4- Captivation

Spring

"Good morning, Sunshine!"

Nineteen-year-old Trunks grumbled as he peeked a tired eye open. Endou was standing in front of him, his black hair a mess as usual on the top of his head. Without speaking, Endou walked over to the curtains and pulled them open, causing Trunks to close his eyes tightly and hiss at the sudden light. His head was killing him.

"Such a beautiful morning!" Endou's chipper voice sighed.

"How are you not dead on your feet?" Trunks grumbled from under his blankets. "You had more drinks than me last night."

"Talent and tolerance, my friend."

Trunks peeked his eye out from under his covers to glare at the older Saiyan who was smirking at him. Endou was the son of one of father's long-time friend, Radtiz. The two boys had grown up together and so Endou was more like an annoying relative than anything else.

"Get out of my room before I banish you."

"You've been threatening me with banishment for the last decade," Endou smirked. "I'll believe it when it actually happens. Plus, you need me for mornings like this because you've obviously forgotten."

"Forgotten what?" Trunks grumbled as he finally sat up.

"We have to go to earth for a trade."

"Shit," Trunks hissed under his breath. "And you let me drink last night!" He glared at Endou as he stumbled out of his bed.

"It's not like I held your hand behind your back or anything," the man laughed. "Here," he said, finally holding out a wrapper and water bottle to Trunks. "For your hangover."

Trunks grabbed the items and took the medicine quickly. "How much time do we have left?"

Endou glanced down at his wrist and tapped his bracelet which displayed the time- 9:45. "It's about fifteen minutes until we're supposed to depart," he said easily. "And ten until our fathers find us and yell at us for being late."

"Endou, you bastard!" Trunks cussed as he dashed around his room to grab his clothes and armor. "If you ever take me drinking the night before a trade or raid again- I really will banish you!" He yelled before running into his bathroom.

Endou just threw his head back and laughed.

"There you two are," Radtiz grumbled as Trunks and Endou walked to the parting deck.

"Sorry Appa, the Prince was still sleeping," Endou said.

"Shut up," Trunks elbowed him with a huff.

"Trunks," Vegeta said as he walked up. "Remember to stay on the ship. Just sign the papers."

"I know," Trunks sighed. It was like this every time they traded with earth. As the Prince, his presence was supposed to be known but not seen. For some reason, his father didn't trust the earthlings and Trunks couldn't really blame him. They were selfish and weak creatures.

"You brats ready?" Radtiz asked as he raised a brow. He glanced at Trunks, waiting for his command as the Royal in charge.

"Let's go," Trunks sighed. The sooner they got to the earth, the sooner they could come back home.

Fifteen-year-old Pan entered the dining room with a small frown. For the room to be as big as it was, it was empty. Her mother and Uncle Yamcha were away on a trading deal to the planet Titan and Gohan usually was so busy in the mornings that he didn't have time to eat with them. Pan took her seat near the far end of the table and stared at the plate that was already waiting for her. With a small sigh she glanced at the empty seat in front of her. It was Goten's chair.

It had been three years since Goten's disappearance and the wound he had left behind in Pan's heart just grew deeper. He had been her best friend and when he left, things just didn't seem as bright anymore. Her mother always tried her best to hide her sadness, but Pan knew she was devastated on the inside. Gohan dove deeper into the politics of running a kingdom, trying to be the best of the best and her uncle was usually off somewhere making treaties. Pan spent a good portion of her time alone.

Pan didn't mind being alone, in fact, over the last few years, she had come to enjoy it. She ate in silence as she thought about her dream from the night before. For the last several months, she had been having the strangest dreams and when she woke up she usually only remembered pieces of the dreams. Some of the things she always remembered though were; lavender hair that was wild like fire. Arctic blue eyes- the prettiest eyes she had ever seen before. A teasing smirk that showed perfect, white teeth and a name- Panna.

The name was strangely similar to Pan's and she wondered if the name was meant for her. Did that mean she knew the person in her dreams? Perhaps, he was someone she was destined to meet.

After finishing her meal, Pan wiped her mouth before heading back to room to grab her things so she could go to her secret spot. She was halfway there when she ran into Gohan and Lapis.

"Good morning, Panny," Gohan greeted with a smile.

"Princess," Lapis gave a polite bow.

