CHAPTER 26:
Promises to be Broken

Trunks slicked his wet hair back with his fingers and leaned over, frowning in the mirror. Turning his face sideways, he opened his mouth in a distorted yawn as he felt his cheeks. Grunting slightly, he lowered his head to wash his hands and then, taking the can of shaving cream in his right hand, sprayed some foam into his left. When he put the bottle down, it made a little clanking sound that echoed in the bathroom. He worked up a thick lather in his hands and then looked up again to form another frown.

He absolutely detested facial hair. Luckily for him, it took a long time to grow any stubble, but when his hair did decide to show itself on his face, he was cursed with his father's genes of having it wiry and prickly. It was almost painful to just even stroke his chin while in thought. That facial hair needed to go.

As he spread the lather on his cheeks, he heard the door open behind him. Feeling a rush of cooler air enter the steamy room, he raised his eyes to look in the mirror, half-mindedly curious while he worked the foam around his jawbone.

Pan called out tentatively from behind the door, "Trunks, are you decent?"

Trunks chuckled as he spread the lather around his mouth, careful to cover every last annoyingly stiff bristle. "Well, if you call a towel decent. Did you need anything?"

Pan let out a barely audible moan and weakly said, "Could you pass me the aspirin?"

"Aspirin?" Trunks raised one eyebrow slightly as he reached for his razor. "You can come in, you know."

He noticed the door creak open a bit further as he opened his mouth and brought the razor to one of his sideburns. With careful strokes, he would make sure his face would feel as smooth as Goku's within minutes. While shaving, he noted Pan enter the bathroom almost groggily and open her medicine cabinet. Although his instinct told him to keep his mouth shut, he couldn't help itching from curiosity, "Why do you need aspirin?"

"Pain killers. Any… any pain killers will do…" Pan sorted through the cabinet next to him, sighing. "Where are they? Aren't they supposed to be in the medicine cabinet…?" She clutched her stomach and moaned again, leaning against the sink for support.

Trunks paused in mid-stroke and turned to face her, looking concerned. "Is something wrong? Why are you in pain?" He smiled and resumed his shaving, turning to look in the mirror. "Oh, I get it. You ate too much, and your stomach hurts?"

"No…"

"Or how about, you ate too little, and you're hungry?"

"No."

He brought his razor to his other cheek and began taking short strokes, "Let's see… could it be food poisoning? Too much of Goku's frozen food?"

Pan groaned and pushed him away from the sink as she opened up his medicine cabinet, ridding him of any mirror to see. Trunks waited patiently before she closed the cabinet only to moan, leaning against his side of the double sink. He walked around her and began to continue his shave using her mirror for his reflection. Grinning, he saw how she clutched her stomach and felt an urge to tease her, "Don't tell me you're pregnant or anything, because I'll have a hard time believing that." He chuckled while his eyes flickered between her and the mirror.

Pan barked a loud, "No!" before slamming her fists on the sink counter. After a pause, she cried out, "Where are the pain killers?!" She turned to him with a pleading face, "You don't have any morphine or anything on you, do you?"

Trunks grinned and began to shave the area under his chin. "First, you tell me what's wrong with you, and then I'll help you look for the medicine. How does that sound?"

Pan looked away, her cheeks turning pink, "You don't want to know."

"Sure I do." Trunks worked on shaving the area between his mouth and his nose, intent on keeping that area clean-shaven, unlike the mustache his father had been sporting before they left on the galaxy tour.

"No, it's none your business."

He chuckled slightly. "Tell me, Pan, or I won't help you."

"Augh! Fine!" Pan stood up, still looking away so Trunks couldn't see her red cheeks, "I have cramps, okay?!"

Trunks' razor slipped and caused a paper-cut gash above his lip before dropping to the sink. His hand instinctively went to tend to the small wound as his cheeks flushed a bit.

There was a long pause. Trunks' cheeks continued to grow more colorful as he held his breath from embarrassment. After taking a moment for his mind to slowly gain control over his body again, Trunks grinned and let out a small, "Oh," before looking away.

He coughed a bit, using his hand as a shield to cover his growing smile. "Well, in that case," he coughed again, trying to hold back embarrassed laughter, "maybe you should ask Giru. He did clean the whole ship, you know. He may have put the pain killers in another location or something." He chortled slightly and wiped away the drop of blood that formed above his lip, holding up the razor for some finishing touches.

