Twelve: I Will Remember You

How can I forget you? So close, but I can't reach you. One of us will make a mistake that will ruin us. I don't know what to do. Should I go after you? Or should I let you move on? My mind is spinning, and so many emotions are tearing me up inside. Why can't I get you off of my mind? Why can't I just let you go? Are you here to help me? Or to fool with me? I need to know. Before I make my decision, I need to know, do you love me?
-Trunks Briefs, -Pan Son

Pan woke up so early that it was still dawn and Eric was still lightly snoring beside her. She carefully got up and grabbed her robe and left the hotel room.

She got into her car and drove around for a while. She wasn't sure why she was doing it, but for some reason she had to go searching for something. But why so early? She didn't know, but she just had to see something.

Her car pulled through the town where she stopped at her parents' house. Thunder roared with a flash of lightning in the sky, signaling a storm. She stepped out of her car and walked up to the front door. She was about to knock, but pulled her hand away. Why was she here? What would her parents think if she just showed up at five o'clock for no reason?

She turned around and got into her car as rain started to splash down. This time, she pulled up to the Capsule Corp building that was completely dark except for the night shift. She got out and was soaked by the rain.

Now she knew why she was here. She was going to miss it all. This was her home. This is where she belonged, but she needed to move on.

She opened the front door to the main office and the third shift teller greeted her. She nodded to him and rode the elevator to Trunks' office floor. Like she had expected it was locked. The camera in the corner was videotaping everything she did. She ran her hand down the door and bit her lip.

She missed working for him; it was so much fun. In America she would get a new job. Perhaps she could still work in her old restaurant and be a waitress again.

Saying a last good bye, she descended down the elevator and got back into her car. She turned on her radio because she didn't feel like listening to the rain. The only problem was that it was the song "I will remember you" by Sarah McLachlan. That was the one song Pan didn't want to hear right now, but she couldn't change the channel. The song seemed to stab her heart. That's what she was feeling.

"I will remember you.
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by.
Weep not for the memories."

Pan gripped the steering wheel as she felt her eyes water. She was not going to cry. She refused to cry. This song was stabbing every nerve in her body. She didn't even like it that much, but it was describing almost everything she had. Pan wiped her eyes as she turned on the road.

Why? That's all she had on her mind, and she didn't even know who she was asking or for what. Why?

Trunks was watching television. He couldn't sleep at all. He kept glancing at the phone, thinking about calling Pan, but he couldn't. His pride wouldn't let him. He had to let her go. She was a woman now. She had to make her own decisions. This is what she wants and he couldn't get in her way.
Pan pulled her car into the parking lot of the hotel, but didn't get out. The sun had risen completely over the horizon and the clock on her radio read 6:43. She just leaned back and kept to herself.

This was the day. The day that her life truly began. There was no turning back. No where to go, but on. Move on, that's what she had to do. That's what everyone has to do sometime. Some have to do it harder than others.

"Remember the good times that we had?
I let them slip away from us when things got bad
How clearly I first saw you smilin' in the sun
Wanna feel your warmth upon me, I wanna be the one"

Eric should be awake by now. Pan climbed out of the car and tried to beat the rain, but it soaked her once again. She took the stairs to her floor and saw Eric getting dressed.

"Hey love. Where were you?" he asked as he zipped up his pants.

Pan looked around. Their suitcases were already out for them to take. "I was hungry so I went out for some McDonalds." She grabbed on some clothes and went into the bathroom to change. She was actually going to do it. She was really going to leave. For good.

With no sleep, Trunks walked into his office. It had never looked so empty. Usually Pan was there to greet him with a hot coffee and a smile. Not today. Not ever.

He set his suit case on his desk and took out his files. He still didn't have a secretary, but all the ones that applied he turned down; none of them could match Pan's qualities. He took off his jacket and set it on the coat rack and sat down in his chair. He could've taken today off, but he wanted to get his mind off Pan, with no such luck. His mind was stuck on her.

He went over the plans of a new development coming over in from China, but he only got half of it.

"Dammit Pan, why can't you leave me alone?" Trunks rubbed his temples. Halfway across town Pan was thinking the same.

"I will remember you
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories"

Bra woke up with a sudden hit of great sadness. Today Pan was leaving. Had she already left? She picked up the phone and dialed Pan's cell number.

"Hello?"

"Pan? This is Bra. I just wanted to know if you guys had left for the airport yet." Bra asked sitting up in bed.

