Disclaimer: Last one. I don't own DB/Z/GT
A/N: This, is the last chapter. You're not going to like the ending, I'm warning you. And this is hot off the presses (meaning I just typed it, haven't had the chance to edit it or read through it at all) because the computer shut off on my 2 while I was making this chapter I lost 2 pages each time and had to re-write. (not the same day though) And I just figure if I'm ever going to get this out, it has to be now, before something else goes wrong. But I don't think it ends that badly. And I don't feel it was rushed, however, I can't shape your opinion so…
Preparation, Wedding, Reception, and After
"Pan!" She heard Bra yelling before she even came down the stairs. "Get up!" Pan laughed softly to herself. She and Trunks both were up, and dressed. Ready to head to the church.
"I'm ready, Bra!" Pan called from downstairs, looking much better than she had thirty minutes ago. She and Trunks hadn't really made eye contact since they got up, she was so ashamed. Having cried on him like that. Over a dream, because of her overactive imagination. But, she couldn't tell herself she didn't love him anymore. Seeing him hurt like that, even in a dream, was like nothing she could describe. If she ever saw Narissa she might kill her, even if the dream wasn't even true.
"Oh." Bra said, looking over the banister. "I was wondering why your room was empty." Pan blushed, wondering what Trunks thought of the situation. When he woke up to find Pan lying so close to him and then, to find her crying on him. She couldn't bare it. But he didn't seem to mind, he'd only smiled when they finally got up. Never even wondered why she was crying, never even asked what she was doing there. Like it was perfectly normal for them to sleep like that. At least he hadn't freaked out.
Bra came down the stairs noisily, followed by Goten. He was smiling broadly, but his bottom lip was trembling. Pan tried not to laugh, she could feel his heartbeat from where she was standing. He swallowed and looked into his nieces' eyes. She was silently reassuring him.
"Okay," Bra sighed heavily. "You guys go ahead to the church. Pan and I have to get my dress, then we'll be down there. Jolty, that's the wedding director, he's going to show you where to go to get dressed and ready. We," She motioned to Pan and herself. "Have a lot of preparations to get settled. Goten, you just follow Jolty's directions." Goten nodded and gulped, catching all of her 100-mile-an-hour speech.
He and Trunks edged toward the door, not wanting to know if she were going to say anything else, and then they were out. Pan laughed as they bolted out of the apartment and right into the air.
"Damn him, I told them not to fly!" Bra yelled, heading for the door but being stopped by Pan.
"It'll be okay." Pan laughed. "I'm going to get your dress, and you go and relax, all right?"
"Where do you expect me to relax? I have a million things to do in the next two hours, we have to go!" She yanked on Pan's arm, but Pan struggled to the other direction.
"Not without the dress. Then you'd really kill me." She yanked out of Bra's hold and ran up the stairs, quickly grabbing the dress and running back down the stairs. "Now let's go." She smiled, happy that this was almost over. Bra sighed and they headed out the door.
"Bra?" Pan asked as they got out of the car, looking slightly scared in Bra's direction.
"Yeah." Bra said, jogging up to the church with concern on her face.
"When you said we had 'preparations', what did you mean?" Pan wrinkled her brow as they walked in, immediately assaulted by four girls and two men before Bra could answer the question. Marron was already there, sitting in a styling chair and humming, her hair being blow dried.
"No." Pan whined, being pulled into a chair and picked on. An hour later, Pan yanked her body out of the seat, giving the woman that was working on her hair the meanest glare possible. She looked down at her manicured hands and feet with a pout.
"I'm never getting married if I have to go through this again." She frowned, wrinkling her face and walking over to the hanger in the room that held her dress.
"Yes you are, Pan." Bra told her in an- 'I'm tired of you', tone.
"No, I'm not, really." Pan shook her hands, before pulling her dress gently off the hanger that held it. She walked over to the bathroom and slipped herself inside. She came out after a minute, dress in place, hair done and nails beautiful. Bra was nearly jealous as she stared up at the girl. Simply because she so rarely got made up, when she did she looked like a goddess.
"Now for the make-up." Marron giggled as Pan sat down to relax. Pan laughed, thinking Marron was kidding, and two women came up to her with determined stares on their faces.
"Oh, no." Pan protested, putting her hands up and trying to escape.
