten when she got distracted. He suddenly started laughing, so she laughed with him, even though she had no idea what he had said.
“Uh oh.” He said looking down at his watch.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, hoping he wouldn’t have to leave.
“A friend of mine is moving away in a few days. We were going to take him out tonight, but I lost track of time. I had to leave five minutes ago.”
“Oh,” She said disappointedly. “I understand. Sorry for keeping you.”
He looked down at her. “Do you have anything to do tonight?”
She shook her head. “Nope, just wrap my brother’s birthday gift.”
“Why don’t you come with us?”
“Oh, thanks, but your saying goodbye to a friend. I don’t want to…”
“We’re going to a disco. It’s not like he’s going to hear us anyway.”
“A disco?” Pan had to hold back a chuckle when she heard this. She couldn’t imagine Goten and Trunks dancing at a disco. The very thought made her laugh out loud.
“Come on, it’ll be fun.” He insisted.
She thought about it. If she stayed in the ship, not only would she be bored to death, but Piccolo would most likely come and get her for another midnight training session. “Okay, but I need to go back and change.”
“Why?” He subtly scanned over her again. “I think you look really nice.”
Something in the tone of his voice made her blush at the compliment. “I left something there that I need to grab.”
“I can give you a lift if you want. It’s no trouble.” He picked up her hand and played with her fingers. His response was a smile.
“Thanks, but I’ll meet you there.”
“Okay,” Trunks didn’t want to be too pushy. “The disco’s called the Mezzanine Floor. It’s on the corner of Rain and Hail.”
“I can be there in an hour at the soonest.” She said trying to calculate how long it would take to drive back to the ship.
“No problem. We’ll wait outside for you.”
She quickly got up and headed towards the door. Trunks, like a gentleman, stood up with her. “Oh, and thanks for the ice cream.” She waved goodbye.
Trunks waved back. He slowly sat down again as he watched her run out the door and down the walk way. His smile never left his lips.
Pan hurried through the ship as she changed clothes and made herself up for her date. Putting on make-up and piling her hair on her head had become a lot easier in the last few days. She managed to gather all of her things together and stuffed them in her purse in no time at all. Slinging her purse over her shoulder, she sighed confidently as she headed out.
“Okay, I think I have everything.” She said to herself, making sure. She was halfway out the door when she stopped. Pan had forgotten the reason she came back to the ship in the first place.
Rolling her eyes in frustration, she quickly headed towards the bed room. She picked up the case that was lying on her bed and grabbed a vile and a spray can from it. As she turned to leave again, she stopped. It had hit her...
The innocent looking liquid inside the container would make him forget about her. She thought about the way he had acted with her, the way he had subtly wrapped his arm around her, the way he played with her fingers, not to mention the way he had looked at her. She didn’t want it all to end just yet. Besides, what could a few more hours hurt?
She put the vile and the spray can back down on the bed. She had waited her whole life for him to notice her in that way, and she wasn’t going to stop it before she got a chance to enjoy it. Pan smiled as she walked out the door. Imagining herself in his arms, she sighed as she realized that it wasn’t far away from happening. She had finally gotten the attention of Mr. Trunks Briefs.