Chapter 2
By: Bellchan
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ/GT characters.
Author Notes: This is especially for the ones who asked me for the continuation. But there's still more chapters to come, and now I'll go straight until the end, anyway. And thanks for the observations, Lost Angel... But I just decided to quit bothering people to edit my fics. Now it will be myself and... myself! And minna, you're all welcome to point my mistakes, it helps a lot! I'm sorry I couldn't finish the burning chapt..., I mean, Burning Hearts 8 yet, but I think I'll finish it until tomorrow... Well, now oooooon to our T/P romance!!! And please review, your opinion is really important.
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The next morning at Capsule Corporation, Trunks, Bra and Aya, who had spent the night there because of the storm, were in the kitchen having their breakfast and talking about the previous night events.
"Hey, Bra! Don't deny it!" said Aya, smirking. "I saw the way Goten was looking at you. He didn't take his eyes from you one single minute during the party."
"Don't exaggerate, Aya. I think you are just imagining things. Me and Goten are just good friends." replied Bra.
"Hmm... I don't feel firmness on your words..." insisted Aya.
"By the way Aya," Bra began, trying to change the subject. "What do you think about Pan? Did you like her?"
"Yes, she's exactly the way you described. However, I just had the impression she was a little sad..." stated Aya. "Don't you think that, Trunks?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah, she's very beautiful..." he answered, turning his gaze back at the girls.
"Hey, sweetie, what's up? You seem to be a little distracted..." observed Aya, gently squeezing his hand.
"I... just... Well, I've gotta go to work now, would you like me to drive you home?" asked Trunks, standing up from his chair.
"If it's okay for you then I accept your offer." the girl responded, smiling sweetly at him. He just offered his arm at her and then the couple walked towards the door.
"See you, Bra-chan!" said Aya, turning her head to the demi-Saiyan girl.
"See you."
Meanwhile, that morning, Pan had decided to spend a little time at the mall, so she could keep her mind away from thinking about her purple haired disillusion. She was determined to bear with that situation without having to run away again. Besides, it was holiday season, and she was looking for something to wear at the New Year party the next week. She was about to enter a store, when she heard someone calling for her.
"Hey, Pan!"
"Marron? What are you doing here?" asked Pan, while greeting the blond girl.
"I'm the one who should ask that question, since you hardly go shopping... What brought you here?" asked Marron, curious to know what her friend was up to.
"I was just looking for a dress or something like that to wear at the New Year party..." she responded.
"Oh, can I help you to choose your dress?" offered Marron, enthusiastically.
"But Marron, I..."
"Oh, please, please..." she insisted.
"Okay..." she agreed, sighing. Actually, she was happy for having someone to hang around with her. And after one hour of "exploration" through the various stores, Marron had finally found what seemed to be the perfect dress for Pan.
"Oh... Isn't it too... low-necked?" asked the Saiyan girl, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She wore a long, neckless white dress with a slit from the base until her mid thigh in one of the sides.
"No. It just brings up your natural beauty. Now stop complaining and let's pick it up." Marron practically ordered. "Oh, Pan, I doubt you will leave the party without a new boyfriend."
"Who said I want a boyfriend?"
"C'mon, Panny. I could introduce you to my fiancé's brother. He's very cute..."
"Always playing the match maker. You and Bra are just the same." informed Pan, shaking her head.
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One week has passed since the soon-to-be princess girl last saw her mysterious savior. She would always come back to the river where she had met him the other day, but she didn't succeed in finding him again. And she was beginning to feel depressed. She thought he could be a good friend, spontaneous and gentle. A sweet escape for the all the palace formalities she had never really appreciated.
"You must eat something, Lady Pan." said Brenda, with a worried face. "You don't want to get sick, do you?"
"Where did he go? Why didn't he say where he lives?" the young girl asked, impatiently.
"Pan, why all this interest in that stranger? Remember you will marry the prince."
"I know that. I just wanted to see him again. To know more about him."
"Maybe you can meet him at the fancy dress party."
"Fancy dress party?"
"Yeah, the annual fancy dress party. It will happen within two days. Are you distracted or what?" asked Brenda.
"Oh yeah, I was forgetting! The best of all is that everybody will be wearing masks, so maybe we could even dance with each other without being recognized by the people! Especially by Julian..." the brunette girl said, suddenly getting radiant. "But do you think he would come?"
"I don't know. It's just a hypothesis."
"I do think there's a chance... Brenda, please bring my food. I'm hungry!" informed Pan, quickly changing her mood.
"Yes, lady..." replied the other girl, smiling.
