Disclaimer: No DBZ for me. *cries*
Girl of My Dreams
Chapter 24
Pan sat semi-contentedly in a chair in one of the many ice cream shops in the city. Where was Trunks? He should have been here already. The bell above the door rang as someone walked into the shop. Pan turned around expectantly, her mouth open and ready to scold him, but Trunks wasn't there. Of course. She sighed and played with the ice cream lazily. The bell rang again and again she turned around. But this time, it was Trunks! He smiled at her and she forgot all her reproaches on the spot.
"How are you?" That had been his customary greeting for a while now. How long had it been since the whole chase? Ten months ago?
"No hi?"
"Hi, how are you?" He smiled again.
"Hi, I'm doing pretty good, how are you?"
"Ah, you know me. But seriously, Pan, how are you? I don't want you to lapse back to how you were before…"
"I'm FINE, Trunks. Let's talk about something else, I don't like remembering all of the past." At every one of their meetings he had to ask how she felt and how she was doing. Everyone else did it too. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful that they all cared so much about her, it was starting to get annoying. That was their only conversation with her and she really didn't feel like talking about it to everyone.
Sheepishly he tucked his head down. "Sorry, I forgot. I just wanted to make sure. Anyway, what have you been up to lately? I haven't seen you in a few days."
"Yeah I know you haven't seen me! How dare you, Trunks Brief. Well, my mom and I went shopping again for my room-"
"What color is it now?" Trunks remembered the many colors Pan had already gone through. She just couldn't decide on the color she wanted. Her parents had indulged her to keep her happy, though Trunks figured that by now it had to be wearing them out.
"Right now it's a sort of mauve/pink/purple color. I don't know what to call it really."
Trunks wrinkled his nose. He hated pink. Any shade of it. "And? Do you like it?"
"Nope."
"No…"
"No, I'm going to switch it to a shade of blue tomorrow. Dad already bought the paint. And I think I'm going to stick with this color because it's a really nice one. And yesterday Mom bought me a bed sheet set that matches that color. It's going to look so cool!" He started thinking about how she had changed. She was obviously faking her excitement. Her face was drawn, just as if she hadn't been getting enough sleep. "She's probably having a rough time right now. I bet she's not getting a moment's peace because of all the reporters staking out her house." That would make anyone lose sleep. Ever since the end of the case, reporters had been crowding around Videl and Gohan's home, hoping to catch a glimpse or even get to speak with Pan. There were others outside Capsule Corporation, but the crowd of reporters wasn't nearly as large as the one surrounding Pan's home. Trunks silently cursed the reporters. "They love to cause trouble. They don't care how distraught Pan might be, they just want to talk to her so that they will have a good news story. Why won't they just leave her alone? Would they like to discuss to an entire world about their life full of abuse? Pan isn't ready to do that yet." Then his mind wandered to the contradiction she was setting up around her. At the moment she seemed bubbly and happy. She was acting like some popular airhead who knew of nothing else to talk about except fashion and accessories and boys. But then, she was wearing the most tomboyish of clothes, a decidedly unairhead-like look.
She noticed Trunks had been looking at the top of her head since she had been talking. "Hello? Trunks?"
"What's with the bandana? And, with the boy clothes for that matter…" He glanced down at her red shirt and baggy pants with a chain hanging out of one of the pockets. "I'm so used to you wearing jeans, but at least they were girl jeans…"
"You don't like them?" She asked casually, but there was a hint of defensiveness in her tone.
"Oh yeah! They're okay, I was just wondering."
Pan shrugged. "I just wanted a change."
The conversation fell to silence. Trunks wanted to hear how she was really doing. He knew she was lying when she said she was okay. She wasn't. How could she be?
Trunks recalled chasing Charles and Pan through alleys and remembered Charles finally catching Pan…
- - - - - - - - - - - -
"Pan!" Trunks called out. "Keep running!"
It was too late; Charles grabbed Pan's hair and pulled her violently back toward him. He kicked her and she fell to her knees in pain, crying because there was nothing she could do. Charles knelt on her back, making sure she couldn't escape. He pulled her head up by her hair and was ready to bring her head smashing back down on the pavement when a gunshot rang out through the dark alley. The policemen had finally caught up.
Pan's face hit the ground and she felt Charles' weight fall on top of her. She ached all over. Had she been shot? Was she bleeding now? Was there a bullet buried in her skin? A pair of cool hands pulled her out from under Charles. She was rolled over onto her back and her head rested on someone's thigh. Her vision was blurry, but she could see Trunks' purple hair and his blue eyes hovering above her. "It's going to be okay, Pan. You're fine." Then she knew nothing.
- - - - - - - - - -
What ensued was a few months of staying the hospital. Pan slipped back in and out of consciousness during those months, sometimes not even remembering what was going on around her. Everyone she knew stayed with her. Someone was always there in case she woke up or she really started feeling better. When she did finally start to get better, a psychiatrist came and interviewed her. Only she and her parents knew what was talked about and no one asked or told about it.
