Author: The Noseless Wonder

Disclaimer: Blah blah blah blah blah don’t own Dragonball Z/GT blah blah characters blah blah blah Akira Toriyama blah blah blah blah blah blah omelette du fromage. Got that? Good. Oh, I do not own the “True Love Waits” program either. Nor did I plan on their name fitting in so well with this fic.^_^

Author’s Notes: Sorry it took so long to get this out. As you can see, it’s another long chapter. Plus, the holidays and a pretty severe bout of sickness slowed me down. One more thing, (I just love to babble =) This is not the last chapter, and therefore, not the end of the story, so hang in there. It’s getting close, though.

A chilled wind blew through the street, causing him to shiver. Nervousness was more the cause of his body’s reaction, however. He powered up slightly, knowing that his ki would keep him warm, although the breeze was almost contesting his power. It seemed like the wind increased along with his energy level.

He looked up. The now starry sky was beginning to cloud over. There was a storm coming, and it looked like a big one. There was no rain yet though, and he preferred walking to flying right then. He needed to think. Giving in after another freezing gust flew by, he threw a Capsule on the ground, which exploded into a suitcase in front of him. He dug through it, disappointed to find that there was only one coat, that ugly tan one that went down below his butt. He growled lightly as he put it on. The thing was uncomfortable and way out of style, but at least it was warm.

Trunks continued to make his way down the street. Which street was it? Who knew? Who cared? Not him. He was lost in more than just his thoughts. It wouldn’t be too hard to find his way, he could just fly towards his father’s ki and get home easily enough. That is, if he wanted to get home. Right now, he couldn’t care less if he walked around to the other side of the world. He was too consumed with the small box in his hands to perceive anything in his environment. In fact, if his father were to land right in front of him with a giant ‘M’ on his forehead, he probably wouldn’t even notice, let alone give a rip.

His mind was on his love. His brain and his heart were having a massive battle over the little blue box in his hands. Anyone else would have been crazy to carry a large diamond ring alone at night in the city, but of course, Trunks had nothing to worry about. He couldn’t stop staring at the large stone set in white gold. It seemed to reflect every ounce of light that shone on it, which gave him hope; hope that her eyes would sparkle with joy, outdoing the brilliance of the ring that would soon be on her finger, hope that she would stay with him forever, even if it meant moving away from her family, hope that he would become her family, and that they would have one of their own.

Images, imaginings of the present and the future raced through his mind, her smile, her eyes, their wedding, the birth of their first child, he or she would be so beautiful. He smiled, thinking of more babies, lots of babies that would fill their house with loud noises and toys, spilled cereal everywhere and the smell of a newborn drifting through every door. Each one of their children would carry with him/her the look of their mother’s face, forcing him to think of her every time he looked at them. He never really considered having children of his own, at least, not for a while, but these thoughts… made him look forward to it. Having children was not something the average CEO-to-be looked forward to, but if it was with her, he couldn’t wait.

Their maybe-future life together continued to haunt his every thought. He even started imagining her with grayed hair, wrinkled skin and false teeth. She looked incredible, even at age eighty. At least, the way he imagined her, she did. Good Dende, he was even looking forward to their future arguments. Sleeping on the couch one night, only to be thrown into bed the next… it seemed like heaven. A heated argument turned romantic rendezvous, that’s how it was with his parents a lot, due to the fact that their personalities were both so strong, stubborn and yet… passionate at the same time. Was he doomed to live out the same sweet torture over and over again with Kara? He certainly hoped so.

He closed his eyes, trying to remember the fresh warmth of her face… and her lips. Sure, he had been in many battles, and felt pain so intense, it was difficult to describe, but to live the rest of his life without waking up to her smile and her beauty, that would be true pain. It would be the kind of pain that leaves you feeling empty, cold and alone. He wanted… almost needed to know that her smile was going to be with him forever.

He looked up at the sky again, focusing his ki downwards in preparation to take off. His eyes staring into the hazy heaven above him, he saw her face once more. However, this time, she wasn’t smiling. Reason was beginning to set in with him. The last time he saw her, her face was sad and pained. It was a look that was intense enough to break his heart, even though he didn’t know what she was feeling that way.

The scene replayed in his mind. He stroked her cheek tenderly, wondering why she looked like she had been crying. Her eyes were not shiny and bright like they had been since the very moment her first saw her, they were dull and reddened by tears that she had tried to hide, but was unsuccessful in doing so. He leaned down, foolishly thinking that kissing her would affirm his love and therefore, cheer her up. He could already taste her as he leaned down further, not expecting her to back away, like she had. And so, he watched with confusion, as she took off into the air, a hurt look on her face.

“Am I insane?” He asked himself, watching the ring glittering in the light of the streetlamps. “We’ve only known each other for a little over a month, and all this time she’s said she wanted to take it slow. This isn’t slow. I’m asking her for a lifetime, not another week or month.”

He continued to walk… and think. What if she was planning on breaking it off that night, and here he was with an engagement ring? He didn’t want to scare her off, he didn’t want her to leave, period, but the two of them could make a good life together, and he knew it. The last thing he wanted was for her to leave without him getting the chance to really talk to her about all this. He had to know if she heard his father talking about her or not. The way she had been acting, it appeared as if she did. No wonder she looked so hurt. It looked like no one in his family trusted her. That was bound to hurt her feelings a little.

He trusted her though. There was no reason for him not to. Well, she had been a little dishonest about a few things. For one, her uncle. She made him sound incredibly strong, and yet no one had ever heard of him. He always wanted her back by certain times, but not everyday, and Kara never told Trunks exactly why he wanted her back. Then, there was her ki. She was a lot stronger than any full human on earth, but not one of the Z fighters had ever sensed her before.

Those weren’t the only strange things about her story, though. She had told Trunks about her past more than once, and every time she did, something would change. First, her story was that she and her family were visiting, then after a while, she said it was only her. She had told him before that she lived somewhere far away, but she never went into any more detail. Then, a little while later, she had said that she lived closer by, but she went to school further away. Eventually, she just said that her family lived far away, near her school, but she considered her uncle’s house to be a second home. Things didn’t make sense with her story. But, Trunks had convinced himself that she was entitled to her privacy, and therefore, he shouldn’t ask too many questions.

Then, there was the afternoon they spent at Capsule Corporation working. She seemed to know almost everything about his office, including their filing system. ‘But that doesn’t mean anything… does it?’ Trunks asked himself.

He shrugged it off once more, switching his mind to another subject. Should he or shouldn’t he give her that ring? He wanted her so badly, but things were going fast. He would just have to wait. Maybe he’d have a better idea after he talked to her about it.

Pan stood there, in front of the familiar building she loved so much. She had been simply staring at it for a while. How long, she wasn’t sure. It appeared as if she was studying it. She ran her fingers up and down the bricks, tracing the molding that held them together, but her mind was somewhere far from building materials. This… thing with her and Trunks, could turn out several different ways. She could’ve inadvertently created another timeline already, simply by going to get ice cream that one fateful day… the day “Kara” was born.

There were so many variables, so many things that could have been changed due to her carelessness. Alternate realities and time travel were funny things. No one knew for sure how they worked. The only ones who knew absolutely that they existed were a few higher-up, trusted scientists over at Capsule. Even Pan was unsure of why or how they had definite evidence of there being such a thing as alternate realities. She never really got the whole story. All she knew was that someone once came from the future to talk to her grandfather. The rest of the story was never really revealed to her.

One thing was for sure, though. No matter what “reality” or timeline she would go back to, she would never look at that building the same way. The white dome of CC, her second home, would mean something different, and painful to her. Things would change between her and Trunks when she got back, it was too late to prevent it. He would remain the same, unchanging from the day she left. She, on the other hand, would have trouble even looking him in the eye. This adventure, would simply be an awful, yet sweet memory she would keep to herself for the rest of her life.

For her, this relationship would be an experience and love she would keep in her heart forever, but for Trunks, it would simply be an unexplained pain that he might notice in her eyes sometime. If things got too bad, if it got to the point where Pan would prefer not to see Trunks at all, rather than see him with other women, than maybe, just maybe she would tell him this story.

She smiled a sad smile. Thoughts and emotions ran through her head faster than she could process them. She would never forget his touches and kisses. The way he looked at her when he wanted her, the way he would subtly sneak his arm around her so he could pull her close, the way he would play with her fingers, and the tone of his voice when he told her he loved her, they would all be distant memories in a few short hours. She would never again get to experience them for herself, but would be forced to watch him do that with other women. She could feel herself dying inside already from the inevitable pain that was to come from simply watching him with other girls… girls that had much more of a chance with him, girls that were his age, and much more beautiful than she was.

“Are you going to go inside, or are you just going to sit there and stare at it?” Vegeta asked from behind. He had sensed her ki while training, and came out to investigate.

Pan jumped lightly, startled at Vegeta’s sudden presence. Pan put on a calm, nonchalant façade before turning to face him. “Hello, Mr. Vegeta. I was just… wanting to see if Trunks was home so we could go out to dinner.”

“The boy isn’t here.” He sternly replied, wiping the sweat from his face with a towel that had been around his neck. “He’s further down in the city, four and a half miles West of here.”

“Okay, thank you.” Pan said, quickly turning around and walking away, hoping to get out of that situation.

“Girl…”Vegeta called, making Pan stop dead in her tracks. “If you’re hiding something, you’d better come clean soon or break it off with the boy. I don’t trust you, and I’d prefer if you’d stay away from the brat.”

She wanted to stay and argue, to let Mr. Prince-of-all-Saiyans know she wasn’t afraid of him, but there was no reason to. It would only be wasted energy. Plus, this was the first time she had seen Vegeta act so… protective of his son. “You don’t have to worry. It was over anyway.” She admitted quietly, water building up in her eyes.

Vegeta made a noise in his throat and walked inside. His pride in himself was more than evident. Pan turned around and took off. Tears nearly snuck down her face unguarded, but she would not allow herself to become even weaker emotionally about this than she already was.

‘Crap!’ She cursed herself, remembering the need to administer her memory formula to Vegeta and Bulma. ‘Oh well, I’ll get them on my way back.’

Pan flew over the city looking for Trunks. Her mind was working overtime, causing her to relive a million flashbacks. They were memories of happier times, bad times and self doubts. She was so distracted, that it took her a while to find him. He was walking along a dark street, in the middle of a neighborhood somewhere in the outskirts of the city. What was he doing there?

Immediately, she lowered her ki so that he couldn’t detect her. She hovered high up and away from him, silently watching him for just a moment. Taking a deep breath, she took the spray can and vial out of her purse, and then connected them. She even sprayed once in the air, just to make sure that it was going to hit its target the first time.

Slowly, she lowered herself down in front of him. He was so busy thinking of what to say to her, he didn’t look up until he was about to run into her.

“Kara? What are you doing here?” He asked, more than surprised to see her so early, especially after the way she had left him that morning.

“I went to your house, but your father said you were walking around. So, I decided to come find you.” She said quietly.

Her eyes drifted down to the box he held in his hands. A ring? Alarms immediately went off in her brain. ‘And here I though he was rushing it when he kissed me! What is he thinking?!’

Trunks noticed she seemed to be staring at something. He followed her gaze down to his hands. Using the speed that all Super Saiyans were known for, he stuffed the ring out of her sight and into his back pocket, but not without a deep blush appearing over his nose and cheeks. It was obvious that she had seen it. Oh well, so it wouldn’t be so much of a surprise, but maybe it could serve as an ice breaker.

She chuckled lightly, hoping to rid herself of some of the nervousness that was invading her. An uncomfortable silence spread between them. She knew she should just come right out and tell him, or spray him. It would alleviate this awkwardness, that’s for sure.

Trunks looked at the ground, desperately searching for something appropriate to say in a situation like this. With her seeing the ring, she was sure to have something to say… or yell at him. Oh well, might as well be a man and just ask her. Then was as good a time as any, or so he’d like to believe.

“Trunks…”

“Kara, I…” They spoke at the same time, causing the red on their faces to increase and grow deeper.

“You go first.” Trunks said, thankful that she was had something to say too.

“No, you.” She said, still trying to gather up her courage for the inevitable moment ahead.

“Kara, I…” He trailed off, looking deep in her eyes. She looked sad again, but why? Now was definitely not a good time to pop the question. “Why don’t we go grab some dinner and talk?”

“That’s a good idea.” She agreed, hoping food would get rid of the tension.

They took off into the night sky. Trunks led her to one of his favorite restaurants, which was known for its high quality service, and tables that were private and concealed by paper walls. Pan argued, she didn’t want him to have to pay too much for their meal, and she was really hungry. Nevertheless, Trunks insisted. They landed in the alleyway and went inside. Trunks was treated with the utmost respect there. They were given a large table, and many comfortable cushions to sit on.

When the waitress came by, they ordered their food. Trunks ordered his normal, large amount, and Pan ordered the same. Why even bother concealing anything anymore? The waiter and Trunks both had the same looks on their faces. How could she eat that much?

