mi-chan he7 – Hi, thanks :) it's actually not healing, I'm still in a splint 24/7 and have to see an orthopaedic surgeon next year :( Thank you, glad you're enjoying it so far!

msanimegeek – He's going to try and he'll still be a jerk lol. Ah, you'll see ;p miss ya too, Becca. I'll try to be online more over the December holidays :D- Kim

Super Pan-chan – We love your reviews :D lol… Here ya go!

Nechi Son – lol… Me too- when I was younger (ahem) that is… ;p – Kim

A Beautiful KaitAstrophe – I do indeed! P.S. love the avatar *yummy* *drools* *DAISY DAISY*

Awesomegirl789 – Thank you :) love your review! Lol… Here ya go :D

JANIE – Thank you! Glad you liked it :)

Vegetable lov3r – Thank you, still a long way to go, though :( have to see orthopaedic surgeon next year and have to remain in a splint until then

Butterscotch – Lol that's okay ;p

Sweetened Sky: Thanks! Haha! As for Trunks... The poor fella... That's all I'm gonna say :p

Hyped: We understand why you would say that. We are basing some ideas from GT- since Trunks and Pan are out in space, but we didn't want to go into all this detail about the episode. We want it to be different than the show. And Pan cut her hair when she was fourteen, she's seventeen now so that's been three years. Hair can grow exceptionally fast at time, and Saiyans hair always seems to grow quick. Like Mirai Trunks when he went into the HTC.

Kasumi: He'll have his moments where he'll be sweet! For the most part, he's confused and angry. Talk about angst.

Pan lvs Trunks: Since they're out in space we are using some ideas from GT! Thanks!

Those-carrots: Thank you!

Twicked: Here you go! :D

TopazDragon98 – Thank you! Glad you like it… Here ya go :)

Azura – Thank you :)

Chapter 8

They had been travelling for weeks after leaving Mish and Tish's planet, only stopping twice to refuel- not bothering to explore said planets… The atmosphere on and off the ship was thick with tension, both Pan and Trunks felt like they were suffocating, and wanting to move things along as quickly as possible.

Pan felt trapped- like she was in some sort of 'groundhog day'. Repeating the same routine, other than the occasional grunt or look from Trunks which reminded her that time was actually moving forward. The only semblance of keeping her sanity intact was the reason why she was out here, and not to mention the lovely friends she had made along the way.

However, she was close to the end of her tether- concerning a certain someone. So, there she was, contemplating the crux she was in while trying to ascertain how she could improve their crumbling relationship. Being nice and trying to literally kiss his ass had no effect- so, what to do?

She tapped her foot while simultaneously blowing air through her lips and watching the timer tick away- a few more seconds before a sharp ringing could be heard.

"Happy eighteenth birthday to you, Pan…" She whispered as she removed the cake from the oven…

She sighed… Would he care? He never gave a damn about the previous two!

###

Trunks lay with his hands behind his head, staring at the curved ceiling- thinking whether he should have added some colour- as if there had been time to decorate! Though, it certainly kept his mind from wandering towards Pan… which was proving to be extremely difficult.

He had his fair share of flings and one night stands over the years- well, mostly the latter to satisfy his sometimes aching libido. Though, now it felt like eons since he had a good romp- at least not since Pan reached puberty.

He missed her, and he knew she was trying hard to repair their relationship. He felt like a prick for acting the way he was. But, every time she was nearby, or he thought he could give her a break- he remembered...! What she had done! He understood her desire for revenge- more than she knew. What bothered him though, was the way she seduced that bastard! It took all his willpower to restrain from grabbing her, and touching her everywhere that scumbag did! The problem was that he knew it wouldn't be enough. For the first time he was admitting to himself- ever since he noticed her mature in front of his eyes- that he wanted her, more than he had wanted anything else…

###

Pan sat at the table, resting her head against her hand with her mouth agape, staring at the slice of cake. She had done the same thing for the previous two- cutting a slice, only to throw it, along with the rest of the cake away- after staring at it for a while. This year was no different- she had hoped for some sort of reconciliation by now… wishful thinking!

She felt weak and sick to her stomach, even if she tried to take a bite, she doubted she could keep it down- she had no appetite most days and couldn't be bothered otherwise. She could tell she had lost a serious amount of weight, too- sometimes she felt like just giving up on everything!

She sighed dejectedly before standing up and tossing the slice of cake in the garbage. As she turned for the rest, her eyes caught his…

"What are you doing?" he asked, eyeing the cake on the table.

"What do you care?" she snarled…

He scoffed loudly, "I don't, really…" He took a few steps forward and froze… his eyes wide with shock and anger.

Something inside her snapped, with lightning speed she had thrown the cake at him- missing his face by a few inches. The sound of the plate reverberating as it broke against the wall.

