E is for Eve

"I wonder where Trunks is," Uub mumbled just loud enough for the black-haired girl's ear to perk up.

"Hey, yeah, when's he coming? The fireworks are about to start soon," Goten added, shaking his head.

"Yeah man, why isn't Trunks here yet?" Marron questioned as well as she arched one of her thin blonde-tinted brows upward.

"Pan?" Bra turned to her raven-haired friend who could only pull a bleak, forced smile onto her face before saying,

"He'll make it…he said he'd make it in time for the countdown," Pan reassured her friends, while the tone in her voice, lacking in confidence, had said otherwise.

"He better show up! He couldn't celebrate last year with us either, remember guys?" Goten huffed.

"Yeah, you even dressed up, Pan; it'd be a shame if he just didn't show up…" Bra added as she glanced briefly over to Pan, who was dressed into a muted pink and coral-stained yukata for the new year by her mother.

"He'll make it!" She puffed, glancing away from her friends into the dark sky. Pan exhaled, her breath visible in the cold air outside.

"The countdown's starting pretty soon, let's just head up closer to the lake to see the fireworks; we can't wait for him, much longer, Pan," The girl's blonde-haired friend explained.

"Alright, sure. Let's go then," Pan sighed, knowing it'd be too good to be true; Trunks would always work holidays, even through the most important ones. Nevertheless, the young teen despised herself for her naivety; she believed he would maybe, just this new years, come and celebrate with the rest of their group of friends for once. Since Trunks and Pan started dating, he had been more compliant with his work hours, and even suggested himself that he and the others all go to the edge of West City's lake to see the fireworks on New Year's eve.

Approaching crowds of people gathered by the lake the bunch settled into an area, which was a bit distance from the edge.

"The view from here should be fine, right? It'd be hard to push ourselves through the crowd and get any closer," Bra explained, with the others nodding.

"Yeah, here's a good spot…" Pan started, before catching an all too familiar head of purple locks, peaking it's head through others, located much closer towards the lake's edge, further into the crowd. The sensation in her fingers gone numb by the cold began to return; she couldn't be mistaken, that was Trunks' head of hair. Before the girl knew it, she found her legs moving towards the populace.

"Pan where are you going?" Goten asked confusedly, as he saw the short girl starting to push herself, clad in her bright attire, through the crowd of folk, and before the others could protest any further, they'd lost sight of the young black-haired teen.

"Maybe she wants to be alone since Trunks is a no-show?" Marron suggested, pouting, with a slightly pitying expression.

"10"

"Where is he?" Pan said as she had now elbowed her way to the water's edge, too occupied with the task of finding her boyfriend to be worried that her yukata had now looked disheveled by sticking her tiny self through the crowd.

"9"

She'd sworn that he'd been right here.

"8"

Her eyes must've been playing tricks on her…is this how bad she wanted him to show up?

"7"

"Kami-sama, what is with me, ugh…" The girl mumbled to herself.

"6"

"I don't know, what is with you, Pan Son?" A deep voice came from behind.

"5"

"Trunks,"

"4"

The lavender-haired man grinned, still clad in his work suit.

"3"

He then proceeded to grab both her hands, entwining her fingers with his cold ones.

"2"

The numb feeling in her hands was soon replaced with an unexplainable lukewarm, tingly feeling.

"1"

And at that moment, just like the sky had lit up with fireworks, so had the raven-haired girl's face, but instead of fireworks, it was sentiments of ease, trust, and a sense of relief.

"Happy new year, Pan," Trunks said to her warmly.

"I can't hear you, but happy new year, Trunks!" She spoke loudly, as the blaring fireworks were zoning out most of the other sounds. The lavender-haired man simply chuckled in response, squeezing the girl's hand that were still interlocked with his own. He leaned forward; the cold tip of his nose grazed hers, and his lips, parched from the cold winter weather, softly met her own even drier ones (dried out from the coat of dusty rose lipstick she'd applied earlier while getting ready).

That night, the lavender-haired man didn't end up paying much attention to the fireworks; rather, for Trunks, seeing them through the reflection of Pan's large, chocolatey-toned eyes was enough.

-x-