“Do you know how much food that is?” Trunks asked, temporarily forgetting the fact that it was rude to question a woman’s eating habits, especially so abruptly, like he had.

She looked up at him. For a moment, he could have promised that she was wearing a scowl. “I’m hungry.” She simply, yet firmly replied.

He was taken aback by the amount of food she had just ordered, but he silently wondered how much of it she was actually going to eat. After all, she had ordered the same amount as himself, and he had ordered enough to fill his Saiyan stomach. Thinking it wise to drop the subject, he decided it was time for a change of topic, “I’m sorry about what happened earlier today.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, the whole, Goten almost killing you ordeal, and then my dad yelling at me for telling you about our heritage. Honestly, he gets overly suspicious about people sometimes.” Trunks lied. Truthfully, this was the first one of Trunks’ girlfriends that Vegeta distrusted so much. Normally, he couldn’t care less about his son’s affairs.

“It’s not that big of a deal Trunks, I survived it and I’m better now.” She said.

“I know, and I’m glad. I didn’t know you were that strong.” He said.

She smiled softly as he reached across the table and took her hand in his. Her smile got wider as he started playing with her fingers. Why was that so charming?

‘So… I finally got her to smile again.’ He said softly.

“I have a good trainer.” She said.

“Well, next time you’re over at my place and Panny is there, remind me to make her apologize to you.”

“She doesn’t need to apologize.” Pan said, quickly taking her hand out of his and putting it back under the table. Her expression dropped to one of soft anger and sadness.

Trunks watched her in confusion. Was it something with Pan? What was making Kara react this way? “Yeah, she does.” He answered. “She endangered your life. She knows better than to jump underneath a ki blast like that. She could’ve been killed if you wouldn’t have seen her and rescued her.”

“Panny was just being a kid. Kids make stupid mistakes, it’s how they learn. She’s only eight, give her a break.”

“How did you know she was eight?” Trunks asked, receiving only a nervous look from the woman across the table. “Never mind. The point is, she’s an irresponsible brat, and if she keeps rushing into things like that, she’s going to end up getting killed. She needs to learn her lesson.”

“Trunks, she just wanted to join you in your spar with Goten. She’s a Saiyan, did you think she was just going to stay there and simply watch you two have fun? She loves to fight. It’s in her blood.”

Trunks was utterly confused. Kara was speaking like she knew everything about the Saiyans. True, he had told her most of the important parts about his alien ancestry, but he hadn’t gone into that much detail. She was sounding like she had known them all of her life. “It doesn’t matter if she loves to fight. She did something wrong, she should be punished for it. That’s why I told her she wasn’t allowed to spar with me or Goten.”

“You’re not her father. Leave the punishment to her parents!” Pan said loudly, nearly yelling

Trunks put his drink down hard and loud on the table, and looked up at Kara, obviously ticked off. “Maybe not, but I’m responsible for her. She comes over to my house so much, you might get the impression that she doesn’t have any parents. She always comes over when I have the place to myself, even when Bra isn’t there. She’s like the annoying little next door neighbor you can’t get rid of. If I wasn’t such good friends with her father and uncle, I would tell her to get lost.”

“That’s not true. Don’t you care about her?!” Pan asked, her voice raising. How could he say something like that?

“Sometimes, but I don’t get why she bothers me so much and…”

“Of course, she’s going to bother you!” She shouted. “Do you honestly think she goes over there to be with Bra?! You two act the same and like the same things! You’re her friend too and she lo… cares about you!”

Trunks was surprised at Kara’s outburst, but more angry. “You don’t know her! You don’t know how she can be sometimes!”

“Yes I do! At least enough to…”

“How?” He asked.

“I…!” She began, but stopped.

“How?!” He yelled at not getting a response.

“I…I…don’t think I’m very hungry anymore.” She said, getting up and walking out the door.

Trunks quickly stood up and grabbed her arm. “Kara wait… please.”

“What?” She asked quietly, but sternly.

“I’m sorry.” He said, taking her arm and pulling her closer. “I don’t know exactly what for, but I’m sorry I yelled. It’s just been a… a weird day.”

She looked up into his eyes. They were filled with great adoration for her, but was it really love, like he said it was? He didn’t seem to be that fond of her younger version, so how could he care for her older version that much?

“Trunks, I… I just think it would be better if I left here now. That way, there would be no long goodbyes. It’s best if I just leave tonight, right now.” A silent, unguarded tear rolled down her cheek. She was showing her weakness to him, she knew it.

He pulled her even closer, gently wiping off the tear from her cheek with his thumb. “Kara, please… stay with me for a little longer. You know… I want you to stay with me forever.” He hinted.

Some more tears worked their way down her cheeks, only to be shooed away by the warm skin of Trunks’ hand. “Trunks, I can’t, I…”

“If…” He interrupted, “you can only stay with me for a few more days, then please, stay with me. Don’t let it end like this.”

She really needed to walk out that door. At this point, she really wanted to walk out that door, but she couldn’t run away from her problems again. That’s all she had done since she got there. At the club, when he kissed her at Capsule Corps, at the ball, when she had heard Vegeta yell at Trunks, she had always chosen to run out the door, but not now. Now, she knew she had to turn and face her fear, the moment she had been dreading since he sat down across from her at “Sloshy’s”.

“Trunks, there’s something I need to tell you.” She said as she pulled out the spray can from her purse. She let out a frustrated cry when Trunks yanked it from her hand.

“What is this?” He asked. “This looks like one of the formulas our scientists have been working on at Capsule Corp.”

He turned the spray can around many times in his hand. He couldn’t recall what the recipe was for. He remembered that it involved memory, but he couldn’t place where he had seen the container. He only knew one thing. That aerosol had the “CC” logo on it, and it had never been released to the public. It was solely used for the purposes of the research scientists at Capsule Corp. “H-how did you get this?”

Pan took the aerosol back. She wanted him to know everything before he forgot. “Trunks, I’m not exactly…”

“Here you go Mr. Briefs! It was prepared fresh and speedy just for you and your lady friend!” The waitress practically sang as other servers brought in tray after tray of food.

The servers put the food on the table. There were two of almost everything on the menu, and it took up most of their eating space. Pan took one look at it and her stomach growled… almost as loud as Trunks’ did.

“Why don’t we eat? Then we can go for a walk or something.” Trunks suggested.

Pan really wanted to decline, but her stomach was making a convincing argument against it. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to wait until after dinner. “Good idea.” She said, seemingly forgetting their recent quarrel and sitting down at her placing.

Dinner went silently. Trunks started out eating slowly. He was always told by his mother that it was impolite to eat like a Saiyan when he was in human company. Kara, on the other hand, was eating faster than he could, even if he was eating at his normal speed. Funny, even though she was pigging out, he couldn’t help but stare at her. No, not because she was shoving inhuman amounts of food into her face faster than he could see, but because she was so beautiful. The dim lights above them seem to be dancing off of her eyes, her hair shone like spun silk. Dende, why couldn’t she stay with him?

Pan finished eating quickly. She noticed that Trunks hadn’t eaten much. Was it because of her consumption pace, or because of the little box in his pocket? She wasn’t going to hide anything now, it wasn’t worth it. She was hungry, and this would probably be the last meal she ate before she got back on the ship to go home.

After paying the bill, they walked outdoors. The night air still carried a chill with it. It was apparent that the summer was about to end, and it looked like fall was already making its yearly debut. The sky was completely clouded over now. There wasn’t a star in the sky. The sensitive natures of the two Saiyans enabled them to tell that the pressure was dropping. Meaning, the storm was drawing nearer.

They walked slowly, as always, never really heading in any direction. They were just… walking. Normally, they would be talking up a storm by now, but of course, tonight was different. Pan shivered lightly as a cool breeze blew by.

“So, what are you going to do when you get home?” Trunks asked, breaking the silence.

“Well, if I know my grandmother, they’ll probably throw me some kind of welcome home party.” She answered.

“I meant long term.”

“I know, but that’s the furthest into the future I’m able to plan. I really don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Her tone was almost solemn to Trunks. He couldn’t say he wasn’t relieved though. At least it gave him a hint that she didn’t want to go home. “So, why can’t you ever come back?”

“It’s very complicated.”

Trunks stopped walking. Pan turned back, realizing that he was no longer by her side. “Are you married or something?” He blurted out

“No.” She laughed. “Nothing like that.”

“Do you have kids?” He asked, “Kids love me. I can get along with kids. Just… don’t use Panny as an example.”

“No, Trunks. I don’t have any kids. It’s just me, my parents, grandparents, uncle and brother.”

Trunks looked downward. The fact that she wasn’t married or anything almost made him feel worse. Why couldn’t she just tell him what she was hiding?

“And we have these friends…” She added, “they’re almost as good as family.”

“Then why do you have to leave?” He asked, determined to get a plausible answer out of her.

She shook her head and looked at the ground. “Trunks…”

He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Have you ever loved someone as much as I love you?”

She bit her lip and tried to resist the temptation to fall into his arms. “No.” She answered, looking him straight in the eye. “But there is a guy…, well, at least there was.”

“There was?” Trunks asked, getting jealous at the mention of this unseen man who had also managed to capture the heart of such beauty.

“I don’t think it would ever work out between us though.” She said quietly, in thought.

“Why not?” He asked, sort of relieved, but still jealous.

“I loved him from the moment I was born. My parents even tell about the times when he seemed to be the only one who could make me stop crying when I was an infant. As time went on, my affection for him grew. But, I’m sure he only saw me as a little sister. I’m a lot younger than he is, and I have the feeling he’s only thought of me as an extra burden he’s had to put up with, and a source of income in his teens. Now that he’s stopped babysitting me, he really doesn’t have any use for me anymore. I thought we grew to be good friends, I even considered him to be my best friend through all these years, but now… I’m getting the idea that I annoy him.”

“How could you possibly annoy anyone?” He asked.

She chuckled lightly, “You’d be surprised.” She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder, just to feel one more embrace with him.

“He’s a fool for rejecting you, an idiot who must not be able to see past his own nose.”

She laughed loudly, still embracing him. He cocked his head and smiled lightly as he looked down at her. He was unable to see the humor in that statement, but she obviously thought it was funny.

“So you don’t think age is a problem?”

“I think it is if you’re talking about getting together with that jerk…” She looked up at him, a questioning look on her face. “…because I want you. He’s already missed his chance.”

He leaned down and placed a small kiss on her lips. ‘Last kiss.’ She thought, shivering at the feeling of his warm lips on her cold ones.

“Hmm… you feel cold.” He said, breaking his mouth away from the wonderful delight of hers. “Do you want my coat?”

She smiled and ran her hands down the light brown fabric. As she felt the material, she quickly relived every memory she had of that jacket.

“I know…it’s ugly, but…”

“No it’s not.” She told him, silently laughing at the fact that this was coming from the same man who once wore it for a year straight without ever changing. “I like it.”

“You do? Then maybe I’ll wear it more often.” He took it off and wrapped it around her shoulders. He silently hoped it would retain her scent.

“So what were you going to tell me back at the restaurant?”

She reached back into her purse, searching for the spray can. She stopped when she felt something wet hit her head.

“It’s sprinkling rain.” He said.

“Maybe it’ll stop.”

They stood in silence for only a few seconds, watching as the light sprinkle turned into a heavy downpour. “Great.” Pan stated sarcastically.

“Capsule Corp. is just a few miles from here.” He had to shout over the rain, which was now coming down in buckets. “Do you think you could make it if we fly there?”

“Yeah.”

The force of habit caused Trunks to wrap his arms around her waist and carry her, even though he knew she could fly. She didn’t mind though, she just wrapped her arms around his neck and held on, keeping them close. She could feel the heat radiating from his body and ki. It felt nice, but it wasn’t very successful in protecting them from the buckets of water that was coming down on their heads. They were already soaked by the time they took off.

They flew like that all the way to Capsule Corp. Trunks pulled up to his bedroom window. It was the only opening in the house that wasn’t rigged with alarms and remained unlocked, giving them easy access. Pan climbed inside, Trunks following. Pan wrung out her hair, but it didn’t do much good. She was soaked to the bone, along with Trunks.

“That’s some storm.” Trunks said as he shook the water out of his short hair, almost like a dog would.

Pan giggled as cold drops of water landed on her skin from his hair. She promptly stopped, when a loud crash of thunder rattled the windows. She took off Trunks’ jacket and walked over towards the heater to get warm. Trunks couldn’t help but admire how she looked as she attempted to dry herself off. Her hair was sticking to her face, still dripping. Her dark clothes were clinging to her, revealing only her figure but nothing else. It was still enough to drive Trunks insane just watching her.

She looked out the window at the pouring rain, and lightning flashes. Trunks was still staring at her when she turned around and looked at him. “What’s wrong Trunks?”

He snapped back into reality at the sound of her voice. He was grateful for the darkness in his room when he blushed. “That’s a pretty bad storm.” He said, “Maybe you should stay here tonight.”

