The Apple Tree
Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing …
You will probably be glad to know that The Apple Tree will NOT be revised … since this was my first fanfic that was posted on fanfiction.net, I'd like to keep it the way it is … you know … kinda like a souvenir … (this was, however, not my first fic, my first fic was called 'When Worlds Intertwine' and it was of Juunanagou/Bra … I know, I know … it's sin that my first fic wasn't a T/P, I'd like to say so that it was, but you wouldn't want me to lie, would you? ^~
Guiding Light, The Silver Sea, and this one are my major concerns right now, the others I will probably not continue till this is finished and GL & TSS are well under way … sorry 'bout the inconvenience
I just realized something, the ages of this story and The Silver Sea are identical, yet Trunks and Pan are completely different within the two stories … strange … and think 'bout Trunks the gang leader … Trunks the prince seems so …innocent … heh … yeah …
(Oh god … enter the fluff … *slaps forehead* NO! NOT THE FLUFF! ANYTHING BUT THE FLUFF! ARGH! It'll sure be a relief getting this chappie over with … *groan* and thus … the author has finally realized the downside to writing a romance story … some fluff are just unavoidable)
Okay, enjoy this long-awaited chappie of mine! ^^
Chapter 15: Just friends?
Silence isn't deadly … just mildly awkward … but then again, awkward was a mere understatement to describe what Pan was feeling right now … aside from her head spinning 'round and 'round from drinking far too much and being informed that a prince loved her, she felt very dizzy.
Pan lowered her head, she wished that he would just go away … what did he expect her to do? Ran within the warmth of his open arms crying out that she loved him so he could spend the rest of his life with her, and the tale would have a fairytale-like ending?
Well, actually, that wasn't such a bad idea, but no way was she going to actually do that, but she had to say something … something to ease the silence, to soften the awkwardness … yet she couldn't say anything … she couldn't laugh like usual and make a wise crack … this just wasn't the occasion to do that … yet, she was afraid to look at him, to look into those pleading eyes of his, to … love him …
So instead, she managed to croak out in what she considered a passable tone, "What do you expect me to say?"
He looked a bit taken back by her words, but soon regained that prince-like posture and spoke without any void of emotion, "I don't expect you to say anything."
When she didn't reply for quite a while longer, he muttered, "Say whatever you want … I don't care."
That tone of voice Pan recognized, the same annoying voice that he used to have, the tone that stated Why should a noble prince like me speak with a lowly peasant like you? And it was that tone of voice that Pan could not tolerate, but it was also that tone of voice that she could reply to.
What could she say? She couldn't say anything, certainly not what she felt … he'd only laugh at that, that's right … it had to be a joke, what with the bad sense of humour that he had and all, he was probably trying to make a fool of her …
"Still bored, Prince? You should be inside with all those hundreds of mad women hoping for a chance to marry you, to obsess over you, to worship you, why wait here with me? And besides, it's not like I'm the easiest person in the world to talk too, go and party with Marron and them, or are you pitying me? The little village girl whom you rejected a lifetime ago, well, prince." Pan spat, "I don't need your pity, go and save it for some other brainless girl."
"Pan, look, why must you be always so hard with everything, I-" Trunks opened his mouth to argue, then a little strange voice popped up at the back of his head, not the usual nagging one whose tone resembled his own, not the one that kept telling him to play it safe, and then he wouldn't get hurt, but one that resembled the voice of a female … or rather … one of a certain Time-obsessed girl that had frightened him to no ends … You realize that you were probably better off pushing her off a cliff than trying to argue with her … you really are an imbecile, you don't have all day, you know, time flies, and you certainly don't have much time left …so don't screw this one last chance … say whatever you think would sound better than some lame pickup line … time is running out …Yup, Trunks gritted his teeth, somehow, this was Emit talking to him, who ever would mention so much about running out of time? But in a way, the strange girl was right … he closed his eyes and blurted the first thing on his mind, "I-I love you, Pan …"
Oh god, he had officially made a fool of himself … Trunks wanted to kill himself … but there was no need to, this silence was already accomplishing the killing …
"You sure didn't say that a month ago …" Muttered Pan.