"It must be difficult for her, adjusting to a totally different life…How would I feel if I were beat up all my life and had gotten into that rhythm of life, used to it, then suddenly I would be in a world without pain and suffering on a daily basis? She must feel so out of place. Hopefully she has adjusted somewhat, though. It's been a long enough time for her to at least get partially used to it. She'll never lose her memories though…It's too bad that she never knew about her Saiyan powers until recently. I'm sure she could have taken Charles out if she had even been taught how to use them…maybe even if anyone had even hinted that she had powers. Things could have been different. At least Gohan is teaching her now so she can protect herself later."
- - - - - - - - - -
Gohan sat in front of Pan at the breakfast table. "Pan, I've been thinking a lot lately and I think it's time that I told you about your race."
"My race?" She asked incredulously. "I know all about my race, Dad. I'm human…"
He shook his head. "No, you're one fourth Saiyan."
"Saiyan? What's that?"
"We're another species. As you can tell, we look a lot like humans. The only difference is that we're born with tails, have wild hair, and are stronger than humans. Didn't you think something was up with all our weird hair? Like Grandpa Goku, Goten, Me, Joey, and Vegeta?"
"Well…I thought it was just the style."
"If you want to see what Saiyans are like, all you have to do is look at Grandpa Goku or Vegeta. Well…maybe Vegeta would be a better example. Dad hit his head when he was little and he forgot how to act like a true Saiyan. But that's a different story, maybe I'll tell it to you later. But both of them are full-blooded Saiyans. Just try to imagine them with tails."
Pan's eyebrow raised as she thought about it. "What about Trunks? Why doesn't he have funny hair?"
"Oh, he got his hair from his mom."
"I see."
"Anyway, the whole point of bringing this conversation up was that I want to train you."
She looked quizzically at him.
"Training is what Saiyans do. It's how we become stronger. Unfortunately, you could have been far along by now, but since you're just starting to learn, you'll be a little behind. It will be easier for you to learn though than it would be for a human to learn."
"Explain 'training.'"
"I'll teach you how to fly-"
"Like Trunks?!"
"Yup and-"
"I don't think I can do that…"
"Sure you can! You're a Saiyan, it practically comes naturally. Humans have a more difficult time learning unless they have practiced martial arts for a long time. You won't fall or anything, unless you allow yourself to, but Saiyan bodies are built to withstand falling from high up or being hit by someone with a lot of power. You just have to learn how to harness these abilities within yourself."
She smiled thinking how nice it would feel to be flying in the air with the birds, spiraling in the clouds with Trunks and her younger brother, free from any earthly limitations.
"And you will learn how to use ki and you can use it to hurt your enemies or train with, cook with, or dry yourself off with after a shower."
"You make it sound like a towel…"
"No, no, it's energy. I showed your mom a long time ago…"
- - - - - - - - - -
And now Pan was doing very well with her powers. If anyone attacked her now, she would be able to defend herself. Not that anyone would allow her to get into any trouble like that again. There was always someone around making sure that she was okay. He almost felt bad for her being so cooped up all the time. She probably rarely ever got any privacy. Everyone was so intent on making sure she was still home or keeping tabs on her wherever she went, she never had anytime to be completely alone without thinking someone was watching her. Trunks would hate to feel like that.
"Anything new with Goku?"
"Not really. Grandma is making him paint their house, but he always sneaks away and visits me. You know, he doesn't bother me…Everyone always asks how I am and where I'm going. He just talks to me and we eat a lot of food and watch TV together. I like it when he visits."
"Yeah, Goku has that affect on people. Everyone except my dad, of course."
They laughed.
"So what's up with the schooling situation? Are they going to make you go to the high school or are they going to let you stay home and learn there?"
"Well, knowing them, I think they are going to keep me home."
"And you want to go…?"
She shrugged and looked down at the table. "I don't know."
"It looks like you do."
"I want to go so that I can get away from all the craziness at my house, but…I'm not sure if I'm ready to be around so many people yet. What if I freak out on my first day? People would laugh at me."
"Yeah, they probably wouldn't understand. Maybe you should stay home."
Pan visibly cringed. Trunks laughed softly. "Okay, maybe that's not the best idea. What if you ask your parents to let my mom teach you about stuff? She can be annoying, but she's a genius at everything."
"That sounds great!" she exclaimed, then her expression dimmed. "But what if they say no?"
"Argue with them a little. You've heard how girls are losing interest in math and stuff, right? My mom could teach you tons of math; it's her specialty. She can show you how to make capsules and machines for my dad to train with. Those take a lot of math to make. Math and science, that's all it is. So you could argue with that, maybe they would listen and think it's a good idea."
Pan didn't really know how to deal with 'arguing.' She had never done it before in her life; it had always been the wrong thing to do. There had only done it one time and she had been severely beaten for it. What if when she argued with her real parents it happened again? What if it was the same in every other household? Then again, what if they let her get away with it, but then she had painful flashbacks and she relapsed into a more timid mood? She had worked so hard to get to the state she was now in. Pan planned and dreamed of getting better to the point that she would be fearless, just like Trunks' father, Vegeta. Of course, maybe Vegeta wasn't the best person to copy…
"Do you want to see a movie later?" he asked.
