A/N: Surviving this week/end in preparation of the new Super arc was so—just... I don't want to get into how much Pan-bashing I dodged, or how discouraging it was to continue writing this because of all the negativity. I refuse to let those bad thoughts be included in this note because this is a place where you can read a story and be happy in what you've chosen—and I very much would like to keep it that way.

Whether it's fanfiction or the actual tale, I think most people forget that these are simply stories. You can watch the anime, read the manga, or scroll through endless fics online—at the end of the day, these are all just stories from a writer to whoever's willing to look at their art. Granted, we run into things like "endgame" and "canon," but does it really matter? Somewhere out there, there's somebody who thinks differently and has another perspective they liked to share.

I personally respect and like the Mirai Trunks/Mai pairing because it's just another story from another author. I can't control that, and I choose to appreciate the effort being put into it rather than be negative and ruin someone else's experience. As a writer and a fan, I know how much it sucks when people shit all over the things you like. It's not cool, and we should remember how to be empathetic.

Despite this long rant though (that I am extremely apologetic for), what I can control is my story and offer you guys an alternative plot. I'm actually really excited of what's to come because I found a lot of inspiration during my move and this whole week! So let's just get on with it because I'm ECSTATIC.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or anything related to the franchise.

- CHAPTER 7 -

Marron sat on the wooden porch between her two friends, making funny faces to the pinhole in the lens. They had found themselves traveling to a desert town that Giru insisted was two-hundred-forty-six kilometers southwest near their first dragon ball. Despite the fact that they all could outfly any aircraft by Capsule Corp., the only flying they all (reluctantly) agreed to was by the older model plane Bulma lent to Goten. Being that they had woken up at five in the morning to leave anyway, no one argued of the rules: they were only permitted to move themselves around in the air if 1) they were in danger, 2) a person was given the adult equivalent of a time-out, and the more likely 3) if the plane broke down and they needed to adjust.

So far, they were only eight hours away from West City by yellow, large aircraft. Trunks and Goten took turns steering as the rest seemed to just doze off in their unbuckled seats. Marron, Uub, Pan, and Bra were woken up as the plane made a hard landing near a small, old western town. The four sleepy travelers had all crashed against each other with their carry-on backpacks on top.

Goten had suggested they pick up some groceries for camp since Trunks forgot the food storage capsule, with much protest that he didn't. Uub was forced inside the mom-and-pop shop because the boys decided that they were cooking tonight since the girls were allegedly "lousy cooks." They even took Giru as their unofficial team member.

As they left, Pan and Marron took the chance to change from their pajamas to denim shorts and a clean shirt as Bra slid into a pulled-together outfit of a pleated skirt, a t-shirt with BRA printed across, a thin pink jacket, long socks, and matching pink boots. The three girls had then been sitting outside of the store, waiting for their male counterparts to come out.

Pan clicked the shutter button again, moving her face closer to Bra and giving off her brightest smile. When her friend insisted that it was finally enough, she shut off the small camera and slid it into her pocket. Pan scratched her nose before rising from the wood ground, causing the two girls to look up at her stiff face.

"Is there anything wrong?" Bra lingered, glancing at her friend. The older of two turned her head, glancing over her shoulder with furrowed brows. A loud grumble roared, loosing her expression into a confused grin.

"I guess I'm just hungry!" Pan laughed, rubbing the back of her head. The two other girls dropped into their seats.

Bra sat up, leaning her weight forward to cross her arms over her knees. She let out a sigh, "We have been sitting here for a while. I kind of want a snack myself."

Pan turned around, holding her fists with a determination. "What do you guys think they're planning to make? Spaghetti? Buttersquash soup? Burgers? Hotdogs? Fish?" She continued listing every dish she knew in frustration as Bra noticed Marron sitting quietly.

"Still tired from the trip, M?" Bra asked as Pan was now naming different types of pasta and sauces. The blonde blushed, feeling caught for being in her thoughts.

Marron had still been thinking about how to tell Goten of her truth, and felt guilty that she was still taking a while to do so. Her doctor's appointment was over a week ago and at most, only Trunks knew what was bugging her. Thankfully, that meant the Brief heir casually distracted the excited Goten when he would ask her what was wrong this morning. However, she was slightly dreading the moment she finally had alone with her maybe future husband (if he didn't hate her that is).

