Disclaimer: Dragon Ball Z and all its affiliations are not owned by me.
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Generic Brand
Rated -R- for language, violence, sexual content and mature themes.
Chapter Three
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A week went by and she had yet to hear from her once best friend. It was odd how just one night could change so much. And it was especially odd how distant she felt towards him, despite her aching to call him up and apologize.
It was, after all, her fault.
"Oh, Kami, Uubu, you have no idea how sorry I am," she mumbled to herself as she fiddled with the cell in her pocket, debating whether or not to call him.
Finally, she gave in and dialed his number, hoping against hope he wouldn't pick it up.
What was she thinking, calling him? He was probably terribly disappointed in her and never wanted to speak to her again, much less hear her petty excuses. She had ruined their friendship. For all she knew, he was probably ignoring her call after seeing her name on the ID. He didn't want to talk to her or else he would have called earlier, instead of obviously avoiding her.
"Hello?" came his deep masculine voice on the other end of the line.
Snapping herself out of her reverie, Pan answered.
"Hey, Uubu, it's Pan."
"I know who it is, silly. It's not like I forgot who you were or anything."
"Oh, yeah, silly me. Anyhow, I was in town and was wondering if you'd like to do something?"
"Sure," he responded and she could almost feel his smile radiating through the wires. "I would love to. Plus, we have a lot to talk about." he added in an ominous tone, forewarning Pan that not everything would be fun and games.
"Meet me at the coffee shop on Main?"
"Give me half an hour and I'll see you there."
"Bye sexy Uubu!"
"Bye sexy Pan!" each finished, gleefully calling out their traditional good- byes, although each felt like the usual carefree aspect was somehow missing.
Uubu clicked off his phone and rolled over in bed.
Even though it was near three in the afternoon, he had yet to get up. He had probably been doing more sleep than what was healthy for him, and it was showing in the bags under his eyes.
Seems like you don't only get bags when you lose sleep, he thought to himself as he moved slowly towards the bathroom to begin getting ready to meet her.
So much had changed that one night and he didn't know how he should act, how she would act around him.
He couldn't summon up the courage to call her. It had been so much his fault, allowing that to happen. He was practically five years older than her, yet he allowed himself to lose control and gave in.
How stupid can one guy be?
He had thought he had just ruined their friendship, for good. Thank Kami she called. Everything might not be alright, but at least it was on its way to recovery.
Pan, on the other hand, strolled the streets, staring aimlessly into the tall showcase windows, marveling at the beauty held in each of the intricately designed and displayed items.
One particular dress stood out to her as she passed; it dazzled in its own grandeur.
The manikin stood tall and proud, as if it were aware of the glamorous gown it was adorned with.
Long satin sleeves ending in a smooth bell across the back of the hand were attached to a simple bodice of pale blue. A shimmering, transparent overskirt covered the flowing skirt that extended to delicate embroidery on the bottom.
Pan just smiled and walked on, putting the expensive dress out of her thoughts. It would do her no good to dream about things she can't afford. Soon arriving at the small coffee shop, Pan walked into the homely atmosphere, noticing immediately Uubu sitting in the far corner of the room, yet he wasn't alone. A girl Pan did not recognize was seated next to him, looking rather comfortable against his tanned shoulder, a position Pan had been in not but a week earlier.
Her eyes immediately narrowed. What was she doing here? Had Uubu already moved on so quickly after the incident? It made no sense that he had another person with him.
Pan brushed aside the thoughts pressing annoyingly at her, and made her way over to the object of her attention, who at the present, was blushing furiously.
He lightly shrugged his shoulder to remove the, Pan now noticed, not entirely attractive young from it.
"Hey," he started quietly, "I'd like you to meet Tsima, my fiancé."
Pan's eyes widened slightly, yet she made no other movement to betray her emotions, instead just smiling gaily and moving to greet the woman. "I'm Pan. It's nice to meet you."
A similar greeting was returned, with the same amiability.
Sliding into the seat across from the couple, Pan had her order taken by a sweet, young waitress who immediately returned with her coffee and Pan began to question about Uubu and his companion.
"So, how long have you known each other?" she said.
"Oh, like forever, you know. Let's see, Uubu, we first met when we were what? Eight?"
"I think it was more like nine," he corrected softly, wondering about Pan's surely impending wrath. There was no way he was going to get away with never having mentioned Tsima to Pan.
