One week.
One whole week.
7 days, 169 hours, 1183 minutes, 70980 seconds (and counting...)
A whole freaking week and still no one had heard anything from Trunks.
'At least he could have the decency call or leave a message, something!' Pan was so furious with him for not doing even that.
At the moment she was heading over to the Briefs' for her afternoon training session with Vegeta, purposefully upsetting a flock of innocent, unsuspecting birds, their indignant squawks going unheard as she whizzed by. Pan cut her speed as she saw the tallest CC on the edge of the inclosing cityscape.
She wasn't upset that he had left. No, he did that occasionally, leaving to train by himself or with Goten for a week or two, besides that was Bulma and Marron's department.
Unlike his mother and significant other, she knew he could take care of himself just fine. She was just mad he hadn't told her he was leaving. And a bit putout that as his other best friend (second only to Goten of course) he didn't even bother telling her what he was up to.
' Oh well. When he gets back I'm gonna seriously knock some sense in to him' She thought grinning she hadn't stopped training even as she got older unlike Trunks, Goten and her father. Pan had continued to Train every week and more recently with Vegeta. She wasn't SSJ yet but she could certainlly give the boys a run for their money.
As Pan approached CC she noticed a comtion out in the front lawn, a ton of reporters questioning Bulma about her son's sudden disaerance. Pan landed out of sight but stil cuaght snatches being flung at CC's President.
"Is your son really taking a vacation or is that just a cover up?"
"Is it true your son is deathly ill?"
"Do you know his exact location at the moment?"
"Is it true your son was abducted by aliens?"
That last one made her chuckle. 'I'd feel sorry for anyone that did, alien or not,' she thought she could see Bulma suppressing her smile as well. She snorted. Like anyone one could 'abduct' a prince of the saiya-jins. After thinking that thought she mentally smacked her self, 'Jeez I've been hanging around Vegeta too much, his arrogance was starting to rub off'
Pan shook her head smiling, as she headed towards the backyard entrance seen as she'd have a time trying to fight her way through 'the herd' to get to this one. Besides Vegeta got grumpy(er) when she was late.
He heard voices, muffed and faraway, or maybe it was just because he was so incredibly tired. He wanted to go back to sleep, but his stomach wouldn't allow him to, it was burning slightly just enough to make him uncomfortable.
Yet for some reason he didn't rise yet, instinct told him to wait till he found out more about where he was exactly.
As his awareness came back to him he realized he wasn't in the forest any more.
He could feel the softness of a bed beneath him and a blanket on top of him.
He could hear the voice more clearly as well.
"Damn, I can't believe how quickly the sedative wear off on that guy I pumped him up enough to knock out an elephant!"
"Your language..."
"Sorry father. But at this rate we won't be able to keep him down for another day much less another week."
"It's alright, he needs to wake up sometime, can't keep him asleep forever, you know" a hearty laugh filled the... well, where ever he happed to be, "Now then, why don't you get some food for our guest while a check up on him, I have a feeling he'll be up and hungry pretty soon."
"Alright" he heard soft hurried footsteps fade away. He waited for the sound of someone coming closer but he didn't, instead he heard a door slide open and felt cool breeze sweep through the room.
"Ah, someone's awake I see, hope you don't mind me asking you a few questions we don't get visitors around these parts." A warm voice chuckled.
He opened his eyes cautiously; he was in a small room with small wooden desk bare of any thing and a nightstand next to the bed he was laying on; that was it. Looking over to his side he saw the owner of the voice.
A man who look like he was in his mid 40's but the aura about him gave him a much older feel despite the way he look. His dark leathery skin held no trace of wrinkles except for his face, which was ridden with smile lines that reached his mirthy gray eyes when he smiled. His dark gray hair was tied in a loose ponytail.
"So young man, mind telling me how you got all the way out here all bang up the way you were?"
'What was I doing? Where's here?' He started to say something but the older man began first,
"We found you about a week ago, out cold next to the river, busted leg, twisted ankle, sprained wrist, broken rib, finger and toe, numerous cuts and a few burns you shouldn't have been able to move period. Much less get out here." he paused but didn't looked finished,
"Even more amazing was, all your minor injuries were gone the next day, as if they'd never been made in the first place. Your wrist is fine now as are your finger and toe, but your rib might take awhile and you'll need to use crutches too, and stay off that leg and foot. Other than that all you need is some food in you and you'll be and good as knew." the elder male finished with a smile.
At the mention of food the younger man's stomach protested quite loudly, causing him to blush. "Sorry I guess I am a little hungry." 'Little' is an understatement I'm famished!' the young man thought to himself.
The older man seemed to sense this and smiled.
"Well my daughter, Matsuri, will be in just a minute with some food- Oh Beg your pardon, I complete forgot to introduce myself the name Seito Otera you can just call me Seito." He exclaimed with a hearty laugh. "What your name, son?"
"I have one, at least not one that I can remember. Trun, Toru, Torun, Toran?"
At this the merry man sobered up and his expression became quite serious.
"Hmmm, do you remember any thing about yourself?"
"No. Nothing, all I remember is waking up in middle of nowhere.
Every bone in my body hurting, I went over to the stream and I...I could not recognize myself." he admitted quietly.
Seito looked over at him sternly, as if debating something with him self; he sighed.
"Well your in quite a predicament, you see we live on Mt Blue and right now all the snow is thawing, that stream you were near curves around the entire mountain before meeting another, once the snow starts to thaw the streams overflow and keep people out but also trap us in. You won't be able to leave for another 6 months."
"Well I not in a big hurry, so if it won't be to much trouble-"
"Of course you can stay!" Seito chuckled "But..." he added slyly
"But?"
"You have to earn your keep," he said mysteriously twinkle in his eye.