"Marron?" Bra asked again, and the blonde only apologized, saying she was just bored. The youngest of the three didn't believe it, but she decided to not nag her. Though her friendship with Marron pretty much hadn't changed in the past month, Bra knew she herself was putting some distance between her and her friend. Pan told her that's she was naturally guarded like that and not to worry, but it was becoming slightly harder to share things with Marron. She felt that she would overshare if she wasn't careful.

"GOSH!" The loud shout echoed the town and vibrated the dirt beneath their shoes. Pan apologized for the interruption, but the other two only appreciated it breaking the silence. "Stupid Trunks! How do you forget the capsule that has food?!" she muttered under her breath, kicking a small pebble into a stone bullet across the empty town. Truthfully, the raven-haired girl was more upset that Goten didn't allow her to go back for it, insisting that it pushed them to think on their feet. However, the trip was her uncle's gift so she decided to blame the only person she could (and who would also take the least offense).

"Stupid who?" snarled a low hoarse voice, holding three brown paper bags. The other two behind him only gave apologetic looks as the small robot hid behind the groceries it carried. Giru was not a fan of an angered Pan.

"What took you guys so long! I feel like—" She paused as her eyes trailed to the Indiana-Jones-esque brown hats on top of all their heads. "What's up with the fedoras?" she asked bluntly, pointing an unsturdy finger and causing the two girls sitting down to giggle into their hands.

"Wha—oh, this?" said a proud Trunks, looking up at his new head piece. "Looks cool, huh? The shop owner threw it in for free since we bought so much stuff! There's not a lot of business that passes through here, so I guess he was thankful. Why?"

She opened up her mouth to speak, ready with an arsenal of cowboy-related puns, but struggled at the words coming out. She didn't like the hat. She found it even more silly because he was already wearing a scarf around his neck and tight jeans. Yet, she only bit her tongue and crossed her arms, hoping a stern look said enough.

Uub added a small grin, "C'mon, you can't be too upset, Pan. The shop owner had to order new inventory for tomorrow. Imagine all the bills he doesn't have to worry about for a while. We basically helped this little town's economy in one purchase!"

Pan didn't break her stare, making him feel uneasy. Truthfully, she wanted to ask him if he wanted to meet her dawn and have a duel at gunpoint for kicks. However, her mouth was... trying to compliment him.

"You look ni—" She stopped herself and turned to her friend instead. "I guess you're right," she finished before turning around completely, not making eye contact with anybody else. Uub shrugged at Trunks's glance. Then Pan began again, remembering what mattered to her most. "Should we start camp somewhere and then eat? Or should we just sit here and eat? Maybe there's a restaurant around here for us to get lunch? We should go look for the dragon ball with some snacks!"

Bra let out a snort as she rose from her seat. "Papa told me once that when he used to conquer planets, he would eat the inhabitants after every battle," she said, stretching her arms. The other five stared at her curiously before they looked at each other.

"And that has anything to do with right now... how?" Marron asked, dusting her hands and taking a bag from Giru.

"Not much. I'm just saying that Pan would totally eat us without question if she was an alien warrior taking over our planet," Bra replied with an added chuckle. The quarter Saiyan thought about her theory for a second and then nodded in agreement, much to the horror of their other friends but in delight of her closest friend.

When they got back into the plane, they flew until they found solid ground instead of the sand that blew so easily. It was only twenty miles from the dragon ball according to Giru, but the final decision to stop was due to everyone's growing hunger as Pan once again started to list foods she would've liked to have.

Bra was the first one to emerge from the aircraft, running towards the empty space to inject the capsule. A single house appeared as the dust settled, gaining much praise from the travelers. Goten and Trunks had taken the initiative to cook with Giru as Bra watched television and Marron laid down after exiting the bathroom. After a light snack, Pan and Uub had decided to have a quick spar to work up their appetites.

Marron moved around pull-out murphy bed, trying to shake off her drowsiness. The medication she was taking for her infection made her lightheaded and caused her mood to be—in her best description with her extensive vocabulary—okay.

She wasn't excited for much, but she didn't get upset when Goten asked her to taste his soup with a spoon that had been lingering in boiled water. The noise from Bra's comments on blatant sexism on her reality show—nonetheless, the screaming and yelling coming from said show—didn't really bother her either. It was all muffled noise as if her ears were covered with pillows. However, she was also hyper-focused on the imperfections of the small house, catching little unsmoothed mistakes on the walls and wrinkles on the sleeves of her shirt. She was still feeling okay at least, she guessed.