"Oh really?" Pan asked, "And yet Uubu never bothered to mention you to me? I thought we were better friends than that," she finished, in a biting joke. Tsima was oblivious to the obvious hurt in her tone, though, and continued on about her and Uubu's past and how they had gotten together again as of late and were now "tight as thieves".
"You know," Pan interrupted as she began to climb out of the booth they group was seated at, "I really have to get going. I promised I would meet my father at his house before the day was through, and it's getting on in the afternoon. I'll catch you later?"
"Yeah. It was really nice meeting you!" Tsima called after Pan as she gracefully exited the small café.
Uubu's heart tore at him as he watched her go, a pain that was hard to ignore as he looked at the young woman seated next to him, glancing at the small golden ring adorning her finger.
"She was nice. I'm glad you had me meet her," Tsima continued.
"She is nice, isn't she?" he said more to himself than to her.
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She couldn't believe him. He had never even mentioned he was attached. How low can one man go? And she used to have such faith in him. This was just perfect.
And there she was going to confess to him, sober this time. Obviously that was never going to happen.
She pursed her lips and continued on her walk home. She would have to call her dad and cancel dinner for tonight.
She loved to eat with him and talk about all manners of things, but tonight, she didn't feel like it.
Her black eyes filled with tears, but Pan, being stubborn, wouldn't let them drop.
She'd been crying too much of late, anyhow, and tears never got anyone anything. She'd just have to move on.
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"Goten?" a soft voice asked in a low tone as he picked up the offending object.
"Yes? Who is this?" he replied as he glanced at the blaring green numbers flashing on the small digital clock placed beside his bed. 2:17 am.
"Pan," came the fast reply.
"What can I do for you?" he said with a sigh, ready for a long night as he resituated himself on his bed. If Pan was calling this early in the morning, then something was up, and he would hear her out.
He'd been through his ups and downs and understood why she sought out someone to talk to. He almost lost it because he kept it to himself. Paris, coupled with his tragic past, really ate at him. Paris was gone now though, and Goten was a free man.
"I've got something to confess," she began, but paused suddenly, as if rethinking her decision.
"Yes, well, continue."
"You see, my group has recently decided they no longer wish to have me in their ranks," she began rather cryptically, "and so I was really upset and Uubu comforted me and all, and he really did help, but it escalated to a certain irreversible extreme and he has a fiancé which he failed to mention and so now I don't think I can really be friends with him but I need someone to hang out with besides just Marron and I was wondering if you would mind helping me get some people to do stuff with until I get my act back together and get out in the real world again."
Her run-on sentence was said with such speed that even Goten had trouble catching every word, yet he got the gist of it and nodded silently to himself, even if she couldn't see it.
"Yeah, I know I need help getting Trunks out of that prison his mom calls work. The poor guy is stuck in there all day. He needs a distraction and an excuse to get out. You can come with him and me wherever we go, if you'd like," he offered.
"Thanks," she smiled, "It's nice to know you're there for me."
"No problem. But now," he yawned, glancing again at the clock: 2:31 am, "I think it's time for me to go to bed," and with that, he rolled over, setting the phone lightly back in its cradle, and curled up under the welcoming sheets.
Not feeling totally happy with it, but assured she still had someone to depend on, Pan also rolled over and embraced the warm clutches of sleep.
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"Hey Trunks," she said awkwardly, feeling as if she was intruding on the pair's activities even though she had been directly invited to join them.
"Hey," he said, wondering why she was here. He thought they're friendship was over after their trip in space. After all, he was a wealthy young business man, and she was so much younger than him, not just in age, but in maturity, at least, so far as he'd remembered.
In fact, if he remembered correctly, she hung all over him, and he figured he could easily get her into bed.
He smirked at that thought. He really wanted to get some action soon, just to assure himself that he still had it.
Back to Pan though, he really didn't feel like babysitting and having some child hang all over him. It was pathetic beyond belief, but for Goten, he'd put up with it.
"So what are you guys doing?" she began politely, looking at the two of their faces; Goten's face held a pity in it that she didn't appreciate and Trunks' was almost of condescending tolerance.
She felt oh so welcome there.
"Just talking, I guess," Trunks replied.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
Well, that was awkward.
"Anyhow," Goten said, "You're friends with Marron, right Pan?"
"Yeah, of course," she answered as if it was one of the stupidest questions in the world.