“That’s a good idea.” She admitted. Even though she had a job to do, there was no sense in baring out this weather to get back to her ship after it was done. She could just hang out there until the storm passed. “I guess I’ll use the same room I slept in before.”

Trunks didn’t respond. “Well…, good night.” She said as she headed to the door.

She turned the knob and opened it slightly, only to have it forced shut by a large hand just above her. She turned around, only to come face to face with Trunks, who was standing very close.

“Actually, I was hoping you’d stay here w-with m-me.” He suggested.

It took her only a few moments to comprehend what he was really suggesting. She didn’t say anything. She couldn’t say anything. How was a person supposed to respond to something like that? They say “no thanks”, that’s how they respond, but for some reason, the words didn’t want to form on her lips.

After receiving no reply, Trunks leaned down slowly. The water from her hair landed on his nose as he closed the space between them. Another crash of thunder sounded around them, but his time, neither could be bothered to pay attention. He pressed his lips to hers, lightly at first. Pan felt her body betray what her heart and mind were screaming at her. She tightly wrapped her arms around his neck, naturally deepening the kiss.

He pulled away for a moment… just to look at her. He asked her a silent question with his eyes, but she just stared back into his crystal blue depths. Even in the dark, she could read his face. She knew what she was getting into, but her world was spinning, and this may be the only chance…

Her eyes sparkled up at him, showing only love. Taking this as the answer he was hoping for, he kissed her again. This time, it was even more passionate than ever before. He tasted and savored her flavor, moving his hands up and down her sides, attempting to get her to relax a bit. She responded by running her hands over his chest, which was now void of his shirt. When did that happen?

She gasped against his mouth at the feelings his attentions were giving her. She felt her knees melt and her head spin in disbelief of what was happening. After her moment of disorientation, she found herself laying on his bed. He was looking lovingly down at her, still watching for signs that maybe she didn’t want to do anything. He didn’t want to push her, and if she made any sound or actions that might mean she wanted to stop… he would stop, no questions asked. He loved her too much to hurt her.

She smiled up at him. In the low light coming from his window, she could barely see a cocky smile spread across his face. Unable to resist the temptation, she found herself surrendering to his “suggestions” for the rest of the night. This, was a decision she would regret… quite possibly for the rest of her life.

His breath slowed and deepened as he fell into slumber. She could feel his bare chest move against her naked back every time he took in a breath. She laid there, watching the rain fall out side, some of it splattering against the window, as thunder crashed softly in the background. The storm was leaving now, but it was still raining hard enough to make her want to stay there, in the warmth of his bed.

His arm was draped around her waist, holding in an almost protective matter. His nose, buried in her hair, as though he was smelling a bouquet of flowers. She remembered waking up like this before, during her training. Then, he had claimed it as a simple accident, a force of habit that he would snuggle up against something warm when lying next to it.

Her breath was slowing too. The rain was slowly lulling her to sleep, not that she wasn't exhausted before. She slowly closed her eyes, content in her warm surroundings on such a cold night. However, the moment she did, the image of her father flashed through her mind, and a chill raked her body, causing her to shake. Trunks stirred at the movement, but did not wake up. He was always a pretty sound sleeper, granted, not nearly as sound as her grandfather.

Automatically dismissing the image of her father’s proud face, she closed her eyes again. This time, another image plagued her, the image of a ring. Not the engagement ring that Trunks had gotten “Kara”, but of her promise ring, which was still in the pocket of her pants that lay strewn somewhere along the floor.

She gasped quietly as she remembered. In the heat of that night’s… experience with Trunks, she had forgotten her promise. How could she have simply forgotten about something she had held so dear her entire life? Already, she could feel a pain rise up from her belly. She had acted selfish and irresponsible in her own desires. Because of her immaturity and stupidity, she had just spent the last few hours breaking a promise that she was to hold dear for her entire unmarried life.

Her father’s face flashed through her mind again. She could remember how proud her parents were on that day. How old was she back then? Fifteen?

She remembered running down the stairs, shyly walking up to her dad. “Are you going by the post office tomorrow?” She had asked.

“I can.” He replied, “Do you need something mailed?”

“Yeah, just this.” She said handing him the envelope. Quickly, she attempted to make her escape back up to her room.

“Pan!” Gohan yelled.

Reluctantly, she walked back down the stairs and into the kitchen, looking down at her feet, hoping her father wouldn’t ask her anything about the letter.

“What is this?” He asked, confirming her fears.

“It’s nothing, just a letter.” She answered simply, hoping yet doubting he would buy her answer and let her go.

“What is ‘True Love Waits’?” He asked, “A book or something?”

“No, it’s just a… a sort of… program.”

“What kind of program?” He asked, automatically suspecting something of his adolescent daughter… like most dads.

“Dad, I really don’t want to talk about it.” She answered bluntly.

“Well, you forgot to seal the envelope. Can I at least look inside?” Gohan requested, wondering why his young, tom-boy daughter was interested in something with the words “true love” in it.

Pan whimpered lightly as Gohan began fiddling with the envelope. “Isn’t it some sort of crime to open someone else’s mail?!” Pan snapped, earning an angry look from her father.

“Pan!” Videl scolded, looking up from her paper. “You know your father would never invade on your privacy unless you gave him permission. He’s just curious as to why you’re being so secretive about whatever’s in that letter.”

Pan growled softly and ran up the stairs yelling, “Fine! Read it! Just don’t say anything to me about it after you do!”

Gohan shook his head, wanting to know what was sparking Pan’s temper like that. Videl crossed her arms, watching angrily as Pan ran up the stairs and slammed her door shut. Gohan opened the letter with urgency, fearing the worst about what kind of “program” his little girl was about to sign up for. Without patience, he dumped the contents out onto the table. There was a note written on a small piece of stationary, and a card which she had signed.

He opened the folded up paper and read intently. Videl watched in confusion as his angry frown turned into a bright smile. “That’s some daughter we have, Videl.” He said, pride lacing his every word.

“What do you mean?” She asked, grabbing the paper from his hands. Her expression changed too, and she nearly yelled with joy as she read the top line of Pan’s list out loud, “’My reasons for remaining a virgin until marriage. By: Pan Son.’”

A month passed after that day, and Pan’s sixteenth birthday approached. Her parents honored her request, and never said a word about her promise. She had a small party, inviting only her family and close friends. Gift after gift was opened, most of them being from her grandfather Satan. The party came and went, as did all of her invited guests. As soon as she said goodbye to the last person, her parents sat her down in the living room.

“There’s one more present for you to open.” Videl told Pan as Gohan handed her a small, wrapped box.

Pan looked up, a questioning look on her face. “Why didn’t you give this to me earlier?” She asked.

“I don’t think you would have appreciated opening it in front of everyone else.” Gohan answered.

Pan tore the wrapping with care and opened the box. Inside the square box, was a smaller, red, velvet box. She gasped in surprise when she opened it. There was a gold ring, accented by a small diamond. It wasn’t anything incredibly fancy, but it was still beautiful. She pulled the ring out, it was attached to a gold chain.

“I called the program’s hotline. They were selling cheaper rings themselves, but I wanted to get you one that was from us. They said that you’re supposed to wear it on your left ring finger, until it’s replaced by a wedding band. I know how much you hate to wear rings, so I thought wearing it as a necklace would be better.” Gohan nervously spoke.

“Well? Do you like it?” Videl asked.

Pan looked up at her parents, their faces were beaming with pride. Her face, however, was glowing red. Sex was a touchy subject she really didn’t like to talk about, especially with her parents. “It’s beautiful.” She replied, “I promise… I’ll wear it and carry it with me.”

On closer inspection, she noticed there was something written inside. Turning it around in fingers, she looked at it closely. Engraved on the gold inside the band were the words ‘True Love Waits’.

‘Mom and Dad were so proud of me that day.’ Pan thought to herself. ‘What were my reasons for the promise?’

She strained to remember. It was so long ago. ‘I wanted it to be something cherished and special between me and my husband, and no one else. And now… the promise is broken, and I feel I’ve betrayed everything on my list. I didn’t want to make a major mistake with someone who only wanted me for my body. I have my respect, and I wanted to show it. ’ Pan thought about an old friend of hers from High School. She was going to make the promise with Pan, but then she got a boyfriend, and suddenly decided that she could be responsible without remaining a virgin. ‘The last time I heard from her, she dropped out of High School after having a baby at age sixteen. I thought she was so dumb for doing that, but here, I just made the same mistake.’

She turned and looked over at the sleeping form beside her. She felt that she really loved him, but was he worth the abandonment of her principles? Was he really her true love and would he have waited for her if she would’ve said no? She gently pulled back a piece of hair that was in his face. She dreamt about this moment for so long, yet when it actually happened, she felt empty.

‘Why couldn’t I keep this one stupid promise?! My parents succeeded at it, why couldn’t I?! It’s not that hard to do, you just… don’t have sex! ’ She yelled at herself.

As her mind continued to run over her reasons and relive memories of their previous activity, her body was slowly shutting down for the night. Her head rested against his chest, she joined him in slumber. Her nightmare never came back to her that night, but her head began to hurt again. In fact, it began to pulse with pain. Even in her sleep, it was tormenting her.

Yawning, he leaned over and put his arm around her, but there was no her, just a cold bed. Wait a minute, wasn’t there supposed to be someone warm and soft laying next to him?

“Trunks, get your butt out of bed! The Son’s are here for the picnic!” Bulma yelled through her son’s door.

“Wha…? Okay Mom…” Trunks said, groggily opening his eyes.

Pan nearly had a heart attack before she remembered that the door was locked. After tying the laces to her boots, she quickly stood up and headed towards the door, hoping that Trunks was too asleep to notice her.

“Kara?” He asked, letting another yawn out. He sat up in bed, the sheets drifted down to reveal a pair of boxers. He must have gotten up during the night.

“Hmm?”

“Where are you going?” He asked, noticing that she was fully dressed in sweats and a tank top.

“Um… I’m going back to see my uncle. He’s probably wondering where on earth I am.” She told him, chuckling nervously.

Trunks got up and walked over to her. His eyes were shining at her with affection, and his cocky smile was returning. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close and buried his nose in the crook of her neck, simply to enjoy her scent. “Why don’t you stay a little longer?”

“I can’t.” She answered.

“I’ll take full responsibility if you get in trouble with your uncle.” He said, his warm breath on her neck giving her goose bumps.

“Trunks, I can’t.”

“What’s wrong?” He asked backing away to look her in the eyes, concern written all over his face.

She stumbled with her words as a deep blush appeared on her face. “I shouldn’t of… well, we shouldn’t of… last night… I wasn’t supposed to… we… I…I-I…”

“Kara, spit it out.” He said.

She looked sad again, whatever was wrong, it was obviously something big to her. She looked down at the floor, tears nearly falling from her eyes. “Trunks, I wasn’t supposed to… do… what I did with you.”

“What do you mean?”

She held up the ring that was hanging from the chain around her neck so that he could see it. “It’s a promise ring.” She answered his unspoken question.

“True love waits?”

“I got this ring when I made a promise a long time ago. It was a promise… of abstinence until marriage.”

Trunks gulped. He had a feeling that she was inexperienced in that particular department, but he had no idea that is was so important to her. Most girls he knew would give up their virginities without ever looking back, but with Kara… she was obviously feeling remorse about the events of the previous night. He rushed her, he knew it. It’s just that… he was getting desperate not to lose her, and he wanted to cherish every moment that they had together.

True, it had still been her choice too, but she wouldn’t have done it if he wouldn’t have been so persistent. From the first kiss of the night, to the last, he could feel her holding back. There had been something on her mind, just as he suspected. But if this was so important to her, then why didn’t she say anything? Perhaps…, perhaps it was because she wanted to stay with him as much as he wanted her to.

“I’m sorry.” He said softly, “I didn’t mean to rush…”

“It wasn’t your fault. I never gave you any indication that I didn’t want to.” She denied.

“I know how I… how we can make this right.” He said, lifting her chin with his finger so she would look up.

“How?”

“You could s-stay here, a-a-and, marry me.” He was looking her straight in the eye, a determined look on his face. His eyes were dancing with the hope and love he felt for her. It was almost unbearable to Pan.

“T-Trunks… I…”

“I know you know that ring is for you.” He interrupted, “I bought it on an impulse, but I thought it was a good decision.”

“Trunks…” She trailed off as she finally let a tear roll down her cheek.

“Kara, please… stay here with me. I need you, I love you. We can build a life together and be happy. Whatever it is that you’re keeping secret, well… we can work through it, find a way around it.”

Pan bit her lower lip. She was trying her best to squeeze the tears back in. She didn’t need to appear even weaker than she already had. Finally, she got a hold of herself and spoke, “Trunks, you’ll never know how much I truly love you.” With those words, she ran out of his bedroom.