The pill she had been taking was a mix of estrogen and antibiotics from what she understood from the label. It fought any infectious diseases caused by the rotten tissue, but also pushed production on her hormones so she could "heal" faster.

Bleh. Healed.

She didn't like the word used by her doctor. It made her feel like something that needed to be fixed, like she was some sort of broken toy. Her mind quickly drifted to the idea of her being the head of a jack-in-a-box as a young Goten kept turning the handle, waiting for something to happen until his arms cramped. Yet, she would never pop out.

As Trunks peeled potatoes at the table, his eyes shifted from his task to his friend who had been laying down and staring at the ceiling. He noticed her unusual quietness and stoic expression, but then remember she told him about the trial medication was taking.

He felt sympathetic, but also a bit mad how oblivious her fiance was. Granted, he knew Goten was excited to leave West City and have a chance to see his friends on a regular basis for a short period. Yet, at the same time, Trunks wanted to throw the potato peeler at his head and shout—Hey! Something's going on with your future wife if you paid attention!—though, he respected that it wasn't his choice to make because it wasn't his truth to tell.

When he tried to focus on something else however, all that mercilessly troubled him was his embarrassing attempt of kissing Pan when unloading the plane. They had been playfully pushing and stealing the hat off and on the top of each other's heads when Bra exited and their other friends followed to settle in their campsite. With no one else around, he assumed it was a perfect opportunity to sneak a small peck. He was absolutely wrong.

He had her cornered against one of the back seats as her hand dangled the brown fedora away from him. He had found his way to her bare hips under her shirt and carefully as he could with two fingers, he slipped under her shorts and pulled on the waistband of her underwear. Surprised, she let out a girlish yelp and stared at him suspiciously.

"I am... very confused about how I feel about that," she finally giggled. He himself was surprised at the soft sound coming from her mouth, but nonetheless, it intrigued him. Her hands found their way to his face, slapping him gently between her palms before moving his hair out of his face. His lilac strands only came back to block his view again.

"Maybe I should grow my hair back out," he joked, nodding his head back to be free of the odd length of his hair. He had missed last week's hair appointment and now the ends tickled the apple of his cheeks. "We could compare lengths!"

"Uh," she lingered, thinking of an inappropriate innuendo that involved him flashing her and asking to measure—she stopped herself. "Don't. I think it's kind of cute that you want to look like your grandpa. It's endearing."

He cocked a smirk. "Is that so? I never knew you felt that way," he said, a little too happy to have his ego stroked. "Fine, I'll ask Bra if she can give me a trim... just because you asked nicely," he winked. That time, she rolled her eyes.

She felt his hands still roaming her sides when she faced him again. It felt strangely nostalgic to be in a backseat like this—not that they had been like this before—but maybe, there was just the same ease at this time like a good memory. Time was untouched, the scent in the air was unique, and there was a youthfulness that would fade later. For now, she just really wanted to kiss him.

She tugged on his shirt and he learned that was her way of asking without any real words. He leaned his head down to give into her small request when a small robot shouted, "PAN DYING! PAN DYING!"

Immediately, everyone came rushing back to the aircraft to catch them in their, um... compromising position. The two only blinked as four pairs of eyes looked at them suspiciously. Pan then—in her attempt of well-crafted improvisation—began to pretend to choke and cough as he took the hint and gave her a sloppy attempt of CPR. When she could breathe "properly again," she pushed off Trunks, thanked him for saving her, and then pushed him off again so it would look like they were bickering instead. Their four friends only glared at the small robot and scolded it about giving them false emergency alerts. The poor metal ball only sadly went to go pick up a grocery bag before flying back inside. (Trunks thankfully gave him a wrench that had been laying around, and told him to keep a secret.)

"Uh, Trunks?" Goten interrupted his thoughts. The lavender-haired friend only looked down to see his potato peeled into a hundred slithers around the cutting board.

"Oh! We, uh, could make our own potato chips!" he quickly said, plucking off another brown vegetable from the pile beside him.

"Whatever you say," Goten sighed, returning back to his pot. Though it was impossible because he knew out of everyone in his entire life, his best friend since birth would not even consider—the idea was simply absurd.