"Trunks here thinks she's hot, but, as we know, he's a chicken and since he really doesn't know her." Goten suggested, glancing sideways at Pan.
"I don't know. She just broke up with this one guy and now is looking at this other dude, but sure, if you want to try," Pan ended softly, feeling just a tad bit hurt that yet another guy was flocking to her blonde friend. Everyone seemed to think that Marron was great.
And Trunks, of all people, of course would like Marron over her. The one guy she was beginning to like would, of course, like her best friend.
Kami really hated her. That's all it came down to.
"Well, do what you can for him, alright? Try and get him on her good side before she starts talking to him. You think you can?"
"Of course," she sighed dejectedly. Why did she come to hang out with them again? This wasn't fun. Oh yeah. Her friends dumped her.
"Alright, well, we're on our way to lunch, would you like to come with us?"
Pan just nodded in response and followed the two friends out to the young executive's car.
"Where do you want to eat?" Trunks asked to the raven haired girl behind him, glancing in the rear view mirror to gauge her response. It was kind of depressing seeing her pout. She was so much like his little sister it was rather scary.
"Something with hamburgers."
Yup, just like his little sister.
"Will do," and with that, the three sped off down the highway to decide on something to eat.
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Pan slid in the front door of her parents' house, right past the comfortably snoozing couple on the couch and up the stairs, agilely avoiding any confrontation.
When she'd cancelled her dinner date, her father was understanding, upset, but understanding. However, she hadn't been able to make any other meal dates that he'd set up over the past week, and she really didn't want to talk to him about it.
He'd obviously tried to stay up so he could talk to her about what was apparently bothering her, but he was still a momma's boy, asleep by bedtime, 10:00, each night.
However, to her horror, the phone rang as soon as she stepped foot into her dark room, and in a mad dash to grab it before her dad awoke from the sound, she tripped over her laundry basket, twice, and scraped her arm from the elbow to her wrist, leaving a bloody gash.
Amazingly, though, he didn't wake, and Pan, breathless, answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Pan. I need to explain, I think."
She wanted to shout a few obscenities at the boy on the other end of the line, but all she replied with was a simple, "Yeah, we do need to talk about a lot."
"Well, you see," Uubu began, "Tsima and I have been off and on for a while now, well, for a long while now, and then she finally pushed me into a complete commitment.
"This was probably about a week ago, and to tell you the truth, I'm really happy with it, and I can see myself with her for a long time, which is why I asked her to marry me.
"I don't have an explanation for the other night, although, believe me, I wish I did. If it had happened but about a week and a half before, I would have picked you, not her, if it is any consolation.
"You were always so brave and we got along so well. I mean, we could practically finish each other's sentences. I think that that's amazing.
"However, Tsima is what's right for me and I don't think I can be with anyone else. I really hope you'll forgive me, Pan. I love you so very much, you were just a little late." He ended his speech, praying Pan would forgive him.
If only she knew how truthful he was really being. He loved her, probably more than Tsima, but she was one step too slow. He almost, almost, wished he could take back his engagement and give her a chance, but it was too late, and he kept telling himself that Tsima was really the one for him.
He just had to keep convincing himself.
"I wish you and Tsima as much happiness as you can get, and I only hope you'll forgive me for my actions the other night," she choked out, trying to keep the tears burning behind her eyes from spilling out.
"Of course I do, Pan. Neither of us was in our right minds."
Uubu unconsciously ignored the slight waver in her voice, brushing it aside to assure himself she was okay.
"Still friends?" she questioned.
"Still friends," he answered, in full confidence of that fact, unaware of how unstable the statement really was.
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Groaning as Aurora's sweet rays brushed against her pale cheek, her ebony locks followed as her thin frame rolled over in order to avoid the first light of dawn.
Her bandaged arm lay to her side and a minute puddle of drool rested on the satin pillow case while the rest of the bed was in complete disarray. Sheets were crumpled up under her legs and only tiny corner remained covering her.
She grumbled again as she rolled back over and sat up, shielding her eyes with her other arm as she squinted into the bright room. She hadn't realized it was so late.
She climbed out of bed and moseyed her way over to the bathroom, completing her morning routine in a hurry. She had to meet Trunks for lunch,
Her heart skipped a beat at this thought. She didn't know when it had happened, but she'd gone from having just a childhood adoration for the demi saiyan to a full out love for him, or so she thought.
