| Disclaimer: I�m really running out of creative ways to say �I don�t own Dragonball Z�� *** Lalalalalalala�this is short and simple because lots o' people just wanted to see Trunks get kissed... ALL FOR NOTHING PART TWO CHAPTER TWO (ONE WEEK AFTER PART ONE, ONE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS EVE) Trunks cursed and threw his covers off. The damn phone was ringing already this morning. �Hello?�Yes, sir. � What?! � No, you said by tomor- � fine then I�ll just � just � listen, just get off your ass and fix it!� Bulma, walking by his room, peered in. �Who was that, Trunks?� Trunks fell back into bed. �That piece of shit 778 Capsule isn�t working� again. I just ordered that president at Nuway to get off his ass and fix it since he was the one that proposed it.� �TRUNKS!� �What?� �Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning!� �That�s just it! I wasn�t up until he had to call!� Bulma sighed defeatedly. �What are you so upset about Trunks?� After a moment she nodded. �It�s Pan, isn�t it?� Trunks shook his head. �NO!� �Yes it is!� Bulma exclaimed, leaving. Trunks wanted to defend himself but instead just sighed. He got up and walked towards the kitchen, hoping to salvage something- anything - out of this already shitty day� - The doorbell rang as Trunks finished the last of his dishes from lunch. He hopped over to answer it. �Hi!� He said, when he saw Pan. Pan smiled and returned his greeting, quickly glancing down at him. He wore loose jeans and a black and white sweater (one of the ones that are white and they have a black stripe through the middle� you know?) Bulma walked over. �Pan!� �Hey, Bulma!� Pan exclaimed. �You want to go out today?� Bulma asked. Pan threw Trunks a look and turned back to Bulma. �You� wouldn�t object to a friends day out first, would you?� Trunks looked over at his mom, holding his breath. �Not at all!� Bulma said. �You two have a lot of catching up to do!� Trunks shut his eyes and cursed. �That is,� Pan was saying. �If Trunks wants to go�� Trunks quickly smiled. �Um� sure!� Why not� - Pan took a sip of cocoa and continued. ��that�s when I decided to move back here. The capitol is definitely more into the technological science that I majored in.� She took another sip. �So what about you� you�ve been awfully quiet. What have you been up to?� Trunks shrugged his shoulders and rotated his own cup of cocoa in his hands. �Nothing much� just been running the company� it was the only way I could think of to start helping out again after I traveled back in time and all. We finished rebuilding the capital completely a year or two ago.� Pan nodded. �So that�s it?� Trunks sighed. �Pretty much,� he responded, still concentrating on his glass of cocoa. Pan raised her eyebrows. �What aren�t you telling me?� Trunks laughed. �Kami, Pan! Well, you always were a quick kid�nothing, Pan, nothing.� �What nothing? I wanna know how you�ve been!� Trunks unceremoniously took a gulp of his drink. �It�s nothing worth talking about Pan. Don�t worry about it, it�s in the past.� Pan studied him for a moment. �Fine. But whatever it is you�ve really got to get it off your chest.� �What do you mean by that?� Trunks said defensively, giving Pan a look of surprise. Pan didn�t answer for a minute. Then she proceeded slowly. �It�s just that� well, you don�t seem very happy about something. Is it because I showed up after three years? I don�t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. Is that what I did?� Pan asked, getting up. �Why would you do that?� Trunks replied, grabbing her arm and forcing her back into her seat. �I don�t know.� The words hung over their small table for a moment until Pan finished off her drink and grabbed her purse. �Trunks- I gave you my address and phone number yesterday. Call me if you need me, okay?� Trunks nodded as she walked away. He reached in his pocket, patting the paper Pan had handed to his mother which he had taken. "If you need me," she had said. What was that about? He wondered. Could someone have told her? He asked himself the whole way back home. When Trunks arrived at his house he took a shower � the thought still plagued him. She shouldn�t have to find out from anyone but me� he thought. Oh, you�re making way too much of a big deal about this, Trunks! He told himself. Pacing his room he glanced at his clock. It was eleven o� clock. A little light in the corner was the only illumination in the room. He sat down on his bed and looked at his night stand where he had placed the small piece of paper. If you need me� Trunks grabbed the paper and ran out of the room, throwing on a jacket. - Trunks knocked on Pan�s apartment door. When he didn�t get a response he knocked again. A few seconds later Pan answered, wearing a large T-Shirt and a pair of jeans she must have just thrown on. �Trunks?