Time's Value
By: SilverLunarStar
Chapter Two: Trunks- Controlling Instincts
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As soon as Trunks closes Pan's bedroom door, he leans against it, slides down, brings his legs to his chest, and buries his face into his hands. 'Am I some sort of pervert to be feeling this way towards a thirteen year old?! Do I have some kind of perverse fantasy that comes with age?' He groans pathetically. 'I can see it now: Capsule Corp.'s President Reveals to be a Pedophile.' Groaning once again, he leans his head against the door, controlling the urge to bang it repeatedly, for fear of waking his Pan-chan. 'Wait… my Pan-chan? Since when has she ever been mine? She's not property to be owned.' He knows arguing with himself is a lost cause, though. Why? The reason is because he has always known she is his. His Saiyan blood knows this, but his human half is having a hard time accepting this. Then again, in the manner his heart is beating, he doesn't seem to be in complete self-denial anymore.
He smiles, pushes himself up off the floor and heads for the bathroom. After completing his nightly rituals, he heads to the bedroom he and Goku are sharing, noticing that the full-blooded Saiyan is still training in their 'living room.' "I'm going to bed Goku-san! Don't overwork yourself!"
Goku stops for a second to give him the Son-smile and shake his head, before continuing to attack his invisible foe.
Lying on the bed, Trunks quickly falls asleep, dreaming of the time he first acknowledged the bond he shares with Pan.
Dream Sequence
Just as his father requested, Trunks brought to the Recovery Room built especially for Saiyans and laid her down on a comfortable bed. He took off her bandana, brushing her bangs back. A finger twirled a lock of hair and he marveled at how soft and silky it was. With her tom-boyish nature, she was seen with several scrapes on her arms and legs, her hair always tucked into her orange bandana, so he'd always assumed her hair to be coarse from spending too much time under the sun. Quite the opposite, he came to find. 'I guess the bandana protects her hair from damage.' Leaning in, he kissed her cheek. By now, he had calmed down so his coloring was back to normal. Not a moment too soon, either.
Bulma burst into the room. "What happened?"
He had to give his mom credit for being able to control the volume of her voice. He opened his mouth before he realized he really couldn't explain, but thankfully, his father beat him to the punch.
"I'll explain onna." He turned to his son. "You, get out. I want to talk to you afterwards."
So Trunks was now waiting in the living room for his father.
Goten was in the South Wing too, but in massage therapy. That was quite a crash he took.
He nervously fiddled with the deck of cards.
Twenty minutes later, Vegeta made his way into the living room. "Do you know what you just did?"
Trunks shook his head stupidly. He really didn't know, but he had an idea.
"You are claiming Kakarrot's brat's brat as your own. The two of you are bonding," he stated simply, as if he had just given a weather report.
Even though he had guessed this, the shock still coursed throughout his body, hearing his father speak those words.
"I don't care how much time you spend with her now, but as soon as she hits puberty, you are to stay away from her, until she is of age, in Earthling terms." With that, he left his son gaping at his back as he headed for the Gravity Chamber. He had already wasted enough time waiting to see if the she-brat was going to transform when he provoked her.
(Not that Trunks knew this. None of them had to know, for now.)
End of Dream
Trunks shoots up from his bed, bumping his head on the low ceiling. 'What the…?' He then realizes he had accidentally fallen asleep on Goku's bed. He got up a bit too quickly. 'Itai…' He winces as he feels a bump starting to form on top of his forehead.
"You must have been real tired after playing card games with Pan last night."
Trunks' neck snaps to the side. "Ehe, Goku-san… Sorry about taking your bed. I guess I didn't notice." He smiles sheepishly.
"Daijoubu desu, I went to bed pretty late so I didn't notice until I woke up a few minutes ago… Say Trunks, what were your dreaming about?"
"Doushite?" he asks, nervously. He gulps, loudly.
"You were mumbling pretty softly, but I could hear you say 'Pan' a few times, you know, Saiyan hearing and all." He looks at the adult curiously.
"Ah, nandemonai, I don't really remember," he replies, using the Son's sheepish gesture by bringing his hand behind his head, as he gets up.
"Are you sure?"
"Hai, I was probably dreaming about my okaa-san threatening me with a frying pan. Chi-Chi-san taught her quite a few things on how to handle us, especially my dad, without making us go deaf."
