Chapter Six
Trunks idly tapped his pencil against his leg. It was a week after Marron had kissed him and he hadn't heard a peep out of Pan. And he didn't know what to do about her. She made no effort to seek him out nor did he try to see her. He found himself missing her, but had to wonder if he was missing her as a friend or something more.
I'm not ready for commitment, he told himself over and over again. I like my life too much. He smirked. Yeah, but what kind of life is it? All I do is try to figure out how to skip another day's work, and when I do skip I just sit around and do nothing. When was the last time I was serious about a woman?
It wasn't a surprise that he could not remember. Sighing, he struggled to concentrate on the pages staring up at him. Numbers blurred and shifted, and Pan's face stared up at him. He touched a finger to her cheek, tracing her jaw.
"Am I worth all this?" he asked her image tenderly.
He stood and went to the window.
"TRUNKS!!"
He nearly shot to the roof--literally--at the shout. He turned, a hand on his chest and a wide-eyed expression on his face.
Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Woman, how many times do I have to tell you never to scare a Saiya-jin?" he demanded. "You could have ended up on the other side of the building if Trunks hadn't controlled himself."
Bulma threw her hands up. "He was just about to jump out the window again," she explained shrilly. "I had to stop him."
"I could have chased him down," Vegeta argued.
Trunks rolled his own eyes and yanked his parents into his office before they drew any more attention to themselves. He quickly released Vegeta--he didn't want his hand to be broken--but held on to his mother.
"I wasn't going to leave again, Mom," he told her. "I was just looking out the window."
Vegeta went to stand by it. He peered out. "I don't see anything worth looking at."
Trunks showed him a graph filled with numbers. "When this is the other choice, wouldn't you rather stare out that window?"
Vegeta gave it a cursory glance. "Hmph," he grunted.
"So," Trunks said, sitting on the edge of his desk. "What did you come here for?"
"Didn't you think that we just wanted to visit?" Bulma inquired sweetly.
Trunks and Vegeta glanced at each other.
"No," was the quick reply.
"Thanks a lot," Bulma said, slapping his arm lightly. "You're right, of course, but I would think that you would appreciate a visit."
"I do, I do," Trunks assured her.
"Just get on with it," Vegeta growled.
"Oh, shut up," Bulma retorted.
Trunks waited for his parents to stop bickering. They had been like this for as long as he could remember. It didn't bother him one bit. It was just the way the were. Besides, he'd seen the little bouquets of wild flowers his father left lying around the house as if they'd fallen out of the sky, and he'd seen his mother pouring over receipes for days at a time to find the perfect dish for her Saiya-jin prince. He knew they loved each other despite evidence to the contrary. He only hoped that he could be in a relationship as long lasting as theirs. His thoughts then shifted to Pan and he turned back towards the window.
Bulma frowned thoughtfully at her son's back. "Well, Gohan called this morning, demanding to speak with you. He sounded very agitated."
Trunks could feel himself getting faint and he put both hands on the window sill.
"It seems that Pan had disappeared and hasn't come back since yesterday." Bulma raised an lavender eyebrow. "I can't even begin to imagine why Gohan would be upset with you, though."
"What makes you think he was upset with me?" Trunks inquired, not looking her in the eye.
"He practically yelled--imagine, Gohan yelling--in my ear saying 'Where is Trunks?!? I need to speak with him or else I'll hunt him down like an animal' Tell me, does that sound like a particularly happy man?"
Trunks rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, the last time I saw Pan she flew off on me. Goten and I were worried sick because we had no idea where she went. That was about a week ago."
"Now, why would she do something like that? Pan doesn't usually do things like that," Bulma wondered.
"Something must have been on her mind," Trunks muttered. "You know how Pan is when something occurs to her. She just has to go do it."
"But she didn't even say good-bye," Bulma said pensively. "She's not rude."
"She's probably just training somewhere," Vegeta said. "Let the girl be. Maybe she just wants to be alone."
Bulma turned to her husband, startled. "Really, Vegeta. That's very astute. I didn't know you had it in you."
"I didn't want to waste my breath on you."
"Anyway," Bulma continued, glaring at Vegeta, "I just wanted to see if you had any idea of where she could have gone. Gohan and Videl are climbing the walls."
"I'll call them if I think of anything," Trunks promised, ushering her out the door. Vegeta was already there.