Trunks grabbed her arm, but surprisingly, she pulled herself away from his grip with ease. He was about to follow her out into the hallway and down the stairs, but it felt a little too drafty, as if he wasn’t wearing... “Clothes.” He reminded himself, “Clothes would be good.” Fearing the very thought of running after his girlfriend down the stairs in only his boxers when all of the Son’s were over, he quickly put on a pair of pants and a shirt.

Pan ran down the stairs and into the living room. She saw Bulma talking to Chichi, so she decided to take the back way, hoping to avoid anyone seeing her run out of the house. She got out the door before she realized that the picnic was in the back yard. Everyone else seemed to be out there… including Piccolo, who had obviously sensed her ki from the previous night.

She turned, hoping to make a mad dash for the wooded area, when she ran into something. She looked down at Videl, who was on the ground with a platter of appetizers spilled over her. Pan bent down and frantically started trying to pick up the spilled food before Trunks caught up to her. In her panic, she slipped, “Oh, I’m sorry Mom.”

Videl’s eyes shot up. Mom? Pan gasped and looked up to meet her mother’s gaze. Videl always remembered a face. In her police training, it had been essential to learn how to study and remember a person’s features. There was something very familiar in that young woman’s eyes. Videl gasped in shock as well, realizing who she was… or at least, who she may be. Why didn’t she see it before?

“P-Panny?” Videl asked, still slightly in shock.

Pan whimpered and nearly sobbed as she stood up and ran, leaving behind her fallen mother. The woods were nearby, she could lose all of them if she lowered her ki enough. If she could just get beyond the trees…

“Girl! Stop running, this instant!” Yelled a very loud, familiar voice.

Pan stopped, only to turn around and see a very angry, powered-up Vegeta standing back over by the house. His ki was going up even higher, as if he was planning on challenging her or something. At that moment, she noticed that she had not gone through unnoticed like she wanted to. Now, everyone was outside and staring at her.

Videl stood up quickly and ran over by Gohan. She leaned on him like a support, due to her recent shock. Was she going crazy? That girl… had called her ‘mom’, and everything about her reminded Videl of Pan.

Trunks ran out of the door behind Vegeta. He was about to run over to Kara, but Vegeta stuck his arm out, silently ordering his son to stay behind him. Surprisingly, he obeyed. Vegeta was up to something, Trunks was sure of that, but if he ever stuck his nose into his son’s business, it was usually for a good reason.

“What do you want Vegeta?” She asked quietly, knowing that she was trapped in a corner, with very little chance of getting out.

“You’ve mated with my son.” Vegeta stated clearly.

“Dad!” Trunks softly shouted, his face turning red. “Leave her alone!”

Kara looked at the ground, giving Vegeta silent confirmation. “What do you want?” She repeated.

“Who are you?” He asked through clinched teeth.

“What are you talking ab…?”

“Don’t give me that!” Vegeta yelled, “You might have been able to trick my son into believing whatever you said, but I’ll have you know… I’m not so easily fooled.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore.” She answered quietly, knowing that almost everyone there could hear what she was saying anyway, “I’m leaving now, and this time, I’m never coming back.”

Trunks felt his heart sink at her words.

“I might have been satisfied with that answer before, but not now! You’ve come here for a reason, and I’m not letting you go until I find out!” Vegeta stated proudly.

“That’s too bad because I need to go. I’m not her for any ‘reason’ other than the fact that I fell in love with your son.”

“I’m not buying it, girl.”

“Well, that’s your problem.” Pan said, doing something that she knew better than to do. In all of her life, there was one lesson that Vegeta stressed to her whenever they were training; never turn your back on the enemy while they’re still alive. Always keep a look out, for even though they might appear to be unconscious, doesn’t mean they are, and they will probably try to take you down the first chance they get.

“Fool.” Vegeta muttered under his breath. He lifted his hand up and aimed for the middle of her back. Maybe this was the only way to find out what she was really hiding.

Trunks watched, wide-eyed, mouth open as his father shot a ki blast towards Kara. It was a rather large one, capable of injuring even a Super Saiyan. He released it and sent it speeding towards her. She never even tried to dodge it.

Pan fell on her hands and knees as the powerful stream of energy hit her full-on. As the beam subsided, she was still leaning over. Her back stung and burned for all it was worth, and her shirt was burned off in the back. Nevertheless, she stood up and turned around to see Vegeta face to face.

“I’ll do it again… and this time, you might not be able to block it.” He warned.

“Stop this father!” Trunks shouted.

“Shut up, boy. This is for your own good.”

Pan smirked and stood her ground. Vegeta cocked an eyebrow, surprised at the young woman’s courage, and attitude. Everyone around them just watched. Chichi stood in the background, wondering when her son or Bulma were going to step up and help this poor girl. Gohan and Videl watched with more curiosity than worry. Videl had told her husband about what had happened. If this truly was Pan, then she would be able to take the blasts. Gohan could sense her ki. She was only partly powered up, and she had taken the blast fine. Piccolo stood by and watched in amusement. She had been asking for this. He had even warned her about it, but she didn’t listen. Now, she was going to have to pay for her carelessness. Bulma stood a ways behind Vegeta. She was worried, but the cold fact was, she really didn’t trust this girl either. Plus, she knew Vegeta wouldn’t just go around fighting people who weren’t any challenge to him. Well, not any more. He seemed genuinely concerned about his son, and that must mean that he knew something she didn’t.

Vegeta fired another blast towards Pan. This time, she put her arms up in front of her face. The blast hit and sent her tumbling backward on the ground. It was a lot more powerful than the last one was, and she was hurting pretty bad now. She staggered up to her feet, determined to turn around and leave.

“Oh, don’t go anywhere yet!” Vegeta ordered as he powered-up even more.

“Dad, no… please, stop!” Trunks pleaded.

Vegeta smirked. He put his hands together and sent another ki blast at her. Pan managed to put up her guard, but the blast was too big for her to take. It completely engulfed her and sent her to her knees. It was burning her badly, she could tell. If it kept up much longer, she was going to have to power up even more.

The blast continued, Vegeta wasn’t letting up. Trunks looked on in desperation, about ready to run into the blast and pull her out of it. He would never forgive his father if anything happened to her.

The energy was surrounding her, causing every inch of her skin to burn and sting. ‘Don’t power up. Don’t power up.’ She repeated to herself.

Vegeta sent a surge of more powerful energy toward her. Finally, Pan allowed herself to increase her strength. She was able to get back on her feet, but she could still feel the beam penetrating her skin. Was he out to kill her? After enduring such a blast for so long, she let out a cry of agony, feeling her clothes burn up and her flesh peel at the raw power of Vegeta’s blast.

Finally, it subsided. Vegeta put his hand down and gasped in shock of what he saw in front of him. Everyone else gasped as well.

“What the…?” Gohan began.

Pan put her arms down and collapsed to her knees. She was panting hard, and it hurt to move. She looked up. It caused her pain to move her head, but she only wanted to see if Vegeta was planning to send another attack. She scanned the faces of everyone there. They all looked the same. Their mouths were open and they had the expression of shock and surprise.

‘I guess it’s the first time they’ve ever met a human so…’ She interrupted her own thoughts. Why was Vegeta surprised?

Panic rising in her once more, she reached up and pulled a lock of her hair down in front of her. Her heart nearly stopped… her hair was blonde. She had powered up too much and went Super Saiyan in front of everyone.

“Who are you?” Vegeta asked, more urgent now than before.

“What do I look like?” She started, still panting, it was all over now, and they might as well know the truth, “Isn’t it obvious?! I’m a Saiyan!”

“Where did you come from? How come you’re alive after planet Vegeta blew up?!” Vegeta yelled.

“I’m… I’m from the future.” She admitted.

“How far into the future?”

“Seventeen years.” She answered.

“How old are you?” Bulma asked from behind.

“I’m twenty-five years old.”

Trunks’ mind was reeling. A Saiyan? He tried to get his mind to work. Twenty-five minus seventeen was… was… What was the answer?! He couldn’t think straight. It was…

“Daddy! Daddy!” A young Pan yelled, running over to her father and tugging on the rim of his jacket for his attention. “I met this girl Silk, and she can… Whoa! Kara’s a Super Saiyan?!”

Trunks looked over at the young girl. The answer seemed to suddenly click for everyone at the young Saiyan’s arrival.

“Pan? Panny?” Gohan asked the older woman.

Trunks felt an unpleasant pain in his chest. It was almost unbearable. His heart was broken. Kara… the woman he loved… had been playing a game this entire time. She was Pan. Pan, the same little eight year old girl that was right then clinging to her father’s jacket. It was too mind boggling to even think about. He didn’t want to think about it! He didn’t want to think at all!

Pan looked up at Trunks, trying to read his expression. He was rubbing his chest, and he looked confused and frustrated. It was almost as if he was in pain. He looked at her, and returned her gaze with a cold glare. His ki rose dramatically and his anger exploded. He took off in to the sky in a flash. Where he was headed, he didn’t know. He was blinded by his anger and the hot tears that were falling down his face. He was actually letting himself cry over her, which surprised even himself. He was just thankful his father wasn’t around to see it.

Pan watched Trunks fly off, knowing that he was angry. She turned back towards everybody. “I’m sorry,” She attempted to say, but it came out as a sob, “I didn’t mean to…”

Unable to control her emotions, she took off as well, on foot, into the woods. Tears stung her eyes as she ran through the trees. She was freely sobbing now. She stopped dead in her tracks when she remembered something, her spray. It was back at the house in Trunks’ room. Slowly, she sat down against a random tree to regain her composure. She needed to go back to the house, and soon, but she was going to go back with dignity.

Trunks flew over the city and through the woods as fast as he could. His vision was blurry, distorted by stinging tears that were refusing to go away. He wasn’t sure if his tears were the cause of anger or pain. He knew he was heartbroken, and he was so angry, he felt as if he could kill someone, but were the undignified tears worth being shed over her? She lied to him. She tugged on his heart strings, bonded with him, and even… spent the night with him, why? So she could feel the joy of seeing his face when he found out?

He slowed slightly, feeling the drain of his explosion begin to empty his supply of energy. As he flew over the thick, green canopy of the forest, something caught his eye. There was a small clearing about four miles down to the west of him. In the middle of that clearing was a white dome, and it had the “Capsule” logo on it. Was it a Capsule House? No, his entire life was spent inventing new models of these modern homes, and this was unlike anything he had ever seen before. His keen sense of sight enabled him to see it clearer as he banked to the west in order to get a better view. It almost looked like a…

His speed increasing, he dove down towards the mysterious Capsule, needing to satisfy his curiosity. Besides, he would have done anything at that moment to get Kar… Pan’s face out of his mind, and this might have been the trick. He landed softly on the grass right next to the Capsule, studying every inch of it. It was obviously a ship of some sort, being equipped with booster rockets. Even the model number was off. There was no way that it could be such a high number.

Pan stood up and sniffled, trying her best to clear her eyes of tears and get rid of the embarrassing red hue that the weeping had left on her face. ‘Why am I crying?’ She asked herself. ‘I’m here representing the future to my young family, but I’m acting like I’m still eight.’

Summoning up her courage, she started walking back towards Capsule and the shocked group of loved ones she had left behind. ‘It’s time I grow up and stop running from my problems.’ She started out walking, but quickly quickened her pace so that she would be forced not to chicken out again. She pulled out her orange bandana and tied it on her head. She needed all the support she could get, even if it came from only a small piece of her Grandfather’s history.

“I don’t understand…” Gohan began, shock still evident by the look on his face. “That was Panny?”

“Apparently,” Bulma answered, “but we really should be worried about why she’s here. I hope there’s nothing wrong. You know what happened the last time someone came to us from the future.”

Gohan looked towards the ground, understanding and remembering. The little Pan saw the look on her dad’s face. He looked like he was in a bad mood, but she went up to him anyway. Everyone looked that way, but she didn’t know why and she wanted some answers.

“Daddy?” Pan asked, tugging on his sleeve.

“Hmm?” He said, looking at the little Pan in a new light. That woman was the same person as his little girl. He felt a pain in his stomach. Did she really have to grow up? Couldn’t she just stay his little girl forever?

“Why is everyone angry?” She asked, “Is it because Kara can go Super Saiyan?”

Gohan took a deep breath, wondering how he was going to explain something like this to a child. He was having a difficult time understanding all of this himself. “Panny, Kara is…”

Bulma gasped, gaining Gohan’s and everyone else’s attention, “You’re back!”

Gohan spun around quickly to see the young woman walking back from the woods. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. It was obvious that she had been crying.

Videl held back a gasp of her own at the sight of her daughter from the future. “You really are our Panny, aren’t you?” She asked, almost to herself.

Pan bit her bottom lip and nodded in confirmation. “Yes, I am.” She answered.

There was a silence that moved over the small crowd. Everyone was staring at Pan, which slightly unnerved her. Gohan was standing there in awe, just looking at her. With her orange bandana, she looked exactly like… well, herself.