Goku's shoulders seem to drop as he hears Chi-Chi's name. "Oh, I see," but he brightens up so quickly that Trunks isn't sure. "Sounds just like them. I'm going to go dig up some food." He exits, leaving Trunks to do the beds.
'What am I going to do? Ever since that day, I managed to avoid her for lengthy periods of time. It would have been awkward if I started avoiding her altogether so I started doing so, slowly, until she reached twelve, then I rarely saw her. Now I have to spend a year with her, in a small space ship that barely allows any privacy. Well, ten months now…' He sighs out loud.
"Trunks, are you awake yet? I need to get your laundry done!" Pan's voice comes from outside the room.
"Hai! I'll just put my clothes in a bag for you." He starts taking his muscle shirt and boxers off, before sporting a bathrobe, and adds them to his dirty laundry. He looks for clean clothes until he realizes he doesn't have any. Coming out of the room, he asks, "Ano… Pan, do you think you can do my clothes first? I kind of don't have any left…" He smiles sheepishly, handing her his bag.
"See? That's what you get for leaving everything at the last minute. I washed my clothes, along with Grandpa's a couple of weeks ago, but no, you said 'I'm fine, I still have enough clothes,'" she mimics teasingly. "I guess I'll just put them in before washing my bedding."
"Your bedding? Didn't you do that a few days ago?" He raises a brow questionably. To his surprise, she blushes.
"H-hai, demo I just thought I'd do mine again. You know me and cleanliness…" She avoids his doubtful glance. "Go take a shower and I'll have your clothes ready after you're done." She has no idea how he's able to shower so quickly with his mop of hair and manages to keep it so clean.
"Okay…" He gives her one last look before heading to the bathroom.
Relieved, Pan heads to the tiny laundry room. It's a pretty narrow room so she has some difficulty scrubbing a red stain on her sheets, underwear and pants. Her cheeks are almost the same shade as the stains. 'How embarrassing… but how am I supposed to hide this? I've never had to worry about sharing a bathroom with anyone and I never really had to hide it because dad would know anyways, thanks to his Saiyan nose. I had already finished last month before we came here. Oh well, only nine more times to go…'
Meanwhile Trunks is turning the knobs until he finds a satisfying temperature, thankful that his mother had built separate pipes for everything. Soon, his thoughts lead to a certain demi-Saiyan. 'Why would Pan need to wash her sheets again…?' Shrugging, he scrubs himself before lathering his hair with shampoo; after rinsing it off, he applies conditioner. Once he deems himself clean, he grabs a towel to dry himself.
Knocking on the door, Pan asks from the other side, "Trunks, are you done? I really have to go!"
Chuckling, he replies, "Hai, hold up a second." He gets his robe and wraps it around himself. Unlocking the door, he sees the teenager hopping up and down. "There you go."
"About time!" she snaps, shutting the door with a nice slam.
He blinks. "Okay…?" He hesitates. "Pan-chan, daijoubu desu ka?"
"Go away," she retorts, angrily.
He looks at the bathroom door weirdly. 'What's up with her?' Shaking his head, he heads to 'his' bedroom. 'Might as well take a nap while I wait for my clothes.' With that, he closes his eyes.
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About an hour later he hears a knock. "Trunks, your clothes are all done."
"Come in, I have a robe on."
"'Kay," she replies. Turning the knob, she makes her way in and shuts the door behind her. "Eto… sorry about earlier. I guess I woke up on the wrong side of the bed…" She giggles nervously.
"It's alright, but are you sure you're okay?" He looks at her suspiciously. He knows she has a temper but that had been a complete foul mood. He stares right into her onyx eyes and, suddenly, his nose twitches. 'Nani…?'
"Yeah, I am, just tired I guess."
"Pan, what did you use to shower earlier?" He ignores her reply. 'She smells like apples, as always, but there's also… mint and blood?'
This startles her. "Ano, I used the mint body wash. Gomen ne, I know you like that one, demo I already ran out of mine, since I brought a bottle that that I had already been using… There's only Goten's, since he was supposed to come, and Grandpa's, but they smell weird…" As she is babbling, she doesn't notice his heated gaze.
'She smells like me and she's in heat,' he realizes. 'Fuck!'
'That's right, fuck. It's the perfect opportunity to fuck her. She's in heat, just waiting to mate and she's in your room, willingly,' a sinister voice cons him on.