The big party day finally came and the environment was split into two sections, the ball room inside the castle for the nobility and the garden for the rest of the people. Pan was dressed like a fairy with small brilliant wings, silver shoes and a pink mask. She checked herself once more in a mirror to be sure nobody would find out it was her, and stayed at the garden during all the time, hoping she could find Trunks among the crowded area. But again, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. To make things even worse, all the people were disguised. How would he be dressed like? A prince? An elf? A priest? It was hard to guess, and she was left with no choice, but to walk in a random search. It didn't take too much time for a tall guy dressed like an army commander to approach her with a rose in his hand.
"A flower to another flower." he said, handing it to her. Could it be him? His mask was muffling his voice so she couldn't be so sure.
"Thank you." She accepted, staring at him attentively.
"Care to dance?" he asked. She nodded, determined to find out if he was the man she was looking for.
After dancing with the girl for some minutes, the mysterious man guided her to a more private area, so they could talk without all that disturbing noise. He offered a place by his side, in a bench, and gently took one of her hands.
"I'm pretty positive I'll find a very beautiful lady behind this mask." he told her.
"Only if you take off yours first." she replied. He brought his hand to his mask and took if off, revealing a blond haired face with a thick scar across his left cheek. Pan quickly stood up, feeling a little threatened by the strange glow in his green eyes.
"You're... You're not..." she began.
"Looking for someone in special? I'm sorry to disappoint you." he said, approaching her. She was about to run when two other men dressed like soldiers blocked her path. One of them moved to hold her by behind, while the other just stood there unmoving.
"Get your hands off me!" she yelled.
"Calm down, little fairy. I just wanna see how beautiful you are..." said the blond guy, moving his hand to reach her mask. He was about to touch it when he felt something holding his wrist into a tight grip.
"It's not polite doing it to a lady without her permission." affirmed a man in a knight armor.
"Who are you? Get off here, if you praise your life!" shouted the scar face man, angrily.
"Only if you release the girl." said the other, with a determined voice.
"Right... Hey, men, beat him into a pulp!" ordered the fake commander. Then he looked behind him to find out one of his men had already been beaten. The other guy just sent Pan to the ground before moving to assault his target. But this one easily dodged the attacks and kicked his opponent unconscious on the floor.
"Bastard!" yelled the blond man, fuming like mad. But he also was no match for the stranger. He was soon sent flying towards the bench, crashing it into pieces.
The mysterious "knight" walked towards the girl and carefully helped her up. "Are you okay, little girl?"
"I'm not a little girl! I'm an adult, did you hear? An adult!" she complained.
"Sorry... I thought you were a child, judging by your height..." Pan immediately felt her heart go racing, as soon as she recognized those lines.
"Trunks!!!" she squealed, throwing herself into his arms.
"Whoa! Who is Trunks?" he asked, playfully.
"Baka! I know it's you!" she affirmed, holding his arm with all her strength. "I won't let you escape this time!"
"What a naughty girl..." he said, shaking his head. She took him by his hand and escorted him to a calm place, surrounded by nothing but trees and a small lake reflecting the full moon.
"I can't believe you're here..." she told him, still holding his hand.
"Let's say I kind of sensed you wanted to see me badly..." he teased.
"Pretty arrogant for a..." she began, but then stopped.
"...poor boy." he completed, taking off his heavy armor and standing on his usual clothes.
"That's... that's not what I meant..." she pleaded, regretting what she was about to say before. But she was always so impulsive.
"I really don't mind, I'm poor anyway..." he said, smiling softly at her.
The girl also took off her mask, showing her beautiful, concerned face. "I really don't care about who you are... But please don't go away without telling me where I can find you..."
"Well... Actually, I'm camping nearby. You know, I've been traveling around the world since my mother died, four years ago. I was just arriving to your country that day when I first met you, in the rain."
"Are you saying you don't have a place to stay? I could find one, if you want..." she offered.
"Thank you, but I prefer that way... Besides, I don't even know how long I'll stay here..." he informed. Then he noticed the look of disappointment on her face. Actually, he was intrigued with the fact of a girl like her being so attached to him, a person she barely knew. He also couldn't help reaching her delicate face and caressing it gently with his fingers. "You look sad..." he stated.
"Trunks... I thought we could be friends... You seemed to be a lonely person, just like me..." she said, closing her eyes to feel his feather-like touch.
"You, lonely? Didn't you say you live in the castle?" he asked, surprised.
"It's a long story. I've been living there since I lost my parents..." she proceeded, telling him about her unlucky fate, her arranged marriage, her daily life inside a palace, her friend Brenda, and so on. Trunks listened to her attentively, feeling sympathy for her and understanding now why she seemed to be so needy of affection.
They stared at the sky, contemplating the brilliant stars above, neither of them knowing what to say next. Until Pan, hesitantly, looked at him in the eyes before shooting a question.
"Trunks, tell me about your girlfriend. How does she look?"