"What is your fucking problem!?" I am sick and tired of the way you're treating me!" She screamed- face red and body shaking with anger. "Do you know what it's been like for me? Have you ever though to ask how I felt? Where were you, huh? When the women I loved so dearly were mercilessly slaughtered! Where were you when I found them lifeless and bloodied!? Where were you when I had to spend a year by myself in the time chamber? Facing adversities while at the same time grieving- all alone and scared… I was only seven years old!"

He listened silently, clenching his jaw as she continued.

"Yet I believed you when you told me you'd fix it. You left me with such hope, I trusted you wholeheartedly. You're Trunks after all…" She through her hands up in exasperation. "For years you kept me isolated… I know I had my moments, but I l did as you wanted… I didn't want to bother you while you worked so hard to protect us. But, I was fighting my own demons- nightmares of my dead family plagued me, and still does… It's not something one can forget so easily! The only thing that kept me going, was believing in you, and your promise- even when I sometimes didn't understand your choices or logic." Tears streamed down her face and she was breathing loudly as she tried to control her emotions. "Yet, here you are punishing me so ruthlessly for something I did… An act I thought you of all people would understand, even if it angered you at first. Yes, you asked me not to act on revenge, but I went against my and your better judgment, but to ignore me for years… to treat me like scum… because of a man who murdered my family! Well, fuck you Trunks!" She shrieked… "I'm done… I've had enough of this torment! Happy fucking birthday to me…"

She stormed out leaving a speechless Trunks in the kitchen…

###

Trunks stood there for a moment, Pan's words echoing in his mind. He wanted to go after her and scream in her face just as she had done his. Didn't she know that this was killing him just as bad? Moreover, he felt guilty. Many times when she was growing up he had told her that he was there for her. That he would protect her. He hadn't been doing either of those in the past months...

What Pan did was wrong; he understood that. The fact is, he forgave her for killing the bastard. So her actions at that time were foolhardy... She didn't have to dry hump the guy before killing him! He didn't help matters any either. He kept her under his heavy watch. Maybe if he had talked to her more about the ladies death... He missed them just as much, too! After all these years... Both of them were still grieving.

He had to make it up to her! She wasn't a little girl anymore, but she was still his to protect!

"Pan!" Trunks called, walking down the hallway to her door. "Pan!" He called again, this time louder as he knocked on her door.

He waited for her to answer, but nothing came. Despite himself, he couldn't help the grim grin that formed on his face. She was still as stubborn as always.

"Pan," his voice was calm. "Open up. I'm not mad, okay? Let's talk."

Still, there was no answer from the girl. Trunks wanted to remain calm, but his patience was growing thinner.

"You have to the count of three to open this door before I bust it open!" He concluded, narrowing his eyes. "One... Two... Three...!" There still wasn't movement, so with an annoyed grunt Trunks kicked the door open.

His heart stopped when he saw her. "Pan!" He yelled, rushing to her fallen body. She seemed to have collapsed.

Trunks hissed as he touched her burning skin. Her cheeks were red, and she was sweating and shaking. How long had she been sick without him knowing?

"Pan," he whispered, moving some hair out of her face. "Just... Just hold on!"

He scooped her tiny frame up, noting how light she was. Carefully, he set her on her bed before rushing into the bathroom. As quickly as he could, he came back with wet rags, placing them on her burning skin to reduce her fever.

"Pan," he tried to get her to respond to him, but all he got back in response was a moan. "You'll be okay," he told himself, his voice shaking slightly.

Running a hand through his hair, he rushed into the control room, sending out an SOS. He waited for what felt like hours before he finally got a response from a nearby planet. He didn't bother reading the name as he set the ships controls- as fast as possible.

He walked back to Pan's room, hoping to see a sign that she was feeling better. His hoping was in vain... She was still asleep, her eyes closed tightly. Her breathing had became shallower, too. Gently, Trunks placed a hand on her forehead, feeling the heat through the rag. None of it was helping.

"Pan," Trunks whispered, sitting down beside her. "Snap out of it," he shook his head, his vision suddenly blurry. "Is this my punishment for my behaviour lately...? I never meant to seem so malicious! Pan!" He grabbed her shoulders, making her sit up. "Wake up! Please don't leave me! I'll change, just wake up!"

The girl moaned in pain, moving with small grunts. Her eyes barely peaked open, but Trunks could see her dark irises. "Trunks-Kun," it was barely above a whisper, but he heard it.

"I'm here... Angel," he smiled softly.

Pan said no more as her eyes drifted closed again. Her body slumped in Trunks' arms and he felt himself choking on a sob he refused to let out. He had lost many things in his lifetime, but Pan wouldn't be one of them.

"Angel," he whispered, holding her against his chest tightly. He wouldn't let her go- until the ship landed...