Goten closed the lid and glanced back at his friend at the table. There was just no chance in Dende's lifetime that it wouldn't even happen. He was simply imagining things because he was hungry and being in the desert was hot. Hunger and heat exhaustion usually caused delusions. Trunks was not—just simply would not—even think about fooling around with his beloved niece... scratch that, the little girl he practically raised and would sneak out of school just to grab an ice cream cone. She was practically still a child! And a tomboy. Pan liked fighting and wearing baggy jerseys, and he had a very distinct memory of her assuming all boys were partially toads.

It was all in his head. That was what he was going with.

"Did you forget something?" he asked.

"What?" Goten squinted.

Trunks laughed, "You look all dazed, man. I asked if you forgot something."

"Uh," he looked around the room and grabbed a random spice on the table. "I just needed some garlic salt. Sorry. I, um, forgot to balance the flavor in this steak. You know, some things just don't mix."


- LATE LUNCH/EARLY DINNER -

Bra stood up at the smell of rice cooking in a pot. She never understood why she found the smell so homely, but she guessed it was because it reminded her of going over to Pan's on some weekends. The kitchen at her own house had been so huge and equipped with plenty ventilation that she never really had the scent of hot meals roaming about halls and rooms. At Pan's house, she always smelled finished rice before Gohan (or one of the other frequent relatives) called the girls to eat. Smelling that indicated to her that the food was almost done.

The aqua-haired girl then made way outside, lifting her head up to see skywards. Her dad taught her once how to use her Saiyan senses to be more open to her surroundings, and it was a great tool to be more in touch in her line of work. If she concentrated hard enough, she saw the fight as clearly as she was beside it. Pan and Uub were basically just taunting each other at this point, which made her laugh. Though, she noticed one of them was holding back very much so.

"C'mon, Pan! You train with Vegeta every day only to come out weaker? You let him get to your head!" Uub chuckled as he wiped the corners of his mouth. She had got him a few times, but now she was running out of breath keeping up with him.

"Give a... girl a... break, will you?" she heaved, speeding up the pace of her words before she had to inhale again. She raised her arms back into her proper stance, shaking her head so her shoulders were free of her hair. "I've been a little distracted," she coughed before laughing faintly.

"This is not going to end well," Bra murmured to herself, knowing this tactic very well. In the sparse times she asked Pan to train her so she wouldn't fall behind, the same move was used on her. When will these boys learn to stop underestimating us, she thought.

"That's your excuse? I guess you're not the granddaughter of the strongest fighter in the universe, after all... but then again, you're also related to that poser world champion, and Goku did leave you to train me for a while there," the fighter smirked. Pan gnashed her teeth at him, getting angry with his arrogant insults. Uub only continue to grin his cheeky smile. This had been what their sparring matches at Korin's been like, and he had missed it very much.

Pan cocked her head sideways, stretching her neck before a small curve twitched on her lips. He couldn't see it. She hadn't even transformed yet. "You still don't get it, do you? Your master only needed to train me until I was four before he left with you. You had nearly a decade with him and what did that do? I still kicked your ass without breaking a sweat."

There was always a look in her eyes when she was in battle—one that was determined and showed the ferocity on her delicate face. It was a daring look that all her opponents hated because after all their efforts, she would only rise again and refuse to be beaten until she saw King Yemma herself. Her eyes never changed during fights, even playful sparring matches like this one. Her blood only thirsted for more, which was unfortunate for most.

"Are you going to stand there or are you going to finally hit me!" he called out, scowling a bit.

"Gladly."

She appeared beside him, then behind, and flicked him on the nose as she stood in front of his face upside down, devilishly grinning. As he swung, she caught his fist and purged him into the air. Before he could repel back down, Pan appeared above him and aimed down at his gut, sending him to the ground without much effort.

Bra only sighed as she walked nine paces, stood her ground, and held out her arms. As she waited, Goten stood at the doorway, ready to announce his feat in the kitchen. Being close to his mother certainly paid off because he could replicate her recipes almost exactly. If he didn't like his pet clinic, he was sure if he opened a restaurant, it would be a success.

"Oh, just give me a second," Bra replied. Soon enough, she caught Uub from hitting the ground and before he could create a crater of where their camp was. When he opened his eyes, a flush of crimson came over his brown skin as she held him like a bride being carried out of church. "You do know how to properly sense ki, right?" she asked him nonchalantly.

"Sure," Uub coughed.

"So you are aware that a fighter can hide their ki, even when they're supposed to be giving off random bursts when they fight," Bra finished, settling him down. He only felt his face become hotter as Pan finally touched the ground with a smile on her face.