"Hmm... I wish I had one. Just like you." he responded. Pan couldn't hold back the expression of pure joy on her face. She even scolded herself mentally for being so pathetic. "But I fear I have to go now..." he said, playing with a strand of her hair.
"Why, Trunks? Will you turn into a pumpkin after midnight?" she asked, jokingly.
"No, I will turn into a mouse..." he replied, equally joking. "But it's late for you too. You better go inside with safety."
"All right. Only if you promise you'll meet me tomorrow, at the church."
"Okay, lady. Now please go inside and be careful." he told her, smiling.
She was about to leave, but then turned back to him again. "Trunks, may I take something from you before I go?"
"Something from me? But I have nothing here except my clothes..." he replied, raising his eyebrows.
"I want this..." she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving a light kiss on his lips. He was quite surprised, but then put his arms around her waist and returned the kiss. When it finally ended, Pan's cheeks were flushing badly. She let out a small giggle and then rushed towards the castle, like she was a rocket. Trunks just stood there watching her retreating form, as a soft smile appeared on his handsome face.
Later that night, Pan was inside her bedroom, telling a shocked Brenda about her little "adventure".
"Oh Brenda... I don't know what happened, when I came to my senses, I was kissing him... And it was my first kiss..." she said, laying on her bed with her arms open.
"Are you crazy? What if Lord Julian find out?"
"His lips felt so warm..." she continued, not paying attention to her friend's scolding.
"Pan, are you hearing me?"
"He's so cute, so sweet, and he's a good kisser!"
Then Brenda just shook her head and gave up, leaving the other girl all alone with her daydreaming thoughts. She was still innocent, and was not aware of the risk she was taking.
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The New Year party was going on without major problems at Capsule Corps. As usual, people were eating a lot, babbling a lot and laughing a lot. Even Vegeta would be a victim of the others jokes, principally because he was a person who easily got pissed. But there were still more people to come, and Pan was one of them. Gohan and Videl were already there, so Bra just approached the couple to ask them about her friend.
"Videl-san, isn't Pan going to come anymore?" she asked, worried.
"Yes, dear, she told me she would come later with Marron-chan." As in a click, Marron just entered the front door, followed close by a slender figure, dressed in white and more stunning then ever. Everybody tilted their heads, staring curiously at the young woman until they finally recognized her. Bra was the first to rush into the newly-arrived guests, almost jumping with joy.
"Hi, Marron!" she began, greeting the pretty blondie. Then she stood in front of her other friend, examining her carefully. "Wow, Pan, you look fantastic!"
"Thanks, Bra. But I have to give all the credit to Marron. She helped me to choose my dress and did my hair and make-up." she replied.
"Oh, good job, Marron! Come on, girls! Let's have some drink!" offered Bra. As they got inside, Marron quickly spotted Kevin, her fiancé, and also his younger brother. Then a mischievous smile spread on her face as she turned her head back to Pan. She rushed to greet her fiancé with a soft kiss on the lips and then motioned to the Saiyan girl to meet them.
"Pan, this is Michael, Kevin's bro. Michael, this is Pan, the girl I told you about." said Marron, as she introduced them to each other. Then she hooked her arm with Kevin's and dragged him to meet the others, leaving the youngest guy and the brunette girl standing there completely dumbfounded.
"Crazy, isn't she?" said Pan, trying to break the awkward silence.
"Yeah... I think that was what captured my brother's heart..." he replied, trying to sound cheerful. The presence of that beautiful girl was making the shy boy feel even more embarrassed. But after some minutes, they both managed to start a pleasant conversation, like they were old friends. And sometimes Michael could be so funny that, in a certain moment, Pan started laughing uncontrollably, collapsing her head on his chest.
Meanwhile, Trunks, who was talking with Aya in a corner, couldn't help observing the scene. Actually, he had been secretly watching Pan since she had crossed the door. "Who's that guy?" He thought aloud, making Aya follow his gaze.
"I never saw him before. Maybe he's Pan's new boyfriend..." said Aya, leaning closer to Trunks. "Doesn't they look cute together?"
"I don't think so. He seems to be a silly guy..." he spat, while sipping his drink.
"What is this Trunks? You don't even know the poor boy... Besides, if you weren't my boyfriend I would tell you are jealous..." informed Aya, playfully.
"Of course not! She's like a sister to me!" he complained, angrily.
"All right, honey... You don't need to be mad... Listen, I'll just go to the toilet and I'll be back within a minute." she told him, giving a light peck on his cheek.
He continued watching as Pan's companion rested his hand on her waist and then whispered something in her ear, before leaving her alone for a while. It was the signal the purple haired man was waiting to begin walking into her direction. He didn't know why, nor how to explain, but he felt something uncomfortable building up inside of him. Something willing to explode.
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