"Be good." Bra told her, a woman already applying her blush. "Just let them do their jobs."
Twenty minutes later all the girls were dressed and ready, waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive. Chi-Chi, Videl, Eighteen, and Bulma were all in the room with them, each sitting in silence. Bulma and Chi-Chi were crying. Pan was scowling and trying not to lick her lips, not liking all the make-up she was wearing. Marron was fingering her own engagement ring with a dreamy look and Eighteen had her head resting on one hand looking very bored.
"When is this going to start?" Eighteen asked, ignoring the scowl her daughter sent her way. "I'm tired." Bra began pacing the room, her white dress trailing the floor behind her. She heaved a heavy sigh and stood still for a second, looking at Pan with pleading. Pan knew the warning; she was about to fall apart.
Pan stood up quickly, took Bra's hand and gave a reassuring smile. She led her to the mirror so that she could see herself, and very calmly picked up the tiara that was to go on Bra's head. A veil was draping from it, and Pan placed the jewelry on her head, pulling the veil into Bra's face.
"Look at how beautiful you are." Pan whispered as Bra stepped back, examining the full effect. The dress was lovely. It was sleeveless, but had arm bracelets cupped around her that gave way to sheer fabric, flowing down her arms and giving a medieval effect of sleeves. Every curve of her body was shown in the light fabric that wrapped almost magically around her. She was completely beautiful. Her blue hair was pinned up into a fancy bun, thick curls falling into her face and sides, a pearl tiara setting off the look. Pan and Marron were dolled up in the same hair style, their dresses were royal blue and just as form fitting. Pan hated herself at that moment, for designing something like that. She didn't like to wear dresses this way, but if it were for Bra, this one time, she could make the exception.
Someone knocked on the door just then, and Videl stood up to answer it, making sure Bra was out of view, incase it were Goten. But it was Vegita, and Videl stepped aside without a word. He was actually wearing a tux and looked rather handsome. Bra saw her father and immediately all her fears dissolved; she looked into his eyes.
"Daddy." She spoke softly as Videl and Eighteen went to take their seats in the church. The wedding would be starting soon. They were followed by Chi-Chi, who was going to visit her son. And everyone else in the room simply sat there, not making noise so as not to interrupt the family moment they were having.
"You look decent." He formed something that could be called a smile. She tried not to cry, it would ruin her makeup, and caved into her fathers' arms.
"I'm scared, daddy. What if-" But he didn't let her continue.
"It'll be fine." He grunted, softly so that she was hardly sure if he said it.
"But it might not wor-" He grunted again.
"I've seen him look at you. He loves you. I'll be fine." He rubbed her shoulders before letting her go. "It's almost time, I have to walk you down the isle." She nodded and Bulma finally got up to take her seat in the church.
"I'll be waiting next to the isle, girl." He told Bra, sensing that she wanted to talk to Pan alone. Bra nodded as he walked out.
"I know he thinks things'll be fine but…" Bra was shaking as Pan walked up to her, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder.
"It will." Pan nodded and smiled down at Bra. "I wish I had someone that loved me as much as Goten loves you. You've got nothing to worry about."
"You don't have to wish so hard," Bra told her, walking to the door because the music had already started and the wedding was beginning. Marron was going down the isle with Ubuu already.
"What that's supposed to mean?" Pan questioned, but before Bra could say anything, Jolty was motioning for Pan to walk down the isle. It was her turn. She sighed and headed out.
Trunks took her arm, smiling at her appearance, and they began walking. Her stomach lurched as she realized how cruel this situation was. She was walking down the isle with Trunks Breifs by her side. Holding her arm and smiling, she found that she was shaking despite herself. This was the best that she would ever have, the closest they would ever come. He looked over to her, something unreadable in his eyes. But he was smiling broadly and she really wanted to know why. They parted and everyone stood, the music starting. Bra and Vegita came slowly down the isle and Pan could see Goten visibly relax as he saw Bra coming toward him.
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"That was the prettiest wedding I've ever been to." Master Roshi said, taking another swallow of the champagne in his glass.
"Yeah." Pan said, nodding and keeping the fake smile on her face. She could smell the alcohol on him. Trunks came up behind her, a smile on his face as he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her away. "Thank you." She whispered as he ushered her to the dinner table.