"Yeah…" she awkwardly stood straight and brought her hand up to push back her bangs. "I guess I'll go find him, then." She balled her fists, "And then I'm going to knock some sense into him for stealing my medicine away!"

Trunks chuckled under his breath, "Don't hurt yourself."

She pushed herself away from the sink and staggered toward the door, growling, "He better not have eaten it!" Through the mirror's reflection, he grinned widely as he watched her leave.

Giru probably was the culprit behind some of the missing items lately. After they had left the ice planet and turned the temperature back to normal, Goku had taken too ill to get out of bed and Pan was too lazy to clean the ship. Trunks didn't want to do all the work himself, so he had bribed the robot to clean for them in exchange for an 'upgrade'.

Trunks had never seen a place get so clean so fast. That robot worked day in and day out, only pausing for an hour or two to rest every other night. Within four days, not only was the hallway fixed up, but the kitchen wall was rebuilt, the cabinets organized, the clothes laundered, the blankets mended, and, to Trunks' great delight, Giru had even done small errands, like re-arranging the capsules stored in the launching bay into numerical order. That robot most definitely earned his upgrade. So, over the course of two weeks, working almost non-stop to get the programming right, Trunks gave him one.

It was quite an experience, being able to open Giru up again. This time, instead of doing his best to stay clear of the wiring, he spent a great deal of time actually studying the technology that lay inside the robot. After some careful planning, he had been able to install capsule technology inside Giru, so Giru could store a hundred times as many items inside himself as previously. As a part of the robot's upgrade, Trunks installed weaponry inside Giru, for the just-in-case event when the 'danger' would get too great. It had been fun for Trunks to design several missile launching configurations. In addition, Trunks had installed Goku's new film inside Giru, and, as a special bonus for Pan, he hardwired an advanced pragmatics program into Giru's hardware and installed a chip which would let him perform 'rock paper scissors,' for the next time Pan would get bored.

By using the capsule system inside Giru, a great many installation upgrades became possible for the future, and Trunks could hardly wait to think of new ideas. Fiddling around with Giru had managed to keep Trunks happily preoccupied for the two weeks following the possession of the last dragonball.

For several days after Giru's completion, however, Trunks had found himself severely lacking a purpose on the ship. With everything looking brand new, fixed up, upgraded, cleaned, and organized, and with the ship on auto-pilot, heading straight home, Trunks realized he suddenly had a great deal of free time to just lounge about and do absolutely nothing. That was a first for him. For the past ten years, there was always something for him to worry about, even slight things in the back of his mind, whether they were far-off concerns like taxes or scheduling events for holidays, or recent ones like whom he would meet for lunch and what they would discuss… there was always some kind of problem on Trunks' mind.

But not now. And, it felt a little strange for him to be able to get away with doing… nothing. Even thinking got boring after a while. Nowadays, while sitting alone in the cockpit, he would often have repetitive thoughts, and after some time, he'd feel an incredible urge to express what was on his mind. For some reason, he was having a more difficult time holding in a lot of his ponderings.

He smiled to himself as he turned on the faucet and ran his hands under the water. Pan was probably rubbing off on him. After a year with her, it just seemed natural that she was influencing him to regain a few of his old impatient ways. That was only one of many things she'd affected about him. He really didn't know if he could be considered a different person by this point. Because it happened so gradually to him, he felt as if he didn't change that much, but he knew that the others, after not seeing him for a year, would be able to tell him first thing. He was curious to ask his sister if she noticed anything different about him… other than the ring, of course. A lot could happen to a person within a year.

The year was coming to an end, soon. In a few days, they would be home, leaving them two days short of a full year since Goku had been turned into a twelve year old boy again.

Trunks splashed some water on his face, trying to rid any excess shaving cream from his cheeks. His thoughts were centered on Goku as he grabbed another towel and wiped his face. Would the year marker be considered Goku's thirteenth birthday? Although his official 'birthday' (or more like 'finding day' since he was found in the woods as a child) was half a year ago, his body would be thirteen years old soon.

Trunks smirked slightly. Perhaps, for Goku's physical birthday, he'd get Goku a razor. It was all he could do to keep from chuckling aloud when he considered how Goku's voice might start changing soon due to puberty.