Admiring herself in the mirror shortly before she dashed out of her room, Pan smoothed out her light blue tee and straightened her rather baggy pants that were cinched tightly low on her waist and in the middle of her calves on either leg.
Running a comb through her short hair, she made a quick exit from her house, taking off to the sky to meet Trunks in time.
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Many other days went by the same, and Pan spent less time with her uncle Goten and more time with Trunks, and in her mind, he was growing affections for her.
He, although his jokes were rather biting, invited her to do all kinds of things with him, yet the one thing that ate at her was that he loved to talk about Marron.
She chose to ignore this fact and pretend, in blissful ignorance, that he was in love with her.
However, soon it became obvious his interests did not lie in little Panny, as he chose to call her, but instead in the graceful blonde.
When the pretty young lady began to acknowledge his attentions and return his calls, much to the dismay of her parents, Trunks' interest in Pan wavered. He'd cancel his plans with her in order to receive a call from Marron and made sure he was always available for her.
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"Pan," Marron began slowly, well aware of her friend's vulnerability at this moment, "You're not mad at me, are you?"
She searched the younger woman's face, trying to find a trace of anger hidden within her dark eyes, yet she was met with only an empty void.
Pan, despite her lack of emotion on the outside, was fuming on the inside.
'No, I'm not mad,' she ranted to herself, daring not to speak her thoughts to her seemingly only friend. 'Why would I be mad? My supposed best friend decides to cuddle up to the guy I like while I'm off on a family vacation, and to make matters even better, she moves in with him in such a short time period. No, oh no, what cause do I have to be mad?'
"No," she answered calmly, a false smile across her face, "After all, he liked you more, and since you like him back, why should I stand in the way? I was getting anywhere anyhow, so I might as well move on, and I only want the best for you."
She lied the entire way through her short speech, really wanting to strangle the short blonde for her betrayal.
Marron, however, was satisfied with her answer, and hugged Pan.
"This is great! Now, that I have a boyfriend, we so definitely have to work on you, Pan. Then think of the fun! Double dating and all that other stuff! It will be great, don't you agree?"
Great, she thought to herself, just great.
Marron looped her arm through Pan's and she successfully drug the secretly pouting girl off down the street.
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Check and make sure you have read the alteration at the start of chapter two. It will help make the story make just a tad bit more sense.
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Generic Brand
Rated -R- for language, violence, sexual content and mature themes.
Chapter Three
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A week went by and she had yet to hear from her once best friend. It was odd how just one night could change so much. And it was especially odd how distant she felt towards him, despite her aching to call him up and apologize.
It was, after all, her fault.
"Oh, Kami, Uubu, you have no idea how sorry I am," she mumbled to herself as she fiddled with the cell in her pocket, debating whether or not to call him.
Finally, she gave in and dialed his number, hoping against hope he wouldn't pick it up.
What was she thinking, calling him? He was probably terribly disappointed in her and never wanted to speak to her again, much less hear her petty excuses. She had ruined their friendship. For all she knew, he was probably ignoring her call after seeing her name on the ID. He didn't want to talk to her or else he would have called earlier, instead of obviously avoiding her.
"Hello?" came his deep masculine voice on the other end of the line.
Snapping herself out of her reverie, Pan answered.
"Hey, Uubu, it's Pan."
"I know who it is, silly. It's not like I forgot who you were or anything."
"Oh, yeah, silly me. Anyhow, I was in town and was wondering if you'd like to do something?"
"Sure," he responded and she could almost feel his smile radiating through the wires. "I would love to. Plus, we have a lot to talk about." he added in an ominous tone, forewarning Pan that not everything would be fun and games.
"Meet me at the coffee shop on Main?"
"Give me half an hour and I'll see you there."
"Bye sexy Uubu!"
"Bye sexy Pan!" each finished, gleefully calling out their traditional good- byes, although each felt like the usual carefree aspect was somehow missing.
Uubu clicked off his phone and rolled over in bed.
Even though it was near three in the afternoon, he had yet to get up. He had probably been doing more sleep than what was healthy for him, and it was showing in the bags under his eyes.
Seems like you don't only get bags when you lose sleep, he thought to himself as he moved slowly towards the bathroom to begin getting ready to meet her.
So much had changed that one night and he didn't know how he should act, how she would act around him.
He couldn't summon up the courage to call her. It had been so much his fault, allowing that to happen. He was practically five years older than her, yet he allowed himself to lose control and gave in.
How stupid can one guy be?