'Iie! She's not an adult yet and there's no way I'd make her mate me; I'm too old for her!'
'According to Saiyan laws, she's the perfect age. You wouldn't be forcing her, she'd come to you willingly.'
Trunks clenches his fists. Saiyan instincts are extremely difficult to control. He's known this for a little over a year now. So far, he's been able to resist and he'll continue to do so, for her sake. 'She's not ready and I will not take the innocence of girl.' Oh, but how his body so wants to, his Saiyan blood telling him she's not a girl anymore. He knows she isn't, but that doesn't make it right, in human terms as well as in the eyes of his own morals.
"Trunks-kun? Daijoubu desu ka?" She is face-to-face with him now, worried that he's angry with her. "Gomen ne, I'll use Goten's if-"
He cuts her off. "Daijoubu desu, I'm not upset. You can use it if you want." He is not about to let her carry the favorite scent of another male, even if it is her uncle's, that will mostly likely make his restraint snap. At least now she is somewhat marked by him. Looking up, he notices the close proximity, and his breath catches. His eyes shift to her lips, feeling himself stir. 'Dende help me.' He gulps. "I-I need another bath," he mumbles. Grabbing some clothes from the laundry basket, he steps out. Rushing to the bathroom, he turns on the shower and pure cold water blasts out. 'Dende, I'm completely screwed. I don't know if I'll be able to control myself.'
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He does his best to avoid her most of the day. It's rather easy, seeing as she's avoiding not only him, but Goku as well.
"Must be that time of month," he had heard Goku comment while he was in the shower because Pan had stormed out of their bedroom and slammed shut her door.
He sighs. 'I can't avoid her forever. No, just for the week,' he assures himself. This is easier said than done, though. He spends two days moping. He does his and Pan's chores seeing as she hasn't come out of her room, except to use the bathroom. Giru brings her, her meals.
Finally, by the fourth day, he can't take it anymore. (They've already passed through a couple of planets, but neither one had a Dragon Ball on them.) Bravely, he knocks on her door.
"Go away," comes a muffled voice.
"I've brought some tea." He ignores her and turns the knob, breaking the lock. 'I'll just fix it later.'
"What are you doing in here?! I told you to leave!"
He ignores her again and stares.
Her eyes are rimmed red, her hair is bandana-less and disheveled. Suddenly, she whimpers and curls into a ball.
"Come on Pan-chan; sit up so you can drink your tea before it gets cold." Setting the cup and saucer down, he helps her, before handing her the drink.
She sips the tea daintily, letting the rich taste of herbs wash down her throat. "Mmm, delicious." She looks up at him, giving him a smile for the first time in fifty two hours, twenty seven minutes and nineteen sec-
'Whoa, getting a bit obsessed there now, aren't we Trunks?' He shakes his head. "I'm sorry I upset you Pan-chan."
"Iie, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I know I wasn't in my best of moods, but that's still no excuse to take it out on you." She takes another gulp of tea and bites her lip as she feels another retching pain.
Trunks himself winces as he feels a pain in his guts. 'Nani…?'
She breathes in and out steadily, finishing the rest of her tea. "Arigato."
"Doushimemashite Pan-chan," he replies, smiling. "Oi, how about, when you feel up to it, we have a little spar? I'll ask Giru to locate a safe planet to land on so we can go all out."
This seems to brighten the girl's mood. "Sure! But don't think I'll go easy on you just because you haven't trained in a while," she warns.
"I have so!" he cries, indignantly.
She points out. "Once a week doesn't count Trunks."
He doesn't know whether to pout or sigh, since she's speaking the truth. "Humph, don't worry; I'll show you what a real Saiyan is all abut." His pride speaks out more here.
"If I'm not mistaken, Prince, you're only half Saiyan, the only true Saiyans left are Grandpa and Vegeta-sen-sama," she catches her mistake quickly.
'What was she about to add to oto-san's name?' Shaking his head, he smirks. "'Your strength isn't measured by your blood,'" he quotes Vegeta, out of all people to say that.
With an identical look, she says, "I know Trunks, your oto-san is always saying that when I'm over at your house." Suddenly, she looks as if she wishes she had not said that.
"He tells you that? When, why?" He is startled. The only times Vegeta has said that to him is when they're sparring and, in the past few years, it has been sparse since he has been busy with his family's company.