"Seventeen days, you mean," Trunks closed his eyes, he was now about to make an even bigger fool of himself, after this, he was going to kill Emit … which he probably can't, since the girl creeped the living daylights out of him, "I'm sorry, it was an impulse … what I said … I was … I was an idiot … I didn't consider my own feelings … I was afraid … afraid of making some sort of commitment … again … or rather … I was a coward …"
"So you're asking me to forgive you …" Pan tried hard not to laugh, poor prince, it was certainly hard for him, he did look quite pathetic right now … well, a very handsome sort of pathetic-ness, but pathetic all the same.
"No, I'm not," Trunks stopped for a second, "I'm asking for your understanding … and …" He swallowed hard, "I'm asking you for … for …" Oh, yes, you are a brainless idiot, aren't you, prince? You do realize that the sister of yours, who is not nearly as brainless as you, might notice that you're gone? Came the annoying yet strangely true voice, so, you are a coward aren't you? I pity you … poor prince … afraid of committing his love to a girl … "Stupid Emit …" Trunks muttered, he'd already made a fool out of himself, best to keep that reputation, "Pan, what else need I say?" He sighed, taking another deep breath, idiot, 'tis now or never, "All I ask from you … for you to give me a chance … and hopefully … if possibly … you could …" He didn't need to finish … she wasn't dumb, and should've gotten the hint by now …
"But … you … me … we … this can't work out." Pan seemed more interested in fidgeting with the grass beneath her than to look into the eyes of the man whom she loved so much, but was afraid to love, "You're a prince, I'm a peasant, our pasts have never met, and neither will our future …"
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." Quoted Trunks, this time, with a faint smile.
Pan smiled also, and she actually looked up, "Wow, I'm impressed, that was one of the few intelligent things that you've said all day."
"Give me a break," Trunks growled, "I say a lot of intelligent things."
"Oh, yeah? Like what, boxer boy?" Pan laughed as she quoted Trunks, "I was an idiot … blah blah blah … I was a coward …"
The prince felt his cheeks reddening, "Well, at least I'm not some dazed drunken girl!"
"Too bad … you would've been more likable that way …" Pan felt her forehead burn up, but shrugged it off, "You know, to think about it, I am quite sleepy."
"Am I forgiven?" Trunks asked.
Pan turned around and pouted, "I don't know, you were quite harsh with that kiss, you know."
"Me dearest apologies." Sighed Trunks as he walked closer to the girl, "Is there anyway that I could make you feel better?"
Pan turned around and asked, "I don't know … my forehead's burning up … I think I'm drunk … tell me, am I drunk?"
Trunks raised an eyebrow, "You weren't drunk a minute ago, it's getting colder out here though, do you want to go inside?"
"Cold?" Pan laughed, "What do you mean, cold? It's boiling hot in here!"
"It is?" Imprinted on the prince's face was a look of confusion.
"Yeah … it is …" Pan felt her eyelids growing heavy. That's it … I'm drunk … heh … I'll probably wake up and find that this was all a dream or something …and he doesn't really love me …I'll be alone once I wake up … back in my own bed … knowing that it was all just a dream … oh, heck, better make the dream count. On the last brink of consciousness, Pan stumbled towards a startled prince, having no idea what she was doing, but she didn't care, since she managed to press her lips upon those of the man whom she loved and hated so much.
He didn't seem to mind.
Her last thought before she fell into a world of drunken sleep was …
Strange, his lips sure feel real …
~*~
Hell, that sucked, tell me that sucked, NO! I CHANGED MY MIND! DON'T TELL ME! whimpers and hides under pillow
^^;; I'm sorry … like I said, I'm not a fluff writer … and well … I'm happy to say that the next chapter of The Apple Tree is back to normal! No more fluff! Yay! Yay!
*sniff* The pits of writing romance … there's gotta be a romantic part at some point … darn …
Leave the de-fluffed author a little comment, won't ya? ^~
-Juunanagou4ever