"She played me?" He grimanced a look.

"So hard, man," the amateur chef in the pink apron laughed. "Don't worry about it though. She got me once like that too."

"Once?!" Bra snorted. "Try literally every time you pick a fight with her and underestimate girl fighters!" Goten only scratched the back of his head.

Pan walked towards her friend, stretching her limbs as she made way. "That was a great warm-up, Uub!" the quarter Saiyan yawned happily, slapping his aching back. "We should totally go at it again after we eat and before we sleep. Don't hold back next time!"

"Y-yeah, sure," her sparring partner coughed, dusting off his clothes. He could still feel the edges of her foot against his ribs, but decided to play it off coolly.

"Alright, let's eat. This trip is about fun and not training," interjected Goten as he made his way inside. The others followed with Pan jumping on Uub's back and laughing about it. Bra only rolled her eyes as she was the last one behind again. She was beginning to resent the fact that her best friend had a best friend.


- LATER -

Marron inattentively stored the leftovers in the plastic containers the boys bought earlier, just scooping and throwing a few things here and there. It was a menial task, and she was doing it haphazardly. After eating a bit, she noticed her mood returning to normal—however, normal included wondering anxiously of how she would talk to Goten. The trip had kept him busy enough, but soon, she wouldn't have a choice but to be alone with him.

She scoffed.

"Because normal girls are so afraid of being alone with the person who loves them unconditionally," she sighed to herself, closing the lids on some of the full containers. She made way to the fridge and put more of an effort in aligning the boxes neatly before throwing away the paper plates they used, washing the serving platters, and wiping down the counters. Now there was nothing else she could do.

She had stayed back from gathering the dragon ball just in case thieves found their camp—though, she was pretty positive Trunks only mentioned being ransacked because he noticed her lack of conversation during their late lunch and early dinner. Marron didn't mind though. If there were thieves, she knew how to protect herself. Like her father, she trained with Master Roshi and occasionally sparred with the human fighters that came to visit their island. She may not be able to destroy the planet single-handedly, but her chance of survival were better than most.

A small smile crept up on her lips, thinking of her parents complimenting her fighting skills. Though she knew they were relieved she decided to become a teacher instead of training with Vegeta, she also knew that if a time came, she wouldn't be rendered useless. That thought kept her spirits up as she decided that she wasn't given a setback.


- IN THE DESERT -

Pan jumped up and down as she grasped onto the two-star ball. The other ball on her head frantically held on to the brown hat she wore as she threw the wish orb in the air, only to jump twenty feet high and rapidly cascade down.

"Giru danger! Giru danger!" shouted the small robot as she touched ground for the seventh time. Pan then fell back onto the desert sand, appreciating the coldness that replaced the scorching heat. "Pan fall! Pan fall! Giru, Giru."

"No, silly," she laughed, looking up. Unlike the city, she was beautifully placed between soft sand and a starry sky. They reminded her of looking at the ceiling in Bra's room, and all the nice memories she collected in her lifetime. She also felt reminiscent of her childhood, sitting on the roof with her grandpas, Goku and Piccolo. "I'm just tired. I forgot that I can't use that much energy when I'm in my regular form. I need to catch my breath!" She offered a genuine smile and for once, the small robot was happy to accompany her.

Unlike the four people who decided to take their time to trail the dry land by foot, Pan had dashed her way to their destination with Giru screaming. Though it was a rule that they couldn't fly, no one ever said she couldn't run—and that she did! It only took her ten seconds to finish their walk and a minute to dig up the buried orange ball. However, the speed she needed to acquire for such a feat was more or less uneasy without glowing gold hair and bright green eyes—which was another rule.

Just another reason to train, she smiled to herself, adding a task to her mental goal list.

As she stood up, Giru scanned her with a red light to make sure she was indeed good to go. She dusted off the sand clinging onto her shorts and back before handing the ball to the small robot. "Store it after everyone else gets a chance to check it out. It'll make them more enthusiastic about finding the other ones. We're going to need some kind of initiative if we're slowing down to one ball every two weeks," she directed and the robot happily obliged. She then fell back to levitate herself on a bed of ki, crossing her legs and throwing her arms behind her head. She would never admit it, but she smiled when she saw the small robot do the same.