Videl spoke up, breaking the silence, “Pan, what are you doing here?”

Pan sighed, not sure of where she should start. “I’m here by accident.”

“By accident?! You expect us to believe that?” Vegeta barked, earning a cold stare from his mate.

“What do you mean ‘by accident’?” Bulma asked, in a much calmer voice.

Pan explained the whole story to them, piece by piece, detail by excruciating detail. She even went into Goten’s new power, although she was still unaware about his transformation. She didn’t say much about what had happened between her and Trunks, but it was more than obvious to everyone present. The last thing she wanted was to be bombarded with questions and lectures about changing the past.

“So that’s it.” She finished.

“You mean after this is over, we’re going to forget all of it?” Gohan asked.

“Just the parts about me.”

Gohan nodded in understanding, although he was still trying to digest all the details of the story she had just given them. “Well, I guess that’s for the better. It just… it’s weird. Theoretically, this could still turn out badly. If one of us were to remember you, or if you left any evidence at all, the entire universe could end up in a vicious time loop. We would all be doomed to relive these days over and over again for countless times.”

Pan’s expression turned angered and saddened at this news. She got up from her chair and started pacing, her face went from angry, to sad, to worried, fifteen times over as she walked in small circles around the Brief’s lawn. Gohan looked up at his daughter. He hadn’t meant to upset her, he just didn’t know what to say. His first instinct was to walk over to her and hug her, telling her that everything was going to be fine like he would for her younger version, but he didn’t know this woman. Sure, there was no doubt in his mind that she was Pan, but he had only spent eight years with her at this point. He didn’t know her that well. Still, he walked over behind her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to stop.

He spun her around to face him, but she kept looking at the ground. Gently, he took his finger tip and tilted her head up so that he could look directly at her. Pan’s eyes were filled with confusion and worry now. She had obviously been thinking about all the mistakes she made while in the past.

“Pan…” He said softly.

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have followed Trunks here. I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have even gotten off of my ship. Because of me, the universe might blow up and…”

“The universe isn’t going to blow up Pan. That was just a theory. We have no idea of what’s actually going to happen. It was no one’s fault that you’re here in the past, it was an accident. True, you could have exercised more discretion with Trunks…” He stated, his face darkening a little as he remembered why she came running from Trunks’ bedroom earlier, “…but that’s over and done with. Now, we just have to find a way to fix it so that minimal damage is done to the time line. All of us can help you with that. By the time we’re done, not even a top-notch forensics team could tell that you were here.”

Pan smiled slightly. Her dad always had a way to cheer her up. “I just… I wasn’t supposed to run into any of you, and I did. It was the way I ran into you though. It… you must be disappointed in me.”

Gohan circled his arms around her and held her. She felt safe in her father’s arms. Even with both of them aging as much as they had over the years, his hugs never seemed to change. “Pan, we’re not disappointed in you. It takes courage to be able to survive two months alone like this. It’s not a surprise that you wanted some… human company.”

Gohan slowed and cringed at the last few words. Why did she have to pick Trunks of all the people to date? Pan smiled, knowing that her father was not comfortable with the idea of her and Trunks being together. After all, in her father’s eyes at that time, she was only eight. She was pretty sure that her time’s father would react the same way… if she ever chose to tell anyone.

“Well,” Gohan started again, “honestly, I am disappointed in you for a few reasons.”

Pan looked up and backed away slowly, worry riding over her face. “Wha- what do you mean?”

“First of all, I’m disappointed that you’re leaving so soon after seeing you. I would like to learn more about the woman my daughter’s going to grow up to be. I’m also disappointed in the way you look.”

“Huh?” She asked, alarm lacing her words.

“You came out looking exactly like I feared.” Gohan said.

Pan looked up at him with worry. What was he talking about? “Dad, I…”

“You’re too beautiful. You look just like your mother. I’m afraid, because that means you’re going to be getting a lot of attention from boys, and I don’t know if your old man’s heart can handle that.”

Pan laughed and returned to his warm embrace. “Don’t worry,” She said, “They’re all too afraid that I’m going to whoop up on them.”

Gohan chuckled.

After being comforted by her father, she was welcomed by her other loved ones. Chichi came over and gave her a big hug, swooning over her granddaughter. She couldn’t believe how ‘adorable’ her baby’s little girl had turned out.

Seeing that Chichi was smothering her, Videl walked over and placed hand on her shoulder. Chichi backed away, allowing Videl to get a good look at her daughter. “How on earth could we have missed this? You look just like your younger self, just… all grown up.”

Pan smiled and gave her mother a hug. “I’m sorry for knocking you over, Mom.”

”It’s okay. What was the big rush for?” Videl asked.

Pan pulled away and hung her head. She was blushing furiously at thinking about answering Videl’s question. “It’s just…” She trailed off.

“Something with Trunks?”

Pan bit her bottom lip and nodded a ‘yes’, giving her mother the answer she had expected.

“Oh… I’m sorry honey. At least he’ll forget everything.”

“Yeah.” Pan agreed sadly.

“I wonder where Goten is. It’s too bad he missed this.” Gohan said trying to lighten the mood.

“He went for a walk with Marron.” Chichi said, thinking that it was more than just a walk between friends, of course, “Pan, does Goten ever find a girl in the future?”

“Grandmother Chichi, you know I shouldn’t…”

“If I’m going to forget eventually anyway, then what’s the harm?” She asked using an ‘as a matter of fact’ tone of voice.

Pan smiled. Some things never change. “Yes, grandmother, he is married in the future.”

Chichi squealed with joy. “Yes!” She cheered, “How long until he does? Who’s the lucky girl? Are there any children? Does he have decent job, or is she rich? What does she look like? Do I like her?”

“Grand…”

“Do I know her parents? Do I like them? What do their children look like?”

“Why… Grandma…”

“Are they happy? I hope they’re happy. Am I happy with them?”

“Grandmoth…”

“Are they healthy? In good shape? Did Goten ever go back to college? Are there…”

“Mom!” Gohan yelled, snapping her out of her rampant questions, “Why don’t you give Pan a little time to answer your questions?”

Chichi looked at her son disapprovingly for yelling at her, but quickly switched her attention back to Pan for her answers. “Well?”

“He doesn’t get married for another twelve years.”

“Twelve years?!” Chichi yelled, “What on earth could have taken him so long?”

“Well… I guess it was because it took him that long to admit his feelings for her and vice-versa.” Pan answered.

“Who’s ‘her’?” Gohan asked, feeling a little curious about the future himself.

“It’s Marron.” She said, receiving surprised looks from everyone. “They sort of like each other now, but… well… some stuff got… will get in the way of them ever really getting together for a while.”

“What kind of stuff?” Chichi asked.

“Trunks, for one. He almost married her. Luckily, Goten finally found the courage to go talk to her before the ceremony.”

“What happened then?” Chichi asked, yet again.

“Mom, I think we should stop interrogating Pan before we find out too much about the future.” Gohan suggested.

“Okay.” Chichi said, like a disappointed child, “but at least answer one more question for me, so I can have something to look forward to. What about grandchildren?”

“None yet, but they’re trying.” Pan answered. Chichi hung her head in disappointment, so Pan decided to cheer her up. “Mom and Dad have another kid, though.”

Chichi smiled brightly at this news. Gohan and Videl nearly fell over in surprise.

“Really?” Chichi squeaked.

“Yep! His name is Goku Jr. and he looks exactly like Dad in every way. He won’t be born for another 11 years though.” Pan answered before adding, “He’s very smart too. He’ll probably end up surpassing even Dad’s level of academic study.”

Chichi cheered and jumped up and down before running over to Gohan and Videl and giving them both giant hugs that nearly managed to strangle them both. “Good boy, Gohan and you too Videl, but you’ve got to do better than that! Come on! I want another grandchild! Can’t you ‘work at it’ a little more and give me one sooner?”

“Mom!” Gohan yelled, blushing furiously along with Videl as Bulma chuckled in the background and Pan looked on, wishing she hadn’t heard that.

“Grandmother…” Pan started, hoping to change the topic, “I have a picture of Goku Jr., you want to see it?”

“You’d better be joking young lady, of course I want to see it!”

“It’s in my purse up in Trunks’… umm… well… it’s upstairs.” Pan said as she ran back inside the building. She ran up the stairs and into Trunks’ room, trying her best to ignore the scattered pieces of clothing which still lie on his floor. They were strewn all over the floor as still remaining evidence of what had happened between them the night before. Quickly, she went through all the clothes, searching for her purse.

“Are you looking for this?” A little voice asked, the owner holding up Pan’s purse for her to see.

Pan spun around, startled. She wasn’t expecting anyone else to be in the room with her. “You scared me. I was wondering where you went off to.”

“Why did Trunks want you to spend the night last night?” The little Pan asked.

“Huh?” The older Pan asked, feeling extremely uneasy with such a question.

“I was here last night too, and I heard you and Trunks talking.” Her smaller version answered.

A sweat drop rolled down the elder’s head. What was she supposed to say to someone that young? “Umm… well… you know how Bra asks you over to stay the night because you two are really good friends? Well, that’s why Trunks asked me over. We’re really good friends.” She smiled and lied.

“Oh…” The little Pan said sadly as her head drooped down.

“What’s wrong?” The older Pan asked, sitting down next to her younger self on the edge of the bed.

“Are you really me?”

“Yep, one hundred percent.”

“And you’re from the future?”

“Yeah.” The older Pan answered. “I’m who you’ll be when you’re seventeen years older than you are now.”

“But how come you’re here with me, if we’re the same person?”

The older Pan sighed, not really understanding temporal mechanics, she wasn’t sure how to answer. “Well… I guess it’s because… umm… I don’t know.” She admitted.

“Why does Trunks like you more than me?” The little girl asked.

“He doesn’t like me more than you. I’m older, so he liked to hang out with me, that’s all Panny.” She cringed, remembering how she hated to be called that name when she was younger.

“But he kisses you and hugs you a lot.” Little Pan argued.

“That’s what boyfriends and girlfriends do when they get older. Boyfriends aren’t like normal friends. They’re a different kind of friend. They like to…” She trailed off, trying her best to explain it without going into details. It was awkward already, now that she had realized she was starting to give herself the ‘you’re growing up’ speech. “Pan, just wait. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

“You sound like Mom.” The little Pan said, sounding sad again.

The older Pan had to chuckle at that statement. “Think of it this way; I was Trunks’ girlfriend for a while, and I’m you. So in a way, you were Trunks’ girlfriend too. Does that make sense?”

“What do you mean ‘was’? You’re not anymore?” Pan asked, now looking hopeful and cheerier because her older self told her that.

“You know how Dad always told us to be honest with the ones we’re closest to? Well, I wasn’t honest with Trunks. I lied to him about something pretty big. He got mad, and I don’t thinks we’re boyfriend-girlfriend anymore. Plus, I have to go back to the future, so it wouldn’t have worked out.”

“Oh.” The little Pan said, disappointed again. “I wish I would have known I was Trunks’ girlfriend earlier.”

“Well,” The older Pan started, lightly laughing at the words of her younger self, “at least you’ll have him all to yourself now, so you can be friends.”

“Yeah, until he gets another girlfriend. Besides, he’s mad at me.”

“That won’t last forever. The one thing we’ve always been good at is getting out of trouble.”

“Umm… I have a crush on Trunks.” The younger Pan blurted for no apparent reason other than to get it off her chest.

“I know.” The older Pan said.

“How?”

“Because I’m you, and I have a crush on him too.” She stated a-matter-of-factly.

The younger Pan giggled at her older self. She was happy to be able to tell someone else.

“There you are!” Bulma said as she walked into her son’s bedroom, Vegeta following. “Panny, why don’t you go play with Bra downstairs? She’s been looking for you.”

The little Pan jumped off the side of the bed and went running down the hallway, faster than the eye could see. The older Pan got up from the bed slowly, feeling somewhat cornered. Was Trunks’ bedroom really the right place to have a ‘talk’ with his parents?

“Umm… I was just coming in to get my purse.” Pan said.

“Yeah, I know. I just wanted to ask you how you were doing.” She said.

“What do you mean? I’m fine.”

“I meant how you were doing with Trunks.”

“Oh.” Pan sighed and hung her head. She shifted some of the clothes with her foot, pretending to be more preoccupied with the carpet than what Bulma was saying.

“He seemed to be… quite angry when he left.”

“Yeah.” Pan said softly.

“Then he just… ran away from here like a hurt child having a temper-tantrum. I certainly did not raise him to run away from things that are bothering him, and neither would Vegeta. I don’t know why he was being such a coward. He didn’t even…”

“Don’t blame him.” Pan said firmly. “I’m the one who lied.”

Bulma cocked her head, trying to read Pan’s expression. A look of concern spread across her face. “He’ll get over it, you know. He’s angry now, but he’ll…”

“He has every right to be angry. I told him I was something I wasn’t. I deceived him, and he doesn’t even know why.”

“Why?” Bulma asked.

