"Although loneliness has always been a friend of mine..."
A soft, sad beat drifted across Trunks' mind, clearing out all the troublesome thoughts that were lingering from his last encounter. Marron... geez, he'd nearly killed her. Trunks wandered around the bedroom she'd helped him into, looking. A fancy stereo system sat in the bookcase to the right of the bed. The room seemed to contain Marron's very essence. Pictures of family and friends were every where. The bookcase was full of fashion magazines; some were so old they were getting crusty. Trunks picked up one that seemed to be out of place. A sweep of his hand through the dust revealed "Martial Arts Monthly". He grinned. This wouldn't have been a normal choice of his friend, even with her history of fights. She'd probably bought it when the mood to understand Pan came upon her. Trunks frowned at the thought. What brought that on?
"Trunks?" Marron poked her head around the door. She hesitated to intrude on his privacy while he was asleep, but since he was awake... "What chya got there?" She bounced into the room and looked around his arm at the magazine he held. "Oh, that." She lost some of her enthusiasm.
Then she looked at his face, and some of his pain and longing translated to her. "Thinking of her again?"
He didn't even have to ask who "she" was. "She seems to be a constant bother."
Marron glared disapprovingly at him. "I don't think Pan would appreciate being called a simple 'bother'."
"Yeah, she'd rather be a leech, or a mosquito at the very least." Trunks said, smiling lamely. Marron saw through the joke easily.
"Why don't you go home and talk to her?"
Trunks ran his hands through his short bowl cut in exasperation. "Because she's not there!"
"Then go find her!" He shot her a hopeful glance before running out the door. "I don't know how you didn't end up inheriting either of your parents smarts!" She yelled down the stairs after him.
Pan froze in her hammock, leaving her eyes closed. Soft treads became a bit clearer sounding as they crept up on her. Staying still took a lot of effort, considering the bug bites that covered her body, but she wasn't willing to give up the advantage of surprise. Anyone trying to come after her wouldn't recognize her super human strength and senses until it was too late, and they couldn't do anything about it.
She felt the hammock sway was the intruder bumped against it. It was a feather light touch, but enough to set the string to vibrating against her body. Their breath floated down to her nose. It smelled like forest berries, with just a hint of rain.
Just a little closer.. come on… she urged silently, waiting for the right moment. Just a little closer, and she'd be able to grab the person and send him or her hurtling over into the nearest tree.
"Come on, Pan-chan. We both know you're not asleep." The familiar voice sounded quietly amused.
"Ubuu!" Pan's eyes shot open, and she jumped up in surprise. "Ouch!" She knocked her head against his. "What are you doing here?"
Ubuu rubbed the spot just below the widow's peak his Mohawk extended from. "I was going to check in on you, but you obviously don't need me."
Pan scowled at him. "Obviously."
"Don't be like that, I was just trying to help." He said. Ubuu frowned back at her. Why was she so pissed, when he was just trying to be nice?
"I don't need your help or your pity thank you. You can go home and tell your mother that you did your duty." She said stiffly.
"Why would I pity you? I know you can take care of yourself…"
Pan cocked her head, confused. She reminded Ubuu of an ornery tiger. "You mean you don't know?"
"Don't know what?" He asked warily. What a person doesn't know could kill them, he thought to himself.
"Oh kami… you don't know about Trunks' accident?" For some reason, she took a sadistic delight in the way Ubuu's face paled to a cappuccino-with-a-lot-of-cream-in-it color.
"Accident?"
Her pleasure faded as she told him the entire story, and saw that he didn't really feel sorry for her. Not like his pity was going to help her any in the first place. And he was truly worried about Trunks.
"Maybe you should pack up and go home." Ubuu said, looking up at the darkening sky.
"Which home?" Pan asked bitterly. "My family's, or Trunks'?"
"What's WRONG with you?" Ubuu growled at her. "You should be trying to support him, not be all angry because of the accident! It's not like it's HIS fault!"
Pan blinked away her tears. "So you're implying it's MY fault?" She had been blaming herself for the accident all along, and now the man in front of her was confirming it.
"No… of course not." His voice faltered.
Pan shut out the pain. He wasn't even sure of trying to reassure her. "That's alright. I'll go to Trunks' house."