He had thought he had just ruined their friendship, for good. Thank Kami she called. Everything might not be alright, but at least it was on its way to recovery.
Pan, on the other hand, strolled the streets, staring aimlessly into the tall showcase windows, marveling at the beauty held in each of the intricately designed and displayed items.
One particular dress stood out to her as she passed; it dazzled in its own grandeur.
The manikin stood tall and proud, as if it were aware of the glamorous gown it was adorned with.
Long satin sleeves ending in a smooth bell across the back of the hand were attached to a simple bodice of pale blue. A shimmering, transparent overskirt covered the flowing skirt that extended to delicate embroidery on the bottom.
Pan just smiled and walked on, putting the expensive dress out of her thoughts. It would do her no good to dream about things she can't afford. Soon arriving at the small coffee shop, Pan walked into the homely atmosphere, noticing immediately Uubu sitting in the far corner of the room, yet he wasn't alone. A girl Pan did not recognize was seated next to him, looking rather comfortable against his tanned shoulder, a position Pan had been in not but a week earlier.
Her eyes immediately narrowed. What was she doing here? Had Uubu already moved on so quickly after the incident? It made no sense that he had another person with him.
Pan brushed aside the thoughts pressing annoyingly at her, and made her way over to the object of her attention, who at the present, was blushing furiously.
He lightly shrugged his shoulder to remove the, Pan now noticed, not entirely attractive young from it.
"Hey," he started quietly, "I'd like you to meet Tsima, my fiancé."
Pan's eyes widened slightly, yet she made no other movement to betray her emotions, instead just smiling gaily and moving to greet the woman. "I'm Pan. It's nice to meet you."
A similar greeting was returned, with the same amiability.
Sliding into the seat across from the couple, Pan had her order taken by a sweet, young waitress who immediately returned with her coffee and Pan began to question about Uubu and his companion.
"So, how long have you known each other?" she said.
"Oh, like forever, you know. Let's see, Uubu, we first met when we were what? Eight?"
"I think it was more like nine," he corrected softly, wondering about Pan's surely impending wrath. There was no way he was going to get away with never having mentioned Tsima to Pan.
"Oh really?" Pan asked, "And yet Uubu never bothered to mention you to me? I thought we were better friends than that," she finished, in a biting joke. Tsima was oblivious to the obvious hurt in her tone, though, and continued on about her and Uubu's past and how they had gotten together again as of late and were now "tight as thieves".
"You know," Pan interrupted as she began to climb out of the booth they group was seated at, "I really have to get going. I promised I would meet my father at his house before the day was through, and it's getting on in the afternoon. I'll catch you later?"
"Yeah. It was really nice meeting you!" Tsima called after Pan as she gracefully exited the small café.
Uubu's heart tore at him as he watched her go, a pain that was hard to ignore as he looked at the young woman seated next to him, glancing at the small golden ring adorning her finger.
"She was nice. I'm glad you had me meet her," Tsima continued.
"She is nice, isn't she?" he said more to himself than to her.
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She couldn't believe him. He had never even mentioned he was attached. How low can one man go? And she used to have such faith in him. This was just perfect.
And there she was going to confess to him, sober this time. Obviously that was never going to happen.
She pursed her lips and continued on her walk home. She would have to call her dad and cancel dinner for tonight.
She loved to eat with him and talk about all manners of things, but tonight, she didn't feel like it.
Her black eyes filled with tears, but Pan, being stubborn, wouldn't let them drop.
She'd been crying too much of late, anyhow, and tears never got anyone anything. She'd just have to move on.
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"Goten?" a soft voice asked in a low tone as he picked up the offending object.
"Yes? Who is this?" he replied as he glanced at the blaring green numbers flashing on the small digital clock placed beside his bed. 2:17 am.
"Pan," came the fast reply.
"What can I do for you?" he said with a sigh, ready for a long night as he resituated himself on his bed. If Pan was calling this early in the morning, then something was up, and he would hear her out.
He'd been through his ups and downs and understood why she sought out someone to talk to. He almost lost it because he kept it to himself. Paris, coupled with his tragic past, really ate at him. Paris was gone now though, and Goten was a free man.
"I've got something to confess," she began, but paused suddenly, as if rethinking her decision.
"Yes, well, continue."