� He nodded. �I couldn�t let things rest the way they were,� he said, his breath visible. Pan frowned. �You should find out from me,� he whispered. Pan wasn�t sure what he was talking about but let him in anyway. Trunks took a seat on her couch, silent. �So what happened to you?� Pan said, trying to initiate conversation. �I grew up.� Pan rolled her eyes. �Trunks - seriously. We all grew up. Early, too, might I add. You were an adult at the age of seven! I became an adult the day my mother died! We all grew up!� Trunks shut his eyes. �I /am/ being serious. It�s something more than that.� �You have me very confused. Trunks� you traveled through time, fought the androids with my father and won. You�ve always had trouble. But you've always had hope, too. I can�t think of one thing that could- Yes. You grew up� you took over Capsule Corp. and put the past behind you and you probably got mar-� Pan stopped when she saw the look of Trunks� face. �-ried,� she finished. The look on his face grew somber. �I really loved her, Pan,� he whispered. Trunks brushed his short hair out of his face, staring at the floor. �I�m on my own again� left to suffer in silence� the story of my life...� He smiled ironically. Pan had gotten up and knelt beside him on the couch. A lump in her throat. She noticed how calm he was� and wondered oddly if he ever cried. �You feel sorry for me now, I assume,� Trunks said accusingly. �How did she-� Trunks' smile faded and he shook his head. �Okay� we won�t talk about it.� Trunks brought his hands to his face. �We were engaged. She died a year and a half ago.� Pan looked up, surprised. �Have you seen anyone else?� Trunks shook his head again. Pan, wanting to lighten the mood, smiled. �Why don't you take me out sometime, Trunks. You need to go out and have some fun! Especially now� Christmas is in two weeks�� Trunks shook his head. �That�s not all� I said there was something else, remember?� Pan swallowed and nodded. Trunks exhaled slowly. �You, Pan. You�ve changed. I wasn�t expecting�� Trunks swallowed again. ��this. You were seventeen when you left and� never mind.� �What?� �I don�t know. I just always�� he trailed off. Pan�s face became an expression of shock. She remembered all the times Trunks would offer to take her somewhere. Or when she would catch him glancing at her� and then� when her father had said� All of the sudden everything fell into place. �Kami, Trunks, you don�t�� Pan said, moving closer. �You didn�t�� Trunks nodded. �I thought I loved you.� Pan smiled. �Thought?� The corners of his mouth turned up slightly. �Yeah.� Pan frowned. "What about now?" Trunks shrugged. "I don't know, really." He stood up and stared off into the distance distractedly. �All right,� he said simply. �I should go.� Pan hurriedly nodded to agree standing up and watching him leave. Trunks shut the door behind him without looking back. As soon as she knew he was gone she turned around, putting her hands to her head, hearing her father�s words echo: �I give you and Trunks my blessing�� (ONE WEEK FROM PART TWO, CHRISTMAS EVE) �Trunks! There�s someone at the door! Could you get it?� Bulma screamed from her lab. Trunks sighed. �But I�m eating dinner!� He exclaimed and trudged over. He opened the door and saw Pan standing there. She was wearing the same brown jacket she always wore, except over a blue sweater and jeans. A pair of ice skates were slung over her right arm and in her right hand she held some fresh coffee, which she was drinking. In her left hand was another pair of skates. �Thought it�d be fun,� was all she said. Trunks was going to object but stopped, looking at her quizzically. �How�d you knock on the door?� He asked laughing. Pan just shrugged and he grabbed the coffee and a pair of skates from her. �So� you wanna go?� Pan asked. Trunks scratched his head, looking for an excuse not to. �Um� it is Christmas Eve and it�s late�� Bulma stepped in. �I think you should go Trunks it would do you some good and-� �Mom-� �You always �mom� me Trunks! Go with her!� Trunks glared at his mother and slightly raised his voice. �Okay� I�m what? Twenty-nine! I can make my own decisions!