Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ A Change Of Heart ❯ Preparations To Leave ( Chapter 20 )

Half-packed suitcases and half-loaded boxes strewn about the room, Pan sat at her desk, transferring files from her desktop computer to her laptop. Munching on string cheese and soda, hair falling out of its ponytail, she leant her head on the desk and banged it slowly a few times.

Realizing this was helping anything she sat back up and started typing rapidly on the keyboard. Moments later her computer finally decided to cooperate, and the files began to transfer. Standing up she moved to one of the half-packed boxes and began the irritating process of turning what she wanted to bring into what she could bring.

An hour later her soda had lost its fizz, and her cheese was crusty around the edges. With a sigh, and an ineffective brush at her forehead to push her hair back, she leaned back and lied flat on the ground. She could feel her back straighten and she stretched her shoulders. Her neck was hurting so badly she decided she needed a rest and took her crusty cheese and flat soda down to the kitchen.

Her mother was chopping vegetables on the kitchen table, and Pan sat down next to her after putting her dishes in the sink. Videl smiled happily and handed Pan a piece of carrot. Pan shook her head and Videl looked concerned.

"Are you ok?" She asked and Pan stood up and headed towards the fridge.

"I'm fine." Videl tilted her head to the side and gave Pan a concerned look. "I'm fine!" Pan snapped, and Videl hurriedly got busy scooping the chopped carrots into a bowl. She looked at her daughter from the corner of her eye and shook her head.

"You don't look fine." She said after a little while, pouring the carrots into a large pot. "Do you need to talk-"

"No, I don't need to talk about it." She said harshly, taking another soda from the fridge and making her way determinedly up the stairs to her room. Videl shook her head and took a wooden spoon out from a drawer, stirring in some herbs.

Gohan materialized seemingly from nowhere and prodded Videl in the back. She spun around and poked him hard in the chest.

"Don't do that to me!" He chuckled and said his apologies with a smile. She turned back to her work and he sat at the table, picking at a couple carrots she's left on the cutting board.

"How's she doing?" Videl gave him a quizzical look and he stopped picking at the carrots.

"I didn't give you that look about some silly carrots." She said and he resumed eating them. "How do you think she's doing? She's got to pack, pick up and leave so young-to go abroad of all places-and doesn't know what awaits her. And…" She sighed. "And that to top it all off." She looked down. "Well she's doing awful." She concluded bluntly. "I've never seen her so snap-happy in her life. She doesn't know exactly what's bothering her and that's half the problem. She doesn't know what to think or conclude about any of this-and she's so young, Gohan." She put her hands on her hips and stifled a sniffle. "Oh, I wish she wasn't going right now."

Gohan stood up and walked over to her, putting his arms around her comfortingly, and leaning his chin on her shoulder.

"I know." He said softly, hugging her tighter. She cleared her throat and patted his arm, going back to her cooking.

"It'll be ready in about half an hour. Go see if Pan needs anything, will you?" He nodded and left the kitchen. Walking up the stairs he could hear Pan's coughing, and he knocked on her door.

"Come in." She said before another set of coughs burst out. When he walked in Pan was sitting in front of about six or eight boxes, and things were piled high around her in a semi-circle, her back-which was facing him-was the only thing that wasn't towards a wall of clothes or assorted other items.

She turned around to him, clearing her throat, a hand over her mouth, and raised an eyebrow, expecting him to state his business. He looked around anxiously, and consciously remembered he was doing exactly what his dad had always done when he didn't know how to start the conversation. He noted even more how much he hated it when he was Pan's age.

"Looks like you're pretty busy." He said brightly, a closed-mouth grin across his lips, both eyebrows raised happily.

"Yeah." She said, still waiting for him to state his business and leave. He looked around again and spotted the computer. With a sigh of relief he walked over to it, knowing this was his forte, and something that could open some conversation. He could just picture Pan's scowl meeting his back, but he swallowed and continued his trek to the desk. He examined the screens and turned to her.

"So you're moving everything to your laptop?" She nodded. "You're only taking your laptop?" He tried to start conversation again. She nodded. With determination he sat down at the desk chair and looked at her. "Do you need help with anything?" He tried in vain; she merely shook her head. "What are you doing now?" He ventured desperately.

"Packing." He was now getting frenetic with worry, not having any clue what to say. "So, did you want something?" She asked, and he leaned back a little in his chair.

"Nothing really. Just wanted to see if you needed anything, seeing if there was anything I could do." She drew one corner of her lip up, listening to his plea. He stood up. "I guess I'll go now." And he started towards the door. Grasping the handle he turned to her again. "You know, I can just listen-"

"Thanks dad, but that's ok." She gave a weak smile. "I just need to get some things done."

"Right." He said, walking out of the room, feeling like he was walking out of Pan's life.