"You see, my group has recently decided they no longer wish to have me in their ranks," she began rather cryptically, "and so I was really upset and Uubu comforted me and all, and he really did help, but it escalated to a certain irreversible extreme and he has a fiancé which he failed to mention and so now I don't think I can really be friends with him but I need someone to hang out with besides just Marron and I was wondering if you would mind helping me get some people to do stuff with until I get my act back together and get out in the real world again."
Her run-on sentence was said with such speed that even Goten had trouble catching every word, yet he got the gist of it and nodded silently to himself, even if she couldn't see it.
"Yeah, I know I need help getting Trunks out of that prison his mom calls work. The poor guy is stuck in there all day. He needs a distraction and an excuse to get out. You can come with him and me wherever we go, if you'd like," he offered.
"Thanks," she smiled, "It's nice to know you're there for me."
"No problem. But now," he yawned, glancing again at the clock: 2:31 am, "I think it's time for me to go to bed," and with that, he rolled over, setting the phone lightly back in its cradle, and curled up under the welcoming sheets.
Not feeling totally happy with it, but assured she still had someone to depend on, Pan also rolled over and embraced the warm clutches of sleep.
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"Hey Trunks," she said awkwardly, feeling as if she was intruding on the pair's activities even though she had been directly invited to join them.
"Hey," he said, wondering why she was here. He thought they're friendship was over after their trip in space. After all, he was a wealthy young business man, and she was so much younger than him, not just in age, but in maturity, at least, so far as he'd remembered.
In fact, if he remembered correctly, she hung all over him, and he figured he could easily get her into bed.
He smirked at that thought. He really wanted to get some action soon, just to assure himself that he still had it.
Back to Pan though, he really didn't feel like babysitting and having some child hang all over him. It was pathetic beyond belief, but for Goten, he'd put up with it.
"So what are you guys doing?" she began politely, looking at the two of their faces; Goten's face held a pity in it that she didn't appreciate and Trunks' was almost of condescending tolerance.
She felt oh so welcome there.
"Just talking, I guess," Trunks replied.
"Oh."
"Yeah."
Well, that was awkward.
"Anyhow," Goten said, "You're friends with Marron, right Pan?"
"Yeah, of course," she answered as if it was one of the stupidest questions in the world.
"Trunks here thinks she's hot, but, as we know, he's a chicken and since he really doesn't know her." Goten suggested, glancing sideways at Pan.
"I don't know. She just broke up with this one guy and now is looking at this other dude, but sure, if you want to try," Pan ended softly, feeling just a tad bit hurt that yet another guy was flocking to her blonde friend. Everyone seemed to think that Marron was great.
And Trunks, of all people, of course would like Marron over her. The one guy she was beginning to like would, of course, like her best friend.
Kami really hated her. That's all it came down to.
"Well, do what you can for him, alright? Try and get him on her good side before she starts talking to him. You think you can?"
"Of course," she sighed dejectedly. Why did she come to hang out with them again? This wasn't fun. Oh yeah. Her friends dumped her.
"Alright, well, we're on our way to lunch, would you like to come with us?"
Pan just nodded in response and followed the two friends out to the young executive's car.
"Where do you want to eat?" Trunks asked to the raven haired girl behind him, glancing in the rear view mirror to gauge her response. It was kind of depressing seeing her pout. She was so much like his little sister it was rather scary.
"Something with hamburgers."
Yup, just like his little sister.
"Will do," and with that, the three sped off down the highway to decide on something to eat.
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Pan slid in the front door of her parents' house, right past the comfortably snoozing couple on the couch and up the stairs, agilely avoiding any confrontation.
When she'd cancelled her dinner date, her father was understanding, upset, but understanding. However, she hadn't been able to make any other meal dates that he'd set up over the past week, and she really didn't want to talk to him about it.
He'd obviously tried to stay up so he could talk to her about what was apparently bothering her, but he was still a momma's boy, asleep by bedtime, 10:00, each night.
However, to her horror, the phone rang as soon as she stepped foot into her dark room, and in a mad dash to grab it before her dad awoke from the sound, she tripped over her laundry basket, twice, and scraped her arm from the elbow to her wrist, leaving a bloody gash.
Amazingly, though, he didn't wake, and Pan, breathless, answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Pan. I need to explain, I think."
She wanted to shout a few obscenities at the boy on the other end of the line, but all she replied with was a simple, "Yeah, we do need to talk about a lot."
"Well, you see," Uubu began, "Tsima and I have been off and on for a while now, well, for a long while now, and then she finally pushed me into a complete commitment.