� Bulma and Pan were both silent. �I�ll go,� Trunks stated simply, voice normal again. Pan clapped her hands and Bulma rolled her eyes� sometimes his stubbornness reminded her a little too much of Vegeta. Trunks would have loved both the girls to think that it was his idea to go. - The ride was silent, neither mentioning the short conversation in Pan's apartment a week ago. They stepped out of the car at the lake. The sun had already set and light came from lamp posts positioned around the frozen lake. Snow was falling gracefully and lightly around them. A covered gazebo type thing was playing Christmas music. (Ever see one of those� like a one room building that plays music?) �You know, I haven�t ice skated in years,� Pan stated. �No, I didn�t,� was Trunks� curt reply. He skated out onto the ice, lazily turning to the left and coming back. He held out his hand, his lavender hair lighter with the snow that had already fallen on it, his icy blue eyes echoing their surroundings. Pan smiled and wobbled out onto the ice, almost falling backwards had she not reached out and touched Trunks� hand. �Whoa,� she said, straightening herself. �I�m not as good at this as I remember.� Trunks let go of her hand and skated around as she hardly moved without almost tripping. Trunks laughed and skated back over to her. �Here.� Trunks faced her and took both her hands, skating backwards slowly and pulling her along. �You were a good skater� you just don�t remember how to skate. You used to race your dad and win for Kami�s sake! Now come on� you don�t forget something like this, it�s like riding a bike.� �Uh huh,� Pan said sarcastically. Trunks skated along side her, helping her work herself up to a decent speed and then left her, skating ahead of her on his own. There weren�t that many people skating this late at night, so Pan didn�t have to worry about that. When she wasn�t concentrating on skating she watched Trunks. He skated lazily with his hands in his coat pockets. Every now and then he would take them out to get his balance, do a flip in the air or spin around on the ice and continue on, hands in his pockets once again. The music continued to play song after song and as Pan became more confident, and as the people left, Trunks would show Pan how to do more and more things. An hour later he sat at the side of the lake watching her skate as he enjoyed the night air, the blackness from the sky closing in around him. He liked the feeling, just him and no one else or nothing else to bother him. Why couldn't anyone just LEAVE me that way, damn it?! He thought as he sighed and looked up, seeing Pan skate up next to him and stop short. Faintly he recognized the music change. 'Just hear those sleigh bells jingle-ing / Ring ting tingle-ing too...' Now /Pan/ held out her hand to him, singing. �Come on what lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you.� Trunks smiled. Girl can really carry a note, he thought. He held her hand and they skated singing together and laughing. "Outside the snow is falling / And friends are calling "You Hoo" / Come on, it's lovely weather / For a sleigh ride together with you..." Pan looked at Trunks, who was laughing, and was glad that he was having fun. The sooner he got out to have a good time the better. Honestly� that man did nothing for himself. She ended her thoughts and continued singing. "Giddy-yap giddy-yap giddy-yap let's go / Let's look at the snow / We're riding in a wonderland of snow / Giddy-yap giddy-yap giddy-yap it's grand / Just holding your hand..." Trunks winked at Pan who giggled. "We're gliding along with the song / Of a wintry fairy land..." "Our cheeks are nice and rosy / And comfy cozy are we / We're snuggled up together like two / Birds of a feather would be / Let's take the road before us / And sing a chorus or two / Come on, it's lovely weather / For a sleigh ride together with you..." "There's a birthday party at the home of Farmer Gray / It'll be the perfect ending of a perfect day / We'll be singing the songs we love to sing without a single stop / At the fireplace while we watch the chestnuts pop / Pop! Pop! Pop!..." They both laughed as they said the last line, nodding their heads for ever 'Pop!' "There's a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy / When they pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie / It'll nearly be like a picture print by Currier and Ives..." Trunks stopped skating in the middle of the lake and Pan did the same. Trunks gracefully turned on the ice towards Pan. "These wonderful things are the things / We remember all through our lives..." As the song played the final chorus, Trunks looked downward, moving his face close to Pan's, noticing little things, like snowflakes on her eyelashes. Their noses touched. "Thank you for tonight, Pan," Trunks whispered. Pan could feel his lips brush gently against her own as he spoke. He turned his head slightly and kissed her. Pan returned the kiss and when Trunks noticed this he deepened it, wrapping his arms warmly around her. Trunks and Pan both pulled apart at the same time looking at the other. Each began lightly laughing as they grabbed the other� hand and turned to skate off the ice. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" began, and Trunks was glad that Pan was. *** Ummm...No comment. |