Pan felt more tears flooding her eyes. Why did she have to cry this much, especially now, in front of her ex teacher and his mate? She sniffled, feeling the salty liquid travel down her cheek before she could wipe it away. “I… have loved him forever, but as far as his feelings go, I’m just a tom-boyish, could-be sister brat who’s a lot younger than him. He’s never thought of me as anything else. But when he sat down across from me and looked at me with those gorgeous eyes, I couldn’t help but fall into them. He’s never looked at me like that before. He’s never looked at me like… a woman… and I was enjoying it. A little too much, I guess.” She finished quietly, wiping off her face with her hands.

“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying someone treating you like a woman. Besides, he’s to blame to… him and his ‘hunting skills’ with women. He can smell estrogen a mile away. Trust me, I know my son, and when he sees a woman with a nice figure he…”

“It’s all part of the charade. I never wear make-up, or skirts. I wear baggy clothes and my bandana, it’s what I’ve always done and probably will always do. In the future, I doubt he even notices that I have a woman’s figure. You know, a lot of people think of me as just… one of the guys. I mean… even my demeanor is…” Pan trailed off. “You see that little eight year old girl playing in your yard downstairs? I don’t get much more effeminate than that. It’s no wonder Trunks has never seen me as a girl. When he asked me out… I just couldn’t say no. He was finally noticing me and treating me like a normal, human woman. But now that he knows I’m Pan…When I go back to the future, I’ll go back to being little Panny… and he’ll go back to being just like an older brother to me. He won’t even notice that I’m not a guy.”

“Pan, don’t say that. He’ll notice. He fell in love with you once, he can fall in love…”

“He doesn’t love me.”

“Do you know how often he spoke of you?” Bulma asked her. “He hardly ever talks to us about his girlfriends, but he’s been talking up a storm about you for the last month. He’s even come to me for advice on what women want. You should see his eyes light up when he’s with you. I don’t know what love is if it isn’t that. Every time he hears anything that sounds like ‘Kara’ he…”

“That’s just it.” Pan interrupted. “He was in love with Kara, not me.”

“Pan, he is in love with you, and I stress the word ‘is’. He’s a little upset and confused right now, but he’ll get over it. He’ll realize that he loves you for you and come running back on his knees.”

“Ms. Bulma, thanks for letting me vent on you, but you’re wrong. You don’t understand how he feels about me. Even if he did get over it, he would only forget about me after I spray him anyway.”

“No, you’re wrong. I’ve been seeing the way you two act around each other for a while now. I know you both love each other. Love can always find a way, even through time. I guarantee that you two will find the feelings you had for each other again.”

“I’m sorry Ms. Bulma, but I’ve got to get my purse and get out of here. All I want to do is make everyone forget about me, then go home.” Pan said. She bent down and picked up the black bag and ran out, leaving a frustrated Bulma behind.

“She doesn’t know what she’ll be missing if she gives up.” She said to her husband after Pan was gone.

Vegeta, who had been leaning against a wall with his arms crossed and listening the entire time, finally spoke up. “I say leave them alone. There are much more important things in life than just finding and tying yourself down to a mate.”

Bulma picked up a discarded piece of clothing and threw it at the proud Saiyan. Vegeta merely let it hit him in the chest and fall, as he smirked playfully at his mate’s reaction to his words.

Pan walked back downstairs and back into the backyard. Once again, she was ‘assaulted’ by her grandmother. “Where’s the picture? Did you bring it down with you? I want to see my grandbaby, where’s the picture?”

“Grandmother, I know I said I would let you see the picture, but I’m having second thoughts. I don’t know if you’ll forget an image like that and I really don’t want to take any risks.”

“That’s probably a good idea.” Piccolo said, finally joining in the conversation, “You’ve made too many mistakes already.”

“Mr. Piccolo, how long have you known about Pan?” Gohan asked, stepping in on his daughter’s behalf.

“Long enough. She’s been sloppy and irresponsible since the moment she stepped off her ship. It’s no wonder she’s already given her identity away.”

The young woman looked toward the ground, guilt once again riding over her features. Gohan put his hand underneath her chin and lifted it up. “Well we can take care of that.” He said, looking caringly into her eyes, as he always had, just like the loving father he was, “We just need to get coordinated and start erasing some of the evidence that she was ever here.”

“There’s not much to do.” Pan said softly. “I just need to spray you all, in order to make you forget the future me. I can do that right now.”

“No, let me have the cleaning robots take care of Trunks’ room first.” Bulma said.

“Good idea.” Pan said, a pain of frustration rising up inside of her, due to the fact that they all knew.

“But don’t you think it would be better if everyone was here so you could do it all at once? If Trunks or someone got back here before they forgot you…” Videl asked.

“Right,” Gohan spoke, “I didn’t think about that. Maybe we should wait until Goten, Marron and Trunks get back.”

“No,” Pan started, “Marron and Goten may be back any moment, but I doubt Trunks will come home anytime soon. He’s masking his ki, so he obviously doesn’t wasn’t anyone to find him right now.”

“Well then what do we do?” Bulma asked.

“I can set the ki radar to pick up any residual ki he left behind. It’ll pick up low signals, so I should be able to tell where exactly he went before his ki dropped off.” Pan though out loud.

“Ki radar?”

“It's something Bulma will create soon.” Pan explained.

Bulma elbowed her Saiyan mate in the ribs rather abruptly, causing him to flinch in surprise, “See?” She said, about to go on another ego trip, “I told you I’m a genius.”

“Just keep telling yourself that…” He muttered under breath.

“So where is this radar thing?” Videl asked.

“It’s in my ship. I can go and grab it, then swing by and spray Trunks, and come back and spray all of you.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Gohan said.

“Great, see you later.” Pan said. She was actually feeling better now. Things were about to return to the way they should be. She smiled as she lifted off the ground slightly.

“Panny, wait!” Gohan shouted, causing Pan to stop in her tracks.

“Hmm?”

“Don’t let him get to you.” He warned. He wasn’t sure why he said it, he just did. Maybe it was some of his ‘parent’s intuition’ coming to the surface. In any way, he didn’t want to see his little girl hurt, even if she wasn’t so little.

Pan nodded, saying that she understood, then took off into the afternoon sky. It would only take a few minutes to fly to her ship, but she needed all the time she could get. She knew she would have to work up her nerve to face Trunks.

Trunks landed on the soft grass just in front of it. He inspected the round pod visually before stepping closer. Yep, it was definitely one of Capsule’s models, but who did it belong to? His steps slowed as he grew nearer. He was afraid… of what he might discover. Something in his gut told him he had more to do with that ship than he wanted.

He approached the white ship with a cautious curiosity. His hands traveled slowly over the unique medal. He knew the medal was created off the basis of a Namekian ship that his mother had flown in so long ago, but the ship itself reminded him of a Saiyan space pod, sort of like the ones in the old pictures that Capsule Corp used to manufacture when he was only a baby. His grandfather earned a large portion of his money using such unique designs for space travel, and he was well-recognized in the scientific realm for it. It was ironic that the designs had been considered ancient by the original engineers that designed these models

He walked around the ship, lightly dragging his hand around arm-level, attempting to find the ‘open’ button. Finally, he felt a small, uneven surface and pushed on it. With a loud hiss and metallic whirring noise, the door lowered down onto the ground. Taking it as a definite invitation, Trunks walked up the stairs and into the ship.

Almost immediately, a wall hit him. It was a wall of scent… an odor so intoxicating, that he was nearly dizzied by it. It was absolutely enchanting. He shook his head, attempting to clear it of any regrets. The scent, he knew, was of the woman he had once loved… the woman who had lied, and cheated to get her own way. He would not allow himself to fall victim to this Medusa once more.

He snapped himself out of his horrid reverie, and started closely inspecting the pilot room of the ship. Obviously, the living quarters were in some other part. He would get to it later. Right now, the inventor’s section of his brain was driving him. He knew he was standing in a time machine. In his time and dimension, no one had even attempted to build such an extravagant piece of machinery. It could’ve been done before, if it were deemed necessary, but no one, not even Capsule’s competitors would dare risk it. If it fell into the wrong hands, or were used to change history somehow… the effects would be devastating.

Even though there were many of his questions about the structure still unanswered, he found himself drifting towards the source of the scent… her bedroom. He walked down the stairs, directly into the small space she had been living in for nearly two months straight. He moved slowly around the perimeter of her room, taking in every detail. He passed by her stereo and took note of some of the albums she had laying out that were old enough to be present in the past.

He went by a clothes stand. On it, were the dress and hat he had given her. He forced himself to not think about what she looked like in that dress, or how it felt to dance so closely to her. Her nightstand came next. There were two pictures on it. One picture was of him and her when they had gone out to the amusement park just a few days earlier, but he didn’t recognize the other. It was a small photo, framed in a heart-shaped casing. It looked like it was the two of them, at some kind of dance. She looked young, really young, but he looked a lot older. He was wearing some sort of ridiculous looking crown and he was kneeling in front of her, kissing her hand. He let a smile escape his lips as he noticed how red her face was. She looked embarrassed, yet incredibly joyous at the same time. Was this a picture of them from the future?

He sighed and sat on the edge of her bed, still holding the picture. Another scent caught his nose. Was that… apple, or peach? He followed his nose directly to her pillow, and collapsed face down when he smelled the scent getting stronger. He laid there for a moment, simply breathing in her pillow, becoming absorbed by her essence once again.

He tore himself away once more, finding it more difficult to escape her charms, even when she wasn’t in the room. An open notebook that lay next to him caught his eye. Temptation was too great not to read.

‘Journal entry 15, day 37,

It’s been 37 days since I left for the past. Today, I actually had to consciously remind myself to come back to the ship, instead of to my parent’s house. I’m finding that it is increasingly difficult to stay here in the ship, alone.

Today, he told me that he loved me. It’s not the first time, but it felt like it was. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to hearing him say that. There are so many times when I’m with him that I feel the urge to spill everything about me. I want to tell him how much I really love him, and how long I’ve felt this way. I want to tell him to wait for me, and beg him not to see anyone else for seventeen years until I can talk to him again, but I know that I can’t. No matter what happens in the next few weeks, I’m going back, and he’s forgetting me. There’s nothing I can do to change that, I know it.

Tomorrow Trunks and I are going to the zoo and then to the movies. I can’t wait to see him again! Maybe I’ll tell him I’m Pan, maybe I won’t. Nah, I won’t. I want to enjoy him as much as I can.’

Trunks’ ki rose at the last line. Suddenly, he remembered why he was so mad at her in the first place. This was not the first time he had ever been used, but it was certainly the most painful. She lured him and seduced him and for what? So that she could enjoy him as much as she could. He suppressed his ki once again, not wanting to be noticed. His anger, however, was still very much there.

It wasn’t until he calmed slightly, when he looked down. He had inadvertently crushed her frame. The glass was broken, the medal was twisted, and the picture was bent. He took the picture out of its holder, and… for some unknown reason, he put the snap shot in his pocket. He didn’t know why, he might not have even realized he did it.

Pan took the long way back to the ship, wanting to prolong the pain as much as possible. She thought she sensed Trunks’ ki a bit back, but it disappeared. She was slightly alarmed by how close it appeared to her ship. She shrugged it off, telling herself that she was going crazy. There was no way Trunks could’ve found her ship.

However, as she landed in front of it, her alarm returned. The ship’s door was open, yet she specifically remembered closing it. Quickly, Pan made her way inside. The control room looked normal, but her bedroom was in a very different state. Clothes were thrown all over the place, and her mattress lay crooked off of its box spring.

Slowly, she walked forward, wondering if the perpetrator was still in the room. She stopped when she felt glass being crushed underneath her boot. Her heart frame was laying on the ground, twisted and mangled. It looked like someone had crushed it with their hands, and the picture was missing. It didn’t take her long to figure out who had messed up her room.

She ran outside quickly, hoping for some odd reason that he hadn’t left. She scanned the distance and saw him. He was sitting in front of the pond she had used to bathe in. He was hugging his knees and his face was half buried in his arms. His face was dark, and his focus was drawn to some unseen point. It looked as if he was attempting to have a stare down with his own reflection.

Pan took a deep breath and approached him, feet stomping the entire way. “What gave you the right to mess up my ship?!” She asked angrily when in earshot.

“What gave you the right to mess with my mind?!” He shot back with the same amount anger and contempt.

“I asked you first!”

“It isn’t even your ship, it’s mine. I own the company, I supply the product…you’re just the consumer.” He coldly stated, his eyes remaining fixed on the small waterfall ahead of him.

“Trunks… why are you so angry with me?”

“Hmm… let me think about that one for a moment.” He spat sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes, trying to keep her anger and hurt in check. “I-I didn’t mean to hurt you…” She said softly.

“Really? You could’ve fooled me.”

Pan sat down nearby, and faced him, determined to have an actual discussion. “Do you know what it’s like to love someone you can’t have?”

“Don’t give me that trash, Pan. You didn’t love me.”

