10- Dancing

Early Fall

"I'm not apologizing," Trunks said as he heard his bedroom door open.

He heard his father's sigh and he turned around to see Vegeta's unamused face. "I wasn't here to tell you to apologize to that damn cyborg," he said. "I wish I could have been the one to say it but your Eomma would have made me sleep on the couch for a week if I had."

Trunks snickered. "I figured that's who sent you."

"Unfortunately not," Vegeta muttered.

Trunks noticed the lines between Vegeta's brows and he frowned. He knew that look well. "Frieza's contacted you, didn't he?" He asked although he knew the answer.

"Yes," Vegeta nodded. "There's a raid on a planet a day's journey from here. It's a small planet. Shouldn't take you but a few hours to make them surrender."

Trunks let out a heavy sigh and crossed his arms over his chest. He had wanted to go and visit Pan to see how she was feeling but it would have to wait a few days now. When Frieza sent out an order of a raid it was not a wise decision to ignore it.

"Okay," Trunks told Vegeta. "I'll get ready."

Vegeta nodded slowly, "I'll send word to Radtiz and Endou."

"What happened next, Cha-Cha?" Pan asked with a grin.

"Well, just as that nasty space lynx charged towards me, I jumped right on its back!" Yamcha told her with an animated voice as he moved his hands around frantically. "It bucked like crazy trying to knock me off, but there's this spot in its hips and I was able to press my heels in there and calm it down. Turns out, he had a nasty thorn in one of his front paws and the medic on my team got it out. After that, it ran about to do its own business."

Chi-Chi who was sitting in a chair not far away from them let out a snort. "He's telling you stories, Panny," she told her daughter.

"Hey, these stories are true!" Yamcha told her. "Plus, Panny enjoys them, don't you?"

"Mhm," Pan nodded with a smile. "It must be amazing getting to go to all those planets," she told her uncle with a sigh. She was stuck on the Earth and she knew it. With her health like it was the chances of her getting to visit any planets were little to none because there would be no telling how the travel would affect her.

"It's nice," Yamcha nodded. "But my favorite place to be is home with everyone," he grinned.

"Panny," Gohan beamed as he walked into the sitting room where they all were. "I'm so glad to see you out of your room," he leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"Me too," she smiled. She had only been sick for a few days, which was drastically different than the normal week she usually had to suffer through when sick. Pan was sure it had something to do with the water Trunks had given her. Unfortunately, she hadn't had a chance to see him since that night. She figured he must have been sent on a raid so she needed patience.

"Panny, I just got done talking to the Royal Seamstress and your gown for your birthday ball is nearly finished," he told her with a grin.

Pan beamed in excitement. The Royal Seamstress was amazing when it came to gowns. Pan had spent many evenings in her office just watching her work and she hoped that one day she too would be good enough to make her own ballgown for a party.

"Also," Gohan continued as his grin smoothed out. "I, Uh, I invited some Lords from neighboring lands," he told her. "They're all about your age or so. I hope you can meet a few of them."

Pan's eyes widened. "Lords from neighboring lands?" It wasn't strange for him to invite people from all over, but why was she told that specifically?

"Oh, Gohan, it sounds like you're wanting her to start courting," Chi-Chi said. The book that she had been reading was now resting on her lap as she looked at her son.

"What?" Pan looked at Gohan quickly.

"No- no," Gohan shook his head quickly. "I just thought that well, maybe she would be interested since she'll be turning sixteen."

Yamcha let out a laugh. "C'mon, Panny's not interested in any boys! Right, Panny?" He looked at her.

"Uh," Pan spoke as her cheeks started to feel warm. Trunks flashed through her mind and she felt herself growing warmer.

"What?" Yamcha gasped. "Panny, don't tell me you have a crush!"

"Do you?" Gohan looked just as shocked as Yamcha did.

"It's perfectly normal for a girl Pan's age to have a crush," Chi-Chi told the two of them.

"Of course it's normal, I just don't like it," Yamcha pouted.

"Yeah," Gohan said with a small frown. He looked as if he were on the verge of tears.

Pan stood up quickly. "I think I'm going to go up to my room," she told them before they started asking about who she liked. "I have a dress I want to finish," she said, which wasn't a complete lie.

"Okay, go now before they start asking questions," Chi-Chi smiled at her.

Pan gave her mother a grateful smile before she dashed out of the room. It didn't take her long to reach her room and she let out a small sigh as she entered it.

"Looks like you're feeling better."

Pan felt her cheeks grow warm at the voice and she turned around quickly to see that Trunks was in the chair in the corner.

"I am," she told him with a smile. "Thanks to you."

Trunks let out a small groan as his head fell back against the chair and he cringed. "Sorry about that, by the way."

"Don't be," Pan shook her head. "You saved me from being sick for a week." His lips twitched and Pan felt herself growing warmer as their eyes met. "Would you like to go upstairs?"

"Okay," he stood up.

Pan led the way up the spiral staircase and she walked over to her sewing machine as Trunks sat on the couch's chair arm to see her.

