Disclaimer: I do not own the Dragon Ball characters or legacy. All rights are reserved to the companies that own them.
Pan and Trunks: Romance and Reason
Chapter 8: Into the Room of Space and Time
The next morning was déjà vu to Pan, with one major difference. Pan had chosen to put herself into the predicament and she was going to accept the consequences. Opening her eyes slowly and looking up she was very surprised to find Trunks looking down at her and twisting a piece of her long hair around his finger. When he saw that she was looking up at him he smiled down at her before rolling out of the bed to stand. Pan blinked several times before crawling out of the bed as well.
"Good morning," Trunks said with a grin.
"Morning," Pan replied with a blush staring down nervously at her hands.
"I'm going to go grab breakfast. Are you going to head that way as well?" Trunks asked sounding far too casual for Pan.
"I think I'm going to grab a shower first. Can you make sure there is some food left over for me?" Pan asked trying to sound as casual as Trunks was. Trunks nodded and then walked out the door.
Pan's brain was on autopilot as she began to walk towards the shower area she was almost at the door when she remembered she needed to grab some things from her bag to change into. Turning around she made her way back to her assigned bunk and gathered up her stuff before once more making her way into the bathroom to shower and change.
When she finally finished and had made her way outside it was to find an almost empty table with piles of dishes, and Saiyan's that were patting their stomachs in content. Pan noticed that there didn't seem to be much of a selection for her to choose from but she moved towards the table anyways.
"Pan where have you been this morning?" Videl asked noticing her daughters distraught look at the lack of food.
"I took a shower before coming out here to eat. Is there enough for me?" Pan asked pulling a plate in front her and trying to decide what she would be able to eat of the left overs.
Before Pan could spear anything with her chopsticks she was lifted out of her chair and placed down on the lap on one very content lavender haired Saiyan. Pan blinked several times before looking down at the plate in front of her that was piled with her favorites. She dug in not caring how she came to be seated in front of the food. It was as she was stuffing her eighth pancake in her mouth that she noticed all the noise around her had stopped and that everyone was staring at her.
"Is it good?" Trunks whispered in her ear as he leaned forward, alerting her to where she was seated as well as why everyone was staring at her.
Pan could do nothing but nod in response her face turning bright red in response. Trunks noticed that she had stopped eating and frowned slightly before nudging her to make her continue to eat. Pan only shook her head squirming on his lap. Trunks reached around her capturing a sausage in between his chopsticks and bringing it up in front of her face trying to tempt her to eat, but Pan was too embarrassed. It wasn't until Pan heard Vegeta laugh that Trunks turned his attention away from her and realized they were in a very public venue.
"Father?" Trunks asked keeping his voice very low.
"Don't father me brat. You need to be more aware of your surroundings. It seems your mate is not one for public displays," Vegeta replied and watched as Pan squirmed once more.
Trunks sighed and released his hold on Pan who shot out of his lap with a plate of food and dashed inside once more. She walked to her bed and fell onto the mattress scarfing down the rest of the food before falling face forward into her pillow. The noise Pan was making startled the still sleeping Bra awake. Bra jerked up and looked around for what had awoken her and when her eyes settled on Pan she figured she had located the source of the noise.
"What's wrong Pan?" Bra asked sitting up and stretching.
Pan continued to groan into her pillow sounding like she was trying to explain her problem, but not being easy to understand. All Bra could understand from her mumbling was something about Vegeta, Trunks, and men being idiots. Deciding that she was going to have to press Pan to get any good answers out of the girl, Bra stood from her bed and flopped down on the side of Pan's.
"Does this have anything to do with the reason you haven't spent the last two nights in your own bed?" Bra asked with a grin.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Pan exclaimed banging her head on the pillow in front of her several times, "I'm an idiot and so is your damn brother!"
"Uh-oh what did he do?" Bra asked crossing her arms.
"He pulled me onto his lap during breakfast. That apparently didn't bother me too much however because instead of trying to get away I started to scarf down all the food he saved for me. What's wrong with me?" Pan complained continuing to beat her head into her pillow.
"Well if I started to list off all of those reasons then we might be sitting here all day," Bra responded with a laugh. Pan lifted her head from the pillow to glare at her best friend. Bra cleared he throat before continuing, "You can't honestly tell me you haven't at least started to figure it out yet."
"Figured out what?" Pan responded oblivious to what Bra was insinuating.
"Figure out that you are and have been for some time in love with my brother," Bra replied and at the look of shock on her best friends face she continued, "Pan, you have had feelings for Trunks since you have been walking. Sure those feelings started out in the friend category, but you know you were pretty much in love with him when he left. Now suddenly he returns and here his is basically throwing himself at you, but suddenly you can't get away from him fast enough."
"I have not!" Pan exclaimed sitting up quickly.
