Chapter 7 - Hit Me A Thousand Times

Some one's in here. He could tell.

Trunks had just dropped Marron off at her home, being the gentleman he was. He wasn't planning to have her spend the night. That was far from his intentions when he had kissed her as she was leaving. He also knew that she wouldn't have wanted to stay with him for the night too. Marron just wasn't like that. He knew her better than those men she had dated that thought she was an easy catch, though she sometimes acted like one. He had come straight home after dropping her off, no kiss goodbye, just a small hug.

After he closed the front door of his home behind him, he heard whispering upstairs. Quickly stepping out of his shoes, he undid his tie as he slowly crept up the stairs. He made wide steps as to avoid the creaky floor as much as possible. He hid his ki as he neared, listening to soft sniffles. The intruder was in his room, he confirmed, noticing light from the small gap under the closed door. He put an ear to the door as he listened to the soft whimpers.

"-Still in love with him…"

Dang… He had missed half of the sentence. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. That voice was Pan's! He opened the door, and found Pan sitting on his bed with her legs crossed, facing the television. She yelped in surprise, jumping off the bed instantly. Pan's legs didn't seem to work as she dropped to the floor, falling on her side.

Okay… Maybe she fell off his bed. Trunks was by her side immediately on his knees, gently grabbing her arm and pulling her up.

"Trunks, you scared me, you jerk!"

"You're welcome, Pan," he said sarcastically, watching as she dusted herself off. Then he saw a tear trickle down her cheek. He felt his heart skip a beat as if he could feel her sadness. He brought his hand to her face, though she didn't seem to notice until he brushed her hair out of the way to get a better view of her.

Pan instantly jumped back, but there was no room left for her to back up to, and she hit her back against the wooden bed frame. She winced in pain, rubbing the sore spot she was sure a bruise would show in a couple of hours. Then she sniffled and when she did, she realized what Trunks had been trying to do. She quickly brought her hand to her cheek, wiping away her tears. She laughed nervously, smiling at him, but with her eyes filled with tears, her smile appeared to be forced.

"It's not what you think," she told him, gripping the tissues she had in her hand.

"Do you know what I think?" he asked, bringing a hand to her face again. This time, she let him touch her. He brushed his fingers against her cheeks, which were slightly tinted with pink.

"Uh… Good point," she grabbed his hand and slowly brought it down, away from her face. Then she let go, leisurely learning back against the bed frame that had given her the bruise. "I was watching television up here."

He smiled. "Well yeah, I could see that," he replied, glancing at the entertainment system that was still on. "But that doesn't explain why-"

She interrupted him, as if embarrassed he had caught her crying in his bedroom and didn't want to be reminded. "Okay, okay," she spoke, pushing herself off the bed frame and spreading her feet out, her legs on either side of him. "I was watching a soap opera. Happy?" she finished exasperatedly.

Trunks laughed, grabbing her ankles with both his hand and pulling her closer to him that way. She slid to him, and stopped when he thought they were close enough. "I wasn't aware you liked those kinds of programs."

"Yeah? Well, I do. And I was depressed because 'What's-her-face' cheated on her boyfriend with her ex, and…" she didn't finish her sentence however. Instead, her tears got watery again, and she was forced to look away, wiping her eyes in the process.

"Pan?" he leaned over, in attempt to help her wipe her tears again, but she dodged him.

She laughed sadly, turning around and getting up from the floor. "I already explained to you why I was crying, Trunks. Jeez, don't be s-so… Paranoid." She saw him get up, and continued. "You just forced me to remember what happened to "What's-her-face's' husband, and even though the show ended, I still think it's sad." She laughed again, heading out of Trunks' room. "I better get going, Trunks. I'll see you sometime."

"Wait," he called, following her. "Why don't you stay for a while? I could use some company at…" He looked at his wristwatch. "8:00 p.m."

Pan shook her head and declined again, walking down the stairs and near the front door. "You're busy with your company and … life, so I um… I should leave."

"But-"

She turned around after placing a hand on the doorknob and leaned up to him, interrupting his sentence with a soft kiss on the cheek. "Bye," she said quietly after she broke the quick contact.

