Forbidden

Warmth

*****
18- Warmth

Mid-Spring

Trunks watched Pan in mild amusement as she walked down the stream ankle-deep in the water. She held the skirt of her blue dress up as she walked and talked. His little chatterbox was back, and he was grateful to hear her melodic voice chatting away.

Trunks followed right behind her. He had taken his boots off and rolled up his pants. The water was cold, but they were only in it to their ankles so that Pan would be okay.

Pan talked about the season they had missed. His heart felt heavy, and his gut thick with guilt when she mentioned sheepishly that she had gotten a bad cold. Somehow, Trunks knew that cold had something to do with him. In a sense, he had gotten sick as well.

"Are you okay now?" Trunks asked her.

"Mhm!" Pan chirped. She turned to look at him with an endearing smile. "It was just a small cold."

Trunks swallowed thickly. He still remembered what Dr. Brief's had told him before he left for a season. Pan was sick, but she always tried to play it off like it was nothing. Was she embarrassed, or was she worried about something? Trunks wasn't sure, but he had to talk to her about it. Her trying to cover it up every time she got sick would drive him crazy.

"Panna," he caught her attention, and she turned to look at him again. He let out a heavy sigh, "I know."

She glanced at him curiously as her brows furrowed together. "Know what?"

"About your sickness and your weak immune system."

Pan's eyes widened, and she let go of her skirt, allowing the end of it to fall into the stream. "You do?" She asked quietly.

Trunks nodded slowly. "Why did you never tell me?"

He watched as Pan's cheeks grew pink, and she shrugged before she turned and stared at the nearby waterfall. "I don't know," she whispered. "Embarrassed, I guess. And worried," she said, confirming Trunks' theory. "You're a strong Saiyan, and I'm nothing but a weak human. I was afraid that you wouldn't want anything to do with me anymore."

"That's impossible," Trunks said as he walked over to her and grabbed her hand. "Plus, you're not weak, Panna. That slap you gave me the other week lasted for hours!"

"Hey!" Pan pouted as she raised a leg and splashed water towards him. "I felt terrible about that! Stop reminding me!"

Trunks snickered and splashed her back. "Why? I deserved it, and it surprised me. I didn't know you had such a rough side," he teased.

Pan splashed him several more times, and Trunks let go of her hand as he splashed her back. Soon, he was chasing her down the bank of the stream. She was holding her skirt again, and she screamed with laughter as they flung water towards each other. By the time Trunks had captured her and thrown her over his shoulder to carry her to the grass, they were both soaked.

Even though it was mid-spring, there was still a slight chill to the air, and the water was cold. Trunks sat Pan down on the grass, and she was shivering, her teeth chattering with small sniffs. She looked up at him, her dark eyes round and sheepish. "Sorry," She whispered between her chattering. "I think we should go back to the castle so I can dry off."

Trunks leaned forward and moved some of her dark wet hair out of her face before he cupped it. Pan gasped, and her cheeks were glowing pink as Trunks smirked at her. He leaned down and kissed her forehead before he moved down and kissed her cold nose. As he did this, he sent small, harmless waves of his Ki out to dry them off. He kissed both of Pan's warm cheeks for a double measure before he leaned back to look at her and run his hair through her now dry hair.