"What!?" Trunks yelled at his buzzer, causing his secretary to flinch. Claire touched her headpiece gingerly and cleared her throat.

"There's someone to see you sir." She explained. Trunks-not bothering to get out of his chair-wheeled around the room, picking up a notebook from a shelf and checking a report on the coffee table in his adjacent lounge area.

"Tell them I'm busy." He said quickly, wheeling back behind his desk. Claire shook her head and spoke into her mouthpiece again.

"He's your father, Mr. Briefs." She said pointedly. Trunks shook his head and pulled up his datapad.

"Fine," He said at length. "send him in." He turned off the communicator and started typing rapidly, shaking his head and forcing out a breath every few moments. His office door slid open with a soft hiss, and Vegeta walked in casually.

Trunks didn't bother to look up, and Vegeta folded his arms, standing in front of the desk. He examined his son for a few moments, and finally Trunks looked up with a raised brow.

"Yes?" He asked, sounding as if Vegeta was invading his space for something irrelevant. Vegeta merely looked at him appraisingly, something he had done many times before, and something that was the icing on the cake for Trunks' bad day. "What is it?" He said rudely, and Vegeta cocked an eyebrow up quickly. "Look, I don't-"

"Have time for this?" Vegeta finished his sentence, a smirk on his lips. "Funny, you mother used to have time on her hands when she worked here." He said coolly, and Trunks fumed. "In fact, usually at this time she'd be off work. Hmmm, funny you aren't."

"I don't have time for your mocking right now. What did you want?" Trunks stood up and folded his arms identical to his fathers.

"I was in town and your mother wanted me to see if you needed anything." He looked disapprovingly at the piles of papers strewn about over what seemed to be a desk. It was hard to tell; only glimpses were visible under the clutter. "Apparently you do. But you need something I can't help you with." He turned his back towards Trunks. "I guess you won't need me." He left out the door with a humored smirk, and Trunks sighed and fell back in his chair, a hand to his head.

"How about we go see-" Pan shook her head and looked at her mother with a thoughtful smirk.

"Thanks mom," She interrupted quickly. "but I really don't feel like seeing anyone before I go really." She looked away from the table, than back again. "I appreciate it, though." Videl smiled at her daughter, and piled more rice onto her own plate. Gohan cleared his throat and Pan looked up from her plate.

"So, are you getting excited?" He asked, trying to brighten the situation. "My daughter going to one of the best schools in the world." He beamed. "We're gonna come visit you as soon as you get settled, right?" She giggled happily and Gohan saw a glimpse of his little girl back.

"Of course, dad. But don't get too excited, I'm not staying at the Ritz or anything." She pushed some rice around on her plate. "I'm grateful that Ms. Trepe has relatives that will let me stay in one of their apartments, I couldn't believe my luck."

"I'll have roommates," She began, looking around. "so I hope I get some good ones. I mean, I hope their nice and all." Finally done with her food, she grabbed her utensils and dishes and took them into the kitchen.

"I'm sure you will." Gohan said reassuringly from his seat in the dining room, and she smiled as she rinsed off her things and put them in the dishwasher.

The doorbell rang, and Pan let her eyes fall despairingly. She heard her grandfather Goku enter with a happy, bellowing greeting, and she knew Chi-Chi and Goten were with him.

"Pan!" She heard her mother call, and she brushed a hand slowly through her hair with a sigh. She closed the dishwasher and walked into the living room, immediately she was embraced by her grandma.

"It's going to be so lonely without you." Chi-Chi said softly, pushing back tears. Goten came from behind and locked her into a tight hug, then slung an arm around her shoulders.

"So when do you leave?" Chi-Chi asked, more to Videl than Pan. Videl smiled and turned to her daughter, then back to Chi-Chi.

"Tomorrow morning." She said. "Thankfully not early." She smiled. "A little later in the morning."

Conversations continued as conversations do, piling on top of another until you can't possibly remember exactly all you talked about. Hours had passed, and it was late in the evening when all the ice-cream bowls were stacked on the coffee table and Goku actually admitted he didn't want anything else to eat. He did though, pick up the little dish of candy and start sorting through it.

Pan smiled to herself as she watched this great warrior peer at all the different candies, tongue pinned between his lips. He finally beamed upon seeing a personal favorite and began ripping open the wrapper, a giddy look in his eyes.

Muscles rippling over his body, hard as rock, this warrior was a kid at heart. Prone to food fests and cartoon marathons, Goku was perhaps the wisest man she had ever met. It was a stark contrast between he and Vegeta, the man that had been shocked at Goku's power being within a being so silly and fun loving, not one to care about the cares the world saw fit to worry about.