"Um, no, I can't. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist. Today I'm supposed to talk about how I felt in the courtroom."
Trunks nodded sympathetically. He knew she didn't want to talk about anything. But she felt like she had an obligation to tell the psychiatrist about her ordeal. Getting these things out were supposed to be helping her, and in a way they had, but Pan despised reliving her worst memories and then discussing them from many angles. She especially didn't want to talk about her ordeal in front of her parents, but that was supposed to help in the healing process for all of them.
Her family was finally given custody of her, but not after she had to go through a court process, most of which she had blocked out her mind. She didn't ever want to see Charles again and yet she had had to be in the same room as him once again…
- - - - - - - - - -
"And here is a local news' tape of what happened in an alleyway. You can clearly see here that Mr. Miller intended to harm Pan Miller," Bulma stated, gesturing to a large TV screen. "Notice the tears on her face; she obviously does not want to be there."
"Let her go!"
"Take one more step and I'll kill. I swear I'll do it."
"Let her go! We can work this all out, you don't have to do this."
"Oh no, you're not fooling me, lady. Do you actually want me to believe that I'll get away with this? I'm obviously not going to win the case, so why should I bother listening to you? I'm not going to get out of going to jail. I don't care anymore! She's mine! Not that bitch's daughter."
"Mr. Miller, maybe we can't fool you, but maybe we can reason with you. Do you want what's best for Pan? Or are you willing to ruin her life? If you really care about her like you claimed throughout the entire trial, then you would do the right thing and let her go."
"Oh please. Don't give me that bullshit. You know I'm a selfish bastard. That is what you think, isn't it?"
"Well, if that is what you want to think of yourself, Mr. Miller, I can't stop you, but it would be the best for everyone here if you just let her go. If you let her go of your own accord, if police do not have to take her from you by force, it will look better. It would look like you actually have some sort of conscience and can be redeemed. Maybe then you will be put in prison for maybe twenty years instead a life sentence in prison."
His voice rang out in the court and everyone heard the mockery in Charles' voice. No one could mistake it. They saw with their own eyes Pan's tears and Charles' arm held tightly around her. There was no way that anyone, even the judge, could let Charles get away with everything that he had gotten away with previously.
And he didn't. He was going to jail for life.
All of Pan's family and friends had celebrated after the case was officially over, even Vegeta was seen being amused by the riot of fun and celebration that erupted at the Son house.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Pan was thinking again, Trunks could tell. He had finally come to terms with the fact that he wanted her as his mate. He had been denying it for so long, but now he couldn't deny it; he loved her too much. And because of this love, he knew that he had to be on his own for a while. While in the past Pan had clung to him because he had saved her and had helped her through her troubles, now she really didn't want to be held or protected. It was like she was beginning to realize how protective Trunks was of her. Maybe it had started to scare her. She had become more distant from him recently, so he chivalrously stepped aside and allowed her to have her space. Even Gohan had relented and had allowed her more freedom and had stopped following her in order to protect her. It had only happened because the psychiatrist intimated that his constantly being around Pan was making Pan unhappy and might keep her from progressing. Gohan hadn't liked the idea, but he gave Pan her space.
Everyone had been gentle with Pan, never forcing her to do anything since they met her. Now they were making absolutely sure that they did not cause her any grief.
Pan was slightly annoyed at them all. She appreciated that they wanted to help her adjust to a new life, but she didn't want them distancing themselves so far away. When she happened to enter a room at a time when they were talking about something mildly distressing, such as Joey being upset about starting preschool, the subject was changed to something more joyful. In a way, it made Pan feel unwanted even though she knew that everyone cared for her. Then again, she was caught between her own reactions and the way she felt. Because she knew everyone cared for her, she wanted to get away. She almost felt like they wanted to 'love' her the way Charles had. It was stupid, she knew, but she couldn't help but think that way and wonder if maybe someday one of her new family members or friends would hurt her in the same way.
As she and Trunks left the ice cream shop together, Pan thought of all that she had been through. Looking back, she had not had such a wonderful life. There were many events, many difficulties, and many emotional and physical bruises. No one could ever say that her life was boring. And maybe, just maybe, she had lived through all of it for a reason. Perhaps she was destined to be something great. Maybe she could speak to the world later on in life and become and activist against abuse. She would know what she would be talking about; she had lived through abuse. But for now, Pan was content just to be around such caring people, even with all their faults and ways of annoying her. She had never had such caring people around her and she knew that from that point on, she would always be happy.
* The End *
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Well, that's the end, I hope you all liked it! I sort of made this chapter in a different sort of format or point of view as you can tell. I hope it didn't confuse anyone. Anyway, this may not be the final copy because I have a request of all of you…I've read stories were there are some hole in the plot-lines or something had been completely left out. If there is anything like that here, let me know. I'll try to incorporate it into this chapter, or if it's a major deal, maybe I'll post an epilogue.
Thank you to all the faithful readers! I know it took a long time to get the last, oh maybe 10 chapters out…hehehe. Sorry about that… But I am very thankful that you stuck with me all this time and didn't give up hope that I would quit on this story without finishing it. It really means a lot to me.
~Lady Branwen~