"Bra sent me. Thank her. I was having fun watching Master Roshi hit on you from over here." He chuckled as they took a seat. She glared at him but rolled her eyes in a playful manner.
"That wasn't nice Trunks. I think that's his fifth glass." She whispered, sighing. Marron clanked her knife on her glass and stood up, a smile covering her face.
"The maid of honor and the best man have already made their speeches, but I still want to take a second and wish the happy couple my condolences. You see, I know they were meant for each other. You can see it in their eyes. When they look at each other, it's as if nothing else matters and no one else exists. So, I know their lives will be happy lived, especially since they found each other to share them with." She smiled, bowed slightly and sat back down. Everyone clapped as Bra blushed furiously. Pan stood up next, smiling.
"I think it's time to cut the cake." She announced as Goten whooped.
"No, no." Chi-Chi shook her head. "All the single ladies form a circle. If you're not engaged or married. She's got to throw the bouquet." Bra clutched her bouquet of orchids with a sly smile, happy that she was no longer 'single'. Pan rolled her eyes and was shuffled off to the circle. Many women crossed their fingers as Bra stood up and turned around, giving hopeful glances to Trunks as they did so. Bra threw the bouquet in the direction she wanted it to go and every girl pounced, except Pan. She sighed, bored and tried to move out of the circle. Her reflexes took over as the women around her started fighting, not knowing where the flowers had been, and something moved into her line of vision. She stuck her hand out and moved away from them, horrified.
Her face was a frown as she came out of the group, something in her hands. She covered her mouth with her free hand and sighed, quickly chucking the bouquet back into the circle of beasts. Bra intervened.
"I don't thinks so, Pan. You caught it first, you know what that means." Bra laughed and sat down in the chair the men had pulled out for her. "All right, Goten, go for it." He nervously glanced at Vegita and then quickly stuck his hand up Bra's dress and pulled out the garter.
All the single men were forced around him and he tossed it into the air. Every man moved out of the way, but Goten had thrown it specifically to Trunks and as he was saiyan, he had anticipated Trunks' move. Trunks, being a fighter before anything else, immediately reached out to grab the foreign object that was flying at his head. He sighed, realizing that they'd pegged him and Pan from the beginning. He never stood a chance.
"Okay, you two have to da-ance." Bra teased, pushing them together as the DJ began to play a love song. Many women gave Pan a cold glare as Trunks took her in his arms.
"I think they set us up." Pan spoke, smiling at him. He nodded.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they did." Everyone else started to dance as well, while Trunks and Pan nearly floated on the floor. So comfortable they were in each others' arms.
They were still dancing as the music ended, not knowing that they were making their own. Pan was lost in Trunks' eyes. For the first time, she was seeing him without blindfolds. For the first time she was understanding that look in his face. He was looking as if he loved her. Their eyes dancing playfully around each others'. By this time everyone was looking at them, but the envy and jealousy were wiped away, replaced with smiles. It was obvious that they were very in love. Trunks stopped moving first, startled by the scrutiny that Pan was doing to his face.
"The music stopped." He told her softly, a blush arising in her cheeks.
"Yes." She nodded, realizing they were being stared at. They walked back to the table noticing that everyone's eyes were on them there as well.
"Are you going to cut the cake or not?" Pan broke the icy silence, seemingly annoyed.
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Bra and Goten were sitting across from each other, each of them staring intently. Bra was nodding and from time to time Goten would scratch his head and smile. Pan was sitting next to Bra and was getting rather upset about it. It was like they were talking to each other, but they weren't saying anything. Then Bra blurted out,
"So, that's where you were! We're really going to Hawaii for the honeymoon?" A huge smile on her face. Pan frowned and beat her hand softly on the table.
"What are you talking about Bra? Goten hasn't said anything!" Bra giggled and looked at Pan as if she were just realizing she was there.
"Oh, I know. We were bond-communicating." Bra said simply as if everyone could do it and knew what it was.
"What?" Pan asked, confused. Bra laughed and leaned in.
"It's a saiyan thing. We're bonded. I can think his thoughts, get into his head, know his feelings, and dream his dreams." She smiled intently, lost in her own world, but Pan was shocked; she'd never heard it explained like this before. She didn't know 'bonding' was a literal thing. And…dream his dreams….
"Bra…" She spoke hoarsely, unable to comprehend what was happening or regain her composure so as not to scare her friend.