"Are you making a dress?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm making it for my birthday."

"That's right, your birthday is in a few days," he nodded. "The fourteenth day of fall."

"You remember," Pan smiled up at him.

"Of course," he smirked. "But you're making yourself your own birthday present?"

"Well, I guess," Pan smiled. "I always love having a new outfit for my birthday. This will be my dress for the day, but later that night the castle is holding a ball in celebration for me and the Royal Seamstress made me a gown."

"Ah, does the Earth have a lot of balls?"

Pan nodded. "There's one on my birthday, and for the Yule. For the New Year as well, and there's several in the Spring and Summer. Does Vegeta-Sei have many balls?"

Trunks shook his head. "Maybe one or two a year. What we have a lot of is festivals."

"Festivals?" Pan found herself growing excited. "What are they like?" She grinned.

"Chaotic," Trunks muttered but a smile was twitching across his lips. "There's food and game vendors set up along the streets. The square in the capital is all decked out and the entertainment is usually there. At night time the lights start to show and there's dancing."

"Dancing?" Pan couldn't help her grin. The thought of Saiyans, who most considered monsters, dancing and being merry made her want to giggle.

"Do you like dancing?" Trunks asked her.

"I love dancing," Pan told him softly. "Though I don't get to do it much."

"Why's that? I figured there would be a line of young men wanting to dance with you."

Pan felt her cheeks growing warm at his comment and smiled at him sadly. "I think I intimidate a lot of those guys because I'm the Princess. They're scared they'll do something wrong and get into trouble. Gohan usually dances with me a few times and so does Yamcha."

"Yamcha?" He gave her a curious look and he seemed to straighten his back. "Is that a friend?" He asked quietly.

"He's my uncle," Pan told him and she watched as he seemed to relax. She didn't know why but it made her heart pound in her ears. "You know," she began softly as she tried her best to not sound too nervous. "The ball is open to the public. So anyone can come."

"Anyone?" Trunks asked as he raised a brow.

"Yes," Pan nodded.

"Interesting," Trunks said with a hint of a smirk.

Pan glanced around the ballroom with shining eyes. The room was in a golden glow thanks to the many chandeliers above and the lanterns that lit up on tables. It was decorated festively, with colorful leaves strung together as they dangled from the ceiling, almost making those who dance feel as if they were dancing with the leaves. There were carved pumpkins sat about as well, many of them were ones Pan had helped carved herself and there were candies spread out across many tables.

Today wasn't just her birthday, it was also All Hallows' Eve, a time of the year where many believed the line between the living and the dead grew thin and dead loved ones could travel over for the night to be the living. Many people believe that you could also contact dead loved ones at this time. Pan had tried it once years ago with Goten, they had tried to contact their father. He didn't answer and it was the last time either one of them had tried it.

Pan had already danced several times with Gohan and Yamcha, and when she spotted Lapis talking to three unknown men, she made her way to the walls of the ballroom to blend in with everyone. She already had her suspicion that Lapis was behind the 'courting' idea, not Gohan. So she decided to hide from Lapis and the men so they wouldn't have a chance to ask her to dance.

"What are you doing all the way back here?" A voice made her jump and she turned around quickly to see Trunks with his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall beside her. "I thought you would be dancing," he said with a small smirk.

Pan's eyes widened as she looked at him. He was wearing a dark navy suit that fit him extraordinary well and brought out his eyes. The white of his shirt under the navy blazer had gold trimmings around it. He looked like a Prince!

"Trunks," she whispered as she smiled. Pan had dropped hints all week that she wanted him to come to the ball but she hadn't officially invited him for fear of making him uncomfortable. Yet, he was standing there right beside her! He had come!

"You look beautiful, and I really like the color of your dress," he smirked.

Pan felt her face, ears, and neck grow warm. Her dress was mostly lavender. Her top was white with sparkling diamonds over her breasts and down to her hips where her skirt began. It flowed to ground like a lavender wave. Wrapped around her bare shoulders were bright purple bellflowers that had been woven together and hanging down from them was a sheer lavender fabric that followed Pan like a cape.

"You even have some flowers fixed up in your hair," Trunks commented. "It suits you," he smiled.

She smiled back at him. "Thank you, you look really nice as well, and thank you for coming. I was hoping you would."

"Well, I was hoping to dance with a Princess tonight," he told her.

Pan's face grew warmer as she blinked at him. Was Trunks was asking her to dance? The simple thought made her feel as if butterflies erupted in her stomach!

Trunks got off of the wall and held out his arm to her. "May I have this dance?"

Pan's heart drummed loudly as she nodded her head. Carefully, she placed her hand into Trunks'. He smirked at her before he held his head high and lead them to the middle of the dance floor.

Pan was aware of the eyes that were following them. It wasn't surprising since she was the Princess, and she imagined many of the women around the room were wondering just who she was walking to the dance floor with. Anyone who didn't know better, which she was the only one who did, would have thought Trunks was an earthling. Still, he had this otherworldly charm to him that made it hard for Pan not to stare at him at times and she could only imagine how others were feeling.