"Yeah, we're in the car right now."

Bra felt her heart constrict. Her friend was leaving, without a goodbye. "Why didn't you stop to say goodbye?" She asked slowly.

It was a few seconds of silence before Pan answered. "It just hurts. I won't be able to see you again. I didn't want to say goodbye. Then it would be final."

Bra felt the tears well up in her eyes. "I understand. Then can you settle for a see you later?" She wiped her eyes with her pajama sleeve. "Then it will mean we will see each other someday." She sniffed and that let Pan know she was crying.

"Yeah. That'll work. See you later, Bra."

"S-See you later P-Pan."

Bra hung up before Pan did. This hurt much worse than when she left for college. This was more permanent. Before she would call and write. Not anymore, she would be too busy with her family. Time was a horrible thing.

Marriage was supposed to be a happy thing. No one felt happy.

Gaining her composure, Bra had to get ready for work. She pulled on her clothes, did her hair, and brushed her teeth. About to go out the door, she turned back for the book The Satin Bloody Gown. She picked up the book and then stopped halfway out the door. She flipped it open and stared at it.

"Oh no! I got to get Trunks!"

She ran out the door and got in her car and sped off, doing ten over the speed limit, but finally slowed down to only going over five. She didn't realize how far away CC was from her house until you really desperately needed to get there.

She turned so hard into the parking lot it made skid marks. She got out of her car, forgetting to lock it and ran inside the building. The front desk teller greeted her, but she ignored him and jumped through several flights of stairs, half running and half flying.

She ran down Trunks' hallway and slammed through the door. Trunks' head immediately popped up from his desk.

"Bra? What's wrong?" He asked her. He definitely looked tired and seemed to have so little energy in him.

"Pan's gone! You have to go after her! She's making a mistake!" Bra half yelled.

Trunks frowned. "Pan's getting married. How do you know it's a mistake?"

Bra growled and slammed the book on his desk. "Trunks listen! She doesn't want to marry him! She wants you!"

Trunks ran his fingers through his lavender hair. "No, she doesn't. She wants Eric or she would've stayed."

Bra clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. "Dammit Trunks how can you be so stupid!" Trunks looked at her with a confused face. "Can't you see that she loves you, but it scares her shitless! Dammit, it's all here!" She jabbed her finger on the cover of Pan's book.

Trunks stared at it. "I don't get it." He looked back up at her. "What does her book have anything to do with this?"

Bra gripped her hair, about to pull it out. "You are the only one who's read it front to back! What happens at the end!"

Trunks leaned back in his chair. He ran his tongue over his lips. "Anny gets a new job in England and leaves when the case is solved. Kurt loses his job when he starts drinking after the divorce of his wife, but also because Anny was gone."

He took a deep breath through his nostrils and slowly let it out. "Do you think that part describes what's happening now?"

"Yes Trunks!" Bra slammed her hands on the desk. "Right now, Pan is going to the airport and this is your last chance that you can get her back!"

"How do you know it isn't just a coincidence and she wants nothing to do with me? She wrote that book before Eric even got here. Before she even knew he was going to propose." He crossed his arms.

Bra's lip was shaking and she grabbed Trunks' collar and began shaking him. "You are such an idiot! You are so stupid!"

"What the hell's your problem!" he shouted, taking her hands off him.

Bra was now crying angry and frustrated tears. "It's right in front of you and you don't see it! She wants you to go after her, but you think this is what she wants!"

"If she wants to stay then she will, okay!" Trunks yelled at his sister. Why was she so worked up?

"No she won't, Trunks, and you know it! You know that she has a fat pride and ego just like you and she would rather make the biggest mistake in her life and keep it that way then admit defeat! You know it and don't try to tell me she'll come back!" More tears, her mascara was running down her cheeks. "She will not come back! No matter how much it hurts you both, she won't change her mind until you make the first move!"

Trunks was becoming irritated too. "How do you even know she wants me! Another woman's intuition thing! Or did she tell you!"

"She told everyone Trunks! Not by her words, but by a hidden message! She does it all the time! It was just a matter of who could spot it!" Bra wiped her eyes and smeared her make-up.

"What are you talking about?" Trunks put his hands up to show his confusion.

"This is what I mean!"

She flipped over the document that was his desk, not caring what it was. She grabbed a pen and scribbled two words. Anny Nosp. She scratched out the 'a' and wrote it down. Scratched out another and wrote that down. She did it until all the letters were scratched and wrote down again in a new order.