"Yeah?" Bra asked, slightly annoyed that Pan kept interrupting.
"Is it…can it…does it work one way?" She swallowed and Bra looked really confused.
"What do you mean?" Bra tilted her head, giving her full attention. Pan placed a desperate hand on Bra's leg and sighed.
"Let's say…hypothetically….that you, that you…Let's say you're in love with Goten," Bra laughed.
"I am in love with Goten. And this is hypothetically?"
"That you're in love with Goten but he doesn't love you." Bra shut up, wiping the smile off her face.
"Okay…"
"Could you…would you….could you still dream his dreams?" Bra sighed.
"I don't know, Pan." Bra shrugged. "I think so, but I don't know…No, I don't think so." She changed her mind. "Maybe the bond-communication could be one sided, but I doubt that dream sharing could." She shrugged again and then turned back to Goten, continuing their conversation.
But Pan was confused. For nearly ten minutes she sat there, running events over and over in her head. Had things really played out the way she was thinking them up? Was she imagining? Maybe that dream last night wasn't Trunks' dream at all. She stopped her thoughts there, automatically backtracking and erasing that possibility from her mind. She could never come up with such an elaborate dream about Trunks and his ex. Never.
So, they were…bonded? But what did that mean? Could it have been a friendship thing? Something that happened because they were so close? Or was it something more than that? Surely, she was aware that she was in love with Trunks. But letting her mental fingers grip the fact that he was in love with her…that was a whole nother ball game. Especially after she'd spent years convincing herself not to think that way, spent years telling herself that she was setting her own heart up for disappointment.
Now she was supposed to sit here and comprehend the fact that he was in love with her? She huffed, thinking it couldn't be possible. There was something wrong with that analysis. No matter what previous emotions his eyes had so willingly let her examine. Just because she thought she'd seen him look at her with love, doesn't mean she thought it was love. There was a complete difference from the brotherly affection he'd always shown her to complete 'love'. And, if he did love her….if he loved her, did he know it?
She let herself wander back to the many times she heard his thoughts. Then she paused, her mouth slightly open as she looked from Bra to Goten, who were still engaged in mental conversation.
"One more question, Bra." She winced as the blue haired saiyan looked at her with fire.
"What?" She barked, more than a little annoyed now.
"When you said 'one sided bond-communication', what did you mean?" Pan bit her lip, not allowing herself to think what was on the tip of her psyche.
"Like, using your hypothetical, Goten could hear my thoughts but I couldn't hear his." She rolled her eyes, wondering if Pan were through.
"Right….cause you were in love with him…" Her heart beat was rapid now, as she stood up from the table, no longer noticing Bra's acid eyes on her. She wasn't seeing anything, but was deeply in thought. She'd heard Trunks' thoughts. She huffed again, swallowing and frowning, not wanting to accept what was right in front of her face.
She'd heard Trunks' thoughts. Heard his thoughts first. At least, she thought she'd heard them first, either way, she had heard his thoughts. That meant….He thought he loved her first…One more question was burning at the top of her head, but she couldn't ask just anybody. And she didn't want to ask Bra something else, surely she'd get suspicious of what Pan was wondering for. Vegita would know, but it would seem odd for her to come over and 'causally' ask him something about saiyan bonding. He already had too many laughs at her expense. And, even though she didn't want to admit it to herself, there was only one person she wanted to talk to. But she wasn't ready to face him yet, especially not if he loved her.
She had to digest that bit of information slowly. But she wasn't going to ignore it this time. Not like she had when she first heard his thoughts. Or that week when things had gone crazy and she felt like Trunks was on the brink of loosing his mind, nearly kissing her but being interrupted. No, this time she was going to face the music. She couldn't continue to live like she didn't love him forever. And, if things didn't work out her way, she'd leave. But….that was a lot to risk. Her friendship and she was going to collage soon, very soon. Where would she go if she chose to pack up because she'd made a fool of herself? Because Trunks didn't love her and she was only kidding herself?
But he did love her. Trunks, he loved her. She let her mind slide over the realization slowly, coming to grips with what was really happening. He loved her. He loved her? She laughed softly at herself, thinking how crazy she must seem. If he really could read her mind, right now he was thinking she was skitso. She was having an argument with herself, on what was reality and what wasn't. She was still trying to convince herself that she had no reason to believe he loved her, while at the same time, relishing in the thought of him actually caring. She let her mouth form the words in a whisper.