Trunks slung his second towel around his neck and opened the door to the cool hallway. He thought of how Goku would soon be growing a beard. Trunks' eyes lit as this suddenly inspired an idea for another Giru upgrade. Perhaps he could install a synthesized skin-like layer over his outer shell, and offer him the ability to create an actual face for himself. Sure, it was an outrageous idea, but if Giru liked the sound of it, then Trunks could start on a new project. That sounded like it could entertain him for some time.

Trunks sighed. He seriously needed to do something. He was running out of 'Newton' magazines and physics books to read, and he didn't know how much longer he could last in this boredom!

Now he was beginning to sound like Pan.

He smiled a bit as he thought of how great of a friend she had ended up becoming to him. It was hard to imagine that there had ever been a point when he ever thought badly of her. Now, whenever she crossed his mind, a warm feeling of belonging and kinship would make him melt in happiness. It was a new feeling to him. He had never felt so trusting of a friendship.

He wanted to do something for her when they returned. But, he didn't know how or what. Perhaps he'd be able to take her out somewhere, or work on something for her, or take her on a vacation… or anything along those lines. He would do everything in his power to not have their friendship drift apart, even if it meant sparring with her and his dad just to be included and do something with her every Friday.

Now that he was thinking of Pan… Where exactly was she, anyway? The ship seemed to be unusually quiet for being the middle of the afternoon, or whatever 'afternoon' they could pretend to have in outer space. He walked around to each room, knowing there were very few places she could have vanished to.

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After checking the lounge, the kitchen, the bedroom (where he changed into King Kai's comfortable gi which he never got around to wearing very often, careful not to wake Goku from his nap), the launching area, the laundry room, and the cockpit, there was only one last place to look. He stepped on the small elevator that led up to the observation deck and waited patiently as it slowly lifted him up to the second level of the ship.

The room was small and shaped like a dome. They three often came into this room to observe the new planets they would soon be landing on. Unlike the cockpit, this room was built for leisure and relaxation time while observing the universe around them. The place resembled a planetarium, lit only by dim lights from the edges of the round floor.

When he reached the observation deck, Trunks saw that Pan had taken a blanket and lain it across the floor, lying back to watch the stars with her head propped up on a pillow.

He walked up to her and sat down, crossing his legs on the blanket. In the dim lighting, he could make out most of her dark silhouette. Everything was a shade of gray. He clasped his hands in his lap and smiled slightly toward her resting figure.

Pan lifted her head a bit to look at him, then leaned back, closing her eyes. "You look nice. Wearing something different, I see."

Trunks looked down toward his hands. "Yeah, it seemed comfortable enough, and I was too lazy to change into a suit. Especially if I'm just going to lounge about doing nothing all day…"

"Welcome to my world." Pan took a deep breath and tried to focus her ki.

Trunks smiled slightly, then noticed how she was so tense, even though she was trying her best to relax. "So… what are you doing here in this room? Meditating?"

"I don't know. I just wanted to go some place where I could forget my pain, I guess." Pan opened her eyes and turned her head to face him.

Trunks took her right arm in his left hand and stroked it once in a friendly gesture. "Never ended up finding the medicine?"

"Oh no, I did." Pan forced a small grin, "Apparently Giru thought that pain killers went in the same cabinet as vitamins. They weren't too hard to find."

"And you're still in pain?"

"Trunks, let's not talk about my pain. I've suffered far worse in my life, trust me. And it makes me uncomfortable talking about it with you."

Trunks chuckled, "Alright, sorry. I guess I'm kind of numbed to the topic." He brought his right hand to his cheek, leaning his elbow against his knee while remembering home. "My sister complains about her cramps all the time."

"Yeah well…" Pan took a deep breath and laid her hands across her stomach, "I don't. And I'm nothing like your sister."

Trunks tapped his left hand against his knee a few times, spending a moment to find words for a thought. "You, know, Pan…" he paused before continuing, "I still don't understand why you two grew apart. You two were so close when you were little."

She huffed in response, "Yeah, and then we moved on to different things." Pan looked away from him, watching the stars.

"So?" Trunks raised an eyebrow toward her and stopped stroking her arm. He moved his left hand to her shoulder and squeezed it gently, "You two don't have many things in common, but your personalities are very much alike. I think you two could find a lot of things to talk about, but you just never gave your friendship a chance after you drifted apart." He waited to hear any rebuttal on her part, but when he was met with silence, he felt pressed to continue his statement, "I mean, look at us."