"This was probably about a week ago, and to tell you the truth, I'm really happy with it, and I can see myself with her for a long time, which is why I asked her to marry me.
"I don't have an explanation for the other night, although, believe me, I wish I did. If it had happened but about a week and a half before, I would have picked you, not her, if it is any consolation.
"You were always so brave and we got along so well. I mean, we could practically finish each other's sentences. I think that that's amazing.
"However, Tsima is what's right for me and I don't think I can be with anyone else. I really hope you'll forgive me, Pan. I love you so very much, you were just a little late." He ended his speech, praying Pan would forgive him.
If only she knew how truthful he was really being. He loved her, probably more than Tsima, but she was one step too slow. He almost, almost, wished he could take back his engagement and give her a chance, but it was too late, and he kept telling himself that Tsima was really the one for him.
He just had to keep convincing himself.
"I wish you and Tsima as much happiness as you can get, and I only hope you'll forgive me for my actions the other night," she choked out, trying to keep the tears burning behind her eyes from spilling out.
"Of course I do, Pan. Neither of us was in our right minds."
Uubu unconsciously ignored the slight waver in her voice, brushing it aside to assure himself she was okay.
"Still friends?" she questioned.
"Still friends," he answered, in full confidence of that fact, unaware of how unstable the statement really was.
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Groaning as Aurora's sweet rays brushed against her pale cheek, her ebony locks followed as her thin frame rolled over in order to avoid the first light of dawn.
Her bandaged arm lay to her side and a minute puddle of drool rested on the satin pillow case while the rest of the bed was in complete disarray. Sheets were crumpled up under her legs and only tiny corner remained covering her.
She grumbled again as she rolled back over and sat up, shielding her eyes with her other arm as she squinted into the bright room. She hadn't realized it was so late.
She climbed out of bed and moseyed her way over to the bathroom, completing her morning routine in a hurry. She had to meet Trunks for lunch,
Her heart skipped a beat at this thought. She didn't know when it had happened, but she'd gone from having just a childhood adoration for the demi saiyan to a full out love for him, or so she thought.
Admiring herself in the mirror shortly before she dashed out of her room, Pan smoothed out her light blue tee and straightened her rather baggy pants that were cinched tightly low on her waist and in the middle of her calves on either leg.
Running a comb through her short hair, she made a quick exit from her house, taking off to the sky to meet Trunks in time.
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Many other days went by the same, and Pan spent less time with her uncle Goten and more time with Trunks, and in her mind, he was growing affections for her.
He, although his jokes were rather biting, invited her to do all kinds of things with him, yet the one thing that ate at her was that he loved to talk about Marron.
She chose to ignore this fact and pretend, in blissful ignorance, that he was in love with her.
However, soon it became obvious his interests did not lie in little Panny, as he chose to call her, but instead in the graceful blonde.
When the pretty young lady began to acknowledge his attentions and return his calls, much to the dismay of her parents, Trunks' interest in Pan wavered. He'd cancel his plans with her in order to receive a call from Marron and made sure he was always available for her.
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"Pan," Marron began slowly, well aware of her friend's vulnerability at this moment, "You're not mad at me, are you?"
She searched the younger woman's face, trying to find a trace of anger hidden within her dark eyes, yet she was met with only an empty void.
Pan, despite her lack of emotion on the outside, was fuming on the inside.
'No, I'm not mad,' she ranted to herself, daring not to speak her thoughts to her seemingly only friend. 'Why would I be mad? My supposed best friend decides to cuddle up to the guy I like while I'm off on a family vacation, and to make matters even better, she moves in with him in such a short time period. No, oh no, what cause do I have to be mad?'
"No," she answered calmly, a false smile across her face, "After all, he liked you more, and since you like him back, why should I stand in the way? I was getting anywhere anyhow, so I might as well move on, and I only want the best for you."
She lied the entire way through her short speech, really wanting to strangle the short blonde for her betrayal.
Marron, however, was satisfied with her answer, and hugged Pan.
"This is great! Now, that I have a boyfriend, we so definitely have to work on you, Pan. Then think of the fun! Double dating and all that other stuff! It will be great, don't you agree?"
Great, she thought to herself, just great.
Marron looped her arm through Pan's and she successfully drug the secretly pouting girl off down the street.
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Check and make sure you have read the alteration at the start of chapter two. It will help make the story make just a tad bit more sense.