"He loves me." She smiled, the words barely audible. She loved the sound of it just as much as the thought. But this wasn't good. Did he really love her? She sighed, wanting to rack her hands through her hair and then remembering that it was in a bun. She wanted to beat something over her head, the thoughts getting too intense to take, but a voice slowly flowed forth, taking her out of her thoughts; saving her from herself.
"If I could have everyone's attention. It was lovely having you all here for the occasion," Bulma's full voice rang out over the people, calling their talking to a halt as she spoke into the microphone on the stage of the reception hall. "While it was wonderful to get together again, I'm afraid I must call this gathering to a close," She paused, as people began rustling through their things getting ready to leave, and gave them all dirty glares. They immediately stopped, and with a satisfied grin, she continued her speech. "It seems, my son, the bride's brother, has arranged for the newlyweds to spend their honeymooning time in Hawaii. Consequently, they have a plane to catch, and our robots here have a mess to clean. Please gather you belongings, say your final words to the couple, and exit in an orderly fashion." She gave another wide smile and sat the microphone down.
The people nearest the door began to pile out, rushing about and shoving one another, and Bulma placed her angry hands on her hips. She sucked in as much air as she could and yelled, as loudly as possible, "I said in an orderly fashion!" Her voice was just as loud as it had been previously, with the microphone, and it immediately cause the people who were dashing to slow. They formed a line and started to let the eldest past first. Satisfied, Bulma went about her business of setting the robots to start the cleaning.
Pan pushed her way through the crowd of people that had gathered around her uncle and Bra, shoving some out of her way until she made it into Bra's view. She saw the blue-haired girl sitting there, a wide smile on her face (which she could tell was fake and tired), and a warm hand on Goten. When Bra saw Pan she winked and waved for her to leave if she wanted to, knowing it would take a while before Pan could get a word in with her. There were still people everywhere wishing her good luck on a new life.
But Pan glanced to the door and saw Trunks standing there, swaying his body weight forwards and back on his feet, glancing at his watch and back up to her. Their eyes met and he had a huge grin on his face, expecting her to walk up to him so they could go home. No, she could wait for the crowd to disperse, she was in no hurry. Her stomach knotted as she directed her eyes to a new destination, nervously, looking back down to Bra.
"Have a great time on your honeymoon!" The last person called to Bra, walking into the line of people that had just decided to leave. Trunks was still standing in that spot as he noticed how thin the crowd was becoming, looking up at Pan with aggravated eyes. He walked over to Bra and Goten, Pan standing by their side, and lightly put a hand on her elbow.
"What's the matter Pan?" He asked, more than gently and laced with concern. He could obviously sense the change in her mood, the way her body stiffened when he touched her. "You'll be able to see Bra again in no time. The honeymoon is only going to be for two weeks." He tugged gently, and slightly on the skin of her elbow letting her know he wanted to leave.
"Right." Pan muttered, using all of her resolve to get the words out. It was hard to talk when your throat was knotted and your heart was pounding so fast you could feel it raking on the skin of you chest, ready to jump out. She heaved a heavy sigh, forced a smile, and bellowed, "Congratulations, on the beginning of a brand new adventure." She winked at Bra and smiled, then allowed herself to be pulled out by Trunks. All the while having the feeling that Bra wasn't going to be the only one embarking on a new adventure.
The second Trunks opened the door to the apartment Pan bolted up the stairs. He frowned, but she didn't see the expression on his face. She didn't even glance back, knowing he wanted to talk to her but not wanting to listen, she hurried into her room and slammed the door. She wasn't sure if she was ready yet, to hear what he had to say. It was just taking a little longer than anticipated to absolve the news in her head.
You'd think that, if any girl thought she was about to get the news that her 'prince charming' loved her, she would want to stick around. But this was a typical Pan action, running from the things that scared her. Sure, she'd loved Trunks for a long time, but that didn't mean she expected him to love her back. This was different entirely. Something she wasn't sure she knew how to handle, and while she was excited, anxious to know whether he did or didn't, she was also very scared.