“You have no idea how wrong you are.”

“No Pan, let me explain to you how I know that I’m right. When you love someone, you are honest with them, you don’t pretend to be someone different with them and most of all, you don’t lead them on and play with their heart, simply for you to turn around and break it later. You never loved me Pan. This whole… ordeal was simply a power trip for you, wasn’t it? You felt empowered when you knew you had the world’s richest, strongest, youngest V.P. down on his knees and at your mercy… didn’t you, Pan?” Trunks spat, then pausing to hear Pan’s answer.

Pan was about to counter with her own attack, but she paused. Her mouth was open, like she was going to say something, but nothing was coming out. “Trunks,” She spoke after her short silence, “Can’t we talk about this? I mean… like two adults?”

“Why? There aren’t two adults here.”

“Trunks… you don’t understand!” Pan cried, frustrated and hurt that Trunks wasn’t allowing her to plead her case.

“Pan, you’re the one who doesn’t understand!”

“Then explain it to me! Tell me why this is so impossible for you to comprehend! Tell me why you’ve never known me for anything more than a little sister, or how you can be completely blind to my feelings after I’ve given you a couple decades worth of hints! Tell me the reason why you’ve never invited me to any of your corporate balls before, or how you can go miserably from one girl to the next, when I’m standing in front of you, willing to spend my life trying to make you happy!” She yelled, passionately, but receiving no answer, “Huh? Just tell me! Make me understand! If you loved me before, why don’t you love…”

“It’s simple!” He yelled back, interrupting her, “All you need to do in order to get your answers it compare. Compare Kara Oakie with Pan Son. It was your façade that I loved so much. She was a beautiful, intelligent, strong woman who knew exactly what to say or do at any given time. She was happy, sweet and innocent, seemingly untouched by today’s gruesome world. She was my small, bright, perfect jewel in the middle of my trash-filled, muddy, dog-eat-dog world. She was the light of perfection that shone on my cold, dark heart. She was the only woman who has been able to melt my soul. When I was with her, I was in heaven. All of a sudden, the world seemed warmer and friendlier. I had a reason to wake up everyday, a reason for living. That was Kara and she was my love…, but you Pan, are not Kara. There is no such person, and you have no idea how hopeless that makes me feel. Now look at Pan Son. She’s a bratty little tom-boy with too much time on her hands. She’ll manipulate anybody on earth just to get her way, and she knows how to do it. Sure, she can whine and complain, she can even cry and make other people feel sorry for her. All she needs to do is shed some tears about how no one has ever loved her, and no one ever sees her as a girl, and how she feels like she’s just another face in the crowd, and automatically…, somebody somewhere will fall down at her feet to please her. She’s a good actor, I’ll give her that. She doesn’t seem to really care about anything anymore. Light, love and basic human ethics don’t matter to her, as long as she’s getting her way. She’ll lie, cheat, steal, and step on everyone who gets in her way, simply to gain the attentions of a rich, powerful, young and… lonely man. She’s a girl who, in her struggle to appear mature in front of others, has only succeeded in making a childish fool out of herself. So, you see Pan, I can’t love you, you’re too young. Even at the old age of twenty-five, you will forever appear a mere child to me. At this point, I can’t even see us being friends.” He finished his long winded speech and turned toward Pan. He felt a twinge of guilt as he saw her obviously trying to hide her tears.

Pan quickly wiped away the tears that fell on her cheeks as they spilled out of her eyes. Her demeanor was still one of dignity, as she had forbid it to appear otherwise. “What… has gotten in to you? The Trunks of my time would never say anything like that. The Trunks from the future knows that I would never…”

“Yeah? Well, I’m not the Trunks from your time...” He said, pulling the small ring box from his pocket, “…nor do I have any desire to be.”

With one swift movement, the box went out of his hand and into the middle of the pond. The water there was about twenty feet deep, and the bottom was sandy, which would make incredibly difficult to recover, but he didn’t care. That ring was intended solely for Kara, but in a way…, she was dead. It didn’t belong on anyone else’s finger.

Pan bit her bottom lip in attempt to remain cool and unemotional. She wanted to stay and talk, but after seeing such a look on his face when he threw the engagement ring into the lake, she didn’t think that would be possible. She opened her mouth, desperately searching for something to say that would make things right, but nothing came up. The only thing she could manage at that moment, were more tears. Giving in to his cold stare, she left, flying into the forest and towards Capsule Corps.

“You be careful on your trip back, Daughter.” Videl said, giving Pan one more hug.

“I will, I promise.”

“Pan, I’m sorry things turned out this way for you.” Gohan said. “If you feel the need to talk to me or your mother about this in the future, I won’t get mad. Well, I might be initially, but I’ll calm down, if I remember, which I probably won’t, but…”

“Dad…” Pan interrupted, giving him a hug. “Thank you, anyway.”

Gohan hugged her back. Bulma stood next. They were all in a line, facing the Capsule Corp. building. Pan figured it would be easiest for her to spray all of them in a line and then high-tail it out of there.

“Panny, forget about Trunks. If he’s going to act this way…” Bulma started.

“It’s okay Ms. Bulma. It was a lesson learned.” Pan said, “Besides, not many people get to erase their mistakes like I get to.”

Pan stood silent for a moment looking at Vegeta, although not really expecting a reaction. Bulma, however, had other plans. She poked him in the ribs. There was no way that could ever hurt the older Saiyan Prince, but his mate knew his sensitive spots. He always flinched when Bulma elbowed him there.

“What?” He angrily asked his wife, not liking the way she had made him appear vulnerable.

Bulma whispered something to him, that made him growl lightly. “I’m sorry…” He began, “for trying to kill you.”

Pan laughed a little harder than she knew she should of at how the mighty had fallen. “That’s okay, Teacher. I could’ve handled worse.”

Pan sighed, “Well, I guess I’ll track down the other three later. They’re around here somewhere. Brace yourselves.”

Gently, she shook the spray can and made a test spray in the air. She walked over to her younger self and leaned down.

“Is this going to hurt?!” The young Pan asked in a panicky voice, as if she was about to get a shot.

“No, but you might feel a little dizzy.” The older Pan took a deep breath and sprayed her younger self in the eyes, then wasted no time in moving on to Bra. She only had a few seconds before they would come out of their disorientation. She sprayed Bra and moved on to Vegeta, following with Bulma, Chichi, Gohan and Videl. After she finished, she ran into the trees, then picked a hiding place to sit and watch from.

Everyone was quite disoriented, that was apparent. Their reactions were similar to that of tear gas. It appeared to have hurt more than the Trunks from her time said it would. They stood there and rubbed their eyes, as they watered. After a few moments, they calmed down, but were still worried about what had happened to them. However, no one seemed to remember. Piccolo explained to them that they started wigging out after they had eaten the appetizers that Videl had brought out. The disorientation was explained as a simple case of food poisoning. Gohan always suspected there was something else to that story, but he knew better than to question his former Master.

Pan watched from her little corner as her family was thrown for a loop. She couldn’t help but chuckle at their reaction to hearing it was food poisoning. Bulma couldn’t get over how they had managed to stand in a line while they were sick. After making sure that they didn’t have any apparent memories of her, Pan ran into the woods to go find Goten and Marron.

“… so I was named because dad’s first foster mother’s name was Marron, not because of his old girlfriend. I remember when Mom first heard that her daughter and her husband’s ex flame had the same name, it wasn’t until I was about three years old, but boy, did she flip.”

Goten chuckled, “Well, I can kind of understand your mom’s reaction.”

“Yeah…” Marron said softly, “Goten, I’ve had you out here for hours doing nothing but complaining and venting and crying on your shoulder. You must be bored to death.”

“No, I’m not. Besides, if I wasn’t here with you, I’d probably be off somewhere trying to strangle Unagi.”

“Thank you Goten. You’re a good friend.” She said, “I just can’t believe Unagi and Dex were in on this. I mean, Dex always seemed so shy and withdrawn.”

“Well, I’m sure he’s not so shy when it comes to money. He was confident enough to break into Capsule Corporation’s accounts. I can see why he was in such a hurry to leave that night. The authorities didn’t have any trouble tracking him down after he bought that condo down south with Capsule’s money.”

“You’re probably right. You know, I always wondered how Unagi and his father acquired such a large income just from running CapTech. I mean, the company’s so poor, and all of their clientele is switching over to Capsule Corp.”

“And why is that?” Goten asked.

“Because Capsule Corporation’s capsules are more reliable and cheaper. Plus, everyone on earth knows that Dr. Briefs is the man who created the encapsulating system. The only reason why CapTech wasn’t shut down for copyright infringement was because of some stupid loophole. As if that wasn’t enough… they had to have a double agent working undercover stealing Capsule Corporation’s new designs and skimming money off the top of their sales. You think you know a guy…”

Goten chuckled, “How do you know all this?”

“Well, being in the room while my dinner date was read his charges gave me kind of an inside story. Plus, I’m looking to get a job at Capsule Corp.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’ve already talked to Trunks and he said he could get me a mid-level position to start. Knowing the VP of the company sure helps, but I want to go in there with knowledge about what I’m working with. I don’t want to look like I just got the job because I’m friends with the owner’s son… although that’s what it is.”

Goten smiled at her. All of a sudden, he stepped in front of her, blocking her forward path. He looked down on her tenderly, wishing he cold just say what he wanted to say. Why did this have to be so difficult?

“Goten?”

“Marron… I…”

“There you are.” A close, loud and very abrupt voice said.

“Kara, what are you doing out here?” Marron asked as she watched the young girl descend from above.

“I… umm… need to give you some medicine.” Pan said quietly. Her voice was soft and scratchy, and anyone could tell that there was something wrong with her.

“Medicine for what?” Goten asked, immediately suspicious.

“Kara, are you okay?” Marron asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just need to spray you in the eyes, so you’ll forget about me.”

Goten looked at her like she was insane. What was she talking about? “Kara, what do you mean?”

Pan opened her mouth to explain, but for some reason, the words would not form. All she wanted to do was collapse into her uncle’s embrace, so she did. She hugged him furiously and quickly as she had when she was younger. If ever in the world she needed an older brother, Goten stood there for her.

Goten looked over at Marron who had the same shocked expression on her face. Trunks’ girlfriend was hanging on to Goten for dear life, and yet Trunks was nowhere to be found. “Um… Kara? Is there something I can help you with?” Goten asked, looking down at the raven haired girl who was laying her head on his chest. He patted her back gently, not really wanting to return this near-stranger’s death hold, but still wanting to be supportive.

“I’m sorry. I know you probably think I’m crazy, but… it’s been a bad day.”

“Is this about Trunks?” Marron asked, seemingly understanding.

“Yes…” Pan answered, sadly.

“What happened?”

“He found out I’m Pan.”

Goten and Marron’s jaws nearly fell on the ground. “Wha…?”

“No you aren’t! What are you talking about?!” Goten shouted.

Pan growled in frustration. “I can’t believe I have to explain this again. I-was-accidentally-sent-to-the-past-because-Goten-used-too-much-power-in-a-ki-blast-that-sent-me-flying-into-Ms. Bulma’s-time-machine-and-seventeen-years-back-and-I’m-not-Kara Oakie,-I’m-Pan Son-and-Trunks-found-out-and-now-he-hates-me-and-now-I-have-to-make-you-all-forget-about-me-so-the-universe-doesn’t-blow-up.”

“O…kay.” Goten said, nodding and smiling politely.

“Forget it.” Pan pulled out her spray can and shook it again. “This is a waste of time.”

“No wait!” Goten yelled. He stepped closer to her and inspected her appearance. He noted the orange bandana, the black hair, blue eyes, and unordinary strength, but was this really his niece? It seemed… hard to believe, to say the least. “If you’re really Pan, then prove it. Tell me what my future holds.”

Pan chuckled, “I’m not easily tricked Uncle. You knew it was me before everyone else did, didn’t you?”

“I had my suspicions, but I dismissed it. I didn’t think there was any way you could’ve been who I thought you were.”

“What gave me away?” She asked.

“It was your ki. Trunks and I train with you more than anyone else, and I know you’re ki well. It felt exactly the same as your younger version’s, just more mature, … and suppressed a lot.”

“You’re a lot smarter than people give you credit for, Uncle.”

“Thanks… hey! What is that supposed to mean?!”

Pan chuckled, while she prepped her formula once more.

“Wait Panny, can’t you give me just one little hint about what’s in store for me?” Goten pleaded.

“Yeah, me too!” Marron jumped in.

“You know… you’re only going to forget it anyway.” Pan warned.

“Oh, well.”

“Yeah, I don’t care.” Goten agreed.

“Well, in about twelve years, your futures will become one.” She gave.

“Huh? Panny, what are you talking about?” Goten asked, having no idea why Pan was talking in code.

“Dummy, you get married.”

“Oh, cool!” Goten said, “To who?”

“To each other!” Pan yelled.