"Good morning," Pan told the two of them.

"Have you already eaten?" Gohan asked.

"I have," Pan smiled with a nod. "It was delicious, as always."

"Good," Gohan said. "Listen Panny, I'm glad I ran into you. I know you still like to go to the clearing once breakfast is over, and so I would really like it if a guard went with you today."

"Huh?" Pan's eyes widened. "Gohan, you promised me that once I turned fifteen, you'd let me go by myself," she told him with a frown. She understood why he was so protective of her since Goten had run away, but Pan deserved her freedom.

"I know," he sighed. A hand came up to run the across the bridge of his nose. "The Saiyans will be here today to trade," he let out a huff as he lowered his hand. "They're monsters Panny, you know that. They work right under Frieza."

"But Frieza is making them trade with us, they wouldn't do anything to make him angry," Pan reasoned. She didn't understand why so many people were afraid of the Saiyans just because they worked under Frieza. The way Pan saw it was that they were practically prisoners under Frieza's rule. They couldn't do anything to anger him for fear that they would all be destroyed. "Plus, the trading deck is on the west side of the castle, the stream is in the east," she added. "I won't even see the Saiyans. Please, Gohan."

He let out another heavy sigh. "You know I'm just worried about you."

"I know," Pan reached out and grabbed one of his hands. She gave it a comforting squeeze. "I promise that if I see anything strange I'll come straight back to the castle," she told him.

"Okay," he nodded. "I trust you, Panny."

"Thank you, Han!" She told him with a beaming smile before she dashed past him to her room so she could get her things.

The ride to the earth was about two hours long when the ship was at max speed. Thankfully, it wasn't as long as some raids were, because being cramped in a ship with several other dudes for days at a time, was not good. His mother really needed to update the ship's structures.

"Trunks," Endou stepped in front of Trunks once the ship landed. "Appa and I will go meet up with the advisors and get the paperwork done."

"Yeah, yeah," Trunks nodded with a sigh.

Soon, it was just him on the ship and he tilted his head back against the captain's seat. Although Trunks was glad he didn't have to put up with the humans, he was bored. Sometimes a trade could take several hours at a time and his job was just to sit there. He hated it.

With a sigh, Trunks pressed a button and opened a window overhead. The weather on the earth was a little bit chillier than Vegeta-Sei's and he could hear the faint sound of birds chirping. Trunks closed his eyes and leaned his head back. Perhaps, he could take a nap.

A faint noise made Trunks' ears perk and he opened his eyes. Curiously, he floated up to the window and glanced around the surrounding area. He only saw soldiers and he frowned, no way could any of them have made that sound. It was too soft and delicate. Tilting his head and straining his ears, Trunks could still hear the gentle voice singing. It was coming towards the east side of the castle.

Trunks had the strangest feeling of wanting to know who was making that sound. He glanced around, making sure that Endou or Radtiz wasn't around before he jumped out of the window. Before anyone could see him, he dashed into the nearby woods. He could go around the castle like this and as long as he followed that voice, he'd reach her.

To Trunks' surprise, he found himself in a wide clearing. He glanced around it curiously. There was a small stream that ran through it, with a waterfall several yards away. There seemed to be a little garden off to the side as well as if someone was taking good care of the place.

The soft singing grew closer and Trunks gasped before he jumped up into a nearby tree. The person was coming here- he would be able to see who it was then!

It was a young human girl. She seemed to be just a few years younger than him and Trunks watched as she moved some of her dark hair behind her back. She set down a picnic basket she was carrying and stretched as she walked into a sunny spot near the bank of the stream.

Trunks furrowed his brows as he looked at her. She was short and petite. No doubt she was weak since her body looked frail. She glanced his way and Trunks' eyes widened. She had the darkest eyes he had ever seen, and she seemed to be looking straight at him. She couldn't have spotted him. No, he was stealthily hidden in the trees and no mere human could spot him.

Suddenly, she turned her attention back towards the lake. "It's a beautiful day," she said to no one in particular but it had Trunks' ears ringing.

Trunks watched as she turned around and went back to her picnic basket. She pulled out a blanket, which she laid under a big shady tree before nestling down on it. She then pulled out a book from the basket and started reading. Trunks tilted his head slightly. Is that all she was going to do? Read? What a boring person. Why had he even followed her again?