Terrified of what might happen next. Wondering if she would have the guts to tell him how she felt, wondering if they stood a chance at lasting. And more than anything, praying she wasn't setting herself up for heartbreak again. She couldn't take that. She wasn't built to put herself out there, make herself vulnerable, and then be turned down. Maybe…just maybe, she wouldn't have to deal with that.
But the thought still scared her. She'd always been afraid of true happiness. Always afraid of what would happen next. And no matter how you described Trunks, when you put him into any equation with love, it still equaled true happiness. Her greatest fear was walking towards him and finding that she couldn't make it all the way. That's why she'd had that dream for so many years. That's why she kept envisioning herself in white, ready to make that final choice, and then fleeing back a few steps.
She sighed, rubbing her face with her hands, and flopped down on the bed. A slight knock at her door made her jump as she realized Trunks wasn't going to let her slide that easy. It wasn't in his nature. If he really wanted something, he would get it, no matter what. She let a soft laugh escape her mouth as she stood up.
"Yes Trunks?" She asked, not bothering to open the door.
"Do you…how long….Do you think you're coming back downstairs?" She couldn't help but smile, imagining how cute his face was when he got that way. Always so adorable when he was flustered.
"Yeah, I think I'll just get out of this dress first. Take a bath…why?" She smiled, knowing perfectly well why but not being able to stop herself from teasing.
"Well, it's just that…remember when I told you I wanted to…er that we should talk. I was thinking, you know, now's as good a time as any…" She thought back, remembering when he'd been playing with Goten's mind, trying to convince the poor boy that he and Pan were a couple, when out of no where he very earnestly agreed that they needed to talk. It had even taken her by surprise.
"Okay, well give me forty minutes." She gulped, knowing that in an hour, she would either be thoroughly disappointed or the happiest person on the planet.
Pan shivered, stepping out of the bath tub and drying as slow as possible. She was in no hurry to go down those stairs, face to face with her fears. With her hopes. With everything she's ever wanted since she was….what…twelve? Every dream fulfilled. Who would have thought life could be this good to her? Definitely not her. Meaning, things weren't going to go as well as she hoped. They never did.
She swallowed, hating the game her mind was playing with her again, and resolved that she should just get it over with. She would have to face him some day, there wasn't many places for her to avoid him, they did live together after all.
She gently slid on her remaining articles of clothing, loose pajama pants and a baggy t-shirt, and walked out of the bathroom, then out of her room. Before walking down the stairs she closed her eyes, breathing heavily and allowing her worry to subside a little. But if she didn't hurry and get this over with she was going to have an anxiety attack, maybe just fall over dead from heart failure. Yes, that sounded more like an ending for Pan. More like something she was used to getting.
A nervous laugh escaped her throat as she made it into the living room. Trunks was sitting on the couch, his expression unreadable as she saw him. He was in deep thought and hadn't even heard her maniac laugh. She shook her head, sitting down next to him and fighting back the tears that were ready to fall. She was terribly scared. And all the stress that her nerves were causing her body was wearing her out. She wanted to scream, but pushed the urge down, stifling it to a small laugh.
Trunks turned his head to the side, studying her face, seemingly reading her every emotion. He smiled slightly and drew in a deep breath, ready to 'talk'.
"Pan, I've been meaning to tell you this for some time now," He paused, making sure her ebony eyes were locked with his. She nodded, indicating that he could continue. "But I wasn't sure…well, until now I didn't think you were…ready to hear what I had to say." She smiled, thinking about how she could interrupt him and tell him she already knew they were 'bonded' but she wanted to hear what he was going to say. Besides, it would suck if that wasn't even on target.
"See, last night…" He searched his brain for the right wording, and in his pause her heart jumped up to her throat, causing a worse pain than she was already in. She had no idea what came after, 'last night'. He could tell her that it had freaked him out to awake and find her there, and he thought she was getting to attached to him, for all she knew. But that wasn't what came out of his mouth at all.
"Last night, I think you began to understand…a lot of things. But I'm not ready to talk about her yet." He shook his head, shaking off any question Pan could have formed. But she was sighing in relief as he said it. He knew. Knew they were sharing a dream.
"What I do want to talk about is," He was desperately searching her eyes now, trying to read what was going on in her head. She bit her lower lip, silently urging him to say whatever he was thinking. "How long I've been in love with you." He finished.
She sent her eyes to the top of her head, forcing the tears of victory not to fall. She wasn't going to cry in front of him twice in such a short period.