Before she was able to fully turn around and leave, he grabbed her shoulder. Pan tensed up instantly, and he was able to feel that right away. He gently turned her around and looked into her eyes. "Are you trying to avoid me?"

She laughed as if he said something ridiculous. "Of course not, Trunks. You're my best friend."

"Why?"

She raised an eyebrow, confused. "Uh… I don't know why you're my best friend… Maybe it has something to do with-"

He interrupted her, a look of seriousness on his features. "Come on Pan, don't play dumb." He sighed, his eyes trailing down to their feet. "Why are you avoiding me?"

Pan shook her head, shrugging off his hand on her shoulder. "I'm not. I'm simply heading home because of the current hour."

"You always stay later than this," he retorted, watching her as she pondered an answer for his statement.

"Trunks, I just don't feel like staying here right now, okay?"

"What did I do?" he whispered, placing his hand on hers that were on the doorknob gently, but like he had predicted, she quickly pulled her hand from under his. "Why does it seem like you're afraid of me?" He stepped closer, and she stepped away from him, until her back pressed against the wall behind her.

"I'm not. I'm just..." She closed her eyes as she felt her legs shake beneath her, and her vision blurred. Her body betrayed her as she felt herself allow him to pull her to him, but she shook her head again. "I don't want to talk about it."

His arms slowly wrapped around her small, frail body. "You can tell me, can't you?" he asked, and Pan had to cringe hearing that, knowing very well that he was the last person she'd want to talk to him about her problems. Trunks seemed to sense this as he slowly let go to have eye contact with the girl.

His ocean blue eyes made it hard for her to want to look away, but she managed to anyway, as she saw the many emotions in the waves of blue of his iris. "It's not important anyway. You wouldn't want to know," she replied. She heard him sigh, and she couldn't resist looking at him.

"I want to know, Pan, and if it's not important, it's okay, because I like talking to you. But I don't think you want to tell me, do you?" When she didn't answer, he looked away. "Why not?"

Still, she didn't answer him, and he wondered whether she was even paying attention, until he noticed her quickly bring a hand to her eyes. She wiped away a tear and softly sniffled, then, before he even realized she had brushed beside him and opened the front door, she closed it behind her.

He wouldn't leave this situation at that though. Trunks was too stubborn for that. He quickly grabbed his keys and followed her, accidentally slamming the door shut as he quickly fumbled with the set of keys he had in one ring. Once he locked the door, he searched for her ki and ran toward it, noticing that she was running too. It wasn't long before he saw her figure before him and he quickened his pace until he was near her. He almost reached her, but then unexpectedly, she stopped, and he collided to her, sending them both crashing to the hard pavement.

"Kami," he cursed, rubbing the back of his head. He opened an eye to glare accusingly at her, only to find her matching his glare. "Why the heck did you suddenly stop??"

Pan drew in a ragged breath and stood up, brushing her pant legs as it was covered with dirt. She noticed him stand up as well, but it didn't faze her. "Leave me alone, Trunks," she spoke coldly, that it sent shivers down Trunks' spine. She didn't seem to notice though, because she had already turned her back to him, attempting to walk away, but was stopped when a hand grabbed her arm roughly. She felt him pull her arm, forcing her to turn and meet his intense stare, though before he was able to say anything, she brought a hand up and slapped him across the face hard. He didn't let go, however. Instead, he gripped her arm harder, not moving from his current position. His head was turned still from her slap, and his cheek felt slightly numb. After regaining his composure, Trunks slowly turned to Pan to meet her eyes, knowing very well that his left cheek was tinted red.

"I'd rather have you hit me a thousand times than slap me once," he whispered, loosening his grip on her arm, and then letting his hand fall to his side.

Sorry you guys, I know it's shorter than my other chapters, and I updated this um... not quickly. lol. But like i said, i have writers block, and well.. I have no idea what should happen next... Oh yeah, sorry about the kiss between Trunks and Marron in the previous chapter. lol. I thought it was necessary so i added that. Please review!! ... Oh, and suggestions are welcome!