Pan turned her head to face him as Trunks continued, still holding his head with an elbow propped on his knee, "We don't have very much in common other than our heritage, do we? But I feel I can really talk to you about anything. I feel comfortable around you. I don't think I need to keep any secrets from you. I trust you, and that trust composes our friendship, Pan." He stroked her neck once and then brought his hand back to her arm.

"Trust, huh?" Pan smiled slightly and adjusted her arm so she took his right hand in hers. "So…" She looked up toward the stars above her, "do you feel you can talk to me about anything?"

"Anything?" Trunks blinked a moment as a variety of potential meanings crossed his mind. He didn't want to sound like a hypocrite, and he wanted Pan to be able to trust him, so he nodded his head and hesitantly said, "Sure."

Pan began to intertwine her fingers through his as she turned to look at him again, a mischievous grin playing on her face. "Trunks…" She paused, formulating her thoughts. "I've been wondering lately… I mean, this thought has been on my mind." Her grin widened, "What were you like when you were younger?"

Trunks' eyebrows furrowed down at her question. It was easy for him to recollect memories of things he used to do, in ways he used to behave, but to actually interpret the person he used to be? That was a somewhat challenge for him. He wasn't quite sure how to put his life to words. His gaze wandered down to her hand in his as he thought of ways to express his life, what he was like, and how much he had changed.

After Trunks hesitated with his response, Pan sat up to look at him with a glint in her eye. With a humored grin she released his hand and poked him lightly in the chest. "I know you weren't always like this. I heard all kinds of stories about you when you were younger. Apparently you and my Uncle Goten had a bit of fun every once in a while."

Trunks looked beyond her as he tried to work out some words. "Well… yeah, I guess…"

"It's just hard to imagine. You've grown up to be such a computer nerd…" Pan leaned over slightly and said quietly with an impish smirk. "You know what I believe?"

Trunks shook his head, still unsure of how to respond to her. "What do you believe?"

Pan chuckled and said even lower, in almost a whisper, "I believe that you have…" she grinned mischievously, "another side to you. You know…" She nudged him with her elbow, "Your wild side."

Trunks scoffed and held in laughter, "My wild side?"

She smirked teasingly, "Whatever happened to it? I hear you used to be quite the party-goer."

Trunks looked and saw a devilish glint in her eye. She was bringing up such old memories, of a person he used to be once upon a time, before he had grown to learn responsibility. When he thought of himself younger, it was as if he were pondering a different person completely, the memory of himself seemed so foreign. He chuckled a bit, mostly to himself, as he tried to make out whatever became of him, "Well…" He paused to work out all the reasons why he had changed, "I guess my job. Perhaps age…" His eyebrows went up in thought, "Maturity…" He looked down at her with a bemused grin, "Why?"

Pan sat forward, crossing her legs like he, and grabbed her pillow to hug it. Bouncing slightly from excitement, she beamed at him, "Can you tell me how you used to be? What were you like when you were younger?"

Trunks smiled. "Eh…well…" He looked up as his hands clasped again in his lap. "I guess you could say that I was 'wild' in a way…" He looked at her for a moment, then looked to the side, to absently gaze at the stars. "But it was more complicated than that."

Pan smiled, "Can you tell me a funny story from when you were younger? I mean… what did you do, back in those days, for people to consider you that way?"

Trunks laughed, "Well, it was more like what they suspected I did, since I got away with mostly every act I pulled."

"Like what?"

"Like… Let's see…" Trunks tried his hardest to rack his brain for memories of his younger days, especially for memories that would entertain Pan. Cases of him being wild… When was he 'wild'…? He knew of times when he did things solo, mostly to his mother, like hide her cigarettes in various plants so she would give up smoking, and there were cases when he and Goten did team-effort collaborations, like the concept of Mighty Mask when they were little, but he would hardly say that he was wild. The only times when he really could be considered that was when he was in high school and threw parties his parents and sister would never remember. Like that one time…

"Ah…" Trunks' eyes lit up when he thought of a great story to tell Pan. He used to brag about this event for years, and somehow, miraculously, it never made its way back to his mother or father. It was the biggest kept secret in his teenage years, and it was highly memorable, meaning it might entertain Pan for a bit. He smiled over to Pan and chuckled, "I have one. The best story of them all." Laughing a bit, he pointed a finger to her in a slight warning gesture, "Hehe, my parents would kill me if they ever found out. You have to promise never to tell my parents, okay?"