"Okay." She breathed, after catching her breath and realizing that he wanted her to say something. Anything to indicate that she was going to be alright. She knew her face had visibly paled and she was blinking rapidly. It must look completely strange to, seeing her react that way after he's said what he…what he said. But it didn't seem to affect him in the slightest, he didn't seem to be bothered with her response at all. He only continued talking, in the same calm tone as before.
"We've been bonded for quite some time now, I'm not sure if you're aware…" She nodded and he seemed satisfied, continuing with his speech. "And, before anything happens, there's a few things I'd like to clear with you. You see, I never thought our first kiss was a mistake. I just didn't think you…" He didn't continue, deciding something in his head. Probably that he didn't want to go down that road with her.
"Which one?" She smiled, saying the first calm thing since she came down the stairs. Amazingly, hearing him say the words that she'd been whispering to herself earlier, did justice for her. She wasn't so nervous now, wasn't so terrified that things would go wrong. He loved her. He perked and eyebrow, asking her what she was talking about and she laughed. "What first kiss?" He thought for a second and then laughed softly.
"The second first one. No, either one. Kissing you could never be a mistake." She laughed whole heartedly, thinking back to the first time they kissed. She was twelve, and he certainly was her first kiss. She'd been crying about how no boy would ever kiss a funny faced kid like her…well, she wasn't actually crying, and Trunks had planted his lips on hers. She'd been in love with him ever since.
She always knew, since the first time he told her that their kiss had been a mistake, that if he ever apologized for saying it, that it wouldn't make a difference. And it didn't. Didn't erase the pain she'd felt that day, the pain the memory brought back up. But even so, just hearing him say he hadn't meant it, hadn't meat that she was a mistake, it had done loads for her. Automatically lifting a weight she didn't know she carried.
"That's good to hear." She lightly breathed as he pulled her closer to him. She leant her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and loving the feel of the moment. But he wasn't done talking, as he continued, she didn't lift her head.
"It wasn't easy for me, living here and not sure when I should tell you. Not sure when you would be ready to hear. I hope I picked the right time…" She nodded her head and he could feel the motion on his chest. He smiled and placed his hand lightly on the bottom of her chin, forcing her to look into his face, into his eyes.
They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, neither speaking. Then he cracked a smile, inclining his head but she gently backed away.
"Trunks, you never asked me if I loved you." He tilted his head, considering.
"I guess I didn't." He shrugged and moved his head closer to hers, pressing his nose against her nose. Neither of them moved from that position, both smiling.
"Well," Pan whispered. "Aren't you going to ask?" He gently shook his head, making her head flow from side to side with his.
"I already know." He tilted his head again, leaning inward, and their lips made contact. Soft at first, gentle and sensual. Then stronger, more passionate, longing. Her mouth was pushed open as his tongue flowed inside. Gentle, roaming, deeply engaging.
Her back gave way, his body slowly guiding her lower onto the couch, his hands roaming up her sides. She breathed happily as they broke apart, looking intently into his eyes.
"I love you, Trunks." She spoke, despite the fact that he hadn't asked to hear it. If the words had half the affect on him, as his had had on her, then he was plenty happy to hear them. And apparently they had, for in a second his lips were up against hers again. Filled with nothing but longing. As he gently wrapped his arms around her body she found herself lost. In love, yes. Happy, yes. But despite it all, she was still waiting for the bottom to drop. It always did.
A/N: (Yes, that's it. Don't blame me if you don't like the ending. Even though I know you will…)So, thank all of you for reading. I really appreciate it. I never expected to get so many reviews. And not one bad one, ever. So sorry, black diamonds, that I didn't make this chapter fluff. But if you want, I'll make a one-shot side story from this with Trunks and Pan in it, just fluff…maybe. I'm still unresolved in doing a sequel to this or not. I really just want to move on to a new topic. But I'm hurt that this is done too, 136 pages of my hard work. =) And all of you have read it. I love you guys! So, I'll probably come out with an a/n chapter to answer all of your questions, give thanks to my reviewers, and talk about what I'm doing next. And maybe say what happened to Narissa. Cause I know you all hated her. Well, I hope you enjoyed this fic, which has come to its end -sniffle- because I loved writing it. My longest story, ever. But that's cause all your reviews kept me going. Thank you guys again!