Goten turned bright red at this news, and Marron fell over backwards. Being the gentleman that his mother had raised him to be, Goten held a hand out and helped Marron back up. However, he didn’t let go of her hand. Instead, he pulled her close and kissed her deeply, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Oh Dende, tell me this is not happening!” Pan yelled to no one, feeling slightly embarrassed and awkward about just standing in front of them like she was.

Marron didn’t really know how to respond. She had never thought of Goten like that…, but if Pan said they were going to end up married, then she obviously would feel that way at some point. Oh well, might as well enjoy it. She wrapped her arms around Goten’s neck and started kissing back with equal force. No one had ever kissed her with so much passion and enthusiasm. Obviously, this was part of the reason why she would marry him.

“Umm… guys? I hate to spoil your fun, but… well… I’m not leaving you two alone while you remember this. I would like to leave soon too, I still have to administer this stuff to Trunks.”

Goten and Marron parted for a moment to breathe, giving Pan hope, but then they returned to each other’s affections. Goten’s hands began rubbing Marron’s back lightly, and lovingly. This sent Marron into a whir of feelings, including regret that they didn’t realize such potential earlier.

“Hello? I’m still here. A young, impressionable mind is watching you.” Pan said, hoping to get Goten’s mind off of Marron long enough to realize he was making out with her in front of his young niece.

Goten merely stuck out his first finger at Pan, signaling for her to give them one more moment. Marron’s hands began running through Goten’s thick hair, massaging and combing the entire way, driving Goten mad. The last thing he wanted to do at that moment was forget all about this… experience.

“Come on!” Pan yelled, “I’m warning you, if you don’t break this up now, I’m going to resort to ki attacks!”

Finally, they broke. Slowly, and painfully, their lips parted. Goten silently cursed the need for oxygen as Marron pulled out of his embrace. They both blushed brightly as reality sunk in.

“Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?” Marron asked, still panting.

Goten chuckled, out of air himself.

“It’s about time.” Pan said, removing her hands form her eyes, “I hope you know I’m scarred for life now, but thanks for that little show.”

“Come off it, Pan. I know you and Trunks have done more than that.” Marron said.

Pan blushed, and was slightly taken aback by Marron’s… abruptness. “Well, at least you all are going to forget this whole visit.”

“Well kiddo, I guess it’s time.” Goten said, wishing that he would remember having expressed his feelings to Marron, and having them returned.

“Call me that again, and I’ll come back here and hunt you down.” Pan lightly threatened.

“Yeah, I bet.” Goten denied.

“I’d really like to stay and prove you wrong, but I can’t.” Pan said, with a slight sadness, “Brace yourselves, this may sting a little.”

Goten and Marron cringed as Pan took her spray bottle and stuck it in their faces. After Pan sprayed them, she took off. At first, she ran in order to get out of their field of vision, but as she got further away, she slowed to a walk. Sure, it would take a long time to get back to her ship, but she was in no hurry. She was hoping to avoid Trunks.

That day, Pan managed to avoid Trunks completely. In fact, the last of her remaining days were Trunks-free. Now, a week or so later, she was due to return home. It was only a matter of hours until her small ship would take off, with or without her into the future.

The days since Trunks had learned her secret went by slowly, and miserably. Her only escape was when Piccolo would come to see if she wanted to spar. After the mistake that she made before, she wasn’t about to turn him down anymore. Piccolo began lecturing her as soon as everything cooled down that one fateful day. If she would have trained her power more, instead of gallivanting around with Vegeta’s son, she wouldn’t have gone Super Saiyan in front of everyone. She would have transformed into the higher form, and she wouldn’t have had to go through what she did. It hurt Pan to hear such words coming from her teacher, but she knew he was right. Never in her life had she felt so stupid and immature than on that one, sunny morning.

It felt good for her to get out and fight with Piccolo. On the battle field, she was able to focus, and channel her hurt into power. It also confirmed her maturity to her. She was one of the strongest beings in the universe, and it was growing more and more obvious each day. She managed to keep her ki hidden from the others. It was a difficult challenge, to keep her ki so low while fighting, but in the end, it only served to increase her strength even greater.

Piccolo had dropped her off at her ship half-conscious earlier that morning and said his goodbyes. He told her that she was strong, and would surely make her father and grandfather proud when they saw her. She thanked her teacher for his help, and then he left.

She cared to her wounds, and ate breakfast after Piccolo left. Now, she was sitting on the stairs to her ship looking at the sky. She was searching for Trunks’ ki, which was being well-suppressed, and she only had a few hours to find it.

Trunks had gotten home late that day. He had spent most of his time just flying around, trying to escape. It didn’t work though, everywhere he turned he saw her face. To add to his frustrations, he had to run into that strange little girl. It was weird, but what she said made him feel better. The pale-haired girl couldn’t have been older than seven, and yet she seemed to have complex explanations for what he was going through. Such profound, yet innocent words, he could still remember them.

When he got back to Capsule Corp, things were normal, which was surprising. He had gone up to his mother and apologized for the earlier scene, but she just looked at him like he was insane, and denied knowing of such a scene. Sure enough, when he went outside, the landscape was normal. There were no holes in the ground made by his father’s attacks on Pan. He ran upstairs to find some kind of proof in his room, but there was none. His sheets had been changed, and his floor cleaned up. He couldn’t even pick up a hint of her scent in the air.

In the following days, he questioned his own sanity many times. No one remembered this mysterious phantom girlfriend of his, not even Goten or Marron. The only thing that kept him from losing his mind was the picture he had taken from her bedroom. It was the photo of the future him and her at that dance.

He had spent these few days immersing himself in his work. His mother was shocked, to say the least, but he was actually willing to get up and go to work, so she wasn’t about to argue with him. Even though it was his summer vacation, she thought a few more hours in the office would do him good. He had been rambling on about some girl that he had been dating for over a month, and had spent the better part of that week adamantly arguing with his parents, saying that they had met her several times, and even knew her quite well. Bulma shrugged it off. Maybe that food poisoning they contracted had thrown him into hallucinations. She just kept telling him that she didn’t remember any girl.

Trunks wasn’t fairing too well at night either. The only dreams he had, were about her. The first night was the hardest. He wasn’t regretting what he had said to her. He just missed Kara. The memory of their night together made for many sleepless nights following. Once and a while, he could barely make out the smell of apples and peaches on his pillow. He would fall into a trance, ready to jump out of his room, go back to her ship and beg for her forgiveness. However, he would remind himself that he was going crazy over little Panny, and the trance would end. The next morning, he always woke up feeling his usual, grumpy self.

Now there it was, the last day of her visit, he knew. What was he supposed to do? He knew she would be hunting him down so he would forget her too, but he didn’t want to forget. Truth was, he had grown to miss her over the days. He was still angry and hurt, but he was also very regretful of sounding too cold-hearted to her. He could… kind of understand why she wanted her identity kept secret. He also knew that if he were in her shoes, he would have handled it just as bad or worse than she did.

He felt trapped and frustrated as he laid there in his bed, yet to wake up. He didn’t want her to leave while things were on such a bad foot. He didn’t necessarily want to apologize to her, but he did feel extremely bad for handling the situation so poorly. If only there was a way to make it up to her…

He jumped out of bed and got dressed within seconds. There was a way he could see her again without it being totally awkward.

Pan held her head in her hands and she sat on the steps of her ship. She still couldn’t sense Trunks’ ki, and it was only a matter of hours until liftoff. Just as she was about to give up and go look for him the old fashion way, she finally felt his energy. In fact, it was very close, almost…

“I’m glad I caught you before you left.” He said to her, standing a good ten feet away.

“What do you want?” She asked coldly.

“I came to see you off.” Trunks stated.

“No thanks.”

“Okay… that’s fair.” He said, watching her stand up and walk over to him. Her eyes were cold and lifeless as she drew nearer, and she seemed to be hiding something behind her back. “Just give me a minute to explain myself.”

“I don’t want your explanations.” She said, pulling the spray can from behind her back.

Before she could spray, he grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. Not only did it cause her to drop her “weapon”, but it was also keeping her from moving.

“Okay, I understand that.” He said in her ear. “At least allow me to look over your ship, so you can rest assure you’ll get home safely. It’s the least I can do after trashing your room.”

Pan sighed and relaxed against his grip. “Okay, but be quick about it.”

The next few hours went quietly. Pan had locked herself in her room for most of that time, while Trunks inspected the outside for structural damage. Trunks’ true objective, though was to smooth things over, but that couldn’t be accomplished without talking. Trunks even attempted to get her to come out of her room by telling her that he needed to check over a system in her bathroom. She merely walked out of her room and out of the ship. Either way, she was almost always out of earshot.

As the clock ticked, Trunks worked. He honestly did check her ship’s systems. He didn’t think he could live with himself if she didn’t get home safely. Plus, he knew it must have been hard for her to travel for so long completely alone. With her rambunctious attitude, it must have meant major cabin fever.

The moment approached. “Two minutes until lift off.” The computer warned, snapping Pan out of her daydreaming. She jumped out of her bed and ran out the door to find Trunks, carrying her spray with her.

He was over by the small lake, washing his hands of the grease that he had smeared on himself. He smiled a little when he saw her run out of the ship. He was hoping she was wanting to talk to him. His hope vanished, however, when he saw her determined face, and the can she held at her side.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, seeing her look worried.

“Nothing, it’s time for me to leave. Are you done checking the ship?”

“Yeah, I’m done, but I was hoping…”

“Look Trunks, I know you came here to make some kind of reconciliation, but that’s not going to happen. You did what you did and there’s nothing you can do to change that. You should feel vindicated though. I now know what it feels like to give your heart to someone, only to have them throw it away.”

“Pan, I’m not asking for your forgiveness, and neither am I willing to give you mine. I’m still angry and hurt by you. I’m not taking back anything I said a week ago, I’m merely apologizing for making it so hostile. On the other hand…”

“Fine then. You win. When I get back, I will make sure that we are no longer friends, or even associates. If you never talk to me again, I’ll be fine with that. As far as I’m concerned, I’d be happy if I never saw your face again.”

“Pan…”

“Goodbye.” She said.

Trunks saw the spray can come up from her side. He didn’t resist when he saw the tiny droplets of the formula coming toward him. Instead, he almost welcomed them. As he became disorientated, she ran back to her ship, never looking back. Her only concern was that he would see the ship take off, but hopefully, it wouldn’t affect the timeline too much.

He shook his head as he felt the stingy liquid enter his eyes. It felt like he had just had a billow of smoke blown into them. Unfortunately, he lost his balance, and ended up in the lake. Seizing the opportunity, he washed his eyes out, getting rid of the stinging sensation. When he was finally able to open his eyes, he looked up, just as a strange looking ship flew overhead.

Pan had the monitor pointed downward, so she could see him disappear along with the earth below her. She was alone now, and would be for a while. She wasn’t sure if it was the gravity, or the thought of being alone, but something made her start crying. Maybe it was simply that she wanted her sweet nightmare to end.

Trunks watched the ship disappear into the sky. “What the…?” He started. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a soggy picture. It was a snap shot of him bowing to a beautiful girl and kissing her hand. He smiled softly, and almost started laughing as it hit him. “Your formula didn’t work. I remember you Panny.”

So? What did you think? It’s too long, I know! Grr… and can you believe this is after I cut nearly two pages of material off of it? Thanks for the truckload of reviews for chapter 11! I’m… happy you liked it! Anyway, there is one more chapter… I think. I won’t know for sure until I actually start it. Oh well. I’ll get it out sooner than I did this one, unless I get sick again and Christmas magically repeats itself. = Þ

Author’s Note #1: It’s really sad when your author’s notes are almost as long as your chapter. Anyway, the ‘True Love Waits’ program is an excellent program. HOWEVER, is it geared toward the Christian belief. There are several similar programs for many different beliefs out there, I just don’t have the time to look. Due to the rise in teen pregnancy and spread of the AIDS virus, people all over the world from many different backgrounds and religions are taking this pledge and others like it. It’s a wise decision I encourage everyone to think about. Look for programs that fit into your cultural belief, and don’t be afraid to take the step. I don’t mean to sound preachy, but as a teenage girl, this is something I feel very passionate about.

Author’s Note #2: Here’s another one. (I hate author’s notes. I promise, there will not be anything else but the disclaimer, a small paragraph saying what I want to say, and the actual story in the next chapter.) The little girl Trunks was talking to is a character created by TrinityBlue. There’s a side story that will be posted on my site soon, that will go into further detail written by Trin. Silk is the name of the character, she’s adorable! If you’re a TB fan, you’ll remember her from the fanfic “Love and Ranks” as being a baby. Anyway, that’s all I’m going to say for now. Trinity wants her character’s story kept “hush, hush” at the current moment. She has yet to write Silk’s story down. But when she does, I guarantee you’ll love it! Keep a look out for Trin’s story and the side story that will be posted on my site if you want to know more about this amazing little girl.

"Shikou - When it Rains, it Pours"

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