"Really you can honestly say that. I know what your reasoning is, don't get me wrong. You are looking at someone who is going to be a permanent fixture in your life and it scares you, but if you don't hurry up and make a decision he's going to be hurt. Then that relationship is going to be altered in such a way that you may never be able to regain what you've had with Trunks for the last eighteen years of your life. Just because a relationship becomes romantic doesn't mean that you have to lose the friendship part," Bra explained and Pan's eyes widened.
"When did you get so smart?" Pan asked teasingly.
"Hey, I don't read all those magazines for nothing. You can do all the fighting you want but I know a lot more about boys," Bra replied and the two dissolved into giggles.
Pan knew that Bra was right and that her biggest obstacle was the fact that she was feeling rushed, even though she knew Trunks wasn't pushing her in anyway. She also knew that she would be sharing a 'yearlong' day with him in less than an hour. She knew something was going to happen in that chamber, but she didn't want to give it too much thought. She was proud of him that he had figured out a way to keep his Saiyan impulses at bay until she was ready, but she could also tell that it was causing him pain.
"Pan your father is coming out of the room," Videl called from the doorway and with a nod Pan stood up and walked towards her mother.
"What is it mom? You look like you have something on your mind," Pan asked her mother as they walked towards the room.
"I have a lot of things on my mind and don't know where to begin. Pan you have grown up right before my eyes and it seems now that we need to have this conversation before this thing with Trunks becomes anything more or anything more happens," Videl said softly and Pan felt the red blush that was becoming common for her stain her cheeks once more.
"Mom," Pan muttered looking down at the floor.
"You knew this conversation was bound to happen at some point. I've very concerned about you going into that room with no one but Trunks and not knowing how you truly feel about it. I understand the reasoning, but I'm not sure I accept it. Unlike your father however I can come to terms with it if that's what you want. After all I knew you and Trunks belonged together several years ago," Videl said with a laugh stopping to lean back against a wall.
"What do you mean?" Pan asked.
"There are just some things that a mother knows Pan. Now my concern with this whole misguided adventure you and Trunks are about to embark on is that you will become so wrapped up in it that you will forget about everything else. I don't want you to forget about important things like your future," Videl continued.
"Mom, you and I both know that the plan is for me to go to college after graduation," Pan replied not catching onto what her mother was trying to subtly hint at.
"Yes and that's terribly hard if you are also raising children on the side. Not that I don't think Trunks would be a good father it's just that I don't really see him agreeing to give up his day job to be a stay at home dad. Now don't get me wrong he wouldn't pressure you into giving up your dreams either, but you'll find yourself wanting to do just that," Videl explained shaking her head. Pan got the distinct impression that her mother was speaking from experience.
"Mom, I love you, but you're kind of scaring me," Pan said bringing her arms over her head in a nervous gesture.
"I guess, what I'm really saying is that I want you to try to wait until you are ready to have children," Videl said bluntly causing Pan to freeze mid step.
"Wait to have ch-chi-children?" Pan stuttered out finally understanding what her mother was concerned about.
Videl began to walk once more leaving a wide-eyed Pan frozen to the spot. Pan blinked a few times before running to catch up with her mother. The deep blush on her cheeks let Videl know that her daughter hadn't given any thought to what might actually happen in the time chamber. It also allowed Pan to realize how serious this situation was and that it was long-term and not short-term.
When they reached the room where the Time Chamber door was Gohan and Goten were already standing outside it. Both men looked beat, but there were grins on their faces. Gohan walked over to his wife and daughter wrapping his arms around them and pulling them into a hug, placing a kiss on top of each of their heads. Pan looked up at her dad with a smile which he was returning as well. Apparently the year in that room had given him some time to relax and Pan couldn't even begin to imagine what was going to happen to her during that year she was in the room.
"Alright Trunks, Pan, it's time," Goku called out alerting Pan that it was her turn to go into the room.
"Now when you exit the rest of us might already be embroiled in a battle, we don't know yet. You must spend the next year furthering your abilities as much as you possibly can. You can save your other activities for the few hours a night you sleep," Vegeta explained and Pan nodded before catching what he was hinting at.
"Trunks, I expect her not to be pregnant when she exits this room," Goku announced to Trunks.
"Grandpa!" Pan exclaimed whipping her head around to stare at the person she never expected to make such a comment.
"It's a year and the Brat wants to bond with you, it is a possibility, but you have to be able to fight as well. We don't need an overprotective mate running bullheaded after his pregnant mate," Vegeta explained looking first at Pan and then turning towards his son.
"She'll be fine," Trunks said softly from the place he was leaning against the wall. He flashed a grin at his father that was much too similar to his father's.
"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," Vegeta muttered softly before ushering the two towards the chamber door.
The two entered side by side as the door shut behind them. Goku and Vegeta shared a look as they wondered what exactly would take place between Pan and Trunks as the door shut in front of them.