Pan's eyebrows raised and her eyes widened as she grinned in anticipation. Nodding quickly and hugging her pillow tighter, she leaned over to whisper, "What happened?"

Still chuckling, Trunks told his story, raising his hands to gesture casually with the tale. "Hehe, well, I was seventeen, so you must have been around three. Goten was over my place, and we put sleeping pills in my parents' drinks…" Trunks paused to shake his head in disbelief, "Man, they were knocked out cold that night." He looked at her and continued, "And, after we made sure they were asleep, we had a house party." He laughed, "They were sleeping soundly while we threw the biggest bash of the year!"

"Didn't they notice the place was trashed in the morning?"

Trunks shook his head, "No, no. When they woke up, Capsule Corp. was completely spotless. Goten and I had stayed up all night cleaning the place. They had no idea that we did that. We had taken special measures to prevent them from ever finding out." He grinned, "Like…as a precaution, just in case the alcohol would have left a smell, most of the alcohol was served outside in the garden. That also prevented beer from spilling in the house." He brought his right hand over to stroke his chin in slight nostalgia. Looking up, he smiled, "Man, that was a great party… Gosh, there must have been hundreds and hundreds of people there."

Pan smiled toward him, "It sounds like it was a great party. Did you ever do anything like that again?"

Trunks laughed, "Not nearly as large as that one event. But yes, we did resort to drugging my parents every once in a while. Wow, if my dad ever knew I did that…" Trunks just continued to laugh while shaking his head at the thought.

Pan chuckled, "Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret. But I may mention it to Uncle Goten…"

"No, no! Don't!" Trunks flung his arms out, shaking his hands a bit to get her to stop. "He'll kill me for telling you! Nobody knows about that, not even Gohan or Goku or even Bra! She was too young to remember that. He won't understand why I let out such a big secret."

"Why is it such a big deal? It happened what? Eleven years ago?"

Trunks laughed, "Because he sometimes does it even today."

"Huh?" Pan's eyes widened in confusion.

"He doesn't throw parties anymore, but he knocks Chi Chi out cold when he brings a girlfriend over, because his mom doesn't give them any privacy." Trunks covered his mouth and chuckled into his hand.

Pan's eyebrows furrowed, "But why would he need…?" Her eyes widened as she suddenly got what Trunks was talking about, "Oooohhh!" Pan blushed and tried to hide it with the pillow. "I didn't know… he does that…"

Trunks laughed and covered his entire face with his hands in incredulity. "What do you mean, 'he does that'?!" Still laughing, he scoffed at her, "He's twenty-seven years old!"

"So?" Pan narrowed her eyes slightly while raising her eyebrows, "And you're twenty-nine, but that doesn't mean you sleep around." Pan coughed, "Or do you?"

Trunks blushed slightly and shook his head, "How could you even compare us?" He laughed nervously, "He has more of a dating life than even Mr. Satan!"

"Well, that doesn't mean he needs to use sleeping pills on Grandma. Do you sleep with every girl you date?"

Trunks' blush grew a bit more and his gaze shifted to the glass walls of the room, "I don't really date anymore."

Pan grinned, "Yes, but you're avoiding my question."

Trunks' cheeks were beet red and he tried to hide it by burying his face in his hands. She was too young to be asking him questions like that. Maybe if she were older, he'd feel more comfortable, but the thought of him discussing his sex life with Pan of all people made him feel a little awkward. "That's personal."

Pan laughed and pointed to Trunks, "But Uncle Goten's dating life isn't?!"

Trunks inhaled sharply and stood up. Standing above her, he pointed to her with a shaky finger, "I… I…" Still blushing, he looked away, "Don't…don't you go telling Goten I told you that!"

Pan stood up and left her pillow on the ground. Smiling, she outstretched her arms and took a step to bridge the distance between her and Trunks. She placed her hands on his waist and looked up to see his face. Trunks turned his head to look down at her, with a slightly confused expression.

"I'll tell you what," Pan grinned slightly, her eyes serious. "You tell me something nice about me, any one thing, and I won't ever tell anyone a word of anything you've ever said to me about them." She added, with a nod, "Including Uncle Goten."