"See!" She held it in front of him.

It spelled Panny Son.

Before he could say anything, she wrote down Kurt Travis Begefens and did the same to it. "See!"

Trunks bit his lip. The new arrangement of the character's name spelled Trunks Vegeta Briefs.

Trunks closed his eyes and covered his mouth. "Pan…" Then he got up and grabbed his coat. "You better be right about this." He opened the door and Bra followed him. "Why are you coming?" He asked as they both got into his car.

"I'm making sure you don't decide to take a detour. We have to hurry, Pan left early this morning." She buckled herself in.

"Shit!" Trunks sped off in at a great speed down the highway. No one talked any longer.

Now that he thought about it, he was stupid. He had read the book, and all the things that were happening, did happen. Kurt's wife was Clarrissa, Anny was a great friend who had feelings for Kurt, but she was scared so she ran. It all fit, they were role playing the book.

Pan! I'm coming! Please, Pan don't make this mistake or we'll both regret it!

"I'm so tired, I can't sleep.
Standing on the edge of something much too deep.
It's funny how I feel so much, but cannot say a word
We are screaming inside, but can't be heard."

Pan and Eric pulled into the airport and made sure they got their capsules. They walked into the airport and stood in line. The line was long and it seemed someone up ahead was arguing about something. Finally, the guy had to be pulled away and the line started moving, but slowly.

"Honey, I'm gonna go get something to eat at the snack bar." Eric nodded to her and she made her way through the crowd. There was also a line to the snack bar, but Pan managed to get through.

She got herself a small bag since she didn't feel that hungry. She walked back to the crowd and saw Eric was sitting down listening to his CD player. When she approached him, he smiled, and then frowned.

"Nothing for me?" He poked out his bottom lip in a plea. Pan rolled her eyes and spent another ten minutes back in the line.

When she came back she handed him the bag and sat down next to him. They began to eat in silence until Eric spoke up.

"Nervous Panny?" he asked as he placed a hand on her leg.

Pan nodded her head slightly. "Just a little. It's just, uh, why so soon?"

Eric smiled at her and turned in his chair so he could see her. "Pan, we've known each other for four years. This doesn't seem like so soon. I know its a little nerve racking, but I've got it all covered; my brother's got a nice place that we can stay for a little while until we get our own. My uncle is a reverend so he can marry us, and we can finally live happily ever after, just like you wanted." Pan bit her lip. She didn't know what to say, so she stiffed her mouth with fries. "We can have three kids, a big house with a huge front lawn. The kids will have your beauty and they'll be so smart 'cause they'll go to the best schools. We'll do a lot of family activities, and go to church every Sunday. You are Baptist, aren't you?"

Pan stared at him. Her family didn't really have a religion. "Uh…did you get our capsules checked? We don't want to get caught up when they call our plane."

Eric jumped up. "Oh, you're right! I'll be right back." He bounced off towards the already long line.

Pan slumped in her chair and sighed. Lucky for her he had a short attention span. She continued to eat her food as she listened to Eric's CD player. It was rap, but there was nothing else for her to listen to except for the loud talk of the bust people and the announcer.

Then Pan felt her heart jump out of no where and it started beating like crazy. She felt adrenaline, a rush, pain, hope, and other emotions she couldn't explain. They just came out of no where for no reason. So much emotion, she was left neutral for just a second.

"I will remember you.
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by.
Weep not for those memories."

Trunks dialed Pan's cell phone number. It rang a few times before it was her voice mail. Trunks hung up and redialed her number. Again the same thing. "C'mon Panny, why won't you answer your phone?"

It seemed that every red light turned on just because of him and that he was behind every slow person on the road. He had to hurry. He had to get there in time. She could already be on the plane. He couldn't let that happen. He loved her. Couldn't she see that?

Pan felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She took off her head phones and it was Eric smiling at her. "We're ready. Want to go ahead and board the plane?" Pan nodded and followed him down the gray metallic aisle of the plane boarding area.

They had to wait in line for the metal detectors and Eric kept getting buzzed every time he walked through. Pan looked back at nothing.

This was it. Nothing was going to hold her back.

A sharp pain stabbed her in the heart and she placed her hand over it and squeezed. Eric looked back at her while the cops were going over him with a smaller metal detector and tracing it over his body. "You okay Panny? Are you having chest pains?"