But there was a serious side to Goku that anyone with half a brain could see. Always in the worst situations, Goku was the one that everyone leant on, Goku was the one that pulled everyone together, Goku was the glue that kept the Z-fighters together. He was noble, proud in the best sense, wise, down to earth, caring, considerate, and the list went on and on.

As Pan sat and watched him dig for a second candy, her respect for him grew once more. Watching his big, black eyes dart from one wrapper to the next, she found herself smiling, and noticing an empty seat next to him, she stood up and pounced on it, plopping herself down, casting her eyes down to the dish he still rummaged through.

He blinked once and then looked to his left, where Pan sat looking up at him adoringly. He grinned and held up the dish.

"You want some?" He asked her, a mouthful of chocolate still in his mouth. She shook her head, and he shrugged. He sat the bowl down with a frown and another shrug. Pan smiled to herself again and nodded towards the kitchen.

"Think you might find something in there?" She voiced, and Goku looked thoughtful. Very thoughtful.

Goku stood up and pulled Pan with them. Everyone looked at them for a moment before Goku explained their destination. With a shake of her head Chi-Chi dismissed them with a wave of her hand and conversations continued once again when the kitchen door swung shut.

Goku sat down at the table and Pan opened the refrigerator door. She pulled out some milk and got out two cups. Sitting them down she handed Goku the jug of milk and snatched a plate of cookies out of the cupboard.

Sitting down at the table she caught Goku's eyes on hers. Perceptive and sharp, they penetrated her seemingly to her very soul. Feeling exposed, she blinked and started busying herself by picking out a cookie.

"Don't you want one?" She asked him, holding up the plate. He shook his head and instead just took a gulp of milk. She looked at him, perplexed.

"You didn't want me to come in here to eat, Pan." He had a cute smirk on his face, and the ever-present expression of intuition that he always held. Pan sat the plate down and smiled to herself thoughtfully. He was right.

"What's wrong, Pan?" She opened her mouth and started to speak but he interrupted her. "I know what happened. But I want to know what's bothering you." she fought back the urge to simply cry and let everything spill out, but she couldn't do that. She was above that. Or so she hoped.

Once again she opened her mouth to speak but the kitchen door opened and she spun around to see Vegeta waltz determinedly into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and dug a soda out from its depths.

Leaning against the refrigerator door he popped it open and took a drink. Folding his arms masculinely he looked between Goku and Pan as if this was completely normal. The thing was, it was completely normal.

"Continue with your business, I don't care what you're talking about." he said sharply, taking another large drink, emptying it completely. He crumpled it easily in his hand and tossed it in the trash. He looked at Goku and nodded at Pan.

"Go ahead." He said like a spoiled little prince, which he definitely was. Pan swallowed and pushed her cookie to the left a bit, racking her brain for something to say.

"I-uh…" She looked back and forth between them both, wishing she wasn't the only one treating this like an odd situation. But, as Goku looked at her in puzzlement, and Vegeta with expectancy, she realized that to them this wasn't weird or out of the norm one bit whatsoever. She took another long drink of milk before continuing the speech that would most likely and ultimately lead to shame.

A long time passed, Pan couldn't tell you how long; being engrossed in the conversation made the minutes slip by like tenths of seconds. The entire plate of cookies-fresh from the morning-were reduced to crumbs, and the second jug of milk sat on the table a third empty.

Vegeta was telling a story. Something precious that all held dear when the chance came. Vegeta's stories were rare and far-between, usually leaving the listener engrossed. He always spoke of events that took place in the prime of the Saiyan's, before Vejita-sei was destroyed, before it had been torn apart, leaving its people at the brink of extinction.

Pan, and just about everyone else, loved hearing about Vegeta's life, she couldn't hear enough!

She listened intently as he finished his story, and she resisted the want to ask him to tell another. Don't grab onto a butterfly. She always thought about Vegeta. Hold onto something like that and it will fly away as soon as it can. And so, every time he told his stories she fought the urge to beg him for another, telling herself if she didn't ask for one more, he'd come back to tell another sometime.

Vegeta then stood up, and said his goodbyes, explaining that Bulma would be cooled down from their argument by now. Laughing, Goku told him to come back if she wasn't, and Vegeta agreed, stubborn in his usual way.

As he walked out the door Goku looked at Pan and she smiled. He put the milk back into the fridge and put the plate in the dishwasher, something she didn't expect from him.

"I always love his stories." She said aloud, and Goku nodded, agreeing. "I wonder what it would be like, you know, to see Vejita-sei. I bet it was so grand, so wonderful."

"I'm sure it was." Goku said, sitting down. "And weren't we starting a conversation of our own before he came?" He asked with a smile. As she jumped into his arms he pulled Pan into his lap like a little girl. Brushing her hair with his fingers she started telling him everything she'd wanted to voice aloud for these past few weeks, finally ready to admit things to herself.