"Why did you come, Dad?" Trunks asked.
"The car broke down, and I refuse to take a cab or the bus," Bulma replied. "He flew me here."
Trunks choked back a laugh. It was hard to picture the proud Prince flying with his wife in his arms. Vegeta's sharp hearing picked up on the sound and he glared at Trunks.
"Have a nice flight," Trunks teased.
Vegeta muttered something under his breath. He and Bulma disappeared into the elevator. Trunks went back to his desk and picked up the phone.
"Goten, is Pan really missing?" he demanded when his friend answered on the third ring.
"Yeah," Goten replied. "Gohan and Videl are really freaking out. I'm about to go over to their house now."
"Do you think I should go?"
"Only if you want to. I don't know how Gohan will react if he sees you. He's all strung out."
"Then, it probably wouldn't be a good idea," Trunks said. "I'll fly around and see if I can find her."
"Alright. I'll see you later then."
"Bye."
Trunks replaced the receiver and threw open the door. "Miss Haruna!" he called.
"Yes, sir?" his secretary said, a little shocked at seeing him.
"Cancel all my appointments for today, Miss Haruna," he ordered. "There's been a family emergency."
"Yes, sir," Miss Haruna said. She knew this was serious. The president rarely informed her that he was leaving.
Trunks slammed the door. He walked into this personal bathroom which had a closet, and rummaged through the clothes that he kept there. After changing into a blue Capsule Corp. bomber jacket, green cargo pants and a black tank top, he fastened his sword in its sheath across his right shoulder. He needed to find Pan himself because he knew why she had run away. He had no idea what he was going to say to her when he saw her, but all he knew was that he had to find her. With one leap, he was out the window and was soaring through the skies.
Pan floated in the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean, her eyes closed. The waves were relaxing as they bobbed underneath her. She cleared her mind and just thought about the waves. She knew that everyone at home was worried about her, but she had no way of letting them know she was alright. There was no phone for miles.
She bobbed in the surf for several more minutes before flying back to shore. The small, secluded island was just big enough for her to have a small hut to sleep in, but that was all. It was merely a speck when seen from the sky, making her hiding place perfect.
She toweled herself dry and went into her temporary home. Her stomach rumbled hungrily. With a smile, she went to rummage through the fridge only to find that nothing was in it. Sighing, she reached for a pair of old jeans that had one torn knee and into a clean t-shirt. She then flew off to the nearby islands of Hawaii.
Trunks made his way through the throngs of people at the outdoor market. He had taken his jacket off, and tied it around his waist. The sun beat down relentlessly, making his brow bead with sweat. He craned his neck, searching for her. He hadn't picked this place randomly. He had felt her ki while flying over and tracked it. She must have been flying because it was so easy to sense, but when she landed it grew faint and he'd had to search on foot. It was more time consuming to search this way, but he had not other way of looking for Pan. If he flew, he would have to fly low and he couldn't do that. Not with so many people around. He did walk unnaturally fast, but no one seem to notice.
Out of the corner of her eye, Pan spied a head topped with lavender hair making its way through the crowd of people. She froze and waited for the face to come to view. She felt her heart leap in her throat as she recognized Trunks. Carefully, she turned around and made her way back to the secluded area where she had landed-at least she hoped it was still secluded.
The small park was pretty much empty, as most of the people had decided that the beach was the place to go on such a nice day. Pan powered up slightly, just enough so that she could fly. She nearly screamed when a hand dropped on her shoulder. It took all her self-control not to grab the arm and break it. She turned slowly, silently praying that the hand didn't belong to who she thought it did.
"Excuse me, Miss," the teenage boy asked her, "Do you have the time?"
"No, I don't," she said a little abruptly. She felt as if her heart was about to explode from her chest.
The boy smiled amicably. "That's ok. Say, you're not from around here, are you?"
"No, I'm not," Pan replied. Would you go away!
"If you need anyone to show you around, I'll be glad to do it," the boy said, easily putting an arm around her shoulders.
Pan was about to let loose a smart retort when she felt a familiar ki behind her. Trunks. She felt it rise slowly. Feeling a surge of anger, she grabbed the boy and kissed him on the lips. She had no idea why she did it, perhaps to salvage her already tattered self-esteem or perhaps to show Trunks what he was missing.