Raising his eyebrows, Trunks smiled a bit, "All I have to do is say one nice thing?"

"Uh-huh." Pan grinned.

"Eh," Trunks chuckled, "Is this some kind of blackmail?"

Pan nodded, "Uh-huh."

"I don't know, Pan…" Trunks teased while grinning, "One nice thing… I'm wracking my mind here!"

Trunks looked down at her, smiling. Looking at her, all his feelings for her, and every nice thought he had seemed to mesh into one emotion. Around her, he felt secure, he felt appreciated and adored. He felt like family, and he viewed her as an equal. When he looked at her, he saw a blossoming young lady with a fire in her spirit, who would never take no for an answer. He saw a true fighter in her and the adventure in her eyes. She made him want to improve in his talents, to impress her, to make her feel proud of him, and to look up to him. He felt a completeness in their friendship every time she was around him. She rubbed off on him, and helped him re-discover old passions and interests. She was a true friend, an honest person, a beautiful rising star in his life… But when Trunks looked at her, none of these thoughts could be put to words. They all came rapidly and then fled as another thought would fleetingly enter and leave his mind as he just watched her.

Trunks' smile had long faded, and his eyes were wide and mouth slightly open as he stared at her dumbly, trying to think of how he could phrase any of his feelings. A long time must have passed, but everything seemed like an even greater eternity to Trunks as he found himself suffering from muteness, his breath catching in his throat as he looked down on her. He could almost feel her disappointment, but when he tried so hard to speak, nothing could come out.

Pan's eyes unfocused for a bit, and then she blinked and inhaled deeply. For a moment, Trunks could see a trace of sadness, hidden when she looked down. She said nonchalantly, "I guess you can't think of even one, huh?" Letting out a sigh, she gently pushed herself away from him and leaned down to gather her blanket and pillow from the floor. "It's okay, Trunks, don't force yourself. I wasn't going to tell them anyway."

Trunks choked, outstretching his arm, "Pan…"

"It's okay, really." Pan smiled sadly, "I wasn't really expecting a compliment." She folded the blanket around her neck and hugged her pillow close, looking down. "I'm sorry for asking you such a personal question." She then began to walk toward the elevator.

Feeling an invisible barrier explode in his mind, Trunks felt his voice start, "No, Pan, wait…" Trunks gently grabbed her arm and stopped her in mid-stride. "I don't mind answering your question. It is I who should be sorry. I had just told you I wanted to be open with you, and then I hesitated… and… I do want to be able to tell you anything. And I'm sorry… I'm sorry that I had a thought go through my head that you weren't old enough to talk about such things." He paused for a moment, looking down. "You are old enough. You are old enough to make a great difference in my life, and you can get me to open up about things I've never talked about before. You are mature enough to affect me, to help me become a better person… You…" Trunks looked in her eyes, "You inspire me, Pan. You…"

It was paining him that he could not find the right words as Pan's cheeks began to flush. Letting out one compliment was like opening a chest full of emotions he'd been feeling and wanted to explain to her, but never was able to. She saved his life, she made him happy, she made him feel accepted, she even rejuvenated his love for inventions, his passions, his hobbies… When he would return home, he knew now, people would say he'd changed. But there was no way… no way he could express it to her, how happy she had made him on the tour.

Trunks found himself caught in the moment, unable to think clearly. With his heart racing, his thoughts raging, his emotions reeling and a panic that coursed through his body and trembling hands, he pulled her closer. Shaking slightly, he pressed her against him and wrapped his arms around her back, holding her tightly to his body and breathing in the scent of her hair. When he felt her arms tightly hold him in return, he hugged her for a long time, enjoying her warmth against him as he tried so hard to work out his thoughts – feelings he had been holding inside for so long.

Still holding her, Trunks took staggering breaths and let it out… let everything out that had been on his mind. Seized by the moment, his walls were torn down and he opened himself up to her completely, sharing a great part of his life which he never told anyone before.

"Every day I thank all the Kais that you came with us on this tour. Because of you, I can live, I can breathe, and I know that every breath I take is my own because I choose to live, rather than I have to live. Before you came along, there was a time when I seriously doubted the worth of my life. Sure, I was strong, my family was famous, I inherited an enormous trust fund and a company that holds a monopoly on almost every great invention… but I myself had no identity.