Pan lifted her head up and had a single tear fall halfway down her cheek. Even the cops stared at her. She shook her head.

"I'm so afraid to love you, but more afraid to loose
Clinging to a past that doesn't let me choose
Once there was a darkness, deep and endless night
You gave me everything you had, oh you gave me light!"

Trunks pulled into the airport garage so fast he was double parking. He climbed out the door and ran inside with his sister right behind him. He pushed open the doors and ran inside to the center of the building.

It was packed. People were everywhere. He searched through them, but couldn't find her. He went through the crowds to see if she was there; no luck. He ran to the snack bar where there was a long line, but nothing. She was sitting anywhere and she wasn't in luggage.

He turned to Bra. "Go look in the bathroom." Bra nodded and he went to see if she was on the other side.

"Pan? Pan. Pan!"

He couldn't find her. He couldn't even sense her ki. There were either too many people or she had already left. He prayed that it was the first one. "Pan!" People began to look at him funny and he saw Bra running up to him, alone. "Was she in there?" Like he didn't know the answer.

Bra shook her head. "Go see if the plane has already left."

Trunks ran through the crowd, pushing people out of his way as Bra chased after him. He approached the front desk with the female teller.

"Are there any other planes for America?" He said in a quick panic voice.

"Sorry, we're only running one today. There won't be anymore till tomorrow," she said smacking her gum.

"What about the one for today!" Trunks slammed his fist on the desk.

The woman looked at him with her overly colorful eyes and smacked her gum some more. "Sorry, you're too late. It just left."

Trunks heart fell to the floor along with the rest of his dignity and ego.

He was too late.

It rang in his ears like a drum. You're too late. That's all he could hear. He slowly turned around to look at his sister. She had her hand over her mouth and had tears welled up in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry Trunks," she whispered.

"For what?" Trunks slowly walked past her.

"Trunks..."

"What Bra! What else do you want! Are you going to tell me that I should've hurried!" Trunks didn't mean to be so mean to her, but he was already upset. He was furious at himself and he was crushed that Pan had truly left.

Bra shook her head. "Please, Trunks, its okay."

"How is it okay! The woman I love is gone! She's gone for good and there's no way I can get her back! And you say it's alright!" Trunks threw his hands in the air.

Bra bit her lip, "Trunks..."

Trunks began walking back and forth, "Do you know how stupid I feel! How low I feel! To lose not only the woman I'm head over heels for, but also my best friend! I feel like shit Bra! And I don't need you to rub it in!"

"Trunks please."

"Please what! You get my hopes up making me think that Pan really wanted me, when obviously she didn't or I wouldn't be here making a fool of myself!"

Bra walked up to him, "Trunks please! Will you calm down?" She gabbed his hands, but he wrenched them away.

"No Bra! I will not calm down! I will not-" Bra grabbed his head and forcefully turned it so hard that it almost hurt. It would've hurt if he wasn't Saiyan.

"I will remember you.
Will you remember me?
Don't let your life pass you by.
Weep not for the memories."

His eyes widened at who he saw.

Pan was staring at him with tears streaming down her face and landing on her shirt. She had her hand grip her shirt over her heart and she was biting her lip like she was in pain. Trunks straightened up.

She had stayed. She was there. She had stayed for him.

Pan swallowed and avoided his eyes, and then brought them back to gaze into his sapphire depths. Raven met sapphire and they couldn't turn away.

"Did….Did you really mean it? What you said?" The tears didn't stop. "I- I told him I couldn't do it. That it was t-too much. Please, tell me I did the right thing, Trunks…" She slowly closed her eyes like she was about to faint, but slowly they reopened. "Do you really love me?"

Trunks had tears well up on the rim of his eyelids, but he didn't let them fall. He smiled widely and sniffed. "Yes, Pan, and I meant every word."

Pan let go of her shirt. His words had healed her heart. She no longer felt pain. But she had to get one thing cleared. "It's not just because you marked me is it?" She looked at him wearily.

Trunks shook his head still smiling. "You are the only one for me Pan-chan. The only one I need. The only one I want."

Pan wiped her tears away, but they still came. Except these were happy tears. "I- I love you, Trunks!"

She ran to him and he grabbed her by the waist. They met in a fiery kiss and Pan's tears fell on Trunks' face. Trunks lifted her up in the air, still kissing. Bra bit her lip and bawled. Everyone in the airport 'aw'ed.

This is where they belonged. They belonged together.

"…Weep not for the memories…."

The End