"E-eto, he says that to Bra whenever they start arguing about her not wanting to learn how to fight."
"Ara." That makes sense. There's no way Vegeta would train Pan, is there? "Well, I guess I'll see you later. I need to make sure Giru's auto pilot isn't going to crash land us."
She laughs. "I'm sure he's fine." She doesn't want him to leave, not yet anyways. Plus, she's feeling much better after that tea. "Say, where did you get this tea anyways?"
"Hmm? Oh! I brought it, along with a hot plate. I like drinking it once in a while; it's better than coffee." He wrinkles his nose, which makes her laugh once again.
"That's true. I remember, when I was ten, I snuck a sip of dad's when he wasn't looking. Yuck! I'll never drink that again." She sticks her tongue out in disgust.
Chuckling, he replies, "Well, I think your dad drinks it black, no milk and only a bit of sugar, to help him stay up. Either way, I prefer tea after a stressful day at the office."
"Is that why you took up the chance?" she inquires.
"Nani?"
"Well, Uncle Goten was very reluctant to come because of his girlfriend, but you practically jumped at the chance. Or does Mr. President actually have a lady waiting for him back on Earth?" she teases. "How cold-hearted can you be Trunks-kun? I thought you were different from Vegeta-sama."
"Oi! I'm not that mean. For your information, yes I did need a break, so that's why I came without a fight and no I did not leave anyone, besides family, behind. If I don't have time to train, you think I have time to go out with some girl?"
"You never know; that's probably why you barely have any time to spare. I mean, we've barely talked these past couple of years. 'Hi's, 'bye's, and 'see you later's don't count Trunks-kun."
He has never realized how much distancing himself has affected her, until now, looking at her sad face as she tells him this. It's been about a year since he started ignoring her.
Flashback
After cooling down from their spar, Trunks, Goten, and Pan went to their rooms to take a shower in the bathrooms connected to each room.
"BULMA-SAN!" screamed Pan. Fright was clearly evident in her voice.
Trunks, who was in his room by then, burst into her given bedroom, panicked. "Pan-chan? Daijoubu desu ka?" he asked, ready to ram the bathroom door down.
"Go away Trunks! I need Bulma-san or Bra-chan!"
He was startled. She had never yelled at him like that. "Pan-"
"Go get them!" she snapped.
Frowning, he gave in. "Hai…"
There was no need to, though. Not even a second later, Bulma came in.
"Trunks, what's wrong with Pan? I heard her screaming all the way from the kitchen!"
"I don't know! She won't tell me or let me in to see if she's okay." He was very close to whining.
"Alright Pan-chan, I'm here. Let me in." Bulma knocked on the door gently.
"Tell Trunks to go away first!"
Turning to her son, she gave him a pointed look, telling him both to go away and questioning what in the name of Dende did he do to her?
"I didn't do anything!" Pouting, he left.
End of Flashback
That had been the first day she went through her monthly cycle. Since then, he has avoided her like the plague.
"I've been too busy worrying about the company, I didn't even have time to date," he explains. "You know I wouldn't ignore you if I could help it Pan-chan. I'm sorry I have, I've missed you, I've missed spending time with everyone, but I needed to concentrate on work too. I know it's not a good excuse but I'll make it up to you."
"Promise?" she asks, sticking her pinky out.
"Promise," he confirms, linking pinkies. Inwardly, he chuckles. 'Only she can make me feel like this.' He pecks her on the cheek. Seeing her questioning look, he adds, "To make it valid." Grinning, he leaves, one hand with the cup and saucer and, after he exits, the other on his cheek, where she had returned the gesture.
To be Continued
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Alright, that was Trunks' chapter (obviously) with a little bit of Pan in the mix. Next is Goku's. Sorry if any of you are disturbed by the 'almost fourteen year age gap' but that's how far apart they truly are and I don't want to change that. That's the whole point of the 'Age doesn't matter when it comes to love' concept.
Thank you so much for the reviews!
You all know the drill for the next chapter: A minimum of five reviews and I'll update next Friday.
Oh, by the way, I completely forgot to add this in the last chapter, this is a short story. It will only be four chapters long. After Goku's chapter, there will be an epilogue showing the results of Trunks and Pan's relationship. Sorry about that!
Take care minna-san!
Eli