Pan waited for the others to catch up, knowing they'd probably like to enjoy their stroll. She imagined Bra using her wits to fool Goten and Uub in a clever riddle as Trunks sighed, wishing she'd give them a break. Uub would have taken the time to ask her questions and tell Bra his theories to figure out the answer. Meanwhile, Goten would give up after she refused to give the answer within a minute, and be distracted by his surroundings. Bra then would ask Trunks what he thought the answer was, but he would pretend to be uninterested to keep it to himself. He was smart like that, which she always liked.

Staring at constellations only reminded her of the people she was on this adventure with. The more she thought about her friends, the more she felt safe. As powerful as she was in physical strength, she learned from an early age that true resilience came from her connections to the world and how hard she fought to protect it. With her friends, she had something to live for and a home she could return to if she ever strayed.

A thought then made her feel uneasy. She remembered a time in the last months of her year off, the night she decided that she wouldn't return back to her university. She was living on Mount Paozu and had finished the last repairs of the small house when the screams of an injured young bear echoed outside her temporary home. Pan followed the animal inside a cave, hoping to use her special technique to at least stop its pain.

Then that's when it happened—the ceiling of the cave came to an abrupt fall by the agonizing yelps of the bear. She flew as fast as she could to cover it before the rocks fell above them. When it settled, she moved what she could to free the small creature as gruff sounds of a larger animal waited outside. When she stepped out of the rubble herself, she could see the child bear reuniting with its parent, relieved that no loss was taken that night.

However, it was in that moment—that sweet moment she had faith in the good in the world—Pan was forced to learn she wasn't indestructible. As easily as one of the sharp stalactites above her dropped, as easily as she fell. In an attempt to jump out of the way, she had been stabbed through her stomach and pinned down to the debris beneath her feet. She was in shock and couldn't control her fast heart.

She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. She feared the other hanging rocks would only do the same to the rest of her. She was wishing somebody, anybody would come to find her. She didn't care if it was Piccolo—or even Vegeta pulling her out to just fight her again. She would've taken a black eye over laying there, absolutely helpless and forced to just wait with diminishing hope. She had spent her whole life being her own hero, and there she was—the villain of her own coming death.

She was the one who decided to take a year off to travel alone. She was the one who had been hiding for so long that the ones she missed were only left with waiting for her return. She was the one who walked into the damn cave in the first place.

"You're a fucking idiot, you know that?" She barely managed to whisper as she bit down her jaw to conceal her groan. She knew she was crying, but pretended it was anything but tears. Blood dripping from her eyes felt less pathetic than crying in a dark cave alone.

It was ridiculous! A bullet couldn't penetrate through her. She was from a family that cheated death more than once. She had trained every day of her life to be invincible... but yet, she wasn't. Her skin was fragile to a scratch by a nail, her bones could break by a simple fall, and her hope was easily shattered by her own faults.

As she laid there in a puddle of her own waste, she thought of all the things she would've done if she went back home. She would officially drop out of school and be unapologetic about it. She would find another hobby or get a job—maybe a part-time one at a studio or as a waitress, just something unrelated to fighting so she had some balance again. She would ask Vegeta to be her teacher once more because he took her seriously as a fighter, and was kind to her when she wasn't kind to herself. She would spend more time with her parents, read some of her dad's studies and ask her mom to teach her how to cook. She'd make it up to Bra for leaving abruptly and missing her birthday, and she wouldn't let Trunks or anybody else's rejection have authority of what she thought of herself. She was going to go back, appreciate her very rich life, and stop being so stubborn and so angry at things that weren't under her control.

To this day, she never understood how she made it out of there. A part of her believed she ascended past her natural Super form and blacked out from the lost of blood. However, she woke up outside of the cave, no puncture wounds, and greeted by the small bear that waited for her to come out. That night, she flew to a gas station at the bottom of the mountain and called Bra to tell her she was going home. After a minute of squealing, she knew Bra would call everyone in the phone book to let them know of the news. She went back that exact next morning, woke her parents up with breakfast, and didn't look back at her promise since.

Now, she was headed for another adventure with Mount Paozu being the last destination before home. As she saw Uub, Trunks, Goten, and Bra up a dirt hill, she and Giru waved their arms and held the dragon ball up high. The four friends slid down, cheering and excited to share it with Marron who was back at camp. It was in that moment, Pan felt extremely thankful.


- BACK AT CAMP -

When they finally made it back, they found Marron curled up asleep. They guessed walking over twenty miles took longer than expected. Giru held up the dragon ball, unsure of what to do next.