"I stood out only because my grandfather made a name of himself. I was forced to follow in footsteps – of my father's, to carry on Saiyan tradition, and of my mother's, to run the company while she concentrated on raising Bra. I became a tool for a job which I hated, for people whom I hated, of a life which I detested, wishing for friends whom I had lost contact with, a future family which I would never have time to pursue, and all dreams of adventure and mischief and any other remnants of my 'wild' days completely shot from my life."

Trunks paused and broke away from her, looking in her eyes before continuing with a slightly grin, "And can you believe that I actually didn't even want to come on this trip?" His arms tightened her grip around her back slightly as he watched her face with a sad smile. "When my dad said that Goten and I had to go on a trip into space, I had convinced myself more than anything that my life behind a desk, with a job I disliked with a passion, was preferable over adventure. I was so different. I had convinced myself that I was a different person entirely, conformed to everything my mother wished for me to be, and I listened to her because… because I love my mother." He paused, closing his eyes, "And I wanted her to be happy, and I wanted her more than anything to be proud of me." He opened his eyes and looked to Pan again, "I was living off of others' expectations of me, trying to gain their approval."

He laughed and shook his head, closing his eyes, "I had changed so much since I was younger. Years ago, I never cared about how they felt about me. I was always so confident with myself, wanting to be just like my dad who didn't give a damn what other people said about him. That's why I was so carefree… That's why I was so wild, so mischievous, so cunning when I was younger. I did what I wanted, and I would always find ways of doing things, even though nobody else approved." He laughed, "Like throwing that house party, for instance..."

Pan smiled a bit and leaned her head against his chest. Sighing a bit, she said, "I wish I could have similar stories to tell you. I…" She paused a moment before bringing her head back and looking at him, "I… I don't have adventures stories like you. I never got to fight Majin Buu. I don't even know what Broly really looked like. I've never thrown parties because I… I never had that many friends…" She looked down, sniffling a bit.

"But you do have stories, Pan." Trunks brought his hand to her chin and pointed her head to face his. "Adventures with me and your grandpa." His hand traced her jaw to her ear, and combed her hair back with his fingers. "And you do have friends." He paused his hand to smile at her. "At least, you have me. I'll always be your friend."

Pan's eyebrows raised in a slight frown. "You promise?"

Trunks smiled, "Of course."

Pan looked down for a moment. A long pause followed, and neither made a sound or a move as they were lost in their thoughts. Pan sighed and slowly said, "Trunks… Do you ever get a feeling? A feeling that something… bad… is lurking around the corner?"

"Huh? A bad feeling?" Trunks looked up, startled by her change in topic, "Sometimes, I guess…" He smiled at her, "But it's usually all in my mind. Why?"

"What if… What if you go home and something awful happens and then… What if you forget about me?"

Trunks could not help but laugh. "Pan, what could possibly go wrong?!"

Pan looked away, "I don't know… It's just a feeling I've been having lately…"

Trunks chuckled and grinned at her. "Okay, two things." He released her and held up his right index finger. "One: nothing is going to go wrong. We gathered all the dragonballs, the world is saved, and everyone can go about with their normal lives. Two," he held up a second finger, "There is no way I could ever forget you, so don't go about thinking such nonsense." He added, smiling, "You're just being silly."

Pan sighed a bit. "What if something comes between us…?"

Trunks laughed and shook his head, "And here you are, calling me paranoid." He smiled down on her, "Listen to me, Pan. Nothing is going to go wrong, and even if something does, there's no way I could ever forget you."

Pan smiled, "Really?"

Trunks smiled and kissed her forehead. "If you ever want to see me, all you have to do is drop by my window, at home, or at my office, and you can see me whenever you like, okay?"

Pan blushed a bit and hugged him tightly. Trunks felt her heart beating against his chest and was moved to kiss her gently on the cheek. Closing his eyes, he whispered in her hair, "The safest and most welcome place you can be is by my side, Pan, no matter what. Your life will always be safe with me, and I would never let anyone hurt you again."

Pan snuggled against his neck, "You promise?"

Trunks smiled, "I promise."

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-11/26/04-

---This marks the end of the Black Star Dragonball Saga---

---Next Chapter: Outtakes of Chapters 1 – 26 (for the 'seventh inning stretch')---

---Upcoming Chapter 28: The beginning of the Baby Saga---