Romance And Reason

The Return

Chapter 1:The Return

Pan stood in front of her mother silently fuming. Pan almost growled as she saw the 'clothing' her mother was trying to force her to wear. She yanked the fabric from her mother's hands hoping that it would rip from the tug, but she was not lucky enough for that so instead she stepped into the bathroom to change. She stepped back out of the restroom wearing a black skirt that barely came to mid-thigh and a sheer silver top over a black tank. The heeled boots her mother held out were firmly denied and her mother conceded to that instead watching as her daughter pulled on her favorite pair of sneakers.

"Mom, I look like a stripper," Pan commented tugging at her waist length hair out of habit.

"You do not! Bulma, Bra, and I picked this out for you, it's okay sometimes to show some skin Pan," Videl replied smirking down at her daughter who cringed at the image of her mother 'showing some skin'.

"It's just a welcome back party for Trunks. It's not even that big of a deal mom!" Pan complained glaring at her mother.

"Oh hush Pan, you'll be so beautiful you'll give Trunks a heart attack," Videl replied clapping her hands together and dragging her out of the room while Pan complained the whole time that she didn't care what Trunks thought.

When they made it down the stairs Pan's last hope of her overprotective father coming to her aid was dashed as he just accepted her clothes and remained quiet. Pan could tell that he didn't like the outfit, but from the large grin on her mother's face she had found some way to keep him quiet. Pan sighed, uncomfortably tugging on the edge of her skirt, and resigned herself to what she was wearing. She grabbed her coat from the hook and took off into the night sky flying towards Capsule Corps.

"Pan, slow down!" Videl called out when she noticed how fast her daughter was flying.

"Fine," Pan responded and since she was feeling a bit rebellious she slowed down to a crawl allowing her parents to pass her easily as she sunk further and further behind.

"Pan enough," Gohan called out and Pan immediately started flying at a normal speed not wanting to deal with the consequences of angering both her mother and father.

They were nearing C.C. when Pan began to reminisce about the last time she was Trunks. It had been three years earlier when Trunks had been telling her that he was going to leave. Pan had just turned fifteen and had a 'crush' on the then twenty-four year old Trunks. She had sat crying while he tried to comfort her.

"Panny, there are so many reasons I have to go. You'll be all grown up when I come back and then you'll understand," Trunks had said

~*~ Flashback ~*~

"Trunks, I still don't understand why you have to leave," Pan replied jerking away from him to stand. She couldn't help the childish stomp of her foot when he simply shrugged in response.

He sighed deeply running a hand through his hair before replying, "I want to see the world, Panny."

"That's bullshit and you know it. You could see the world in a day and return. That's not a valid reason and you know it!" Pan shouted angrily.

"Language!" Trunks replied sharply, before sighing once more. He turned his attention towards his feet and then turned his gaze up towards Pan once again, "No, it's not the true reason I'm leaving, but it's the only one I can give. It's for the best and if you trust me you'll accept that."

Trunks reached out and grabbed Pan's arm as she tried to storm away swinging her around and pulling her close against him in a tight embrace. He buried his face into her hair while one of his hands absently twirled the end of her shoulder length black hair. Pan had shown up that night without her bandana something she rarely did. Pan giggled as Trunks moved his mouth close to her ear as he moved to speak.