"Go ahead and eat it, buddy." Goten encouraged. The robot happily stored it inside his mouth. "She was already tired on the ride here and I can't blame her for being unable to wait." He bent over to kiss her on her forehead and carry her to the only room of their capsule house.

Bra settled on the empty seat with Trunks beside her and Uub beside him. Pan turned around after grabbing a banana and huffed when she had to sit on the dining chairs instead.

"Oh, c'mon. You're just going to sit all the way over there?" Bra teased. She patted her brother's thighs with an evil grin. "You can sit right here on this doofus. His forehead is much more comfortable than the back of that chair."

"Hey! You had a good chance of having his forehead and eyebrows too," Trunks retorted, trying to hide his rosy cheeks. To his surprise, Pan planted herself right on his lap and scoffed to his sister who only giggled into her hand. He had look to at Uub as she leaned back and made herself more comfortable.

He brushed a hand over his mohawk when he felt turquoise eyes directed at him. "Um, can I help you?" Uub asked, forcing Trunks to find another place to advert his eyes.

He turned to see Bra grinning to herself. Of course, she was up to something. When he looked down, Pan was already looking up at him. "Want some?" she offered a piece of her fruit. He ate it because he was hungry, not because she was feeding him.

Bra leaned against her brother's shoulder, sighing in accomplishment. She managed to disregard Uub like he had done to her, make her brother slightly uncomfortable, and help her best friend out in a single move. She was good. On their walk back, every time she tried to talk to Pan, there was Uub. Goten only chose to talk to Giru so she was forced to make awkward conversation with Trunks about spinach. She figured it was a way to get them all back, and now she waited for Goten to come back to the room.

After tucking in Marron and changing into pajamas, Goten made his way back out and furrowed his eyebrows at his niece being on top of his best friend. Was he serious?

"Anything wrong, Goten?" Bra chimed, seeing the discomfort in his face. Only Uub looked up as Pan shared her banana with Trunks who was now looking at the ceiling as a last resort. He opened up his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the blue-haired girl. "If you're going to use the bathroom, then hurry. We wanted you to go first to get back to Marron."

"R-right," he nodded, turning to the door behind him. When he left, Bra only grinned to herself even more.

"What are you so happy about?" Pan asked.

"I should ask you the same thing," she replied back, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "One of us can take the couch and there's the pull out murphy bed that can fit two unless two people would rather sleep on the floor together."

"How nice, B. You're sleeping on the floor with me?" Pan rebutted. Her best friend only laughed, knowing it was time to quit before she became the ring master of the mess of their lives. She wondered what she would do without Pan—no, she knew. She would've taken over the world by now if her best friend's disappointment didn't weigh heavily on her conscience.

Goten came out a moment later, however, with a disappointed look that was far worse that what Pan could conjure up. He was holding a small pill bottle with the label torn off, looking back and forth between it and everyone on the couch.

"I found these pills and I want everyone to be straight with me," Goten said sternly, catching the attention of everyone seated. "Did any of you bring drugs on his trip? That's not cool."

"Wha—" Before she could finished, her brother raised his hand like he was a child being scolded by his teacher.

"That's, uh, mine," Trunks coughed, causing the people around him to glare. He was aware of who those pills belonged too and seeing that no one else did, he could only protect a secret that was entrusted with him. He hated the disappointment in his best friend's face—but more importantly, he was detecting anger from the usually peaceful man.

"You of all—what the hell did you bring this for?" Goten snapped. He remembered the clubs Trunks would take him too and the crowd that came along with it. However, he never suspected him participating with them. That was a different low.

Pan turned her body to look at him, if Goten's look wasn't enough. "Why did you bring those for?" she furrowed her brows.

"Are you dying?" Bra asked bluntly.

"No! Its not like that, I swear," he argued. He had to think of an excuse quick, and he was not proud of the answer. At all. Sometimes, he just didn't think and he knew he would be cursing himself to sleep.

"Well, what is it?" Pan asked for everyone else.

"Pills for erectile dysfunction!" he said it. He regretted it. He could've said he had a terminal illness to gain sympathy, but that rolled off his tongue naturally. He was of age now!

A sullen look came upon Goten's face, causing him to gulp and quickly put the pill bottle on top of the table. "Oh," was all he could actually manage.

"Yeah!" Trunks could've shouted that less prouder, but he had to sell it. It was his lie, and he was going for it. He noticed Bra and Uub looking away from him as Pan changed her glare to wide eyes. "Look, it's not something I like to talk about. Alright, guys? It happens! I'm getting older now."