A soft, sad beat drifted across Trunks' mind, clearing out all the troublesome thoughts that were lingering from his last encounter. Marron... geez, he'd nearly killed her. Trunks wandered around the bedroom she'd helped him into, looking. A fancy stereo system sat in the bookcase to the right of the bed. The room seemed to contain Marron's very essence. Pictures of family and friends were every where. The bookcase was full of fashion magazines; some were so old they were getting crusty. Trunks picked up one that seemed to be out of place. A sweep of his hand through the dust revealed "Martial Arts Monthly". He grinned. This wouldn't have been a normal choice of his friend, even with her history of fights. She'd probably bought it when the mood to understand Pan came upon her. Trunks frowned at the thought. What brought that on?
"Trunks?" Marron poked her head around the door. She hesitated to intrude on his privacy while he was asleep, but since he was awake... "What chya got there?" She bounced into the room and looked around his arm at the magazine he held. "Oh, that." She lost some of her enthusiasm.
Then she looked at his face, and some of his pain and longing translated to her. "Thinking of her again?"
He didn't even have to ask who "she" was. "She seems to be a constant bother."
Marron glared disapprovingly at him. "I don't think Pan would appreciate being called a simple 'bother'."
"Yeah, she'd rather be a leech, or a mosquito at the very least." Trunks said, smiling lamely. Marron saw through the joke easily.
"Why don't you go home and talk to her?"
Trunks ran his hands through his short bowl cut in exasperation. "Because she's not there!"
"Then go find her!" He shot her a hopeful glance before running out the door. "I don't know how you didn't end up inheriting either of your parents smarts!" She yelled down the stairs after him.
Pan froze in her hammock, leaving her eyes closed. Soft treads became a bit clearer sounding as they crept up on her. Staying still took a lot of effort, considering the bug bites that covered her body, but she wasn't willing to give up the advantage of surprise. Anyone trying to come after her wouldn't recognize her super human strength and senses until it was too late, and they couldn't do anything about it.
She felt the hammock sway was the intruder bumped against it. It was a feather light touch, but enough to set the string to vibrating against her body. Their breath floated down to her nose. It smelled like forest berries, with just a hint of rain.
Just a little closer.. come on… she urged silently, waiting for the right moment. Just a little closer, and she'd be able to grab the person and send him or her hurtling over into the nearest tree.
"Come on, Pan-chan. We both know you're not asleep." The familiar voice sounded quietly amused.
"Ubuu!" Pan's eyes shot open, and she jumped up in surprise. "Ouch!" She knocked her head against his. "What are you doing here?"
Ubuu rubbed the spot just below the widow's peak his Mohawk extended from. "I was going to check in on you, but you obviously don't need me."
Pan scowled at him. "Obviously."
"Don't be like that, I was just trying to help." He said. Ubuu frowned back at her. Why was she so pissed, when he was just trying to be nice?
"I don't need your help or your pity thank you. You can go home and tell your mother that you did your duty." She said stiffly.
"Why would I pity you? I know you can take care of yourself…"
Pan cocked her head, confused. She reminded Ubuu of an ornery tiger. "You mean you don't know?"
"Don't know what?" He asked warily. What a person doesn't know could kill them, he thought to himself.
"Oh kami… you don't know about Trunks' accident?" For some reason, she took a sadistic delight in the way Ubuu's face paled to a cappuccino-with-a-lot-of-cream-in-it color.
"Accident?"
Her pleasure faded as she told him the entire story, and saw that he didn't really feel sorry for her. Not like his pity was going to help her any in the first place. And he was truly worried about Trunks.
"Maybe you should pack up and go home." Ubuu said, looking up at the darkening sky.
"Which home?" Pan asked bitterly. "My family's, or Trunks'?"
"What's WRONG with you?" Ubuu growled at her. "You should be trying to support him, not be all angry because of the accident! It's not like it's HIS fault!"
Pan blinked away her tears. "So you're implying it's MY fault?" She had been blaming herself for the accident all along, and now the man in front of her was confirming it.
"No… of course not." His voice faltered.
Pan shut out the pain. He wasn't even sure of trying to reassure her. "That's alright. I'll go to Trunks' house."