The crowd split to let them on the floor and Trunks didn't stop until they were in the center. He turned to her and both of them gave a bow before beautiful music started to fill the room. Trunks grabbed her hand and placed his other hand on her hip to bring her close to him. Pan was warm as she rested her hand on his shoulder and held his hand tightly.

Trunks led them as the dance began and Pan knew she was staring at him with dazed eyes. She couldn't help it though. She felt as if she were in a wonderful dream as they flowed across the dance floor to the melodic music. More people started joining in and dancing, but as far as Pan was concerned, she and Trunks were the only ones on the dance floor.

"You keep looking like at me like I'm about to disappear," Trunks told her with a grin after he gave her a twirl.

Pan's lips twitched. "I'm just thinking that this feels like a dream," she told her.

"No dreams, Princess," he said. "You know, your birthday is on the same day as the Day Of the Dead Festival on Vegeta-Sei," he told her.

"Really?" Pan's eyes widened. "Here it's called All Hallows' Eve," she told him. "What's the festival like?"

"It looks about the same here," he said as he glanced around quickly. "We leave food out for the dead, and we light candles and set out pictures of our loved ones. Other than that, we celebrate because to us, Death is just another journey. I think it helps a lot of people with their grief."

"You're not missing it, are you?" Pan whispered. She hoped she wasn't taking his time away from something that seemed important to his culture.

"No," he shook his head with a small smile. "The Earth is hours ahead of Vegeta-Sei. The ceremonies don't start until sundown so I have time to celebrate your birthday." He grabbed her waist and picked her up with a twirl before setting her back down and grabbing her waist and hand again.

"You're a good dancer," she said a little breathlessly.

"Well, when you have a little sister that demands you dance with her at every festival, you learn," he chuckled.

"Awh, you seem like a good big brother," she grinned at him.

"I've had no choice but to be one," he muttered, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Pan was reminded of her relationship with Goten. He had always pretended like she was a pest, but he would do anything for her if she asked him to. Gohan was an amazing brother, but Pan missed Goten more than anything. He had been more than just her brother- he had been her best friend. Strangely, though, the hurt she used to feel when she thought of Goten was no longer there. As she stared into Trunks' arctic eyes she had a feeling she knew why. He had taken her pain and made it bearable by just being there. She wondered if she did the same to him.

Trunks danced with her throughout the whole song and when the next one came on, he didn't hesitate to keep moving with her. Pan couldn't stop her smile as she held onto him tightly. No one dared to interrupt them and she spent the night feeling as if she were dancing on clouds.

Trunks glanced around Pan's room with a small frown. She hadn't been at the clearing and she wasn't in her room. He wasn't sure where she could be. He searched for her Ki but didn't feel it around and his frown deepened.

Slowly, Trunks walked over to her door and walked through her foyer before peeking the large oak door open. He glanced down the hallway and saw no one in sight. What he was about to do was either very dumb or very brave.

Trunks slipped out of Pan's room and started to walk down the hallway. He would just walk this and see if he spotted her. If not, then he would go back to her room and wait for her.

"Looking for the Princess?"

Trunks turned around and saw a short man. He had black glasses and a thick mustache that was turned up like he was smiling. What shocked Trunks the most had to be his hair, it was lavender just like his! The only people Trunks knew to have ordinary hair colors were himself, Bulla, and his mother but maybe people on earth had a wider range of strange colors.

"How did you know I was looking for her?" Trunks asked. Part of his brain was telling him to run and press his bracelet so he could go back home, but another part was telling him that it was okay. He assumed that the man's hair color made him interesting to Trunks.

"I saw you dancing with her last night at the Ball," the man smiled. "She's probably in my office, I'll take you there- Oh, dear, the King is coming this way. I suggest hiding your Saiyan Crest before turning to face him," the man said before he stepped in front of Trunks.

Trunks' eyes widened. The man knew he was a Saiyan?! He quickly put his crest inside of his shirt as he heard another man speak.

"Dr. Brief! How good to see you!"

Trunks turned to look at the man speaking and there was no doubt that he was the King, Gohan, who was Pan's brother. If the red bejeweled pendant that wasn't enough proof, Trunks could tell by the fact that he had the same unruly black hair as Pan did and he had the same dark eyes.

Gohan saw him and his eyes widened. "You," he told Trunks with a small grin. "You're the one who danced with Panny all night last night!" He said.

"Yeah," Trunks nodded his head, unsure of what to do or say now that he was caught by two people. He couldn't just vanish, that would cause suspicion and then he probably wouldn't be able to visit Pan anymore.

"Dr. Brief, you know this young man?" Gohan asked in awe.

Trunks glanced down at the short man- Dr. Brief, as Gohan had called him. He wondered what he would say or if he would tell, however, what he said next stunned Trunks more than anything.

"Your Majesty, of course, I know him," Dr. Brief chuckled. "He is my Grandson."

"I've always liked quiet people: you never know if they're dancing in a daydream, or carrying the weight of the world."
-John Green, Looking for Alaska