"How- All of a sudden a whilwind forest green swept through the room. She was balencing three trays of food one on her head, and two in each of her hand, Seito grabbed one with out thinking as she buzzed in.
"Oh your awake, Finally. How you get so banged up? And so far up here?" she paused to lay down the trays, then looked at him, "You're cute. Why'd someone want to beat up a cute guy like you. Wait don't answer yet I need to check you."
He blush in embarrassment and Seito laughed.
"This is my daughter Matsuri, lively isn't she?" He didn't know how to respond so he just nodded.
"Father!"
"Can you sit up? Do you feel any pain when you breath?" the girl asked firing off 20 similar questions while helping him sit up. Her hair was forest green, held back in a ponytail much like her father's. She was medium height and build, smooth honey brown skin, but the strangest thing about her were her eyes unlike her bubbly exterior they far more reserved. 'Still, she's got way too much energy... Hey where are my clothes?' he noticed he was in some kind of robe
He didn't get a chance to ask; in a flash she was checking his ankle and leg, and handing him a tray laden with soup and veggies and fruits. His stomach growled loudly once more and that was all he needed.
He didn't notice their stares at his 'enthusiastic' eating. He was so hungry he ignored the sharp taste that accompanied the food and the starnge feeling it sent down his spine. With in minutes of the tray being placed on his lap the food was completely gone.
" Thank you. That feels so much better, may I have some more?"
Matsuri just nodded half gaping passing him the tray that had been on the desk.
'Oh that must have been hers may be I should-
"Don't worry I already ate. I brought the just in case, I just didn't expect you to finish so quickly. When you get done we'll check you rib then see how you fair on some crutches" she added her cheeriness returning.
Seito also shook himself out of his trance "Well I guess a growing boy really needs his food! Wow, your fast, remind me to never compete with you in a food eating contest!"
"So what's your name any way?"
"ahh....well" 'what should I say?'
"Matsuri our guest seems to have a slight case of amnesia, he will be staying with us till the river slows in November. For now let's call you Toran after your grandfather's katana."
"Alright," he agreed, "Toran it is"
Marron watched, Bulma holding in her tears as she made the disscion to file a missing persons report. Vegeta was out looking for Trunks again like he had been doing for the past week and a half, along with the rest of the guys. Bra was out checking the city just in case leaving Bulma Pan and herself at CC. It was Sunday evening; two months since Trunks disappeared with out a word.
At first she got mad they'd made plans for a date that night for their 6 month anniversary and she waited all night for him and he never showed up; who wouldn't have been angry?
Then she got even madder when he didn't call the next week or the one after that. It wasn't until she'd gone to Capsule Corporation to talk to him personally that she found out that her fiance was missing. After that it had just been an emotional merry-go-round. Worried, upset, mad, scared even.
Marron sat on the couch wondering what could have happen.
Did he chicken out on her? Did he not want to marry her?
Did he leave not wanting to face her? Or see her face?
Or was he hurt somewhere?
Dead some where?
Bulma had to fill in for her son as while training Bra for taking over the vacant VP position, as well as maintain her own position as President.
It was definitely putting a strain on Brief family, to say the least; the house was so quite now, it was weird, Vegeta almost all together quit arguing with Bulma (when she was home), Bra had been in the process of moving out, so it was like going to a ghost house.
Bulma talking police on the phone with a drink of some kind in her hand and Pan was sitting next to them on the couch trying to keep their sprits up. Vegeta believed totally that nothing was wrong with his son and he wish that he would quote, 'Get his ass home so that woman would quit moping'
"I'm sure he's okay" Pan reassured Bulma, who was close to tears.
"If he is, why hasn't he called?" the blue haired woman asked teetering between anger and sorrow.
"Maybe," Marron spoke, "Maybe he can't reach a phone right now or-"
"Hah! Yeah right, I'd have believed that the first week! Don't tell me he can't reach a phone in after month's time!" Bulma fumed taking another sip from her cup.
'Poor Bulma. I wonder what she put in that drink, I need some...' Marron thought. Pan sent her a, your- not-helping look, but she didn't say anything. Bulma needed to let her emotions out.
"Something's not right. Something's wrong with Trunks...with my little boy..."
Bulma's voice dropped to a hushed tone, "I can tell, mother's intuition. I remember the first time I held him... when he took his first steps, you should've seen him; he was the most adorable thing,"
She laughed sadly "But he had this look, it was the meanest look this side of Chikyuu, just like Vegeta, it looked so cute on him even though he was doing his best to be mad..."
Bulma laughed again "Oh, I remember the day Vegeta realized Trunks was taller than him, Trunks must have been 14 or 15 at the time, Vegeta got so cranky, of course he didn't say why he never does, it took me a week to figure it out, he didn't want his son to grow up either..."
Bulma kept talking about good things she remembered, she was rambling now, probably due to her drink. Some of Bumla's tales even made her smile a little. 'What's her problem' she thought, as Pan looked upset for some reason. 'What's wrong now? Bulma's so calm now.'
Then it hit her.
Bulma was talking about Trunks as if...'As if he's died already or was never coming back' Bulma was, in her own way, accepting the fact that he might never come back, that she may never see her son again... 'Maybe she's right, he would've come home or called by now, Maybe- I what am I thinking, of course he'll be back, won't he?' Marron frowned at her own doubt.
She abruptly stood up. "It's getting late, we could all use some rest. Goodnight Bulma. Pan." 'I need to get out of here, and think a bit.'
"Goodbye Marron"
"See you later"
Pan stayed with Bulma till Vegeta came home, around midnight, and Promply wisked her off to bed, without so much as a thanks. (Not that she was expecting one)
She couldn't help but be a little upset, 'first Bulma then Marron, whose next?' They starting to doubt if he was alright or alive.
She knew he was okay; wherever he was, he just had to be.