For several minutes, Trunks sat and watched her read. It was the strangest thing. She wasn't doing anything interesting and yet he wanted to continue to watch her. With a small sigh, Trunks knew he had to get back to the ship before Raditz and Endou got there and noticed he was gone. With one last look at the earthling, he turned and went back to his ship.

Pan let out a small sigh when she felt the presence of someone watching her leave. At first, she had thought it was a soldier sent by Gohan, but the longer she felt that someone was there, the more she started to think that maybe it wasn't a soldier. If it wasn't a soldier then Pan hadn't a clue as to who it could have been.

With a small sigh, she glanced towards the stream. She thought for just a second, that maybe, just maybe, the guest was a Saiyan? They were at the palace, it was possible it could have been one of them. Maybe they were too shy and that's why they stayed hidden?

Pan wondered if the guest would come back. If they were a Saiyan then they probably wouldn't, but if they were someone else then it could be possible. Pan smiled softly. She had gotten used to being alone over the last several years, but having a friend didn't sound so bad.

"Welcome back!" Bulma greeted as Trunks walked off the ship with Radtiz and Endou. "How was it?"

"The same as always," Trunks said with a sigh. "I was stuck on the ship. Endou and Radtiz did all the work."

"I think I'm going to sneeze," Endou groaned as he rubbed his nose. "The earth always makes my allergies flare up around this time of year."

Bulma frowned at him. "You best go to the medical wing and get some medicine."

Trunks watched his friend go with a small frown. The earth did have a lot of pollen in its air, then again, it was filled with all types of bright planets that weren't on Vegeta-Sei.

"Trunks," Vegeta walked towards him.

"Appa, here," he handed him the paperwork. "According to Raditz, they'll be ready for another trade in a quarter of a year."

Vegeta nodded as he looked at the paperwork. "Good job," he told his son.

"I didn't do anything," Trunks muttered.

"Trunks, it's for your safety," Bulma told him with a small frown. "What if someone tries to kidnap you because your the Saiyan Prince and uses you for ransom?"

"Eomma," Trunks let out a small snort. "Do you really think I would let some human kidnap me?"

Bulma let out a small sigh. "You never know what they might do. They have other ways of captivating you and getting your attention, you know."

Trunks frowned slightly as he thought back to the human girl on the earth. What his mother said was true. The girl had done absolutely nothing and yet Trunks couldn't help but be captivated by her. Maybe it was just because he was curious.

"You worry too much, Bulma," Vegeta rolled his eyes. "But enough talking about the earth. Trunks, your cyborg is here."

"Marron?" Trunks raised a brow. "She's not supposed to be here for another month."

"I know," Vegeta grunted. "But her mother insisted on coming today."

Trunks let out a sigh. He knew his father didn't care for the Cyborg Queen, but for the sake of their alliance, he was civil. "Okay," he said as he walked towards the castle.

"Trunks," Marron grinned as he found her near the east wings library.

"Mar," Trunks grinned back.

Trunks had always thought Marron was pretty. She had shining blond hair that she always kept neatly pulled back and her eyes were a dark blue. When his parents told him that he was to be engaged to her, he didn't find anything wrong with it. The woman had been around several times throughout his childhood, so he knew her well. He didn't love her, not like a lover at least, he saw her more like a sister. At least Marron was something nice to look at, and yet, Trunks couldn't help but compare her to the human girl. Her hair was dark and wild and - Trunks shook his head quickly.

"Are you alright?" Marron asked. "You zoned out for several seconds."

Trunks let out a sigh. "Your father is human, right?"

"Yes," Marron nodded. "You just came back from a trade from earth, didn't you?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Do you go visit the earth often?"

"Not really," Marron frowned. "My mother doesn't like it so the last time Dad and I went was about five years ago. What has you so curious about the earth?" She asked.

"I'm not sure," Trunks sighed truthfully. He gave her a small smile and shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had to stop thinking about that human girl!

Marron returned his smile and grabbed his arm. "Alright then. Walk me to dinner?"

"Yeah," Trunks nodded. "Let's go." Food would be the perfect thing to get his mind off the girl.

"He stepped down, trying not to look long, as if she were the sun,

Yet he saw her,

Like the sun,

Even without looking."

-Leo Tolstoy