"Yeah, cool," Goten finally said. "Uh, we love you still and support you, and... you know, all that crap. Good night."

"Goten! You're—" The door closed before he could finish. Trunks was actually a bit disappointment at the lack of attention he was getting. If he did have E.D., his friends sucked at being positive about it. "Guys?" he tried.

"Well, uh, we should be getting to bed now," Uub spoke for the girls as he rose from the seat. "Who's sleeping where?"

Bra immediately stood up next. "You can take the couch. I'm taking the bed. Since I'm mad at Pan, she can take the floor with Trunks," she declared.

"Hey! What are you mad at me for?" the dark haired girl spoke up. "Why do I have to sleep with him instead of you?"

"Uh, I'm sitting right here," Trunks tried to chime, but neither girl seemed to pay attention.

Bra scoffed, "I'll tell you what I'm mad about when we wake up tomorrow! It can wait, seriously."

"If it can wait, then why can I sleep on the bed with you?" she asked again. Bra rolled her eyes.

"Just sleep with him! What are you scared of? It's not like he's going to get a boner being next to you anyway... even if he could! What do you think the pills are for!"

Trunks only felt himself sinking lower into the seat and covering his face with his hands.

The things I do for my friends, he thought.


A/N: And that's a wrap... for now! Poor Trunks, he's such a trooper but he's a very good friend for taking the fall. He spent the whole day basically helping Marron get space to think, but thankfully it helped her a lot. She's ready, and this small act will go a loooong way for the future. Luckily, Bra's the one who's resentful of Uub's presence (I was feeling really nice to the boys ok). I figured no better way to start their relationship development than by Bra tormenting Uub! She needed a hobby this summer while she's out of her lab anyway. (Cue evil laughs.)

BUT ALSOOOO! The excerpt of Pan's memory may be insignificant now, but I honestly can't wait for you guys to read what I have planned. Like, I am SO READY! During this whole week, I decided that Trunks and Pan deserved their own separate arcs that weren't about getting together. I really didn't want this story to be about two halves completing each other, but more about two different people coming together. These two are so fiercely independent that I would hate to contradict their characterization because I, in laymen's terms, want them to pork. But yeah!

miyako saku: Hiiii! Hope you've enjoyed the story so far because this is a safe place for those who like Trunks and Pan together! (Though I will admit, it's not going to be easy buuuut lots of cute moments coming soon.) We'll get through this arc together.

Nice Guest: You're back! I hope you like this update. Thank you so much for the compliments! I really do try my best to make the characters in this story feel relatable and more personal because that's what stories are for and I really hope you continue to follow this story!

LVR4Trunks-n-Vegeta: All the questions in your review made me step my game up so HARD while I was writing. I hope that a majority of what you asked is answered or at least, there's a clue of the future storyline going on. Thank you for following the story!

trunkspanlover89: I just want to screenprint and like, hang all of your reviews on my wall because they're so thoughtful and I really appreciate having this conversation with a reader because it puts so much perspective of what's going on here besides just posting some writing online. I go through fanfics of my favorite characters all the time when I need to cheer up so it's really cool to be on the other end and I really hope this continues to give you a safe place to relax and enjoy yourself. But anyway, for our favorite, I promise Trunks is not going to suffer (as much!). But my regards are to your mom, and please don't feel the pressure to keep writing reviews if you're busy. I feel immense gratitude that can last me a lifetime with all you've written me so far!

PenguinsHockey14: Helllo! Welcome back. Thank you so much for the review because I've been having this thought of the parents coming together and talking in my head about their theories of what's going on during this trip. I can't even focus myself to write it because I keep laughing about Vegeta being so supportive of this ship and then Piccolo just has war flashbacks of watching kid Trunks getting into trouble with Goten. I hope you've liked what's going on so far!

tpan: Hi! I hope you've liked the update! But yeah, I wanted to make the age difference a thing in story because, well, I love Trunks and I think it was nice to have a story where he's dating someone younger and it isn't... creepy? I just wanted to stray away from an adult man kissing a little girl in middle school for sure. I hope you keep reading and thank you!

Alright, I could spoil what happens next but I'll only give you three previews/hints: 1) the five star ball is in a peculiar place, 2) somebody kisses somebody they shouldn't, and 3) people are watching them! Until next time.